So the pattern was - Luftwaffe bomb military targets, cause collateral damage in London - RAF then bomb military targets, cause collateral damage in Berlin. That remained the case until early September (although the Luftwaffe were doing much more bombing, and causing much more collateral damage), when the Luftwaffe began area bombing British cities in an attempt to break civilian morale.
Basically that`s the arguement Hop advances on all forums and discussion boards, though it considerably changed depending over the time. The conclusion/agenda is always the same though, it aims to either claim that
a, RAF BC was really above area bombing (
'I didn`t do it')
b, the RAF just reacted (
'they started it')
c, everyone was area bombing, usually blending RAF BC night area raids on urban centres in the same place as the USAAF`s daylight attacks on specific targets based on similiarities in bombing techniques (
'they did it, too!')
Of course it`s either unreferenced bull, building on widely believed popular myths, like the 'area attacks on civillian morale', or half truths like saying there were X number of civillian casulties in city Y, failing to mention if the specific attack had specific target. This time, it appears to be Tactic B.
It`s still untrue though.
In fact, the Germans themselves classified the following raids only as
repraisal raids - an answer to predating and parellel British attacks on German population centres :
- 7 September 1940 (this was conducted as a repraisal of Bomber Commands bombing of Berlin a bit earlier)
- 16/17 April 1941
- 19/20 April 1941
- 10/11 May 1941
Essentially it is correct to note these attacks on the British civilian population were performed in 1941 -
as repraisals to specific British attacks.
It's worth notin that 'terror bombing' was explicitely prohibted at the start of the battle, see Directive No. 17 'for the conduct of air and sea warfare aganist England', from 1st August 1940 :
'5. I reserve to myself the right to decide on terror attacks as measures of reprisal.'
Göring's general orders to the Luftwaffe, from 30th June 1940 are even more explicit in this matter :
'(A) The war against England is to be restricted to destructive attacks against industry and air force targets which have weak defensive forces. ... It is also stressed that every effort should be made to avoid unneccesary loss of life amongst the civillian population.'
Terror bombing was certainly
considered in 1940, but it was declined :
Ie. on 14 Sept 1940, Jeschonek suggested Hitler the very thing, 'to bomb population districts in order to provoke mass panic in the English working class', was refused by Hitler, saying that :
'Attack on targets having military value are always top priority, as it destroys assets which are unrecoverable. As long as there are targets of military importance, we should stay with those'. Subsequently, Hitler gave order that 'attacks on London are to be directed, via broadening the attacked areas, against targets of military importance and targets of vital importance to the city, the line being drawn at railroad stations'.
An American, General Henry Arnold, from the USAAF Staff described in his experiences in April 1941 in his book 'Global Mission'(1949) :
'Lord Sinclair [head of the Air Ministry at the time]
... first took me to the Air Raid Precaution Office where there was a map showing the location of all bombs dropped. They were spread out all over London, in most cases close to railroad stations, switching points, power houses, transformers, bridges, docks, warehouses, and factories; but a lot were in the residental areas. Every bomb dropped was accurately plotted.'
Sir Basil Collier, author of the official history of Britain's Air Defenses, 'The Defence of the United Kingdom' (1957) wrote that :
'Altough the plan adopted by the Luftwaffe early September had mentioned attacks on the population of large cities, detailed records of the raids made during the automn and the winter of 1940-41 does not suggest that indiscriminate bombing of the civillians was intended. The points of aim selected were largely factories and docks. Other objectives specifically allotted to bomber-crews included the City [center of business and financial life]
of London and the govermental quarter rounds Whitehall.'
So, I am waiting for specific evidence about specific raids in 1940 apart from the three mentioned above for 1940/41 on their 'area bombing' nature, preferably from primary German sources detailed the raid`s targets. Curiously, the Luftwaffe even ceased bombing for the period of Christmas in 1940.