loki100 -> RE: Do you want bombing VPs? Hit Heavy Industry (2/27/2015 7:16:01 PM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Balou Still it would like to know to what extent allied strat bombing did (help to) knock out Germany. History experts please step in, there should be figures. I don't think it did. Most sources seem to argue that German industrial production hit its peak in 1944 and only declined in 1945 due to loss of territory. The quote may be anecdotal but one Allied general summarised the situation in May 1945 as 'the Soviets won the war, we just happened to be nearby'. The decisive element was the destruction of manpower and material by the Soviets, plus the steady loss of critical resources as the Red Army advanced into regions like Silesia and took over the oil regions in Rumania and Hungary. What the game models well, is that there was an enduring belief among the allies that strategic bombing could be decisive, Harris persisted in his belief that civilian morale would crack as a result. For the British from 1940-3, Strategic bombing was the only offensive tool, so it was easy to decide to believe it was effective. I think the Americans were more pragmatic, but still they had invested a huge amount in heavy bombers so there was a bit of a mindset that once you'd built the blessed things, you really had to us them.
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