Showing posts with label bombing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bombing. Show all posts

Monday, April 17, 2017

Memphis Belle: The Story Of A Flying Fortress (1944)



This is the WWII documentary from William Wyler.  This film documented the day in the life of B-17 bombers, and particularly the Memphis Belle, which completed its 25th and last bombing mission.  After this mission, the crew was retired to teaching other aviators, and the plane was also retired and is in the Smithsonian today.

Saturday, April 23, 2016

Documentary Review: WWII in Colour # 7: Turning the Tide

This movie looks at the weapon for both sides, Allies and Axis, which they felt would turn the tide of the war.  For the Nazis the weapon was underwater U-boats which they hoped would choke the flow of supplies to England and other locations, and force them to sue for peace.  For the British and the Allies the weapon was on of bombing to reduce the ability of the enemy to make war.  Both of these strategies had effect to a degree.  The British preferred carpet bombing, after discovering targeted bombing usually missed.  Carpet bombing involved having a massive number of plains his a single city.  The U.S. performed strategical bombing, trying to take out the resupply and infrastructure of the Germans.  Bother had some success, but also some failure.  By the end of the war, Germany had difficulty keeping their resources fueled.  However by the end of the war, carpet bombing was being questioned as to whether is was really necessary.  The death toll form these raids was horrendous, and usually civilian life.
Early in the war, the British were not prepared to counter the effect of the submarine.  However after the entrance of America into the war, which also was not prepared for this attack early on, and the advance of new strategies and technologies, the war turned in this area.   Some of these strategies included using convoys, improved radar to find the U-boats, technology to  trace radio communications and improved methods to attack the U-boats.  The Battle of the Atlantic would have a heavy toll of lost material and men by the end of the war.  However the risk to shipping became less and less over the course of the war.