WWII Buffs - Operation Bodenplatte - Battle of Y29

[kach22i]

WWII Buffs - Operation Bodenplatte - Battle of Y29

Last week I watched a History Channel video on Youtube and learned of an air battle that I was unfamiliar with.

Video:
Dogfights legend of Y29
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9I0efEVuaJ8


Some more info here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Bodenplatte

And this is a picture of the object of my question:
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/shortcuts/2012/jul/02/heritage-sites-that-defy-belief

'Masterpieces of human creative genius'? The slag heaps of Nord-Pas de Calais. Photograph: Franck Dunouau/Photononstop

Another photo:
France's slag heaps join Pyramids on list of UNESCO world treasures - Telegraph

The slag heaps of France's northern mining region have become the latest, unlikely addition to Unesco's world heritage list, rivalling global wonders like the Taj Mahal, the Great Barrier Reef and the Pyramids.

The numbers I remember could be off as I wasn't fixated on them, but it goes down something like this. Near the end of WWII when the Allies had air superiority, and the Germans take their last 500 fighters in an early dawn raid on Allied air bases in the Netherlands to stomp our air forces on the ground Christmas morning.

To keep the operation secret the Germans don't warn their own ground based air defenses that are used to shooting at the usual air traffic on sight as it's always the Allies.

German anti-aircraft batteries take out 20% of their own fighters flying low with the friendly fire.

Small numbers of Allied fighters surprise the German air group by happenstance and decimate them, another 20% go down.

The Germans lose almost half their fighters in a single day, in a single operation.

But the part that amazed me the most was the computer illustration of these giant slag piles the fighters were flying in circles around.

How did they get the slag that high?

There were no conveyor belts in the animation, a detail they could have easily left out to tell the main story.

I grew up in a steel producing area, and as a kid used to surf the slag piles with the flat bottom of my Converse Chuck Taylor shoes. I've never seen Egyptian Pyramid sized slag piles though.

Does anyone know the story behind these giant slag piles?

How come Hollywood never produced a movie about this epic air battle?

How come I've never read about it before?

I was blown away.

[svandamme]

those slag heaps are within 30km of me, not sure if slag heap is the correct term.
We call em terrils.
And yes they were conveyor belted up there, one big bucket at a time
Not an actual belt , but this gives you a better idea :


Basically coal mines, and the stuff that ain't coal , while digging digging tunnels by the miners, got dumped there. So definately no slag (bi product of steel production) would be found in them.

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by svandamme

So definately no slag (bi product of steel production) would be found in them.

That makes so much more sense.

Germany was building huge concrete complexes underground to avoid Allied air bombing, and slag can be an important part of the cement used in the concrete mix.

Piles of slag would have been like gold to Germany then.

There would have been huge battles to protect such a resource, and more battles that I never heard of.

[sc_rufctr]

Thanks George. The video you posted was excellent.

[HardDrive]

I love military documentaries, but I can not stand the 1990s era video games graphics used in many of them.

[sc_rufctr]

Originally Posted by HardDrive

I love military documentaries, but I can not stand the 1990s era video games graphics used in many of them.

How's this? lol

[tabs]

The Luftwaffe was quite successful in destroying a lot of US fighter planes on the ground. The pilots were what mattered and they were safe. The loss in material was soon made up.

Germany by that time had a shortage of experienced pilots and training was hampered by a lack of fuel. So the losses they suffered was devastating for their operational capabilities from then on.

This air battle was part of Watch Am.Rhine aka the battle of the Bulge. Germany shot it last bolt in launching that offensive. After that they had no more resources and caved in.

[pwd72s]

And it wasn't long before the boys of Easy were atop Hitler's Eagles nest, drinking Hitler's booze.

[ckissick]

Originally Posted by pwd72s

And it wasn't long before the boys of Easy were atop Hitler's Eagles nest, drinking Hitler's booze.

One of the guys in that photo might be the father of a friend of mine. He was there, anyway. He took Hitler's globe home with him. It was in good shape except for some shrapnel holes. He sold the globe a few years ago for $65K.

[nota]

goering's booze hitler was minimal drinker

if you watched band of brothers they found the booze in goering's house

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by nota

goering's booze hitler was minimal drinker

if you watched band of brothers they found the booze in goering's house

I not only watched Band of Brothers, I knew one of them...he was a Thursday afternoon regular at the Cue Ball, may he rest in peace. According to Don Malarkey the booze story was true...a giant supply. Also according to Don, the miniseries was "mostly" true...but that nobody from Easy Company ever saw a concentration camp.

[74-911]

Originally Posted by tabs

....

Germany by that time had a shortage of experienced pilots and training was hampered by a lack of fuel. So the losses they suffered was devastating for their operational capabilities from then on.

IIRC by 1944 new Luftwaffe pilots were being sent up in ME-109's and FW's with less than 100 hours total flight time and it got worse as the war progressed. By 1945 it was less than maybe 10-20 total hours. Just enough to have a 50-50 chance of actually landing the plane but virtually no chance against the American and Brit. pilots with 100's of hours of flight time and combat experience.

Also, for the German pilots there was no X number of missions then being rotated out of Combat. They were in it til the war ended for them, one way or another.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by kach22i

Last week I watched a History Channel video on Youtube and learned of an air battle that I was unfamiliar with.

Watched the entire show. Thank you.

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by sc_rufctr

How's this? lol

I must be easy, I loved that one too.

As far as animation quality, the best one I viewed had P51 Mustang's in it, the silver of the wings was very convincing at times.

The PT boat one I watched used CGI to do cut-a-ways for engine location and other below deck features. Stock war footage most of the other time, and it ended with the mass burning of boats at Samar in the Philippines after the war.

[tabs]

Originally Posted by 74-911

IIRC by 1944 new Luftwaffe pilots were being sent up in ME-109's and FW's with less than 100 hours total flight time and it got worse as the war progressed. By 1945 it was less than maybe 10-20 total hours. Just enough to have a 50-50 chance of actually landing the plane but virtually no chance against the American and Brit. pilots with 100's of hours of flight time and combat experience.

Also, for the German pilots there was no X number of missions then being rotated out of Combat. They were in it til the war ended for them, one way or another.

Lack of fuel.