The British have always believed that in 1940, Germany launched an aerial assault on their country. It is not true. Britain began bombing German cities months before the Battle of Britain or the Blitz
A sobering piece, indeed, Simon! It puts me in mind of James Delingpole's recent confession (or perhaps 'epiphany' is a better word): namely, that almost nothing he has believed about British history during his lifetime is true!
I wouldn't personally 'go down the rabbit-hole' as far as the august Delingpole, but I do find myself beset by a new attitude in these post-Covidocracy days: one of automatic scepticism, whereby I believe nothing I am told by anyone except those I love, or those feel I can trust, usually by virtue of their 'speaking truth to power' as the saying goes. Conversely, of course, this carries with it the danger of unconditionally embracing the 'conspiracy theorist' mindset. Before one knows it one starts thinking the world is flat, etc, etc!
One reservation I have about the general 'drift' of your piece is that its very truth tends further to discredit British people's faith in themselves - just at a time when we barely retain a shred of it anyway! That said, I do believe the truth, though it may be painful, is always salutary in the long run. In this connection, to know ourselves better (through articles such as this) can only redound to our cultural strength and eventual renaissance as a people in the long run.
I was fascinated by this article and will read it in more depth when I have time. Ironically, I'm studying a module for my MA degree in Military History at Wolverhampton University looking at Strategic Bombing the Second World War. You are absolutely correct saying that the myth is the Germans started a bombing campaign on us before we did on them. Thank you for your scholarship in setting out the true history. I think a distinction needs to be made in terms of the timing of both sides practicing unrestricted area bombing. The Luftwaffe began this with attacks during the night-time Blitz. The UK began this after the 14th of February 1942. Both in my opinion were wrong and should have followed the American model of daylight 'precision' bombing to avoid civilian casualties as much as possible. However, the attack on München Gladbach was a legitimate military raid: the RAF attacked communication routes used by the German Army.
In future, could you add citations to the works you have referenced, please?
This is quite shocking but not that surprising, and reminds me of the power of propaganda, particularly through the retelling (fictionalisation) of history. And so it goes on today, arguably even more blatantly, despite the general public's greater access to facts and truth.
It's interesting to me that much of the propaganda that came out of the first world war was very quickly discredited after the war yet the same cannot be said for the Second world War. On the contrary, it's become part of the national identities of many European countries.
Thoughtful piece, those of us who are by no means 'experts' but have studied this subject are aware that foreign and Other Ranks pilots did there fair share of battling 'the hun'!
However credit where credit is due, the closing credits of the 'Battle of Britain' film, that most British people will have based their knowledge of the BoB on, will have seen the list if nationalities and KIA of BoB pilots.
It's sobering to recollect their sacrifice, and that they are rightly called 'The Greatest Generation', something that today's politicians are unfit to even 'lick the boots' of even those that mowed the runways let alone the pilots and support crews.
This is another excellent article. "We have, as a nation, come to believe our own invented history, which is a sobering reflection." So true, and so typical of all nations, so far as I can tell.
I think you should do a piece on the Milner group, they exemplify the relative ease how just a few dedicated, carefully positioned 'Old Pals' Cabinet members and Civil servants caused the world wars.
The early bombing missions in Germany were problematic due to the innaccuracy of night bombing at that time. Indeed even later in the war when the four engined bombers came into use there was a lot of target creep, I dare say if your enemy is throwing flak at you, the inclination of dropping your bombs as soon as possible is very difficult to control.
The early raids were aimed at strategic targets, shipping, airfields, war industry, oil installations, communications, road, rail and bridges. Bombs falling in cities were seen as collateral damage. Unlike the Luftwaffe who flattened swathes of Polish cities. It was most unfortunate that there were civilian deaths during these raids, but when young men are asked to do incredibly risky tasks with high explosives the odd one is going to go astray.
The unfortunate raid you mentioned to Munchengladbach on the 11th 12th of May was to attack road and rail communications and was the first raid on a German town oddly enough of the 4 people killed one was an Englishwoman. 37 aircraft were involved 3 were lost.
The later 17th 18th May raid on Hamburg was by 48 aircraft and a further 24 to Bremen these were attacking oil refineries, 6 aircraft were sent to Cologne where their targeted railway yards.
I note that there are no mention of civilian deaths when the Germans raided our airfields, aircraft factories and docks before their "accidental bombing of London".
You can find more details of this in "The Bomber Command War Diaries" which is a useful reference for a historian such as yourself.
It is very easy to spin history in any way you wish, but the fact was Britain was at war.
In Hamburg a certain church, the Nikolaikirche, has been left in ruins as a memorial to city's terrible experience in the war. A prominent information board summarises the material demage and loss of life from the Allied bombing. Then it goes on to say in quite simple language that we Germans can't complain because we bombed British cities first.
I found that a remarkable text and so I remembered it. Unfortunately I can't now find the text anywhere on the internet.
Simon, Munchengladbach had German troops moving through it during Fall Gelb. And the Ruhr is a legitimate military target, any air force can bomb factories and civilians in them. It’s regrettable the RAF bombed some civilians in the former case, but both examples are okay targets.
Besides Warsaw, the Germans had a terror bombing of Rotterdam. That definitely influenced Churchill’s reasoning.
The bombing of Germany civil centres was actually started through a misunderstanding. Luftwaffe dropped bombs on London, Churchill thought it was deliberate, and bombed Berlin, leading to the Blitz.
As Napoleon said “History is lies agreed upon.”
A sobering piece, indeed, Simon! It puts me in mind of James Delingpole's recent confession (or perhaps 'epiphany' is a better word): namely, that almost nothing he has believed about British history during his lifetime is true!
I wouldn't personally 'go down the rabbit-hole' as far as the august Delingpole, but I do find myself beset by a new attitude in these post-Covidocracy days: one of automatic scepticism, whereby I believe nothing I am told by anyone except those I love, or those feel I can trust, usually by virtue of their 'speaking truth to power' as the saying goes. Conversely, of course, this carries with it the danger of unconditionally embracing the 'conspiracy theorist' mindset. Before one knows it one starts thinking the world is flat, etc, etc!
One reservation I have about the general 'drift' of your piece is that its very truth tends further to discredit British people's faith in themselves - just at a time when we barely retain a shred of it anyway! That said, I do believe the truth, though it may be painful, is always salutary in the long run. In this connection, to know ourselves better (through articles such as this) can only redound to our cultural strength and eventual renaissance as a people in the long run.
I was fascinated by this article and will read it in more depth when I have time. Ironically, I'm studying a module for my MA degree in Military History at Wolverhampton University looking at Strategic Bombing the Second World War. You are absolutely correct saying that the myth is the Germans started a bombing campaign on us before we did on them. Thank you for your scholarship in setting out the true history. I think a distinction needs to be made in terms of the timing of both sides practicing unrestricted area bombing. The Luftwaffe began this with attacks during the night-time Blitz. The UK began this after the 14th of February 1942. Both in my opinion were wrong and should have followed the American model of daylight 'precision' bombing to avoid civilian casualties as much as possible. However, the attack on München Gladbach was a legitimate military raid: the RAF attacked communication routes used by the German Army.
In future, could you add citations to the works you have referenced, please?
This is quite shocking but not that surprising, and reminds me of the power of propaganda, particularly through the retelling (fictionalisation) of history. And so it goes on today, arguably even more blatantly, despite the general public's greater access to facts and truth.
It's interesting to me that much of the propaganda that came out of the first world war was very quickly discredited after the war yet the same cannot be said for the Second world War. On the contrary, it's become part of the national identities of many European countries.
Thoughtful piece, those of us who are by no means 'experts' but have studied this subject are aware that foreign and Other Ranks pilots did there fair share of battling 'the hun'!
However credit where credit is due, the closing credits of the 'Battle of Britain' film, that most British people will have based their knowledge of the BoB on, will have seen the list if nationalities and KIA of BoB pilots.
It's sobering to recollect their sacrifice, and that they are rightly called 'The Greatest Generation', something that today's politicians are unfit to even 'lick the boots' of even those that mowed the runways let alone the pilots and support crews.
This is another excellent article. "We have, as a nation, come to believe our own invented history, which is a sobering reflection." So true, and so typical of all nations, so far as I can tell.
The fact that we may have started the arial bombings is neither here or there to me. They started the war!
Thanks for this very clear piece of history! I was one of those who believed the myth.
Another fascinaing look at our real History.
I think you should do a piece on the Milner group, they exemplify the relative ease how just a few dedicated, carefully positioned 'Old Pals' Cabinet members and Civil servants caused the world wars.
The early bombing missions in Germany were problematic due to the innaccuracy of night bombing at that time. Indeed even later in the war when the four engined bombers came into use there was a lot of target creep, I dare say if your enemy is throwing flak at you, the inclination of dropping your bombs as soon as possible is very difficult to control.
The early raids were aimed at strategic targets, shipping, airfields, war industry, oil installations, communications, road, rail and bridges. Bombs falling in cities were seen as collateral damage. Unlike the Luftwaffe who flattened swathes of Polish cities. It was most unfortunate that there were civilian deaths during these raids, but when young men are asked to do incredibly risky tasks with high explosives the odd one is going to go astray.
The unfortunate raid you mentioned to Munchengladbach on the 11th 12th of May was to attack road and rail communications and was the first raid on a German town oddly enough of the 4 people killed one was an Englishwoman. 37 aircraft were involved 3 were lost.
The later 17th 18th May raid on Hamburg was by 48 aircraft and a further 24 to Bremen these were attacking oil refineries, 6 aircraft were sent to Cologne where their targeted railway yards.
I note that there are no mention of civilian deaths when the Germans raided our airfields, aircraft factories and docks before their "accidental bombing of London".
You can find more details of this in "The Bomber Command War Diaries" which is a useful reference for a historian such as yourself.
It is very easy to spin history in any way you wish, but the fact was Britain was at war.
Interesting article..intersecting author. I learned something today.
In Hamburg a certain church, the Nikolaikirche, has been left in ruins as a memorial to city's terrible experience in the war. A prominent information board summarises the material demage and loss of life from the Allied bombing. Then it goes on to say in quite simple language that we Germans can't complain because we bombed British cities first.
I found that a remarkable text and so I remembered it. Unfortunately I can't now find the text anywhere on the internet.
Make of that what you will.
Simon, Munchengladbach had German troops moving through it during Fall Gelb. And the Ruhr is a legitimate military target, any air force can bomb factories and civilians in them. It’s regrettable the RAF bombed some civilians in the former case, but both examples are okay targets.
Besides Warsaw, the Germans had a terror bombing of Rotterdam. That definitely influenced Churchill’s reasoning.
The bombing of Germany civil centres was actually started through a misunderstanding. Luftwaffe dropped bombs on London, Churchill thought it was deliberate, and bombed Berlin, leading to the Blitz.
If Germany did not want war they could have withdrawn from Czechoslovakia, Poland and France but they preferred to attack Russia
The French author and critic Georges Bernanos was living in exile in South America at the time of the Battle of Britain.
What country and why was he in exile?