WW2 Bomber Command Minefield Code Names

Between 1942 and the end of the war in 1945, Bomber Command was tasked with the mining many areas around the coast of Europe - from Norway, to the Baltic Sea coast and all along the Atlantic coast.

ED559's target was the Bordeaux Estuary known as Deodars. Below is a list of the code names for other areas. The term ' Gardening Operation' was used for the 'sowing' of the sea mines but as can be seen below not every location has a theme based on trees and plants. A number were based on fish, there's one called 'Bottle' and the Channel Islands were 'Hostile Air' and 'Hostile Ozone'...

1. Oslo Harbour – Onions
2. Oslo fjord approaches Frederikstad) – Tomatoes
3. Kattegat channel – Silverthorne (seven areas A to G)
4. Kattegat (Frederikshavn) – Undergrowth
5. Kattegat (Læsø channel) – Yew Tree
6. Lim fjord (Aalborg to Hals) – Krauts
7. Copenhagen Sound (North) – Nasturtiums
8. Great Belt (North) – Pumpkins
9. Copenhagen approaches – Verbena
10. Little Belt – Carrots
11. Copenhagen Sound (South) – Daffodil (A to D)
12. Great Belt (Middle) – Broccoli
13. Great Belt (South) – Asparagus
14. Little Belt – Endives
15. Kiel Bay – Quinces
16. Kiel canal (Eckernförde) – Melon
17. Kiel canal – Lettuce
18. Kiel harbour – Wallflowers
19. Kiel harbour – Forget-me-not
20. Travemünde – Hollyhock
21. Fehmarn Belt – Radishes
22. Rostock & Arcone Light (Baltic Sea) -Sweet Peas
23. Warnemünde – Jasmine
24. Sassnitz (Arcone to Dziwna River) – Willow
25. Bornholm – Pollock
26. Swinemünde – Geranium
27. Gdynia – Spinach
28. Pillau – Tangerine
29. Danzig - Privet
30. Haugesund (Norway) – Bottle
31. Esbjerg approaches – Hawthorns (A to C)
32. Heligoland Bight – Rosemary (A to D)
33. Heligoland approaches – Eglantine
34. Rivers Jade and Weser Estuaries – Yams
    32A Spiekeroog – Young Yams
35. Friesian Islands – Nectarines (A to D)
36. River Ems (east) – Xeranthemum
37. River Ems (west) – Zinnias
38. Terschelling – Mussels
39. Skaggerak to Kattegat – Polyanthus
40. Den Helder and Texel (north) – Limpets
41. Texel (south) – Trefoils
42. Ijmuiden / Zuider Zee – Whelks
43. Rotterdam and Hook of Holland – Oysters
44. Maas and Scheldt Estuaries – Newt
45. Mass and Scheldt – Flounder
46. Antwerp – Juniper
47. Zeebrugge – Barnacle
48. Ostend – Turbot
49. Dunkirk – Cypress
50. Calais – Prawns
51. Boulogne – Dewberry
52. Dieppe – Vine Leaves
53. Rouen – Scallops
54. Le Havre – Anemones
55. Cherbourg – Greengage
56. Channel Islands
    Guernsey – Hostile Air
    Alderney – Hostile Ozone
57. Saint-Malo – Hyacinth
58. Morlaix – Upas Tree
59. Ushant Island – Sultana
60. Brest – Jellyfish
61. Lorient – Artichokes
62. Quiberon Bay – Gorse
63. Saint-Nazaire – Beech
64. La Rochelle – Cinnamon (A and B)
65. Bordeaux – Deodar
66. Bayonne – Elderberry
67. Saint-Jean-de-Luz – Furze