Figure 1.--Despite the many differences in the American and British bombing campaign, the results were remarakably similar. The major differece was the number of Luftwaffe aircraft destroyed--essentially breaking the back of the Luftwaffe. This was because American escorts were able to destroy Luftwaffe fighters during daytime operations. We also notice a differene in fighter sorties which we do not understand. (Perhaps they are including RAF Mosquitos as fighters.)

Britain and the United States waged the Strategic Bombing Campaign that left the NAZI Reich's cities smolding piles of rubble. The two countries conducted two separate campaigns over different time lines. The British began bombing in 1939, 4 years before the United States began bombing the Reich (1943). While the British began began bombing eralier, they did so with a very small force and no heavy bombers. The Unites States developed ity B-17 Flying Fotress heavy bomber (1935), but the RAF contiued to build two engine mediuum bombers until wel after theWar began (1939). The British Lancaster heavy bomber only arrived and at first in small numbers (1942). The RAF was thus not operating large fleets of heavies unti 1943, the same year the Americans began bombing. Even so, the actual totals are not much different because British bombing was at first limited (1939-41). There was only limited coordination. The British bombed by night and tried without success to convince the Americans to do the same. The Ameicans insisted on bombing by day to better targert important istalaions, although targeting capability mean that there was not a great deal of difference. British raids were almost all launched from Britain. The American raids were mostly launched from Britain (8th Air Force), but there were also raids from southern Italy (15th AirForce) after the Allied invasion (September 1943). The only major difference was the Luftwaffe aircraft destroyed. This was because it was the Ameriucans P-51 escorts that were over the Reich and destroyed the Luftwaffe fighters that came up to prtotect the Rich cities. The British bombers operating at night were not escorted and thus destroyted realtively few Luftwaffe planes.

Created: 11:41 PM 7/27/2025
Last updated: 11:41 PM 7/27/2025