Subject: Re: Bombing of Civilians (Was Re: Nazism vs. Communism)
From: jschaefe@genesee.freenet.org (John W. Schaefer)
Date: Feb 21 1996
Newsgroups: soc.history.war.world-war-ii

In article <4g5ip5$s00@gazette.bcm.tmc.edu>, 
yin%ssdevo.dnet.dec.com@nntpd2.cxo.dec.com says...

>I read that before the Battle of Britain, bombing of civilians was avoided
>by everyone (I don't know how that infamous Spanish bombing fits in to
>this).  The allies (not being on the offensive) didn't have a lot of
>opportunities to bomb, but I seem to remember the Germans taking pains to
>avoid bombing civilians in Poland, Holland, and even France.  When a lost
>plane accidentally dumped its load on London, and the English responded by
>raiding Berlin, things pretty much got out of hand from there.

	Not quite right. Light random bombing of city centers to cause 
civilian evacuation, then bombing and strafing of the crowded highways to 
create casualties and chaos and block those transportation routes against 
organized use by mobilized enemy units, was an early tactical innovation of 
the Luftwaffe, used to great effect in eastern Europe and Russia.

                                           John Schaefer