Tallboy (bomb)

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Tallboy bomb
Tallboy Krumpa Memorial

The Tallboy bomb ( English tall boy = "big boy") was an aerial bomb of the Royal Air Force (RAF) and was developed by the British engineer Barnes Wallis . It was a bunker-breaking weapon . The official designation was DP12000 lb ( deep penetration , 12,000 pounds ). With a weight of 5.4 tons , including 2.4 tons of highly explosive explosives, as well as a delay or long-term detonator , it was specially designed for use against heavily fortified concrete structures and bunkers, against which smaller bombs had proven to be insufficient. From the spring of 1944 a total of 854 bombs were delivered to the RAF units. In November 1944, several Tallboys brought the German battleship Tirpitz to capsize .

history

Aware that the enemy would be severely weakened by the destruction of its infrastructure and production facilities, Barnes Wallis developed advanced bomb types based on individual superheavy bombs at the beginning of the Second World War.

Even before the war he had the idea of ​​a ten-ton bomb that worked according to the "earthquake principle" in his study A Note on a Method of Attacking the Axis Powers (about "Note on a way to attack the Axis Powers ") .

His calculations showed that a very large bomb detonating near a target would create more of a " camouflet ", an underground cavity caused by an explosion, rather than a crater. As a result, almost the entire energy of the explosion would be absorbed by the ground, and a significantly higher proportion of the explosion energy would act as a shock wave on the target via the foundations than with explosions on the surface, in which a large part of the explosion pressure escapes into the atmosphere and (more or less ineffective) fizzles out.

The carrying capacity of pre-war British bombers was far too small for such heavy weapons. From 1939 on, aircraft engine technology made rapid advances: It was important to determine which aircraft could fly faster and / or higher than the enemy, or with which flight maneuvers, for example, bombers could react when attacked by enemy fighters.

Wallis returned to his designs for the "earthquake bombs" in the 1940s, when the roll bomb he had developed could be used successfully against German dams ( Operation Chastise , May 1943) and as a result, interest in targeted strategic operations increased sharply.

In the run-up to the planned landing in Normandy (June 1944), the Royal Air Force (RAF) had an open ear for visionary thoughts, as they needed a suitable weapon to target other large civil structures (such as tunnels and bridges ), heavily armored targets (e.g. battleships ) and concrete structures ( bunkers ). She wanted to hit targets on the Atlantic Wall (for example, submarine bunkers and coastal cities that Hitler had declared "fortresses" ).

In 1943, too, the RAF did not have a suitable platform for deploying a ten-ton bomb. Wallis therefore began developing scaled-down versions, one of which would become the 12,000-  pound Tallboy bomb.

The development and production of the weapon (s) took place at that time, although neither an official order from the ministry nor a contract had been concluded. So the RAF dropped bombs that it hadn't even bought. They were still owned by their manufacturer, Vickers-Armstrongs . It was only when the need for such a weapon was recognized that the leadership gave the green light.

The bomb was given an elongated aerodynamic shape. The first versions showed a tendency to tumble, which reduced the aiming accuracy , which was already limited due to the large drop height. The tail units were then modified in such a way that they set the bomb in a longitudinal rotation and thus stabilized its spin .

As in the Grand Slam , the bomber crews were instructed, for reasons of cost, to return bombs that had not been dropped to the bases and land with the bombs on board. During the Second World War, for safety reasons, the bomber crews were otherwise required to drop unused bombs before landing.

Technical specifications

length 6.35 m
diameter 950 mm
Weight 5,443 kg (12,000 lbs)
Warhead 2,358 kg " Torpex D1" ( Torp edo ex plosive ; English for torpedo explosives )
Number used 854

Tallboy stakes

  • Saumur Railway Tunnel - The north-south route across the Loire . 25 Lancaster of the "Dambusters" called No. 617 Squadron (19 with tallboys and 6 with conventional equipment) attacked on the night of June 8th to 9th, 1944. This was the first use of the Tallboy, the tunnel was destroyed in the process - one of the Tallboys bored through the range of hills and exploded 20 meters below in the tunnel, which then collapsed. None of the attacking planes were lost.
  • Submarine bunker near Le Havre - On June 14, 1944, 22 Lancasters of the 617th Squadron of the RAF attacked the heavily fortified facilities during the first massive daytime raids since May 1943. They only did the preparatory work before the actual first bomber wave approached. Several hits were recorded and one of the bombs hit the ceiling.
  • Block House of Éperlecques in the Forest of Éperlecques - was on 19 June 1944 in the framework of Operation Crossbow attacked by the 617th. The closest tallboy dropped exploded 46 meters from the target. The attack was repeated on July 27th: a Tallboy hit that failed to penetrate the concrete armor.
  • La Coupole , V2 - bunker near Wizernes ( Pas-de-Calais department ) - bombed on June 24, 1944. The 617th Squadron also scored several Tallboy direct hits here, but could not seriously damage the concrete dome.
  • Siracourt , V1 bunker - The Lancasters of the 617th scored three Tallboy hits on June 25, 1944 without any losses of their own.
  • Bombing of another railway tunnel at Rilly-la-Montagne , which was used as a V1 storage facility (July 25, 1944). Both tunnel entrances collapsed after Tallboy hits. This mission was also flown by the Dam Busters .
  • Mimoyecques V3 gun emplacement - This German gun emplacement was destroyed by three Tallboy hits from the 617th before it could be used against London (July 6, 1944).
  • On August 5, 1944, 15 Lancasters of the 617th attacked the submarine bunkers in Brest and scored six Tallboy direct hits, all of which penetrated the several meters thick, specially reinforced ceiling. A Lancaster was shot down by the flak.
  • Dortmund-Ems Canal near Ladbergen , north of Munster . The aim was to destroy the Dortmund-Ems Canal at the underpass of the Mühlenbach in order to let the canal run out - but this never succeeded.
  • Weir Märkt north of Basel - The Allied leaders feared that the pent-up waters of the Rhine could be used to the advancing US troops to block the way. On October 7, 1944, the Dam Busters destroyed the lock gates with tallboys dropped from a low height, causing the water to drain.
  • Sorpe dam - The ever heard of the Dam Busters attacked dam withstood the attack this time, although several direct hits were observed (15 October 1944).
  • Battleship Tirpitz of the Kriegsmarine - Since the berth in the Kåfjord was beyond the reach of British bomber bases, the 617th and 9th Squadron with a total of 24 Tallboys attacked the ship on September 15, 1944 from Yagodnik near Arkhangelsk in Russia. The only hit that penetrated the forecastle 10 meters behind the bow at the level of the chain stopper and detonated outboard under water damaged it so badly that it was no longer seaworthy and, after a makeshift repair, did so with its own strength, but only at a maximum of 10 knots moved to a berth near Tromsø . The RAF launched another attack from Lossiemouth (Scotland) on October 29, 1944 with 32 Lancaster bombers, the only close hit damaging the port outer shaft (the outer stuffing box) and tearing open the stern and placing it under water to 35 meters on the port side . In a third attack on November 12, 1944 with 29 bombs dropped, two Tallboy direct hits and two near hits caused the Tirpitz to capsize , but it did not sink completely because the superstructures had ground contact in the shallow water.
  • Speedboat bunker near IJmuiden - On December 15, 1944, the 617th attacked the facility with tall boys, the impacts could not be observed due to heavy smoke development.
  • Submarine bunker in Bergen - bombed by the 617th and the 9th with tallboys (January 12, 1945). Three direct hits penetrated the 3.5 meter thick reinforced concrete ceiling of the bunker and caused massive damage. Three Lancaster bombers were shot down in the attack.
  • Speedboat bunker near IJmuiden - renewed bombing by the 9th Squadron with Tallboys on February 3, 1945.
  • Submarine bunker in Poortershaven - attacked by the 617th on February 3, 1945 with Tallboys.
  • IJmuiden submarine bunker - another Tallboy attack by the 617th on February 8, 1945, no British losses.
  • Schildescher Viadukt near Bielefeld - bombed on March 14, 1945 by the 617th and the 9th with tall boys and the first Grand Slam bomb . The railway viaduct collapsed over a length of almost 100 meters because it could not withstand the earthquake-like shock waves from the superheavy bombs.
  • Arnsberg Viaduct - attack by the 9th on March 15, 1945 with a Grand Slam and ten Tallboy bombs; the structure held up. In the renewed attack on March 19, six Grand Slam and twelve Tallboy bombs destroyed the viaduct.
  • Valentin submarine bunker in Bremen-Farge : On March 27, 18 Lancasters attacked with 13 Grand Slams, four Tallboys and twelve 454 kg bombs. Two Grand Slams tore eight meter holes each in the bunker ceiling.
  • Lützkendorf mineral oil works (near Krumpa in the Geiseltal ) of Wintershall AG : In the night of April 8th to 9th 1945 with 18 machines of the 9th Squadron. 17 Tallboys realized over the target, one demolition due to engine problems and dropping near Cochem, one shot down by flak after bombing . Lützkendorf was the last producing fuel plant in the German Reich to be completely destroyed. Then the Allied offensive against the hydrogenation works was stopped on April 12, 1945.
  • Fink II submarine bunker , Hamburg - Attacked on April 9, 1945 by the 617th with Tallboys and Grand Slam bombs. Multiple hits, no losses of your own.
  • Heavy cruiser Lützow (formerly Panzerschiff Deutschland ) - attacked on April 16, 1945 in the Kaiserfahrt near Swinoujscie by the 617th Squadron despite the heaviest anti-aircraft fire with tallboys and 500 kg bombs. A close hit Tallboy caused a crack in the waterline about 20 meters long, whereupon the cruiser sank aground in the shallow water. Of the 15 attacking bombers, one did not return. This was the squadron's last loss during the war. On September 16, 2019, a Tallboy dud was found in the course of deepening work in the canal.
  • Coastal batteries on Heligoland - attack on April 19, 1945 by the 617th and the 9th with Tallboys. All positions were hit, no losses of my own.
  • Hitler's Kehlsteinhaus near Berchtesgaden - not hit - attacked on April 25, 1945 by a mixed unit (including the 617th, who dropped their last tallboys).

Preserved copies

Tallboy in the Helgoland Museum

In the Valentin submarine bunker, a remnant of a Tallboy's coat is still stored today and shown during a bunker tour. Since the bunker was attacked for test purposes after the war, it is unclear whether it was a bomb from the attack on March 27, 1945 or from the test attacks.

In the center of Krumpa at the former Lützkendorf fuel works, the complete head section of a Tallboy can be viewed freely. It stands on a pedestal opposite the publicly accessible bunker monument "B134a-Luftschutzbunker Krumpa" and serves as a memorial against war and destruction. This bomb was found during the attack on August 8th / 9th. Thrown April 1945.

On Heligoland there is a completely preserved Tallboy in the island's museum courtyard.

See also

Web links

Commons : Tallboy (bomb)  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Willi Riegert: Home under bombs. The aerial warfare in the Steinfurt area and in Münster and Osnabrück 1939–1945. Laumann Druck, 2003, ISBN 978-3-89960-235-7 .
  2. ^ Gerhard Koop and Klaus-Peter Schmolke: The battleships of the Bismarck class. Pp. 60-61.
  3. ↑ iswinoujscie.pl: Jest się czego bać. W Świnoujściu znaleziono największy niewybuch w Polsce. Zobacz film! Retrieved September 20, 2019 (Polish).