World War II European Air Campaign--Air War in the Balkans (1943-45)

Allied Air raids Balkans
Figure 1.--This NAZI poster says 'Why?' It was referring to the bombardment of Belgrade by the Allies on April, 16-17, 1944. A mother who holds here dead son with the rubble from the raid in the background.

The surrender of Italy and Allied occupation of southern Italy raised new possibilities for Allied air commanders. Targets in the southern part of the Reich were in range of Italian air felds. NAZI Balkan allies were also in range. Here the priority target was the Ploesti oil fields. As the Strategic Bombing Campaign developed it becames increasingly clear that oil was the weak point in the NAZI-war effort. There were no significant oil fields in the Reich. The Germans did build synthetic few plants. The major source of oil was the Ploesti oil fields in Romania. It became the primary target in the Balkans. It was also one of the most heavily defended target in Europe. Both American and Air commanders thought it appropriate to bring home to the NAZI allies the cost of their alliance. Allied air commanders hit other targets in the Balkans, including targets in major cities. The Joint Staff Planners of the American Joint Chiefs of Staff concluded that additional raids on Bulgaria would not force the country to capitulate. This could only be done by the Red Army advance (March 1944). The Joint Chiefs adopted the proposal to direct Balkan air raids to military and indstrial targets (July 1944). There were, however, further raids on Balkans targets. The 15th Air Force struck Budapest just as the Red army approached (November 27).

Italian Surrender (September 1943)

Badoglio announced an armistice with the Allies (September 8). It was in effect a surrender to the Allies. Badoglio knew, however he had much more to fear from the Grmans thn the Allies. Fearing reprisals from the Germans, Badoglio with the King promply fleed Rome to reach Allied lines. The actual Armistice was signed on Malta. Most of the Italian Army was left without orders. A few units managed to stand together. Some went over to the Allies, such as the garrisons of Sardegna and Corsica. Others units stood with the Germans. A virtual Civil occurred within the military and the Fascist Government between pro-Axis cause and pro-Allied forces. The bulk of the Army wanted nothing more to do with the war. The Germans managed to disarm them and ship them north to POW camps in Germany before the Allies could land in force. Fascist Italy was the first Axis partner to fall to the Allies. The Armistice was unusual, because the Allies saw it as surrender, the Italians as an armistace. The most unusual part of it was usually an armistace ends the fighting. For the Italian people it was in many ways just the beginning of the fighting.

Italian Campaign

The Italian campaign is one of the more controversial Allied campaigns. The Allied effort in Italy and the Mediterrean in general is of grrater importance than often noted in assessments of World War II. Marshall Bodaglio arrested Musollini (July 25). Bodgalio and the King tried to convince Hitler that they were committed to the War. Hitler did not belireve them for one minute and 12 divisions, despite the deteriorating conditions on the Eastern Front, were rushed south into Italy. With the Italian surrender, the Germans occupied Italy (September 1943). Several months of very diffifult fighting followed the Allied landings at Salerno. Kesserling very effectiently organized the German defenses. The Germans while in control of Rome seized more than 1,000 Jews who were deported to Auuschwitz. American intrcepts recently released reveal that Hitler himself overrode his local commanders on arresting the Jews. These intercepots also make it clear that Pope Pius XII's policy of silaence primarily stemed from a cponcern to protect the physical integrity of the Vatican. [Katz] Rome was liberated by the Americans on June 4, but the Allied failed to trap sizeable German units. The world's focus turned on July 6 to the coast of France and the D-Day invasion. The final NAZI defensive line in northern Italy, the Gothic Line in the Apennine Mountains was assaulted by the American 10th Mountain Division (February 1945). [Jenkins]

Allied Air Bases in Italy

The surrender of Italy and Allied occupation of southern Italy raised new possibilities for Allied air commanders. The important Italian air base at Foggia was especially important.

Targets

Targets in the southern part of the Reich were in range of Italian air felds. NAZI Balkan allies were also in range. Here the priority target was the Ploesti oil fields. Both American and Air commanders thought it appropriate to bring home to the NAZI allies the cost of their alliance.

Yugoslavia

Yugoslavia and Albania was the cloest Balkan counries to the new Allied bases in Italy. Yugoslavia was an occupied ally, unlike Bulgaria, Romnia, and Hungary. And unlike those countries a major guerilla war was underway which grew in strength after the Italian surrender. So the Allied mission was in part to support the guerillas agsainst the NAZIs. Many Allied air attacks on Ploesti had to be flown over Yugoslavia. The Allies staged several raids on Belgrade. We are not sure at this time just what the goal of these raids were. I think they were to disrupt German supply lines, but this needs to be confirmed. The Allies bombed Belgrade on April 16 and 17, 1944--Orthodox Easter. The primary force was the American 15th Air Force, based in Foggia in southern Italy. One report describes carpet bombing carried out by 600 bombers--a fairly important raid. The city authorities reported 1,160 civilian casualties nd 18 Germans killed. Other raids were staged April 21, April 24, May 18, June 6, and July 8. The last raid was September 3, 1944, a few weeks before the Partisans liberated the city.

Greece


Bulgaria

The British had bombed Sofia eatlier (1941) and panicking civilians fled the city. Raids begam on Sofia (November 14). A force of 91 B-25s targeted railroad marshaling yards and airfields, but nearby civilan areas were also hit. Civilians poured out of the city. After some smaller raids, a major attackj was launched (Jnuary 10). The Americans sent143 B-17s ad the British 44 Welingtons. The British droppd incendearies (March 16). An British attack on Vranya burned the royal palace March 24). American B-17s hit Vrattsa. The Americans and British attacked Sofia with hundreds of heavy bombers igniting a fire storm (March 29-30). A major American attack targetted Sofia marshaling yardsand other rail centers, but bombs fell all over the city (April 4).

Romania

Targets in Hungary and Romania were also hit, but required longr raids. As the Strategic Bombing Campaign developed it becames increasingly clear that oil was the weak point in the NAZI-war effort. There were no significant oil fields in the Reich. The Germans did build synthetic few plants. The major source of oil was the Ploesti oil fields in Romania. It became the primary target in the Balkans. It was also one of the most heavily defended target in Europe. While Ploesti was the major target, but both Budapest and Bucharest were also hit.

Hungary


Balkan Cities

Air commanders debated the affect of the raids on Balkans cities. The Joint Staff Planners of the American Joint Chiefs of Staff concluded that additional raids on Bulgaria would not force the country to capitulate. This could only be dome by the Red Army advance (March 1944). The Joint Chiefs adopted the proposal to direct Balkan air raids to military and indstrial targets (July 1944). There were, however, further raids on Balkans targets. The 15th Air Force struck Budapest just as the Red army approached (November 27). [Shaeffer, pp. 54-59.]

Downed Airmen

Allied Air strikes at Balkan targets had to overfly occupied Yugoslavia. Air crews shot down in the targetted countries had little chance of rescue. This was different in Yugoslavia. Not only were Allied aircraft shot down over Yugoslavia, but many planes damaged in the ttacks on Ploesti and other Balkan targets went down in Yugoslavia. As there was not only a strong resistance movement, but a growing guerrilla war, there was the possibility of getting the airmen back, especially planes that went down in Serbia, the part of Yugoslaviawhere the resistance movement was strongest. The Balkan guerrilla war, however, was a tremendoudly complicated and bloody part of World War II. The groups involved variously fought each other and both fought and cooperated the Germans and Italians. It is further complicaed because of a lack of central control, especially among the Chetniks. Here Mihailovic have only nominal control over many Chetnik units who often were more concerned with local feuds and situations. Some of these local Chetnik units turned Allied airmen over to the Germans and others protected them. The Partisans had greater central control and were more reliable in helping Allied airmen. The largest single rescue operation (Operation Halyard) was, however, carried out by the Chetniks (June 1944).

Sources

Schaffer, Ronald. Wings of Judgement: American Bombing in World War II (New York: Oxford University Press, 1985), 272p.






CIH -- WW II







Navigate the CIH World War II Section:
[Return to Main World War II European air campaign page]
[Return to Main World War II page]
[Biographies] [Campaigns] [Children] [Countries] [Deciding factors] [Diplomacy] [Geo-political crisis] [Economics] [Home front] [Intelligence]
[POWs] [Resistance] [Race] [Refugees] [Technology] [Totalitarian powers]
[Bibliographies] [Contributions] [FAQs] [Images] [Links] [Registration] [Tools]
[Return to Main World War II page]
[Return to Main war essay page]
[Return to CIH Home page]




Created: August 20, 2002
Last updated: 4:40 AM 6/2/2008