Special Sub-Topic: Air War over the Netherlands Click Here To Play: Air War over the Netherlands

The Netherlands was attacked by the Luftwaffe in May 1940. What was the cause for the most losses of the Luftwaffe ?

Flak. The Dutch air force was heavily hit during the opening stages of the war and was virtually destroyed in the next five days. The most losses to the Luftwaffe were caused by the Dutch Flak which shot down a lot of airplanes, including many of the slow Ju 52's.

Which was the succesful German night fighter Wing (Nachtjagdgeschwader) which was based mainly in the Netherlands from 1941 through to 1944 ?

Nachtjagdgeschwader 1. Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 was the most succesfull of the night fighter wings and had many aces in its ranks, including Helmut Lent the second highest night fighter ace.

What was the target of Operation Oyster on the 6th December 1942 ?

Eindhoven. Operation Oyster was a big attack on the Philips electronics plants in Eindhoven. The unescorted attack was carried out by the day bombers of 2 Group RAF Bomber Command. It was planned for this day because it was a holiday in the Netherlands. The losses were heavy because of Flak and German fighter interceptions.

Which German Fighter Wing (Jagdgeschwader) was established in the the Netherlands?

Jagdgeschwader 1. Jagdgeschwader 1 was created to establish a fighter defence of the approaches to northwest Germany. It took the brunt of the early 8th Air Force attacks on Germany and had many losses.

On 22nd February 1944 the 8th Air Force mistakenly bombed the following town(s)?

All of these (Nijmegen, Arnhem, Deventer). The 8th Air Force was on its way to targets in Germany , but was forced to attack targets of oppurtunity. They chose towns with railroad junctions. They hit these Dutch towns just acros the German border. Alone in Nijmegen there were more than 800 civilian casualties.

What was the most importent target for the Allied airforces over Holland from the end of 1944 till April 1945 ?

V-2 rocket sites. The Germans fired V-2 rockets from Holland on targets in England, Belgium and France. The attacks continued from September 1944 through to April 1945. The only reason the attacks stopped was the advance of allied troops into the eastern Netherlands, which cut off the supply of V-2 rockets.

From which Air Force were the most planes lost over the Netherlands?

RAF. The RAF lost planes over the Netherlands 1940 through to 1945. Because it lay on the many of important routes to northern and central Germany many routes went directly over the Netherlands and the German nightfighters had the most successes there against the RAF.

Which town was bombed on the 19th September 1944 during Operation Market Garden to interrupt the Allied advance ?

Eindhoven. The attack bombed the heart out of the city and the advance to Arnhem was slowed by hours until enough rubble was cleared. The attack was the last of the Luftwaffe medium bomber force, which were about to be disbanded because of lack of fuel and the need for fighter defence.

What was the codename of the big Luftwaffe attack on 1st January 1945 on the Allied airfields in the Netherlands, Belgium and Northern France ?

Bodenplatte. Bodenplatte was the last big attack of the German dayfighters on targets in Allied territory. The object was to destroy the Allied tactical air forces on the ground and gaining temporary airial superiority. Although many Allied planes were destroyed on the ground, these losses could be replaced within days. The Luftwaffe suffered heavy losses, more than 300 planes and over 200 pilots were lost. This was a crippling loss they could not replace.

The superb German night fighter He 219 was first operationally flown from this Dutch airfield ?

Venlo. The first operational succeses of a He 219 against bombers from Bomber Command was on the night of 11-12 June 1943 in which one He 219 flown by Major Werner Streib of I./NJG 1 based on the airfield of Venlo, shot down 5 bombers within 30 minutes.