Talk:Strategic bombing during World War II

deleted

I deleted this: "and schools. (rev) Laqueur, Walter; Baumel, Judith Tydor (2001). The Holocaust encyclopedia. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-08432-0.{ (/ref) }" since the source posted doesn't say anything about schools.

"American bombing raid" listed at Redirects for discussion

An editor has identified a potential problem with the redirect American bombing raid and has thus listed it at redirects for discussion. The discussion will occur at Wikipedia:Redirects for discussion/Log/2021 December 23#American bombing raid until a consensus is reached, and readers of this page are welcome to contribute to the discussion. _signed, Rosguill ^talk 20:59, 23 December 2021 (UTC)

Featured picture scheduled for POTD

Hello! This is to let editors know that File:Bombing of Concordia Vega oil refinery in Ploești by USAAF B-24s, 31 May 1944 — restored.jpg, a featured picture used in this article, has been selected as the English Wikipedia's picture of the day (POTD) for November 5, 2022. A preview of the POTD is displayed below and can be edited at Template:POTD/2022-11-05. For the greater benefit of readers, any potential improvements or maintenance that could benefit the quality of this article should be done before its scheduled appearance on the Main Page. If you have any concerns, please place a message at Wikipedia talk:Picture of the day. Thank you! Adam Cuerden ^(talk)_{Has about 7.9% of all FPs} 09:38, 3 June 2022 (UTC)

Photograph of U.S. Consolidated B-24 Liberators just after bombing the Concordia Vega oil refinery in Ploiești, Romania on 31 May 1944 during World War II.

Strategic bombing during World War II involved sustained aerial attacks on railways, harbours, cities, workers' and civilian housing, and industrial districts in enemy territory during World War II (1939–1945). Strategic bombing as a military strategy is distinct both from close air support of ground forces and from tactical air power. During World War II, many military strategists of air power believed that air forces could win major victories by attacking industrial and political infrastructure, rather than purely military targets. Strategic bombing often involved bombing areas inhabited by civilians, and some campaigns were deliberately designed to target civilian populations in order to terrorize them and disrupt their usual activities. International law at the outset of World War II did not specifically forbid the aerial bombardment of cities – despite the prior occurrence of such bombing during World War I (1914–1918), the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939), and the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945).

Photograph credit: Richard R. Ganczak ; restored by Buidhe

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Germans killed by strategic bombing v Germans killed by Nazis

Hello all,

An unregistered editor deleted the following statement: "The number of German civilians estimated to die of strategic bombing, about 500,000, is about the same as Germans who died of Nazi repression from 1933 to 1945."

I restored it, changed the grammar, and moved it to the section on Casualties where it more logically belongs. The editor's edit summary stated that the comparison is "spurious, argumentative, and irrelevant." However, if the source is accurately quoted then it does make this comparison.The question is whether such a comparson is useful and belongs in a general article of this kind. Also note the different estimate of civilian deaths in this source.

Happy to discuss. Aemilius Adolphin (talk) 04:13, 1 February 2024 (UTC)

I've just checked the source, which is available online via the Cambridge Core resource, and it does include this comparison. The problem with how it's been used here is that it's been taken out of context: Gerlach appears to be noting that the deaths from bombing were due ultimately to the actions of the German regime - the relevant para starts with "In many European countries the number of non-Jewish victims of German and Axis violence – even putting military losses aside – far surpassed that of Jews who were murdered". The para also notes the millions of non-German Jews and other people who died as a result of the Nazi regime's actions, which was also excluded here. The next para puts this plainly, noting that "During World War II, Germans (and people from other powers) killed not only 6 million Jews but also 6–8 million other non-combatants". The footnote cited here also includes the 60,000 French civilians killed in the Allied bombing as part of the deaths resulting from Germany's actions. Comparing deaths from Allied bombing to artificially low figures of deaths directly caused by the Nazis is a common Holocaust denial trope. As such, I've removed this. It it was to be included, it would need to better reflect what the source says, and also note other sources on this issue. Other historians note that the Nazi regime was ultimately responsible for the bombing deaths, and this was plainly stated as part of the displays at the main museum to the bombing of Hamburg when I visited in 2015. Nick-D (talk) 10:24, 1 February 2024 (UTC)

Thanks for checking that out. Agree with your reasons for removal. Aemilius Adolphin (talk) 21:10, 1 February 2024 (UTC)

References