Strategic bombing Facts for Kids

Strategic bombing is a military plan that uses attacks from the air. The goal is to destroy an enemy's economic power to fight a war. Strategic bombing missions usually target things like factories, railroads, oil refineries, and cities. They also attack military bases, command centers, airfields, and places where ammunition is stored.

The United States Air Force (USAF) has used strategic bombers in many conflicts.

History of Strategic Bombing
USA Joins World War II
Strategic Bombing in Later Years
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History of Strategic Bombing

The idea of strategic bombing was first tried during World War I. The German Luftwaffe (air force) bombed Antwerp. They also used large airships called Zeppelins to bomb England.

However, strategic bombing became much bigger in World War II. At first, during the Battle of Britain, the German Air Force tried to defeat Britain by attacking Royal Air Force planes on the ground. This worked a little, but Britain had early radar. This radar helped them know where attacks were coming from. This gave their fighter planes time to get into the air and fight back.

When attacking air bases didn't work well enough, the Germans changed their targets to cities. They bombed London and other large cities like Coventry. They used powerful bombs and incendiary devices (which cause fires).

Once the attacks moved to cities, the Luftwaffe started losing many planes to British defenses. The German air force, which had easily won battles before, began to suffer heavy losses. These losses eventually became too much. Adolf Hitler then canceled his plan to invade Britain. He knew an invasion across the English Channel couldn't work if Britain still had a strong air force.

USA Joins World War II

In the United States, United States Army Air Force (USAAF) Colonel Billy Mitchell strongly supported strategic bombing. He had new ideas about how to use air power in war. The first USAAF strategic bomber was the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress.

In the end, large fleets of Allies' bombers heavily damaged Nazi Germany with regular bombs. Later, the atomic bomb was dropped on Japan.

Strategic Bombing in Later Years

After World War II, the Strategic Air Command was set up at Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, Nebraska. Nuclear weapons became a very important part of its mission.

The Strategic Air Command still has its main base at Offutt AFB. This is where President Bush went to set up his command center after the Twin Towers were attacked on September 11, 2001.