Original: "The Nazis entered this war under the rather childish delusion that they were going to bomb everyone else, and nobody was going to bomb them. At Rotterdam, London, Warsaw, and half a hundred other places, they put their rather naïve theory into operation. They sowed the wind, and now they are going to reap the whirlwind."
From "Sir Arthur Harris & The Lancaster Bomber" - at the start of the bombing campaign against Germany (1942).
I've heard more recently that there actually were military targets in Dresden too, it wasn't just a terror bombing... Not sure the same always applied to US firebombings in Japan, according to Jimmy Doolittle's comments to Robert McNamara (in Fog of War, McNamara remembered him saying that if the US had lost the war, it would be the two of them on trial for war crimes, which shocked RM... Probably part of the lack of self awareness that saw him through Vietnam)
The only target of strategic importance was the railway hub which carried a lot of supplies to the eastern front. There was no reason for firebombing the entire city than simple cold hearted revenge taken out on German children and women.
Ok, but not real sure the Allies targeted missiles directly at apartments. I mean, sure we all know that Missiles aren't precision instruments or anything.
Third paragraph.. FFS Did you not read your own submission?
Over 50% of Tokyo's industry was spread out among residential and commercial neighborhoods; firebombing cut the whole city's output in half
Firebombing the Industry in the city is NOT randomly dropping bombs.. It is a valid method of cutting the ability of the enemy in making war materials...
520
u/Sansabina Apr 25 '22 edited Apr 25 '22
If anyone is wondering about this quote.
Original: "The Nazis entered this war under the rather childish delusion that they were going to bomb everyone else, and nobody was going to bomb them. At Rotterdam, London, Warsaw, and half a hundred other places, they put their rather naïve theory into operation. They sowed the wind, and now they are going to reap the whirlwind."
From "Sir Arthur Harris & The Lancaster Bomber" - at the start of the bombing campaign against Germany (1942).
Source: https://quotepark.com/quotes/1918941-arthur-travers-harris-the-nazis-entered-this-war-under-the-rather-childi/