Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

To: Hermann the Cherusker
No, you've got it all backwards. This was the British and American policy - terror bombing of civilians, including not just Germany and Japan but also Italy and occupied France (why do you think the French hate Americans so?). I doubt you could even name a German air-raid where mroe than 1000 people died.

It was never the American policy to terrorize Germany into surrender via indiscriminate bombing of civilians. Note that the 99.99% of the American strategic raids took place during the day, which would make for more accurate bombing, but which placed the American crews at far, FAR greater risk -- a risk not necessary when you're bombing something as large as a major population center which can be easily hit even at night. Their targets were never cities in general but ball-bearing plants, rail yards, aircraft factories, etc. The bombing proved not to be as accurate as hoped but it was NEVER thought by the Americans that they could terrorize Germany into surrender via terror bombings. They had just seen this very strategy fail against England for one thing. And even before that, they thought bombs were wasted on civilians -- instead they should be aimed at bonafide strategic military targets to have any effect at all on the enemy's ability or will to wage war.

True, the first German raid on British civilians was a navigation error, but not from that moment on. When England bombed Berlin a few days later, Hitler specifically ordered the terror bombings, aka The Blitz, which only stopped when he needed the planes for Barbarossa.

That the Germans never matched the number of civilians killed in air raids had nothing to do with a lack of desire to do so on their part. It had to do with the fact that -- despite all this talk of German technological superiority -- they never built a strategic bomber even remotely comparable to American B-17's and B-24's, and British Lancasters. (It cost them the war in the East because their tactical twin-engine bombers didn't have the range to reach Russian factories East of Moscow.)

Oh, and the French hate Americans because they are jealous girly-men. It's a development from France becoming the center of postmodern wuss-dom after the war. But it was hard to find a French citizen who hated Americans when they liberated Paris. Except for the collaborators, of course...

56 posted on 05/09/2005 5:12:57 PM PDT by Zhangliqun (What are intellectuals for but to complexify the obvious?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 50 | View Replies ]


To: All
Moral difference? Moral equivalence?
Murder? Killing?

WW II.?
Piffle, it will pale in comparison to what is coming. Try to keep in mind that, "Peace is just war by other means".
58 posted on 05/09/2005 5:39:40 PM PDT by tet68 ( " We would not die in that man's company, that fears his fellowship to die with us...." Henry V.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 56 | View Replies ]

To: Zhangliqun
It had to do with the fact that -- despite all this talk of German technological superiority -- they never built a strategic bomber even remotely comparable to American B-17's and B-24's, and British Lancasters.

Have you ever stopped to ask yourself whether Hitler didn't have such bombers built because he fundementally did not believe in prosecuting that sort of war (a total war against civilians?). The British spent 1/3 of their war effort on bombing, the Americans around 1/8.

Oh, and the French hate Americans because they are jealous girly-men.

My WWII Battle Atlas notes the following regarding British bombing just for 1940 and 1941:

8/40 - "Enemy targets in France", 3, 4, 5/41 - raids on port of Brest, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10/41 - sweeps over N. France, 7/41 - raids on Brest, Cherbourg, Lorient, and La Pallice, 8/41 - Raids on Cherbourg, 9/41 - raids on Brest and St. Nazaire, 10/41 - raids on Brest, St. Nazaire, Lorient, 11/41 - night raids on Brest, Lorient, daylight offensive against northern France for 15 days

Here's a few months of 1943 by the Americans and British:

7/43 - night raid on Montbelliard, day raids on Le Mans, La Pallice, Nantes, and Villacoublay, 9/43 - night raids on Boulogne, Mont Lucon, and Modane; Fortresses and Liberators drop 5400 tons on Paris, Nantes, and La Pallice, 11/43 - moderate night raids on Modane and Cannes, daylight raids on Toulon, 12/43 attacks on Pas de Calais and Paris in major heavy bomber operations

Which countries bombed Paris in WWII? Only the US and Britain.

But it was hard to find a French citizen who hated Americans when they liberated Paris.

No one ever hates the soldiers who are currently running around your neighborhood with large loaded weaponry shooting anything that looks disagreeable. The Parisans fell all over the Germans in 1940 too.

60 posted on 05/09/2005 7:37:28 PM PDT by Hermann the Cherusker
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 56 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson