Map: East Frisian Islands - An unknown map – an unknown war scenario

[lordroel]

Coming from standard-freeholder comes: VE Day 75th: An unknown map – an unknown war scenario

At the headquarters of the British 21st Army Group in Leopoldsburg, close to the Belgian-Dutch border, the strategic planners of the Royal Army are facing major questions in November 1944.

Since the large Allied army tasked with overthrowing Nazi Germany landed in France in June, the constant supply of weapons, ammunition, fuel and food to the troops has been the greatest challenge. It must also be secured for when the war continues into Germany. For that purpose, the British are now targeting a German port city: Emden.

But let’s take it in sequence.

Immediately after the landing, the Allies built an artificial port in Arromanches, France, through which all supplies were landed and taken to the front lines, until the capture of Cherbourg in July 1944. The rapid advance created ever greater problems for the logistics experts, as the supply routes become longer and longer.

Map outlining the Allies' plans to clear the mouth of the River Ems in Germany, in the final stages of the Second World War



Sometimes, the troops had to come to a halt because they ran out of fuel, ammunition and rations.

In September, the Canadians conquered the Belgian city of Antwerp and, with it, a port close to the front. But Antwerp is located on the Schelde river— and its mouth, 80 kilometres to the west, is still held by strong German positions on the island of Walcheren and in the Beveland.

It is the Canadian troops who, in heavy and costly battles in October 1944, have to gain control of the estuary to be able to use the port

The same will be necessary when the Allies invade Germany. A port, and unhindered access to it, is required.

British headquarters has already selected the port: Emden.

Military document outlining Emden as a likely candidate to help secure the Allies’ movement into Germany during the final stages of the Second World War



In November 1944, a plan is being drawn up to gain control of the Ems river fairway between the islands of Borkum and Norderney.

Immediately after the capture of Delfzijl and Emden, Canadian troops are supposed to land on both islands after intensive air attacks and artillery fire, take out the fortifications and anti-aircraft batteries and bring the heavily manned islands under control.

The operation is prepared in minute detail. Wind and weather conditions are recorded, as well as currents and tidal movements.

Which beaches are most suitable? How can you get to the islands through the tideland? How many troops are required, what will the morale of the defenders be like, and what losses can be expected?

Eventually, this operation plan is recorded on a map. If it is implemented, the two East Frisian islands left and right of the Ems estuary would face complete destruction.

For the Canadian soldiers, it means another high-casualty landing operation.

It would not come to that, as the rapid advance of the Allies through Germany in the spring of 1945 ended up making the plan obsolete.

[stevep]

   lordroel ,

  Interesting idea and shows the lessons learnt from Antwerp.  However likely to be very costly unless the defenders are too demoralised to put up much of a fight or to seriously impede the use of the port by destroying facilities, sinking blockships, laying mines etc.  I suspect the Canadians were glad they didn't have to go through with it.

  Just to clarify this is to seize the islands so that the port can be used after Emden is captured by a land advance rather than attempting to seize it by sea? 

  You have a duplicate in that you repeat a couple of paragraphs, i.e.

In September, the Canadians conquered the Belgian city of Antwerp and, with it, a port close to the front. But Antwerp is located on the Schelde river— and its mouth, 80 kilometres to the west, is still held by strong German positions on the island of Walcheren and in the Beveland.

It is the Canadian troops who, in heavy and costly battles in October 1944, have to gain control of the estuary to be able to use the port.

  Fascinating insight into how developed and detailed planning was at the end of the war by the speed in which they could put together such a plan.

  Steve

[lordroel]

May 2, 2020 12:36:18 GMT stevep said:

   lordroel ,

  Interesting idea and shows the lessons learnt from Antwerp.  However likely to be very costly unless the defenders are too demoralised to put up much of a fight or to seriously impede the use of the port by destroying facilities, sinking blockships, laying mines etc.  I suspect the Canadians were glad they didn't have to go through with it.

  Just to clarify this is to seize the islands so that the port can be used after Emden is captured by a land advance rather than attempting to seize it by sea? 

  You have a duplicate in that you repeat a couple of paragraphs, i.e.

In September, the Canadians conquered the Belgian city of Antwerp and, with it, a port close to the front. But Antwerp is located on the Schelde river— and its mouth, 80 kilometres to the west, is still held by strong German positions on the island of Walcheren and in the Beveland.

It is the Canadian troops who, in heavy and costly battles in October 1944, have to gain control of the estuary to be able to use the port.

  Fascinating insight into how developed and detailed planning was at the end of the war by the speed in which they could put together such a plan.

  Steve

Reading this it reminds me of something somebody once had posted on AH.com called D Day landing on Friesian Islands?, everybody hammerd him as it was imposbile, seems he was a little bit right.

Also this could be bloody for the Canadians a second time, a second Battle of the Scheldt.

[stevep]

May 2, 2020 13:02:40 GMT lordroel said:

May 2, 2020 12:36:18 GMT stevep said:

   lordroel ,

  Interesting idea and shows the lessons learnt from Antwerp.  However likely to be very costly unless the defenders are too demoralised to put up much of a fight or to seriously impede the use of the port by destroying facilities, sinking blockships, laying mines etc.  I suspect the Canadians were glad they didn't have to go through with it.

  Just to clarify this is to seize the islands so that the port can be used after Emden is captured by a land advance rather than attempting to seize it by sea? 

  You have a duplicate in that you repeat a couple of paragraphs, i.e.

  Fascinating insight into how developed and detailed planning was at the end of the war by the speed in which they could put together such a plan.

  Steve

Reading this it reminds me of something somebody once had posted on AH.com called D Day landing on Friesian Islands?, everybody hammerd him as it was imposbile, seems he was a little bit right.

Also this could be bloody for the Canadians a second time, a second Battle of the Scheldt.

  lordroel ,

  True but assuming I'm reading this correctly the plan is to assault the islands, using a hell of a lot of firepower, after the port is captured.  Rather than attacking through the islands to seize the port as a landing area.  The 1st is still likely to be costly if the defenders are willing to fight but a hell of a lot easier as it means there is land based support for the attackers as well as easier air support while the defenders are isolated.

  Good call however as I recall that as well now you mention it.

  Steve

[lordroel]

May 2, 2020 13:18:52 GMT stevep said:

May 2, 2020 13:02:40 GMT lordroel said:

Reading this it reminds me of something somebody once had posted on AH.com called D Day landing on Friesian Islands?, everybody hammerd him as it was imposbile, seems he was a little bit right.

Also this could be bloody for the Canadians a second time, a second Battle of the Scheldt.

  lordroel ,

  True but assuming I'm reading this correctly the plan is to assault the islands, using a hell of a lot of firepower, after the port is captured.  Rather than attacking through the islands to seize the port as a landing area.  The 1st is still likely to be costly if the defenders are willing to fight but a hell of a lot easier as it means there is land based support for the attackers as well as easier air support while the defenders are isolated.

  Steve

Read this: Air raid on Wangerooge, 25 April 1945

The western allies on 1 April,1945, planned to attack several of the fortified Frisian islands together with the conquering of the harbours of Emden and Wilhelmshaven. A repetition of the problems in Zeeland was feared. In 1944, after Antwerp was conquered, the harbour was out of use for months because the Germans still controlled large parts of the water way towards Antwerp.Marshall Bernard Montgomery, commanding officer of the 21st Army Group, planned the following: Canadian troops were to advance along the coast after the conquest of Bremen through Emden and Wilhelmshaven. They would also prepare the conquest of the islands. Due to her strategic situation, the island of Wangerooge was given priority, followed by Borkum, Norderney and Juist.The operation was to be planned and executed together with the Royal Navy.After that allied reconnaissance planes photographed the islands systematically in order to assess the strength of the German defences, Wangerooge turned out to have been transformed into a formidable stronghold. This was not only because of the batteries and military building that the Germans already had constructed but also because the Germans had positioned many fake batteries.These observations led the Canadians to refrain from a landing assault because heavy losses were feared. In this stage of the war a risk like this would not to be taken.A destructive air raid was to eliminate the fortress of Wangerooge. On second thought Monty agreed with this plan.

On 25 April 1945 around 14:25 hour, 466 four engined Handley Page Halifax and Avro Lancaster bombers and sixteen two engined De Havilland Mosquito pathfinders took off from 25 airbases in southeast England for the last great air attack of the RAF on a target in Germany. Of the 482 bombers, 266 were manned by the Royal Air Force (RAF), 194 by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and 18 by the Forces Aériennes Françaises Libres (FAFL, the air force of the free French). In total there were approximately 3,300 crew members on board of the allied airplanes and the aircraft carried 2,176 tonnes of bombs with them.

In the afternoon at five o'clock, the forced labourers at Wangerooge were marched from their work location to their barracks. Several German military reconnaissance posts had reported that a formation of around 500 airplanes was at large on 350 kms from Wangerooge. On the island itself these messages were received by the Germans with resignation. They had become accustomed to large numbers of allied bombers that dropped their deadly cargo on some of the final square kilometers that still remained in German hands. The strongest radar on Wangerooge, the Wassermann with a range of 400 kilometres, had by that time long noticed the bombers. The officer in charge had seen a change in course and drew the conclusion that the bombers might be heading to Wangerooge. He reported this to the island commander, but for unknown reasons no reaction was given. Half an hour later the smaller Würzburg and Freya radars saw the incoming air fleet. Again the news was passed and again no reaction developed. The civilians, military and forced labourers were totally unaware of the disaster that came towards them.

Would that be the massive bombing you talk about what would happen to those islands.

[stevep]

May 2, 2020 13:41:10 GMT lordroel said:

May 2, 2020 13:18:52 GMT stevep said:

  lordroel ,

  True but assuming I'm reading this correctly the plan is to assault the islands, using a hell of a lot of firepower, after the port is captured.  Rather than attacking through the islands to seize the port as a landing area.  The 1st is still likely to be costly if the defenders are willing to fight but a hell of a lot easier as it means there is land based support for the attackers as well as easier air support while the defenders are isolated.

  Steve

Read this: Air raid on Wangerooge, 25 April 1945

The western allies on 1 April,1945, planned to attack several of the fortified Frisian islands together with the conquering of the harbours of Emden and Wilhelmshaven. A repetition of the problems in Zeeland was feared. In 1944, after Antwerp was conquered, the harbour was out of use for months because the Germans still controlled large parts of the water way towards Antwerp.Marshall Bernard Montgomery, commanding officer of the 21st Army Group, planned the following: Canadian troops were to advance along the coast after the conquest of Bremen through Emden and Wilhelmshaven. They would also prepare the conquest of the islands. Due to her strategic situation, the island of Wangerooge was given priority, followed by Borkum, Norderney and Juist.The operation was to be planned and executed together with the Royal Navy.After that allied reconnaissance planes photographed the islands systematically in order to assess the strength of the German defences, Wangerooge turned out to have been transformed into a formidable stronghold. This was not only because of the batteries and military building that the Germans already had constructed but also because the Germans had positioned many fake batteries.These observations led the Canadians to refrain from a landing assault because heavy losses were feared. In this stage of the war a risk like this would not to be taken.A destructive air raid was to eliminate the fortress of Wangerooge. On second thought Monty agreed with this plan.

On 25 April 1945 around 14:25 hour, 466 four engined Handley Page Halifax and Avro Lancaster bombers and sixteen two engined De Havilland Mosquito pathfinders took off from 25 airbases in southeast England for the last great air attack of the RAF on a target in Germany. Of the 482 bombers, 266 were manned by the Royal Air Force (RAF), 194 by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and 18 by the Forces Aériennes Françaises Libres (FAFL, the air force of the free French). In total there were approximately 3,300 crew members on board of the allied airplanes and the aircraft carried 2,176 tonnes of bombs with them.

In the afternoon at five o'clock, the forced labourers at Wangerooge were marched from their work location to their barracks. Several German military reconnaissance posts had reported that a formation of around 500 airplanes was at large on 350 kms from Wangerooge. On the island itself these messages were received by the Germans with resignation. They had become accustomed to large numbers of allied bombers that dropped their deadly cargo on some of the final square kilometers that still remained in German hands. The strongest radar on Wangerooge, the Wassermann with a range of 400 kilometres, had by that time long noticed the bombers. The officer in charge had seen a change in course and drew the conclusion that the bombers might be heading to Wangerooge. He reported this to the island commander, but for unknown reasons no reaction was given. Half an hour later the smaller Würzburg and Freya radars saw the incoming air fleet. Again the news was passed and again no reaction developed. The civilians, military and forced labourers were totally unaware of the disaster that came towards them.

Would that be the massive bombing you talk about what would happen to those islands.

  Very likely something like that although possibly even heavier before an actual landing or to ensure the suppression of any enemy forces.  Unless that's what they actually achieved on Wangerooge?

[lordroel]

May 2, 2020 13:48:09 GMT stevep said:

May 2, 2020 13:41:10 GMT lordroel said:

Read this: Air raid on Wangerooge, 25 April 1945

The western allies on 1 April,1945, planned to attack several of the fortified Frisian islands together with the conquering of the harbours of Emden and Wilhelmshaven. A repetition of the problems in Zeeland was feared. In 1944, after Antwerp was conquered, the harbour was out of use for months because the Germans still controlled large parts of the water way towards Antwerp.Marshall Bernard Montgomery, commanding officer of the 21st Army Group, planned the following: Canadian troops were to advance along the coast after the conquest of Bremen through Emden and Wilhelmshaven. They would also prepare the conquest of the islands. Due to her strategic situation, the island of Wangerooge was given priority, followed by Borkum, Norderney and Juist.The operation was to be planned and executed together with the Royal Navy.After that allied reconnaissance planes photographed the islands systematically in order to assess the strength of the German defences, Wangerooge turned out to have been transformed into a formidable stronghold. This was not only because of the batteries and military building that the Germans already had constructed but also because the Germans had positioned many fake batteries.These observations led the Canadians to refrain from a landing assault because heavy losses were feared. In this stage of the war a risk like this would not to be taken.A destructive air raid was to eliminate the fortress of Wangerooge. On second thought Monty agreed with this plan.

On 25 April 1945 around 14:25 hour, 466 four engined Handley Page Halifax and Avro Lancaster bombers and sixteen two engined De Havilland Mosquito pathfinders took off from 25 airbases in southeast England for the last great air attack of the RAF on a target in Germany. Of the 482 bombers, 266 were manned by the Royal Air Force (RAF), 194 by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and 18 by the Forces Aériennes Françaises Libres (FAFL, the air force of the free French). In total there were approximately 3,300 crew members on board of the allied airplanes and the aircraft carried 2,176 tonnes of bombs with them.

In the afternoon at five o'clock, the forced labourers at Wangerooge were marched from their work location to their barracks. Several German military reconnaissance posts had reported that a formation of around 500 airplanes was at large on 350 kms from Wangerooge. On the island itself these messages were received by the Germans with resignation. They had become accustomed to large numbers of allied bombers that dropped their deadly cargo on some of the final square kilometers that still remained in German hands. The strongest radar on Wangerooge, the Wassermann with a range of 400 kilometres, had by that time long noticed the bombers. The officer in charge had seen a change in course and drew the conclusion that the bombers might be heading to Wangerooge. He reported this to the island commander, but for unknown reasons no reaction was given. Half an hour later the smaller Würzburg and Freya radars saw the incoming air fleet. Again the news was passed and again no reaction developed. The civilians, military and forced labourers were totally unaware of the disaster that came towards them.

Would that be the massive bombing you talk about what would happen to those islands.

  Very likely something like that although possibly even heavier before an actual landing or to ensure the suppression of any enemy forces.  Unless that's what they actually achieved on Wangerooge?

Well if the island of Wangerooge looks like this, we can assume that the islands of Borkum and Norderney also have this amount of German presences. 

[stevep]

May 2, 2020 13:51:42 GMT lordroel said:

May 2, 2020 13:48:09 GMT stevep said:

  Very likely something like that although possibly even heavier before an actual landing or to ensure the suppression of any enemy forces.  Unless that's what they actually achieved on Wangerooge?

Well if the island of Wangerooge looks like this, we can assume that the islands of Borkum and Norderney also have this amount of German presences. 

  lordroel,

  You mean there's an island somewhere under all those guns?   True most are ~6" or smaller but their still large enough for sinking transports or even smaller warships.  I can see a lot of general purpose bombs and probably at least a few Tallboy and Grand Slam bombs.  The last two don't need to hit their target, just near it to do immense destruction and the line in the document "If it is implemented, the two East Frisian islands left and right of the Ems estuary would face complete destruction." could be very literal.

  Steve

[lordroel]

May 3, 2020 11:58:29 GMT stevep said:

May 2, 2020 13:51:42 GMT lordroel said:

Well if the island of Wangerooge looks like this, we can assume that the islands of Borkum and Norderney also have this amount of German presences. 

  lordroel ,

  You mean there's an island somewhere under all those guns?   True most are ~6" or smaller but their still large enough for sinking transports or even smaller warships.  I can see a lot of general purpose bombs and probably at least a few Tallboy and Grand Slam bombs.  The last two don't need to hit their target, just near it to do immense destruction and the line in the document "If it is implemented, the two East Frisian islands left and right of the Ems estuary would face complete destruction." could be very literal.

  Steve

Here is how the Canadian in real life where, you can notice they did not even came close to the islands.