The History of Strategic Bombing and Its Role in the War

HASAN AL-KHALIFA

22 October 2009
Forewords

Strategic bombing is an alternative to traditional terrorist bombing, in which attackers

indiscriminatively killed the civilians and troops1. According to Tami, strategic bombing

is a quintessence of an idea, a concept of warfare, and an effective strategy that has been

fostered and sustained by modern technological advancements; an assertion that has also

been supported by Builder the chief of USAF over and over again. Builder asserts that

this presents an ideal approach to war and integrates technology enabling the USAF as an

organization to achieve the ideal conceptualization of war, maintain or obtain air

superiority and delivering a decisive, strategic attack, which all but eliminates the

necessity of a prolonged ground battle and reduce the number of unnecessary casualties.

The idea of strategic bombing idea was born in World War I, developed in the interwar

period, demonstrated in World War II, carried on during the Cold War and which has

entrenched itself in today’s military and warfare. This paper therefore gives the history of

strategic bombing and its role in war, while exhibiting how technological; developments

have contributed to the development and application of the strategic bombing ideology.

What is strategic bombing?

Strategic bombing is ideally a military strategy that is mainly employed in total war in

which the attacker first destroys the enemy nation’s economic ability to fund the war

instead of destroying the latter’s land or the marine forces.2 As such, strategic bombing

involves series of systematic organization and execution of well planned attack from the

1 Omissi, David (1990). Air Power and Colonial Control: The Royal Air Force 1919-1939.

Manchester University Press,

2 Spaight. James M. (2005) "Bombing Vindicated" G. Bles, 1944. ASIN: B0007IVW7K (Spaight
was Principal Assistant Secretary of the Air Ministry) (U.K)

2
air. To effect this approach, the attacking country uses strategic bombers while

employing long or medium-range missiles as well as nuclear armed-fighter bomber

aircrafts to hit the enemies target that are considered extremely critical to the enemy

ability to fund the war. In strategic bombing endeavor, the attacker virtually incapacitates

the enemy making the latter unable to continues with the war and with only the

surrendering or negotiating for peace option. According to, 3this strategy of war differs

greatly with terror bombing the latter of which the attacker targets the civilians and

population of the enemy either to force the attacker to conform to the will of the attacker

or purely a punitive nature to such a country for specific reason mainly political actions.

Ideally, strategic bombing involves steady and consistent attacks on the enemy state or

nation’s economic powerhouses such as factories, infrastructures, transport networks

(airports and railroads), oil industries, armories and other resources in order to

incapacitate the enemy states or nations, ability to fund the war4. To achieve optimum

success therefore, the strategic bombers must succeed in targeting most or all of the

enemy states’ or nation’s strategic areas. As a result, the attackers tend to use large and

long range jets and arsenals. Having been adopted by many countries, the strategic

bombing approach has entrenched itself in the armed forces of many states including the

United States air force (USAF). Furthermore, strategic bombing has been made

3 Kennett, Lee (2001) Air Power: A History of Strategic Bombing. Lessons Learned from World

War II to Kosovo. N.Y.: New York University Press,

4 Boyne, Walter J (1994). Clash of Wings: World War II in the Air, Simon & Schuster, NY, pp.343-
44.

3
extremely efficient and effective by the modern technological advances and use of such

in the armed forces5.

Since it was first used in the world war I, strategic bombing as since been fully

incorporated and developed as a military strategy by many states especially the unites

states and soviet union. Consequently, strategic bombers have often been used to support

key military ground operations. An example of strategic bombing operation includes the

isolation of the Normandy by bombing the transportation hubs throughout the northern

France in the wake of the D-day invasion and the carpet bombing of the axis frontline of

St. Lo while supporting the cobra operations6. In a strategic bombing campaign, three

fundamental approaches are employed to deliver ordinance. Such includes the gravity

dropping of numerous iron bombs or what is referred to as dumb bombs; the latter of

which is executed mainly by strategic bombers, also ordinance can be delivered using

more precise weapons i.e. use of precision guided munitions or rather smart bombs which

incorporates use of smart missiles and the use of nuclear weapons either in the absolute

battle field the same as in carpet bombing or onto a strategic target like the iron bomb

during the world war ii.

Irrespective of the fact that deploying of nuclear ordnance from aircraft is also part of

strategic bombing and likely represents the ultimate form of both strategic and terror

bombing, the term strategic bombing is generally refers to the release of non-nuclear air-

ground weapons from tactically placed jets.

5 Drenkowski (March 1, 2004) Dana K to Destroy a City: Strategic Bombing and its Human
Consequences in World War II. (Book Review
6 Spaight James M. (2005) "Bombing Vindicated" G. Bles, 1944 ASIN: B0007IVW7K (Spaight
was Principal Assistant Secretary of the Air Ministry) (U.K)

4
The history of strategic bombing

Historically, strategic bombing was initially used during the First World War7. However,

the users could not understand its present form. The debut strategic bombing mission is

believed to the strategic attack which involved dropping of five bombs on the Gare L’Est

railway station in Paris France on the 30th of October, 1914 and which involved

engagement of highly specialized air crafts and bomber squadrons on both sides and

which were later used for tactical bombing with an objective of directly harming the

enemy Army troops, realized strong points and critical equipment within a fairly narrow

distance from the frontline8. As the attacks went on the attacker seemed to become more

strategic as the attention eventually shifted from, bombing the troops and causing direct

harm to the enemy to indirect incapacitation of the latter by staging systematic attacks on

the critical rear- area resources of the enemy. In between the World War I and World

War II, many military intellectuals from many nations believed that strategic bombing

was the best way to use war resources such as the aircrafts. Although a significant

number still believed in terrors bombing as the most ideal approach to win the war, it

popularity among the attackers was plummeting at an amazing rate9.

The royal air force leader’s leaders, particularly the force’s chief Marshal Hugh

Trenchard believed that the most ideal strategy to retaining their independence from the

7 Omissi, David (1990). Air Power and Colonial Control: The Royal Air Force 1919-1939.

Manchester University Press,

8 Kennett, Lee (2001) Air Power: A History of Strategic Bombing. Lessons Learned from World
War II to Kosovo. N.Y.: New York University Press,

9 Drenkowski (March 1, 2004) Dana K to Destroy a City: Strategic Bombing and its Human
Consequences in World War II. (Book Review

5
senior services was to encourage the use of strategic bombing aircrafts which was

considered by its proponents as an exclusive ability of a modern air force to win wars

without directly harming civilians, enemy states population or troops10. Comes the World

War II, the idea of strategy bombing rooted itself hence it was widely used by many

participants to state their attacks. In fact, it was widely practiced and greatly supported by

the massive technological advancements that were taking place at the time. In fact,

aggressive and consistent strategic bombing campaigns were conducted across Europe

and Asia the Germans and Japanese applied mostly twin-engine bombers that had pay

loads normally less than 5000 pounds. In addition, they never produced larger craft

unless when such were deemed critical. Comparatively, the British and Americans

developed their strategic force relative to much bigger four-engine bombers for their

strategic campaigns11.

In the first year of the second world war in Europe, most attackers were not confident in

the use of the strategic bombing thus it was initially developed using trial and error.

Initially, the attackers were attacking both civilians and the military targets especially

10 Tami Davis Biddle (2003) Allied Forces against Hitler-Germany from 1939-1945. How efficient
was the Strategic Bombing Offensive and how significant was this campaign for the final victory
over. Retreated from http://www.grin.com/e-book/47999/consider-the-strategic-bombing-
offensive-of-the-allied-forces-against-hitler-germany on 23rd October 2009

11 Boyne, Walter J (1994). Clash of Wings: World War II in the Air, Simon & Schuster, NY,
pp.343-44.

6
when Germany fist invaded Poland on the first day of September 1939. As a result, a

strategic bombing approach was launched with an objective of incapacitating Britain thus

paving way for achievement of the peace agreement after Luftwaffe were finally unable

to beats the royal air force in the air12. Consequently the planned invasion if the Great

Britain had to be for an indefinite period put off. At the beginning, the attacks were

staged in the broad day light, but attackers soon shifted to nights bombing after the losses

became greatly untenable. Similarly, The Royal Air Force, which had from the beginning

adopted an open precision-bombing doctrine, changed their strategy to organized night

attacks night bombing due to unbearable losses and which threatened to compromise their

war waging ability in the long run. However after the released of the Butt Report in

September, 1941 and which indicated massive inadequacy of the Bomber Command

training and equipment carry on with the war, the royal air force changed to an area-

attack strategy, in an attempt to shatter German war morale.

During the cold war, the strategic bombing was mainly, determined and characterized by

the nuclear weapon13. By the time the cold war started the era of extensive to strategic

bombing campaigns in which reigned in the Second World War. Instead, the in thing then

was destructive raids using sophisticated and technologically aided sighting and arsenals.

In addition strategic bombing especially those staged by powerful states became

politically hard to defend. An ideal example of the strategic bombing was when the

12 Kennett, Lee (2001) Air Power: A History of Strategic Bombing. Lessons Learned from World
War II to Kosovo. N.Y.: New York University Press,

13 Kennett, Lee (2001) Air Power: A History of Strategic Bombing. Lessons Learned from World
War II to Kosovo. N.Y.: New York University Press

7
approach was employed to wage war attacks of North Vietnam by the United States air

force in what was famously referred to as the operations rolling thunder14

The key objective of these staged attacks and continues bombing of the bombing

campaign was to undermine the confidence the North Vietnamese, damage their

economy, and reduce their capacity to support the war in the hope that they would

negotiate for peace, although the success of the attacks were limited, the casualties were

few hence an indication of development of the strategic bombing15. In further bombings16,

The Nixon Administration carried on with the limited strategic bombing during the two

Operation Linebacker campaigns. Irrespective of the fact that the images were as a result

of close air support rather than strategic bombing haunted the American public the

American public until the demanded for cessation of the attacks campaign. Unlike during

the cold war, the post cold war bombing which were mainly strategic bombing was

merely a technological showdown between the participants characterized by high levels

of precision in the hitting the targets of the enemy, sophisticated equipment and

ordnance and characteristically low number of casualties. The latter is the absolute aim of

strategic bombing as an approach to war.

14 Drenkowski (March 1, 2004) Dana K to Destroy a City: Strategic Bombing and its Human
Consequences in World War II. (Book Review)

15 Kieran Webb, 'Strategic Bombardment & Kosovo: Evidence from the Boer War', Defense &
Security Analysis, September 2008, Volume 24,

16 Spaight James M (2005) "Bombing Vindicated" G. Bles, 1944. ASIN: B0007IVW7K (Spaight
was Principal Assistant Secretary of the Air Ministry) (U.K)

8
 Bibliography

Boyne, Walter J (1994). Clash of Wings: World War II in the Air, Simon & Schuster,

NY, pp.343-44.

Drenkowski (March 1, 2004) Dana K to Destroy a City: Strategic Bombing and its

Human Consequences in World War II. (Book Review)

Kennett, Lee (2001) Air Power: A History of Strategic Bombing. Lessons Learned from

World War II to Kosovo. N.Y.: New York University Press,

9
Kieran Webb, 'Strategic Bombardment & Kosovo: Evidence from the Boer War',

Defense & Security Analysis, September 2008, Volume 24,

Omissi, David (1990). Air Power and Colonial Control: The Royal Air Force 1919-1939.

Manchester University Press,

Spaight James M (2005) "Bombing Vindicated" G. Bles, 1944. ASIN: B0007IVW7K

(Spaight was Principal Assistant Secretary of the Air Ministry) (U.K)

Tami Davis Biddle (2003) Allied Forces against Hitler-Germany from 1939-1945. How

efficient was the Strategic Bombing Offensive and how significant was this campaign for

the final victory over. Retreated from http://www.grin.com/e-book/47999/consider-the-

strategic-bombing-offensive-of-the-allied-forces-against-hitler-germany on 23rd October

2009

10