As Germany’s largest seaport and one of its principal industrial centres, Hamburg became a major target of Allied bombing from the summer of 1940 onwards.
The city was attacked repeatedly during the early years of the war, including on:
18 June 1940,
16 November 1940,
9 May 1941,
11 May 1941,
3 August 1941,
30 September 1941,
1 November 1941,
10 November 1941,
1 December 1941,
16 January 1942,
9 April 1942,
18 April 1942,
31 January 1943,
4 February 1943,
3/4 March 1943,
24/25, 27/28/29/30 July 1943,
3 August 1943,
13 December 1943,
20 June 1944,
12 November 1944
Despite repeated attacks, the scale of destruction remained relatively limited until 1943 compared with what followed.
On 27 May 1943, RAF Bomber Command under Arthur Harris issued operational orders for a major offensive against Hamburg. The intention was to inflict destruction on the port, industry and densely built urban districts on an unprecedented scale.
U.S. Army newspaper reporting on an attack on Hamburg
The offensive was given the code name “Operation Gomorrah”, a biblical reference that reflected the expected scale of destruction.
During Operation Gomorrah, more than 2,300 bomber sorties dropped roughly 9,000 tons of bombs on Hamburg.
A massive firestorm developed in parts of the city. Around 30,000 people died, including many children and adolescents.
This child died while clinging to a firefighter.
The sequence of attacks contributed to the scale of the disaster. High-explosive bombs opened roofs, shattered windows and disrupted water mains; incendiaries then ignited thousands of fires. Further bombing hindered firefighting and rescue efforts, allowing individual fires to merge into a firestorm across entire neighbourhoods.
50,000 dead
The heat became so intense that road surfaces softened and burned. People attempting to flee or rescue others were trapped by fire and smoke.
Charred body of a messenger boy beside his bicycle
Around 277,000 houses and flats were destroyed, together with industrial facilities, 24 hospitals, 277 schools, 58 churches, 12 bridges and numerous historic buildings, including the City Library with its collection of about 650,000 volumes.
The total number of deaths caused by the bombing of Hamburg is given here as more than 50,000.
The Turkish ambassador in Berlin reports on the destruction of Hamburg:
