1000 Forts Pound Berlin

As World War 2 was in its final stages and the Allied forces were approaching the heart of the Third Reich, dozens of German cities were being raised to the ground as part of a strategic bombing campaign.

To press for unconditional surrender and put a final end to the war, the legendary James Harold Doolittle was ordered to assemble one of the largest bombing raids ever seen in the European theater. The Allies intended to pummel the city of Berlin into submission. As commander of the Eighth Air Force, he put together an unprecedented air fleet of more than 2,000 aircraft and 15,000 men.

Allied air raids had so far been pushing deeper into Germany, encountering less and less resistance. But on February 3, 1945, all hell broke loose over the skies of Berlin, and the Luftwaffe committed what few aircraft it had left to protect the city.

Machine-gun fire, flak guns tearing through metal, aircraft colliding with each other, and the smell and sight of smoke suddenly filled the sky. It all marked the beginning of the end for what American bomber crews called “Hitler’s town.” Some were even hoping to get lucky enough to drop a surprise on the man himself...



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