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initially turned down the request as too risky, due to the location in a crowded city centre and the need for low-level bombing but they approved the raid in early 1945 after repeated requests. Once approval had been given, planning for the raid took several weeks; scale models of the target building
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had long asked the
British to conduct a raid against the site. The building was destroyed, 18 prisoners were freed and Nazi anti-resistance activities were disrupted. Part of the raid was mistakenly directed against a nearby school; the raid caused 123 civilian deaths (including 87 schoolchildren and
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The raid had destroyed the
Gestapo headquarters and records, severely disrupting Gestapo operations in Denmark, as well as allowing the escape of 18 prisoners. Fifty-five German soldiers, 47 Danish employees of the Gestapo and eight prisoners died in the headquarters building. Four Mosquito bombers
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The attack on the school killed 87 children and 18 adults (10 nuns, two firemen, four civil teachers and two fathers who tried to save their children) as well as wounding 67 children and 35 adults. After the incident, the school never reopened. Most of the surviving children were transferred to
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surveyed the target to assess the results. The damage was severe, with the west wing of the six-storey building reduced nearly to ground level. The Danish underground supplied a photograph showing the building burning from end to end.
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in the morning and it reached
Copenhagen after 11:00. The raid was carried out at rooftop level and during the first attack, a Mosquito hit a lamp post, damaging its wing and the aircraft crashed into the
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On 14 July 1945, remains of an unidentified male casualty were recovered from the ruins of the
Shellhus and transferred to the Department of Forensic Medicine of the
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541:. A monument in place of the school was inaugurated on March 23, 1953, to commemorate the children and adult civilians who died on the day.
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headquarters in the city centre. It was used for the storage of dossiers and the torture of Danish citizens during interrogations. The
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and the surrounding city were built for use by pilots and navigators in preparation for a very low-level attack.
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The pilots involved in the operation were only told the true consequences of the raid after victory in Europe.
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to free imprisoned members and to destroy the records of the
Gestapo, to disrupt their operations. The
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Shell House before the bombing. At the time of the bombing it was painted in camouflage colours.
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Ukendt Mand. (Ligrester). Fundet død i
Shellhusets Ruiner. Ført til Retsmedicinsk Institut
632:[The bombing of the French School was edited out of the remembrance] (in Danish).
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headquarters in the
Shellhus, Copenhagen, in March 1945 during Operation Carthage. A
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18 adults at the school). The incident was dramatised in the 2021 Danish film
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698:"Operation Carthage: Technology May Advance, But the Friction of War Remains"
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and two
Mustang fighters were lost and nine airmen died on the Allied side.
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IWM Interview with RAF officer Edward
Sismore, who participated in the raid
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Aerial operations and battles of World War II involving the United
Kingdom
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pulling away from its bombing run is visible on the extreme left, centre.
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1945 British air raid on Copenhagen, Nazi-occupied Denmark, during WWII
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fighters gave air cover from German aircraft and these also attacked
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630:"Bombningen af Den Franske Skole blev redigeret ud af erindringen"
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55 German soldiers and 47 Danish employees of the Gestapo killed
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Danebrog gegen Hakenkreuz, Der Widerstand in Dänemark 1940–1945
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739:"Attack on Gestapo Headquarters, Copenhagen, 21 March 1945"
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123 Danish civilians killed, including 87 schoolchildren
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873:History of the Royal Air Force during World War II
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453:to record the results of the attack. Thirty RAF
308:The Danish headquarters of the Gestapo destroyed
830:"The Bombing of the Shellhus on March 21, 1945"
367:raid against the Gestapo headquarters in Aarhus
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743:RAF History Site: Bomber Command Famous Raids
571:, a similar attack on Amiens Prison in France
681:: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
485:Shell House burning after the bombing raid
654:"Døde Mandkøn" [Deceased Males].
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408:The raid was requested by members of the
111:Learn how and when to remove this message
628:Rasmussen, Anita Brask (21 March 2012).
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317:8 Danish prisoners of the Gestapo killed
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49:adding citations to reliable sources
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793:On the bombing of the French School
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346:. The target of the raid was the
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668:. 1945. p. 372.
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443:No. 464 Squadron RAAF
427:de Havilland Mosquito
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550:The Shadow in My Eye
515:reconnaissance plane
362:The Shadow in My Eye
301:6 aircraft destroyed
145:The air raid on the
60:"Operation Carthage"
45:improve this article
898:1940s in Copenhagen
782:On the entire event
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471:Jeanne d'Arc School
439:No. 21 Squadron RAF
195:55.6778°N 12.5617°E
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324:Operation Carthage
305:1 aircrew captured
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893:March 1945 events
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828:Velschow, Klaus.
810:on 1 January 2018
770:978-3-529-02817-5
749:on 1 January 2018
569:Operation Jericho
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842:. Retrieved
838:the original
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723:(in French).
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131:Part of the
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43:Please help
38:verification
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795:(in Danish)
789:(in Danish)
338:during the
198: /
857:Categories
834:milhist.dk
639:4 December
582:References
373:Background
350:, used as
332:Copenhagen
186:12°33′42″E
183:55°40′40″N
170:Copenhagen
101:March 2015
71:newspapers
677:cite book
844:21 April
814:21 April
656:Kirkebog
557:See also
547:A movie
499:Mosquito
348:Shellhus
283:Strength
165:Location
147:Shellhus
753:14 June
495:Gestapo
477:Results
455:Mustang
429:F.B.VI
352:Gestapo
336:Denmark
268:Gestapo
174:Denmark
85:scholar
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445:, and
211:Result
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720:Alamy
658:[
587:Notes
326:, on
258:RNZAF
92:JSTOR
78:books
846:2015
816:2015
766:ISBN
755:2011
683:link
641:2014
493:The
421:Raid
392:, a
236:RAAF
157:Date
64:news
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414:RAF
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