Beginning on April 8, 1943, once German aircraft was within suitable range, Reich Marshal Goering ordered the Luftwaffe to begin bombing New York City. This was done at the command of Hitler who wished to see the city in ruins in the hopes that it would destroy American morale as well as disrupt the U.S. economy. The Fuhrer also knew it would be a sharp blow to the American President who had made his name there."Let's bury the Jews beneath their towers," Hitler stated at the final meeting before the beginning of the Blitz, dubbed Operation Jericho.
American military aviation, ignored for over eight years, was unable to effectively counter the Luftwaffe as it soared over NYC and rained death and destruction across the city with impunity, Manhattan being their chief target.
The USAAF failed at its task of securing air supremacy due to the turn it had taken under the administration of President Garner. With military spending slashed to the bone in order to keep the American budget balanced and social programs running throughout the 1930s after the Depression, the Army spent little in the way of aerial research despite the cries of men such as Billy Mitchell. Military spending was focused on keeping bases open, combat arms, and the navy. Garner had believed that with the vast ocean and the navy on both shores, no power could ever come close enough to threaten America's borders. Also, he failed to grasp air power and could not be swayed by those who pleaded with him for the funds to pursue it. For a large part of Garner's term in office, the USAAF was used for transport purposes and geared thusly until Dewey's election. Engineers struggled to come up with models that could challenge the Luftwaffe's superior designs but with bottlenecks in production due to a rush to train army divisions, which limited manpower, as well a rush to build anything that could be used to battle back the approaching enemy, mass quantities of obsolete aircraft were constructed which quickly came falling back to earth riddled with bullets when they met Goering's aces.
The USAAF failed at its task of securing air supremacy due to the turn it had taken under the administration of President Garner. With military spending slashed to the bone in order to keep the American budget balanced and social programs running throughout the 1930s after the Depression, the Army spent little in the way of aerial research despite the cries of men such as Billy Mitchell. Military spending was focused on keeping bases open, combat arms, and the navy. Garner had believed that with the vast ocean and the navy on both shores, no power could ever come close enough to threaten America's borders. Also, he failed to grasp air power and could not be swayed by those who pleaded with him for the funds to pursue it. For a large part of Garner's term in office, the USAAF was used for transport purposes and geared thusly until Dewey's election. Engineers struggled to come up with models that could challenge the Luftwaffe's superior designs but with bottlenecks in production due to a rush to train army divisions, which limited manpower, as well a rush to build anything that could be used to battle back the approaching enemy, mass quantities of obsolete aircraft were constructed which quickly came falling back to earth riddled with bullets when they met Goering's aces.
The opening days of the Blitz saw Manhattan suffer the worst of it. Wall Street was struck on the opening day killing hundreds and effectively demolishing the Exchange. Other areas hit in Downtown Manhattan included the Federal building at 270 Broadway, the Chrysler Building at 405 Lexington Ave., Columbia University, and parts of Chelsea (the latter seemingly by accident). New York Port also served as a point of interest, bombed relentlessly causing millions of dollars in damage.
Luftwaffe ace Oberst Gustav Rödel would become legendary for Germany's most blatant affront to America when he blasted off the face of the Statue of Liberty during a mission over NYC.Panic gripped the city as tens of thousands fled, while hundreds of thousands more struggled to stick out the carnage. Hospitals overflowed with casualties. Air raid sirens sounded almost daily. The subways came to serve as bomb shelters. A constant haze hovered over the city. Power outages and lack of food were the norm. The city fought to persevere. Their plight came to symbolize the strength of American tenacity against the seemingly unbeatable hordes of Hitler. Despite the city falling down around them, New Yorkers refused to retreat.
The Blitz itself ended three months later with the Battle of New York when the Wermacht and American Army faced off in July 1943.
SOURCE: Hein, Heinrich The Blitz: New York Versus the Reich
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