Startegic Air Offensive (Germany)
Sept 1939 - May 1945
The RAF Losses include those due to crashes. Sorties for sea and flying bomb patrols, and for minelaying and Special Duties are not included.
The surprising thing about these figures is the fact the USAAF by the end of the war matched Bomber Command in the total number of sorties but suffered only half the losses that Bomber Command suffered!
|
RAF Bomber Command |
8th USAAF |
|
Dates |
Sorties |
Losses |
Approx tonnage of Bombs dropped |
Sorties |
Losses |
Approx tonnage of Bombs dropped |
|
1939 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sep |
123 |
17 |
6 |
|
|
|
|
Oct |
32 |
4 |
- |
|
|
|
|
Nov |
19 |
1 |
- |
|
|
|
|
Dec |
159 |
19 |
25 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1940 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jan |
44 |
0 |
1 |
|
|
|
|
Feb |
58 |
3 |
1 |
|
|
|
|
Mar |
292 |
12 |
31 |
|
|
|
|
Apr |
656 |
41 |
112 |
|
|
|
|
May |
2419 |
76 |
1668 |
|
|
|
|
Jun |
3296 |
65 |
2300 |
|
|
|
|
Jul |
2338 |
79 |
1257 |
|
|
|
|
Aug |
2605 |
81 |
1365 |
|
|
|
|
Sep |
3239 |
87 |
2339 |
|
|
|
|
Oct |
2414 |
60 |
1651 |
|
|
|
|
Nov |
2007 |
86 |
1316 |
|
|
|
|
Dec |
1441 |
62 |
992 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1941 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jan |
1126 |
27 |
777 |
|
|
|
|
Feb |
1741 |
52 |
1431 |
|
|
|
|
Mar |
1890 |
75 |
1744 |
|
|
|
|
Apr |
2925 |
98 |
2396 |
|
|
|
|
May |
2689 |
76 |
2846 |
|
|
|
|
Jun |
3759 |
116 |
4310 |
|
|
|
|
Jul |
3825 |
188 |
4384 |
|
|
|
|
Aug |
3812 |
206 |
4242 |
|
|
|
|
Sep |
2884 |
153 |
2889 |
|
|
|
|
Oct |
2639 |
126 |
2984 |
|
|
|
|
Nov |
1756 |
104 |
1907 |
|
|
|
|
Dec |
1562 |
51 |
1794 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1942 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jan |
2240 |
88 |
2292 |
|
|
|
|
Feb |
1414 |
48 |
1011 |
|
|
|
|
Mar |
2355 |
101 |
2675 |
|
|
|
|
Apr |
3998 |
174 |
4433 |
|
|
|
|
May |
2807 |
136 |
3234 |
|
|
|
|
Jun |
4997 |
241 |
6845 |
|
|
|
|
Jul |
4227 |
212 |
6368 |
|
|
|
|
Aug |
2640 |
173 |
4162 |
114 |
- |
151 |
|
Sep |
3616 |
214 |
5595 |
183 |
2 |
188 |
|
Oct |
2604 |
130 |
3809 |
284 |
10 |
278 |
|
Nov |
2194 |
87 |
2423 |
519 |
13 |
604 |
|
Dec |
1958 |
112 |
2714 |
353 |
17 |
340 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1943 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jan |
2962 |
122 |
4345 |
338 |
18 |
594 |
|
Feb |
5456 |
132 |
10959 |
526 |
23 |
568 |
|
Mar |
5458 |
194 |
10591 |
956 |
21 |
1483 |
|
Apr |
5887 |
290 |
11467 |
449 |
29 |
858 |
|
May |
5490 |
284 |
12920 |
1672 |
69 |
2555 |
|
Jun |
5816 |
290 |
15271 |
2107 |
90 |
2330 |
|
Jul |
6170 |
219 |
16830 |
2829 |
118 |
3475 |
|
Aug |
7807 |
308 |
20149 |
2265 |
117 |
3999 |
|
Sep |
5513 |
225 |
14855 |
3259 |
98 |
7369 |
|
Oct |
4638 |
180 |
13773 |
2831 |
186 |
4548 |
|
Nov |
5208 |
210 |
14495 |
4157 |
95 |
5751 |
|
Dec |
4123 |
217 |
11802 |
5973 |
172 |
10655 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1944 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jan |
6278 |
352 |
18428 |
6367 |
203 |
10532 |
|
Feb |
4308 |
223 |
12054 |
9884 |
271 |
16480 |
|
Mar |
9049 |
322 |
27698 |
11590 |
345 |
19892 |
|
Apr |
9883 |
239 |
33496 |
14464 |
420 |
22447 |
|
May |
11369 |
303 |
37252 |
19825 |
376 |
32450 |
|
Jun |
15963 |
335 |
57267 |
28925 |
320 |
54204 |
|
Jul |
17798 |
274 |
57615 |
23917 |
352 |
40784 |
|
Aug |
20284 |
244 |
65855 |
22967 |
331 |
44120 |
|
Sep |
16071 |
152 |
52587 |
18268 |
374 |
36332 |
|
Oct |
16906 |
153 |
61204 |
19082 |
177 |
38961 |
|
Nov |
14644 |
173 |
53022 |
17003 |
209 |
36091 |
|
Dec |
14895 |
162 |
49040 |
18252 |
119 |
36826 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1945 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jan |
10907 |
190 |
32923 |
17702 |
314 |
34891 |
|
Feb |
17400 |
233 |
45889 |
22884 |
196 |
46088 |
|
Mar |
21191 |
301 |
67637 |
31169 |
266 |
65962 |
|
Apr |
13823 |
108 |
34954 |
20154 |
190 |
41632 |
|
May |
1417 |
6 |
337 |
2276 |
7 |
- |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TOTALS |
373514 |
10123 |
955044 |
332904 |
5548 |
621877 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sorties |
Losses |
Tonnes of Bombs dropped |
Sorties |
Losses |
Tonnes of Bombs dropped |
This chart is taken from the Oxford Companion to WWII. The data for the chart comes from 'The Strategic Air Offensive Against Germany, 1939-45, Vol.4' and The US Strategic bomber (1975) by R. Freeman