Picture of the day
- Thread starter jwhc
- Start date
The massive bombing campaign had the reverse effect that the allies wanted. It didnt demoralize the working population, but created an ethos to work through the masssive bombing campaign launched on Germany. If you look at the output charts post 43 it shows that production actually increased, howver quality decreased.
fingers284
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Alberta Cowboy Ranges
I think that was pure propaganda by the anti- Churchill- anti bomber command folks after the war. The reason it didn't de-moralize the "working population" is that they were all "forced labor" conscripts that didn't have a choice in the mater, if a bunch were killed in a bombing raid another train load was just ordered to fill the gaps...they were already demoralized as much as was humanly possible. The "forced labor" fact is also the reason quality decreased, untrained workers being forced to do a masters bidding is never a formula for quality.
I will never be convinced that the bombing and destruction of thousands of acres of residential parts of the cities did not crush the resolve of the inhabitants to fight on...they might of had a will to live but not much actual "fighting spirit" was left in them...the countless feet of films with hundreds of folks & their little kids wondering around with a suitcase and a bike with no tires on it is the true story.
I will never be convinced that the bombing and destruction of thousands of acres of residential parts of the cities did not crush the resolve of the inhabitants to fight on...they might of had a will to live but not much actual "fighting spirit" was left in them...the countless feet of films with hundreds of folks & their little kids wondering around with a suitcase and a bike with no tires on it is the true story.
Well, when there's somebody standing behind you with a gun , you carry on. The Japanese were willing to send kids armed with bamboo spears into battle, if the Americans invaded, even after the atomic bombs were dropped. A significant part of the population were willing to continue, there was no choice for them. The destruction of fuel plants and rail lines was probably the significant factor in the end for the Germans . Industrial production, in terms of weapons , actually increased in some sectors during the last year of the war.
Grizz
Kampfhamster
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Switzerland
Regarding this I recommend the book "Masters of the air" by Donald L. Miller. It explains quite good the effectivness of the bomber campaigns.
Amazing what you can achieve with thousands of slave labourers.
I agree ... I was speaking with a German lady who had just returned from her home in Dusseldorf. I asked her what it was like and she said it was beautiful ... I said I would like to go there and visit... and I will plan to do so. I mentioned that the last time I was there was in the early/mid '50's. I was a child and my father was Canadian Army stationed in Soest. We stayed at a hotel (run by the NAAFI I believe)... We must have arrived at the hotel late at night but I still recall quite vividly the scene when we walked out the front door of the hotel in the morning .... as far as I could see there was nothing but stone and brick rubble in huge piles lining the street.
http://ww2today.com/10th-september-1942-bomber-command-target-dusseldorf
of course this pales compared to Dresden, Berlin, Darmstadt, Kassel etc etc
As an aside ... got caught up in a silly debate in 'Off Topics' about the Mexican drug cartels and what vicious retaliation the US could expect from the drug cartels if the US stepped up action against them as result of Trump declaring them 'terrorist organizations'. I suggested that retaliation against US citizens by the cartels would be bad news for the cartels, and Mexico, if it occurred, and as a result of my comment was accused of not understanding how tough the cartels are and that the Americans lacked the resolve to deal with such an eventuallity.
Perhaps I dont understand the powers of the cartels (and I certainly dont get my intel from Netflix) ... but I sure understand what the Americans - and British - were (and are) capable of .... and Dusseldorf wasnt one of the 'big shows'. More recently we have this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casualties_of_the_Iraq_War ... pick your own numbers.
Not enough pictures.
ANT-4 or TB-1
1925 fruit of Tupolev learning from Hugo Junkers.Developed into many versions,most military,some civilian.Starting point for TB-3 4 engine bomber,Served as test bed for many ideas,engines,procedures etc.Most of Soviet Arctic development wouldn't start if it wasn't for this plane.It served there all the way until late 1940s.One survivor from 218 made.
I'm looking for decent quality technical drawings of this plane,if you know source of Russian language pages with them PM me pls.
ANT-4 or TB-1
1925 fruit of Tupolev learning from Hugo Junkers.Developed into many versions,most military,some civilian.Starting point for TB-3 4 engine bomber,Served as test bed for many ideas,engines,procedures etc.Most of Soviet Arctic development wouldn't start if it wasn't for this plane.It served there all the way until late 1940s.One survivor from 218 made.
I'm looking for decent quality technical drawings of this plane,if you know source of Russian language pages with them PM me pls.
Not enough pictures.
ANT-4 or TB-1
1925 fruit of Tupolev learning from Hugo Junkers.Developed into many versions,most military,some civilian.Starting point for TB-3 4 engine bomber,Served as test bed for many ideas,engines,procedures etc.Most of Soviet Arctic development wouldn't start if it wasn't for this plane.It served there all the way until late 1940s.One survivor from 218 made.
I'm looking for decent quality technical drawings of this plane,if you know source of Russian language pages with them PM me pls.
well here's what Wesel (north of Dusseldorf) looked like in 1945
Attachments
Dark Alley Dan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Darkest Edmonton
A bad day at work.
"As the area aft of the rear spar on a Catalina wing is cloth covered, incorporating them in the design would be tricky and incur a huge weight penalty."
https://www.key.aero/forum/historic-aviation/102800-catalina-flaps
https://www.key.aero/forum/historic-aviation/102800-catalina-flaps
fat tony
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Kinda looks it, yeah.
Lovely shot. One gets the sense of the vastness and remoteness of the country, and yet in the middle of it, an orderly airbase, modern aircraft, and some of the trappings of civilization. Really well done, if you think about it.
The bases and trappings are all still there even though rotting away. Not sure of the disposition of the buildings, all the abandoned equipment, and land. Probably a lot of it has UXO and marvellous nasties buried all around. Just like the abandoned Allied properties in Newfoundland come to think of it.
Some of the USAAF abandoned bases in the Aleutians are massive.
^What remains of the Mcdonald's drive through in Adak, Alaska, USA. It has supposedly been abandoned since shortly after the collapse of the USSR. The customer base was the personnel fron the adjacent USN base.
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