During the Second World War, the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) and Royal Air Force (RAF) adopted two different strategic attack missions against Germany. While USAAF preferred daylight “precision targeting” attacks, RAF preferred night “area bombing” missions. Although both sides shared same goals, their interpretation about strategic effects of airpower was different. For better understanding these differences, this paper first will analyze strategic applications of USAAF and RAF, and then will clarify why USAAF’s approach was more effective way of utilizing airpower as an instrument of national policy.
Airpower is the most powerful weapon in terms of destruction in modern warfare. Although airpower is a very powerful weapon, it has been always
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These strategists’ thought shaped British aerial warfare policy. For example, Douhet says, “bombing objectives should always be large; small targets are unimportant and do not merit our attention here.” Also, Douhet model addresses aerial punishment to inflict considerable pain on enemy civilians to shatter their morale. RAF put his model into practice during WWII. In that case, British focused on morale of German workers. The British bombing campaign was chiefly waged by night by large numbers of heavy bombers. British knew that to influence into deep Germany territory was tough and daylight precision bombing had also much more difficulties. In addition, Royal Air Force’s accuracy in bombing was very low during the interwar period. For instance, in March 1932, only half of the Royal Air Force bombs hit the right target. In that respect, British continued in night attacks and the majority of the attacks on cities. British thought was that general area offensive would affect considerably war effort. But, there was not agreement in royal air force about targeting priority. British officials criticized due to negative moral effects, and political risks. While British air staff emphasized loyalty and mutual respect, chief of bomber point out if the Germans were asked today oil plant or cities they would reply bomb anything you fancy expect cities. British air staff concerned
In this essay I will assess the significance of strategic bombing of Germany. I will do this by evaluating four key areas of the German war effort. This will include German and British moral, German economy, its effect on the outcome of the Eastern Front and the results of the preparation for D-Day. Overall allied bombing did not have a significant impact on the outcome of the war as for the majority of the war bombing techniques and technology were primitive and so had little effect. It only became a threatening tool latter on in the war, when the allies had effectively won.
The 8th Air Force arrived in England with one main mission, to destroy Germany’s ability to wage war over Europe. They were to do this by flying day bomb runs on a massive scale to compliment the night time raids that the RAF were conducting. These massive formations
The United States entered World War Two in late 1941, and right away they were thrown into a conflict that involved making important decisions that would affect generations of people, in the United States and elsewhere, for years to come. A most notable decision by the Allies, namely the United States and Great Britain, was the combining of the American and British military chiefs of staff. This joint collaboration was appropriately titled the “Combined Chiefs of Staff”. They worked together as one body, and made war planning decisions and strategized together. This type of alliance was an innovation in war planning for the time, and the decisions made collaboratively by the two powers contributed greatly to the Allied victory in 1945. The relationships involved and the disputes that came up are worth noting, specifically the question of the Allies opening up a second front in the west, particularly titled “Operation Sledgehammer”. The relationship between President Roosevelt and Winston Churchill, as well as General George Marshall of the United States and General Sir Alan Brooke of Great Britain were the main actors involved in this undertaking, and they will be the main individuals discussed and analyzed for the purposes of this paper. Ultimately Operation Sledgehammer was delayed and no action was taken upon it. Even though it caused rifts between the USSR, for reasons that will be explained, and the Allies far into the future, in retrospect they may have been
Britain’s air force was a vital part of their military and defence when Hitler attempted to gain air superiority over England through the German Luftwaffe which was led by Hermann Göering. The radar system used to detect aerial attack in Britain was flawed in the beginning of the war and there was a shortage of anti-air craft guns. Radar could not predict the size and height of incoming enemy bombers and lacked detail that was necessary and vital for effective defence preparations. At the start of the Blitz, there were only 92 anti-air craft guns to defend London and the guns were outdated with a terrible fire control system.
1. Strategic Bombing was the bombing plans in the beginning of World War II, the bombing of major enemy assets such as factories, railroads, and bases. However, this method was replaced by a cruder bombing strategy after the German Luftwaffe bombed the city of London unintentionally, by getting lost at night. A new strategy of bombing of decimating huge cities and their citizens took the place of strategic bombing when the British bombed Berlin in retaliation. Both air forces began to bomb heavily populated cities. Citizens in London could survive from the deep underground of their metro stations. However, the German losses were significant; by the end of the war, almost all German industrial cities were destroyed.
During WWII the Air Force was responsible for strategic bombing and long range bombing missions. During this time the program was supervised by Carl Spaatz and General Ira Eaker, with the emphasis on strategic bombing. Spaatz took command in 1942 of the Eighth Air Force and was named the commander of the Strategic Air Forces and would only report to the Chiefs of Staff.
The development of the allied military strategy in World War II (WWII) presented challenges for the U.S. and Great Britain as they worked together to defeat the Axis powers. First, this paper will review the environment at the time of WWII when Admiral Stark penned the “Plan Dog” memorandum and MAJ Wedemeyer’s War Defense Team put together the “Victory Plan”. Next, it will look at the advantages and disadvantages of coalition operations with supporting examples. Then, a review of two major meetings between U.S. and Great Britain will identify what strategic decisions were made and the effects they have on the war. Finally, this paper will explore the foundations of strategy (Clausewitz and Sun Tzu) by which the allied forces used and
The RAF, however, had a slight advantage over the Luftwaffe. The British knew that the Nazis intended to attack at multiple air bases and coastline along the English Channel. Because of this, Winston Churchill, Britain’s prime minister at the time, created a very complicated defense system in case the RAF failed.
The technological developments that assisted bombing, the impact of bombing on the German economy, the impact of bombing on the German civilian morale and also the effects on the German war effort all help explain why the Allied strategic bombing of Germany during the Second World War was significant to quite a far extent. Each of the following paragraphs will analyse the impacts of the Allied strategic bombing on different aspects of Germany and also what factors assisted the Allied bombing campaign in creating a significant impact on Germany during the Second World War.
"World War 2 was a war fought in two distinct phases. The first was the last war of a new generation. The second was emphatically the first of a new era" . <br><br>"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. <br><br>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 bomb by night. Initially both forces lacked accurate navigational equipment, which deterred them from precision bombing. <br><br>Germany developed a
This essay will consider four key aspects in order to conclude the significance of the Allies strategic bombing campaign. While the military impact of the campaign is ultimately the most important factor, political, economic and social impacts also play key roles. The essay will review the political situation throughout the campaign. The military impact of the bombing is then analysed followed by the economic and social costs. The essay will evaluate the bombing campaign’s contribution to the overall war effort.
In 1940, US allies, more specifically the Royal Air Force, conducted several bombing campaigns. These campaigns were in response to German air attacks against the British air force and their assets and focused primarily on the city of Berlin. Throughout these campaigns, over a million tons of bombs were dropped
Strategic bombing was sustained aerial attack on railways, harbours, cities, workers' housing, and industrial districts in enemy territory The United States and Britain had justified reasons for the aerial bombings of German and Japanese cities as they were trying to protect their people from a ruthless dictator. Before the British began bombing the Germans
In November of 1944, John McCloy, the United States Assistant Secretary of War, responded by letter to John Pehle, United States Executive Director of the War Refugee Board, in opposition and briefly supported as to why the War Department of the United States was against and why it would not go through with the bombing operation of the concentration camp and extermination camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau. In the brief McCloy laid out five specific reasons as to why the department would not be carried out the military plan at that point in time during the war. The five reasons that made up McCloy’s argument were: first, “Positive destruction of these camps would necessitate precision bombing, employing heavy or medium bombardment, or attack by low-flying or dive-bombing aircraft, preferably the latter. Second, the target is beyond the maximum range of medium bombardment, dive bombers and fighter bombers located in United Kingdom, France or Italy. Third, use of heavy bombardment from United Kingdom bases would necessitate a hazardous round trip flight unescorted of approximately 2,000 miles over enemy territory. Fourth, At the present critical stage of the war in Europe, our strategic air forces are engaged in the destruction of industrial target systems vital to the dwindling war potential of the enemy, from which they should not be diverted. The positive solution to this problem is the earliest possible victory over Germany, to which end we should exert our entire means. Fifth,
During the Battle of Britain, Germany wanted to achieve air superiority but ultimately failed to defeat the Royal Air Force (RAF). Hitler ordered the Lufwaffe to destroy the RAF in preparation for Operation Sealion which was Germany’s invasion plan for Britain. Although numerous factors contributed to Hitler’s decision to attack Britain, in keeping with his “one front at a time” war methodology, Hitler wanted to secure the Western Front prior to invading the Soviet Union. Initially, directed by Hermann Goering (commander-in-chief of the Lufwaffe) Germany targeted Britain’s coastal areas and convoys, airports, and vital British air warning and radar