Shellhuset - Operation Carthage Multi-cache

Shellhuset i København var Gestapos hovedkvarter, under tyskernes besættelse af Danmark i 2. verdenskrig. Her var alle arkiverne om den danske modstandsbevægelse, modstandsbevægelsen havde i længere tid bedt Royal Air Force (RAF) om at bombe Shellhuset, da de gerne så disse arkiver ødelagt, kort forinden havde en ligende aktion fundet sted mod Gestapos hovedkvarter på Aarhus Universitet.

21. marts 1945 løb operation Carthage af stablen, og 18 Mosquitofly med i alt 44 stk. 500-pundsbomber lettede fra en flyvestation i Østengland (Fersfield i Norfolk) og fløj over Nordsøen og gennem Danmark i lav højde for at undgå at blive sporet af den tyske radar. Med på turen var 2 ekstra fly, udrustet som fotofly samt en eskorte på 30 mustang-jagere.

Over Tissø skiltes første bølge fra og fløj videre over Sjælland mod København, mens resten af flyene kredsede søen rundt. Efter hver omgang skiltes næste bølge fra, således at 3 bølger med ca. 4 minutters indbyrdes forskel fløj videre mod København for at bombe Shellhuset.

For at afværge bombning havde Gestapo anbragt 26 danske fanger i øverste etage af Shellhuset,der lå centralt i København. Planen var derfor at flyve ind i lav højde og bombe gennem siderne af bygningen, da man på denne måde bedst ramte et mål fra lav højde. Naboejendommen Teknologisk Institut husede daglig 600 mennesker. Alternativet var fladebombardement fra stor højde. Denne præcisionsteknik fik danske øjenvidner til at tro, at bombningen af de nedereste etager skete for at skåne Gestapos gidsler under taget. Et bidrag til denne senere myte var, at det lykkedes hovedparten at slippe ud, så kun 8 af fangerne omkom. RAF havde dog kalkuleret med at bygningen sank sammen og at fangerne ville dø. Det var iøvrgt første gang en bygning af jernbeton udgjorde et præcisionsmål, så alle 20 mosquitoer blev sat ind; ingen fungerede som reservestyrke.

Tidspunktet for bombningen var planlagt til kl. 11.15 da man regnede med, at bygningen var forholdsvis tom for folk i frokostpausen, og de fleste arkivskabe på dette tidspunkt stod åbne. Efter krigen opgjorde Rigspolitichefens Efterretningsafdeling det samlede antal omkomne ved Shellhuset til omkring 125 personer. Af disse kunne 51 navngives og identificeres, og 42, der efterfølgende var døde omkom af deres kvæstelser. De resterende antal har aldrig kunne opklares; i sommeren 1945 var legemsdele svarende til et sted mellem 20 og 40 personer udgravet i ruinerne.

8 modstandsfolk blev dræbt under bombardementet, og i forvirringen derefter undslap 18 andre. Billeddokumentation fra dagen, hvor man ser fanger klatre ned over ruinerne, er senere blevet vurderet til sandsynligvis at være et falsum ud fra sammenligning med billeder taget fra bombeflyene. Et kamera siddende i halepartiet tog billeder hvert sekund efter bombeudløsningen for at bringe fotodokumentation med tilbage om ødelæggelserne.

Foruden flyet, der styrtede ned på Frederiksberg, blev flere fly beskadiget af antiluftskyts, bl.a. fra krydseren Nürnberg, der lå i havnen. Et jagerfly styrtede ned i Fælledparken og måtte nødlande i Øresund. Besætningen druknede. Flere af flyene humpede mod England med brændstofmangel, og et enkelt havde kun én funktionsdygtig motor. Undervejs gik styrken til angreb på Melbylejren. Ikke alle nåede dog England: To mosquitoer blev ramt af tysk ild og styrtede i Kattegat - og flere landede på den første landingsplads i sigte på engelsk område på grund af mangel på brændstof. En pilot fortæller om den undren, han var årsag til, da han landede på en fremmed base, der ikke var orienteret om, at der var missioner den dag. Raidet var nemlig hemmeligt. I alt 4 fly gik tabt, og 9 besætningsmedlemmer mistede livet.

Består af 3 caches:

• Shellhuset
• Sønder Boulevard
• Den Franske Skole

Video klip fra Shellhus bombardementet

Bøger:

• Ahlmann, Henrik: (2005) Den Franske Skole, RAF'S angreb på Shellhuset 21.3.1945, En kortlægning af katastrofen på Frederiksberg og Vesterbro ISBN 87-990654-0-1
• Sasbye, Kjeld Mahler: Operation Carthage ISBN 87-985141-0-5
• Hove, Peder: En dag i marts : Shellhusbombardementet ISBN 87-00-23984-4

Her skal du finde nogle tal.

The Shell Building in Copenhagen served as a Gestapo Headquarters during WW2. By the end of 1944 the resistance-movement in Copenhagen was in danger of being rolled up by the Gestapo. Many of the leaders had been arrested and a lot of material was filed in the archives of the Shell Building. In order to have the files destroyed the leading members of the Resistance had requested an attack on the Shell Building by the Royal Air Force (RAF). Recently, a similar operation had been carried out on the Gestapo Headquarters at the University of Aarhus.

On march 21st at 0855, the Operation Carthage commenced and 20 Mosquitos of the no. 2 light bomber group, escorted by 30 Mustangs from the 11th fighter group took off from RAF Fersfield in Norfolk. 18 of the bombers were Mosquito F.B. Mk. VI and 2 were Mosquito B. Mk. IV from the film production unit (FPU). The bombers carried 44x500 pound bombs and took a low altitude flight path over the North Sea and though Denmark.

The formation arrived at Tissø, a lake in western Zeeland, and split up in three waves: no. 1: 7 Mosquitos (one FPU) and 12 Mustangs, no. 2: 6 Mosquitos and no. 3: 7 Mosquitos (one FPU). The first wave flew directly to Copenhagen while the rest of the formation circled at Tissø. After each circling the next wave set course to Copenhagen. The three waves arrived in Copenhagen with a time offset of 4 minute between the waves.

In order to prevent bombing the Gestapo had placed 26 Danish prisoners in the top floor of the Shell Building, which was situated in Central Copenhagen. The plan was based on flying at low altitude and bomb through the sides of the building, because this would be the most efficient way to hit a target from a low altitude. The neighbouring building, the Technological Institute, roomed 600 people in the daytime. The alternative to precision bombing at low altitude would be a conventional bombardment from a high altitude. The precision technique gave the Danish eyewitnesses the impression that the bombing of the lower floor was used in order to spare the lives of the prisoners on the top floor. Contributing to this myth was the fact that most of the prisoners managed to escape, and only 8 of the prisoners died. But actually the RAF had expected the building to collapse and the prisoners to perish. It was, by the way, the first time ever a concrete building was the target of a precision bombing, hence all the 20 Mosquito’s were assigned a primary function, none of them served as reserve.

The bombing was scheduled to take place during lunch hour, 11:15, when relatively few people were expected to be in the building, and because most archive lockers were expected to be open at that time. After the war the Chief of the Intelligence Dept. of the National Police (Rigspolitichefens Efterretningsafdeling) estimated the total number of death at the bombing of the Shell Building to be about 125 persons. Of these persons, 51 could be named and identified, as well as 42 persons that subsequently had died from their wounds. The remaining numbers couldn’t be established. In the summer of 1945, body parts from approximately 20 to 40 persons were recovered from the ruins.

8 members of the Resistance were killed under the bombardment, and in the confusion 18 other escaped. Photo documentation from the day, showing prisoners climbing down from the ruins are believed to be falsifications when compared to the pictures taken from the bomber planes. In order to bring back photo documentation of the destruction, a camera in the tail of the planes took pictures every second after the release of the bombs.

Apart from the plane that crashed at Frederiksberg, more planes were damaged by the anti-aircraft artillery, i.e. from the cruiser Nürnberg, at anchor in Copenhagen harbour. A plane crashed in Fælledparken and had to go down in Øresund where the crew drowned. Several of the planes were humping back to England from shortage of fuel, and one of the planes only had one functional motor. On the way home the planes attacked the military base at Melby (Melbylejren). Not everyone made it back to England: Two of the Mosquito’s was hit by German fire and crashed into Kattegat – several planes had to land on the first airfield in sight on English territory because of shortage of fuel. A pilot tells about the astonishment created when he landed on a base, that wasn’t informed about any missions on that day. The raid had been held secret. A total of 4 planes were lost, and 9 crewmembers lost their life.

Consists of 3 caches:

• Shell Building (Shellhuset)
• Sønder Boulevard
• The Jeanne D'Arc School (Den Franske Skole)

Video from The bombing of the Shell Building

Books (only in danish):

• Ahlmann, Henrik: (2005) Den Franske Skole, RAF'S angreb på Shellhuset 21.3.1945, En kortlægning af katastrofen på Frederiksberg og Vesterbro ISBN 87-990654-0-1
• Sasbye, Kjeld Mahler: Operation Carthage ISBN 87-985141-0-5
• Hove, Peder: En dag i marts : Shellhusbombardementet ISBN 87-00-23984-4

Here you have to find some numbers.