Area bombing is not a dirty word.

Subject: Area bombing is not a dirty word.
From: Charles Gray


One thing that is often levied agaionst the bombing campaigns is the
fact that German production increased as the war came to an end (at
least until the last few days when industry was being overrun).

The reason German production increased is because we stopped bombing production
facilites and switched to oil knowing that they could make all they wanted
to,but without oil could never use any of it. So let them waste their labor and
facilites on turning out equipment that could never be used.


Arthur Kramer
344th BG 494th BS
England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany
Visit my WW II B-26 website at:
http://www.coastcomp.com/artkramer

The reason German production increased is because we stopped bombing
production
facilites and switched to oil knowing that they could make all they wanted
to,but without oil could never use any of it.

Well...kind of. Ike wanted to drastically reduce German mobility once Allied
ground forces were on the continent, so he urged the elevation in priority of
POL targets in late 1943. It obviously turned out to have a greater strategic
value, but many historians believe that had Ike not asked Hap Arnold to elevate
the priority of POL, it may not have been done. Ike was thinking tactically,
but the results were on the strategic level.


BUFDRVR

"Stay on the bomb run boys, I'm gonna get those bomb doors open if it harelips
everyone on Bear Creek"

"ArtKramr" wrote in message
...
Subject: Area bombing is not a dirty word.
From: Charles Gray


One thing that is often levied agaionst the bombing campaigns is the
fact that German production increased as the war came to an end (at
least until the last few days when industry was being overrun).

The reason German production increased is because we stopped bombing
production
facilites and switched to oil knowing that they could make all they
wanted
to,but without oil could never use any of it. So let them waste their
labor and
facilites on turning out equipment that could never be used.

So you are saying that ALL the bombs dropped during that period were dropped
on oil targets! I would love to here your source for that.

Granted the Germans were short of POL at the end, however, they were short
of everything else as well. I can find few instances of missions being
cancelled solely due to lack of POL, and the few examples that do exist seem
to be local problems getting the fuel to the correct place rather than
because the fuel did not exist.

ubject: Area bombing is not a dirty word.
From: "Bill Phillips"
Date: 1/5/04 11:44 AM Pacific Standard Time

o you are saying that ALL the bombs dropped during that period were dropped
on oil targets! I would love to here your source for that.

I never said that, You said that.

can find few instances of missions being
cancelled solely due to lack of POL, and the

You didn't look hard enough.


Arthur Kramer
344th BG 494th BS
England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany
Visit my WW II B-26 website at:
http://www.coastcomp.com/artkramer

"ArtKramr" wrote in message
...
ubject: Area bombing is not a dirty word.
From: "Bill Phillips"
Date: 1/5/04 11:44 AM Pacific Standard Time

o you are saying that ALL the bombs dropped during that period were
dropped
on oil targets! I would love to here your source for that.

I never said that, You said that.

You said "we stopped bombing production facilites and switched to oil"

can find few instances of missions being
cancelled solely due to lack of POL, and the

You didn't look hard enough.

Then please find some for me.

"Bill Phillips" wrote in message
...

"ArtKramr" wrote in message
...
ubject: Area bombing is not a dirty word.
From: "Bill Phillips"
Date: 1/5/04 11:44 AM Pacific Standard Time

o you are saying that ALL the bombs dropped during that period were
dropped
on oil targets! I would love to here your source for that.

I never said that, You said that.

You said "we stopped bombing production facilites and switched to oil"


Which is a LONG way from saying ALL the bombs dropped
during the period were dropped on oil targets.

Keith

"Keith Willshaw" wrote in message
...

"Bill Phillips" wrote in message
...

"ArtKramr" wrote in message
...
ubject: Area bombing is not a dirty word.
From: "Bill Phillips"
Date: 1/5/04 11:44 AM Pacific Standard Time

o you are saying that ALL the bombs dropped during that period were
dropped
on oil targets! I would love to here your source for that.

I never said that, You said that.

You said "we stopped bombing production facilites and switched to oil"


Which is a LONG way from saying ALL the bombs dropped
during the period were dropped on oil targets.

OK there is scope for dropping bombs on things that are neither production
or oil.

However, STOPPED means that NO bombs were dropped on production facilities,
which does not fit what I have heard.

"Bill Phillips" wrote in message
...


OK there is scope for dropping bombs on things that are neither production
or oil.

However, STOPPED means that NO bombs were dropped on production
facilities,
which does not fit what I have heard.



In fact there was a switch of emphasis in strategic bombing
from industrial towns to oil targets in 1944. The first bomber command
raid was that on the synthetic-oil plant at Gelsenkirchen on the
night of June 12/13 1944.

Indeed the major raids from this point on were directed at
military targets (Kiel, Le Havre etc), communications targets,
V1/V2 sites and oil targets. It was only in October that raids
were once more made on general production targets when raids
were made on Dortmund and Duisburg.

Keith