(Note: Mr. Fontaine’s entire family was killed and his farm destroyed. Dead are his wife and 14 year-old daughter.)
“The noise was beyond description. In fact, my ear drums burst shortly after the bombs reached my farm. All I could do was to stand and watch in horror as my whole life… my family, disappeared from this earth. I was knocked to the ground and lost consciousness.”
“When I awoke, there was utter silence. I could not even hear my heart beating. I thought I was dead. Then I opened my eyes and saw the hell that had befallen my farm. I fought in the Great War and spent much time in the trenches. It was like walking in a nightmare. I was transported back to no-man’s land once again. Nothing moved for miles. I will never forget the nightmare that my life has become.”
Near Toulouse, France
August 5th, 1946
10:05 hours
By General Georgi Malyshev, Commander of Ground-to-Sky Missile Regiment Number One
Missile site was operational on 2 August, at 09:32 hours.
At launch minus 3 hours, thirty V-3 (Wasserfal) missiles were installed. At launch minus 1 hour, the missiles’ guidance systems were calibrated, and the missiles were prepared to receive their fuel. The operators were on duty starting on 3 August at 04:00 hours.
Radar reported multiple targets in route from the west at 5,000 meters and a speed of 400 kph at 7:12 hours. The enemy formations were on time and on target just as we had been told to expect. As predicted they were of the B-32 and B-17 bomber-types.
The skies were clear and visibility was unlimited.
Missiles were launched in volleys of five in a dispersed pattern, and at fifteen-second intervals. This allowed the missile operators to follow their assigned missile, and choose their targets. Eight missiles were lost before the Columba system could take over flight control.
The Columba system appeared to fail on nine units, and they passed harmlessly through the formation.
Eight missiles performed as designed and were guided to their targets. Five more were partially successful, and damaged their targets.
Without prior knowledge about the direction, time and altitude of the enemy bomber raid, our success rate would be far less. It takes hours to fuel the rockets, and they cannot stay on stand-by for days at a time. We also have to know the direction of the raid in order to send the missiles in the correct direction before the guidance system locates the bombers. If the missiles were initially launched in the wrong direction, the guidance system would not be able to see the targets in time.
Additionally the knowledge of what type bomber the target is increased our hit rate, by a factor of one-hundred percent. Without this prior knowledge, we would have to set the proximity fuse to a different and not as accurate, setting.
I must stress that the prior knowledge that we are receiving is crucial to what success we have with the V-3 Wasserfal. Without this knowledge I estimate our success rate would be less than ten percent.
Headquarters,
U.S.A.A.F 8th Air Force,
London
August 5th, 1946
16:23 hours
“Gentlemen! Get your asses in here and listen up! What’s the short version Norm?”
“Well sir, we accomplished our mission but with unacceptable losses.”
“Give me the bad news first.”
“We lost a total of one-hundred sixteen aircraft out of eight-hundred, most being bombers. Ninety-nine were shot down outright. Another twenty-six are damaged beyond repair. We lost twenty-seven fighters out of three-hundred. Another fifteen are write-offs. The most damaging part was that those damn missiles seemed to target our lead bombers. Almost every flight leader was targeted with many of them being hit. This appears to be a conscious effort by the Soviets to bring down the pathfinders and leadership of the raid. We estimated that approximately thirty ground to air missiles were fired, that only twelve or so actually hit anything. Still, they hit our flight leaders. Of the hundreds of air-to-air missiles fired by the medium bombers and a few heavy Pe-8’s, again, a very small percentage hit, but what they hit was devastating to the raid’s leadership.”
“Is that it for the bad news?”
“Yes sir.”
“Alright. Let’s hear the good news then.”
“We accomplished our mission. Despite being outnumbered and beset by those hellish directed missiles, Toulouse was heavily damaged; their supply depots, railroad rolling stock and switching yard are totally destroyed. As I said, the mission was accomplished. We also gave as good as we got. We estimate that out of 1,000 enemy fighters, medium bombers and the Pe-8’s, approximately one-hundred fifty were shot down.”
“Yes but at what cost? We can’t afford many more ‘victories’ like that. I guess we shouldn’t be surprised that they had unusually heavy anti-air and fighter assets in the area. After all it is within spitting distance of the Pyrenees. I can’t say I’m looking forward to writing all those letters to the families of all those pilots and aircrew.”
“I can’t say I envy you that part of your job.”
“Thanks Bill. Gentleman, what else is on the agenda?”
“Sir? If I may ask a question?”
“Yes Bob. We’re all friends here.”
“Why was this raid done with B-17’s and not 29’s? We had some of those shiny new B-32’s out there, but there weren’t enough of them to affect a different outcome. I would think that our losses would have been far fewer had we had the B-29’s.”
“That’s a good question Bob, and one that I really shouldn’t be answering in this meeting. But, what the hell there will be a formal announcement soon, so I’ll let my headquarters staff hear it first. There is a new component of the U.S. Army being formed. The strategic bombing arm of the Army Air Forces is being split-off into its own command and will become the Strategic Air Command. It will have the distinction of becoming the fourth autonomous command within the U.S. Army. That leaves the Army Air Forces with all its tactical air assets in place. For now fighter-bomber, interdiction, fighter sweeps, close air support, local air-superiority, and such, will stay with the Army Air Forces. Strategic bombing against the enemy’s infrastructure will be handled by the new Strategic Air Command, or S.A.C. They have been assigned the B-29 groups and most of the long-range fighter and jet aircraft for escorts. They will also soon be getting our B-32 groups as well, as soon as conversion from the B-24’s are made. They are separating themselves; as we speak, and setting up shop in their new offices at the Pentagon. They are being highly selective in their personnel, and you may or may not be asked to join or to stay with the Army Air Forces. Much of this will depend on rather intrusive background checks from what I understand. Whether or not you are chosen depends upon what your neighbors, close friends, relatives, third-grade teacher and nanny have to say about you. It seems that this background check, and not your competence, will be the determining factor.”