Bombing target codes in Germany?????

Discussion in 'The War In The Air' started by ffoowlav, Aug 21, 2011.

  1. ffoowlav

    ffoowlav Junior Member

    Hi

    I'm new to this site and don't know how to search to see if anyone has asked this before.

    I have a list of code numbers which I think are bombing targets - possibly cities - in Germany.

    They are:
    A2
    A3
    A7
    A8 (Hamburg?)
    B58 (I know it was an aircraft too!)
    D197
    F19
    F74
    M25c
    M116
    M405
    M482
    Z11

    Can anyone shed any light on what they are?

    Thanks in advance.
     
  2. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    welcome to the forum

    perhaps if you could scan any documents in and post on the forum it may give a wider context to forum members to be able to assist
     
  3. ffoowlav

    ffoowlav Junior Member

    My, that was a quick reply!

    The list was given to me by a friend who got the numbers from various sources whilst researching the activities of Bomber Command. Therefore I don't have anything to scan.
     
  4. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    ok thanks
    Im sure other forum members will be along shortly and will possibly be able to assist you
     
  5. Harry Ree

    Harry Ree Very Senior Member

    These codes were allocated for every operation.If you look at an ORB,it should be possible to formulate a table of codes.However later on the Bomber Command SASO, Saunders for principal targets used a coding system by naming these targets after fish which was thought to be associated with his hobby of fishing.

    Just come across Saundby's codes for two major targets:

    Berlin.........Whitebait

    Nuremburg.......Grayling.
     
  6. ffoowlav

    ffoowlav Junior Member

    Thanks Harry - that's a useful pointer.
     
  7. Temujin

    Temujin Member

    I was looking for this EXACT information, and having trouble finding anything........but did find this information on another

    Source documents:
    AIR 10/3993 - http://discovery.nationalarchives.go...ils/r/C3304407
    AIR 10/3994 - http://discovery.nationalarchives.go...ils/r/C3304406

    Air 10/3994

    (a book of over 100 pages, dated November 1940)

    "Bomb Targets in Germany - Conversion Table Air Ministry Number to New Operational Number".

    Initially, it seems, all targets had been given an "Air Ministry Number" (I don't know where that was used) and an "Old Operational Number". This latter is the one such as you have asked about: "D2", "D11" or whatever.

    At about this time in 1940 it seems they changed all the target codes so this book is a list of 3 columns so you can convert the "Air Ministry No." and the "Old Operational Number" to each target's corresponding "New Operational Number". However this book, as the name says, is just a 'conversion table'. It doesn't tell you what the individual targets were, although it does show that the "Old" codes were split into categories and sub-categories.

    But if you then look in:

    Air 10/3993.

    (200+ pages, dated September 1940)

    "Operation Numbers of Bomb Targets in Germany" that will tell you what each target was, from looking up its 'new' code.

    So for example:

    Air Ministry Number "1(a)(ii) 7" / Old Operational Number "A.7" became New Op No "GQ - 1632".

    Both books are set out into sections, based upon the Old Code initial letter. I was pleased to see that I wasn't far out in my earlier guess of these target groups:

    "A" targets are the 'Fuel Group'. This group is broken down into sub-categories for 'Oil Refineries'; 'Synthetic Oil' (targets A61 through to A120 for example); 'Oil - Stocks and Reserves'; 'Underground Storage'; 'Oil - Machinery'; 'Coke Oven Batteries'; and 'Coal Gas Works'.

    "B" targets are the 'Power Group' (again numerous sub-categories, including 'Power Stations', 'Reservoirs', 'Dams', etc)

    "C" targets = 'Chemical and Explosive Group' targets

    "D" = 'Naval Armaments'

    "E" = 'Land Armaments'

    "F" = 'Air Armaments'

    "G" = a mixture of 'Aircraft Components', 'General Engineering' and 'Electrical Engineering' targets

    "H" = 'Aerodromes'

    "K" = 'Air Depots', 'Air Parks', and 'Aircraft Stores and Equipment'

    "L" = 'Mining and Metallurgy'

    "M" = 'Transportation' targets including 'Canals' (M1 to M9), 'Railway Sidings' (M101 to M124), 'Railway Marshalling Yards' (M430 to M508), and 'Bridges' (M131 to M170)

    "N" = 'Foodstuffs' and 'Soap Factories'

    "P" = 'Tele-Communication Factories' and 'Optical Glass Factories'.

    Each individual target is then named by reference to its New Operational code in the second book.


    "D2" lies within the sub-category of 'Shipbuilding Yards - Building Warships' of the 'Naval Armaments' target category (Target group 'D') and was re-coded as "GR-3587". That is then specifically named as "Hamburg - Blohm & Voss Komm. Ges. Auf Akt".

    Similarly "D11" became "GR3576":
     
    Last edited: Feb 18, 2021
    Harry Ree likes this.
  8. Harry Ree

    Harry Ree Very Senior Member

    Thinking back to the early publications of the RAF Hemswell Association newsletter,a private publication for members entitled "The Ermine Link".

    At the start of the war, targets were given a code by letter and number by the Air Ministry, I
    assume. These codes were taken from the ORBs of No 61 and No 144 Squadron who were the first wartime residents of the station and were transcribed into the newsletter.

    I will see if I can give an example.
     

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