Strategic Bombing

Military approach involving bombing that is intended to destroy a nation's ability to wage war. Strategic bombing targets features of infrastructure—such as factories, railways, and refineries—that are essential for the production and supply of war materials. The strategy of strategic bombing is a part of total war, a concept that refers to the enlistment of the sum total of a society's resources to aid in a conflict.

Strategic bombing was developed during World War I. Although, initially, aircraft were only used in the war for surveillance purposes, they soon were being used in offensive operations as well. Bomb squadrons began conducting missions farther from the front lines for the purposes of causing indirect harm to military targets. This evolved, during the interwar period, into recognition of the value of strategic bombing. Technological developments during that time, such as extended aircraft flight and the ability to reach higher altitudes, also made the strategy more feasible.

At the start of World War II, all nations' air forces had a policy of attacking military targets only. That changed, however, once the German Luftwaffe began conducting air raids on British cities, including London. As a result, strategic bombing became a fundamental part of military combat. The purpose of strategic bombing was not only to undermine industrial production but also to demoralize the population. Thus, civilian populations suffered to a degree that was unprecedented. Meanwhile, as more and more planes were shot down, both sides began adopting a policy of night raids, which, while less accurate, were safer for bomb crews.

The most significant episode of strategic bombing during World War II was the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. The United States had already used conventional bombing raids to devastate civilian centers in both Germany and Japan. However, the use of atomic weapons raised the stakes of dropping bombs from the sky and thus had a permanent impact on the conduct of war and international relations in the post–World War II era.

Nuclear warfare quickly developed into an arms race for weapons that did not require planes for delivery. The focus of international relations shifted to missiles and defense systems meant to destroy incoming nuclear missiles. However, bombers did remain one-third of the strategic nuclear triad, due to the greater flexibility they offered in the event of heightened tensions and a potential conflict. Unlike a missile, a bomber could be retrieved. Also, unlike missile silos where the missiles were launched, bombers were mobile and thus less vulnerable to attack. They were also more accurate than the missiles launched from nuclear submarines.

Aside from the altered implications of bombing campaigns initiated by the introduction of nuclear weapons, the increased media exposure of modern warfare also had an impact on strategic bombing. Bombing campaigns were an essential element of U.S. strategy during the Vietnam War, and these campaigns gained a reputation for being unacceptably indiscriminate. For example, the administration of President Lyndon Johnson implemented Operation Rolling Thunder, which was meant to be a ceaseless and relentless bombing campaign against North Vietnam. The bombing campaign, however, was ultimately regarded as ineffective, and it also added to the catalogue of images broadcast back to the United States showing civilian casualties. The total-war aspects of strategic bombing, in effect, became part of what depleted support for the Vietnam conflict back in the United States.

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