Germany On February 13-14, 1945 the British Royal Air Force gave the final clearance to commence what would later become known as one of the greatest atrocities that has ever been commited against a civilian population. That night the RAF launched 796 bombers and 9 Mosquitoes which carried 1,478 tons of explosives in addition to 1,182 tons of incendiary bombs (Dear 311) which turned the city of Dresden, Germany into a virtual inferno. This attack included another strike by the US Air Force
Few tales from history have held as much fascination as that of the Battle of Britain. The notion of the RAF fighting against the might and power of the Luftwaffe, and winning, has captured the imagination of generations. Yet few people know who the man responsible for the victory really was. Most of the time, Prime Minister Winston Churchill is portrayed as the man who saved Britain. To some extent, this is true. If Churchill had not kept up the spirits of the British people, and had not refused
new generation. The second was emphatically the first of a new era" . "The British strategic bomber campaign was of doubtful cost effectiveness" . Bomber Command was by far the largest claimant on labour and factory space within the armed forces. Relative to their size they suffered more casualties than any other sector. The Anglo-American bomber force was divided in terms of strategy. Bomber Command believed it was too risky to bomb by day, while the Americans believed it was too difficult to
The Contribution of Bomber Command was Decisive in Bringing About the Defeat of Germany RAF Bomber Command may not have been the most crucial element bringing about the German's defeat, but it did have some small victories which proved to be useful in delaying Germany's advance. Such as dampening the increase of German munitions production, as well as diverting Nazi troops from the Eastern front to man over sixty thousand Anti-aircraft gun placements to protect Berlin from the onslaught of
the success of Blitzkrieg, the evacuation of Dunkirk and the surrender of France, Britain was by herself. However, before Hitler could contemplate undertaking an invasion he was advised by his generals that Germany had to destroy the Fighter Command of the Royal Air Force in order to gain superiority in the air. This would in turn enable him to gain control of the English Channel in order to transfer the 160,000 German troops on the 2000 invasion barges, which had been assembled in German
The Battle of Britain As the cold hand of death swept over the remnants of France, British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, orated on the imminent battle that would rage over his homeland and the foreboding struggle for survival that was now facing Britain: The Battle of France is over. I expect that the Battle of Britain is about to begin… The whole fury and might of the enemy must very soon be turned on us. Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this island or lose the war. If we can
The Battle of Britain and Sir Winston Churchill Shortly after the Battle of Britain Sir Winston Churchill, the prime minister of Great Britain, is quoted as exclaiming, "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few." The few that Churchill was referring to were the brave aircrew that undertook the daunting task of repelling the massive offensive by the dreaded German air corps, the Luftwaffe. In the year 1940 Adolf Hitler ordered an offensive in coordination with
hindered by the German U-boats. On May 8th, 1945 the war against the tyrannical Nazis in Europe was over, but the Allies and the British needed to look towards the Western Front, to defend the United States of America against the Japanese. While the RAF played a major role against the European threats, the presence against the Japanese was not felt nearly as great as it was in the campaign against the Germans. On August 6th, 1945, the first atomic bomb exploded over the city of Hiroshima, and a second
18 April 1942 was the first Air Raid on the Japanese mainland. The air raid in Japan would boost morale and count as a strategic victory for America, even though it inflicted minimal damage on Japan compared to later raids of World War II. The 18th of April was the Doolittle Raid. The Doolittle Raid targeted crucial military power and industrial factories. American forces specifically targeted military powers and industrial factories because they supported the Imperial Army. The Japanese Forces would
Guy Gibson, the glorious WWII pilot, was not always the dashing manly hero he was known to be when he unfortunately was shot down. In fact, he was denied the first time he applied to the Royal Air Force because of his short stature; he was only 5’6” (Hickman, "World War II: Wing Commander Guy Gibson."). However, a determined “Gibson reapplied in 1936 and was accepted for flight training” (Hickman, "World War II: Wing Commander Guy Gibson."). The zenith of his career was when he successfully and
One of the enduring myths the movie perpetuates is the myth of the brave few RAF fighters hopelessly outmatched in number by the unstoppable Luftwaffe. During the movie, a concerned Air Chief Marshal Dowding is shown professing that the RAF is outnumbered 650 – 2500 . Dowding says," our young men will have to shoot down their young men at a rate of four to one just to keep pace." In fact, at the beginning of the battle, there was almost parity between the numbers of single seat fighter planes between
August, Goering launched the Luftwaffe’s campaign to destroy the RAF and win control of English Channel and the air over southern England. This would provide the Germany navy to have maximum protection of its invasion fleet. Several postponements took place throughout September on the grounds as optimal conditions did not exist for Operation Sealion to take place. The operation was never formally cancelled but without air supremacy and command of the sea the project could not go ahead.
Development of the P-51 The Installation of the Merlin Engines Features, Advantages, and Benefits of the P-51 The P-51's Battle Performance The Change in Policy on Escort Fighter Function P-51's Disrupt Luftwaffe Fighter Tactics P-51's Give Bombers Better Support Conclusion Works Cited Introduction On September 1, 1939, the German military forces invaded Poland to begin World War II. This invasion was very successful because of its use of a new military strategic theory -- blitzkrieg
Soon after, Japan’s allies Germany and Italy, declared war on the United States as well. “In February 1942, the British Bomber Command gained approval from Churchill to target Germany's industrial cities and their civilian populations.” (Choices.edu). This strategy of dropping bombs on heavily populated industrial cities is known as “Strategic Bombing,” and it soon became the
aviation technology was greatly limited, and as a result, aircraft had minimal impact on the landscape of battle. However, within The Command of the Air, Douhet writes that "because of its independence of surface limitations and its superior speed the airplane is the offensive weapon par excellence. (2)" - with the
Dr. Strangelove is in itself one of the most interesting pieces of cinema in the history of the medium. It captures a moment in world history, and the fear and hysteria that was associated with it, and translates it into the darkest of comedies. Kubrick came of age after World War II and the beginning of the Cold War, and like many others during this time period, he suffered immense anxiety about the potential for nuclear war, fearing that his hometown of New York could be a likely target, and even
Polski Podziemnej, Armia Krajowa w dokumentach 1939-1945 [The Home Army in Docs 1939-1945], 6 vols. Londyn: P.C.A. Publications Limited (Księgarnia SPK), 1989. Telegram fourth of August 1944 from the Staff of the Allied air forces command to the commander of the RAF station in Brindisi, Italy Zamoyski Adam, The Polish Way: a thousand year history of Poles and their culture, London: John Murray Publishers Ltd, 1999. Warsaw Upraising Museum Staff, 49. Zrzuty, http://www.1944.pl/o_muzeum/ekspozycja/hala_z_liberatorem/49_zrzuty/
This paper will provide a battle analysis of Operation Market Garden. Included will be a summary of the Allies forces and Axis Forces prior to the operation. Also covered will be the battle in a brief overview and an alternate ending for the battle. Operation Market Garden should have been a success if the Allies would have supplied ground with the proper support and XXX Army Corp had been able to destroy German opposition. The Allied operation consisted of two separate parts. Operation Market
have to be casualties but the amount of lives lost in this battle is overwhelming. Out of 3,000 on Britain’s side, only around half survived the battle. 544 Fighter pilots and crew were among the dead, more than 700 from Bomber Command and nearly 300 from Coastal Command.The RAF had lost 1250 aircrafts. Germany's casualties were high as well with 2662 casualties including multiple experienced pilots and aircrew. Germany had lost more than 1700 Luftwaffe. Speaking of the Luftwaffe, the Luftwaffe hasn't
produced the defeat of the Luftwaffe and the Third Reich. The Royal Air Force (RAF) provided the first successful display of air power in a defensive and offensive strategy. In the fall of 1940, the Battle of Britain was the first airpower only operation. The German objective was to gain air superiority over the Royal Air Force (RAF) by attacking military and civilian targets in and around the United Kingdom. The RAF defense of the homeland by tactical aircraft and ground anti-air weapons slowed