Movies and Films
This is the forum for Movie and Film discussions. Again, our topic is naval warfare in WWII for the most part.
Undaunted spirit
Posted by:
Dietzsch
()
Date: October 09, 2002 08:37AM
<HTML>I agree fully with Cate here.
A point of 'practicality':
(quote from the site Robert referred to: )
"This was the beginning of the London Blitz, and the only mass daylight raid of a campaign of terror that was characterised by the undaunted spirit of the civilian population."
The courage of the London population under fire should have made it very clear to anyone in favour of the bombing campaign over Germany that these attacks were almost certain to result in the opposite effect of what the bombers envisioned: the moral of the German population stiffened, rather than fell apart.
I am, by the way, not alone in raising my eyebrows over the bombing campaign over Germany:
Lidell-Hart, in his 'History of the second world war' makes it rather believable that the RAF resorted to this carpet bombing of cities, because the technology of the time didn't allow the precision needed to take out strategically important targets. (Which isn't miraculous, as even in the 1990ies 'surgical strikes' by the USAF and their allies went astray to hit the wrong targets, like hospitals, living areas and the Chinese embassy.)
Which ties in nicely with the remarks made by Michael Gannon in 'Black May' that the U-Boats would have been far more heavily restricted in their actions, should Bomber Command have allowed the freeing up of more bombers to protect convoys and patrol the Biskaya area.
In hindsight, (which is nice and easy, from my comfy armchair, I realize), it looks like the bombing campaign over Germany failed to resort the effect it was undertaken for _and_ even thwarted or at least diminished attempts by Coastal Command to restrict the U-Boat danger.</HTML>
A point of 'practicality':
(quote from the site Robert referred to: )
"This was the beginning of the London Blitz, and the only mass daylight raid of a campaign of terror that was characterised by the undaunted spirit of the civilian population."
The courage of the London population under fire should have made it very clear to anyone in favour of the bombing campaign over Germany that these attacks were almost certain to result in the opposite effect of what the bombers envisioned: the moral of the German population stiffened, rather than fell apart.
I am, by the way, not alone in raising my eyebrows over the bombing campaign over Germany:
Lidell-Hart, in his 'History of the second world war' makes it rather believable that the RAF resorted to this carpet bombing of cities, because the technology of the time didn't allow the precision needed to take out strategically important targets. (Which isn't miraculous, as even in the 1990ies 'surgical strikes' by the USAF and their allies went astray to hit the wrong targets, like hospitals, living areas and the Chinese embassy.)
Which ties in nicely with the remarks made by Michael Gannon in 'Black May' that the U-Boats would have been far more heavily restricted in their actions, should Bomber Command have allowed the freeing up of more bombers to protect convoys and patrol the Biskaya area.
In hindsight, (which is nice and easy, from my comfy armchair, I realize), it looks like the bombing campaign over Germany failed to resort the effect it was undertaken for _and_ even thwarted or at least diminished attempts by Coastal Command to restrict the U-Boat danger.</HTML>
