Luftwaffe Kampfgeschwader 55, bombing raid on MOSCOW 6.8.41 - Soldiers of Barbarossa Pt 8

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Episode 174

In part 8 in the series from this wonderful book, we’ll follow an He 111 crew member from Kampfgeschwader or Bomber Wing 55 who took part in the Aug. 6, 1941 bombing raid on Moscow. At the end of the video I’ll show more from that raw Luftwaffe private reels so stick around, it’s worth it.

This outstanding private footage showing a forward Luftwaffe airbase was taken in the Summer of 1941. At this point in the war the 55th Bomber Wing was made up of a Headquarters unit or “Stab” and 4 Bomber Groups. Each Group was made up of 3 squadrons containing about 12 aircraft each.

With the German army’s quick advance into the Soviet Union, in July the 55th Bomber Wing was transferred to airfields farther to the east which allowed striking targets far behind enemy lines including Moscow. The Bomber Wing’s most forward airfield was situated in Smolensk only about 20 km from the heavily contested front and 400 km from Moscow. Key targets during the August 6th Moscow bombing raid were factories associated to the Soviet aircraft industry.

As the formation flew over the front, they gained a bird’s-eye-view of the intense combat taking place below

In this interesting clip we see a number of Hilfsfreiwilliger, or Hiwi’s, which were Russian POWs that were willing to do physical labor for the Germans in exchange for better living conditions. Much of the road repair work in occupied territory was done for example by groups of organized Hiwis.

Just as we are flying along the edge of the Moscow cauldron, still rather hazy with cloud, dozens of powerful light sources flare up down below. Searchlights spin the Red capital into a gigantic net intended to ensnare our He 111. For several seconds, the white light, after restless searching, licks the belly of the bomber, but is unable to hang on to it.

The Red gunners put up an iron curtain barricade [eisernen Sperrvorhang] from a multitude of flak barrels. No matter! We penetrate it!

Now we are above the city precincts. Moscow has already received heavy blows. Three large fields of fire are the result of the first contingent of high explosive and incendiary bombs that are to fall in their tens of thousands over the course of the night.

In one of these fields, eight large fires are raging. That was where the first heavy caliber bombs struck. Direct hit to the center of the aircraft industry and to the support firms.

We can orientate ourselves well by the two large loops of the Moskva River, which comes from the southwest and reaches right up to the edge of the city. We now know where the Kremlin is.

Circling, we see barrage balloons like big, black ghost creatures swooping past us, lightning fast. We observe the impact of incendiary and high explosive bombs from other bomber aircraft in the air space above Moscow, until Oberleutnant Mylius has his target directly in his sights. Now our heavy bomb is also falling and the incendiary bombs follow immediately afterwards, causing new destruction.

We turn back on a homeward course, but have to break through the heavy flak curtain again, which is directed at us, or perhaps even at the next wave of bombers.