Strategic Bombing

Question 1

Strategic Bombing

Answer 1

Strategic bombing was a broader concept than tactical war. It was a total war to destroy the enemy by destroying its industrial base, transportation, etc. Civilians were a target as well, and it was believed the heavy loss of civilian life would undermine morale. It was created to prevent the bloody, brutal trench warfare staelmate experienced during WWI.

Question 2

Curtis Lemay

Answer 2

Commander of the air campaign over Japan. Lemay stated that if the US had lost the war, he would have been tried as a war criminal by the Japanese for hellfire he rained down on the Japanese.

Question 3

Giulio Douhet

Answer 3

An early theorist who wrote the book Command of the Air in 1915, Douhet was an early proponent of strategic bombing and a pioneer in realizing that air warfare was the third dimension of warfare; therefore, an enemy could not defeat it. In attempts to defeat an air war, the enemy would quickly drain resources protecting from air strikes and believed that bombers could not be stopped.

Question 4

Charles Portal

Answer 4

Portal was the chief of Air Staff in England during WWII. He worked with Lord Trenchard in the 1920s and 30s and supported strategic bombing, believing it would break the Germans’ will.

Question 5

Lord Trenchard

Answer 5

Lord Trenchard, also known as “Father of the RAF.” He worked in the 1920s and 30s and strongly advocated for air power. Was asked to participate in the WWII air campaign against Germany by Churchill but declined.

Question 6

Butt Report

Answer 6

This report was named after DM Butt and showed that a 3rd of the planes could not find the primary target, a 3rd of the planes would come five miles from the aiming point, and that numbers were worse on cloudy nights. In short, a report revealed the widespread failure of RAF Bomber Command aircraft to hit their targets.

Question 7

GEE

Answer 7

Early in 1942, Brits developed this new radar that helped establish a grid system with radar stations to lead the way and make marking the targets easier. Pathfinder bombers went in first and marked targets with flares, which provided better accuracy during missions.

Question 8

Dehousing

Answer 8

A new tactic was developed and used in 1942. The Brits and RAF would stop trying to hit specific industrial targets and would try to burn out 100,000 people in every German city. 1/3rd of the German population would be affected—maximized destruction to German houses.

Question 9

Arthur Harris

Answer 9

Bomber Command leader for the RAF in WWII. Led the strategic bombing missions for England.

Question 10

Hamburg

Answer 10

First firestorm of WWII. The bombing of the city, led by Harris, was under the name Operation Gomorrah, which dropped bombs on civilian and industrial locations in the city of Dresden. It was chosen due to its ports, where German U Boats were built. It destroyed the city and killed 40k people. It destroyed the port and created a 2-mile-diameter firestorm that melted people into the asphalt.

Question 11

Dresden

Answer 11

February 1945, at the war’s end, the city was crowded with refugees and soldiers leaving the front. The US and England decided to bomb the city over several days to force Germany to surrender.

Question 12

Combined Bomber Offensive

Answer 12

In January 1943, FDR and Churchill ratified the combined bomber offensive, which would start “round-the-clock bombing.” It was solidified during the Casablanca Conference, and its goal was the progressive destruction of German military, industrial, and economic systems while undermining German morale.

Question 13

Point Blank Directive

Answer 13

They modified the CBO. Recognized that allies could not invade France without destroying the Luftwafft first. Bombing’s objective now focuses on destroying factories that produce parts for German planes and drawing in the Luftwaffe to destroy them. These air raids were disastrous and resulted in massive Allied losses.

Question 14

Catch 22/ Joseph Heller

Answer 14

Joseph Heller was the author of the book Catch-22. The Catch-22 paradox is that there are no good choices in war. Heller flew 60 missions over the Mediterranean during WWII.

Question 15

Ploesti Raid

Answer 15

The Allied bombing of German oil production in Germany on August 1, 1943. The bombers flew in at tree level to avoid German Radar, but it was ineffective. 50% of the planes were lost, and 5 medals of honor were awarded.

Question 16

Schweinfurt Raid

Answer 16

Occurred days after the Ploesti Raid on August 3/4, 1943. This bombing went after a ball-bearing plant/ airframe plant in Germany. It was completed by the 8th Airforce, who had to fly through heavy flack and German fighters. Resulted in a disastrous loss of 600 men and 60 planes. Think Masters of the Air!