Krupp decoy site
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The Krupp decoy site (German: Kruppsche Nachtscheinanlage) was a German decoy-site of the Krupp steel works in Essen. During World War II, it was designed to divert Allied airstrikes from the actual production site of the arms factory.
Description of the system[]
The decoy factory was 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from the real factory, situated on the Rottberg-Hills in Velbert. It occupied an area of 1.5 km × 2.5 km.[1]
The dummy factory was supposed to mimic a poorly darkened and operating Krupp steel works as the Royal Air Force only flew at night. The decoy system consisted of a large number of very rudimentary dummy installations of industrial building and structures. Shed roofs, a gasometer, chimneys, a railroad and elaborate light arrays and fires were among them, controlled from a nearby bunker.
Efficiency[]
RAF Bomber Command did not correctly identify the installation until 1943, by which time its bombers had dropped 64% of all high-explosive bombs and 75% of all incendiaries on it rather than the real site.[2]
Today's condition[]
Today, only the control-bunker of the decoy-site is preserved. After systematic research and documentation by volunteers of the Landschaftsverband Rheinland (LVR) - Office for Archeologist Monument Protection, it was listed as a historical monument in 2013.[3]
Museum development[]
The bunker is located on private property. Visits are offered on the European Heritage Days, historical walks or the Long Night of Museums.
Bibliography[]
in English[]
- Westermann, Edward (2003). Hitting the Mark, but Missing the Target: Luftwaffe Deception Operations, 1939–1945. pp. 206-221 pages.
- Crowdy, Terry (23 September 2008). Deceiving Hitler: double cross and deception in World War II. Osprey Publishing. pp. 352 pages. ISBN 978-1-84603-135-9.
- Dobinson, Colin (2000). Fields of Deception: Britain's Bombing Decoys of World War II. London: Methuen Publishing. ISBN 978-0-413-74570-5.
in German[]
- Jürgen Lohbeck: Das vergessene Scheindorf in Velbert. Die Kruppsche Nachtscheinanlage auf dem Rottberg im Zweiten Weltkrieg 1941–1945. Scala Verlag, Velbert 2012, ISBN 978-3-9813898-6-9. (Summary in German)
- Elke Janßen-Schnabel: Das Scheindorf der Kruppwerke. In: Denkmalpflege im Rheinland (ISSN 0177-2619), 30. Jahrgang 2013, Nr. 4, S. #.
- Jürgen Lohbeck: Der Krieg vor unserer Haustür. Ereignisse, Erlebnisse, Schicksale im Zweiten Weltkrieg in Velbert, Langenberg und Umgebung. Scala Verlag, Velbert 2013, ISBN 978-3-9813898-9-0. (Summary in German)
- Helmut Grau, Jürgen Lohbeck, Josef Johannes Niedworok, Sven Polkläser: Vergessene Täuschungsbauwerke des Zweiten Weltkrieges. Die Krupp'sche Nachtscheinanlage in Velbert. In: Archäologie im Rheinland 2013. Theiss Verlag, Darmstadt 2014, ISBN 978-3-8062-2986-8, S. #.
- Wiebke Hoppe: Kruppsche Nachtscheinanlage, Kreis Mettmann. In: LVR-Amt für Bodendenkmalpflege im Rheinland, Rheinischer Verein für Denkmalpflege und Landschaftsschutz (Hrsg.): Archäologische Kriegsrelikte im Rheinland. Klartext Verlag, Essen 2014, ISBN 978-3-8375-1323-3, S. #.
- Bau- und Betriebsgrundsätze für Scheinanlagen, herausgegeben vom Reichsminister der Luftfahrt und Oberbefehlshaber der Luftwaffe (Az. 41 L 46 10 Nr. 9659/42 (L. In. 13/3 III C/a), Ausgabe November 1942
- Luftwaffen-Dienstvorschrift 2400 Betrieb von Scheinanlagen, L.Dv.g. 2400, herausgegeben vom Reichsminister der Luftfahrt und Oberbefehlshaber der Luftwaffe, Ausgabe Mai 1941
- Dr. Helmut Grau, Jürgen Lohbeck, Sven Polkläser: Die Krupp’sche Nachtscheinanlage in Velbert. Scala Verlag, Velbert 2017, ISBN 978-3-9816362-8-4. (Summary in German)
References[]
- ^ Dr. Helmut Grau, Jürgen Lohbeck, Sven Polkläser: Die Krupp’sche Nachtscheinanlage in Velbert. Scala Verlag Velbert 2017, page 51
- ^ Westermann, Edward (2003). Hitting the Mark, but Missing the Target: Luftwaffe Deception Operations, 1939–1945. pp. 206-221 pages.
- ^ Dr. Helmut Grau, Jürgen Lohbeck, Sven Polkläser: Die Krupp'sche Nachtscheinanlage in Velbert. Scala Verlag Velbert 2017, page 145
External links[]
- World War II sites in Germany
- Military deception during World War II