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Originally Posted by Ollie Garchy Sorry Perseus,
German capital goods production increases 20 percent during the war. That simply means that potential German output increases. In fact, German output does increase. No surprise. British and American bombing hits civilians...nothing more, nothing less. |
Ollie
Sorry for drifting of the original subject a bit, but do you have any evidence that production wouldn't have increased even more without bombing? At what point do you say production was highest, when the factories were being overrun by troops? It is difficult to envisage high productivity rates from the ruins of May 45, even the underground factories must have needed supplies via the infrastructure. It seems to me that the de-centralisation must have been less efficient, that is why heavy industries are largely centralised today.
Looking at data, tank production decreased rapidly in 45 even after allowing for the reduced number of months left until the factories were overun. Perhaps this decline started in the later months of 44, when the supply problems started to take effect from the infrastructure destruction, surely this wasn't purely due to raw material shortage?
http://www.battle-fleet.com/pw/his/T...ermany_ww2.htm
I have previously posted the rapid decline in petroleum production from June 44. This was purely due to the the refineries and wells being bombed. The tanks wouldn't have had any fuel even if they had been produced, so perhaps city bombing was unecessary as you say, but this still doesn't proove that strategic bombing was useless.