Fused lizards, giant mice, and Scottish demons

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  Mirza zaza, the newly described species of giant mouse lemur, looking a bit terrified at the Ankylosaur head.
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  Ankylosaur head.
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  The JC's Girls founder, Heather Veitch

Fourteen Featured articles were promoted this week.

• Ankylosaurus (nominated by FunkMonk and LittleJerry) The Ankylosaurus or "fused lizard' was an armoured dinosaur, extant about 68–66 million years ago. It walked on four legs and had a beak on its snout and a club at the end of its tail. The largest specimens were probably about 20 feet (6.5 m) long, 6 feet (2 m) wide and weighed about 6 tons.
• Eta Carinae (nominated by Lithopsian and Casliber) Eta Carinae is a stellar system about 7500 light years away. It's reckoned that the system has at least two stars which together outshine our sun by a factor of five million. The brightness of the system is variable; between 1837 and 1856 it got brighter in what Victorian astronomers called the Great Eruption. During three days in March 1843, it was the second-brightest star in the sky (it was regarded as a single star until the middle of last century). After the 1850s Eta Carinae faded until in 1886 it was not visible to the naked eye. It brightened again, faded again and has since brightened considerably, doubling in 1998–1999. The brightening is reckoned to be due to the two major stars of the system passing close by, with a period of 5.54 years; the fading is due to ejection of gas and dust from the system which obscures emissions from the stars.
• Giant mouse lemur (nominated by Maky) The giant mouse lemur is a small and rare nocturnal primate, native to Madagascar, with cute ears, eyes, and a long, bushy tail. Both species are living in the forest. The animals weigh approximately 300 g (11 oz). Sadly, they are listed as endangered due to habitat destruction and hunting. As our article states: "In 2012, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) assessed both Coquerel's giant mouse lemur and the northern giant mouse lemur as endangered." Sad news.
• Halifax Explosion (nominated by Resolute and Nikkimaria) Early in the morning of 6 December 1917, two ships collided offshore of Halifax, Nova Scotia. Although the collision between a Norwegian cargo vessel, SS Imo, and the French vessel SS Mont-Blanc was minor, barrels of benzol stored on the deck of the Mont-Blanc were upset and breached, and the inflammable liquid poured out. As the Imo backed away from the Mont-Blanc, sparks from scraping metal ignited the vapours from the benzol, starting a fire at the waterline which quickly spread to the deck, producing thick black smoke. The crew took to the lifeboats and rowed as fast as they could away from the drifting Mont-Blanc, all the while shouting out warnings which remained unheard, such was the pandemonium. Many of the inhabitants of Halifax viewed the fire from their upstairs windows, and were killed or seriously injured when the ship exploded.
• Hitler Diaries (nominated by SchroCat) The Hitler Diaries were 60 cheap notebooks in which memorabilia dealer Konrad Kujau faked what was purported to be a journal written by Adolf Hitler. They were accepted as such by journalist Gerd Heidemann who persuaded his employers at Stern to purchase them; additional verification was provided by British historian Hugh Trevor-Roper, who was told that the paper had been chemically tested and proven to be pre-war (it hadn't). Trevor-Roper was initially convinced by the range of supposed supporting documentation provided, and he wrote an article claiming they were genuine. This was published in The Sunday Times on 23 April 1983. By then he was already doubting their genuineness, and subsequent forensic testing showed their post-war origin.
• Hu Zhengyan (nominated by Yunshui) Hu Zhengyan was a Chinese publisher, artist, and seal carver who lived in Nanjing from 1619 to 1674 CE. Here he established the Ten Bamboo Studio as a home, a meeting place for artists, and as the head office for his printing business. Hu employed ten artisans (including four family members) to publish reference works on a variety of subjects. He was a noted carver of personal seals, including ones for the emperor. Hu's usual artistic themes were bamboo, plum flowers, orchids, fruits, rocks, birds and animals. He also wrote books on calligraphy and painting.
• JC's Girls (nominated by Neelix) JC's Girls, or "Jesus Christ's Girls", are an evangelical Christian women's organization in the United States. The JC's Girls evangelize to women working in the sex industry, and seek to help them in a non-judgmental way. The organization also helps both men and women to overcome pornography addiction.
• Jeremy Thorpe (nominated by Brianboulton) British politician Jeremy Thorpe was leader of the UK Liberal Party between 1967 and 1976. Under his leadership, the Liberals gained or regained the support of many voters; in the first of two general elections held in 1974 the party received 19% of the vote. With neither of the two main parties (Labour and Conservative) having enough parliamentary seats to give them a clear majority, the Liberals were courted by the incumbent Conservatives to form a coalition government. Thorpe insisted that this proposed government have a commitment to electoral reform of the "first past the post" system.
• Mary Margaret O'Reilly (nominated by Wehwalt) Mary Margaret O'Reilly was hired by the United States Bureau of the Mint as a temporary clerk in 1904. She was aged 38. By the time O'Reilly reached the mandatory retirement age of 70 she was assistant director of the Mint, with such an extensive knowledge of bureau affairs that she was granted a year's extension by President Roosevelt at the request of the Mint's director, Nellie Taylor Ross. O'Reilly was granted two further extensions, but a fourth extension lobbied for by Treasury Secretary Morgenthau was refused, and O'Reilly retired in October 1938.
• Master of Puppets (nominated by Retrohead) Master of Puppets is the third album by the heavy metal band Metallica. Released in 1986, the album is regarded as a seminal album in the genre, and many cover versions of the "atmospheric and meticulously performed songs" have been recorded. It's also been credited with "consolidating the American thrash metal scene".
• No. 450 Squadron RAAF (nominated by Ian Rose and AustralianRupert) No. 450 Squadron was a Royal Australian Air Force unit, established in February 1941. Initially it was staffed only with ground crew, who were to be joined by experienced pilots when the squadron had transferred to a theatre of active operations. No. 450 Squadron arrived in Egypt in May 1941, where it was combined with the pilots of No. 260 Squadron and their Hurricane fighters. The operational squadron, known as No. 260/450 (Hurricane), moved to Amman, Syria, in June 1941 where it flew missions to attack Vichy French airfields in Syria. This active phase lasted ten days; later in August the two squadrons were separated when No. 260 received its own ground crew—No. 450 became a training unit. By January 1942 the squadron had again become an active fighter unit, which served in the North African, Italian and Yugoslav campaigns, often in a ground attack role. It was disbanded in August 1945.
• Nuckelavee (nominated by Eric Corbett and Sagaciousphil) The nuckelavee is the most horrible of the demons inhabiting the Scottish islands. When on land it appears as a horse-like creature with some human characteristics. The man's torso growing from its back has very long arms and a head as large as 3 feet (0.91 m) in diameter; some accounts say that the nuckelavee has two heads, one human the other equine. It has no skin, showing its black blood flowing through yellow veins. The nuckelavee's breath can wilt crops and sicken livestock, and it can only be controlled by the Mither o' the Sea, an Orcadian divine who keeps it confined during the summer months.
• Stanley Price Weir (nominated by Peacemaker67) Stanley Price Weir (1866 – 1944) was an Australian Army officer who after his retirement became a public servant. Brigadier general Weir commanded the 10th Battalion of the Australian Imperial Force during the landing at Anzac Cove, the Gallipoli Campaign, World War I. For his efforts as a commander in the army, during these events and for participating in the Pozières and Battle of Mouquet Farm in France, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order. He was actively contributing to several religious, charitable, and welfare organisations.
• Youth on the Prow, and Pleasure at the Helm (nominated by Iridescent) The painting is by English artist William Etty and owned by the Tate Gallery in London. It is one of Etty's best-known works. It was inspired by Thomas Gray's poem The Bard about the misrule of Richard II of England. The poem describes a gilded ship drifting on the sea, but the storm is near. The occupants are unaware of an approaching trouble, a moral warning about the pursuit of pleasure. The painting was not uncontroversial, as our article states: "the reaction of the lower classes to these paintings caused concern throughout the 19th century."

Fair laughs the morn, and soft the zephyr blows,

While proudly riding o'er the azure realm,

In gallant trim, the gilded vessel goes,

Youth on the prow and Pleasure at the helm,

Unmindful of the sweeping whirlwind's sway,

That, hushed in grim repose, expects his evening prey.

• 
  Lupita Nyongo got an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
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  Tabu from the Featured list Tabu filmography
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  Francine Jordi, a featured picture

Four featured lists were promoted this week.

• Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress (nominated by Birdienest81) The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress is an anual award distributed by the US Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since in 1937. The first winner of this award was Gale Sondergaard who won this award for her role in Anthony Adverse. As our article states: "It is given in honor of an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a supporting role while working within the film industry."
• Audrey Hepburn on screen and stage (nominated by Cowlibob) Audrey Hepburn was a British actress, and one of the most charming and enchanting actresses ever to appear on screen. She was regarded as "both a film and style icon." Hepburn's experiences of living in the Netherlands during the German occupation in the Second World War were the seed for her devotion to humanitarian work through UNICEF.
• List of awards and nominations received by Adele (nominated by Another Believer and FrB.TG) Adele is an English singer-songwriter who has received 86 awards. The first awards were the BBC Sound of 2008 and Brit Awards for Critics' Choice. As our article states: "She is the recipient of a BT Digital Music Award, 4 Brit Awards, an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, 10 Grammy Awards, 13 Billboard Music Awards, and 4 American Music Awards. Her 2007 song "Hometown Glory" was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Female Pop Vocal Performance category. At the 51st Annual Grammy Awards, she earned the Best New Artist award, with two additional nominations at the same ceremony. The song "Someone like You" won three Grammy Awards, and "Set Fire to the Rain" won 54th and 55th Annual Grammy Awards, respectively. There are many more awards: Adele was awarded several other accolades, including the Echo Music Award and Grammy Award for Album of the Year, and won in 12 Billboard Music Award categories. In 2012, she released "Skyfall", a song of the 2012 James Bond film of the same name."

• Tabu filmography (nominated by Krimuk90) Indian film actress Tabu's first role was played as teenager in Dev Anand's Hum Naujawan (1985). After some less well received films she went on to greater successes. As our article states: "Her most critically acclaimed performances were in the films Maachis (1996), Virasat (1997), Hu Tu Tu (1999), Astitva (2000), Chandni Bar (2001), Maqbool (2003), Cheeni Kum (2007), and Haider (2014)." She played the leading role in Mira Nair's drama The Namesake (2007) that got some positive reviews from American critics. She also had a role in Ang Lee's adventure film Life of Pi from (2012).

• 
  Florence Nightingale, the Lady with the Lamp; a featured picture
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  Youth on the Prow, and Pleasure at the Helm, a featured article.
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  Maria I, Queen of Portugal by Giuseppe Troni, a featured picture.

Twenty-eight Featured picturess were promoted this week.

• Abraxas sylvata (created by Ivar Leidus; nominated by Alborzagros) This featured picture is a sharp and clear picture of Abraxas sylvata or clouded magpie moth. This insect is a colourful little nocturnal moth that lives on elm trees. It was named by the Tyrolean physician and naturalist Giovanni Antonio Scopoli in 1763. Scopoli corresponded regularly with Carl Linnaeus, and they discussed Scopoli's work and finds. Linnaeus named the plant genus Scopolia in his honor, as he often did with people he liked and respected. The plant is the source of scopolamine. So whenever you use a medicine with scopolamine (used against sea sickness) just think about our distinguished naturalist. It'll take your mind off the approaching iceberg.
• Banknotes of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia: one koruna, five koruna from 1939 and from 1940, ten koruna, twenty koruna, fifty koruna from 1940 and from 1944, and one-hundred koruna. (created by National Bank for Bohemia and Moravia; nominated by Godot13) The Bohemian and Moravian koruna or the Protectorate crown was the currency of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia printed between 1939 and 1945, by the National Bank for Bohemia and Moravia in Prague. One koruna was worth 100 haléřů.
• Cuban peso (created by Charles E. Barber; nominated by Godot13) The gold 5 Peso coin was struck at the Philadelphia Mint. The coin was engraved by Charles E. Barber, who was the Chief Engraver of the United States Mint. This particular coin depicts on the reverse the Coat of arms of Cuba and on the obverse José Martí, Cuban poet and national hero, who played a crucial role in the struggle for independence. At the Battle of Dos Rios he charged a strong Spanish position accompanied only by a young courier.
• Kushari (created by User:Dinapriv; nominated by Crisco 1492) Kushari is a tasty vegetarian dish consisting of mixed rice, short pieces of spaghetti, and lentils with tomato sauce, garlic and vinegar, garnished with chickpeas and fried onions.
• The Lady with the Lamp (created by Henrietta Rae; nominated by TomStar81) The Lady with the Lamp is a coloured lithograph reproduction made after a painting by Henrietta Rae from 1891. It depicts Florence Nightingale (1820 –1910), an iconic English nurse, also known as the "Lady with the Lamp", named after her habit of walking around checking on her patients during the night while she was a nurse in the Crimean war. Nightingale was a philosopher and a social reformer who is known as the founder of modern nursing. Nightingale established the first school to train nurses at St Thomas' Hospital in London. This is a very popular lithograph of Florence Nightingale. She was mentioned in a report in The Times:

  She is a "ministering angel" without any exaggeration in these hospitals, and as her slender form glides quietly along each corridor, every poor fellow's face softens with gratitude at the sight of her. When all the medical officers have retired for the night and silence and darkness have settled down upon those miles of prostrate sick, she may be observed alone, with a little lamp in her hand, making her solitary rounds.

• Francine Jordi (created by Tsui; nominated by Crisco 1492) Francine Jordi is a Swiss pop singer, one of the contemporary music stars of Switzerland. A favourite in the cuckoo-clock country, her performances of dubstep on the Alpenhorn are responsible for more than thirty avalanches a year.
• Scene from La favorite (created by Émile Desmaisons after François-Gabriel Lépaulle; restored and nominated by Adam Cuerden) The Favorite (or La favorite) is a grand opera in four acts by the talented and fast Italian opera composer Gaetano Donizetti. The featured picture is a black and white lithograph by Émile Desmaisons (1812–1880) after Gabriel Lépaulle (1804–1886), that was used as a frontispiece to the first edition of the vocal score of the opera in Paris. The libretto is based on the play Le comte de Comminges by Baculard d'Arnaud, and it is about love, love, and love again, but no happy ending, alas. The premiere was in 1840 at the Paris Opera. It is said he wrote the whole opera in about three to four hours, what an inspiration for Signpost contributors.
• Griffon vulture (created by User:Kookaburra 81; nominated by Pine) The Eurasian griffon or griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus) is a large vulture living in the mountains in Europe, north Africa, and Asia. It has a white head and broad wings; brownish feathers, and short tail. The griffon vulture is a bird of prey, but it is usually just feeding on carcasses of dead animals.
• Vocal score title page of Béatrice et Bénédict (created by Antoine Barbizet; restored and nominated by Adam Cuerden) Béatrice et Bénédict is an opéra comique in two acts by the French Romantic composer Hector Berlioz, known mostly for his Symphonie fantastique. This opera is based on Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. The first edition of the title page of the vocal score is a featured picture.
• He-gassen (created by Unknown artist; nominated by Bgwhite and Hafspajen) He-gassen, literally "Fart battle", is a Japanese art scroll showing men, women and cats in flatulence combat. The backfire rips a hole in a desk and causes people to fall off horses. The work was created in the Edo period by an unknown artist or artists. The noxious wind is supposed to be a metaphor for the xenophobia of the day.
• NGC 1427A (created by NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA); nominated by Pine) The cosmic glitter of NGC 1427A is an irregular galaxy. This type of galaxy may have once been a spiral galaxy or elliptical galaxy which became disordered. NGC 1427A is situated in the constellation of Eridanus.
• Kovalev versus Szilagyi (created by Jastrow; nominated by Alborzagros) The Hungarian fencer Áron Szilágyi is up against the Russian Nikolay Kovalev in the men's sabre semi-finals of the 2013 World Fencing Championships at Syma Hall in Hungary. Russia's Nikolay Kovalev (Kolya) won, but Áron Szilágyi got the bronze medal, anyway.
• Lion of Al-lāt (created by User:Mappo; nominated by Brandmeister) There is no such lion. Not any more. The Lion of Al-lāt is demolished.
• Maria I of Portugal (created by Giuseppe Troni; nominated by Crisco 1492) Maria I of Portugal (1734–1816) was the Queen of Portugal, and Kingdom of the Algarve. She was the first Queen regnant of Portugal. She moved later to the then-Portuguese colony of Brazil, where she was called "Maria the Mad". The painting was made by Giuseppe Troni (1739–1810), who was an Italian-born painter who became the Portuguese court painter of the Most Serene House of Braganza, the Portugese royal house.
• Augustus Brine (created by John Singleton Copley; nominated by Crisco 1492) Augustus Brine (1769 – 1840), even if he looks rather young here, depicted as a young midshipman, he was definitely an officer of the Royal Navy. At this time he served on HMS Belliqueux, his father's ship. Augustus served during several big wars: in the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary Wars, and in the Napoleonic Wars. He raised in rank thanks to good judgment and perseverance and was made a rear-admiral in 1837. John Singleton Copley, the American painter who worked in America and England, made this featured picture. Crisco discovered it, uploaded it, and nominated it. By the way, somebody should nominate that A Boy with a Flying Squirrel too, it's great. Free tip for anyone.
• Lidder Valley (created by User:KennyOMG; nominated by Crisco 1492) The Lidder Valley is a beautiful valley in the state of Jammu and Kashmir in India. It was formed by the Lidder River. The valley is a somewhat dangerous pilgrimage route. The Hindu pilgrims use this road when on their annual Yatra pilgrimage to the Amarnath Temple shrine, considered a Hindu holy place. For the pilgrims, the journey itself has almost the same importance as the destination. The hardships encountered are regarded as an act of devotion themselves. This road was closed due to violent incidents for several years.
• Aida at Masada, Isræl (created by Avinoam Michaeli ; nominated by Adam Cuerden) Aida is a world famous opera by Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi, here performed at The Israel Opera at Masada.
• Ceiling of the Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome (created by Livioandronico2013; nominated by Adam Cuerden) Santa Maria della Vittoria is a spectacular Catholic church in Rome, with a fantastic ceiling... featured. This is the church where Gian Lorenzo Bernini's sculpture the Ecstasy of Saint Teresa is hosted. The church is dedicated to the Virgin Mary; the Italian name translates as Our Lady of Victory.
• Tectarius coronatus (created by Llez; nominated by Crisco 1492) Tectarius coronatus or Beaded Prickly Winkle, is a sea snail, found in the Philippines and Celebes.
• Old Woman Frying Eggs (created by Diego Velázquez; nominated by Crisco 1492) Old Woman Frying Eggs is a painting by the famous Spanish painter Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez, which is today on display in the National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh. It was painted during Velázquez' Seville period, when the artist produced quite a lot of genre paintings, depicting ordinary people and showing everyday life as it was when he lived. The paintings are often dark and shadowy, with bright luminous patches. This technique is called chiaroscuro; the artist depicts a single strong light source coming in from the left and illuminating the scene. The contrast of light and shadow highlights the figures and focus the interest of the viewer on certain details.
• Ambroise Thomas (created by Wilhelm Benque; restored and nominated by Adam Cuerden) Ambroise Thomas (1811 –1896) was a French composer, pianist, and violinist, who served as director of the Conservatoire de Paris. He often used classical literary works as an inspiration in the composition of his operas. Several of his works are based on themes from Shakespeare and Dante. Ambroise Thomas's best known operas are Mignon (1866) and Hamlet. Emmanuel Chabrier who was also a French composer and pianist, said about him: "There is good music, there is bad music, and then there is Ambroise Thomas."

Reader comments

2015-08-12

Tech news in brief

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By Wikimedia tech ambassadors

The following content has been republished as-is from the Tech News weekly report.

Latest tech news from the Wikimedia technical community. Please tell other users about these changes. Not all changes will affect you. Translations are available.

Recent changes

MediaWiki can now hide the signature button when you edit a content page. [1]

The "Your preferences have been saved" message has changed. You can now see more easily what was saved when you change preferences several times. [2]

You can now play Ogg video files in some browsers that don't support this format. This solution uses JavaScript and works on desktop browsers only for now. It will work on mobile later. [3]

You can now use the same tools to edit style in VisualEditor on mobile as in desktop browsers. [4]

It is now easier to see if there is a JavaScript error in a user or site script. [5]

• JavaScript authors:

You can no longer use the Sajax library. You can see a list of pages to fix. [6] [7]

You can no longer use document.write on Wikimedia wikis. You can see a list of pages to fix. [8] [9]

• The content translation tool now works better. It is easier to use math, and useless tags are no longer added. [10]

Problems

More edits have been rejected due to loss of session data lately. This is now fixed. [11]

Importing a Lua module sometimes didn't work. This is now fixed. [12]

Text was sometimes lost in the content translation tool. One part of the problem is now fixed. [13]

Changes this week

The new version of MediaWiki will be on test wikis and MediaWiki.org from August 11. It will be on non-Wikipedia wikis from August 12. It will be on all Wikipedias from August 13 (calendar).

UploadWizard is getting a new look. The look of buttons and checkboxes has already changed. This week, UploadWizard gets a new date picker. The other text fields will change soon. [14]

• You can now test VisualEditor on mobile devices of all sizes. [15]

Meetings

You can join the next meeting with the VisualEditor team. During the meeting, you can tell developers which bugs are the most important. The meeting will be on August 11 at 19:00 (UTC). See how to join.

Future changes

Some things in the watchlist will get a new look. [16]

Tech news prepared by tech ambassadors and posted by bot • Contribute • Translate • Get help • Give feedback • Subscribe or unsubscribe.

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2015-08-12

The Hunt for Tirpitz

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By Nick-D

The following content has been republished from the Wikimedia Blog. The views expressed in this piece are those of the author alone; responses and critical commentary are invited in the comments section. For more information on this partnership see our content guidelines.

[[File:|800px|left|]]

The German battleship Tirpitz shortly before being launched into the sea. Upon entering service in 1941, it was one of the largest and most modern battleships in the world.

During World War II, the German battleship Tirpitz was a major threat to Allied convoys travelling across the North Atlantic and Arctic Sea to the Soviet Union. Tirpitz was one of the largest and most modern battleships afloat, and the massive effort which was required to find and sink its sister ship Bismarck in May 1941 convinced the Allies that it needed to be destroyed. This proved very difficult, however, as from 1942 Tirpitz was stationed in well-protected bases in Norwegian fjords.

During 1942 and 1944, the British repeatedly attempted to attack Tirpitz at its bases. Several raids by land-based bombers flying from the UK were unsuccessful, and an attempt to attack with manned torpedoes failed at the last moment due to technical problems. The task of attacking Tirpitz became even harder once it was moved to Kaafjord in the remote far north of Norway, but in September 1943 a raid conducted by British midget submarines (Operation Source) inflicted heavy damage. However, it survived this attack, and the British decided that the next-best option was to attack it with the Fleet Air Arm, using aircraft flying from aircraft carriers.

British Barracuda aircraft flying over a fjord shortly before attacking Tirpitz during Operation Tungsten on 3 April 1944.

This led to a series of operations between April and August 1944, of which only the first—Operation Tungsten—inflicted any significant damage. Mascot was much less successful, and involved a somewhat farcical attack in which the British pilots attempted to drop bombs on the ship by aiming at flashes from Tirpitz‘s guns through a thick German-laid smokescreen. Goodwood involved four separate raids over a week in August, but once again ended in failure due to smokescreens over the battleship during each of the attacks. Despite the lack of results, each of these attacks was a major battle involving thousands of personnel on both sides.

Inspirations

Over the last two years I’ve developed three featured-class articles about these unsuccessful attacks, but how did an Australian end up writing about little-known events which took place in the far north of Norway 70 years ago and involved very few Australians?

Ironically, my main inspiration for writing about this topic came from a museum located even further away from Norway—when visiting the Museum of Transport and Technology in Auckland, New Zealand, I was surprised to learn that New Zealanders made up a large proportion of the FAA’s aircrew during World War II (about 17% of the airmen involved in Operation Tungsten were from the country). The museum’s dramatic diorama depicting British Fairey Barracuda aircraft dive-bombing Tirpitz in a fjord interested me as well; I’d written articles on other little-known carrier aircraft attacks on important naval bases (like the Attack on Yokosuka) and World War II in Norway (Black Friday [1945] and Action of 28 January 1945), and recently reviewed a book about the British attacks on Tirpitz.

When combined, this looked like a topic I’d want to work on, and my initial research confirmed this. The series of British raids were major efforts which involved the bulk of the Home Fleet (the Royal Navy’s main combat force, stationed in the UK) and exposed the airmen to extreme danger from the hostile Norwegian climate and formidable German defences. Moreover, despite the British forces being considerably more powerful than the German units stationed at Kaafjord, they were unable to do much damage due to the limitations of the fleet’s aircraft, bad weather, and some ingenious German tactics.

Deeper research turned up more fascinating facts—for instance, the US Navy transferred an aircraft carrier from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean to allow Operation Tungsten to go ahead, and one of the Royal Navy’s carriers was so worn out it was withdrawn from service and retired halfway through Operation Goodwood!

My kingdom for a (comprehensive) source!

[[File:|800px|left|]]

Royal Navy crewman Bob Cotcher used chalk to write a message on a 1,600 pound (730 kg) bomb earmarked for Tirpitz.

My main challenge in writing these articles was the absence of a single source which covers all of the attacks in detail. While there are several histories which cover all the Allied attacks on Tirpitz, the amount of information they provide on each of the operations varies considerably. For instance, Mark Bishop’s recent book Target Tirpitz only goes into detail on Operation Tungsten and skims over the other attacks, and John Sweetman’s Tirpitz: Hunting the Beast is very useful for Operations Tungsten and (to a lesser extent) Goodwood, but only briefly mentions Operation Mascot. Stephen Roskill’s venerable official history of the Royal Navy in World War II also provided a useful overview of the attacks and the strategy which guided them, but was weak on the details of the individual operations.

As a result, developing these articles to FA standard was only possible by consulting many specialised sources. I’m fortunate to live in a city boasting several libraries with excellent military history collections, and I trawled their shelves on weekends. This really paid off—for instance, the Operation Mascot article probably couldn’t have come together without V.E. Tarrant’s rather obscure The Last Year of the Kriegsmarine, which provided the only detailed account of this attack I could find. Similarly, specialised works on battleships, naval aviation, and the naval war in the Arctic allowed me to fill in important details. Given the importance of these obscure works, I suspect that there are only a smallish number cities in the world—and possibly no other city in Australia—where it might have been possible for an amateur historian like me to develop articles on this topic without resorting to inter-library loans and/or expensive purchases.

Something that surprised me was the value of the British official history British Intelligence in the Second World War: Its Influence on Strategy and Operations, which was published during the 1980s and 1990s, in developing the articles. By assessing British wartime intelligence reports against what actually occurred, this work provided an important reality check at several points, and was particularly valuable when using sources which pre-dated the disclosure of the Allied success in breaking the German codes in the late 1970s. As a bonus, its authors had a good eye for interesting snippets about the military operations against Tirpitz which allowed me to inject some extra “colour” into the articles. This experience illustrated the value of reading widely around the topic, and I’d strongly recommend consulting this work when writing articles on World War II in Europe.

Despite these positive experiences, I wasn’t able to fill in some significant details in the articles. Most importantly, no source went into detail on the German experiences of the operations, with the available coverage generally being focused on Tirpitz and its crew. As a result, I couldn’t pin down the strength of the German anti-aircraft and air force units deployed to protect Tirpitz, or the casualties they sustained—which appear to have been heavy in several of the attacks. Second, while this part of Norway is sparsely populated, it would also have been good to have described the experiences of local civilians. Finally, while various unreliable or semi-reliable sources discussed commemorations of the raids, it was very difficult to source material on them to featured article standard.

Writing the articles, and some reflections

Part of the cost of war: one of Manxruler’s photos of the Commonwealth War Graves section of Tromsø’s main cemetery, where several of the Allied airmen who were killed in the raids on Tirpitz are buried.

I developed the three articles in their chronological order, starting by improving the already-existent Operation Tungsten article and ending by creating and developing an article on Operation Goodwood. This worked well, as I was able to re-use text and references in each successive article. I also adjusted the level of detail on the background and aftermath of the operations as appropriate—Operation Tungsten has detailed coverage of the background to these attacks, Operation Mascot discusses the several abortive raids which followed Tungsten in April and May 1944, and Operation Goodwood goes into greater detail on the successful attacks by land-based Royal Air Force bombers which followed the Royal Navy’s failure to seriously damage Tirpitz. To improve readers’ ability to navigate this topic, I also created a List of Allied attacks on the German battleship Tirpitz article which provides a summary of the various operations.

A Universal Newsreel in 1944 led with the sinking of Tirpitz, which after the failures of Tungsten, Mascot, and Goodwind, was eventually accomplished by the Royal Air Force.

The process of submitting each of the articles to Good Article, A-class and featured reviews also helped guide their development. The feedback from reviewers highlighted areas I needed to pay close attention to which were common to all articles, such as the need to ensure that the terminology used was suitable for readers who don’t have prior knowledge of the broad topic areas the articles cover. I also found that I could revisit the older articles as I went along and found new sources or useful facts I’d missed, with the happy result that the Tungsten and Mascot articles are—hopefully—in better shape than when they passed their featured article nominations!

I’d also like to acknowledge the valuable contributions of Manxruler, a Norwegian local and Wikipedia editor, who took photos of the graves of Allied airmen at the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery in Tromsø and added some additional details to the text. This illustrated the power of Wikipedia to connect interested editors in different parts of the world to work towards a common cause.

Overall, I’d recommend the experience of writing a string of articles on related topics, and now understand why some editors tend to use this as their main editing style. It’s an efficient way to produce high-quality articles, and provides a great opportunity to write about a topic in detail. While I was worried about getting bored with the topic or burnt out, the small number of articles, fairly self-contained nature of the individual battles and the sheer novelty of the topic (aircraft carriers attacking a battleship in a fjord!) kept me interested, and I was pleased with the positive response from reviewers, which suggests that other editors also found the topic worthwhile.

I was also very pleased that Operation Tungsten appeared on Wikipedia’s front page to mark the 70th anniversary of the raid on 3 April 2014, which went a long way to making the whole project worthwhile.

This post was originally published in the Bugle, the monthly newsletter of the English Wikipedia's Military history WikiProject. It was edited and expanded for publication on the Wikimedia Blog and in the Signpost.

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