Sunday 17th November. Operation Catechism.

[ianfisher 101]

Operation Catechism was a British air raid of World War II that destroyed the German battleship Tirpitz. It was conducted on 12 November 1944 by 29 Royal Air Force heavy bombers that attacked the battleship at its anchorage near the Norwegian city of Tromsø. The ship capsized after being hit by at least two bombs and damaged by the explosions of others, killing between 940 and 1,204 members of the crew; the British suffered no casualties.

The attack ended a long-running series of air and naval operations against Tirpitz that sought to eliminate the threat she posed to Allied shipping. The battleship had been moved to the Tromsø area in October 1944 after being crippled on 15 September during Operation Paravane. This attack had been carried out by the RAF's elite Nos. 9 and 617 Squadrons, who unsuccessfully attempted to strike Tirpitz again at Tromsø on 29 October during Operation Obviate.

Operation Catechism re-used the plans for Operation Obviate, and was conducted by the same squadrons. The aircraft departed from bases in northern Scotland and, due to clear weather conditions, the Commonwealth airmen were able to accurately target and bomb the battleship. The bombers were unmolested by a unit of German fighter aircraft that failed to take off from nearby Bardufoss in time. One bomber was significantly damaged by anti-aircraft artillery.

Tirpitz capsized within minutes of being hit. Rescuers picked up hundreds of her crew from the water, but few of those trapped within the hull were saved. Several German military personnel were convicted of dereliction of duty following the attack. The battleship's destruction was celebrated in Allied countries and Norway, and is commemorated by several memorials and displays in museums.

Our flight today repeats the operation in all respects except due to time constraints we'll take off from Northern Russia who were of course allies during that period and land in Neutral Sweden.

https://skyvector.com/?ll=69.3508883981 ... 48E%20ESNQ

Meet at: 1930z for a 2000z departure.

Meet on: Digital Theme Park on JoinFS.

Comms through A2A Discord channel.

Start at: Murmansk ULMM

Aircraft: Lancaster

Local Take-off time: 1000.

Weather: Live

Scenery
Murmansk https://vatrus.info/airport/ULMM
Kiruna https://orbxdirect.com/product/esnq

Aircraft
Lancaster https://www.justflight.com/product/lancaster-b-mk-one