The secret war effort of British aerial bombing decoys

Keele University researchers have investigated three World War II Allied aerial bombing decoy sites in North Staffordshire, UK, uncovering significant variation in preservation and construction.

In 1940, the British government implemented a network of decoy sites to mislead German bombers away from strategic targets. The broader decoy effort across the UK included dummy airfields, though the decoys in the study were meant to look like industrial sites.

These decoys, particularly “Starfish” sites, simulated bombed urban and industrial areas to attract Luftwaffe attacks away from high-priority targets like airfields and manufacturing hubs.

Decoy efforts used fire simulations and lighting arrangements to mislead German bombers into attempting to finish off what looked like previous, yet still operational, targets. The researchers note that these decoy sites successfully displaced up to 5% of German bombing efforts.

In the study, “Multi-disciplinary site investigations of WW2 allied aerial bombing decoy sites in North Staffordshire, UK,” published online in the Journal of Conflict Archaeology, researchers focused on three of four known sites near Stoke-on-Trent—Keele, Beech, and Caverswall—built between August 1941 and April 1943. At a fourth known location, Swynnerton, decoy remains could not be located.

The sites were designed along German radio beam paths to protect key industries, including Shelton Iron and Steel Works, Michelin Tire factory, and Radway Green munitions plant.

Methods included drone photogrammetry, ground-based LiDAR scanning, geophysical surveys, and 360° imagery. Soil types and underlying geology were identified through augering. Drones and LiDAR produced 3D models of site features while ground-penetrating radar detected buried structural remains and infrastructure.

Keele’s decoy site featured a well-preserved control shelter with intact concrete blast roofing and evidence of blackout curtains. Expansion chambers designed to mitigate bomb blast pressures were identified through GPR surveys.

Beech’s site, located in dense woodland, contained a control shelter with intact blast walls and ceramic pipework. Wartime bricks stamped “PB Co. Ltd” suggested local manufacture under the Ministry of Supply, with a “V” marking possibly denoting “Victory.”

Caverswall’s site, situated on former marl pit land, preserved only partial control shelter foundations and blast walls but allowed for effective digital modeling due to minimal vegetation.

Results showed structural variations across the sites. All featured blast expansion systems to protect personnel, indicating awareness of operational dangers. Control shelters, typically constructed from brick with reinforced concrete roofs, were designed to house generators for lighting decoys simulating active industrial facilities.

Control shelters also offered protection for the brave crews that operated the sites. With no automation or remote control technology in place, crews had to be stationed in the control shelters to activate and monitor decoy systems during enemy bombing raids.

Timing and coordination were essential, with operators in close communication with regional air defense networks to ensure that decoys were activated while German bombers were approaching. Decoy personnel ignited fires of coal, wood and oil, large enough to be seen by Luftwaffe bombers, simulating the scene of a bombed target.

The design of shelters with blast walls and expansion chambers strongly suggests that once decoys were activated, crews took cover to protect themselves from incoming bombs. Once the decoy was set, the crews likely took shelter, both hoping to draw the deadly bombs their way and hoping to survive a successful mission.

The researchers conclude that non-invasive digital surveys effectively documented these historic sites, offering valuable data for heritage preservation and public awareness. The study recommends further investigation of other UK decoy sites to assess broader preservation patterns.

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