What Was The Effect of Massive Bombing on Cologne, Germany in 1942 Had Impact on German People Moral?

Question

30-31 May 1942 - The first 1,000-bomber raid. 1,047 aircraft were des patched to Cologne, of which 868 attacked the main target dropping 1,455 tons of explosives, two-thirds of which were incendiaries. The city suffered severe damage and 469 people were killed. About 250 factories and 18,400 houses were destroyed or damaged. Half of the city's power supply was out of action, and some 12,000 fires started, many of which burned for days. Forty one aircraft were lost, and Fg Off T Manser was posthumously awarded the VC for remaining at the controls of his No. 50 Sqn Manchester to allow his crew to bale out.

http://www.raf.mod.uk/history_old/line1942.html

Answer 1

The City of Cologne was bombed in 262 separate air raids by the Allies during World War II.

During the war the Royal Air Force bombed Cologne more than thirty one times. The most notable raid occurred on the night of 30 May/31 May 1942 when Cologne was the target of the first Allied 1,000 bomber raid.

Cologne in 1945

The first 1,000 bomber raid by the RAF was codenamed Operation Millennium, Cologne was chosen as the target and the raid took place on the night of 30/31 May 1942. The Thousand bomber raid was launched for several reasons:

•It was expected that the devastation from such raids might be enough to knock Germany out of the war or at least severely damage German morale.

•The raids were useful propaganda for the Allies and particularly for Harris and the concept of a Strategic Bombing Offensive.

Earlier in the war four hours had been considered acceptable for a mission; for this raid all the bombers would pass over Cologne and bomb in a window of 90 minutes, the first arriving at 00:47 of 31 May.

In the raid, 868 aircraft bombed the main target with 15 aircraft bombing other targets. The total tonnage of bombs dropped was 1,455 tons with two-thirds of that being incendiaries. Two and a half thousand separate fires were started with 1,700 classed by the German fire brigades as "large".

The action of fire fighters and the width of the streets stopped the fires combining into a firestorm, but nonetheless most of the damage was done by fire and not directly by the explosive blasts.

3,330 non-residential buildings were destroyed, 2,090 seriously damaged and 7,420 lightly damaged, making a total of 12,840 buildings of which 2,560 were industrial or commercial buildings.

Among the buildings classed as totally destroyed were: 7 official administration buildings, 14 public buildings, 7 banks, 9 hospitals, 17 churches, 16 schools, 4 university buildings, 10 postal and railway buildings, 10 buildings of historic interest, 2 newspaper offices, 4 hotels, 2 cinemas and 6 department stores.

The damage to civilian homes, most of them apartments in larger buildings, was considerable: 13,010 destroyed, 6,360 seriously damaged.

The number reported killed was between 469 and 486, of which 411 were civilians and 58 military. 5,027 people were listed as injured.

It was estimated that from 135,000 to 150,000 of Cologne's population of nearly 700,000 fled the city after the raid.

The RAF lost 43 aircraft.

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

Answer 2

It didn't have the wished effect. Quite the opposite. It hardened the German resolve to an all new level. The fighting around the Düsseldorf/Cologne was some of the hardest and most bitter in the war. It caused tons of unnecessary American and British losses.

       Since the local Waffen SS and Wehrmacht units who saw the hundreds of innocent civilians slaughtered by carpet bombing were filled with deep hatred. This increased their morale to inflict as much hurt upon Allied forces as possible.

        This led to most of the units there refusing to retreat even when they were being flanked, refusing to surrender when surrounded and generally fighting in last stands which cost US/British forces a lot of men. As well as many of the US/British soldiers who were captured by German forces after their positions were overrun by German counter-attacks were immediately executed. Sometimes not even curtly, there are reports of British soldiers being stabbed in the gut with a bayonet and so taking over 20 minutes to die groaning and moaning in pain on the ground. This didn't do much to help Allied morale.

      So in short it was simply the murder of innocent people who had nothing to do with the war to no effect. It was arguably a British/US warcrime.

Answer 3

Most of the medieval centre was destroyed; except for cathedral.  Nuremberg is probably the only German city that still has its medieval centre intact.

Answer 4

Millennium, Cologne was chosen as the target and the raid took place on the night of 30/31 May 1942. The Thousand bomber raid was launched for several reasons:

It was expected that the devastation from such raids might be enough to knock Germany out of the war or at least severely damage German morale.