Index

Aachen 107

Abromeit, Friedrich 159

absurdity 259

accommodation, lack of 301

Ahrens, Georg III, 306

air crew, jobs 87–8

air doctrine 48–9

air power 50–3

Air Protection battalions withdrawn 248

Air Protection leader 120–1

air raid, June 1943 129, 138

air raid, 24 July

expectancy 77–80

preparations 78–80

briefing 80–3

intelligence briefing 81–3

last meal 83–4

take-off 84–7

numbers involved 86

aborts 86

Pathfinders 86, 90, 95–6, 97, 98–9, 104, 181

outbound flight 87–8, 89–92, 95–7

diversionary missions 89, 101

interception attempts 92–5, 96, 103

casualties and losses 96, 98, 104, 117, 119, 136, 151–8, 376–8

flak 97–8, 112–13, 121

target indicators dropped 98–9, 111–14

bombing run 99–101

air-raid warnings 109–11

in the shelters 114–16

on the streets 116–19

fires 101, 113–14, 118, 119–21, 122, 123, 124, 201

homebound flight 101, 103–5

landing 105

debriefing 105

25 July 106

effects of 119–27

damage 124–5

RAF statistics 393

air raid, 25 July

planning and preparation 128–36

weather 129–30

priority targets 129, 138

diversionary missions 130–1, 145

briefing 137–9

takeoff and formation assembly 139–42

apprehension 139

flak 139, 146–7

aborts 142, 150, 163

outbound flight 142, 144–7

bombing run 147–50, 334

casualties and losses 147, 161, 163–4, 378–80

homebound flight 150–9

landing 159–61

debriefing 161–2

intelligence assessment 163–5

victory claims 164–5

USAAF statistics 394

air raid, 26 July

briefing 165–6

takeoff and formation assembly 166–8

diversionary missions 166

aborts 167–8

outbound flight 167–9

bombing run 169, 171, 175

homebound flight 171–2

casualties and losses 171, 172, 380–1

Trojan Horse B17s 172

USAAF statistics 395

air raid, 27 July. see alsofirestorm

planning and preparation 186–9

bomb loads 186–7

briefing 335

outbound flight 186–7, 189–92

aborts 189

Pathfinders 189, 192

takeoff 189

casualties and losses 190, 195–8, 381–3

flak 191, 195, 196

bombing run 192–8, 204–6, 335

target indicators dropped 192

homebound flight 198–9

RAF statistics 393

air raid, 29 July

Harris orders 246

Hamburg prepares for 247–9

flak 247, 254, 255

briefing 249–50

planning and preparation 249–50

takeoff 250–1

decoys 250, 251

Pathfinders 250, 251, 257

casualties and losses 251–2, 254–5, 256–7, 260, 261, 384–7

outbound flight 251–4

bombing run 254–6, 257, 259

homebound flight 256–7

experience on the ground 259–61

effect of 257–64

RAF statistics 393

air raid, 2 August

planning and preparation 268–70

weather 268, 269

reconnaissance flight 269

outbound flight 270–6

aborts 270, 271

casualties and losses 275–6, 278, 279, 281, 282, 388–92

flak 278–9

over Hamburg 267, 278–9, 281–2

homebound flight 279

Pathfinders 280

targets of opportunity 281

debriefing 279–81

assessment 281–2

RAF statistics 393

air-raid drill 37–8

Air-raid Protection Service 290

air-raid shelters 34–5, 37, 110, 114–16, 175, 225, 248–9, 259–61, 316

air-raid sirens 37, 109–10, 174–5, 247–8

air raids, 1940–42 37–8, 55

air raids, post 1943 308

air-sea rescue 172

air supremacy 328

aircraft

Avro Lancaster 59, 87–8, 88, 187, 396

Boeing B17 ‘Flying Fortress’ 66, 133, 141–2, 153, 155–6, 158–9, 397

De Havilland Mosquito 59, 89, 396

the Doris Mae149

Dornier Do217 398

Focke-Wulf 190 397

Gotha bombers 47

Handley Page Halifax 88, 186, 396

the Judy B147, 161

Junkers Ju88 104, 398

Messerschmitt Me 109 104, 144–5, 164, 397

Messerschmitt Me 110 158–9, 398

the Nitemare171

Short Stirling 89, 186, 396

Vickers Wellington 89, 396

the Yankee Doodle Dandy159, 160

Albert H. 211–13

Allwright, Flight Sergeant E. F. 256

Alster, river 4, 123

Alster Lake 35, 37, 315

Alsterdorf 5

Althoff Circus 109

Altona 7, 18, 29, 32, 99, 113–14, 122, 125, 175, 180, 185

‘Am Stadtpark’ beer hall 22–4

Amsterdam 7

Anderson, Brigadier-General

Frederick L., Jr 64, 71, 72, 128–9, 132, 188–9

anoxia 141–2, 152, 161

Anschluss, the 32, 53

anti-aircraft guns. seeflak

anti-Jewish laws 29

anti-Nazi outbursts 238–9

anti-Semitism 28–30

appeasement 53

‘area bombing’ 49, 56, 57, 59, 62, 129, 333–4

Arnold, Lieutenant-General Henry

‘Hap’ 64, 338

Arnold, Rolf 122

arson 259

Auschwitz 341

Ausschläger Weg 224

Australians 103

Austria 32, 53

Baaken 99

Backiel, Stan 160

bailing out 152–3, 153–4, 156, 171

Baker, Else 39

Barlach, Ernst 27

Barmbek 5, 20, 124, 176, 224, 257, 261

Barmbek power station 303

Bartels, Maria 302–3

Bath 310

Battle Opera House, the 93–4

Bavaria 40

BBC 107

Belfast 56

Belgium 53

Bell, George, Bishop of Chichester 337

Bellealliancestrasse 118

Belsen 341

Bennett, Air Vice Marshal Don 61, 76

Benny, Sergeant J. 275

benzedrine 78

Bergedorf 20

Berlin xv, 40, 56, 81, 244–5, 311, 328, 337

Berliner Tor 221

Biermann, Wolf 210–11, 215–16, 220–1

Bigler, Lieutenant Charles 147

Billbrook 6

Billstedt 236

Birmingham 56

Bismarck, the 32

black-market, the 39, 314

Blankenese 35

blanket bombing, see alsoarea

bombing 333–4

Bläß, Herr 208

Blitz, the xvii, 56, 57, 204, 310–11

‘Blitz Week’ 165

Blohm & Voss 13, 55, 129, 130, 138, 149–50, 165–6, 169, 174, 287, 304, 305, 334, 335

Bochum xvii

bomb-aimers 79, 83, 84, 88, 99–100, 103

bomb runs 74–5

bomb-sights 59, 66, 334

bombardiers 142

Bomber Command, see alsoindividual air raids

bombing accuracy 59, 186

discipline 77

Harris appointed commander-in-chief 58, 59–60

Operations Room routine 71–2

order of battle 370–5

orders, 1943 68

plans to raid Berlin 244

thousand-bomber raid, Cologne, 1942 63

total casualties and losses 59, 80, 336, 337

veterans’ attitudes 339–41

Bombing Survey Unit 318–22

bombs

1000-pound 99

4000-pound 99–100, 101, 112

8000-pound 101, 112

high-explosive 203–4

incendiary 99–100, 101, 112, 116, 117, 119, 169, 186–7, 203–4, 206

noise of 115, 117

tactics 119

timer fuses 122

unexploded 177, 287

Bonaparte, Napoleon 11–12

book burning 27, 343

Borck, Fredy 41, 182, 205, 231

Borgfelde 213, 221, 224

Bould, Flight Lieutenant G. 275

Boyle, Flight Officer A. H. 252

Bradfield, Leonard 98, 99–100

Brauer, Max 342

Bremen 89, 198, 281

Bremerhaven 281

Breslau 245

Bristol 56

Britain, battle of 55–8

British Army, enters Hamburg 309–11

Brooke, Air Commodore W. A. 188

Brookes, Sergeant Dennis 274–5

Brown, Virgil 145

Bruges 7

Brunswig, Hans 119–20, 221

Bührich, Martha 110, 182, 235

buildings destroyed 318–19

Buist, Scott 136

Bünger, Lore 239

bunker wardens 115, 116

Büttner, Gretl 289, 295, 307

caffeine pills 78

Calhoun, Major William 167

camouflage 35, 37

Campbell, Sir Malcolm 52

Canada 52

Canadians 103