On January 1st, 1945, the Allied Air Forces welcomed the New Year with an unexpected, low-level attack from the Luftwaffe.
Named Operation Baseplate, or Operation Bodenplatte, the German attack launched 850 fighters and bombers against 17 Allied airfields in Belgium, the Netherlands, and France.
The goal of Baseplate was to achieve air superiority by taking advantage of sleeping and hungover Allied soldiers. The fighters sought to destroy or critically damage as many runways, hangars, and aircraft as possible.
This operation was initially planned for mid-December 1944. But bad weather delayed it several times until January 1st, 1945. Secrecy for Operation Baseplate was so tight that not all German officers were informed of the plan.
This terrible organization ultimately led to one of the most remarkable self-inflicted blunders of World War 2 when the Germans mistakenly shot down fighters from over 25% of their air units. Of the event, General der Jagdflieger, Adolf Galland, would say, [QUOTE] "We sacrificed our last substance."
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