Question

What was the effect of the Allied bombing of Germany in 1942 on the war

Answer 1

Hint: Allied strategic bombing of Germany in 1942 was limited in its effect, but it soon grew into a decisive war-winning operation against the Reich and contributed to the victory of 1945.

Complete answer:
Strategic bombing was a novel method of fighting in WWII, and it took time and money to perfect. In 1939 and 1940, the German Luftwaffe started it (Warsaw, Rotterdam, and the Battle of Britain). Until May 1940, the Royal Air Force refrained from attacking German towns.

The British heavy bomber prototypes were well ahead of the Axis nations'. A heavy bomber is a 'bomb vehicle' whose main purpose is to transport heavy loads over long distances; the mobility that medium bombers need is needless.

The British, on the other hand, quickly discovered that attacking in broad daylight resulted in excessive losses.

In 1941-2, the RAF gradually added Pathfinders (excellent navigator aircraft) to identify target cities with flares at night, as well as stronger bombers and increased their strength.

The United States entered the offensive in 1942, but opted to use heavy bombers such as the B-17, which had heavy defensive armament and, according to theory, could strike the objective in daylight if flown in thick formations.

The USAAF began attacking German cities in 1943, but it was the British use of new radars (Oboe, H2S) that worried Germany the most, as the RAF was finally causing serious havoc in the cities it bombed. The August 1943 Hamburg Raids demolished part of the city and destroyed tens of thousands of civilians.

Note: Allied bombing raids on Germany during World War II killed over 400,000 people and destroyed whole towns, from Berlin to Hamburg to Dresden. According to recent findings, the bombings were so powerful that they send shockwaves all the way to the edge of space, weakening the ionosphere, Earth's outermost layer of atmosphere.