Figure 1.--Londoners who had their hiomes destroyed or badly dmaged tutned to rest cenrts where they received assistance. The Germans bombed London for 8 months (September 1940-April 1941), after which the Luftwaffe was shifted east to prepare for Barbarossa. The Soviets would complain about a Second Front. Never do they explain not only why they did not only not aid the British, but why they were supplying the Germans with fuel and other raw materials needed for the Blitz. During the Blitz, the Germans killed some 43,000 civilians (half of Britain's total civilian war-time deaths). One of every six Londoners was rendered homeless at some point during the Blitz. Some 1.1 million houses and apartments were damaged or destroyed. (these estimates vary somewhat.) It was a terrible toll, but it did not impair the growing British war effort. Unlike the Allied strategic bombing campaign, it did not force the British to adopt measures making their wars industrus less efficent such as decentralizing productioin facilities (meaning greter need for trandport and fuel) or going underground--all of which adversely affected quality. The Luftwaffe lost 1700, not including those danaged beyond reapair. Even more damaging were the ,662 German casualties included many of the most experuenced pilots and crews. The Luftwaffe never fully recovered. Knocking down British homes at such a cost of valuable military assetts was not a way to win the War. Hitler's idea that he could win the ar by destroying Briurisg morale was a total failure. It did fuel the British desire to have a go at the Germans.

Countries and cities varied in vulnerability to aerial bombardment. Early in the War, this depended largely on distance from German or Japanese territory or areas occupied by the Axis poweers. The Luftwaffe was the most powerful air force in the world at the outbrak of the War, but its aircraft, especially the fighters, had only a short range and the bombers had small pay loads. his would prove crucial in the Battle off Britain. German bombers could attack virtually any where in Britain, but its fighers had difficulty protecting their bombers even as far as London. London was easy to fimd because of the Thames estuary, but it was an impossible targety to destroy with the force at hand. The British tended to build their cities out into the suburbs instrad of up. This made them less vulneable to aerrial bombardment. London was a huge, but sprawling target. Easy to hit, more difficult to cripple. A single bomb could often only destroy a house or two. Even in London, many dwelings were only two stories. The Germans wound up expending scarce military assetts to destroy British houses--not a path to victory. (This would affect the available Luftwaffe force whem Hitler launched Barbarossa in 1941.) Little danage was done to vital ritish targets and infrastructure. British manufacture of aircraft actually increased during the Blitz. The Germans were able to design long range bombers, but as the war raged, they were unable to build any numbr of them. And they focused on fighters because of the the need to protect their cities increased. The Battle of Britain seemed like a minor defeat with Hitler controlling much of Europe, but it would mean that the Allies had an unsinkable aircraft carriers off the coast of norther Europe and the Allies did begin building long-range havy (four engine) aircraft i nlarge nimbers. This would eventuallky bring every German city with in the range of aerial bombardment. Berlin and other German cities did not have sky scrapers, but they did have large numbers of multi-story apartment complexes. This made Gernmany especially vulnerable to aerial bombing. A single bomb could do a lot of damage. Of all countries, Japanese cities with their wood and paper construction were the most vulneavbe of all. Japnese laeders were not initially worried because no plane in the world could reach Japan, except from the Sovirt Union and they negotiated a non-aggression pact with the Soviets (1941). Within only a few months after Pearl Harbor, however, Americam aviation engineerrs were busy designing the B-29 Superfortress which could fly much longer distances than existing bombers at the time the Japanese launched the Paufic War. The poorly educated Japaanese military leaders did not believe that aviation technology would increase significantly during what they believed would be a short war.

America

American cities were beyond the reach of Axis bombers. The German were thinking about it even before the War and began talking about the Amerika Bomber. World War I technology as it developed would have permitted it, bit Germanynjustbdid not bhave the industrial capacity to poduce such long-range bombers. Victorynin the Ostkrieg would have changed this. But a short summer camaoign in the Soiviet Unioin was a NAZI illusion. A one way raid on New York was theoretically possible, but never attempted. Given a few more years and a more favorable military situation, it cold gave become possible. But during the War, America's two ocean barriers proved effective. It would be the last War that this ould be the case. But in World War II this would prove critical. The Axis nations were unable to attack American war industries while America had the ablility to bomb their war industries, an ablility that would expand every year of the war. Thr Germans were designing the Amerika bomber, but were unable to buld any number of bombers that could even carry out long-range operations in Europe. Actually the Germans could have done better than they did, but NAZI cronyism proved a disastr for the Luftwaffe development and building program. Both Göring and Chief of Procurement and Supply Udet were legendary World War I pilots and NAZI Party loyalists, but with no administrative or technical capaability or desire for the hard work and long hours of creating an effective airforce. Udet in particukar turned the potentially successful He-177 Greif bomber into a disatrous failure by insistiung it have dive bombing caoablities. He wouund up shooting himself as his failures became maifest. As a result, Germany would have no signifiucvant long-range heavy bomber during the War.

Australia

Australia is not just a continent, it is also a continent. Australia was vulnerable because it was the most urbamized country in the world. That sounds inplausible in that Australia is such a large country. But the population is concentrated along a narrowband along the southeastern coat. As a result, the Japanese were unable tom launch a a strategic bombing campaign. They established bases off the northern coast, but there bomvbers did not have the aarnge to reach the southeasrern coast. They did devestate Darwin along the northeastern coast, but not the sourheastern coast where the major cities were located. And then after Pearl Harbor American aircraft began arriving in numbers, giving Australia an important air defense capability. And American carriers as well as the Solomon Campaign prevented naval attacks along the eastern and southeastern coast.

Britain

British cities were different than much of Europe. The British built out insterad of up. There were apartment building, but fewer than on the continent. The British, both the poor and middle class, tend to live in single or two story dwelings. There were row houses (teraces) in the city. And free standing homes in the suburbs, often two stories. This meant that population denisty was lower than on the continent. The Luftwaffe was the most powerful air force in the world at the outbrak of the War, but its aircraft, especially the fighters, had only a short range and the bombers had small pay loads. Tis would prove crucial in the Battle off Britain. German bombers could attack virtually any where in Britain, but its fighers had difficulty protecting their bombers even as far as London. London was eay to fimd because of the Thames estuary, but it was an impossible targety to destroy with the force at hand. London was a huge, but sprawling target. Easy to hit, but difficult to cripple. A single bomb could often only destroy a house or two. Even in London, many dwelings were only two stories. The Germans wound up expending scarce military assetts to destroy British houses--not a path to victory. (This affected the available Luftwaffe force whem Hitler launched Barbarossa in 1941.) Little danage was done to vital ritish targets and infrastructure. British manufacture of aircraft actually increased during the Blitz. Given the early successes on the Continent, however, the German Blitz would have worked had the British not develoed the world's first integrated air defense system. And this occurred only because the German had conducted the world's first strategic bombing campaign targeting London and other British cities during World War I. The Bitish during the inter-War era did not prepare for another war, they did prepare for another German bombing campaign. Britain like Germany had a partial natural proection. The cloudy rainly weather which led to to the Germans developing raadio directiional beams.--the beginning of the Battle of the Beams. German and British bombers had to shift to night bombing because loses were so severe during daylight perations. And at night the only targers which could be located were cities--not targets within the cities, just cities. And even to find cities radio navigaronal beams had to be developed. One advntge the British had is that the Gerrmns almost entirely were coming from one direction, souheasr annd to a lesser extent the south.

Canada

Canada was the one Domimnion with asizeable industrial base, but like America was porotcted by the twp ocean barrier. Actually it was even more protected than America. Imprtant Anerican cities were located in thebNortheast along the Atlantic coast. In contrast, Cananada's industry and larger cities ae located well inland, basically in the mid-West opposite the huge American maufacturing cities like Detroit and upper New York state--all impossible targets.

China

China at the time of World War II was the most populace country in the world. There were many cities, but the vast proportion of the population were peasants living in the country side. This was not a population that could be effectively bombed. There was very little industry. This meant that there were very few actual targets of any strategic importance. Even so, the Japanese heavily bombed China beginning nearly a decade before the outbreak of World War II. The Japanese did not have a well-thought out strategic bombing campaign. They just assumed that if they bombed Chinese cities that the Government would capitulate. This was not just as Japanese belief, it was one widely held in Europe at the time by many military strategists. Japan began bombing China as part of the seizure of resource-rich Manchuria (1931). Japan with its large, densely populated wood and paper cities was a country vulnerable to strategic bombing. perhaps the most vulnerable in the world. The Japanese War Lords, however, like the NAZIs believed that their own cities could never be bombed. This of course would prove to be a giant miscalculation. although it seemed safe at the time. China did not have bombers and American bombers did not have the needed range to cross the vast Pacific Ocean and reach Japan. Japan invaded China proper (1937) and began bombed Chinese cities. As China was not heavily urbanized nor industrialized, the Japanese bombing had little impact on China's ability to resist the Japanese aggression. Thus the Japanese bombing while creating a humanitarian disaster in the cities, did not significantly impact the Chinese war effort. Strategic bombing is effective only against industrialized, not agricultural countries. There were no important war industries in Chinese cities to be destroyed, only civilians to be terrorized. The Japanese destroyed the small Chinese Air Force in first few months if the War. Thus China's cities were unprotected until the Americans arrived (1942) Japanese bombing, however, was essentially punching into air. During the first year of the War, the Chinese resisted with traditional forces. Set piece battles were fought. There armies were defeated and people in the temporary capital at Nanking subjected to unspeakable horrors. The Rape of Nanking is one of the most grizzly atrocities of World War II (1937). After Nanking fell, the Nationalist Government retreated into the interior where the Japanese Army could not get to them. Japan initiated a 5-year bombing campaign targeting the Nationalist war-time capital of Chunking (Chongqing) and other targets in Sichuan (February 1938-August 1943). The goal was to force the Nation lists to surrender. The Nationalist cities were undefended until the American Flying Tigers arrived (1942). The Chinese report 268 raids. Chunking became one of the most heavily bombed cities of the War. The Japanese bombing of China is today largely forgotten in Japan and the West. For many if not most people, World War II brings up images of shattered Japanese cities. Hiroshima and Nagasaki has touching memorials to the lives lost there as a result of the American bombing. But I note not a single mention of the much larger number of Chinese people killed by the Japanese bombing of China and even more by the atrocities committed there. The Japanese killed some 15 mullion Chinese, mostly civilians. Japanese school children who visit these memorials annually leave wondering, why did the Americans do this to our beautiful, peaceful country?

France

The French although declaring war on Geramny (September 1939), refused to allow the British to bomb German cities from French bases, least the Germans would bomb their cities. French cities had many apartment buildings, but as France surrended to the NAZIs was not significantly damaged (1940_. The French decided to surrender to the Germans rather than have their cities destroyed. Paris was declared an open city rather than have it destroyed. The French did not fully understand the malovence of the NAZI invaders. Fortunately for the French, they would be resued by the Americans, British, and Canadians. To this date, it is not fully understood in France the plans the NAZIs had in store for France after they won the War. France was not signficantly involved in the startegic bombing campaign. Much of the bomb damage in France was done by the Allies by attacks on the U-boat pens, truck manufactring plants, and finally attacks asociated with the ptr-Day Liberation effort. The Allies used their massive air power to isolate German beach defenses (1944). By this time of the War there was little or no Luftwaffe opposition in France, but some AA batteies. The Allies, especially the British began targetting V-1 rampos, but this was largely in isolated rural areas.

Germany

The most vulnerable German ciuties wre n the est, especially Hamburg. The deeper into the Reiuch the bombers went, the moe and longer thay ere exposed y=ti German air defenss. The Baltic ports erevaksomvulkberavle baus th cioatn loine was easy to oick outb at night. Depper into Germany crated navigatinalmorobems, especially early in the War. German cities except for the largely wooden Baltic ports were built in stone and brick his made them a challnging target. But much of the population lived in multi-story apartments meaning a much higher population density than British cities. And Germany faced two countries with larger aviation industries -- America and Britain. (Germany enjoyed a temporary advanytage in (1939-40) because the Gernmas for several years were funding their aviation industry to the hilt while the Democracies were spending only modest amounts on defense. After the Blitz (1940-41), Churchill with the full support of the British people was anxious to turn their avition prowess to the business of war. Air Marshall Harris explained, "The Nazis entered this war under the rather childish delusion that they were going to bomb everybody else and nobody was going to bomb them. At Rotterdam, London, Warsaw, and half a hundred other places, they put that rather naive theory into operation. They sowed the wind and now they are going to reap the whirlwind. Cologne, Lubeck, Rostock—Those are only just the beginning. We cannot send a thousand bombers a time over Germany every time, as yet. But the time will come when we can do so. Let the Nazis take good note of the western horizon. There they will see a cloud as yet no bigger than a man’s hand. But behind that cloud lies the whole massive power of the United States of America. When the storm bursts over Germany, they will look back to the days of Lubeck and Rostock and Cologne as a man caught in the blasts of a hurricane will look back to the gentle zephyrs of last summer. It may take a year. It may take two. But for the Nazis, the writing is on the wall. Let them look out for themselves. The cure is in their own hands. There are a lot of people who say that bombing can never win a war. Well, my answer to that is that it has never been tried yet, and we shall see. Germany, clinging more and more desperately to her widespread conquests and even seeking foolishly for more, will make a most interesting initial experiment. Japan will provide the confirmation. But the time is not yet. There is a great deal of work to be done first, and let us all get down to it." The most vulnrable Germn cities were the ones closest to Britain. Hamburg was an early casulty of the War (July 1943). Allied air power had grown to the extent by yhis time that deep npenetrastion raids could be mointed. Massive strikes were conducted deeper and deeper in to the Reich, eventiually reaching Berlin in force--the Battle of Berlin (November 1943). The Germans were able to design long range bombers, but as the war raged, they were unable to build any numbr of them. And they focused on fighters because of the the need to protect their cities increased. The Battle of Britain seemed like a minor defeat with Hitler controlling much of Europe, but it would mean that the Allies had an unsinkable aircraft carriers off the coast of norther Europe and the Allies did begin building long-range havy (four engine) aircraft in large numbers. This would eventually bring every German city within the range of aerial bombardment. Berlin and other German cities did not have sky scrapers, but they did have large numbers of multi-story apartment complexes. This made Gernmany especially vulnerable to aerial bombing. A single bomb could do a lot of damage. At first vthe Germans coild defend against bombners coming from one location--eastern England, motly East Anglia (Bomnder Command and the 8th Air Force). After the invasion of Italy (September 1943), they had to defend against bombers coming from the south (15th Air Force). There was an American attempt to bomb from the East, but lack of Soviet coopertion (eventually actual hostility) rendered this effort ineffectual. The Germans would construct a formidable air defense sysytem which took a dreadful toll on Allied flyers, but all this came at a cost, diverting resources needed to support Germn forces at the front, especially the Deutsche Ostheer.

Italy

Italy was a peninsula, but unlike Soain was not particularly vulnerable to the Riyhal Navy in the more confined waters of the Mediterranean. But its location in southern Europe rather than in the middle of Rurope made igt more vulnerable than Geramny once the Allies seized North Africa. Even before the German surrender in Tunisia (May 1943), the Allies, primary the Ameicans, began buokding airbases in Egypt and Libya taht brought targets in southern Europe such as Polesti and southern IOtaly. Italy had been some aeronautical achievements in the intet-War era. The country did not, however, have the industrial base to conduct a major air war or a creditable air defense. Thnis meant the Allies couild carry out daylight rraids. The clear sunny Mediterranean weather made comditiins ideal for Allied air raids. The primary Allied objectives were the transportation network to cut off German supply lines.

Japan

Japanese cities were beyond the reach of enememy bombers when they launched the Pacific War (1941), but they were by far the most vulnerable. The Japanese assumed that the state of technology at the start of the War would not change significsntly during waht they believed would be a short war. This was one of several assessments made by the Japanese militarists that did nor work out. Japan was one of the most densly populated country in the world. Certainly the most densly populted of the major beligernt countties. Japanese citiies were not only densly populated, but largely constructed out of wood and paper--essentially kindling for great bonfires. Japan did have one natural defense--the Jet Stream. This meant that early American bombing raids were ineffective. The ininitial Anerican bombing campaign was to be launched from Chinese airfields. This was prevented by the Japanese Ichi-Go offensive (1944) which seized the airfiekds being prepared in central China. This proved a pyric victory after the Americans seized the Masriana Islands (June-July 1944). This meant that the B-29 Super Fortress, the Japanese called it the B-San, was now within range of the citues on the Home Iskands. The Marianas solved the logistical nightmare of supplying B-29 squadrins in Chiuan by flying over the hump General Curtis LeMay, arguably the most effective air commander of the War, revised the tactics and Japanese cities began to burn (March 1945).

Soviet Union

Soviet cities had many large apartmernt blocks. This was the Soviet answer to low-cost hosing for the masses. Most of the important Soviet cities were located in the western Soviet Union which made them vulnerable to Germany's fleet of medium, tactical bombers. And as part of Generralplan Ost, the NAZI objective in the East was to destroy industrial cities and create a vast agricultural colony. Stalin's refusual to take Allied warning of a NAZI invasion seriously resulting in the Luftwaffe's destruction of the massive Red Air Force in the first week of Barbarossa (June 1941). Much of it as destroyed on the ground meaning that the pilots survived. But it meant that Soviet cities had no air defesne for the first year of the War. Most Soviet cities were not badly damaged by German bombing bdecause they fell so quickly during the opening phase of the Barbarossa campaign. The exceptions were Leningrad and Stalingrad. Gradually the Soviets rebuilut the Red Air Force. By the time of the Stalingrad battle the Luftwaffe falttened the city, but them the Red Air Force began to reexert itself and helped to prevent the Luftwaffe air supply effort. The Soviets rebuilt rebult a tactical airforce to support the Red Army drive west. Thus meant that the Germans no longer had the capability to bomb Soviet cities, but the Soviets never paricipated in the stratehic bombing camapaign of Germany in a signuficant manner.

Created: 12:45 PM 2/27/2022
Last updated: 4:12 AM 5/20/2023