Portal:Hamburg/Selected article/Week 41, 2009

The Allied Bombing of Hamburg during World War II (September 1939–April 1945) included numerous strategic bombing missions and diversion/nuisance raids. As a large port and industrial center, Hamburg's shipyards, U-boat pens, and the Hamburg-Harburg area oil refineries were attacked throughout the war. A July 1943 attack, Operation Gomorrah, created one of the two firestorms raised by the RAF in World War II, killing tens of thousands in Hamburg and practically destroying the city. As with the bombing of other cities, RAF and USAAF bombings of Hamburg included the use of various strategies (e.g., area bombing), tactics (Pathfinders), and technologies (H2S radar).