The Battle of Berlin, which took place from April 16 to May 8, 1945, was the last decisive blow to the Nazis in Germany by the Soviet Red Army and the Western Allies. In this campaign, the Allied air power played an important role, inflicting massive bombing and air raids on Berlin in order to destroy the German fortifications, cut off its supply lines, demoralize it and create conditions for an offensive by ground forces. However, the Germans did not give up on Berlin easily, and they used Berlin's air defense system, including anti-aircraft guns, anti-aircraft machine guns, searchlights, radars, and fighter jets, to carry out stubborn defenses and counterattacks against Allied aircraft. In this air war, both sides paid a heavy price,The Allies, in particular, lost almost 10,000 aircraft, of which about 4500 were lost by the British Air Force, about 2300 by the US Air Force, about 900 by the Soviet Air Force, and about 300 by the French Air Force.
The Allied bombing and air raids on Berlin can be divided into several stages. The first phase was from 1940 to 1943, mainly by the RAF at night, with the aim of destroying German urban housing and civilian infrastructure, causing civilians** and weakening Germany's war potential and will. The bombing at this stage, although it caused some damage to Berlin, did not achieve the desired effect, because the German air defense system was relatively perfect, while the British night navigation and bomb targeting technology was relatively backward, which led to a lower accuracy of bombing and a wider distribution of bombs.
The second phase, from 1943 to 1944, was carried out mainly by the U.S. Army Air Corps during the day, with the aim of destroying German military and industrial targets and weakening Germany's war capabilities and productivity. This stage of bombing, which made use of advanced navigation and sighting equipment of the United States, improved the accuracy and efficiency of the bombing, and caused serious damage to German strategic targets. However, this phase of the bombing was also met with strong resistance from Germany, and German fighters and anti-aircraft artillery fiercely intercepted and fired at American bombers, causing heavy losses to American bombers, and they were forced to change tactics, increase the number of escort fighters, reduce the number of bombers, and reduce the intensity and frequency of bombing.
The third phase was a massive bombing campaign from 1944 to 1945, carried out mainly by the British Royal Air Force and the United States Army Air Corps, with the aim of completely destroying the German capital Berlin and paving the way for an offensive by Allied ground forces. This stage of bombing was the greatest exertion of the Allied air power, they used a large number of bombers and fighters to carry out continuous bombing and air raids on Berlin, dropping tens of thousands of tons of bombs, causing devastating blows to Berlin's buildings, transportation, communications, water, electricity, fuel, etc., making Berlin a ruin, a large number of civilians killed and injured, and the normal functions of the city were completely paralyzed. This stage of the bombing was also the last struggle of the German air defenses, who used all their remaining fighters and anti-aircraft guns to carry out a final counterattack on the Allied aircraft, although they could not stop the Allied bombing, but also caused huge losses to the Allied forces, and made the Allied pilots and crews pay a heavy price.
The Soviet Air Force also played an important role in the Battle of Berlin, and between 1941 and 1945, they carried out numerous bombing and air raids on Berlin, dropping about 1450,000 tons of ammunition, which eliminated German military and industrial targets, supported the offensive of the ground forces of the Soviet Red Army, and hit the German defense capability and morale. The Soviet Air Force also paid a huge price in the Battle of Berlin, ** up to 3040,000 people, 900 lost aircraft.
In this air war, the Allied air power showed their superiority and determination, carrying out merciless bombing and air raids on Berlin, the capital of Germany, and making a significant contribution to the final victory of the Allied forces. However, the loss of these aircraft not only represents a huge waste of material and human resources, but also reflects the cruelty and ruthlessness of the war. The pilots and crew members of these planes are all flesh-and-blood people, who risked their lives for the sake of their country and ideals, flew into the enemy's sky, some died bravely, and some survived.