Hornchurch
Airman
- 38
- Jul 3, 2020
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It might be a good idea to post the link to that forum's discussion.
'I think "Operation Gisela" would be a good bench mark or place to start. Operation Gisela - Wikipedia
'
I'm NOT here to debate all the 'b*ll*ks, why's & wherefore's & yes, I "know" Germany WAS being bought to it's knees.
More were involved in the operation that "Gisela" opposed on 3/4 of March but not at a single target by that time BC were running out of German targets to hit.I think the last major raid by Bomber Command was on Karlsruhe on the 2nd/3rd February 1945. 250 Lancaster's took part and 14 were lost close to a 6% loss rate
I would say that is a good performance from a strong defence
'Maybe the Russians, USA and even British ground forces had a tiny role.
Just suggesting.
More were involved in the operation that "Gisela" opposed on 3/4 of March but not at a single target by that time BC were running out of German targets to hit.
Between Bomber Command's attack on Dresden on 13 February 1945 and the end of the war Bomber Command lost almost 400 bombers.
This despite some claiming that by February the war was already won. The Western Allies still had to cross the Rhine and were still recovering from the effects of the German offensive in the Ardennes.
The Red Army still had to fight major battles up to and including that for Berlin, the last battle alone would cost something like 80,000 dead Russians.
The idea that Germany had ceased to exist as a meaningful opponent at this time would have come as a surprise to General Schorner who still had half a million men under his command in Army Group Centre, with Dresden at their backs.
I'm not sure who was shooting down all those bombers, The USAAF's lost a similar number, but my guess is that it was the far from defenceless Germans.
По советским данным, в 1945 г. боевые потери советской авиации составили 4100 боевых самолетов, таким образом, среднемесячные потери равнялись 1025 самолетам.
According to Soviet data, in 1945 the combat losses of the Soviet aviation amounted to 4,100 combat aircraft, thus the average monthly losses were equal to 1,025 aircraft.
As I remember it the last places to fall silent in Berlin were the air defence towers. Approximately half of losses were due to flak and things other than night fighters, accidents collisions etc. Flying ops at that time were dangerous in themselves without any enemy action, 25 aircraft were lost in the Berlin Airlift.That I don't deny. The idea was to show that at the end of the war the Luftwaffe were quite capable of putting up a strong defence, which I thought it did.
For what it's worth ...
January 1944
Heavy guns
Germany 6,716 -- Western Front 1,225 -- Eastern Front 1,430 -- other fronts 1,815Medium and Light guns
Germany 8,484 -- Western Front 4,200 -- Eastern Front 2,412 -- other fronts 2,412Searchlights
Germany 6,320 -- Western Front 560 -- Eastern Front 576 -- other fronts 384Barrage Balloons
Germany 1,968 -- Western Front 288 -- Eastern Front 96 -- other fronts 24
March 1945
Heavy guns
Germany 5,614 -- Western Front 1,384 -- Eastern Front 2,952Medium and Light guns
Germany 3,984 -- Western Front 3,398 -- Eastern Front 3,942Searchlights
Germany 4,880 -- Western Front 544 -- Eastern Front 256Barrage Balloons
Germany 1,464 -- Western Front 12 -- Eastern Front 48Western Front is France, Holland, Belgium, etc.
View attachment 609627
Thanks. This one, I believe. Adding to future reading list...Harris' postwar despatch.
Looking closer at the original, I see the numbers on German guns/searchlights/etc. are based on intel reports -- so I think a grain of salt required.