Project Aphrodite
As the fate plays in such a way: It does not admit was against the fact to the USSTAF that another Aphrodite bomber, even if damages was fallen into German hands. At the New Year's Day the last two still available Castor-B-17 against a power station into Oldenburg had been inserted first of the approaching "Babies" received a flak hit and fell into a field at the edge of the city, without exploding thereby which had however escaped the escort aircraft.
Experts of the German Air Force were able to examine the Castor bomber rather exactly and to save a large part of the radio and remote guidance equipment. The second Baby, probably likewise of the flak hit, fell some miles southwest Oldenburg and exploded. This the last employments of the Castor airplanes should have been, mainly, because they had become sudden a political issue.
In November the USSTAF had suggested shifting the starting point for the Aphrodite employments on the European mainland of where from the B-17 could have been used against industrielle a tareget. When this suggestion was submitted to the British supreme command, this expressed its concern over the fact that the employment of this weapon could provoke against densely populated areas retaliatory strikes against London, which had to suffer at that time under the V-2-attacks. Reluctant agreed the British the plan despite large concern of some places on 15 January.
This concern continued to stop and led finally to the fact that the agreement eleven was recalled days later. The British fears were to be due partly also to a reorientation over the value of bombarding densely populated areas for breaking the moral of the population.
The USSTAF to repeat still anxious, to continue with its attempts became before digit in Washington and brought president Franklin D. Roosevelt to begin in a telex on 29 March 1945 the demand after British agreement the plan, Castor airplanes against the Ruhr district. The answer telex of Churchill contained the full agreement, was however in the Churchill's own style so drawn up that the doubts Roosevelt expressed therein would deter.
The death of the president and the collapse of Germany terminated however the further pursuit of the plan. No more Castor airplanes were prepared for the start in Knettishall and the involved ones expected the attitude of the project. The Aphrodite leading-airplanes and crews came several weeks long into oblivion. Only on 27 April the project became, with that the largest single quantities of conventional explosive against hostile goals in 2. World War used was finally adjusted.