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B-17 in Marienburg Focke Wulf Plant Raid, 1943

A B-17 flying during the Marienburg Focke Wulf Plant Raid (1943)

The Combined Bomber Offensive was the joint series of attacks performed by American and British bombers on priority German targets such as cities, factories, and rail yards from 1943 to 1945. The offensive was the source of most of the production troubles that plagued the German industry throughout the war. Notably, British attacks were largely carried out by night while American attacks came by day.

History[]

Creation of the Program[]

The idea for the Combined Bomber Offensive came about in late 1942 with the desire by the United States military to cripple German industry and morale by attacking relatively few targets. Thus, the Committee of Operations Analysts was created to decide which targets in German would be given the most priority. On March 8, 1943, the COA then submitted a report that stated that the destruction of sixty specific targets scattered throughout the Axis territory would "gravely impair and might paralyze the Western Axis war effort."[1] Among the targets, notably was the production of ball-bearings for German industry and wartime machinery and the undervaluing of the German synthetic rubber production. Germany had made efforts for some time to cut down the use of ball bearings in civilian life and in military equipment, though to little result. To protect these assets however, the cities whose main industry was the production of ball bearings received a substantial increase in anti-aircraft protection. 

The full operational outline for the Combined Bomber Offensive was completed on April 12, 1943 and listed the destruction of "German Fighter Strength" as its number one priority. In order to complete its tasks, the outline required at least 2,700 heavy and some 800 medium bombers by March, 1944. 

First Targets[]

Among the first targets put in place to be attacked in 1943 were the Ploesti oil refineries in Romania, the destruction of which would equal a massive decline in German oil availability. 

References[]

  1. Levine, Alan J. The Strategic Bombing of Germany, 1940-1945. Praeger Publishers (1992), Page 85