Mass Bombing of Germany

MASS BOMBING (1939 - '45)

During Stages 3 & 4 (Total War & Defeat)

What It Was-

• Aimed at ~150 large cities between 1940-45 (Munich, Berlin, Frankfurt...)
  • take out amunitions factories
• E.g. 'Operation Gamorrah' = bombing of  Hambourg by day (USA) and night (Brits)
  • firestorm melted tarmac, 1000+ celcius
  • 30,000 died in three night attack
• When Germny bombed allies (Blitzkreig victories 1940 - France 'lightning strikes') = morale up (winning)
• Allies fought back = morale down (war effort failing)

How Germany Prepared-

• Began 1933 (knew Allies would fight back)
• Spanish Civil War showed civilians (innocents) would be targetted
• Installed air raids, wardens and warning sirens
  • air-raid exercises and anti-aircraft batteries
  • shelters and bunkers by 1940
• molare down, in danger
  
  • start getting nervous - war would be on home front, not far away
• but, morale up also
  • Nazis working to protect them (with all precautions taken)

Early Attacks-

• Started late 1939/early '40
• New phase of air war began end March '42 - bombed Lubeck
  • Start of mass bombing campaign
  • began bombing day and night, with nearly 1000 aircraft
• 1943 - bombing more intense
  • 43 cities between March and July
• molare down (if word got round), shows organisation of Allies
• SD reports spoke of resiliance of people

Evacuation-

• Kids first
  • by end 1940, 300,000 kids in 200 Nazi camps
  • Allowed further indoctrination
• Evacuation of children and some women stepped up 1942
  • created tensions in classes nd religion
    • Protestant kids with…