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{{Infobox Military Conflict
{{Infobox military conflict
|conflict = Blitz Week
|conflict = Blitz Week
|partof = [[Campaigns of World War II#Strategic bombing campaign in Europe|Strategic bombing campaign in Europe]]
|partof = [[Campaigns of World War II#Strategic bombing campaign in Europe|Strategic bombing campaign in Europe]]
|image =
|image =
|caption =
|caption =
|date = July 24-26 & 28-30, 1943<ref name=Coffey/>{{Rp|244-5}}
|date = July 24–26 & 28–30, 1943<ref name=Coffey/>{{Rp|244–5}}
|place ={{flag|Nazi Germany}}: [[Bombing of Hamburg in World War II |Hamburg]] (25th), Hanover (26th), [[Bombing of Kassel in World War II |Kassel]] (28th, 30th), Kiel (25th, 29th), Oschersleben (28th), Warnemünde (25th, 29th)<br>
|place ={{flag|Nazi Germany}}: [[Bombing of Hamburg in World War II|Hamburg]] (25th), Hanover (26th), [[Bombing of Kassel in World War II|Kassel]] (28th, 30th), Kiel (25th, 29th), Oschersleben (28th), Warnemünde (25th, 29th)<br />
{{flag|Norway}}: [[Herøya]] & Trondheim (24th)<!--298 B-17s<ref name=Arnold>{{Rp|335}}-->
{{flag|Norway}}: [[Herøya]] & Trondheim (24th)<!--298 B-17s<ref name=Arnold>{{Rp|335}}-->
|combatant1 ={{USA}}
|combatant1 ={{USA}}
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|commander1 =
|commander1 =
|commander2 =
|commander2 =
|strength1 =
|strength1 =
|strength2 =
|strength2 =
|casualties1=100 aircraft<br>1000 KIA/WIA/MIA<ref name=Coffey/>{{Rp|242}}
|casualties1=100 aircraft<br />1,000 aircrew killed, wounded, captured, or missing<ref name=Coffey/>{{Rp|242}}
|casualties2=
|casualties2=
}}
}}
{{Main|Strategic bombing during World War II}}
{{Main|Strategic bombing during World War II}}
{{Distinguish|Big Week}}<!--{{Otheruses4|[[Operation Pointblank|Pointblank]] [[air raid]]s in July 1943|[[Operation Argument]] bombings of February 1944|Big Week}}-->
{{Distinguish|Big Week}}<!--{{about|[[Operation Pointblank|Pointblank]] [[air raid]]s in July 1943|[[Operation Argument]] bombings of February 1944|Big Week}}-->


'''Blitz Week''' was a period of [[United States Army Air Forces]] (USAAF) [[strategic bombing|aerial bombardment]] during the 1943 [[Combined Bomber Offensive]] of [[World War II]]. [[strategic bombing|Air raids]] were conducted on six of seven days as part of [[Operation Gomorrah]], against targets such as the chemical plant at [[Herøya]], Norway, which produced nitrates for explosives;<ref name=Coffey>{{Cite document |last=Coffey |first=Thomas M. |year=1977 |title=Decision over Schweinfurt: The [[Eighth Air Force#United States Strategic Air Forces (1944 - 1945)|U.S. 8th Air Force]] Battle for [[Strategic bombing#World War II|Daylight Bombing]] |location=New York |publisher=David McKay Company |page=242, 244–5, 265 }}</ref> and the [[AGO Flugzeugwerke]] [[Aktiengesellschaft|AG]] plant<ref name=Jablonski>{{cite book |last=Jablonski |first=Edward |year=1971 |title=Airpower |url= http://www.alibris.com/booksearch?qwork=-38504524}}
'''Blitz Week''' was a period of [[United States Army Air Forces]] (USAAF) [[strategic bombing|aerial bombardment]] during the 1943 [[Combined Bomber Offensive]] of [[World War II]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Blitz Week {{!}} Operations & Codenames of WWII|url=https://codenames.info/operation/blitz-week/|access-date=2022-01-05|website=codenames.info}}</ref> [[strategic bombing|Air raids]] were conducted on six of seven days as part of [[Operation Gomorrah]], against targets such as the chemical plant at [[Herøya]], Norway, which produced nitrates for explosives;<ref name=Coffey>{{Cite web |last=Coffey |first=Thomas M. |year=1977 |title=Decision over Schweinfurt: The U.S. 8th Air Force Battle for Daylight Bombing |url=https://archive.org/details/decisionoverschw00coff |url-access=registration |location=New York |publisher=David McKay Company |page=[https://archive.org/details/decisionoverschw00coff/page/242 242], 244–5, 265 }}</ref> and the [[AGO Flugzeugwerke]] [[Aktiengesellschaft|AG]] plant<ref name=Jablonski>{{cite book |last=Jablonski |first=Edward |year=1971 |title=Airpower |url= http://www.alibris.com/booksearch?qwork=-38504524}}
*'''Volume I''': {{cite book |last=----- |title=Terror from the Sky |work=Airpower |isbn=0-385-04524-7 }} pages 1-168
* '''Volume I''': {{cite book |title=Terror from the Sky |work=Airpower |year=1971 |isbn=978-0-385-04524-7 |last1=Jablonski |first1=Edward |publisher=Doubleday }} pages 1-168
*'''Volume II''': {{cite book |last=----- |title=Tragic Victories |work=Airpower |isbn=1-933648-12-0 }} pages 1-192
* '''Volume II''': {{cite book |title=Tragic Victories |work=Airpower |date=October 2006 |isbn=978-1-933648-12-5 |last1=Weir |first1=William |publisher=Pegasus Books }} pages 1-192
*'''Volume III''': {{cite book |last=----- |title=Outraged Skies |work=Airpower }} pages 1-136
* '''Volume III''': {{cite book |last= |title=Outraged Skies |work=Airpower }} pages 1-136
*'''Volume IV''': {{cite book |last=----- |title=Wings of Fire |work=Airpower |isbn=84-8483-406-9 }} pages 1-218</ref>{{Rp|IV-48,51}} (an [[Operation Pointblank]] target) at [[Oschersleben]], Germany that assembled [[Focke-Wulf 190]]s. The Kassel mission on July 28, 1943 was the first use of [[P-47 Thunderbolt]] [[Drop tank |auxiliary fuel tanks]].<ref name=Arnold>{{cite book |last=Arnold |first=Henry H.—Foreword |authorlink= Henry H. Arnold |date=June 1944 |origyear= Special Edition for AAF Organizations, from May 1944 |title=AAF: The Official Guide to the Army Air Forces |location=New York |publisher= Pocket Books |page=334}}</ref>
* '''Volume IV''': {{cite book |title=Wings of Fire |work=Airpower |isbn=978-84-8483-406-9 |date=October 2009 |last1=García |first1=Laura Gallego |publisher=Ediciones del Laberinto S. L }} pages 1-218</ref>{{Rp|IV-48,51}} (an [[Operation Pointblank]] target) at [[Oschersleben]], Germany that assembled [[Focke-Wulf Fw 190]]s. The Kassel mission on July 28, 1943, was the first use of [[Drop tank|auxiliary external fuel tanks]] on the [[P-47 Thunderbolt]].<ref name=Arnold>{{cite book |last=Arnold |first=Henry H.—Foreword |author-link= Henry H. Arnold |date=June 1944 |orig-year= Special Edition for AAF Organizations, from May 1944 |title=AAF: The Official Guide to the Army Air Forces |location=New York |publisher= Pocket Books |page=334}}</ref>

== Attack on Norway ==
[[File:Ladehammerkaia after allied bombing, july 1943.jpg|thumb|Aftermath of Ladehammerkaia in Trondheim from the allied attack in 1943]]
[[Norway]] was an important foothold for [[Nazi Germany|Germany]] due to strategic positioning and its connection to Swedish iron mines, connecting [[Luleå|Lulea]], [[Sweden]] to [[Narvik]], [[Norway]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=War in the Air|last=Garnet|first=David|publisher=Doubleday|year=1941|pages=112}}</ref> On July 24, [[Trondheim]] and [[Herøya]] were attacked by the [[Eighth Air Force]] in their very first attack on the country; Trondheim was home to a large [[Kriegsmarine]] [[U-boat]] base and Herøya sheltered industrial plants producing [[magnesium]] and [[aluminum]] metals and [[nitrates]] for explosives, owned by the German company [[I. G. Farben]].<ref>{{Cite news|title=Norwegians Report on Fortress Raids: Damage at Trondheim, Heroya in July 24 Attacks Marked|date=Aug 1, 1943|work=New York Times}}</ref> The highly successful attack on the processing plants struck a great blow to the German [[Luftwaffe]], forcing them to find a new supplier for critical metals for aircraft. The Eighth Air Force brought along 167 [[Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress|1st Bombardment Wing B-17s]], a single [[Boeing YB-40 Flying Fortress|YB-40]], and 41 [[B-17 Flying Fortress units of the United States Army Air Forces|4th Bombardment Wing]] B-17s. The attack on Norway was also the first time a splasher beacon was used during poor weather.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Air War Europa: Chronology: America's Air War Against Germany In Europe and North Africa, 1942–1945|last=Hammel|first=Eric|year=2009|pages=157}}</ref>

== Bombing of Hamburg ==
[[File:Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1942-1945. CL3400 (cropped).jpg|thumb|241x241px|Hamburg after being bombed by the Royal Air Force and United States Army Air Force in 1943]]
During the last week of July in 1943, The [[Eighth Air Force]] of the [[United States Army Air Forces]](USAAF) launched an offensive against [[Nazi Germany|Germany]] in the form of air raids in which 1,000 combatants were either killed, injured, or went missing.<ref>{{cite book|title=Decision Over Schweinfurt: The U.S. 8th Air Force Battle for Daylight Bombing|last1=Coffey|first1=Thomas M|date=1977|publisher=David McKay Company|isbn=978-0679507635|page=[https://archive.org/details/decisionoverschw00coff/page/242 242]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/decisionoverschw00coff/page/242}}</ref> The United States of America launched these air raids alongside the [[United Kingdom]], which they called [[Bombing of Hamburg in World War II|Operation Gomorrah]]. [[Hamburg]] was deemed an important strategic target due to its housing of [[U-boat]]s and oil refineries in the region. Because the Nazis knew and understood the importance of Hamburg, the city was ringed with anti-aircraft weapons and 1,700 shelters were provided for its 230,000 citizens.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/world-war-two/the-bombing-campaign-of-world-war-two/the-bombing-of-hamburg-in-1943/|title=The bombing of Hamburg in 1943|last=Trueman|first=C|date=19 May 2015|website=History Learning Site}}</ref> To counter the radar use in Hamburg, British bomber crews applied strips of tin foil, known as [[Chaff (countermeasure)|Chaff]], to the bomber which would be dropped to confuse the radar screen and would appear as a cluster of targets on the screen. Britain's first attack came on the 24th, with the USAAF to follow the next day, but they ran into difficulties navigating the city due to the large amount of smoke the [[Royal Air Force|RAF]] had caused on the night before.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Bomber Command War Diaries: An Operational Reference Book|last1=Middlebrook|first1=Martin|last2=Everitt|first2=Chris|publisher=Viking|year=1985|pages=410}}</ref>

== Operation Pointblank ==
[[Pointblank directive|Operation Pointblank]] was the code name for the main part of the [[Combined Bomber Offensive]], and was focused on crippling [[Nazi Germany|Nazi Germany's]] aircraft production to create less resistance when invading the rest of Europe controlled by Germany.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Preemptive Defense, Allied Air Powers Versus Hitler's V-Weapons, 1943–1945|last=Gruen|first=Alan L|pages=4, 5}}</ref> Operation Pointblank began on 14 June 1943 and lasted until 19 April of the next year.<ref name=":0" /> The USAAF focused on attacking aircraft factories during the day in "precision attacks” forcing the Luftwaffe into defending them and luring them into air battles; losses of trained pilots meant that even though German aircraft production rose, the combat efficiency of the Luftwaffe was reduced.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Operation Pointblank 1944 : defeating the Luftwaffe|last=Zaloga|first=Steve|date=2011|publisher=Osprey Publishing|isbn=9781849083850|location=Long Island City, NY|oclc=676726859}}</ref> During Operation Pointblank, both the USAAF and [[Royal Air Force|RAF]] had attacked several targets including: [[Schweinfurt|Shweinfurt]], [[Regensburg]], [[Oschersleben|Oshersleben]], [[Warnemünde]], and [[Kassel]].

=== Oschersleben ===
During the last week of July 1943, the Eighth Air Force launched several high-effort missions against aircraft production factories in Germany. General [[Ira C. Eaker]] and Fred Anderson were crucial in the planning of these attacks and had focused on the northern part of Germany, where the Eighth Air Force had routinely operated.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Hit the Target: Eight Men Who Led the Eighth Air Force to Victory Over the Luftwaffe|last=Yenne|first=Bill|year=2015|pages=189}}</ref> The factories that were targeted were the [[AGO Flugzeugwerke]] located in Oschersleben, [[Heinkel|Heinkel Flugzeugwerke]] in [[Warnemünde]], and [[Fieseler|Fieseler Flugzeugbau]] in [[Kassel]]. These factories produced the notable [[Focke-Wulf Fw 190]] and [[Messerschmitt Bf 109]] fighter planes. The attack began on 28 July, but the 120 [[Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress|B-17s]] from the 4th Bombardment Wing that had set out for Oschersleben ran into poor weather and became separated.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://codenames.info/operation/blitz-week/|title=Operation Blitz Week|last=Chant|first=Christopher}}</ref>


==Notes==
==Notes==
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{{clear}}
{{clear}}
{{WWII Pointblank}}
{{WWII Pointblank}}
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[[Category:World War II strategic bombing]]


⚫
[[Category:World War II strategic bombing]]

{{WWII-battle-stub}}

Latest revision as of 07:16, 29 February 2024

Blitz Week
Part of Strategic bombing campaign in Europe
DateJuly 24–26 & 28–30, 1943[1]: 244–5 
Location
 Nazi Germany: Hamburg (25th), Hanover (26th), Kassel (28th, 30th), Kiel (25th, 29th), Oschersleben (28th), Warnemünde (25th, 29th)
 Norway: Herøya & Trondheim (24th)
Belligerents
 United States  Nazi Germany
Casualties and losses
100 aircraft
1,000 aircrew killed, wounded, captured, or missing[1]: 242 
Main article: Strategic bombing during World War II
Not to be confused with Big Week.

Blitz Week was a period of United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) aerial bombardment during the 1943 Combined Bomber Offensive of World War II.[2] Air raids were conducted on six of seven days as part of Operation Gomorrah, against targets such as the chemical plant at Herøya, Norway, which produced nitrates for explosives;[1] and the AGO Flugzeugwerke AG plant[3]: IV-48, 51  (an Operation Pointblank target) at Oschersleben, Germany that assembled Focke-Wulf Fw 190s. The Kassel mission on July 28, 1943, was the first use of auxiliary external fuel tanks on the P-47 Thunderbolt.[4]

Attack on Norway[edit]

Aftermath of Ladehammerkaia in Trondheim from the allied attack in 1943

Norway was an important foothold for Germany due to strategic positioning and its connection to Swedish iron mines, connecting Lulea, Sweden to Narvik, Norway.[5] On July 24, Trondheim and Herøya were attacked by the Eighth Air Force in their very first attack on the country; Trondheim was home to a large Kriegsmarine U-boat base and Herøya sheltered industrial plants producing magnesium and aluminum metals and nitrates for explosives, owned by the German company I. G. Farben.[6] The highly successful attack on the processing plants struck a great blow to the German Luftwaffe, forcing them to find a new supplier for critical metals for aircraft. The Eighth Air Force brought along 167 1st Bombardment Wing B-17s, a single YB-40, and 41 4th Bombardment Wing B-17s. The attack on Norway was also the first time a splasher beacon was used during poor weather.[7]

Bombing of Hamburg[edit]

Hamburg after being bombed by the Royal Air Force and United States Army Air Force in 1943

During the last week of July in 1943, The Eighth Air Force of the United States Army Air Forces(USAAF) launched an offensive against Germany in the form of air raids in which 1,000 combatants were either killed, injured, or went missing.[8] The United States of America launched these air raids alongside the United Kingdom, which they called Operation Gomorrah. Hamburg was deemed an important strategic target due to its housing of U-boats and oil refineries in the region. Because the Nazis knew and understood the importance of Hamburg, the city was ringed with anti-aircraft weapons and 1,700 shelters were provided for its 230,000 citizens.[9] To counter the radar use in Hamburg, British bomber crews applied strips of tin foil, known as Chaff, to the bomber which would be dropped to confuse the radar screen and would appear as a cluster of targets on the screen. Britain's first attack came on the 24th, with the USAAF to follow the next day, but they ran into difficulties navigating the city due to the large amount of smoke the RAF had caused on the night before.[10]

Operation Pointblank[edit]

Operation Pointblank was the code name for the main part of the Combined Bomber Offensive, and was focused on crippling Nazi Germany's aircraft production to create less resistance when invading the rest of Europe controlled by Germany.[11] Operation Pointblank began on 14 June 1943 and lasted until 19 April of the next year.[11] The USAAF focused on attacking aircraft factories during the day in "precision attacks” forcing the Luftwaffe into defending them and luring them into air battles; losses of trained pilots meant that even though German aircraft production rose, the combat efficiency of the Luftwaffe was reduced.[12] During Operation Pointblank, both the USAAF and RAF had attacked several targets including: Shweinfurt, Regensburg, Oshersleben, Warnemünde, and Kassel.

Oschersleben[edit]

During the last week of July 1943, the Eighth Air Force launched several high-effort missions against aircraft production factories in Germany. General Ira C. Eaker and Fred Anderson were crucial in the planning of these attacks and had focused on the northern part of Germany, where the Eighth Air Force had routinely operated.[13] The factories that were targeted were the AGO Flugzeugwerke located in Oschersleben, Heinkel Flugzeugwerke in Warnemünde, and Fieseler Flugzeugbau in Kassel. These factories produced the notable Focke-Wulf Fw 190 and Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter planes. The attack began on 28 July, but the 120 B-17s from the 4th Bombardment Wing that had set out for Oschersleben ran into poor weather and became separated.[14]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Coffey, Thomas M. (1977). "Decision over Schweinfurt: The U.S. 8th Air Force Battle for Daylight Bombing". New York: David McKay Company. p. 242, 244–5, 265.
  2. ^ "Blitz Week | Operations & Codenames of WWII". codenames.info. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  3. ^ Jablonski, Edward (1971). Airpower.
  4. ^ Arnold, Henry H.—Foreword (June 1944) [Special Edition for AAF Organizations, from May 1944]. AAF: The Official Guide to the Army Air Forces. New York: Pocket Books. p. 334.
  5. ^ Garnet, David (1941). War in the Air. Doubleday. p. 112.
  6. ^ "Norwegians Report on Fortress Raids: Damage at Trondheim, Heroya in July 24 Attacks Marked". New York Times. Aug 1, 1943.
  7. ^ Hammel, Eric (2009). Air War Europa: Chronology: America's Air War Against Germany In Europe and North Africa, 1942–1945. p. 157.
  8. ^ Coffey, Thomas M (1977). Decision Over Schweinfurt: The U.S. 8th Air Force Battle for Daylight Bombing. David McKay Company. p. 242. ISBN 978-0679507635.
  9. ^ Trueman, C (19 May 2015). "The bombing of Hamburg in 1943". History Learning Site.
  10. ^ Middlebrook, Martin; Everitt, Chris (1985). The Bomber Command War Diaries: An Operational Reference Book. Viking. p. 410.
  11. ^ a b Gruen, Alan L. Preemptive Defense, Allied Air Powers Versus Hitler's V-Weapons, 1943–1945. pp. 4, 5.
  12. ^ Zaloga, Steve (2011). Operation Pointblank 1944 : defeating the Luftwaffe. Long Island City, NY: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 9781849083850. OCLC 676726859.
  13. ^ Yenne, Bill (2015). Hit the Target: Eight Men Who Led the Eighth Air Force to Victory Over the Luftwaffe. p. 189.
  14. ^ Chant, Christopher. "Operation Blitz Week".
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