Operation Gomorrah (the bombing of Hamburg) included a series of so-called carpet strikes by air forces. Events have shown how little human life was valued during the Second World War. Tens of thousands of civilians became victims. Yes, they were representatives of the aggressor country, but is it possible to judge them and take their life for it?
Why Gomorrah?
The operation was named after the ancient biblical city, which, together with Sodom, was destroyed by God for the transgressions of their inhabitants (Genesis 19:24). In Hebrew, the word translates as "drowning." The bombing of Hamburg plunged the city into a flame of fire, from which thousands of people could not find a way out.
Purpose of operation
The allied forces of Great Britain and the United States decided to fight the enemy by destroying industry. They could not identify and bombard industrial facilities, since they were well hidden. But they could destroy the workers, make them homeless and destitute. Thus, the Allies sought to undermine the Nazi morale.
The main supporter of the bombing of Hamburg was Arthur Harris. The Air Force Commander of the British Air Force believed that in its effectiveness the extermination of workers with their families and housing would be the same as the destruction of industrial enterprises.
However, there were opponents regarding the bombing of Hamburg. One of them, Bishop George Bell, openly spoke out not to put the Nazis on a par with the people of Germany. He tried to convince the British government that the allies should become the saviors of Europe. To do this, they need to use force that will be controlled by law. Unfortunately, military leaders did not want to hear these words. They had their own vision of human rights issues.
Weather
The Allies did not begin the operation until favorable weather conditions arrived. Unfortunately for the inhabitants of Hamburg, an incredible heat began, which happens once every ten years. It was joined by high pressure, calm, low relative humidity.
This led to an increased fire hazard, the city became a "thermal island." It was in these conditions that the bombing of Hamburg began.
The history of the bombing of the city
British troops bombed German cities since 1940. Hamburg survived over a hundred raids. The population is accustomed to air strikes, adapting to them. The situation worsened with the entry into the US war.
The Allies began supplying military equipment, including American bombers, called the Flying Fortress.
1943 was a turning point. This was due to the successes of the Soviet army on the Eastern Front, the victories of the Allies in Africa, the landing of troops in Sicily. British Air Force Marshal Arthur Harris prepared the 1943 Hamburg bombing.
She was part of Operation Gomorrah. In the first place was the destruction of Berlin, in the second - Hamburg. There were other major cities in Germany on this list. Air strikes were supposed to be carried out for several days in a row, in the daytime and at night. The city should not have had time to respite and eliminate the consequences of the raids.
The Allies shared responsibilities in such a way that the British Air Force bombed the city at night, and US officials targeted industrial enterprises during the day.
It all started on July 24, 1943, on Saturday evening. To drown out German radars, the British troops first applied obstructions that were created from paper tapes and foils dropped from aircraft.
Night raids were carried out from July 24 to August 3. During this time, 2554 sorties were carried out by British aircraft. Daytime raids were carried out from July 25 to July 27. They were attended by 297 US Air Force bombers.
On board each aircraft was a cargo consisting of two types of bombs - a high-explosive and incendiary. Some were supposed to destroy the roofs of buildings, and the second - to light them from the inside.
The most terrible and destructive was the second raid. Everything happened swiftly.
July 28 events
Hamburg bombing on the night of the 28th is usually painted by the hour:
- 1 a.m. - over 2,000 thousand bombs fell on individual urban areas, people disappeared into bomb shelters, fires began to unite into a single burning hearth, the temperature at the epicenter reached 600 degrees Celsius, water from lakes and rivers began to evaporate upward, air masses over the city warmed up, oxygen began to flow from the area, hurricane fire tornadoes formed, they swept through the streets, collided at intersections into fiery whirlwinds.
- 1 hour 45 minutes - the tornado led to the formation of a thermal cyclone, its height was 5 kilometers, its diameter was more than 3 kilometers, in the center the temperature reached 800 degrees Celsius.
- 3 hours - in two areas of the city a sea of fire formed, the height of which reached 50 meters.
- 3 hours 30 minutes - a fiery tornado reached its maximum, materials ignited and melted without even touching the flame, buildings collapsed, and people were suffocated in bomb shelters due to burnout of oxygen and air leakage.
- 4 hours 30 minutes - the tornado began to subside, but the air remained hot.
- 6 hours - the lights went out, everything burned out, there were only hot coals.
The debris of the burned areas remained hot for another week. People could not begin restoration work for a long time.
After these terrible events, the city was bombed about 60 more times.
Landmark for aviation
The forces of the parties during the bombing of Hamburg were unequal. Allied forces had the latest technology in large numbers. And the blinding of radars reinforced the inequality of the parties.
Before the start of the bombing, special aircraft dropped signal bombs. The forces of the allies were guided by their light. The steeple of the church of St. Nicholas was chosen as the discharge point. It was erected back in 1195.
To this day, the ruins of the temple along with the bell tower have been preserved. Underground, a Memorial Center dedicated to the crimes of war was created there.
Operation Results
A detailed analysis of the operation proved its failure. The enemy’s industry was not destroyed, and mass casualties among the civilian population could not break the morale of the Germans.
The losses from the bombing of Hamburg among the people were colossal. According to official figures only:
- total inhabitants - 42 thousand people;
- children - 8 thousand people;
- 21 thousand women;
- men - 13 thousand people;
- about 10 thousand children were left orphans.
The fire destroyed 16 thousand houses, about 500 buildings of industrial enterprises, 80 military facilities, 12 bridges, 4 shipyards and many civilian structures.
In 1944, Britain seriously wanted to use bombs stuffed with anthrax. She even received from the United States the first series of guns, consisting of five thousand copies. Fortunately, the British military leadership decided to refrain from using bacteriological weapons, considering the use of "fire tornadoes" a more humane option. Although hardly the extermination of civilians should generally be considered as such.