The early attacks stayed within the agreed limits and sank German targets including Frankfurt. SE.5 fighters strafed the decks and dropped 25-pound antipersonnel bombs to simulate suppression of antiaircraft fire. Martin bombers followed with demolition bombs. Ostfriesland then received Navy, Marine Corps, and Army attacks with progressively heavier weapons. She was already three feet down by the stern with a five-degree port list after the initial attacks. Rough seas impeded inspection, and further bombing pauses became another source of friction before the disputed 2,000-pound phase.
Chapter · 1:56:42-2:00:17
The early Project B attacks follow the inspection sequence
Mitchell initially observed the rules while fighters simulated antiaircraft suppression and bombers attacked smaller targets before Ostfriesland's staged strikes began.