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The role of the final bombing in World War II
Wevolution of strategic bombing bomvbing in wwii
Wevolution of strategic bombing bomvbing in wwii
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Strategic bombing refers to air strikes by the Allied forces of Britain, France, USA and Russia (after 1942) against German occupied territory, aimed at both their infrastructure and population. This essay will evaluate the significance of the Allied strategic bombing campaign in terms of ensuring positive diplomatic relationships during the war, its impact on the German economy, army and air force as well as its effect on German and British morale. Whilst bombing was not significant as it failed to break the German home front and was highly inaccurate, this essay will argue that Allied strategic bombing was significant to a great extent. Strategic bombing helped maintain the Anglo-Russian alliance, diverted German forces away from key areas …show more content…
of conflict and greatly reduced the industrial and military production capacity of Germany. Economically, it can be argued that Allied strategic bombing was significant. This was because the rate of growth of German industrial and economic output slowed after the introduction of the P-51 Mustang Bomber in 1943, with which a sustained attack on Germany was initiated. At this time, Germany produced 35% fewer tanks and 31% fewer aircraft than had originally been planned, and in 1944 it was estimated that Germany lost 17% of its production due to bombing. Nazi Armaments Minister, Albert Speer, acknowledged Allied bombing’s significance, as it forced plans (which would have increased production) to be halted. Secondly, strategic bombing was economically significant as it diverted crucial resources and manpower away from the German economy. Strategic bombing forced 20% of all ammunition to be redirected into the anti-bombing effort. Additionally, it caused the diversion of two million people into anti-aircraft defence and repairing of crucial infrastructure, such as factories, and cleaning up after raids. Meanwhile, a further 360,000 were killed in the air raids. This manpower and resources could have otherwise been directed into the production of armaments and planes. However, on the other hand, strategic bombing was less economically significant because it simply brought German military deficiencies to the forefront. Allied Strategic Bombing intensified a problem caused by Hitler’s hopes of ‘Blitzkrieg’ and his subsequent lack of long-term planning for war. In 1944, Germany hit peak production, producing 34,000 combat aircraft, in comparison to the Allied forces, who massively out-produced the Germans by manufacturing 127,300 combat aircraft. General Thomas, Head of Germany’s army weapons supply, spoke secretly about the Axis states’ lack of armaments and the inherent advantage of the ‘Western Powers’ even before the effects of bombing were apparent. In summary, while bombing greatly reduced the military-economic output of the German economy, the Allies would have out produced Germany regardless. Therefore, strategic bombing in terms of the economy was significant to a minimal extent. In terms of diplomacy, Allied strategic bombing was significant as it demonstrated Britain’s willingness to cooperate with Russia and work with the USA during the war. Stalin had demanded that Churchill open a second front following a meeting in Moscow on the 12th to 15th August 1942. Although he did not open up a front on the ground as had been anticipated by the Russians, Churchill met Stalin’s demands by opening up a front in the air, ensuring the continued cohesion of the Anglo-Russian alliance. Furthermore, the importance of strategic bombing can be inferred from the fact that the front in the air was given priority over a potential front on the ground by Churchill and Roosevelt at the Casablanca Conference (January 1943). Although strategic bombing ensured the continued cohesion of the Anglo-Russian alliance, it was not actually essential to Britain’s alliance with Russia. While, there is much speculation over the continuation of the alliance had Churchill not ceded to Stalin’s demands, arguably Britain and Russia would have ultimately co-operated, regardless of the British bombing efforts, due to the continued existence of a common enemy. Therefore, it must be argued that in terms of diplomacy, Allied strategic bombing was significant to a great extent. While it could be argued that Russia and Britain would have worked together regardless of British bombing, its success in ensuring the continuation of the Anglo-Russian alliance is a clear product of its prioritisation at the Casablanca conference. A third way in which Allied strategic bombing was significant was the effect it had on German morale. The effect of bombing on German morale was seen in the attack on Hamburg (28th July 1943). 1 million people were made homeless and there was a small mutiny against the Nazi party due to their limited response to the consequences of the attack; this serves as evidence of the way in which Allied strategic bombing caused a fracturing of German society. In the Cologne Ford plant, absenteeism rose to 25% in 1944, arguably because of the effect bombing had on the lives of the workers. This is particularly significant as it links to the decrease in German economic efficiency. Additionally, Allied strategic bombing was significant as it improved British morale. Public opinion embraced the idea of strategic bombing, fuelled by books which glorified the bombing campaign like H.G. Wells’ ‘War in the Air’, in addition to a series of public speeches. This was particularly significant when the Germans appeared to be winning the war, as it demonstrated to the British public that their government was successfully retaliating. Not only this, but much of the British population were angered by their experiences during the Blitz (September 1940 – May 1941) and the attack on Coventry (November 1940) and believed that the Germans should suffer the same fate. On the home front, launching a bombing campaign in retaliation to German bombing attacks and publicising this through propaganda campaigns, kept morale high. This links with political arguments for bombing, as bombing was a means of gaining votes and maintaining popular support for the government and the war effort. On the other hand, bombing could be viewed as being of limited significance in terms of morale due to the fact that people did not break under the pressures of bombing, as had previously been expected. As the war went on, bombing arguably stiffened German morale as opposed to damaging it. This is shown by the fact that even after the devastation caused by air raids in Lübeck, shops reopened with signs saying “Life goes on here”. On top of this, bombing often created survivors’ solidarity both in local communities and within the home nation; a phenomenon intensified by the hard-line patriotism of the Nazi Party. Additionally, it has been argued that bombing damaged British morale when used excessively at times when Britain appeared to be winning the war. The bombing of Dresden in February 1945 raised ethical issues about bombing defenceless citizens. Considered also in terms of the impact on the German economy, the bombing of Dresden was seen by many as a waste of resources as it failed to have a significant impact. In summary, in terms of the effect on morale, strategic bombing was significant to a very small extent. While it did boost English morale in the early years of the war, and was a factor in the downturn of economic efficiency in Germany, it did not cause the breakdown of German morale as previously expected and thus had very little significance on the outcome of the war. Allied bombing was further significant due to the effect on the German Luftwaffe. The dominance of the skies by the British and Americans was essential in protecting Russian tanks from being attacked from the air, while also providing essential reconnaissance for future attacks. The strain placed on the German military by the Allied Strategic bombing effort is demonstrated by the dramatic shift in German aircraft production, from approximately 50% fighter jets in 1942 to 72% in 1944. This highlights their need to produce defensive aircraft and the failure of their own bombing campaign. However, it can be argued that Allied bombing was less significant in terms of its effect on the German Luftwaffe as bombing was fundamentally ineffective in military terms. Statistics reveal that 44.4% of airmen lost their lives, and only 25% of aircraft landed their load within 5km of their intended target and in the Ruhr, this number fell to 7%. The lack of faith in the bombing campaign is demonstrated by the fact that there was a series of calls from Admirals and Generals demanding that manpower and industrial capacity be moved away from the RAF to create a second front on the ground. In summary, Allied bombers secured dominance of the skies and prevented the Luftwaffe from taking out Russian tanks from the air and therefore, was significant to a considerable extent. Finally, Allied bombing was significant due to the impact it had on other theatres of war.
The damaging effect of Allied bombing on towns such as Hamburg, where three-quarters of the city was destroyed, forced Germany to divert resources away from the Eastern Front to be used in defence of the German homeland. This undermined the capacity of the Germans to retaliate against the Russians, making it much easier for the Russians to secure victory in Berlin in 1945. The Allied dominance of the air, as mentioned in the previous paragraph, was also extremely significant when it came to the D-Day landings (6 June 1944). The Allied bombing of key railways, bridges and road, was essential to Allied success as it slowed the advance of German …show more content…
troops. On the other hand, it has been argued by historians such as Richard Overy that bombing was only of limited significance in its effect on other theatres of war.
Regardless of Allied bombing, the superiority of the Russian army was sufficient to win the war. Overy highlights the fact that “Soviet forces destroyed or disabled an estimated 607 Axis divisions between 1941 and 1945” demonstrating the Russian’s effectiveness in battle even before Allied dominance of the skies. Secondly, the Allied bombing campaign adversely affected the Germans too late in the war to be credited with successes on the Eastern Front. By the time strategic bombing of Germany had a big enough impact to divert resources away from the Eastern Front, Russia was already on the front foot and were positioned to win the war. This is demonstrated by the fact that at the time of Russian victory in Stalingrad (February 1943) British bombing was not yet sufficiently damaging to divert essential German resources away from the Eastern Front. In summary, it must be argued, that despite the inefficiencies of the bombing campaign, it was of enormous significance to the Russian army. Although the strategic bombing campaign alone cannot be credited with Allied victory, it did prove to be the greatest single advantage enjoyed by the Allies as it was instrumental in securing Allied success at D-Day and on the Eastern Front and therefore its significance cannot be
denied. In conclusion, it must be argued that Allied strategic bombing of Germany during the Second World War was significant to a considerable extent. While, strategic bombing did not cause the breakdown of morale as previously hoped for, and had very little impact on Germany due to the inaccuracy and ineffectiveness of the Allied bomber planes at the beginning of the war, it was indispensable in the Allied propaganda machine. Even in the early years of the war, when the bombing campaign itself had limited physical impact, the idea of the machine was more important than the machine itself. On top of this, the bombing campaign was significant because of its negative effect on German economic output, which helped ensure that the Allies would have the upper-hand in the tail years of the war. On the other hand, by the time the effects of bombing were truly seen, the war was already won, with Russia advancing in the east. However, Allied strategic bombing of Germany was significant because of the essential role it played in securing and speeding up victory on the Eastern Front and at D-Day. Therefore, Allied strategic bombing was significant to a considerable extent.
Why the Major Cities of Britain were Bombed by the Germans in 1940 and 1941
...et. If a bomb hit anywhere near a target, it was good luck over anything else. Towards the end of the war, aircraft that would be recognized as long-range bombers had been created. More larger than fighters, and way less maneuverable, their task was simple to carry toward a target as many bombs necessary and to drop them on the certain target with a degree of accuracy. The Germans had produced the Gotha bomber while the British had developed the Handley Page bomber. Even though the deliberate targeting of civilians wasn't a new military tactic, bombers made an aerial attack possible. Airplanes could also attack even a nation’s means of war production, mostly factories. Such an idea would have been impossible in 1914, but by 1918, it was a reality.
The battle of Stalingrad has often been referred to as the turning point of World War II. Stalingrad, now called Volgograd is located on the river Volga in the southern part of western Russia. It was of extreme importance because it was the last stronghold protecting the vast oil fields that lay beyond it to the east. Hitler believed his Operation Barbarossa would be an easy victory, claiming that troops would be home for Christmas. There was much symbolism in Hitler’s decision to attack Stalingrad and that was due to that it was named after the Russian leader Stalin and would cause a great loss of morale in the Russian army if the German army could capture it. The German 6th Army ran into incredibly fierce resistance on the part of the Russians. As the battle waged on for nearly 3 months the daily bloodbaths of the street battles began to take their toll on both sides. Russia’s use of snipers began to cost the Germans more and more lives everyday. Most famous of...
The United States of America’s use of the atomic bomb on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki has spurred much debate concerning the necessity, effectiveness, and morality of the decision since August 1945. After assessing a range of arguments about the importance of the atomic bomb in the termination of the Second World War, it can be concluded that the use of the atomic bomb served as the predominant factor in the end of the Second World War, as its use lowered the morale, industrial resources, and military strength of Japan. The Allied decision to use the atomic bomb not only caused irreparable physical damage to two major Japanese cities, but its use also minimized the Japanese will to continue fighting. These two factors along with the Japanese neglect of the Soviet Invasion of Manchuria, proved that the Allied use of the atomic bomb was the definitive factor in the Japanese decision to surrender.
The strategic bombing campaign significantly shortened the length of the war. It disabled the production industry and weakened the German morale.
It all started on December 7th, 1941. America had entered their Second World War following the Pearl Harbor attacks. America started its Pacific Campaign against the Imperial Japanese Army. After three years, America joined with fellow allied nations and invaded Nazi- Occupied France codename Operation Overlord. This was the biggest amphibious invasion ever recorded. From Pearl Harbor to the fall of Berlin in the spring of 1945, the American bomber plane helped defeat the Nazi regime, end the war in the Pacific, and revolutionize modern warfare.
Did you know that over 830,000 Germans died during Operation Barbarossa? Operation Barbarossa was the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union enacted by Hitler and carried out by Nazi troops. But the Nazis were not the only ones who suffered colossal losses. The soviets had over 4,000,000 military casualties, but somehow, the U.S.S.R. defeated the Germans and was able to shove them out of their land. This defeat definitely had a major effect on WWII’s outcome due to the massive Nazi force that was allotted to Operation Barbarossa and their failure to take command of the U.S.S.R. The key points of Operation Barbarossa were who planned it, why they planned it, the events that had major effects on the war, and Germany’s failure.
One very basic factor in the Allies’ victory was the forming of the Allies themselves. Neither France nor Great Britain could have fought the Axis powers on their own, nor were the two nations on the best of terms at the time. However, they found a common enemy in Germany. Also, without help from the other Allied nations, it is more than likely that the USSR would not have survived the war.
In August of 1945, both of the only two nuclear bombs ever used in warfare were dropped on the Japanese cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima. These two bombs shaped much of the world today.
The strategic bombing campaigns of WWII were carried out in hopes that they would bring a swift end to the war. Some of the capaigns were not as effective as they hoped them to be. But they still dealt a psychological blow to the German people. they also assisted in operations carried out by ground forces such as the combined effort on the beaches on D-day. They also brought about the swift ending oft he war in the pacific theatre.
This paper is not meant to be a military history of the battle; I am not qualified to offer such an account. It is also not an examination of why Russia won (and Germany lost). The goal of this paper is to explain why this particular conflict, fought at this particular point in time, and in this particular place became the defining moment of World War II.
Was high and strong British morale during the Battle of Britain an historical reality? This investigation determines how the British people were affected by the Luftwaffe’s attacks on their cities and the British Royal Air Force. In order to disprove or prove the idea that the British morale was high and strong, the investigation will evaluate their reactions, individual’s quotes, songs, and a newspaper article. One source, “World War II Blackout Regulations”, is a newspaper article outlining the rules in the case of a Blackout and the description of the Blackout by a citizen who experienced it. The investigation will include the attack on Coventry specifically and the Blackout. It will not include, however, information on other countries’ reactions towards Britain nor detailed weapons use.
World War II was seen around the globe as a war to end all wars. Combat like this had never been experienced before and it was the largest scale battle in recent history. The death tolls for all sides skyrocketed to heights that had never been reached in any battle ever before. There was one man at the center of it all, one man who came to personify the root of living, breathing evil. That man was Adolf Hitler and to the rest of the world, he was a superhuman military machine who had no other goal but to achieve world domination through destruction. But the roots of the Battle of Stalingrad all began in 1941 when Hitler launched operation Barbarossa. Hitler’s powerful army marched across the east, seemingly unstoppable to any force. Stalin’s Red Army was caught completely off guard and their lines were completely broken apart. A majority of the country’s air force was destroyed when airfields were raided and many of the planes never even got the chance to leave the ground. Hitler’s army finally came to Leningrad where the city was besieged. The city held for 900 days and never gave way to the relentless Germans. At the cost of 1.5 million civilians and soldiers, the Red Army stopped Hitler from advancing further and postponed his plan to sweep over the south. Another cause for the retreat of Hitler was the brutal Russian winter, which Hitler and his army were completely unprepared for and the icy cold deaths would continue to haunt the Germans.
From July 1942 to February 1943, Soviet forces defended the city of Stalingrad from Nazi attack. The battle began during the summer offensive of 1942, Nazi Army groups A an B had already pushed past Stalingrad to take oil fields in south west Russia, when Hitler ordered Stalingrad be attacked (Trueman, n.d.). “Some historians believe that Hitler ordered the taking of Stalingrad simply because of the name of the city and Hitler's hatred of Joseph Stalin. For the same reason Stalin ordered that the city had to be saved” (Trueman, n.d.). Stalingrad was also the center of Soviet communications and manufacturing in the south. Since Stalingrad had such a significance to the soviet war effort and because the Soviets could not allow the Nazi's to hold the oil fields in south-west Russia, Stalin issued the “Not a step back” order (Trueman, n.d.). The battle would eventually turn into one of the bloodiest in World War II with enormous civilian and military casualties.
Webmaster. "Guided Bomb Unit-28 (GBU-28) Bunker Buster." Military Analysis Network. 28 February. 1998. 19 March. 2004.