BC Target Codes 1940 and Target 'Fish' Codes 1943-45

[ianh]

Hi all

I know questions about these have arisen on here from time to time, but just wanted to share that my latest projects (work very much still in progress) have been to try to compile details of the above from files up at Kew.

The first one is far from comprehensive (I don't propose to cover the thousands of individual targets that were catalogued, but have got several hundred so far), while the second (the 'fish' codes list) is from an 8 Group file.

If anyone has any queries I'm happy to see if I can help, but as I've said I've still got some way to go with the 1940 ones and haven't yet found or properly checked any files giving details for bomb targets in France, Belgium or the Netherlands at that time.

Ian

[Andy Mitchell]

Ian,

Very interesting - have a look here, there may be some that you may not have. This was compiled from entries in Bomber Command ORBs and also from the appendices to the AHB narrative "The RAF in the Bombing Offensive Against Germany Vol II Restricted Bombing Sep 1939-May 1941". Incidentally, Appendix V of the narrative lists a large number of early "Fish" Codes.

[JDCAVE]

Very interesting Ian. I would like to see what you have compiled. I have a single mimeographed page of the Fish Codes. Some of the others (oil targets and other smaller targets) are coded with a letter number system. The “Form B’s” always refer to codes but he Bomber Command raid reports indicate a location I believe.

I have a few questions:

1) Is there a system to the naming using letters and numbers?

2) are Geographical coordinates assigned to these?

Jim

[ianh]

Hi Andy

Thanks for that link. I've got some of those but the 'A' group of targets is one that I'm still working on, with lots of gaps still to fill. As you can see, that list that you referred to contains loads of gaps. There's also a few errors on that list and some of the descriptions are quite condensed. On my listing I'm trying to include a little bit more detail.

The 'A' group of targets was only one of the categories too. It seems that there were different categories for most letters of the alphabet!

Thanks again though for the extra info.

Ian

[ianh]

Hi Jim

I've just emailed you a copy of my list of the 'fish-coded' towns - 100 of them listed. These are from an 8 Group file at Kew.

Those codes are simple fish names per town or city. The individual targets therein must have been more-specifically defined separately. This list is therefore unlike the 1940 target codes list (which did use letters and numbers, eg ‘A.5’, ‘D.75’, ‘M.433’ etc) which works from the individual targets and then groups them into categories by type.

Kind regards

Ian

[JDCAVE]

I am working on a list of "Non-Fish" Target Codes. These for some dates in March. Source: AIR 14/3133 Form "B" for March 1-15, 1945. It's messy and needs proofing, but this is what I have so far. Note that major cities during this period were still coded with fish names.

Code Target Date Comment
GQ.1625 Misburg 15-Mar-45
GQ.1531 Rauxel Tar Plant 15-Mar-45
GQ.1536 Mathias Stinnes Benzol 15-Mar-45
Not Given Arnsberg Viaduct 15-Mar-45
4907E/19 Zweibrucken 14-Mar-45 Enemy Armour and Troups
4907E/18 Homberg 14-Mar-45 Enemy Armour and Troups
GH.501 Bielefeld 14-Mar-45
GH.504 Arnsberg Viaduct 14-Mar-45
GQ.1512 Lutzkendorf synthetic oil 14-Mar-45
GH.570 Erin 13-Mar-45
GH.555 Dahlbusch 13-Mar-45
GH.691 Emscher Middlebrook has these two 3 Group targets as Datteln and Hattingen near Bochum
GF.2234 Heinrichschutte
GQ.1512
GY.4761 Hamburg Blohm & Voss Shipyards 08-Mar-45
GQ.1644 Heide (oil) 07-Mar-45 Heide GPI Method. GPI Run from a bearing and distance on coastline
GQ.1633 Harburg (oil) A & B 07-Mar-45
5106E/9 Wesel 06-Mar-45 3-Group
GH.329 Sassintz 06-Mar-45 5-Group
GQ.1615 Salzbergen 06-Mar-45 3-Group
GQ.1514 Bohlen 05-Mar-45 5-Group

These for 29-December-1944
GQ.1637 Scholven Buer 29-Dec-44
GH.612A Troisdorf Marshalling Yards Bonn 29-Dec-44

[ianh]

Hi Jim

While mine (the 8 Group 'fish-codes' list) was laid out slightly differently from your one (maybe with a few extra notes in the 8 Gp one), it seems to be basically the same as the version you've sent me. So that seems pretty straightforward.

But your other note (above) is VERY interesting! A lot of those 1944/45 'G'-codes (not all, mind you) match the ones that I'm starting to compile from the 1940 targets listings! I hadn't realised that the '1940 codes' continued to be used up until the end of the war. You learn something every day!!

Think I'm going to have to do quite a bit more work on filling in the gaps in my stuff to make it as comprehensive a list as I can!

Thanks again

Ian

[MSIMPSON]

Ian and Jim,
Might be worth getting hold of a copy of 'Operational Numbers of Bomb Targets in Germany' published by Naval and Military Press, a reprint of an Air Ministry document dated September/October 1940. Gives a lot, if not all, the 'G' codes and Air Ministry numbers but not the older 'A', 'B', 'C' codes.
Regards.
Mark

[JDCAVE]

I wonder if these represent some sort of grid reference for various large scale maps.

Jim

[ianh]

I wonder if these represent some sort of grid reference for various large scale maps.

Jim

They don’t. They were all prefixed ‘G-‘ with the second letter representing the category or sub-category (type) of target: ‘GO-‘, ‘GR-‘, ‘GU-‘, etc. Under those prefixes they were then just listed numerically, not geographically or by map reference.