Blitz Week

Blitz Week
Part of Strategic bombing campaign in Europe
Date July 24-26 & 28-30, 1943[1]:244-5
Location  Nazi Germany: Hamburg (25th), Hanover (26th), Kassel (28th, 30th), Kiel (25th, 29th), Oschersleben (28th), Warnemünde (25th, 29th)

 Norway: Herøya & Trondheim (24th)
Belligerents
 United States  Nazi Germany
Casualties and losses
100 aircraft
1000 KIA/WIA/MIA[1]:242
Main article: Strategic bombing during World War II
Not to be confused with Big Week.

Blitz Week was a period of United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) aerial bombardment during the Combined Bomber Offensive of World War II. Air raids were conducted on six of seven days as part of Operation Gomorrah, against targets such as the chemical plant at Herøya, Norway, which produced nitrates for explosives;[1] and the AGO Flugzeugwerke A. G. plant[2]:IV-48,51 (an Operation Pointblank target) at Oschersleben, Germany that assembled Focke-Wulf 190s. The Kassel mission on the 28th was the first use of P-47 Thunderbolt auxiliary fuel tanks.[3]

Notes

  1. ^ a b c Coffey, Thomas M. (1977). Decision over Schweinfurt: The U.S. 8th Air Force Battle for Daylight Bombing. New York: David McKay Company. p. 242,244–5,265 
  2. ^ Jablonski, Edward (1971). Airpower. http://www.alibris.com/booksearch?qwork=-38504524. 
    • Volume I: -----. Terror from the Sky. ISBN 0385045247.  pages 1-168
    • Volume II: -----. Tragic Victories. ISBN 1933648120.  pages 1-192
    • Volume III: -----. Outraged Skies.  pages 1-136
    • Volume IV: -----. Wings of Fire. ISBN 8484834069.  pages 1-218
  3. ^ Arnold, Henry H.—Foreword (June 1944--Special Edition for AAF Organizations) [May 1944]. AAF: The Official Guide to the Army Air Forces. New York: Pocket Books. p. 334. 
Documents
Key People
Operations
1943 (Blitz Week, Schweinfurt-Regensburg mission, Black Thursday) • 1944 (Big Week) •
Targets

(component
plants & pro-
duction % in

parentheses)
Bf 109
WNF-Bad Vöslau (Fischamend, Klagenfurt, Pottendorf & Vöslau textile mills) • Regensburg/Obertraubling • Regensburg/Prufening • Steyr-Werke • Erla-Leipzig/Mockau (Leipzig/Heiterblick & Abtnaundorf)
Bf 110
MIAG-Brunswick/Waggum • Gorthaer-Gotha • B.B.F.-Furth)
Fw 190
AGO-Oschersleben • Arado-Tutow (Anklam, Warnemünde) • Focke-Wulf-Marienburg • Fieseler-Kassel/Waldau (Kassel/Bettenhausen) • (Focke Wulf Bremen components)
Ju 88 & Ju 188 production
Junkers-Bernburg (Junkers-Halberstadt, Junkers-Aschersleben)
Me 210-Me 410 production
Messerschmitt-Augsburg
Ball bearings
Kugelfischer-Schweinfurt (22.2%) • V.K.F. I & II-Schweinfurt (20.3%) • Steyr-Steyr (10.6%) • SKF Norma-Stuttgart/Canstatt (5.8%) • V.K.F.-Berlin/Erkner (4.8%) • V.K.F.-Berlin/Neukoln (3.9%) • D.K.F.-Leipzig (3.9%) • R.I.V.-Turin (3.9%%) • Jaeger-Wuppertal (2.0%) • Muller-Nuremberg (1.9%) • Fichtel & Sachs-Schweinfurt (1.0%) • Gebauer & Moller-Fulda (1.0%) • R.I.V.-Villar Perosa (1.0%)