Strategic bombing refers to air strikes by the Allied forces of Britain, France, USA and Russia (after 1942) against German occupied territory, aimed at both their infrastructure and population. This essay will evaluate the significance of the Allied strategic bombing campaign in terms of ensuring positive diplomatic relationships during the war, its impact on the German economy, army and air force as well as its effect on German and British morale. Whilst bombing was not significant as it failed to break the German home front and was highly inaccurate, this essay will argue that Allied strategic bombing was significant to a great extent. Strategic bombing helped maintain the Anglo-Russian alliance, diverted German forces away from key areas …show more content…
The damaging effect of Allied bombing on towns such as Hamburg, where three-quarters of the city was destroyed, forced Germany to divert resources away from the Eastern Front to be used in defence of the German homeland. This undermined the capacity of the Germans to retaliate against the Russians, making it much easier for the Russians to secure victory in Berlin in 1945. The Allied dominance of the air, as mentioned in the previous paragraph, was also extremely significant when it came to the D-Day landings (6 June 1944). The Allied bombing of key railways, bridges and road, was essential to Allied success as it slowed the advance of German …show more content…
Regardless of Allied bombing, the superiority of the Russian army was sufficient to win the war. Overy highlights the fact that “Soviet forces destroyed or disabled an estimated 607 Axis divisions between 1941 and 1945” demonstrating the Russian’s effectiveness in battle even before Allied dominance of the skies. Secondly, the Allied bombing campaign adversely affected the Germans too late in the war to be credited with successes on the Eastern Front. By the time strategic bombing of Germany had a big enough impact to divert resources away from the Eastern Front, Russia was already on the front foot and were positioned to win the war. This is demonstrated by the fact that at the time of Russian victory in Stalingrad (February 1943) British bombing was not yet sufficiently damaging to divert essential German resources away from the Eastern Front. In summary, it must be argued, that despite the inefficiencies of the bombing campaign, it was of enormous significance to the Russian army. Although the strategic bombing campaign alone cannot be credited with Allied victory, it did prove to be the greatest single advantage enjoyed by the Allies as it was instrumental in securing Allied success at D-Day and on the Eastern Front and therefore its significance cannot be
”Battle of Britain, in World War II, a series of air battles between Great Britain and Germany, fought over Britain from Aug. to Oct., 1940. As a prelude to a planned invasion of England, the German Luftwaffe attacked British coastal defenses, radar stations, and shipping. On Aug. 24 the attack was shifted inland to Royal Air Force installations and aircraft factories in an effort to gain control of the air over S England. Failing to destroy the RAF, the Germans began (Sept. 7) The night bombing, or blitz, of London. Heavy night bombings of English cities continued into October, when the attack was shifted back to coastal installations. The Germans gradually gave up hope of invading England, and the battle tapered off by the end of October. Though heavily outnumbered, the RAF put up a gallant defense; radar, used for the first time in battle by Britain, played an important role. The Germans lost some 2,300 aircraft; the RAF 900. The Battle of Britain was the first major failure of the Germans in World War II, and it thwarted Hitler's plan to force Britain to accept peace or face invasion” (Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia).
...et. If a bomb hit anywhere near a target, it was good luck over anything else. Towards the end of the war, aircraft that would be recognized as long-range bombers had been created. More larger than fighters, and way less maneuverable, their task was simple to carry toward a target as many bombs necessary and to drop them on the certain target with a degree of accuracy. The Germans had produced the Gotha bomber while the British had developed the Handley Page bomber. Even though the deliberate targeting of civilians wasn't a new military tactic, bombers made an aerial attack possible. Airplanes could also attack even a nation’s means of war production, mostly factories. Such an idea would have been impossible in 1914, but by 1918, it was a reality.
The strategic bombing campaign significantly shortened the length of the war. It disabled the production industry and weakened the German morale.
The battle of Stalingrad is argued to be one of the most significant strategizing battle for the Germans. If Germany had won Stalingrad there would have been no fight left for the Russians to have. Instead, Germany made a hasty decision to attack in order to prevent Russia from coming up with a strategy which put Germany at a disadvantage. By the end of Stalingrad the Russians had managed to push back the Germans and put them on the defensive. If Russia had lost in their battle against Nazi Germany the United States and Great Britain would have faced a much harsher fight against Nazi Germany. Some would even argue that it would have been next to impossible for America to win against Nazi
Was high and strong British morale during the Battle of Britain an historical reality? This investigation determines how the British people were affected by the Luftwaffe’s attacks on their cities and the British Royal Air Force. In order to disprove or prove the idea that the British morale was high and strong, the investigation will evaluate their reactions, individual’s quotes, songs, and a newspaper article. One source, “World War II Blackout Regulations”, is a newspaper article outlining the rules in the case of a Blackout and the description of the Blackout by a citizen who experienced it. The investigation will include the attack on Coventry specifically and the Blackout. It will not include, however, information on other countries’ reactions towards Britain nor detailed weapons use.
British forces were close to defeat everywhere in 1942. The American economy was a peacetime economy, apparently unprepared for the colossal demands of total war. The Soviet system was all but shattered in 1941, two-thirds of its heavy industrial capacity captured and its vast air and tank armies destroyed. This was a war, Ribbentrop ruefully concluded, that 'Germany could have won'.
After a two year stalemate, both the Russians and Germans awaited major confrontations that would define the momentum for either side. Up until this point in the war, although the Germans had captured many European countries and were victoriously advancing with their keen tactics, such as the blitzkrieg and their cogent weapons, battles on the Eastern front seemed impossible to win. Upon a dismal loss at the Battle of Stalingrad earlier in 1943, German morale was greatly lowered and the German forces finally apprehended the strength of the Russian troops. The momentum would finally be settled with the decisive battle near the town of Kursk, a town on the Moscow-Rostov railway, in Southern Russia. The goal of the Battle of Kursk was to regain German morale and to pinch off a large salient in the Eastern front, which would make Russians much more vulnerable to German attack. Being such an important battle to the overall success of the Germans, they formulated several unique plans; however, due to the lack of good judgement, these plans were doomed from the very start.
The Impact of Bombing During World War II “Of course, the air raids caused much suffering and hardship. In the
320 airplanes storm over like a bundle of bees bombing pearl harbor with no warning. Nearly 2,500 deaths with many injuries and a giant step back in our naval forces. The U.S. wanted revenge according to Kennedy Hickman the President at the time Franklin D. Roosevelt issued a directive to attack Japan as quick as possible (Hickman 1). The attack ended up being a success but with some obstacles in the way.
Over the course of history, two major invasions of Russia have taken place and resulted in failure. Those two invasions ended in the failure of the invading parties. The first invasion by Napoleon Bonaparte will be mentioned briefly to provide additional information on Russian resources. The Second invasion which took place during World War II is the invasion pushed by Adolf Hitler. His invasion is a prime example of how Russia’s geography, lack of proper preparation, and underestimating the enemy, caused victory for Russia. In 1941 from June to December, Adolf Hitler launched a surprise attack on the Russian forces (Weinberg 264). This attack was known as code name Barbarossa and lasted from June 1941 to February 1943.
...were inextricably linked. The cumulative effects of these three overwhelmed the Luftwaffe and Nazi troops. This led to the erosion of civilian support and thus the demise of military, political, and economic systems. “Allied air power was everywhere, a fact not lost to the Germans in the last days of the war” . Quesada stated, “They received the beating that was coming to them” . The Allied Forces obtained the unconditional surrender of their primary target, Nazi Germany, due in large part to air power.
No one has the right to justify whom has the right to live or to die. In my opinion, I think that Uncle Sam is guilty for preceding the act of nuclear bombing Japan. When President Harry Truman authorized the nuclear bombing against the Japanese many innocent civilians were killed. The radiation from the nuclear bomb still remained in the soil causing many health defects for people that live there. The bombing also cause many post traumas for many families.
By successfully defending the city of Stalingrad the Soviet Union were able to deny Hitler his summer 1942 objective of paralysing the Soviet war effort by interrupting Russian oil supplies and seizing the Caucasus oil fields. This achievement was made possible through the stubborn and ferocious resistance of the Red Army within the confines of Stalingrad and the meticulously planned counteroffensive which led to the encirclement of the entire 6th army outside the city. In addition, compared with their German counterparts, the Red Army were highly organized, they had superior lines of communication and were better equipped.
On the 22nd June 1941, German forces invaded the Soviet Union under Directive 21. Under the codename “Operation Barbarossa”, it was recorded as the largest military operation ever seen in history as it involved more than 3 million Axis soldiers and 3,500 armoured vehicles. Throughout the war Operation Barbarossa was a conflict that demoralised the Germans and significantly contributed to the Allied victory.
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