Hamburg

Equipment issues

RAF was limited in size and bomber capacity

Wellingtons were medium bombers but lacked: electronic navigation, defensive armament

August 1941 - 542 destroyed and only 106 replaced

Butt report

August 1941

1 in 5 planes reached target with perfect visibility

Hazy nights - 1 in 15 bombers reached target

Research in following 3 months showed 15% accuracy rate

Arthur Harris

Head of bomber command in Feb 1942

Idealised saturated bombing

Focussed on 1000 bomber raids with heavy bombers such as Lancaster

Focussed on fire bombing to cause maximum damage

New techniques and technology

Bombers: B24, Halifax, Lancaster

Navigations: 1942- Gee (triangulation of light beams), Pathfinders (Fires and flares to show target) , 1943- H2S radar (track water)

Techniques: 1941 - Cookie bombs, 1942 - 1000 bomber raids and bomber streams, 1943 - Use of window to disrupt enemy radar

Why was Hamburg targetted

U-boat shipyard - Blohn and Voss

Germany’s 2nd largest city

Port City

Close to allied bomber bases, less fuel and fatigue

Highly combustible

Operation Gomorrah

1943

Used : Window, Bomber streams, Day and night raids, Delayed bombs

Impacts : 24th - Window disrupted RADAR, 26th July - Blohn and Voss attacked, 27th - Firestorm worsened the damages done to bombing by heatwave

Outcomes of Gomorrah - Allies

104 Bombers lost - overwhelm of Kammhuber line

Celebrated success and revenge for Coventry

26th /27th - 65% bombs fell within 3 miles of target - impact of navigation

Outcomes of Hamburg - Axis

40k killed and 37k injured - Weakened workforce

900k evacuated

61% houses damaged or destroyed

Blohn and Voss operational capacity down by 30% for 2 months - Less production and repairs, creates backlog vs back to full capacity in 2 months

Huge damage to gas (90%), water (60%) and electricity systems (75%)

Weaknesses of Kammhuber Line

Early strategic issues

Raids had no concentration of force and targets kept changing
1940 - Industry raids were daylight, precision attacks, but switched to night time due to high casualty rate
Several cities hit per night = decreased chances of hitting actual target