Oil campaign targets of World War II facts for kids

The Allied bombing of oil targets during World War II was a major part of the war. It focused on hitting places in Nazi Germany that made or stored oil. Oil was super important for the war because it powered tanks, planes, ships, and trucks. Without enough oil, armies couldn't move or fight.

Germany had some natural oil fields, mostly in the northwest. But even with these, Germany needed to get a lot of its oil from other countries. Before and during the war, Germany took over places like Austria and parts of Czechoslovakia. They also got oil from countries like the Soviet Union for a while.

Why Oil Was So Important

Oil was like the blood of the war machine. Every army needed it to keep their vehicles running. If a country ran out of oil, its planes couldn't fly, its tanks couldn't move, and its ships would be stuck. This is why the Allies made bombing oil facilities a top priority. They wanted to cripple Germany's ability to fight by cutting off its fuel supply.

Types of Oil Targets

The Allies bombed several different kinds of oil facilities. These included:

Synthetic Oil Plants

Germany didn't have enough natural oil, so they developed ways to make "synthetic oil." This was artificial oil created from coal using special chemical processes. There were two main ways they did this:

• Bergius process plants: These plants turned coal directly into liquid fuel. Important ones were in places like Leuna, which was one of the most heavily defended targets.
• Fischer-Tropsch process plants: These plants also made synthetic fuel from coal, but using a different chemical method.

Oil Refineries

Refineries are places where crude oil (raw oil from the ground) is processed into useful products like gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. Germany had refineries in cities like Hamburg and Hanover. They also took over refineries in other countries they occupied, like parts of Austria and Czechoslovakia.

Oil Fields

These are the areas where natural oil is found and pumped out of the ground. While Germany didn't have huge oil fields, the ones they had, like Nienhagen, were still important.

Oil Storage Depots

Once oil was made or refined, it needed to be stored. These depots were large storage tanks or underground facilities where fuel was kept. Bombing these depots meant destroying ready-to-use fuel, which was just as damaging as destroying the plants that made it. Some of these storage sites were even built underground to protect them from bombs.

Impact of the Bombing Campaign

The bombing campaign against Germany's oil targets was very effective. By the end of the war, Germany's fuel supply was severely limited. This made it very hard for their military to operate, especially their air force and armored divisions. The lack of fuel played a big role in weakening Germany and helping the Allies win the war.

Images for kids

• Blechhammer North

  A view of the Blechhammer North synthetic oil plant.

• Bratislava Apollo refinery

  The Apollo oil refinery in Bratislava.

• Magdeburg/Rothensee

  The Magdeburg/Rothensee oil facility.

• Nov '44 Wanna-Eickel bombing photo

  A photo showing the bombing of the Wanne-Eickel plant in November 1944.