Bombing of Berlin

[Mike K]

Apparently Harris had free reign to make the overall decisions , he claimed he would end the war by flattening Berlin with a expected loss of 400-500 bombers . Around one quarter of the Berlin residential buildings were destroyed or made uninhabitable. Over a million people were evacuated out of Berlin .

There were Russians manning some of the flak guns , a choice to over to the German side or starve to death in a camp .

During a panic over 100 people were crushed to death in a shelter stairwell.

A WAAF girl was killed, she had been driving a van beneath Stirling spinning props, one day she drove under a Lancasters spinning props .

On one Berlin raid the aircrew deaths from crashes and collisions exceeded the aircrew deaths by enemy action. The UK airfields were fogged in and many pilots low on fuel tried to land but crashed with terrible fatalities. There was a beam landing system at some airfields but it was a terribly slow system, with many aircraft circling waiting to land. Some bailed out over England rather than land


The Lancasters had a lower survival for crew members , there were few easy to get at escape hatches . The Halifax was easier to jump out of , a higher crew survival rate.

Harris stopped the Stirlings flying to Berlin because of terrible losses.