Assess The Significance Of Allied Strategic Bombing On Germany During World War II

Assess the Significance of Allied Strategic Bombing on Germany during World War II

In this essay, I shall assess the significance of Allied Strategic Bombing during World War II. There are many reasons why the bombing has been so significant. For example, the Allied bombing destroyed German morale by putting them in a constant state of terror. Another key factor in determining significance was the effect that bombing had on the economy, the country’s war effort and confidence in the Nazi regime, especially in the later years of the war. Problems with constant shortages of gas and electricity severely affected the productivity of the German factories, not to mention factories which were directly hit by the bombs. However, among all these factors

An American airman wrote after the war that the introduction of strategic bombing created “total war”, where the opportunities to eliminate other nation’s strength did not just destroy the military armed forces, but also the civilians of the country itself, essentially making the home front a front line. In 1940, the British Red Cross Society changed its statutory role from helping sick and wounded soldiers on the front line, to also helping “wounded, injured and even mentally-distressed civilian victims, as a consequence of modern warfare”. This shows that World War II’s new war strategies meant that medical assistance needed to be provided to normal civilians, as well as soldiers in the field. World War II was the first time in history that civilians had been targeted to great effect. During World War I, there was an attempt by the warring countries to strategically bomb towns and cities. 1,000 British civilians died during the war due to zeppelin bombing, but over half of the Zeppelins were destroyed and 40% of crew members perished, so it was decided that the costs greatly outweighed the benefits. However, during World War II, strategic bombing was utilised to great effect by both sides, especially by the Allies during the last years of the war. 75% of Hamburg and 83% of Bochum were destroyed by strategic bombing. In many ways, the Allied Strategic Bombing of Germany becomes the precedent to the use of strategic bombing in many conflicts today because of the mass devastation the Allied strategic bombing of Germany caused during World War II, for example the damage on industrial output and morale, as stated previously. The NATO bombing of ISIS in the Middle-East can be compared to the strategic bombing of Germany during World War II which shows how the latter affected war strategy 70 years later. Though the bombing of Dresden