Operation Steinbock: Germany's 1944 'Baby Blitz' on London and Its Costly Failure

Operation Steinbock, the Luftwaffe's final large-scale bombing campaign against Great Britain, ran from January 1944 to May 1944 under direct orders from Adolf Hitler. Conceived as retaliation for the sustained Allied bombing of German cities and as a means to boost home-front morale, the operation was commanded by Generalleutnant Josef Kammhuber, while Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring oversaw the Luftwaffe. The first raid struck London on the night of January 21-22, 1944, involving 229 bombers. At least six Kampfgeschwaders, numbering almost 500 planes by late 1943, were assembled at French bases; most were twin-engine types such as the Junkers Ju-88 and Ju-188, Dornier Do-217, Messerschmitt Me-410, and Focke-Wulf Fw-190, alongside the problematic Heinkel He-177. Greater London was the primary target for its symbolic, industrial, and transportation value, though Bristol, Sandwich, and Hull were also bombed. British defenses, improved by radar-guided anti-aircraft guns, inflicted heavy losses. By May 1944 the Luftwaffe had lost 329 aircraft, roughly 70% of its operational strength, along with irreplaceable crews. The drain weakened other theaters, including the Eastern Front, and left fewer bombers for Operation Overlord. After Steinbock, Germany abandoned large-scale bomber campaigns in favor of V1 and V2 Wunderwaffe attacks. The campaign's strategic impact proved minimal, and by March many bomber squadrons had been transferred or redirected to counter D-Day preparations.