How bombing policy evolved in WW2

Bomber Command flew missions on almost every day and night of the war. It was the only arm of the British forces to continually attack the German homeland throughout the war. The price was high: 55,000 airmen were killed.

However, in the early part of the war Bomber Command’s raids had little effect. The bombers were soon forced to fly at night to reduce the danger of being shot down, but with only primitive navigation equipment on board, it proved very difficult to locate a small target, such as a weapons factory, in darkness. To counter this, it was decided in the autumn of 1941 by military planners that whole industrial cities should be the priority target. This strategy, known as ‘area bombing’ was endorsed by Churchill and formally adopted in early 1942, just before a new commander-in-chief of Bomber Command, Air Marshal Sir Arthur Harris was appointed.

The arrival of a new commander, the build up of larger four-engine bombers and, crucially, the introduction of improved navigation equipment marked the beginning of Bomber Command as a force to be reckoned with.

"The greatest lost battle on the German side"

Gradually the RAF wreaked increasing damage on the cities of Germany and by the end of the war dominated German skies alongside the USA’s bomber force. Much damage had been done which held back German industrial output though according to Albert Speer, Hitler’s Armaments Minister, the greatest achievement of RAF and USAAF bombing was to force Hitler to divert nearly a million men, 55,000 artillery guns and a large part of the German air force's strength from fighting offensively to defending Germany itself against air raids. He described this as ‘the greatest lost battle on the German side’.