09-06-2015, 07:26 PM
Michael Barwell Wrote:Matthew Hewitt Wrote:What's interesting here is that Churchill (correctly) believed that bombing would get the general public behind the war, not against it. Even to the point of secretly beginning air attacks on German civilian targets during the so called 'quiet war', so that natural retaliation would appear as outright Nazi aggression and cause outrage. There's still a complete lack of awareness in the UK about the extent of German civilian casualties and how ours are, by comparison, small-fry.
Not defending Hitler there, or intending to diminish people who did suffer here. Just commenting on how mendacious and oblivious to public safety the ruling classes are and were.
One, or a very small number of Luftwaffe bombers seem to have dropped their loads on London by genuine error (never read anything to suggest otherwise) and very much against Hitler's orders. Churchill responded by throwing something like 70 Brit bombers at Berlin. Hitler retaliated, and the Luftwaffe stopped bombing Fighter Command fields, and started the Blitz, which seems to have been what Churchill wanted, the 'theory' being that Fighter Command were on the back foot due to GAF (German air force) attacks, but as I gather it, just one field was out of action for 24hrs.
Hajo Hermann was involved in a raid against industry on the Tyne; houses were hit, and he had to answer to Hitler in person for the screw-up.
That wasn't idle speculation on my part, I'm basing it on war cabinet minutes and witness statements.