The Luftwaffe’s Last Bomber Offensive

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 s…