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I can accept that total warfare where the population was the target as a “thing” in that type of conflict. A dirty business, but reality. The daylight raid asp

I can accept that total warfare where the population was the target as a “thing” in that type of conflict. A dirty business, but reality. The daylight raid aspect, however, seems to me to be more grounded in ego and dogma than military utility. I don’t think avoidance of civilian casualties was a deciding factor. Those airmen were sent into a meat-grinder.

mschuster91 2y ago
> The daylight raid aspect, however, seems to me to be more grounded in ego and dogma than military utility. I don’t think avoidance of civilian casualties was a deciding factor. Those airmen were sent into a meat-grinder. They were, but also remember that back in 1945 there was no such thing as GPS or any kind of more precise navigation than a compass, a sextant and star charts. It was very easy to get lost at night or to hit some mountain, particularly as Germans were pretty strict in enforcing Verdunkelung [1]. Flying during daytime was obviously more risky because AA defense can see you, but it was also less risky because navigation was easier - and more precise, because you could actually see where you were. [1] https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verdunkelung_(Luftschutz) https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verdunkelung_(Luftschutz)