Some facts (1 Viewer)

[uksubs]

The Allied bombing of Hamburg during World War II included numerous strategic bombing missions and diversion/nuisance raids. As a large port and industrial centre, Hamburg's shipyards, U-boat pens, and the Hamburg-Harburg area oil refineries were attacked throughout the war.[1]

The attack during the last week of July 1943, Operation Gomorrah, created one of the largest firestorms raised by the Royal Air Force and United States Army Air Forces in World War II,[2] killing 42,600 civilians and wounding 37,000 in Hamburg and practically destroying the entire city.[3] Before the development of the firestorm in Hamburg there had been no rain for some time and everything was very dry.[4] The unusually warm weather and good conditions meant that the bombing was highly concentrated around the intended targets and also created a vortex and whirling updraft of super-heated air which created a 1,500-foot-high tornado of fire, a totally unexpected effect. Various other previously used techniques and devices were instrumental as well, such as area bombing, Pathfinders, and H2S radar, which came together to work with particular effectiveness. An early form of chaff, code named 'Window', was successfully used for the first time by the RAF - clouds of shredded tinfoil dropped by Pathfinders as well as the initial bomber stream - in order to completely cloud German radar. The raids inflicted severe damage to German armaments production in Hamburg.

 

[Go for Broke]

If we knew what 42,600 dead really meant, none of us would collect toy soldiers. We are fortunate indeed.

 

[johnnybach]

If we knew what 42,600 dead really meant, none of us would collect toy soldiers. We are fortunate indeed.

Reminded me of one moment that I experienced in a small town in Northern Germany during the 1960's.

I was a young soldier then - and we were on an exercise a little to the South of Hamburg. Passing through this small town in a vehicle, I noticed a small shop selling fruit. I stopped outside - went in - and in my best German ordered some apples which looked good.

The German woman in the shop then asked me if I was a British Solder - which I confirmed was correct.

She then shook her head - and pointed to the door. She would not sell me anything.

I later recounted my experience to another of our guys who had been in Germany for longer than me. He explained that the Town I had stopped at - was the former site of a crack German SS Unit. The Town had been surrounded in 1944 - and the SS Unit had been asked to surrender. They refused - and so the Town was bombarded for days by artillery and also bombed. The Town was 85% destroyed. There were no survivors of the SS Unit - and many of the people who had not fled, were also killed or wounded.

This was a quite sobering experience - as I had not considered that as a young British soldier, there would have been any resentment at all to me. I later noticed, when passing through that Town again, that all of the houses were new - with the only old building of note - was a large blackened stone -built Church.

So, whilst many people welcomed our presence - I learned that some also had bad memories from things that they experienced during WW2. jb.