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1942
March
13
Gee raids on the Ruhr
In March 1942 Bomber Command began flying over Germany with the Gee radio-navigation system. Smog shrouded Essen, but on 13/14 March bombs hit Cologne.
28
The bombing of Lübeck
On the night of 28–29 March 1942, 234 RAF bombers burned the western part of Lübeck's old town. Over 300 died. Hitler demanded revenge on English cities.
April
05
RAF raids on Cologne and Hamburg
On the nights of 5/6 and 8/9 April 1942 Bomber Command sent its largest raids yet to Cologne and Hamburg. The bombing was scattered and the damage slight.
24
RAF raids on Rostock
Over four nights from 23/24 to 26/27 April 1942 Bomber Command burned out most of old Rostock and struck the Heinkel works. More than 200 people died.
May
30
Key event
The thousand-bomber raid on Cologne
On the night of 30/31 May 1942 the RAF sent 1,047 bombers to Cologne. In 90 minutes they started thousands of fires; about 470 died and 45,000 lost their homes.
June
02
The thousand-bomber raid on Essen
On the night of 1–2 June 1942 the RAF sent 956 bombers to Essen. Haze and cloud scattered the raid, Krupp's works survived and bombs fell on neighbouring towns.
25
The thousand-bomber raid on Bremen
On the night of 25–26 June 1942 the RAF sent 1,067 aircraft to Bremen. Cloud limited the damage and 48 bombers were lost. It was the last 1942 “thousand” raid.
July
27
The RAF raid on Hamburg of 26/27 July
On the night of 26/27 July 1942 the RAF sent 403 bombers to Hamburg. Fires engulfed residential districts, 337 people died and 29 aircraft failed to return.
September
10
The raid on Düsseldorf
On the night of 10–11 September 1942 the RAF sent 479 aircraft against Düsseldorf. The Pathfinders marked the target well and the city suffered heavy damage.
October
06
The dispute over day and night bombing
In autumn 1942 the British pressed the Americans to give up daylight raids. Eaker and Arnold defended their doctrine, and the raid on Lille put it to the test.
22
The raid on Genoa
On the night of 22–23 October 1942, 112 RAF Lancasters bombed central Genoa, opening an autumn bombing offensive against the cities of northern Italy.
November
18
RAF raids in November 1942
On the night of 18–19 November 1942 RAF bombers struck Turin. Berlin was not bombed in November; the targets were Turin, Genoa, Hamburg and Stuttgart.
December
06
The raid on the Philips works at Eindhoven
On 6 December 1942 nearly a hundred RAF bombers struck the Philips works at Eindhoven at low level. Production stopped, but some 140–150 residents died.
1943
January
16
RAF raids on Berlin in January 1943
On the nights of 16/17 and 17/18 January 1943 RAF Lancasters and Halifaxes bombed Berlin after a 14-month gap. Damage was slight, second-night losses heavy.
February
09
Bombing raids in February 1943
In February 1943 the RAF razed Lorient, bombed blind with H2S radar successfully for the first time (Wilhelmshaven), and the Americans attacked Emden.
March
05
The Battle of the Ruhr begins
During the night of 5–6 March 1943 the RAF bombed Essen, opening the Battle of the Ruhr. On 8–9 and 9–10 March bombers struck Nuremberg and Munich.
April
15
The raids on Stuttgart and Pilsen
On the night of 14–15 April 1943 the RAF bombed Stuttgart. Two nights later a raid on the Škoda works at Pilsen missed its target, and 36 bombers were lost.
May
16
Operation Chastise
On the night of 16–17 May 1943 Lancasters of No. 617 Squadron breached the Möhne and Eder dams with “bouncing bombs”. The flood killed some 1,600 people.
29
The raid on Wuppertal
On the night of 29–30 May 1943 over 700 RAF bombers attacked Wuppertal. Fire consumed Barmen and killed some 3,400 people – the most in any single raid so far.
June
20
Operation Bellicose
On the night of 20–21 June 1943 RAF Lancasters bombed the Zeppelin works at Friedrichshafen and flew on to Algeria, also hitting planned V-2 production.
24
The raid on Elberfeld and the evacuation of the Ruhr
On the night of 24–25 June 1943 the RAF destroyed Elberfeld, western Wuppertal, killing about 1,900. Women and children were moved out of Ruhr cities.
July
24
Key event
Operation Gomorrah
From 24 July to 3 August 1943 Allied bombers struck Hamburg. A firestorm on the night of 27/28 July killed about 18,000 people; in all some 34,000–40,000 died.
August
17
Key event
Operation Hydra
On the night of 17–18 August 1943 nearly 600 RAF bombers attacked the rocket centre at Peenemünde. About 700 people died, most of them forced labourers.
October
22
The raid on Kassel
On the night of 22–23 October 1943, 569 RAF bombers attacked Kassel. A firestorm consumed the old town; sources put the dead at 6,000–10,000.
November
18
Key event
The air Battle of Berlin begins
On the night of 18–19 November 1943, 444 RAF aircraft attacked Berlin. Cloud scattered the bombs; about 130–150 died. So began the Battle of Berlin.
27
Raids on Berlin in November 1943
Three great RAF night raids on 22–27 November 1943 devastated Berlin. The Memorial Church and the opera burned and several thousand people were killed.
December
03
Murrow's "orchestrated hell"
On 3 December 1943 Edward R. Murrow told CBS listeners about an RAF raid on Berlin he had flown in a Lancaster. It became a classic of war reporting.
1944
January
20
The raid on Berlin of 20 January
On the night of 20–21 January 1944 the RAF sent 769 bombers to Berlin. They reportedly dropped about 2,300 tons of bombs; 35 aircraft were lost.
March
22
The raids on Frankfurt
On the night of 22/23 March 1944, 816 RAF aircraft burned Frankfurt's old town. About 1,000 people died that night, over 1,400 in the two March night raids.
30
Key event
The raid on Nuremberg
On the night of 30/31 March 1944 the RAF sent 795 bombers to Nuremberg. German night fighters shot down 95 – Bomber Command's heaviest loss of the war.
1945
February
13
Key event
The bombing of Dresden
On the night of 13/14 February 1945 the RAF, and by day the USAAF, bombed Dresden. A firestorm destroyed the old city; up to 25,000 people were killed.
23
The raid on Pforzheim
On the evening of 23 February 1945 RAF bombers burned Pforzheim in 22 minutes. Some 17,600 died – proportionally the deadliest single raid on a Reich city.