Restrained Policy and Careless Execution: Allied Strategic Bombing on the Netherlands in the Second World War
AbstractThis article examines the nature of Allied strategic bombing on the Netherlands in the Second World War. It discusses the endless controversy on strategic bombing, and adds the policy of bombing occupied countries, especially the Dutch involvement in bombing policy development, a quantitative analysis of bombing on the Netherlands, and three case studies to the existing narrative. The paper concludes that Allied bombing policy towards the Netherlands sought to maintain a balance between the usefulness of bombing and the risk of collateral damage. Further, it reveals the absolute magnitude of the bombing campaign in the Netherlands, which contrasts with existing history. This article concludes that the nature of strategic bombing on the Netherlands, notwithstanding the fact of sincere intentions and restrained policies, was that the execution of the bombardments regu- larly failed to attain the defined bombing goals. These failures caused extensive collateral damage, as illustrated by three case st...
The Strategic Bombing of Germany in World War II: Costs and Accomplishments
As interest in World War II increases, it releases what seems to be a never-ending flood of literature. While the volume of this material is staggering, gaps and controversial areas remain. One especially troublesome subject is strategic bombing. Although much has been written about the bombing, few studies merit either the term "analytical" or the term "scholarly." First-person and journalistic accounts of derring-do predominate. Perhaps in no other field of history do so many "feel" and believe so much, rely on so little analysis and proof, and yet write so much.' The following is a summary and assessment of the strategic bombing efforts in Europe during World War II. It focuses on the costs and accomplishments of the bombing, on what bombing did and did not do. Other aspects of the bombing, such as lessons, morality, and criticisms, are left to other studies.
Royal Air Force, 1939-1945
This three volume official history of the Royal Air Force in World War II was first published in 1953 to satisfy the need for a brief, interim history until such time as a fuller, more analytical treatment could be attempted. In the event the Royal Air Force was not dealt with as a separate entity in the massive official History of the Second World War edited by J. R. M. Butler, except for the four volumes published on the strategic air offensive. In view of this Her Majesty's Stationery Office has taken the welcome decision to re-issue this work by Richards and Saunders, with some minor textual emendations.