Winker's World of Smashin' Things

21.7.14

Gomorrah...

Over three nights of bombing at the end of July 1943, 3000 Allied bombers dropped 9000 tons of bombs destroying the centre of Hamburg and killing an estimated 42,600 civilians, over 20,000 more than the German forces killed in the 57 consecutive nights of bombing in the London Blitz.

On the night of 27 July, shortly before midnight, 739 RAF aircraft attacked Hamburg.^[8] The unusually dry and warm weather, the concentration of the bombing in one area and firefighting limitations due to blockbuster bombs used in the early part of the raid - and the recall of Hanover's firecrews to their own city - culminated in the so-called"Feuersturm" (firestorm). The tornadic fire created a huge inferno with winds of up to 240 km/h (150 mph) reaching temperatures of 800 °C (1,500 °F) and altitudes in excess of 1,000 feet, incinerating more than eight square miles (21 km²) of the city. Asphalt streets burst into flame, and fuel oil from damaged and destroyed ships, barges and storage tanks spilled into the water of the canals and the harbour, causing them to ignite as well. The majority of deaths attributed to Operation Gomorrah occurred on this night. A large number of those killed died seeking safety in bomb shelters and cellars, the firestorm consuming the oxygen in the burning city above. The furious winds created by the firestorm had the power to sweep people up off the streets like dry leaves:

Some people who tried to walk along, they were pulled in by the fire, they all of the sudden disappeared right in front of you (...) You have to save yourself or try to get as far away from the fire, because the draught pulls you in.^[9]