Douhet's Theory Of Strategic Bombing

499 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Strategic Bombing Campaign In World War 2

Douhetism is the theory of strategic bombing. This theory was named after Giulio Douhet, the most important of the airpower theorists. According to Douhetism there was no reliable defense against planes invading a nation’s air space to drop bombs, making strategic bombing unstoppable. Douhet reasoned that any major nation could afford building 1000 aircraft minimum. Therefore, nations could engage in war within hours after war was declared because bombers could be ready fast, saving the time that takes to call the reserves, mobilize the soldiers, etcetera. According to this theory in future wars, nations would begin bombing each other every day causing 100 or more economic or military targets to be destroyed such as bridges, or specific factories …show more content…

Douhetism aimed to avoid the war of attrition. However, the validity of Douhetism was disproved during World War II. During the Battle of Britain during World War II, the German air force was defeated by Britain’s Royal Air Force over Britain’s skies. Germany bombarded Britain’s civilians, airbases and aircraft factories for months but was never able to defeat Great Britain on the air. After the battle there was great shock on Britain’s civilians due to the loss of property and life, but the shock was only temporary. Civilians quickly became resolute and wanted revenge against Germany. Also, studies showed that civilians became so used to bombing that 60 percent of them did not leave their houses to go to shelters when the bombing was taking place. As opposed to what Douhet believed, strategic bombing only broke the popular morale temporarily and the panic caused by it wore off quickly. During the strategic bombing of Germany by the Allies, the Allies faced heavy loses and for the most part the campaign was a

Show More
Related

  • Summary Of Bomb By Steve Sheinkin

    265 Words  | 1 Pages

    I am reading Bomb by Steve Sheinkin. At the beginning of the book, Oppenheimer, who is the main chemical scientist in the novel, sees the effects of the Great Depression on his pupils when they cannot buy chemistry textbooks. During Oppenheimer’s time as a professor, the Nazis discovered the splitting of the uranium atom. When Albert Einstein found out that about the discovery the Nazis did, he informs President Roosevelt about how the Nazis plan to develop atomic weapons. Harry Gold who is a Communist spy, starts to work with the KGB. And starts to steal ideas and projects from the American Uranium Committee.

    Read More

  • Why the Major Cities of Britain were Bombed by the Germans in 1940 and 1941

    373 Words  | 1 Pages

    Why the Major Cities of Britain were Bombed by the Germans in 1940 and 1941

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Bomb By Steve Sheinkin

    333 Words  | 1 Pages

    A young scientist who was very smart and intelligent was the creator of a bomb that killed millions. The bomb was the most powerful weapon that was ever manufactured. He changed the course of World War II. This man is Robert Oppenheimer, creator of the atomic bomb. The book “Bomb” by Steve Sheinkin, is a book that includes teamwork and how Americans made a deadly bomb that changed the course of the war. The book engages the reader through how spies share secret information with enemies. Because the physicists were specifically told not to share any information, they were not justified in supplying the Soviet Union with the bomb technology.

    Read More

  • Pros And Cons Of Slaughterhouse Five

    1242 Words  | 3 Pages

    There was limited information on the firsthand accounts of the bombing of Dresden in the actual city. Since Vonnegut experienced it and wrote the novel around the fictional character of Billy Pilgrim, it’s a great source of information for recounts from the survivors of the bombing. Pilgrim experienced horrendous things once the bombs stopped falling on the city, he saw the remains of bodies under the rubble and charred. Everything that survived was sent back to a time of savagery “Wild dogs, packs of rats fattened on corpses, escaped maniacs and murderers, soldiers who would never quit killing until they themselves were killed.” Pilgrim saw how the war affected all the people and how it didn’t exclude civilians. It was meant to kill everything and cause the enemy’s morale to break. “Everything was one big flame. The one flame ate everything organic, everything that would burn.” The only thing left after the bombings were charred bodies and hollowed out buildings, the entire city became a skeleton of rubble and bodies. There are many more experiences which help show how it was for prisoners of war during WW2 such as being transported in cramped cattle cars, similar to how the Jewish people were transported to concentration camps. The graphic descriptions make the reader imagine how hellish it must have been for everyone, not only the American

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Thank God For The Atom Bomb By Paul Fussell

    1029 Words  | 3 Pages

    Thank God for the Atom Bomb by Paul Fussell is one of many essay written in favor of the Atom bomb that aided the ending of World War 2 in 1945. Fussells claim was that not only was the bomb necessary to end the war, but the bomb actually saved thousands of lives.

    Read More

  • the battle of britain

    799 Words  | 2 Pages

    ”Battle of Britain, in World War II, a series of air battles between Great Britain and Germany, fought over Britain from Aug. to Oct., 1940. As a prelude to a planned invasion of England, the German Luftwaffe attacked British coastal defenses, radar stations, and shipping. On Aug. 24 the attack was shifted inland to Royal Air Force installations and aircraft factories in an effort to gain control of the air over S England. Failing to destroy the RAF, the Germans began (Sept. 7) The night bombing, or blitz, of London. Heavy night bombings of English cities continued into October, when the attack was shifted back to coastal installations. The Germans gradually gave up hope of invading England, and the battle tapered off by the end of October. Though heavily outnumbered, the RAF put up a gallant defense; radar, used for the first time in battle by Britain, played an important role. The Germans lost some 2,300 aircraft; the RAF 900. The Battle of Britain was the first major failure of the Germans in World War II, and it thwarted Hitler's plan to force Britain to accept peace or face invasion” (Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia).

    Read More

  • The Airplane's Impact in World War One

    657 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...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.

    Read More

  • Atomic Bomb Dbq

    1981 Words  | 4 Pages

    Prior and during the war, the Japanese were known for their citizens’ extreme loyalty and commitment to their nation, but after the dropping of the atomic bomb on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, some of these feelings diminished within the Japanese nation. Prior to the dropping of the atomic bomb, Over 70% of people in Japan believed that their nation could come out on top in the war even after more than a decade of constant fighting and the Japanese being on the defensive for over three years since the Battle of Midway. Directly after the use of the atomic bomb on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the percentage of Japanese people that believed that defeat was inevitable rose to over 50%. Many people in the two cities that were bombed by the United States were affected more so than the rest of the Japanese population. For example, a 25% increase in suicidal thoughts was reported in the two cities struck by America’s new deadly weapon. This sharp decrease in morale amongst the Japanese people after the dropping of the atomic bomb coincided with an increase in Japanese fear of American and Allied power in future battles. For example, according to survivors of the bombing, whenever a lone American plane was seen over a Japanese city, people would “rush into their shelters,” and “They went in and out so much that they did not have time to eat. They were so nervous they could not work.” Prior to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki most Japanese were only scared of American aircrafts if there was a large group, but after the dropping of the atomic bomb any individual plane could wreak havoc on Japanese cities, as Elona Gay did to Hiroshima on August 6th, 1945. The use of the atomic bomb was able to spread fear amongst the Japanese people so

    Read More

  • World War 2 Turning Point Essay

    652 Words  | 2 Pages

    This was to prepare for a ground invasion called Operation Sea Lion. “Eagle-day” is then planned to be begun by the Germans, which is a continued destruction of the RAF and a plan to install radar. However, this is delayed with poor weather conditions. Bombing continues in Britain, but the RAF are not yet defeated. They defend themselves aggressively, destroying at least 104 German aircrafts with a continued defeat of 330 German aircrafts. The British are constantly killing thousands of German troops, and Hitler eventually postpones Operation Sea Lion, with a new interest in dominating Russia. From both sides of the battle, more than 3,000 aircraft were destroyed; 1,023 from the British side, and 1,887 from the Luftwaffe. 544 RAF command pilots died, and 2,500 Luftwaffe aircraft were killed. During the relentless bombing known as “The Blitz”, 40,000 British citizens tragically died in the process. Britain had a much higher advantage in the war, due to its high performing navy, compared to Germany’s non-existing navy due to losses in Norway. If the Germans never gave up on this battle and won, the United States would probably become involved much deeper in the war. The Battle of Britain officially ended on October 31,

    Read More

  • Atomic Bomb In World War 2

    385 Words  | 1 Pages

    During the initial blast the A-bomb released about 85% of its energy as intense heat followed by a supersonic shock wave that is felt as a highly destructive high pressure air blast, which can easily demolish tall buildings, not to mention people. After the initial blast radiation covers the area, causing people, animals, and structures to practically disintegrate. Even years afterwards people were still dying and having health problems related to the radiation they were exposed to long before. There were many people that were strongly opposed to the using of nuclear weapons on Japan. But invading the is land instead of bombing would have taken perhaps 1 million us soldiers lives.

    Read More

  • Fire Bombing Argumentative Essay

    1290 Words  | 3 Pages

    Dropping the atomic bombs was not a new calamity at the climax of World War Two. The United States had already “fire bombed” the cities of Tokyo and Dresden. During the Tokyo firebombing, an estimated 200,000 civilians were killed instantaneously. The Dresden fire bombing also produced a total of 25,000 civilian deaths.

    Read More

  • The Unjustified Use of Atomic Bombs on Japan

    879 Words  | 2 Pages

    Before the attacks, Hiroshima had a population of 255,000 people and Nagasaki was home to 195,000 people. When these cities were attacked, 70,000 out of those 255,000 died in Hiroshima and 42,000 out of 195,000 perished in Nagasaki. This means that the bombings whipped out 27% of Hiroshima and 22% of the Nagasaki population (Total Casualties). Continuing on, the bombing of Japan was also unnecessary due to the unacceptable terms of the Potsdam Declaration. After Germany’s surrender on May 7, 1945, the U.S. created a treaty, called the Potsdam Declaration, with terms of surrender for Japan (Lawton).

    Read More

  • The Beginning of World War I

    1495 Words  | 3 Pages

    Maxwell, Hilary. “Warfare Plans of Countries.” Monta Vista High School, Cupertino. 26 Jan. 2014. Lecture.

    Read More

  • The Atomic Bomb Changed the World Forever

    2532 Words  | 6 Pages

    Fear of a potential nuclear attack has been heightened by the media and its release of movies impacting on public opinion and fear of nuclear devastation. The lives lost after the detonation of the atomic bombs have become warning signs that changed global thinking and caused preventative actions. The Atomic Bomb The devastation brought about by the atomic bomb has caused fear among all the people that have realized the potential destructive power of its invention. The atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9, 1945 completely obliterated both cities (Lanouette 30).

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Dropping The Bomb

    674 Words  | 2 Pages

    Adrian Shocks Mrs. Daniels English 3B 1/23/14. Why Was the Bomb Dropped The United States dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima was a decision with immense thought behind it. To this day, there are arguments that support both sides of the decision. In the end, dropping the bomb was the best option for the United States. Unfortunately, there wasn’t an abundance of options and dropping the bomb was the most appealing in all aspects.

    Read More

More about Douhet's Theory Of Strategic Bombing

Open Document