Q&A · 1:53:06-1:55:49

Was Schlesien attacked with Tallboy bombs?

The panel finds no clear basis for treating the old German battleship as a deliberate Tallboy target and instead identifies mine damage as the better-supported event.

Question

How many Tallboy bombs hit Schlesien during the Second World War?

Short answer

No confirmed deliberate Tallboy strike is identified; the panel instead points to mine damage and allows only that a heavy bomb might have fallen nearby during a wider raid.

Notes

Schlesien is described as serving for much of the Second World War as an anti-aircraft platform. The participants doubt that the old pre-dreadnought was deliberately attacked with Tallboy bombs and cannot identify a confirmed hit. They recall damage from an air-dropped mine. Heavy bombers also raided her vicinity, leaving open the possibility that a Tallboy fell nearby during a wider attack. The exchange supports uncertainty about that connection, rather than a count of confirmed Tallboy hits.