Bombing Civilians at War

30 April 2011

Bombing Civilians at War

            The first impression of the word “war” is armies of two countries fighting and destroying military targets. However, the casualties of war can become civilians. Once a war starts, it turns unpredictable and uncontrollable. Civilian casualties may begin unintentionally, but in retaliation, civilians become an actual target. The fact is defying the principle and targeting civilians is what ended World War II. In the American experience film, “The Bombing of Germany” by PBS production is a documentary that describes the beginning of the involvement of the United States in World War II in 1942. The documentary explicitly depicts the air riots and the bombing of the military targets near or inside the German cities. The film illustrates the collateral civilian casualties during the attack on strategic targets. Furthermore, it elaborates on how causing massive damage to civilians becomes a justified military tactic in a desperate attempt to end the war. 

The Americans and the British had different views on bombing civilians during World War II. When the United States entered World War II on August 17, 1942, the central principle was to never attack civilians and target only the German military forces. President Roosevelt’s speech on entering the war points up the American good morals regarding the combat. “Under no circumstances undertake the bombardment from the air of civilian population,” said President Franklin D. Roosevelt. According to the documentary “The Bombing of Germany,” hundreds of American B17 bombers attacked the Harbor of Hamburg city in the daylight using box formations to cause precise damage to military targets and avoid civilian populations. Flying during the day exposed the American bombers and pilots to being detected and attacked by the German Air Defense.
On the other hand, the British, especially after the German bombers hit residential areas in London by mistake, started targeting cities as part of war tactics. The British fighters attacked Hamburg at night throwing thousands of silver foil strips to confuse the German radars. The British bombers dropped hundreds of thousands of tons of explosives on the city. Even though the American Air Forces followed the rules as strictly as possible, the collateral civilian damages were indescribable after the bombing of Hamburg. Sixty percent of the city was destroyed, fifty thousand civilians were killed and one million became homeless. The civilian casualties were unavoidable and the Allies hoped that this attack may help end the war.

In spite of the civilian damages, the German army resisted and Hitler refused to end the war. The Allies decided to target German lines of production in Berlin hoping that will motivate the Germans to overthrow Hitler and end the war. American experience film, “The Bombing of Germany,” estimates from the seven million Germans who lived in Berlin, tens of thousands were killed, half a million were left homeless, six hundred RAF planes were destroyed, and still, Germany never surrendered. In August 17, 1943, the Allies turned to bomb the industrial city of Schweinfurt. Under the leadership of General Aker, hundreds of B17 bombers flew unescorted over Germany to bomb their targets and flew back. The Air Force faced more than twenty percent casualties; one in four American pilots and co-pilots were killed. In December 1943, General Jimmy Doolittle took over command and launched a B17 strike escorted by P51 Mustang fighters on oil facilities, airplane factories, and railroad lines with great success and minor casualties. The destruction of the German airplanes led to the invasion on D Day under no air attack from the Germans. Regardless of the major civilian casualties compared to military casualties on the German side, Hitler continued the war. Hitler’s resistance led the Allies to consider bombing Berlin itself.

Toward the end of the war, a major change of the American war tactics and ethics took place. According to the documentary, in the beginning of 1944, in order to end the war the United States forces faced a great pressure to attack Berlin. The operation called “Thunder Clap” and its purpose was to destroy the enemy morals and force Hitler to surrender. However, the concept was rejected since it is against the American ethics of war. After the rise of the German jet fighters and Hitler’s refusal to surrender, finally, the Americans decided to attack Berlin City on February 3, 1945. Two hundred thousand Germans were killed and most of Berlin was destroyed, which had a great impact on ending the war. Hundreds of thousands of British and American soldiers were killed. Half a million Germans and twenty million civilians in Europe died. During the entire war, the Americans resisted bombing civilians on purpose which led to prolonging the war for years. However, once they changed their principle and attacked Berlin, they won the battle.

The Allies considered it shameful to kill innocent civilians, but more shameful not to end this war at any price. After attacking the civilians once, it became easier and less controversial to do it a second and a third time. One month after the attack on the civilians in Berlin, the United States forces incinerated Tokyo and killed one hundred thousand people in one attack. Soon later, the United States dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to win the war against Japan. Targeting civilians became a tactic to win wars.

In the history of wars, millions of soldiers died in the battle fields. Armies with heavy combat equipments resulted in massive military damage and destruction. Wars are easy to start but very difficult to stop or control. A conflict may commence strictly military, but soon it involves cities and civilians. Civilian casualties happen by misfortune or to inflict fear and despair in order to force the enemy to surrender. Wars are justified for noble causes to die for, by nations and their leaders. These noble causes may deceive the warriors into believing in good war morals, like avoiding the killing of unarmed civilians. Nevertheless, the instinct of survival leads to kill or be killed and urges to win the war at any price or moral. The most horrific crimes severely punishable by the law are justified and not penalized during a war. Actually, the destruction of Berlin, Tokyo, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki and the killing of civilians is what ended the war with Germany and Japan. The severest loss and harm either intentional or collateral occurs to civilians, during or after a war.
Reference
WGBH American Experience. “The Bombing of Germany.” PBS.org.1996-2010. Web. 30 Apr. 2011.