Firebombing
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Firebombing is a bombing technique designed to damage a target, generally an urban area, through the use of fire from an incendiary device, rather than from the blast effect of large bombs. The tactic originated during World War II with the use of strategic bombing to destroy the ability of the enemy to wage war. London, Coventry and many other British cities were firebombed during the Blitz. Most German cities were extensively firebombed starting in 1942. Many large Japanese cities were fire bombed during the last six months of WW II.
This technique makes use of small incendiary bombs (possibly delivered by a cluster bomb) [1]. If a fire catches, it could spread, taking in adjacent buildings that would have been largely unaffected by a high explosive bomb. This is a more effective use of the payload that a bomber could carry. The use of incendiaries alone does not generally start uncontrollable fires where the targets are roofed with nonflammable materials such as tiles or slates. The use of a mixture of bombers carrying high explosive bombs, such as the British blockbuster bombs, which blew out windows and roofs and exposed the interior of buildings to the incendiary bombs, are much more effective. Alternatively a preliminary bombing with conventional bombs followed by subsequent attacks by incendiary carrying bombers.
The result may in some cases create a firestorm in the target city. During the strategic bombings of World War II [2] this technique was as effective on Hamburg [3], Tokyo [4], and Dresden [5] as the atomic bombs that were used against Japanese cities.
Firebombing also refers to the practice of dropping fire-retardent liquids from aircraft on wild fires. (see Waterbomber)
[edit] Examples
Most large German cities were subject to firebombing. In several this induced a firestorm of which the most notable are
- Hamburg as a result of Operation Gomorrah
- the Bombing of Dresden
Less-known (and smaller) targets were
- Bombing of Kassel (10,000 dead)
- Bombing of Pforzheim (20,277 dead, almost 31,4 % of the Population)
- Bombing of Würzburg (5,000 dead)
- Bombing of Wuppertal - 10 May 1943
- Bombing of Remscheid — 31 July 1943
- Bombing of Kaiserslautern — 14 July 1944
- Bombing of Braunschweig — 15 October 1944 (approx. 1,000 dead and 90 % of the city centre destroyed)
- Bombing of Saarbrücken — 05 August 1944
- Bombing of Darmstadt — 11 September 1944 (12,300 dead)
- Bombing of Stuttgart — 12 September 1944
- Bombing of Heilbronn — 06 December 1944 (6,500 dead)
- Bombing of Mainz — 27 February 1945
- Bombing of Würzburg — 16 March 1945
- Bombing of Hildesheim — 23 March 1945
Many large Japanese cities were fire bombed including:
Some Chinese cities were also affected:
[edit] In popular culture
- the Japanese animated film Grave of the Fireflies follows events after the firebombing of Kobe.
- Kurt Vonnegut's classic novel, Slaughterhouse-Five, is based on his personal experience of the Dresden firestorm.
