Allied bombers blasted German cities during the war, whether the cities were of strategic importance or not. The ancient city of Dresden is the most popular example, choked with refugees fleeing the Soviets advancing from the east and more or less burned to the ground.
The beginning of British areal bombing is presented a little differently here. The usual meme is that a German bomber, lost at night, discharged its bomb load which landed on London. The British strikes on German cities were only retaliation. In this program the attacks on cities were deliberate, with the British having no way of bringing the war to Germany except by air. And by night, daylight attacks having proved far too costly. Also, as one British expert observes, concern for the welfare of German citizens was low on the list of priorities.
British feature films (eg., "Target for Tonight") and newsreels pictured the Wellingtons blowing up railway yards and munitions plants, but the fact is that with the available technology they were lucky to find the right city. Bombs landed twenty or more miles away from their targets. Realizing this, the goal of the bombing campaign was shifted from military targets to area or carpet bombing. Destroy the cities and you destroy the will of the people to wage war.
That was the opinion of Sir Arthur "Bomber" Harris in 1942 who wanted to smash Germany into oblivion. And indeed technology had improved the performance and accuracy of the bombers. Lancasters now, perhaps the finest heavy bomber of the war, instead of short-range Wellingtons. Electronic navigation aids had been improved too. But there had been adjustments on the German side as well and bombing Germany proved most hazardous. Of eight hundred planes sent to raid Nurenberg, one hundred were lost.
The American 8th Air Force had been trying precision daylight bombing since 1942. The Norden bomb sight could "hit a pickle barrel." Well, it couldn't. The bombs fell sometimes miles wide of the target. And even the well-armed Flying Fortresses proved no match for the speedy German fighters. The campaign was suspended until escort fighters were available.
Both Allied leaders hated to do it but finally diverted their strategic bombers to raids that helped the landings at Normandy. The successful landings made life more comfortable for bomber crews. By 1944 losses had dropped to about one percent.
With the Luftwaffe out of fuel, bombers had the run of the country and bombed whatever was available, including tiny villages that might have a road running through it -- described as an "Autobahn." If a railroad ran seven miles from the village, the village was bombed. The American goal seemed to be shifting from precision, to area bombing, to revenge.
For both Allies, there were few strategic targets left and German cities began to be destroyed in accordance to their vulnerability to incendiary bombs. Incendiaries wouldn't blow up marshaling yards or factories but would certainly set residential structures and workmen's homes alight. None of the interviewees seem to be bothered by the deaths of women and children except perhaps for Churchill, who had written that maybe it was time to stop the terror bombing. Churchill backed down in the face of resistance.
Of course the Allies won the war and tried Nazi leaders at Nurenberg, including Reichmarshall Goering, chief of the Luftwaffe. The ethics of area bombing were not discussed. And when the Queen Mum unveiled a statue of Sir Arthur Harris, there were some boos among the crowd.
The beginning of British areal bombing is presented a little differently here. The usual meme is that a German bomber, lost at night, discharged its bomb load which landed on London. The British strikes on German cities were only retaliation. In this program the attacks on cities were deliberate, with the British having no way of bringing the war to Germany except by air. And by night, daylight attacks having proved far too costly. Also, as one British expert observes, concern for the welfare of German citizens was low on the list of priorities.
British feature films (eg., "Target for Tonight") and newsreels pictured the Wellingtons blowing up railway yards and munitions plants, but the fact is that with the available technology they were lucky to find the right city. Bombs landed twenty or more miles away from their targets. Realizing this, the goal of the bombing campaign was shifted from military targets to area or carpet bombing. Destroy the cities and you destroy the will of the people to wage war.
That was the opinion of Sir Arthur "Bomber" Harris in 1942 who wanted to smash Germany into oblivion. And indeed technology had improved the performance and accuracy of the bombers. Lancasters now, perhaps the finest heavy bomber of the war, instead of short-range Wellingtons. Electronic navigation aids had been improved too. But there had been adjustments on the German side as well and bombing Germany proved most hazardous. Of eight hundred planes sent to raid Nurenberg, one hundred were lost.
The American 8th Air Force had been trying precision daylight bombing since 1942. The Norden bomb sight could "hit a pickle barrel." Well, it couldn't. The bombs fell sometimes miles wide of the target. And even the well-armed Flying Fortresses proved no match for the speedy German fighters. The campaign was suspended until escort fighters were available.
Both Allied leaders hated to do it but finally diverted their strategic bombers to raids that helped the landings at Normandy. The successful landings made life more comfortable for bomber crews. By 1944 losses had dropped to about one percent.
With the Luftwaffe out of fuel, bombers had the run of the country and bombed whatever was available, including tiny villages that might have a road running through it -- described as an "Autobahn." If a railroad ran seven miles from the village, the village was bombed. The American goal seemed to be shifting from precision, to area bombing, to revenge.
For both Allies, there were few strategic targets left and German cities began to be destroyed in accordance to their vulnerability to incendiary bombs. Incendiaries wouldn't blow up marshaling yards or factories but would certainly set residential structures and workmen's homes alight. None of the interviewees seem to be bothered by the deaths of women and children except perhaps for Churchill, who had written that maybe it was time to stop the terror bombing. Churchill backed down in the face of resistance.
Of course the Allies won the war and tried Nazi leaders at Nurenberg, including Reichmarshall Goering, chief of the Luftwaffe. The ethics of area bombing were not discussed. And when the Queen Mum unveiled a statue of Sir Arthur Harris, there were some boos among the crowd.
