During the Second World War a storm of fire and steel was unleashed. Not just on front line troops, but on enemy society itself. All sides in the Second World War believed that aerial bombardment could decisively affect the strategic outcome of the conflict. But did the unprecedented onslaught from the air actually work?
VIDEO HERE (46:17 minutes)
Didn't watch video, have spent a lot of time on the WW2 air war, family reasons.
ReplyDeleteDestroying populations and centers was revenge. The Norden bombsight wasn't all it was cracked up to be, but daylight bombing of factories, transport hubs and comms was effective, raising cost of production of war materiel and disrupting the wartime economy.
British nightine raids were a mechanism to overtax German fighter defenses 24/7 and anti-air arty.
Daylight bombing was extremely costly in Allied lives until the P51 made the scene, with range to escort all the way to targets deep in Germany.
German pilots are quoted as saying they loathed attacking bomber formations.
The FW190-D was essentially purpose built for attacking daylight bombing, and it was good for it.
For some units the loss rate was 50%. That's a lot of good men. I've listened to some of the stories and currently follow the unauthorized history of the Pacific podcasts.
DeleteDumping bombs on civilians. It’s a war crime only if you lose.
ReplyDeleteThe Strategic Bombing Survey concluded that the bomber raids helped the war effort, but was not decisive by itself.
ReplyDeleteIt’s been decades since I read about the survey but I recollect that the strategic bombing tied up an inordinate amount of German resources. An example would be the raids on Schwinfurt ball bearing factories, within weeks production was back up to 60%+ but the production was spread out to avoid concentrating the factories. With that were increased transportation and infrastructure costs. Costs to develop and maintain antiaircraft guns and staff and supply them. Germany with 80 million people was fighting against the population and industrial capacity of the Brits, the soviets and us. 1 on 1 the germans were a match for anyone they fought but couldn't match all that was arrayed against them. IIRC tactical bombing was rated as giving a better bang for the buck. Things like bombing rail yards, convoys and assembly areas that were directly feeding the front.
DeleteAfter the war Albert Speer said that attacks on synthetic fuel plants and ball bearing factories were very effective at degrading the nazi war machine,
ReplyDeleteAnd the Ruhr dams.
DeleteWhen nation "A" attacks another nation, all of '"A's" citizens are fair targets.
DeleteThat logic goes both ways.
DeleteSo anyone seen the show? It's on Apple TV, my girlfriend has it and I've watched two episodes at her house. I wasn't impressed. I'd rather watch old episodes of 12 O'clock High.
ReplyDeleteA friends father was an ace in the British theater flying the P47 Thunderbolts I believe it was. He made full Colonel at 26 years flying with the 56th. Amazing story in a book called Thunderbolt Wolfpack if my memory serves. David Carl Schilling.
ReplyDeleteMy wife and I just started watching Masters of the Air a few days ago. I thought I'd like it a lot more than I do. It's not as engrossing as Band of Brothers and we can't really get behind it.
ReplyDeleteWe're not giving up though. Hopefully, it will get better.
Good luck with it. I think we're passing on the rest of it.
DeleteI don't think that the 17-23 year olds being portrayed had the benefit of 80 years of looking back and forensically examining the war against Hitler for what we would think as the proper things to say and do in certain situations and I have watched a bunch of shorts and videos of the guys who were there.
ReplyDeleteThey said and did things as I have seen in the episodes watched so far. It was all new to these very young, very brave men. I think they did great and am astoundingly happy my grandfathers both made it home.
The gentleman in the linked short reminds me very much of my paternal grandfather who was in B-24s in Europe. My maternal grandfather was a gunners mate in the Pacific. Tarawa, Guam (I think) and Okinawa, there may be other places too. Would have to check the mountain of paperwork I have.
https://youtube.com/shorts/8cLP5E-4Uxk?si=TLgr4j3Vj8QOhKKQ