Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!uunet!lll-winken!sun-barr!newstop!sun!amdcad!amdcad!military From: pss4@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (Paul S Shannon) Newsgroups: sci.military Subject: Re: WWII city bombings Message-ID: <1991May2.040234.20284@amd.com> Date: 1 May 91 16:56:41 GMT References: <1991May1.030243.19860@amd.com> Sender: military@amd.com Organization: Columbia University Lines: 32 Approved: military@amd.com From: pss4@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (Paul S Shannon) German bomber and V-weapon attacks caused a total of 147,000 casualties from 1939 through 1945. Note that the Luftwaffe was not prepared for strategic bombing when the war began, concentrating instead on tactical missions to support a land advance. The weapons and numbers of aircraft where not very effective. For instance, the Conventry raid that in part prompted RAF Bomber Command to begin raids on German cities inflicted some 500 casualties. Note also that the RAF totally bought the concept of strategic bombing before the war, and expected the Germans to inflict some 150,000 casualties in the first week, and lose some 600,000 _killed_ in the first 2 months of the war. The RAF, with some public pressure, invested in air defense: radar, fighters, and a way to coordinate all these elements into an effective system. The Battle of Britain was actually won in the late '30s. The allies did not begin effective strategic bombing until mid-1944. Before that, they had a strategic doctrine without the means to carry it out. Note that the allies inflicted such damage from sheer numbers: targetting was certainly not effective (the Norden bombsight worked very well in the clear blue skies of the SW USA; Germany happened to be much cloudier). I don't have the casualty numbers on hand for the allied raids, but there were 80,000 _dead_ in Dresden. The numbers are similiar for the fire raid on Hamburg. I believe there were some 600,000 dead, but am not certain. -- If you happen to fall off the Sears Tower, go limp, so people will think you're a dummy and they'll try to catch you, because, hey, free dummy.