23. Raids on Berlin reduced much of the city to rubble before the Russians arrived
The Allies launched over 360 bombing raids on Berlin from 1940 to 1945. Initially, the raids were conducted only by the British, and only at night. In 1941 the Soviets bombed Berlin. The British replaced the Chief of Bomber Command, Richard Peirse with Arthur Harris in early 1942 after a failed raid on Berlin which was costly in aircraft and men but did little damage. In late 1943 Harris launched large raids on residential areas of Berlin, using his favored wide-area bombing technique. At the end of 1943, 25% of the city’s living quarters were untenable. Regular bombing raids continued in Berlin until strategic bombing was temporarily suspended in 1944.
In February 1945 the USAAF launched a raid on Berlin which included nearly 1,000 bombers, supported by nearly 600 P-51 escort fighters. The raid started fires which raged for four days, obliterating several large districts of the German capital. Only 36 aircraft were lost to German guns. American aircrews who bailed out in Germany often found themselves protected by German soldiers and police from local civilians. Rather than destroying German morale, the extensive bombing had created intense hatred for American and British aircrews among much of the population. The total number of those killed in Berlin raids throughout the war was estimated to have been between 20 and 50 thousand.
