The raid On Peenemünden during World War II

By Sam Ghaleb Contributing Writer

(June 23, 2023) This week, 80 years ago, RAF reconnaissance aircraft conclusively identified German long-range rocket launch sites at Peenemünde, Germany.

The first evidence of rocket building at Peenemünde came in early 1943.

The film packet returned by Squadron Leader Gordon Hughes, after a reconnaissance mission over Peenemünde, revealed vehicles carrying long cylindrical objects that could not be readily identified. Subsequent sorties provided additional detail and finally a mission on June 12 produced imagery of a rocket lying on a trailer located near what was thought to be an emplacement.

A thick vertical column judged to be about 40 feet high was also observed. Subsequent reconnaissance missions were conducted. On June 28, examination of the latest imagery proved these to be the V-2 rockets themselves.

Intelligence about the existence and location of the V-weapons program was said, by some, to have been obtained from the secretly recorded conversations of German Gen. Baron Wilhelm von Thoma, who was captured by the British at the Second Battle of El Alamein.

However, Baron von Thoma is not mentioned in declassified files and the story may have been fabricated to protect the source of the information.

The official history of the British military intelligence branch, MI6, by Prof. Keith Jeffery cites several sources, including a tip-off from forced laborers working at Peenemünde.

In 1935, the rocket engineer Dr. Werner von Braun, who would become the top Nazi rocket scientist, pinpointed the village of Peenemünde, which offered a 300-mile testing range off the German coast on the Baltic Sea, as the perfect, secret place to develop and test rockets. Extensive building began on the world’s largest and most modern rearmament center.

About 12,000 people worked on the first-ever cruise missiles and fully functioning large-scale rockets at the site, which spanned an area of 10 square miles. The research and devel- opment carried out in Peenemünde was not only crucial to the course of the biggest war in history, but impacted the future of weapons of mass destruction, as well as space travel.

The bombing of Peenemünde was carried out on several occasions as part of Operation Crossbow, to disrupt the German secret weapon development. The first raid on Peenemünde, was Operation Hydra, on the night of 17/18 August 1943.

The primary objective of Operation Hydra was to kill as many personnel involved in the V-weapons program as possible, so the housing area was the main aim point. Two lesser objectives were to destroy as much of the V-weapons related work and documentation as possible, and to render Peenemünde useless as a research facility.

There were several novel features in this raid. It was the first occasion that the Bomber Command’s Pathfinder Force used the technique where one aircraft controlled the progress of the entire raid while orbiting above the target area.

It was the only occasion in the second half of the war when the whole of Bomber Command attempted a precision raid by night on such a small target. For the first time, there was a Master Bomber controlling a fullscale Bomber Command raid. The bombers attacked from 7,000 feet in full moonlight, unusual for Bomber Command.

This raid was carried out by 596 heavy bombers of the Royal Air Force — 324 Lancasters, 218 Halifax’s, 54 Starlings — which dropped 1,800 tons of bombs, 85 percent of which was high-explosive. There were three aiming points for the bombers to drop their bombs — the scientists’ and workers’ living quarters, the rocket factory, and the experimental station.

The Pathfinders employed a special plan with crews designated as shifters, who attempted to move the marking from one part of the target to another as the raid progressed. Unfortunately, the initial marking and bombing fell on a labor camp for forced workers which was situated 1.5 miles south of the first aiming point, but the Master Bomber and the Pathfinders quickly brought the bombing back to the main targets, which were all bombed successfully.

When the aircraft got over Peenemünde, there were clouds over the site and the first bombs missed their target. The AA Guns opened fire, and even ships offshore opened fire, but still, there were no fighters to be seen.

The second wave of bombers was directed at the factory workshops, and the third, and last, wave arrived at 48 minutes past midnight, striking experimental workshops.

The crews of the Lancasters and Halifaxs had made an error and dropped bombs with a delay of 30 seconds which might not seem a lot, but that 30 seconds were notably important, as their bombs landed in the nearby concentration camp. By that time German night fighters started to appear.

The night sky was so cloudless that the British bombers presented an easy target for German night fighters. Bomber Command’s losses were 40 aircraft — 23 Lancaster, 15 Halifax and 2 Stirling. This represents 6.7 per cent of the force dispatched, but was judged to be an acceptable cost for the successful attack on this important target on a moonlit night.

A diversionary raid on Berlin by Mosquitoes of 8 Group was laid on with the hope that German fighters would be drawn to the defense of the capital. It was hoped that the first, second and even the third waves of

AVA MARIE DELRICCO Ocean View, Delaware

Ava Marie DelRicco, 13, of Ocean View, Delaware, passed away peacefully in her sleep and gained her heavenly wings on Thursday, June 15, 2023.

Ava was born at Franklin Square Hospital in Baltimore on May 5, 2010, to George William DelRicco and Annmarie DelRicco. She was affectionately known as “Baby Ava” in the Ocean City and Ocean Pines communities.

She was involved in a serious car accident in December of 2011 from an impaired driver that plowed into the back of the car that was carrying Ava. Ava suffered severe injuries, particularly to her head. She was flown to Johns Hopkins, where she had immediate surgery to relieve the swelling of her brain.

The entire resort community embraced “Baby Ava” with vigils, fundraisers and prayers. Her strong, resilient personality allowed her to

World War Ii

bombers in “Operation Hydra,” would be able to drop their loads without interference from fighters.

The damage caused by the bombing was very extensive. Research facilities and rocket assembly buildings were destroyed. Bombs also hit the forced labor camps, killing between 500 and 600 prisoners. The raid was thoroughly planned, and hopes were high.

However, sufficient damage was caused to delay Hitler’s Vengeance Weapons program for some months, and the senior engineer of the rocket development program, Dr. Walter Thiel, was among the dead. In addition to Dr. Thiel, those on the ground at Peenemünde were Maj.-Gen. Walter Dornberger, the military leader of the V-2 rocket program, Dr. Werner von Braun, and the Nazi female test pilot, Hanna Reitsch, who later claimed to have slept through the raid.

Chief of Luftwaffe General Staff, Gen. Hans Jeschonnek, committed suicide on Aug. 19 after criticism for the Peenemünde and Schweinfurt raids.

On Aug. 25, 1943, the RAF again bombed the German rocket laboratory on Peenemünde. Subsequent attacks were carried out in daylight raids by the US Army Air Force’s Eighth Air Force.

The Germans, worried by the damage done to their experimental factory at Peenemünde (and at Friedrichshafen, which had already been bombed), decided to put their rocket production underground and to move their experimental work to survive the accident, but the severe brain damage limited her quality of life. Her mother and father became her around-the-clock caregivers to provide Ava with as much love and support as possible.

Although Ava’s tragic accident quickly changed the DelRicco household she still brought such a bright light of sunshine to anyone that was around her. She just finished seventh grade at Georgetown Middle School through Howard T. Ennis.

Ava loved music and would move her legs to the beat of the music in her roller-walker. She also was a beach girl! Ava loved being on the beach and spending time with her loving family.

She was preceded in death by her paternal grandparents, Richard Aldo and Cherie DelRicco. She is survived by her parents, George and Annmarie DelRicco; a sister, Sage; a brother, Mark and his fiancé Amanda and their child Caleb; and maternal grandparents Jerry and Carolyn Menagias. Ava is also survived by her aunt and godmother, Lisa DelRicco; aunt Dena Hollingsworth and her husband, Bubby; two uncles, Ronald

DelRicco and his wife Diana, and Michael DelRicco; and 12 cousins, Nicole, Alyssa, Bubby, Brenden, Devin, Demi, Dillion, Ashlan, Tessa, Chase, Alexander and Enzo.

A visitation will be held from 5-7 p.m., Wednesday, June 21, at the Ocean View Chapel of Melson Funeral Services, 38040 Muddy Neck Rd., Ocean View, DE 19970.

A visitation will also be held from 11 a.m. to noon, Thursday, June 22, at St. Luke Catholic Church, 9903 Coastal Hwy., Ocean City, MD, where a Mass of Christian Burial will begin at noon. Interment will follow at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Dagsboro.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions in Ava’s name to the Epilepsy Foundation by visiting epilepsy.com

Online condolences may be sent by visiting melsonfuneralservices.com.

CHARLES “BUCKY” SPOERER III Ocean City

Charles “Bucky” Spoerer III, 76, a long-time resident of Ocean City, passed away peacefully on Jan. 18, 2023, after a brave fight with recurrent cancer.

He will be greatly missed by his siblings, Jeanne S. Thompson of Pennsylvania; Barrie H. Islev-Petersen of Maryland; Tyler P Houck and John L Spoerer, both of Florida; and his niece, Lauren H. Madsen and nephew, Edward (Ted) J. Hoffman.

A well-respected member of the restaurant industry in Ocean City for over 40 years, Bucky will be remembered for his wit, hard work and independent spirit.

In his early years, he was the manager of the Mug & Mallet and worked in the offices of the original Phillips Crab House on 21st Street. Later, he

Poland. The cumulative effect of all this meant several valuable months of delay.

There was some controversy about the effect of these raids. Unfortunately for the Allies, Peenemünde was attacked too late to inflict a mortal blow to the V-weapons program, and the experimental work was unaffected.

The V-1 was all but complete and ready to be engineered for production. The V-2 program was complete as well. The US Strategic Bombing Survey concluded, “The attacks on the V-weapon experimental station at Peenemünde, were not effective; V-1 was already in production near Kassel and V-2 had also been moved to an underground plant.”

After the surrender of Germany, the German chief rocket development scientist Dr. von Braun and hundreds of top engineers and technicians surrendered to the U.S. Army. They were moved to Huntsville, Alabama, where they established The Redstone Missile Arsenal. Many American scientists and engineers were also relocated there.

This rocket research and test facility was responsible for the development of all the early rockets that were used to launch satellites and put the first U.S. astronaut into space.

The result of this massive effort culminated in developing the Saturn V, the largest rocket ever designed and assembled. This rocket carried Apollo 11 spacecraft. It was the spaceflight that put the first men on the moon.

Next week: New Georgia

Continued from Page 57 was part of the workforce and camaraderie of the Green Turtle, Tom & Terry’s and The Island Café.

He loved the ocean, from his early days of surfing up and down the East Coast, to his retirement days of sitting on the beach to watch the sunrise.

He is a graduate of Baltimore Polytechnic Institute and Catonsville Community College and served in the Maryland National Guard during the late 1960s.

We will miss you, Bucky!

ROBERT “BOB” TORREY Bishopville

Robert “Bob” Torrey, 67, of Bishopville, died June 13, 2023 after a brief battle with cancer.

He was born on June 7, 1956, to William A. Torrey Jr. and Jeanne Young Torrey in Washington DC. He moved to Salisbury at age 8. He graduated from James M. Bennett High School in 1974, then continued his education at Goldey-Beacom College where he graduated with an associate’s degree in business in 1976.

On Oct. 8, 1977, he married his high school sweetheart, Donna Banks. They have four children: Erin, Megan, Ashley, and Zac.

Bob’s passion in life was business. He owned and operated many different businesses over the years, but his true pride and joy was his very first, Happy Jack Pancake House in Ocean City. He took over Happy Jack at the age of 26, with no restaurant experience, little money, and no training, but overcame it all and helped it become the wildly popular establishment it is today. He worked every day the restaurant was open, seven days a week for seven months a year, every year. All of his children worked at the restaurant and many of the employees became like family.

He was an active member of several associations and committees in the Ocean City area: OCHMRA, OCDC, and active in AGH as a volunteer. He loved being involved in his community. He was a car lover, especially Mercedes-Benz; his father introduced the brand to Salisbury in the 1970s. He loved travel, the beach, and Jimmy Buffett music. He was known to burst into “Five O’clock Somewhere” at any time, had a great sense of humor and a big heart.

Bob is survived by his loving wife of 45 years, Donna; his children: Erin Ranney and her husband Paul, Megan Alvarado and her husband Juan, Ashley Schmitt and her husband Jake, and Zachary; his grandchildren: Kaitlyn, Aiden, Michael,

Lucy, Timothy, and Nathan; his brothers William A. Torrey III and his wife Pam, and John F. Torrey and his wife Lisa; and his nieces and nephew: Candace, James, Emily, and Katherine. He also leaves behind a huge work family, both past and present. He was preceded in death by his parents.

Visitation will be held from noon to 2 p.m., June 23, at Holloway Funeral Home in Salisbury and a memorial service will follow at 2 p.m.

Memorial gifts may be made to the Parkinson’s Foundation via their website, Parkinson.org or the American Cancer Society via their website, donate.cancer.org.

JOANNE (SOUDER) HEGGAN MASSEY Berlin

Joanne (Souder) Heggan Massey formerly of Glassboro, New Jersey, passed away at her home on June 10, 2023.

She was born in Camden, New Jersey, and graduated from Glassboro High School. She attended Goldey Beacom College, the University of Delaware, and completed her degree at the University of Illinois.

Joanne lived in Lawrence, Kansas for five years where she started a sewing business, Puffs N Such, making University of Kansas cheerleader uniforms, sewing garments for a boutique, and pillows for the Halls De- partment Store.

$1,445.

Upon relocation to Delaware in 1974, she began a long career with Young, Conaway, Stargatt and Taylor, first as a paralegal, then as head of human resources.

In 2003 Joanne retired to the Eastern Shore with her husband John. Joanne’s grandchildren were the love of her life. Having a house at the beach created a lot of cherished memories we will never forget, among them playing on the beach, building sand castles, boat rides and trips to the Boardwalk or just sitting on her porch talking for hours.

She was an active member of Quilters by the Sea from 2003 till 2019 and served as vice president and president. Her passion for sewing, quilting and fiber arts provided many happy hours and she treasured her friendships with her fellow quilters. She was also a member of the Democratic Women’s club, book club and grub club. An avid walker, only a snowstorm would stop her from her daily walks. Joanne and her husband enjoyed being part of the Salisbury Cruise Club and enjoyed several cruises, with one of her fondest memories being a trip to Alaska.

Words that come to mind when thinking of Joanne are a loyal friend, great listener, true classy lady, loving and generous, positive and upbeat. Joanne had a great sense of style and color, evident from her clothing and jewelry, in furnishing her home, even right down to her choices of quilt fabrics for projects. She was a devoted wife, mother, stepmother, grandmother, great grandmother, aunt and friend. She enjoyed her trips to Dumser’s for a double dip of chocolate and coffee ice cream and always made sure there was a supply of chocolate nearby.

She is survived by her daughter Corrie (Don) Boger, son Kevin (Brie) Heggan; stepson Chuck (Linda) Massey, stepdaughter-in-law Wendy Massey; grandchildren Sydney and Samantha Boger, Ruby, Liam and Mae Heggan; step-granddaughters Kendall and Briana; and great grandchildren Annabelle and Silas.

Preceding her in death her husband John; brother Dave; and stepson Michael.

The family would like to sincerely thank the caregivers from Home Instead that provided loving care for Joanne in her home, which was her wish. Joanne had formed unique bonds with all of them and we are forever grateful.

A private Celebration of Life will be planned for a future date.

In lieu of flowers please consider donating to the Believe in Tomorrow Foundation Beach Respite Program at believeintomorrow.org/.