OPERATION GOMORRAH

ALSO KNOWN AS

WHY HAMBURG

• Industry
• Shipyard
• Oil refinery
• Major city

MAJOR EVENTS

• 8 day 7 night assault
• 24 July through august 1st 1943
• 70 tons of block buster bombs
• 2,500 tons of incendiary bombs

DAY 1

• Planes were sent in waves to confuse the German radar
• "Window" or chaff technique

DAY 2

• At 6:40PM The initial attack began
• 300 aircraft were sent to attack Hamburg but problems with navigation in the air meant that only 90 B-17 Flying Fortresses reached Hamburg.
• The bombers attacked the Blohm and Voss shipyard and an aero-engine factory
• Both were destroyed

DAY 3

• Due to weather and smoke from the previous day air raids were postponed

DAY 4

• The attack started at 12:20am
• Because of severe thunderstorms and high winds over the North Sea a considerable number of bombers jettisoned their bomb loads onto other towns or into the sea
• Only a few made it to Hamburg and actually released bombs

DAY 5

• Shortly before midnight 787 aircraft, 74 Wellingtons, 116 Stirlings, 244 Halifaxes and 353 Lancaster's bombed Hamburg
• The unusually dry and warm weather and the concentration of the bombing in one area and firefighting limitations due to blockbuster bombs used in the early part of the raid created a fire tornado with winds up to 150 mph reaching temperatures of 1,470 °F and altitudes in of 1,000 ft incinerating more than 8 square miles of the city.

DAY 5

• Asphalt streets burst into flames and fuel oil from damaged and destroyed ships, barges and storage tanks spilled into the water of the canals and the harbour, causing them to ignite. The majority of deaths during Operation Gomorrah occurred on this night.

DAY 6

• Hamburg was again attacked by over 700 aircraft finishing off the city

DAY 7-8

• Because of the damage to the city and the fires the allies were unable to continue the assault.
• On day 8 a final assault was scheduled but cancelled due to thunderstorms

EFFECTS

• 42,600 killed
• 37,000 wounded
• 250,000 houses were destroyed
• 283 out of 524 large factories were completely destroyed
• 5,118 out of 9,068 small factories were completely destroyed

EFFECTS

• 26,000 died from the incendiary bombs
• 18,000 died from the carpet bombs
• The remaining deaths were either caused from debris or suffocation

THE END