Operation Backstroke

Operation Backstroke Part 6

While Churchill's war cabinet was celebrating the success of the first two phases of Operation Backstroke, a vengeful Adolf Hitler was plotting retribution against England. His choice of target for the anticipated retaliatory strike: the British naval base at Scapa Flow. As headquarters of the British Home Fleet, Scapa Flow was one of the most important naval bases in Britain; an attack there would not only seriously disrupt the Home Fleet's ability to defend British territorial waters but would also inflict serious damage on the British public's collective morale. In issuing the order for the Scapa Flow attack, Hitler made it crystal clear he wanted the base obliterated. "Nothing," he told his air commanders, "should be left of Scapa Flow but matchsticks when it is all over."

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The cover of the 1965 U.S. first edition of the English translation of Adolf Galland's posthumous biography, "The First And The Last".

To make sure Hitler's wish was fulfilled, a number of He-111 and Fi-167 squadrons had been placed on standby in Norway. Accompanying the raiders to their target would be a detachment of Me-110 escort fighters, some of which would be performing a dual function-- at the best of Nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels, Hitler had instructed that a third of the escorts should be outfitted with movie cameras so that the (as Hitler saw)inevitable final downfall of the Home Fleet could be recorded for posterity. Hermann Goering had little to say on the matter-- Hitler had already relieved him of command of the Luftwaffe and installed a then-little known General der Flieger named Robert Ritter von Greim to take over as Luftwaffe C-in-C.

Goering, it should be said, fared somewhat better than Adolf Galland, who was found guilty by a drumhead court-martial on charges of treason, dereliction of duty, general incompetence, and gross negligence in the death of Erwin Rommel. He was sentenced to execution by hanging and spent the last hours of his life in excruciating agony as SS guards mercilessly tortured him on Hitler's personal instructions....

TO BE CONTINUED
 
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