Figure 1.--The Luftwaffe began the Battle of Britain with a focus on destroying the Royal Air Force to prepare for a cross-Channel invasion. And they were making considerable progress toward that goal when Hitler changed the direction of the campaign toward destroying London--the Blitz. It was one of many cities he attempted to destroy. But it was a very difficult city to bomb. The British built out rather than up, meaning that the population density of London was relatively low. Here a bombed out British boy plants the flag amidst the rubble of his home. The Luftwaffe failed to destroy the RAF, but destroying London became an obsession with Hitler into the final days of the War. He would devote huge resources into missiles that had no military value only because they could reach London.

The first terror raids associated with World War II were conducted by the Japanese (1931). This was of course before the NAZIs seized power and the Axis alliance formed. Japan most predominately bombed Shanghai after the Chinese there protested Japanese actions in Manchuria and attacked Japanese officials. The Italians followed with terror bombing in Ethiopian (1935). The Germans would be the first to institute terror raids in Europe. Their first terror raid was in Spain (1936) and then Hitler threaten the Czechs with the destruction of Prague (1939). With the onset of the war there were multiple terror raids: Warsaw (1939), Rotterdam (1940), London (1940), and Belgrade (1941). Terror bombing conformed perfectly with Hitler inclination for brutality. We are not sure about his personal involvement in all of these raids, but we know he was involved with threatening the Czechs, bombing London, and Belgrade. Moscow and Stalingrad are other examples. And German air power was a major factor in convincing the Czechs, Dutch, and Yugoslavs to surrender and convincing the French not to continue the War. Here an exchange between Premier Reynaud and Gen Pétain is pertinent. :General, you think we are facing the old Kaiser, what we are facing now is Attila." The French chose not to have Paris and their other beautiful cities destroyed. Notably these countries also faced advancing German ground forces. In fact, the Luftwaffe did not have a strategic bombing capability. Luftwaffe bombers were designed to support for tactical operations. They could execute terror raids and do great damage, but they did not have the ability to destroy defended cities by air. (The same was also true of Germany's Axis partners Italy and Japan.) Part of Axis war operations was to kill civilians and kill them in large numbers. In the case of the Germans, it was full-scale genocide. Only bombing was a very inefficient way to kill people. The resources need for bombing meant that it was the least efficient killing method. (Efficiency was important because it determined how many people that can be killed.) The Blitz damaged British cities, but in the process it seriously weakened the Luftwaffe because it was not destined for strategic bombing. A poor military trade off in that it affected the Luftwaffe's ability to support the coming German invasion of the Soviet Union.) The Czechs, Poles, Dutch, and Yugoslav had no means to respond to the German terror raids. The British did. And the Blitz would teach the British a great deal about strategic bombing and how to destroy enemy cities. It also ignited a burning desire to do just that. Shortly after becoming Deputy Chief of the Air Staff, Arthur Harris asked Air Chief Marshal Charles Portal to join him on the roof of the Air Ministry to observe the NAZI Blitz. The Old City surrounding St. Paul's was in flames. They watched without comment for a while. Harris remembers speaking first, 'Well ... they are sewing the wind." 【Harris】 Portal was Chief of the Air Staff for most of the War and would strongly support Harris and the Strategic Bombing Campaign. And the British air campaign would be no mere terror raids, it would be a strategic campaign of unprecedented proportions to destroy NAZI Germany's ability to wage war.

Sources

Harris, Arthur. Bomber Offensive.

Created: 10:37 AM 12/28/2023
Last updated: 10:38 AM 12/28/2023