The Flying Superweapon That Hitler Didn’t See Coming

In 1943, after grueling months of research, the RE8, a covert wartime operation created by the British, distilled and engineered Armageddon.

Over 3,000 Allied planes took the skies, armed with over 9,000 tons of explosives. They aimed to create an untamable firestorm, whose temperatures would reach over 1,400 degrees Fahrenheit, hotter than volcanic lava.

Operation Gomorrah

The terror of Operation Gomorrah was unavoidable. During WWII, the Luftwaffe unleashed terrorizing raids on Britain, such as the London Blitz and the firebombing of Coventry.

Unknowingly, they were also teaching the Allies what to do, and what not to do, allowing them to perfect the air of carpet bombing a nation into submission.

A Significant Shift

Arthur Harris, the Commander-in-Chief of the RAF, believed that incendiary bombs instead of explosives, could best demolish a city. Previously, the Allies condemned the bombing of civilians as contrary to international law. However, a significant shift happened during the Luftwaffe’s bombing of Rotterdam in May 1940 which claimed the lives of over 800 civilians.

The British War Cabinet then authorized retaliatory bombings against Germany. The sustained bombing of Britain’s cities during the Blitz which took 41,000 lives and widespread destruction hardened this resolve. The strategic aim shifted towards undermining German morale and crippling their war industry through indiscriminate bombing tactics.

Bomber Harris

In February 1942, Arthur Harris who would soon earn the nickname “Bomber Harris,’ took command of Bomber Command, embracing the acceptance of a total war approach to end the conflict. Fortunately for Harris, a team of secretive Research and Experiment unit or RE8 has been working for over a year in creating the most devastating carpet bombing method. This bombing raid would trigger an unstoppable firestorm.

The ideal mix was to include both heavy bombs to destroy roofs and create openings and incendiary bombs to ignite fire within the buildings. The British also used magnesium bombs and oil-based incendiaries as the main mechanisms for the firestorms. The timing of these raids was also picked carefully to coincide with favorable weather conditions and maximize destructive impact.

A Firestorm

Harris pinpointed the city of Hamburg as a main target. Determined to take down the city’s industrial might, he orchestrated a 10-day campaign, codenaming it Operation Gomorrah. Between 1:00 and 2:00 am, 2,300 tons of bombs rained down on Hamburg. This included 8,000 pound blockbusters and 4,000-pound cookies alongside 350,000 individual incendiary bombs.

Most of the destruction came not from the initial blasts but from the subsequent fires. Incendiary bombs ignited blazes, while strategically placed high explosives and delayed action fuses hindered firefighting efforts. The physical devastation was overwhelming, leaving no part of central Hamburg untouched.

Effects

The series of firestorms claimed approximately 4,000 lives, many dying from suffocation from smoke inhalation or carbon monoxide poisoning. Around 180,00 were wounded and over a million residents were displaced.

While others didn’t face bombing again, other German cities would suffer similar fates, as the Allies continued to target urban centers throughout the war.