Berlin
Between 1939 and 1945, Berlin was the victim of many Allie bombing campaigns. As a result of this these campaigns, many civilians were killed. It is estimated that the total number of deaths in this area was between 20,000 and 50,000 lives. The number of total bombings numbered 363. Other than just lives lost, many civilians were left without a home (“10 Most Devastating Bombing Campaigns of WWII.”).
Heavy bombing of Germany occurred after August of 1940 when German bombers, against orders, inadvertently bombed London. In response, Churchill called for intensified bombing of major German cities. The cycle continued as Hitler continued to retaliate by bombing London (“The Bombing Offensive.”).
By: SJL
Heavy bombing of Germany occurred after August of 1940 when German bombers, against orders, inadvertently bombed London. In response, Churchill called for intensified bombing of major German cities. The cycle continued as Hitler continued to retaliate by bombing London (“The Bombing Offensive.”).
By: SJL
Tokyo
The bombing of Tokyo, Japan resulted in the largest number of death of any bombing campaign in the entirety of World War II. Although bombing occurred throughout the war, the most intense, destructive bombing happened between November of 1944 and August of 1945. This extensive bombing was executed by the United States Army Air Force, or the USAAF. A minor bombing campaign, known as the Doolittle raids, took places in August of 1942. This attack did not win the Allies a strategic gain but instead boosted American morale. Bombing continued throughout the war but one of the most destructive raids was still in store for the Japanese. Operation Meetinghouse was activated on March 9 and 10 of 1945. This attack is still infamous to this day as the most catastrophic bombings of all time. Approximately 100,000 people were killed and yet another 100,000 wounded or displaced. This was a result of 1,700 bombs being dropped on the city. Aside from just human lives, the Japanese witnessed the obliteration of an estimated 286,358 buildings (“The Bombing Offensive.”).
By: SJL
By: SJL
London
One of the most notorious bombing campaigns occurred during the Battle of Britain and is known as the Blitz of London. The London Blitz campaign began in the midst of chaos throughout the country after several prior German air raids to British airfields and encampments. However on September 7th, 1940, the bombing campaign took a largely unexpected turn. Rather than stick to a generic military strategy, the Germans turned their focus to civilians, especially those within the city of London. In mid-afternoon of September 7, the Germans launched their first daylight raid of Eastern London near the ocean ports. For the day, it is estimated that over three hundred bombers and close to six hundred fighter jets participated in the bombing. In total, nearly five hundred deaths occurred ("WW2 - The Blitz Hits London"). Within the month of September, Germany’s air force dropped roughly five-thousand tons of explosive material in twenty-four night-time air raids. In response, many individuals found security in the underground railways found throughout the city ("The Blitz").
By the time the blitz and subsequent attacks on neighboring cities and coastal regions concluded in May of 1941, millions of houses had been severely damaged, over sixty-thousand civilians had been pronounced dead, and tens of thousands of others had been injured. Notably almost the entire city of London had been severely damaged (Simkin, "The Blitz Second World War"). The motivation behind the London Blitz bombing raids was to weaken citizen’s morale and foster defeat. However, with limited resources and time, and a combination of the British Citizen’s underground preservation strategy, Germany called off the invasion and moved efforts over to Russia. In theory, the Blitz of London signified a failure for Nazi Germany ("The Blitz").
By: RDO
By the time the blitz and subsequent attacks on neighboring cities and coastal regions concluded in May of 1941, millions of houses had been severely damaged, over sixty-thousand civilians had been pronounced dead, and tens of thousands of others had been injured. Notably almost the entire city of London had been severely damaged (Simkin, "The Blitz Second World War"). The motivation behind the London Blitz bombing raids was to weaken citizen’s morale and foster defeat. However, with limited resources and time, and a combination of the British Citizen’s underground preservation strategy, Germany called off the invasion and moved efforts over to Russia. In theory, the Blitz of London signified a failure for Nazi Germany ("The Blitz").
By: RDO
Dresden
The bombing campaign of Dresden, taking place February 13 to February 15, 1945, was a joint Allied bombing campaign that stirred heavy controversy. The city itself, Dresden, Germany, did not have immense importance to Germany’s war-time manufacturing or economy, and therefore could not be classified as typical military target. However, in the wake of Germany’s foreshadowed loss of control in February of 1945, the allied forces saw an opportunity to strike. In the weeks prior to attack, Hitler had produced several unsuccessful campaigns in Belgium and Eastern Prussia and now commanded a much weaker German force. While, on the other hand, allied leaders had met to discuss viable plans for the end of the war, and determined that the bombing campaigns against Germany had to continue for strategic allied victory in Germany ("Bombing of Dresden").
Therefore, on February 13, the allies conducted a night-time area bombing campaign on the city of Dresden. Two separate fleets of British bombers let out roughly 1,500 tons of explosive power across the city. As the city sat burning in the wake of weak defenses, the United States commenced an additionally bombing campaign targeting Dresden’s transportation systems. Additional attacks continued to February 15 until the city sat in ruins. At the end of the war, with so little remaining, Dresden was forced to rebuild from the ground up in an literal sense. Estimates for the number of civilians killed is the campaign is approximately 35,000 – 130,000. In summary, the Allies had achieved victory from a military standpoint, but were not successful in provoking an early German Surrender in the bombing of Dresden ("Bombing of Dresden").
By: RDO
Therefore, on February 13, the allies conducted a night-time area bombing campaign on the city of Dresden. Two separate fleets of British bombers let out roughly 1,500 tons of explosive power across the city. As the city sat burning in the wake of weak defenses, the United States commenced an additionally bombing campaign targeting Dresden’s transportation systems. Additional attacks continued to February 15 until the city sat in ruins. At the end of the war, with so little remaining, Dresden was forced to rebuild from the ground up in an literal sense. Estimates for the number of civilians killed is the campaign is approximately 35,000 – 130,000. In summary, the Allies had achieved victory from a military standpoint, but were not successful in provoking an early German Surrender in the bombing of Dresden ("Bombing of Dresden").
By: RDO