Mendip Hills AONB

6. How successful was Starfish?

It is impossible to definitively answer the question of how successful Col Turner’s decoy programme was. His own estimate, considered conservative, was 2221.13 tonnes of bombs diverted to decoys - mostly at night. This figure amounts to c. 4% of tonnage delivered by the Luftwaffe over Britain. The Bristol decoy sites were considered to have been some of the more successful, and certainly the sites at Chew Magna, Stockwood and Downside do seem to have attracted most bombs. Perhaps the Luftwaffe knew that Black Down or Four craters about 9m in diameter on some of the other Bristol sites were decoys. p Black Down photographed during 1946. Thanks to John Penny’s extensive research, we Different orientations suggest that they are have this information and extract (below) from the result of two different bombing sorties the Lufwaffe’s diary for 2/3 December, 1940: and were probably the result of payloads being emptied after bombing raids on the decoy. The craters are still visible. Trees and shrubs have grown up in them, taking advantage of the shelter they provide. Mendip Hills AONB

OS MAP What remains? Explorer 141: Cheddar Gorge & t Three control bunkers that Mendip Hills West doubled as bomb shelters can Landranger 182: still be seen. They each Weston-super-Mare contained three generators to power the site. It was to one of these bunkers that the 126 tele - CONTACT phone call from RAF Radlett to 01761 462338 light or fire the site was received. mendiphills@somerset.gov.uk

t Improved ground conditions WAR WALK during the dry spring of 2015 A new War Walk on revealed this embedded metal Black Down is available feature at Burrington c, that to download from the emulated Bristol Temple Meads Discovering Black Down Station. This charred post may project website. have been associated with a trough fire or moving tracks. AUDIO t The 1800 tumps! You can also listen to Details of these and the many interviews with people much older archaeological who were involved and features on Black Down can be download this and other found with a simple search of factsheets in this series. Somerset County Council’s Historic Environment Record.

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e Sources of further information: l

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The children of Blagdon h

t u Fields of Deception by Colin Dobinson u

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Primary School have

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Somerset V Hitler by Donald Brown b made a short film to tell u

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u 20th century defences in England, Volume 2: Anti-Invasion c the story of what u

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Defences of World War II by Colin Dobinson o happened on Black r

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u Local Studies collection at Somerset Heritage Centre d Down during World War n

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u Second World War remains on Black Down: a reinterpretation n

II. Please find the link on e

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Somerset Archaeology and Natural History 142 (1998), 271-286 r

the Discovering Black w

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by Schofield, AJ and Webster, CJ and Anderton, MJ. d

Down website. e

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s www.discoveringblackdown.org.uk e Thanks to everyone R involved for images, information, time, energy and interest!