Operation Bodenplatte

Operation Bodenplatte
Part of the Battle of the Bulge, World War II

A Fw 190D-9 of 10./JG 54 Grünherz, (pilot Leutnant Theo Nibel), downed by a partridge which flew into the nose radiator near Brussels on 1 January 1945.
Date1 January 1945
Location
Belgium, the Netherlands and France
Result

Operation failed[2]

Belligerents
 United Kingdom
 United States
 Canada
 New Zealand
 Poland [1][Notes 1]		  Germany
Commanders and leaders
United Kingdom Arthur Coningham
United States Jimmy Doolittle
United States Hoyt Vandenberg		 Nazi Germany Werner Kreipe
Nazi Germany Joseph Schmid
Nazi Germany Dietrich Peltz
Nazi Germany Karl Hentschel
Nazi Germany Gotthard Handrick
Units involved
United Kingdom 2nd Tactical Air Force
United States Eighth Air Force
United States Ninth Air Force		 II. Jagdkorps
3. Jagddivision
5. Jagddivision
Casualties and losses
See Aftermath and casualties See Aftermath and casualties

Operation Bodenplatte ([ˈboːdn̩ˌplatə]; "Baseplate"), launched on 1 January 1945, was an attempt by the Luftwaffe to cripple Allied air forces in the Low Countries during the Second World War. The goal of Bodenplatte was to gain air superiority during the stagnant stage of the Battle of the Bulge so that the German Army and Waffen-SS forces could resume their advance. The operation was planned for 16 December 1944, but was delayed repeatedly due to bad weather until New Year's Day, the first day that happened to be suitable. It resulted in almost 500 destroyed Allied airplanes.[8]

Secrecy for the operation was so tight that not all German ground and naval forces had been informed of the operation and some units suffered casualties from friendly fire. British signals intelligence recorded the movement and buildup of German air forces in the region, but did not realise that an operation was imminent.

The operation achieved some surprise and tactical success, but was ultimately a failure. A great many Allied aircraft were destroyed on the ground but replaced within a week. Allied aircrew casualties were quite small, since the majority of Allied losses were grounded aircraft. The Germans, however, lost many pilots who could not be readily replaced.[6]

Post-battle analysis suggests only 11 of the Luftwaffe's 34 air combat Gruppen (groups) made attacks on time and with surprise.[6] The operation failed to achieve air superiority, even temporarily, while the German ground forces continued to be exposed to Allied air attack. Bodenplatte was the last large-scale strategic offensive operation mounted by the Luftwaffe during the war.[9][10]

  1. ^ a b Peszke 1980, p. 134.
  2. ^ Girbig 1975, p. 73.
  3. ^ Franks 1994, pp. 163–165.
  4. ^ Zaloga 2004, p. 61.
  5. ^ Girbig 1975, p. 114.
  6. ^ a b c Caldwell & Muller 2007, p. 262.
  7. ^ Girbig 1975, p. 12.
  8. ^ Girbig 1975, p. 74.
  9. ^ Caldwell 1991, pp. 311–312.
  10. ^ Franks 1994, no page (inside cover).


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