The Curious case of Dr Tank and the Focke-Wulf takeover 1945

In March 1945 RAF Regiment units were pressing hard on the heels of the retreating German Forces.  In the main, their task was the securing of Luftwaffe bases, equipment and personnel before they could be destroyed and the possibilities for re-engineering or the gleaning of knowledge, be lost.  These units were often in front of their front-line army comrades, in what was a rapidly disintegrating German defence.  During the week 6-11^th April 1945, British Forces in Northern Germany were dodging between strong but static German Military resistance and fleeing terrified Civpop.  The HQ of 2ATAF was the hub of the Allies air power in the North and the speed of the advance since the crossing of the Rhine in Kleve had accelerated the follow up, moves of the HQ.  Each move was reconnoitred in detail by a small party consisting of the HQ sigs and Intelligence Officers, Camp Commandant and some Regiment muscle for driving and FP.  Each move had conformed to this, so it was a surprise when the next and probably last move under war conditions was a major deviation from the pattern.  It had been decided that the best place for the new location would be the small town of Bad Eilsen, some 6 miles to the south and east of Minden.  The site would be the base for the main and TAC HQ during the occupation of Germany.  Operation WOOLWORTH, as the move was to be known, was to be a departure from the previous low risk moves where a location was cleared and bypassed 2 to 3 days before the recce party would visit it.  The Bad Eilson site was considered optimal for the occupation and so would be occupied as soon as possible after the Germans had been driven out.  It should be understood that the defenders in that area were WAFFEN SS Panzer grenadiers rated as the Germans crack troops.  To hold the town would therefore need a much larger force to hold it.  So in addition to the normal recce party the force would include 2 RAF Regiment Rifle Flights and an Armoured Flight with their Humber Mk 3 Scout Cars, No 5072K Mobile Signals Unit and a small RAF Bomb Disposal team to deal with mines and booby traps in the HQ’s proposed area.  The Operation was commanded by Wng Cmdr Nash RAF Regiment.

The task grouping crossed the start line at Suchelen at 16:00 on the 4th of April.  Fierce resistance was being encountered from locally directed forces and it took 4 days for the task group to finally weave its way into Bad Eilsen at around 11:30 on the 8^th.  Two Humber Scout cars were held in the centre of the town and a third car went forward to investigate further.  Although fire was incoming most of the time it was neither regarded as significant nor threatening and the follow up Rifle Flights arrived and deployed around 13:30.  Meanwhile deeper in the town there were further robust discussions happening with the Humber AFV and a German stay behind party and the AFV arrived back in good order with prisoners and enemy dead.

Part of the intelligence brief for the Operation had indicated that the Hotel Bade was used as a conference facility for the Focke-Wulf aircraft company.   It was also noted reported that Dr Kurt Tank the Chief designer and the designer of the FW-190, Ta-152 (widely regarded as the best of the German Piston engine fighters) and the FW 200 Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance aircraft had been seen in the vicinity of the Bade Hotel recently.  Wng Cmdr Nash was a great believer in asking straight questions so his inclination in this instance was to stop the first German civilian he saw and ask him where the Bade Hotel was.  He was informed politely that it was 200 yards up the road.  Nash then took the Signals, Int and Camp Commandant forward with him to the Hotel.  On reaching it, it was obvious that its previous function as a hotel was not what it was being used for at that time. Despite the density of the crowd the Officers pushed their way into the lobby and discovered on asking that the good Dr Tank was in his room on the 2^nd Floor.  The party discovered in this room not only the design team but also aa goodly proportion of the board.  Dr Tank was arrested, and the rest ordered to leave and wait downstairs, which they complied to with alacrity.  Later it was discovered that there were significant quantities of arms and ammunition to have stood off the FP teams had they needed to assault the building.  The town was literally the R&D department for advanced jet and rocket powered fighter aircraft for the Luftwaffe and also hosted the drawing office.  It was a major coup for the Task Group as Tank was the lynchpin of Focke -Wulf’s new jet designs as he had been with their hugely effective and successful FW – 190 Shrike.  Settling in quite quickly the Officer bade Tank to have lunch prepared for them and designated his room as the Officers Mess.  The party then left the hotel located and arrested the Burgomeister and his deputy and by 16:30 had detailed the routine for the town and its inhabitants. Further reinforcements arrived in the form of two more army Daimler AV’s and two regiment rifle flights.  This gave the party enough to piquet all the approaches to the town although concerns that after 3 recce overflights in the early evening and the quality and quantity of the opposition on the nearby Autobahn, persuaded 2 ATAF to evacuate Dr Tank to a more solidly held piece of real estate near Buckeburg.

Dr Tank was flown out to UK soon after where after much negotiation he secured employment with the Argentine Air Force in design work, taking with him most of his Focke-Wulf design team.  Some years later he moved on to Hindustan Aviation, the Indian government sponsored Aircraft Development group, where he designed the Marut – the first Indian jet fighter which remained in service with the IAF until the middle 80’s.

For OPERATION WOOLWRTH, Wng Cmdr Nash, OC 1336 Mobile Wing RAF Regiment received a MID and a French Croix de Guerre, Flt Lt Spencer RAF Regiment an MID, a French Croix de Guerre and a Belgian Order of Leopold and Fg Officer Sixsmith, RAF Regiment, an MID.  The commander of the Armoured car detachment t of No 2804 Sqn RAF Regiment, Flt Lt Jay was awarded the Military Cross for his gallantry in this operation and in previous operations in extracting Forward Radars from under the German noses during the offensive in the Ardennes

The Fock-Wulf Company restarted, after its board meeting had temorarily been stopped by RAF Regiment interference, in the 50’s and after a series of mergers ended up as one of the founding partners of the Airbus consortium.