(1/5) Dangerous Missions- Sinking the Tirpitz- World War II

Throughout the long years of World War II, Allied air and naval forces endeavored to sink the German battleship Tirpitz. The mighty warship was a constant threat to Allied shipping even while lying at anchor in her lair among the fjords of Norway. Her very presence demanded constant attention and hampered all naval decision making until she was sunk at the end of 1944. Without so much as weighing anchor, the Tirpitz could disrupt the North Atlantic convoys by tying up urgently needed escort vessels in readiness in case she made a run for the open sea. With this in mind, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill called upon Bomber Command to finish her off once and for all. On November 12, 1944, Lancaster bombers of No. 9 and 617 Squadrons set forth towards the Norwegian fjord of Tromso, where the Tirpitz lay at anchor, surrounded by a web of protective submarine nets. Armed with 12000 pound “Tallboy” bombs devised by Barnes Wallis, the Lancaster crews arrived in clear skies over the fjord. 10000 feet below, the great battleship lay sharply contrasted against the still deep waters. As flak from the ship’s heavy armament burst all around them, one by one the 31 Lancasters rolled in on the attack. In a matter of three minutes, the devastating aerial bombardment was completed and eleven minutes later, her port side ripped open, the Tirpitz capsized and sank.
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