"Attacking Refugees for Military Effect during the" Topic

…First Iasi-Kishinev Offensive

"Allied air campaigns against Axis petroleum have dominated the discussion of the bombing of Romania during the Second World War. Less exists in the current scholarship regarding assaults on targets other than oil such as attacks against railways, airfields, and the aerial mining of the Danube River.[1] One aspect of the American bombing campaign against Romania that has not received enough attention is the attacks against Romanian refugees during the First Iasi-Kishinev Offensive from 8 April to 6 June 1944. In the spring of 1944, the Allies realised that exploiting the Romanian refugee crisis aided the Red Army's advance into the Balkans. As a result, the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces (MAAF), under the command of Lieutenant General Ira Eaker, identified a series of crucial transportation targets that had the greatest potential to inflame the refugee crisis. Throughout April and May of 1944, the MAAF bombed key transportation targets that included rail stations and bridges to prevent refugees from escaping Romania. The Allies hoped the influx of refugees would impede the movement of Axis forces and supplies to the front lines throughout the First Iasi-Kishinev Offensive. While further research is needed to ascertain the full effects of the bombing on refugee targets, preliminary evidence shows that attacks succeeded. For example, during the Second Iasi-Kishinev on 20 August 1944, Romanian troops had to use the roads to retreat because rail centres could not handle civilian and military rail traffic.[2] This indicated that at some level, the attacks against Romanian refugees had the desired effect…"

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Armand

War sucks.

You can quote me.

TVAG

(Who understands he's a beneficiary of that war.)

(smile)

Armand

Not to quibble, but there's a difference between attacking transportation networks in the hope that the congestive results will impair their operation, and bombing refugees. I only read the excerpt, but based on that, I would tend to think the Allies were aiming for a congestive effect, rather than directly attacking civilians. Morally speaking, that's a significant difference.

But I admit I did not read the piece, and I will accept correction if I am mistaken here.

IIRC the Allies killed about 20,000 French civilians during the battle for Normandy on the French logistics, transport, and rail system.

Wolfhag

Glup!

Armand

Precision bombing wasn't.

The piece is written by a US author. His conclusion is that the British and US planned and executed bombing missions during Apr-Aug 1944 that actively sought to exacerbate a growing refugee crisis in Romania, caused by the Red Army advancing westward, to destabalise the pro-Axis government and hasten a Romanian collapse.