RAF Coastal Command’s vital role in winning the Battle of the Atlantic is widely recognised, but what is less well known is its successful campaign against Germany’s heavily defended convoys in the North Sea
From the start of World War Two it was clear to the British that the supply of raw materials, in particular high grade iron ore from Scandinavia, would be essential for Germany to maintain its armaments production and keep its armies in the field. But it was not until late 1942 that the Royal Air Force developed an effective campaign against the heavily defended convoys carrying these vital cargos from both Sweden and Norway into the Dutch port of Rotterdam. The Germans planned to take them onwards from here by barge to feed the armaments factories across the Ruhr valley.
This new offensive was launched by Coastal Command’s strike wings operating from airfields around Britain’s northern and eastern seaboard. Each wing was made up of two or three squadrons equipped with Bristol Beaufighters. These strong, powerful long-range twin-engine machines were ideal for attacking well defended ships with an array of cannon, torpedoes, bombs and rockets, and had the capacity to absorb significant damage.
The first of these strike wing…
