Pearson Edexcel · A-Level · History
Course version: 9HI0 · Version from Sept 2015
The changing nature of warfare, 1859–1991: perception and reality - 5 Air…
Full specification wording
Paper 3, Option 37.1: The changing nature of warfare, 1859–1991: perception and reality - 5 Air power and nuclear weapons, 1943–91: The destructive impact of terror bombing, 1943–45: Harris' assault on Hamburg in 1943; Curtis LeMay's bombing campaign of Tokyo and Hiroshima in 1945.
Terror bombing aimed to break civilian morale and industrial capacity.
Checked against the Pearson Edexcel 9HI0 specification (opens in a new tab) on .
- Point 2 of 3
Study notes
From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.
The idea
Terror bombing aimed to break civilian morale and industrial capacity. In July 1943 Arthur Harris's RAF Bomber Command attacked Hamburg in Operation Gomorrah, using incendiaries and window radar-jamming to create a firestorm that killed tens of thousands and destroyed much of the city. In 1945 Curtis LeMay's US Twentieth Air Force switched to low-level night incendiary raids on Japanese cities; the Tokyo raid of 9–10 March killed around 100,000 and burned a quarter of the city. Hiroshima on 6 August 1945 was destroyed by the atomic bomb, killing tens of thousands immediately. These attacks show the destructive impact and the moral and strategic debates over area bombing.
What earns the marks
- Describes the scale and method of Harris's Hamburg assault in 1943, including incendiaries, firestorm effects and radar counter-measures.
- Explains LeMay's change of tactics for the Tokyo campaign in 1945, including low-level night incendiary bombing.
- Assesses the destructive impact on Tokyo, citing the March 1945 raid and its civilian casualties and urban damage.
- Explains Hiroshima as the culmination of strategic bombing, noting the atomic bomb's scale of destruction on 6 August 1945.
- Evaluates the strategic and moral significance of terror bombing, including debates about morale, legality and effectiveness.
Common mistakes and how to put them right
Confusing the dates or commanders of Hamburg and Tokyo.
Put it right: Link Harris with Hamburg 1943 and LeMay with Tokyo 1945.
Treating Hiroshima as an ordinary incendiary raid.
Put it right: Identify the atomic bomb as a distinct weapon with a different scale of destruction.
Claiming terror bombing always achieved its aim of breaking morale.
Put it right: Note contested evidence and continued wartime production.
Exam tips
- Use precise dates and casualty estimates cautiously, showing awareness that figures are approximate.
- Link each case to the concept of terror bombing so the answer addresses the question's focus.
- Compare the three cases to judge which had the greatest destructive impact.
Try the lesson
The start of the Paper 3, Option 37.1: The changing nature of warfare, 1859–1991: perception and reality - 5 Air power and nuclear weapons, 1943–91: The destructive impact of terror bombing, 1943–45: Harris' assault on Hamburg in 1943; Curtis LeMay's bombing campaign of Tokyo and Hiroshima in 1945. lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.
Have a go first
Which British commander directed the RAF Bomber Command assault on Hamburg in 1943?
Listen
Terror bombing aimed to break civilian morale and industrial capacity. In July 1943 Arthur Harris's RAF Bomber Command attacked Hamburg in Operation Gomorrah, using incendiaries and window radar-jamming to create a firestorm that killed tens of thousands and destroyed much of the city. In 1945 Curtis LeMay's US Twentieth Air Force switched to low-level night incendiary raids on Japanese cities; the Tokyo raid of 9–10 March killed around 100,000 and burned a quarter of the city. Hiroshima on 6 August 1945 was destroyed by the atomic bomb, killing tens of thousands immediately. These attacks show the destructive impact and the moral and strategic debates over area bombing. A strong answer earns marks for these points. Describes the scale and method of Harris's Hamburg assault in 1943, including incendiaries, firestorm effects and radar counter-measures. Explains LeMay's change of tactics for the Tokyo campaign in 1945, including low-level night incendiary bombing. Assesses the destructive impact on Tokyo, citing the March 1945 raid and its civilian casualties and urban damage. Explains Hiroshima as the culmination of strategic bombing, noting the atomic bomb's scale of destruction on 6 August 1945. A common slip: Confusing the dates or commanders of Hamburg and Tokyo. Instead, link Harris with Hamburg 1943 and LeMay with Tokyo 1945. Exam tip: Use precise dates and casualty estimates cautiously, showing awareness that figures are approximate.
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