Figure 1.--At the time of the Blitz no one knew the potential impact of bombing in warfare. Hitler assumed that bombing civilian populations would crack any opponent. London and other British cities were desestated by the Blitz. Thousands of civilians were killed. Civilian morale, however, never cracked. The British war effort was not significantly damaged. Neither was the Luftwaffe seriously crippled. |
Even after Hitler turned to terror bombing, at the worst of the Blitz--British morale and society never came close to collapsing. The Battle had, however, very significan consequences affecting the outcome of World War II.
Hitler after seeing the devestation the Luftwaffe accomplished in Warsaw, told his generrals, "I can do this to any city in Europe. He was close to the truth. The difference was thar Warsaw was an undefended city and London was not. The Luftwaffe wreaked death and destruction in London and major British cities. The Luftwaffe killed over 40,000 Britains in the first 9 months of bombing--the peak of the Blitz. This was actually less than a tenth of the casualties that the Air Ministry had anticipated, but thousands were homeless. What the Luftwaffe did not accomplish was its mission. They did not destroy the RAF and establish air superority ovwr souther England. Neither did they crack civilian morale or impair British war industries.
Fighter Command before the Battle of Britain consisted of large numbers of young fighter pilots with little combat experience and far from optimal tactical diocrines. The Battle of Britain cjanged this. Not only was the RAF not destroyed as the Germans had planned, but the RAF emerged from the battle of Britain a larger and more battle hardened force. The RAF had been beaten in the Battle of France. Never again was the Luftwaffe able to score a decisive victory over the RAF.
World War end before military avialtion had developed to the point that a strategic bombing campaign could be waged. German Zephlin attacks on Britain were ineffective. Both sides were preparing bombing campaigns in 1919, but the war ended before they were launched. Milutary strategists debated the potential impact of strategic bombing.- At the time of the Blitz no one knew the potential impact of bombing in warfare. Hitler assumed that bombing civilian populations would crack any opponent. The British people demonstrated that a prepared civilian population supported by an effective air force would not crack. It would be a lesson that the British and Americans would take some tgime to learn over the skies of northern Europe.
British war production continued to increase during the Blitz. YThe Germans were able to strike at cities. Because they could not continue day light raids, they could not effectively target war industries. They used incendiaries as a secondary armament. Just as the Allies would do in the initial stages of the strategic bombing campaign, they preferred high explosives. This combined with the necessity to conduct night raids meant that the bombing had little affect on British war industries. ,br>
The Luftwaffe had suffered significant casulties for the first time, but they had not been so damaged that their effectiveness was seriously compromised for the upcoming campaign against Russia. The losses did mean, however, that the Luftwaffe did not have the full capabilities that German military commanders had anticipated.
American public opinion changed decisively during the Blitz. Before the Battle of Britain, most Americans not only wanted no part of the European War, but many did not detinguish between the participants. Many believed this was just a fatal flaw in Europe, another instance of incessent European wars. Most believe that it was a mistake to have entered World war I and were determined not to make the same mistake again. There was no realiziation of the depravity of the NAZIs and the mortal danger to America. All through the Blitz, American correspondents report home during aiur raids. Americans tuned into Edward R. Murrow who began his CBS reports with "London calling ..." The Blitz showed with out question the menance posed by the NAZIs. Americans were not yet ready to enter the War, but public opinion swung decisively pro-British. This gave President Roosevelt the ability not only to expand aid to Britain and proceed with a massive rearmament campaign. It also gave him the political support to fight the isolationists. The Blitz was conducted during an American election campaign. It was a factor in Rosevelt winning a president breaking third term.
More importantly the German failure to subdue Britain left a mortal foe that would serve as unsinkable aircraft carrier in the North Sea that would in 1942 provide an base for the greatest air campaign in history aimed at the heart of Germany. The intensity of the Blitz had removed the moral qualms about strategic vombing in Britain as well as cured the British of their timidity in the phase of the War. The British were now determined to answer the Germans in kind and then some and fight the next air campaign over Gernman cities. A new commander for Britain's Bomber Command--Bomber Harris set out to do just that. Also in 1942, with the entry of America into the War, the Amerivan 8th Air Force begin to arrive in Britain and would join the air war over Germany in 1943.
Britain's survival meant that in 1942 with the entry of America that a torrent of men and material flooded Britain to prepare for the invasion of Hitler's "Fortress Europe". Britain in 1944 was to be the launching pad for the D-Day invasion and the liberation of Europe. Without the British, D-Day would have been impossible.
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