The development of British strategic area bombing 1918-1945 : a study in theory and practice

This thesis contends that it is only by studying the many issuesaround which the doctrine of strategic bombing developed during theinter-war period that an attempt can be made to achieve a clearunderstanding of the controversial character of the area bombingoffensive against Germany during the Second World Var, including thecrucial issue of responsibility. It is the intention of this thesis,therefore, to put the aerial campaign into its full historicalcontext.The first part of this thesis will study the inter-war period andillustrate how the theory of strategic bombing came underfundamental influences and pressures. It will be shown how itsdevelopment became part of far reaching issues beyond the normalsphere of military planning, including matters of both domestic andforeign policy. This will facilitate a clear interpretation of thefactors which necessitated a further change in the doctrine once thetheory was put into practice.In the second part of this thesis it will be seen how, largely as aconsequence of the issues involved in the development of strategicbombing during the inter-war period, Britain entered the war with anair policy based strictly on the principle of the immunity ofcivilians from attack. By 1942, however, this principle hadapparently been abandoned. It will be illustrated that a combinationof factors, many the result of the inter-war period, forced theGovernment to adopt a policy of area bombing. For the remainder ofthe war Germany's civilian population became the objective forattack. However, this was an extremely controversial change inpolicy, to which the Government refused to admit throughout the war.Therefore, it will be illustrated how, by the spring of 1945, whenvictory in Europe was assured, the politicians attempted todisassociate themselves from the area bombing policy and attachresponsibility to the Chiefs of Staff.

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

Master's Level (Level 7)

Year dc:date.issued

1993

Author dc:creator

• Knott, S

Language dc:language

en

Identifier

oai:salford-repository.worktribe.com:1339169

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:salford-repository.worktribe.com:1339169