First Air Raid of WWII – 10

12:00 – The bombers take off from Sylt

 
Early on 16 October Storp assessed the sunlit morning as being ‘The right sortie weather.’ He then telephoned his girlfriend Elizabeth and arranged to meet her that weekend. It would be six years before they saw each other.  A few hours later he became the first pilot shot down by Spitfires over Britain – the victim of 603 Squadron.

He later reflected:

I shall never forget this raid as long as I live. Radio silence was ordered, to surprise the enemy, if possible. We crossed the North Sea at a speed of 400 kph, in fine flying weather.  Four men flew in each Ju88- the pilot, co-pilot, radio operator and gunner.

All of us were tense in expectation. We knew it would be no Sunday afternoon stroll. The main question agitating all our minds, shall we get to our goal unnoticed? We held our enemy in great respect, especially his Spitfires. For us it was still a gentlemen’s war, and not yet the brutal affair it became later. Our machines flew steadily. We were busy keeping direction.  Engines all going uniformly.

The part Pohle and Storp were to play as bomber pilots in WWII was destined to be short. They did not to return to Germany that day. Two other Ju88 pilots of KG30 who featured prominently in the raid on 16 October were Horst von Riesen and Sonny Hansen.

Prior to the raid, as noted Pohle had attended a meeting in Berlin which was presided over by Goring himself who demanded success and promised ‘. . . Everyone who helps in getting rid of those ships will have a house of his own and all the medals that are going.’

During the same meeting the German Chief of Intelligence, Major Beppo Schmid, informed Pohle: ‘There’s no fear of our bombers running into British fighters up there.’

Whilst this comment was perhaps meant to boost confidence and ally fears, it was disingenuous. When asked about this some years later Pohle was positive that: ‘The attack order of the German General Staff said there were no Spitfires in Scotland,’ but on the morning of 16 October Spitfires had been encountered (by KG26) near the target area.

Pohle led his 12 aircraft in scattered formation of four sections of three aircraft across the inhospitable North Sea, each aircraft carrying two 500kg bombs. The Ju88 A-I’s maximum bomb load was actually more than double that which was carried on 16 October, but the long range of the mission kept the load of each aircraft to 1,000kg.

With WWII in its second month this would be the first air-raid over mainland Britain by Germany’s new air force. Although the spirit of Pohle’s crews was good, they dreaded having to ditch in the inhospitable North Sea or face interception by Spitfires – even at that early stage the reputation of the now legendary fighter was all pervading.

Just before 13.10 hours, flying at an altitude of 23,000 feet, the leading group of Ju88s approached the halfway point of the North Sea crossing. Peering through the breaks in the cumulus clouds the air crews could make out the wave crests which appeared to confirm the south-westerly wind direction as reported earlier by the reconnaissance He 111s. Constant awareness of wind direction and speed was vital for accurate navigation.