Drone_pilot
18-11-07, 16:32
On the night of 22/23 April 1918, a British naval force attacked
Zeebrugge on the Belgian coast with the objective of denying its
use to Germany's U-boats.
The outcome was (a) a relatively small disruption to U-boat
operations and (b) a major boost to morale in the UK - badly needed
after Ludendorff's offensive on the Western Front.
The British plan was to block the canal to Brugge (Bruges) by
scuttling three old, concrete-filled cruisers at its entrance at
Zeebrugge.
At the same time, some 900 Royal Marines and naval infantry were to
be landed on the mole to keep the German defences busy. The mole
itself stretched a mile and a half into the sea and was joined to
land by a jetty on wooden piles.
To isolate German forces on the mole, a couple of explosive-filled
submarines would place themselves under the jetty and blow
themselves (and it) up.
The cruiser Vindictive and two ferryboats carried the assault
troops but, before they could land on the mole, they came under
heavy fire from the defenders. There was a heavy swell which made
disembarking (under fire) difficult, added to which 10 of her 12
gangplanks were destroyed.
Further, Vindictive had to be held in place by one of the ferries
(Daffodil) which was therefore unable to put her own troops ashore.
The other ferry (Iris II) was able to get some men on to the mole
but only after she had repositioned herself close to Vindictive.
The result was that the assault force landed badly and suffered
heavy losses, not only amongst the limited numbers who managed get
on to the mole but also on board the transports. However, this
action succeeded in its objective of diverting much of the
defenders' attention away from the blockships.
The blockships meantime were approaching the entrance to the canal
where the first, the Thetis, got battered about a bit and sank
herself short of the target. The other two, Intrepid and
Iphigenia, were able to sink themselves in more or less the
intended location.
One of the submarines aiming for the jetty ran aground and had to
be towed home but the other, C3, found its mark and did its duty.
The crews of the blockships and the submarine were rescued by one
of many motor launches which went in with the main vessels. Some
of these were sunk, as was one of the destroyers supporting the
raid (HMS North Star).
The raid on Zeebrugge lasted about 70 minutes during which time
some 200 of the 1700 RN and RM personnel involved in the attack
were killed and a further 300 injured. A further 15 or 16 were
captured.
Images of the Raid (http://www.militaryimages.net/photopost/showgallery.php?cat=949)
Zeebrugge on the Belgian coast with the objective of denying its
use to Germany's U-boats.
The outcome was (a) a relatively small disruption to U-boat
operations and (b) a major boost to morale in the UK - badly needed
after Ludendorff's offensive on the Western Front.
The British plan was to block the canal to Brugge (Bruges) by
scuttling three old, concrete-filled cruisers at its entrance at
Zeebrugge.
At the same time, some 900 Royal Marines and naval infantry were to
be landed on the mole to keep the German defences busy. The mole
itself stretched a mile and a half into the sea and was joined to
land by a jetty on wooden piles.
To isolate German forces on the mole, a couple of explosive-filled
submarines would place themselves under the jetty and blow
themselves (and it) up.
The cruiser Vindictive and two ferryboats carried the assault
troops but, before they could land on the mole, they came under
heavy fire from the defenders. There was a heavy swell which made
disembarking (under fire) difficult, added to which 10 of her 12
gangplanks were destroyed.
Further, Vindictive had to be held in place by one of the ferries
(Daffodil) which was therefore unable to put her own troops ashore.
The other ferry (Iris II) was able to get some men on to the mole
but only after she had repositioned herself close to Vindictive.
The result was that the assault force landed badly and suffered
heavy losses, not only amongst the limited numbers who managed get
on to the mole but also on board the transports. However, this
action succeeded in its objective of diverting much of the
defenders' attention away from the blockships.
The blockships meantime were approaching the entrance to the canal
where the first, the Thetis, got battered about a bit and sank
herself short of the target. The other two, Intrepid and
Iphigenia, were able to sink themselves in more or less the
intended location.
One of the submarines aiming for the jetty ran aground and had to
be towed home but the other, C3, found its mark and did its duty.
The crews of the blockships and the submarine were rescued by one
of many motor launches which went in with the main vessels. Some
of these were sunk, as was one of the destroyers supporting the
raid (HMS North Star).
The raid on Zeebrugge lasted about 70 minutes during which time
some 200 of the 1700 RN and RM personnel involved in the attack
were killed and a further 300 injured. A further 15 or 16 were
captured.
Images of the Raid (http://www.militaryimages.net/photopost/showgallery.php?cat=949)