Area Bombing Directive (WWII) - 1942-45

[Bylot]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Area_bombing_directive

The Area Bombing Directive (General Directive No.5 (S.46368/D.C.A.S)) was a 14 February 1942 order from the British Air Ministry directing RAF Bomber Command "...that the primary objective of your operations should be focused on the morale of the enemy civil population and in particular the industrial workers". The directive listed a number of targets including the Ruhr area industrial cities of Cologne, Duisburg, Düsseldorf, and Essen as priorities. The directive also stated that "You accordingly authorized to employ your forces without restriction" which lifted injunction placed on Bomber Command on 13 November 1941 ordering it to conserve its forces after the very heavy mauling it had suffered at the hands of Luftwaffe night fighters earlier that month.

The day after the directive was issued (on 15 February), the Chief of the Air Staff Charles Portal sought clarification from the Deputy Chief of Air Staff Air Vice Marshal Norman Bottomley who had drafted the previous days directive "ref the new bombing directive: I suppose it is clear the aiming points will be the built up areas, and not, for instance, the dockyards or aircraft factories where these are mentioned in Appendix A. This must be made quite clear if it is not already understood."

The first major target attacked in the campaign initiated by the directive was Essen on the night of 8/9 March 1942. This was followed by repeated incendiary attacks on Essen and the other three large cities in the Ruhr Area, and then "as opportunity offered, fourteen other industrial cities in Northern, Central and Southern Germany."

The Area Bombing Directive was modified by other directives issued by the Air Ministry. For example, on 30 July 1942 (S.3319 A.C.A.S. Ops) gave priority to Transportation and Transformer Stations" for No[clarification needed] Group and S.O.E. squadron.[clarification needed] while on 4 September (S.46344 A.C.A.S. Ops) directed that incendiary bombs were to be "dropped in harvest season during normal bombing operations" as cover for sabotage operations. The day before, directive (S.46368/111 A.C.A.S. Ops) added the synthetic oil plant at Pölitz to the list of targets because[clarification needed] the British believed it to be the largest in the world. On 14 January 1943 directive (S.46239/?? A.C.A.S. Ops) gave priority to attacking U-boat pens of Lorient, St Nazaire, Brest and La Pallice on the western French coast. In line with the bombing of Genoa and Turin on 23 October 1942 and a speech by the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill six days later, warning the Italian government that the RAF would continue bombing Italian cities while Italy remained an Axis power, a directive was issued on 17 January 1943 (S.46368/??? A.C.A.S. Ops) added to the bombing list of targets the Industrial centres of Northern Italy — Milan, Turin, Genoa and Spezia.

The Area Bombing Directive was superseded by the Casablanca directive (C.S. 16536 S.46368 A.C.A.S. Ops). It was approved by the Combined Chiefs of Staff at their 65th meeting on 21 January 1943 and issued by the British and United States Army Air Force Commanders on 4 February 1943. The primary objective was "The progressive destruction and dislocation of the German military, industrial and economic systems and the undermining of the morale of the German people to a point where their capacity for armed resistance is fatally weakened. Every opportunity to be taken to attack Germany by day to destroy objectives that are unsuitable for night attack, to sustain continuous pressure on German morale, to impose heavy losses on German day fighter force and to conserve German fighter force for the Russian and Mediterranean theatres of war" A list of target systems was also drawn up which gave priority to Submarine construction yards, German aircraft industry, transportation, oil plants other targets in enemy war industry. The priority was to be varied with the strategic situation and the u-boat bases in France.


This is only posted to destroy still existing opinions and sentiments that this kind of bombing would have been just another kind of strategical warfare.

It was definitely a "war" against the German civil population, primarily intented to demoralize and infuriate them against their government and now even clearly defined as a "war crime".

And as usual a taboo in Germany's depiction of WWII-history.

[Bylot]

This addendum is the evidence of Churchill's direct knowledge of the British war against the German civil population.

"... rather than on mere acts of terror and wanten destruction, however impressive."

[Flaka]

great post lots of info!!

[butterfly]

Sorry didn't feel like reading all of that but love the b/w pics.

[bangboom]

Stack 'em high!

[Pigeon]

I'd never heard of this before. Very informative and disturbing...

[VictorM]

Entertaining. Goodjob

[joenogo56]

fifth down so evil looking!!!
she wants me.

[Tigasuma]

Great post man, loved the information with it,

[helper99]

Yes, the Brits, the Americans, the Japs, the Muslims, the Christians, the Jews, the Vietnamese, the Koreans and probably just about any "type" of person has committed atrocities. It's the human condition.

Maybe if pictures like these were seen by kids growing up and warned that they could become bad monsters if not careful, maybe we'd have a better world.