|
Attack on the Gestapo Headquarter “Shell house” 21/3 1945.
The Gestapo in Denmark had hit the resistance on the island of Sjælland heavily
and the Danish underground movement asked the SOE to have the Gestapo
headquarter in København bombed to have the Gestapo files on the resistance
workers destroyed.
A major problem was that the Gestapo held a number of resistance workers in
prison on the top floor of the Shell house building.
It was decided to send 18 Mosquito bombers and two photo planes to København
with an escort of 28 Mustangs. The attack itself was a success. The Headquarter
was more or less destroyed.
On April 1st 1945 a German report states that 20 men and 8 women working for the
Gestapo as well as two Wehrmacht soldiers had been killed and 26 men and 24
women were missing. 14 men and 16 women were severely wounded while 34 persons
were lightly wounded.
There were 26 resistance workers in the building during the attack, 18 of who
survived. Of these some managed to escape and some were transferred to Vestre
Fængsel prison after the attack.
A catastrophe however happened when a Mosquito crashed in the nearby French
School. Some other Mosquito’s dropped their bomb load on the crashed aircraft
believing that the fire and smoke came from the Shell house. 123 civilian died,
87 of who were children.
Three Mosquito’s and two Mustangs were lost.
(Ege via Helme)
A Mustang over Copenhagen 21/3 1945.
Sources: UA, LBUK.
Attack on the Gestapo Headquarter
“Shell house” 21/3 1945:
Mosquito FB VI SZ977 crashed København
21/3 1945
Mustang III HK460 crashed in
Fælledparken, København 21/3 1945
Mosquito FBIV RS609 ditched in the sea
of Kattegat 21/3 1945
Mosquito FB VI NT123 ditched in Øresund
21/3 1945
Mosquito FB VI SZ999 crashed in Nyrup
Bay 21/3 1945
Mustang III KH446 crash landed Lønborg
21/3 1945
Back to 1945
Top of page
|
