The purpose of this book, therefore, has been to try to give an impression of what bombing means to those unlucky enough to be caught up in it. There was nothing particularly special about any of the people whose experiences are recorded here. Those who flew the Allied bombers or the German night fighters were perfectly ordinary young men – a fairly typical cross-section of the societies from which they came. The people of Hamburg were also ordinary people, trying to go about their daily business in the same way they always had. And yet they were forced to live through some of the most terrible events the world has ever seen, simply because they happened to be born in the wrong time and place. In another time it could have been any of us.
Despite this, there are many who continue to harbour grudges – on the one side towards the Allied airmen who unleashed their bombs on Germany, and on the other side towards the German system, the German war generation, even Germany itself.
To those who continue to blame the Allies, and particularly the RAF veterans, for the way they conducted the war, I would say this: do not be too quick to judge history with the benefit of hindsight. What might seem obviously wrong to us today was not nearly so clear-cut in 1943. Their commanders might have made errors of judgement, but on the whole the men themselves acted honourably, and selflessly, at a time when civilization itself stood on the brink of the abyss. For this, if nothing else, subsequent generations owe them a debt of gratitude.
Likewise, for those who still harbour prejudices towards Germany, I have just one thing left to say. The bombs left their mark not only on Germany’s cities, but also on its population. In the aftermath of the firestorm the German appetite for war quickly began to crumble, not only in Hamburg but across the country, and by the summer of 1945 it had disappeared. It has never really returned since. A nation that was once proud of its martial tradition is now one of the most pacifist countries in Europe, and one that is quick to admonish others for rushing into war. 24
It is this innate pacifism that is perhaps the most lasting single effect of the bombing war. Since 1945, Germany has deployed its troops only in peace-keeping operations. This is in marked contrast to the USA, Britain, France and the USSR, who between them have waged wars in almost every corner of the planet. Hamburg has returned to its traditional role as a city of commerce, and its many newspapers and television companies remain fervently anti-war. The old U-boat yards at Blohm & Voss now work only in the repair and conversion of trade ships and passenger liners. Whatever else can be said about Germany – and much is still said – it cannot be denied that her people have learned their lesson.
1. Churchill and Roosevelt at the Casablanca Conference, where the Combined Bomber Offensive was first agreed.
2. Sir Arthur Harris, Commander-in-Chief, RAF Bomber Command.
3. Major General Frederick L.Anderson, commander of US VIII Bomber Command.
4. Hitler arrives at Hamburg’s airport on one of his many pre-war visits. He never returned once war had broken out, despite appeals for a morale-raising tour after the city was destroyed.
5. Karl Kaufmann, Hamburg’s gauleiter and a loyal disciple of the Führer.
6. Göring (left) was head of the Luftwaffe, but it was Erhard Milch (right) who ran the show. Chief of Air Staff Hans Jeschonnek (centre) shot himself shortly after the bombing of Hamburg.
7 Colin Harrison: ‘One minute I was a school boy, next minute they called me a man and put me in an aeroplane.’
8 Bill McCrea: ‘When we were detailed on the first Hamburg raid we thought, “Now we’ll see what it’s really like!”
9 Doug Fry (centre), hours before he was shot down at the end of July 1943.
10 Baptism of fire: Ted Groom and pilot Reg Wellham’s first operation was the firestorm raid of27 July.
11 Hamburg before the war. Narrow streets like this allowed fires to spread rapidly.
12 The bright lights of the Reeperbahn in the 1930s. Scenes like this were impossible during the black-out.
13 The heart and soul of Hamburg: the docks and shipyards were the main reason the city was such an important target.
14 False streets and buildings were floated on the Alster lake in an attempt to disguise the city centre. This camouflage caught fire during the bombardmetn, adding to the inferno.
15 Secret weapon: a factory worker cuts strips of ‘Window’ to the right length.
16 RAF ground crew prepare bombs before loading them into a Stirling bomber.
17 Hamburg from the air on the night of 24 July. The centre of the picture shows the Neustadt on fire, with bombs spreading back towards Altona at the bottom.
18 Streaks of flak over Hamburg. Without radar to guide them, flak gunners were forced to fire blindly into the sky.
19 A typical formation of B-17 Flying Fortresses, with German fighter aircraft above.
20 The lead crew of the USAAF’s 303rd Bomb Group before their mission to Hamburg on 25 July. The pilot, Major K. R. Mitchell, is second from left at the back.
22 Hamburg women and children run for cover during an air-raid warning.
21 American bombs fall on Howaldtswerke shipyards, 26 July.
23 German propaganda poster, 1943:‘The enemy sees your light. Black out!’
24 The ‘Michel’, a symbol of Hamburg. The sight of this spire rising unscathed in the ruins of the city was as important to Hamburgers as the urvival of St Paul’s Cathedral was to Londoners during the Blitz.
25 A group of men clears the rubble on Grosse Bergstrasse in Altona, shortly after the opening raids.
26 Elbstrasse (now Neanderstrasse) before the raids.
27 Elbstrasse after the raids.
28 and 29 Even before the evacuation order was given, the Ausgebombtenbegan toflee the city. Above: A family rescues a few of its possessions. Below: Refugees being evacuated on open lorries.