The goal of the bombing campaign was twofold: to destroy the enemies ability to continue to fight by destroying his productive capacity, and to break the morale of the enemy population and cause them to want peace.
As Allied troops fought their way into Germany in 1944-45, the advancing troops were followed closely by members of a very special group, the Strategic Bombing Survey. Their mission was to assess the effectiveness of the bombing campaign in achieving the two goals. Eminent historian Arthur Schlesinger was a member of the Strategic Bombing Survey. The report the Survey filed was startling. The Survey concluded that the bombing achieved neither of its goals. Though horrific destruction of factories, railroads, bridges, and cities in general was very widespread, German war production was actually rising right up until the end. And though some individual Germans became discouraged and disillusioned, the general morale of the German population never broke.
Part of the problem, the lack of success, was that those directing the bombing could never settle down to a single coherent targeting scheme. At one point the main targets were the German petroleum industry, and had they stuck with that the results might have been decisive, because petroleum is the lifeblood of modern armies. But just when they had the Germans almost crippled, they went on to try something else. Even so at the end of the war, though aircraft production was rising, there was no fuel for the airplanes or to train pilots, and the German army was largely dependent on horse-drawn transportation.
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Related Questions
Who was involved in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and why?
WHO: allied forces, WHY: In order to prevent the inevitable invasion of mainland Japan and causing further causalities than the atomic bombing did. Effect: saving thousands of lives which would have been otherwise lost had Japan not surrendered to the Allied Forces.
What was one major effect of the d-day invasion?
it put allied forces back into Europe in order to defeat the Germans.
What was the effect of the bombing of the Pearl Harbor?
The bombing of pearl harbor got the US into ww2
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the germans lost.
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What effect did kristallnacht have on the struggle of the Germans?
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What is effect of boko haram in nigeria?
destruction of life and bombing
Did the bombing of The World Trade Center effect foreign policy?
no
What effect did allied victories in Italy have on World war 2?
The second front. During the war the Soviet Union needed a Second front to draw Germany from there attacks on Russia. To accomplish this the invasion of Sicily and Italy was started. As the Allies fought up the Italian Countryside the Germans had to remove units from the eastern front to try to stop the Allies. As the victories happened and the Allies were able to advance the Germans had to concentrate more effort on the Italian campaign removing pressure from the Russians. For all practical purposes, Allied victories forced Italy out of the war. US and British operations in North Africa were not meant to bail out the Soviet Union.
Bad weather hindered the Allied attack on Normandy?
The Allied attack on Normandy was almost cancelled due to bad weather. However, Eisenhower finally agreed to let it happen. Although the weather did have some effect, the Germans weren't as prepared because they thought that surely no attack would come that day.
What was the cause and effect of Allied invasion of Normandy?
Dalton
What effect does a bombing have on you?
makes me feel all gassy and mad inside
How did bombing pearl harbor effect the US?
The bombing effected us in the ways of: -Americans became more aware of their suroundings. -we entered war.
What was an effect of the presidential campaign of Martin van Buren in 1848?
The campaign split the vote of the Democratic party.
How did the bombing hiroshima effect world history?
That was the date that the nuclear age begun.
How did the bombing of Normandy effect France?
The bombing of Normandy affected France by causing heavy damage and killed many French civilians. It has been estimated that over 50,000 civilians were killed during the bombing missions.
What was the effect of the Munich conference?
the Germans were allowed to occupy Sudentenland
What effect did the bombing of hiroshima have on the war?
Those were the last steps to bring the war to an end.
How did the bombing in hiroshima effect the people of that time?
im trying to just write an essay on that...
What do skulls do in Halo 3 Multiplayer?
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What was the effect of bombing on wales in World War 2?
See the related site below which is a great site from the BBC about South Wales during the bombing in World War 2.
What effect did the bombing of Pearl Harbor have on the people involved?
it took us into world war 2
Was the bombing of hiroshima an effect of the attack on pearl harbor?
See: Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
What was the long term effect of the bombing on Japan?
The A-Bomb ushered in the cold war (the atomic age).
Long term effects of nuclear bombing?
Rebuilding the land destroyed is the effect that has the longer term.
