Lillebæltsbroen - The Little Belt Bridge 1935          Updated:  27 JAN 2023          Photo: Anders Straarup 15 AUG 2021

Lillebæltsbro 1935














Lillebæltsbro 1935 total

 

 


 14 APR 1940 fløj Guy Gibson i en Hampden over Sild mod Middelfart med miner til minelægningsområdet Carrot. Fra ca. 700 m fløj de ned gennem et tykt lag skyer. Herfra spurgte han spurgte sin navigatør: "Hvad er vores højde?" "Vorherre bevares. Hvis min højdemåler viser rigtigt, er vi en forbandet undervandsbåd!"
Gibson rettede lidt op - og så fik han øje på Den gamle Lillebæltsbro lige foran!
Han skrev i sin bog: "Hvis vi fløj op, ville vi være tilbage i skyerne og fare vild. Vi kunne kun blive lavt nede." Han fløj under broen, mens højdemåleren viste 100 fod.
Fra broens underkant til vandoverfladen er der 108 fod (33 m), så det var tæt på!
Det fastslog Frank Weber, forfatter af "Gode miner til slet spil" Operation Gardening.
Tyskerne forlangte derpå og fik flak fra danske hær.
Samme dag havde britiske aviser et kort over Minelægningsområder 1940.
Efter det ville tyskerne have problemer med at sejle - men kun FIRE miner var lagt!


On 14 APR 1940 Guy Gibson flew over Sylt to Middelfart in a Hampden with mines for the minelaying area Carrot. From about 2000 feet they flew down through
a thick layer of clouds. From here he asked his Navigator, "What is the height?" "Christ, if my altimeter's reading right, we're a ruddy submarine."(Dambusters+
Guy Gibson) Quickly Gibson levelled out. Then he saw The Little Belt Bridge
right ahead! He wrote in Enemy Coast Ahead, "If we went up we would be back
in the clouds and completely lost, we could only stay low down." He flew under
under the bridge in about 100 feet! The height between the bridge and sea level
being 108 feet (33 m), it was indeed a close call, stated Frank Weber, author of books about the subject.
Then the Germans demanded and got flak from the Danish army.
On the same day a map of Mine areas 1940 was published in British newspapers. According to that Germans could hardly sail - but only FOUR mines had been laid!