Sønder Boulevard - Operation Carthage Multi-Cache

Shellhuset i København var Gestapos hovedkvarter, under tyskernes besættelse af Danmark i 2. verdenskrig. Her var alle arkiverne om den danske modstandsbevægelse, modstandsbevægelsen havde i længere tid bedt Royal Air Force (RAF) om at bombe Shellhuset, da de gerne så disse arkiver ødelagt, kort forinden havde en ligende aktion fundet sted mod Gestapos hovedkvarter på Aarhus Universitet.

21. marts 1945 løb operation Carthage af stablen, og 18 Mosquitofly med i alt 44 stk. 500-pundsbomber lettede fra en flyvestation i Østengland (Fersfield i Norfolk) og fløj over Nordsøen og gennem Danmark i lav højde for at undgå at blive sporet af den tyske radar. Med på turen var 2 ekstra fly, udrustet som fotofly samt en eskorte på 30 mustang-jagere.

Over Tissø skiltes første bølge fra og fløj videre over Sjælland mod København, mens resten af flyene kredsede søen rundt. Efter hver omgang skiltes næste bølge fra, således at 3 bølger med ca. 4 minutters indbyrdes forskel fløj videre mod København for at bombe Shellhuset.

Første bølge af Mosquitofly kom ind over byen sydfra og navigerede efter planen. Man fandt nemt målet, der iøvrigt var den eneste camouflagemalede bygning i hele byen.

Over godsbaneterrænet mellem Enghav Station og Dybbølsbro Station ramte et af Mosquitoflyene en lysmast, det blev kaftigt beskadigedes - Flyet mistede meget af styreevnen og passerede gennem Palnatokegade under taghøjde. Der kan stadig ses spor efter, hvor vingespidsen ramte murværket (mellem øverste og næstøverste vindusrække, vejsiden mod City, ses dog bedst i modlys).
Senere fandt man dele af flyets haleror på Ingerslevgade lige ved Palnatokegade.

For ikke at styrte ned i beboelseskvarteret og for at vinde højde smed Wing Commander Peter Kleboe og Flying Officer Hall der fløj det beskadigede Mosquitofly deres endnu ikke armerede bomber over Sønder Boulevard. En af disse bomber detonerede desværre alligevel i ejendommen Sønder Boulevard 106, senere blev en ueksploderet bombe fundet i ruinerne af huset.

11 (Luftværnet angiver 12) personer omkom i ejendommen, og en mindeplade sidder på den nye bygning på stedet. Flyet styrtede dog alligevel kort efter ned i et garageanlæg på Frederiksberg Alle (nr. 76-78) mellem Den Franske Skole og Avenue-teatret.

Det var dette nedstyrtede fly der var årsagen til den tragiske fejlbombning af den Franske Skole på Frederiksberg Allé.

Består af 3 caches:

• Shellhuset
• Sønder Boulevard
• Den Franske Skole

Video klip fra Shellhus bombardementet

Bøger:

• Ahlmann, Henrik: (2005) Den Franske Skole, RAF'S angreb på Shellhuset 21.3.1945, En kortlægning af katastrofen på Frederiksberg og Vesterbro ISBN 87-990654-0-1
• Sasbye, Kjeld Mahler: Operation Carthage ISBN 87-985141-0-5
• Hove, Peder: En dag i marts : Shellhusbombardementet ISBN 87-00-23984-4

Her skal du finde nogle tal.

The Shell Building in Copenhagen served as a Gestapo Headquarters during WW2. By the end of 1944 the resistance-movement in Copenhagen was in danger of being rolled up by the Gestapo. Many of the leaders had been arrested and a lot of material was filed in the archives of the Shell Building. In order to have the files destroyed the leading members of the Resistance had requested an attack on the Shell Building by the Royal Air Force (RAF). Recently, a similar operation had been carried out on the Gestapo Headquarters at the University of Aarhus.

On march 21st at 0855, the Operation Carthage commenced and 20 Mosquitos of the no. 2 light bomber group, escorted by 30 Mustangs from the 11th fighter group took off from RAF Fersfield in Norfolk. 18 of the bombers were Mosquito F.B. Mk. VI and 2 were Mosquito B. Mk. IV from the film production unit (FPU). The bombers carried 44x500 pound bombs and took a low altitude flight path over the North Sea and though Denmark.

The formation arrived at Tissø, a lake in western Zeeland, and split up in three waves: no. 1: 7 Mosquitos (one FPU) and 12 Mustangs, no. 2: 6 Mosquitos and no. 3: 7 Mosquitos (one FPU). The first wave flew directly to Copenhagen while the rest of the formation circled at Tissø. After each circling the next wave set course to Copenhagen. The three waves arrived in Copenhagen with a time offset of 4 minute between the waves.

The first wave of Mosquito’s came in over the town from the south and navigated according to the plan. They had no problem with locating the target that incidentally was the only building in town with camouflage paintings

Over the freight-train terrain between the Enghave Station and the Dybbølsbro Station one of the Mosquito’s accidentally hit a light mast and suffered heavy damage - the plane lost much of its ability to navigate and passed through the Palnatokegade below the rooftop level. To this day a trace is still visible in the house wall where the wingtip hit between the top row of windows and the row below in the side of the street that is closest to the City. Best viewed in contre-jour).

Parts from the tail section of the plane were later found at the corner of Ingerslevgade and Palnatokegade.

FIn order not to crash down in the populated area and also in order to gain height, the Wing Commander Peter Kleboe and Flying Officer Hall of the damaged Mosquito dropped their still unarmed bombs over Sønder Boulevard. Unfortunately one of these bombs hit and detonated in the building at Sønder Boulevard 106, and later an unexploded bomb also was found in the ruins of the house.

11 (The Airdefense claims 12) persons perished in the building, and a memorial plate is now placed at the new building that later was built on the spot. Shortly after the plane finally crashed down in a garage at Frederiksberg Alle (nr. 76-78) between the French School and the Avenue Theatre.

This crashed plane was the direct cause of the tragic accidental bombing of the French School at Frederiksberg Allé.

Consists of 3 caches:

• Shell Building (Shellhuset)
• Sønder Boulevard
• The Jeanne D'Arc School (Den Franske Skole)

Video from The bombing of the Shell Building

Books (only in danish):

• Ahlmann, Henrik: (2005) Den Franske Skole, RAF'S angreb på Shellhuset 21.3.1945, En kortlægning af katastrofen på Frederiksberg og Vesterbro ISBN 87-990654-0-1
• Sasbye, Kjeld Mahler: Operation Carthage ISBN 87-985141-0-5
• Hove, Peder: En dag i marts : Shellhusbombardementet ISBN 87-00-23984-4

Here you have to find some numbers.