The Luftwaffe’s Last Bomber Offensive: Operation Steinbock, 1944

Called by the ‘Baby Blitz’ by the British, Operation Steinbock was the Luftwaffe's last major air offensive against the UK launched between January and May 1944.Led by Generalmajor Dietrich Peltz, the operation sought to strike London and other English cities, the target list including places such as Bristol, Hull, and Portsmouth.Despite its ambitious goals, Steinbock was poorly timed and ill executed. By 1944, the Luftwaffe’s bomber force was a shadow of its former self: it faced severe shortages of trained aircrew, fuel, and modern aircraft, while British radar, night-fighter defences, and anti-aircraft coordination had become highly sophisticated and effective.A number of Luftwaffe types were used in the attacks, from the four-engine Heinkel He 177A, through to Junkers Ju 188s, Dornier Do 217s, Junkers Ju 88s, Messerschmitt Me 410s and Focke-Wulf Fw 190s. The raiders’ losses were catastrophic - over 500 aircraft were destroyed or damaged, draining the Luftwaffe of irreplaceable airc