http://airminded.org/2008/03/11/the-heligoland-mandate/ Airpower and British society, 1908-1941 Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:12:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 http://airminded.org/2008/03/11/the-heligoland-mandate/#comment-72277 Brett Holman Mon, 31 Mar 2008 00:03:07 +0000 http://airminded.org/2008/03/11/the-heligoland-mandate/#comment-72277 You're quite right, but I do actually address this in the post. (Third-last paragraph.) I may not have made it sufficiently clear that my analysis is not set in the context of the sort of air war that was actually fought in 1939-41, but the one which was widely feared before 1939. That is that Germany would attempt to deliver a knock-out blow by a massive aerial attack on London right at the start of the war -- in fact, most likely before war had been declared. Many books in the 1930s argued that modern bombers would only take 10 minutes (or whatever) to cross from the coast to London, which was not long enough for interceptors to take off and rise to a sufficient height to engage before the raid reached its target. (This was an important reason why, so it was believed, <a href="http://airminded.org/2007/11/10/the-bomber-will-always-get-through/" rel="nofollow">the bomber will always get through</a>.) So, I'm arguing that Heligoland could have been a tripwire which might have provided some psychological reassurance, at least, that a massively destructive air raid could not come with no warning: at the very least, an attack on or silencing of the British base there would be a sign that a knock-out blow was imminent, and that ARP and air defence measures should be implemented at once. You’re quite right, but I do actually address this in the post. (Third-last paragraph.) I may not have made it sufficiently clear that my analysis is not set in the context of the sort of air war that was actually fought in 1939-41, but the one which was widely feared before 1939. That is that Germany would attempt to deliver a knock-out blow by a massive aerial attack on London right at the start of the war — in fact, most likely before war had been declared. Many books in the 1930s argued that modern bombers would only take 10 minutes (or whatever) to cross from the coast to London, which was not long enough for interceptors to take off and rise to a sufficient height to engage before the raid reached its target. (This was an important reason why, so it was believed, the bomber will always get through.) So, I’m arguing that Heligoland could have been a tripwire which might have provided some psychological reassurance, at least, that a massively destructive air raid could not come with no warning: at the very least, an attack on or silencing of the British base there would be a sign that a knock-out blow was imminent, and that ARP and air defence measures should be implemented at once.

]]> http://airminded.org/2008/03/11/the-heligoland-mandate/#comment-71881 jason Sun, 23 Mar 2008 13:53:28 +0000 http://airminded.org/2008/03/11/the-heligoland-mandate/#comment-71881 What makes you think the radar station would have survived much past the opening day of the war? They would have known full well its value as an early warning post. Frankly I think that the Germans would have devoted quite a bit of thought to knocking it out. Either by aerial bombardment, a commando operation, or a simple amphibious invasion. It's not like the Brits could have stationed a serious number of troops there to defend it. What makes you think the radar station would have survived much past the opening day of the war? They would have known full well its value as an early warning post. Frankly I think that the Germans would have devoted quite a bit of thought to knocking it out. Either by aerial bombardment, a commando operation, or a simple amphibious invasion. It’s not like the Brits could have stationed a serious number of troops there to defend it.

]]> http://airminded.org/2008/03/11/the-heligoland-mandate/#comment-71324 Chris Williams Tue, 11 Mar 2008 08:46:32 +0000 http://airminded.org/2008/03/11/the-heligoland-mandate/#comment-71324 Brickhill's _Dambusters_ claims that 617 squadron did a pretty good job of flattening (or at least denting beyond repair) them some time in the early Spring of 1945: like a lot of events, this points out the way the Bomber Command got the hang of just when it no longer mattered. Brickhill’s _Dambusters_ claims that 617 squadron did a pretty good job of flattening (or at least denting beyond repair) them some time in the early Spring of 1945: like a lot of events, this points out the way the Bomber Command got the hang of just when it no longer mattered.

]]> http://airminded.org/2008/03/11/the-heligoland-mandate/#comment-71310 Brett Holman Tue, 11 Mar 2008 05:45:47 +0000 http://airminded.org/2008/03/11/the-heligoland-mandate/#comment-71310 Yes -- flattened again, that is: the Nazis rebuilt them after the Wilhelmine ones were blown up. According to Wikipedia, the post-WWII explosion appreciably altered the island's shape! Yes — flattened again, that is: the Nazis rebuilt them after the Wilhelmine ones were blown up. According to Wikipedia, the post-WWII explosion appreciably altered the island’s shape!

]]> http://airminded.org/2008/03/11/the-heligoland-mandate/#comment-71289 Alex Mon, 10 Mar 2008 19:21:26 +0000 http://airminded.org/2008/03/11/the-heligoland-mandate/#comment-71289 The fortifications were eventually flattened after the second world war, in what was the biggest conventional explosion then known. The fortifications were eventually flattened after the second world war, in what was the biggest conventional explosion then known.

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