Quote:
Originally Posted by Don Pearson
Area bombing which included civilian areas was a means to the end of the war, whether it was only 5% effective or 100%.
Don
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Area bombing was not even 5% effective, but rather minus 10% effective. Area bombing lengthened the war.
Every study in Britain, Germany, Spain, and Russia showed that after the bombers had gone home, the terror of the victims rapidly subsided and turned to resolve that they would not give in.
And when you take into account that area bombing absorbed over half the gross domestic product of Britain in an unproductive enterprise while leaving little for the navy (few landing craft for example) and for the army (no tank immune to the 88-mm for example), then you can say that area bombing was possibly minus 30% effective.
Bottom line, area bombing was a catastrophe for everybody except Hitler and his henchmen.
Tony