Figure 1.--The Soviet Union made few civil defense preoarations for air raids. The Mocow Metro was an exception. Here Muscovites are sheltering in the Metro during an air raid, probany October or November 1941. At the time the Wehrmacht was making a determined effort to reach the Soviet capital.

The air war in the East in sharp contrast to the West was not a bomber war. Neither the Soviets or the Germans had a substantial strategic bomber force. And both air forces suffered serious losses making strategic bombing a minor part of air operations. The Luftwaffe nearly obliterated the huge Red Air Force during the first week of Brbarossa. The Luftwaffe was badly damaged in the Western Offenses, expecially the Battle of Britain (1940) as well as the Balkans (1941). As a result, in sjarp contrast to the Heer, the Luftwaffe when it plunged into the Soviet Union (June 1941), than when it prepared for the Battle of Britain (1940). and with the Battle of Britain, the full weight of the Luftwaffe could be hurled at the Royal Air Force and British cities. In contrast, the Luftwaffe in the East had limited resources that could be used to bomb Soviet cities. Rather the Luftwaffe had to be used for the purpose it was designed --ground support for the Heer and its Panzer spear head. And unlike the west, this was a huge battlefield streaching from the Black Sea to the Baltic and to lesser extent further north to the Arctic. Over this huge front, the Luftwaffe could not begin to povide the support needed, leaving little capability available for strategic bombing. And Barbarossa unfolded so rapidly that major Soviet cities fell into German hands so quickly that there was little need to bomb cities or even the opportunity to do so. The Barbarossa offensive allowed them to seize major cities in the western Soviet Union, including Odessa, Kiev, Krakov, Minsk, and Pinsk, and many others. Some of course were cities only recently seized by the Soviets through aggressions as a NAZI ally. The successful destruction of the Red Air Force at the onset of Barbarossa meant that Luftwaffe bombing raids were virtually unoppsed during the first year of the fighting. And brought the Luftwaffe into range of other cities, including Lenningrad and Moscow. Generalplan Ost envisioned killing large numbers of Slavs and driving others beyond the Urals to their death. The surviving slavs were to be used as slave labor. As part of that program, major cities were to be simply whiped off the map. The Germans sharply reduced reduced deliveries of food to occupied cities. Only people working for the Germans got food rations. The Slavs were to be rural Helots. Thus the Luftwaffe was used to attack major cities that the Whermacht approached. Hitler was especially determined to wipe out all traces of Lenningrad, Moscow and Stalingrad. Lenningrad was surounded and could be poundedd by both the Luftwaffe and artillery (1941-44). Moscow could only be hit by the Luftwaffe and after the Soviet Winter Offensive even that became operations on the outer limit of the Luftwaffe's capability (1941-42). Muscovites sought refuge in the city's Metro. Stalingrad was heavily bombed by the Luftwaffe even before the 6th Army entered the city (1942). German bombing raids were only limited by the fact that air support was needed by the ground forces driving east. The Soviet Union was a vast country. And thus the Luftwaffe had much less impact than on the smaller battlefields of Western Europe. Even without bombing, the Germans set about destoying Soviet cities not destroyed by the fighting through demolition. Thus the Red Army moving west after Stalingrad entered citis that had largelly been gutted by the retreating Germans.

Opposing Air Forces

The air war in the East in sharp contrast to the West was not a bomber war. Neither the Soviets or the Germans had a substantial strategic bomber force. And both air forces suffered serious losses making strategic bombing a minor part of air operations. The Luftwaffe nearly obliterated the huge Red Air Force during the first week of Brbarossa. The Luftwaffe was badly damaged in the Western Offenses. As a result, in sharp contrast to the Heer, the Luftwaffe when it plunged into the Soviet Union (June 1941), than when it prepared for the Battle of Britain (1940). and with the Battle of Britain, the full weight of the Luftwaffe could be hurled at the Royal Air Force and British cities. In contrast, the Luftwaffe in the East had limited resources that could be used to bomb Soviet cities. Rather the Luftwaffe had to be used for the purpose it was designed --ground support for the Heer and its Panzer spear head. And unlike the west, this was a huge battlefield streaching from the Black Sea to the Baltic and to lesser extent further north to the Arctic.

Barbarossa: German Advance (June-December 1941)

While the Germans did not have stategic bombers, the Barbarossa offensive allowed them to seize major cities in the western Soviet Union, including Odessa, Kiev, Krakov, Minsk, and Pinsk, and many others. Barbarossa unfolded so rapidly that major Soviet cities fell into German hands so quickly that there was little need to bomb cities or even the opportunity to do so. The Barbarossa offensive allowed them to seize major cities in the western Soviet Union, including Odessa, Kiev, Krakov, Minsk, and Pinsk, and many others. Some of course were cities only recently seized by the Soviets through aggressions as a NAZI ally. This brought the Luftwaffe into range of other cities, including Lenningrad and Moscow. The Luftwaffe was adeqquate for the relatively limited campaigns in the confined battlefields of Western Europe, but the Soviet Union was a very different matter. The Luftwaffe was not large enough to both cover the advance of German armies and bomb Soviet cities. and as the Germans wanted to use the factories and other facilities in the cities, there was no real reason to heavily bomb them. Major bombing operations were mounted only when made a stand and sucessfully resisted the German advances.

German Plans for Soviet Cities

Generalplan Ost envisioned killing large numbers of Slavs and driving others beyond the Urals to their death. The surviving slavs were to be used as slave labor. The German plan did not envision large industrial cities in the East. The Soviets as significantly expanded Russian industry. Existing industry was expanded and whole new industrial cities, like Stalingrad were created. Generalplan Ost was an effort to reverse this effort. Germany would be the industrial center. The East would be a vast agricultural colony to supply German industrial cities and a source of needed raw materials. As part of that program, major cities in the East were to be simply whiped off the map as the East was converted into a vast agricultural colony. The Germans as they moved east as part of Barbarossa sharply reduced reduced deliveries of food to the Soviet cities once occupied. Only people working for the Germans got food rations. The Slavs were to be either eliminated in a massive killing operation beginning with starvation. This would have far exceeded the dimensions of the Jewish Holocaust. Some would be spared and allowed to live as be rural Helots, slaves for German agricultural collonists.

Major Air Targets (1941-42)

The Luftwaffe was used to attack major cities that the Whermacht approached. Hitler was especially determined to wipe out all traces of Lenningrad, Moscow and Stalingrad. Thus the two most heavily bombed Soviet cities were Lenningrad and Moscow during Barbarossa and Stalingrad during operation Blue. There were also smaller air campaigns against cities like Oddessa and Sevastapol. The attacks on these cities were comined with German artillery barages. The Germans reached Lenningrad early in Barbarossa (August 1941) and pounded it for 3 years. Lenningrad was surounded and could be pounded by both the Luftwaffe and artillery (1941-44). The Germans began to bomb Moscow once the reached Smolensk (July 1941) and the raids increased when thanks to Operation Typhoon (October 1941) when the drive on Moscow narrowed the distance. The winter weather, however, significantly impaired Luftwaffe aor operations. Muscovites sought refuge in the city's Metro. The Red Army offensive before Moscow pushed the Germans back from Moscow. After the Soviet Winter Offensive even that became operations on the outer limit of the Luftwaffe's bombing capability (1941-42). The distances involved, the eathe, and other demands on Luftwaffe resources limited the attacks on Moscow. In additions the Soviets significantly hardenened the capital's defenses. Not only was the Luftwaffe unable to conduct heavy raids on Moscow comparable to those on London, they were not able to continue the level of raids begun. And even more significantly, but there was no way to bomb the arms and munitions plants the Soviets had moved east of the Urals. Stalingrad became the major target of Operation Blue the German summer 1942 offensive. The Lufttwaffe began to heavily bomb the city as the 6th Army moved toward it and provided the Luftwaffe forward bases. The Luftwaffe essrntially flatened the city before the 6th Army entered it. This time, however, the Volga made it impossible to encircle the city. And the ruble created by the Luftwaffe created enumerable places where small units coukld take cover and set up strong points. Once the 6th Army entered the city the fight was conducted at such close quaters that Luftwaffe bombing became of limited use.

German Retreat (1943-44)

Even without bombing, the Germans set about destoying Soviet cities not destroyed by the fighting through demolition. After Stalingrad, the Germans extensively destroyed Soviet towns and cities as they retreated, but this was largely carried out by sappers and demolition teams rather than the overstrewached Luftwaffe which had to not only support German armies in the East as well Allied armies in North Africa and the growing Allied strategic bombing campaign over the skies of the Reich where the Luftwaffe was largely desrtoyed. Even so, the Red Army moving west after Stalingrad entered citis that had largelly been gutted by the retreating Germans.

Created: 1:29 AM 9/23/2007
Last updated: 4:15 AM 7/22/2017