Operation Millennium

E44983

Operation Millennium was the Royal Air Force Bomber Command’s first 1,000-bomber raid, launched against Cologne in May 1942 as a major strategic bombing offensive during World War II.


Statements (47)
Predicate Object
instanceOf aerial bombing raid
military operation
alsoKnownAs Thousand-bomber raid on Cologne
belligerent Nazi Germany
United Kingdom
commandedBy Air Chief Marshal Arthur Harris
conflict Second World War
conflictType strategic bombing operation
country United Kingdom
endTime 1942-05-31
followedBy further thousand-bomber raids
thousand-bomber raid on Bremen
thousand-bomber raid on Essen
goal demonstrate RAF Bomber Command’s offensive capability
inflict major damage on Cologne
support strategic bombing offensive against Germany
historicalSignificance marked escalation of RAF strategic bombing
prototype for later large-scale Allied bombing raids
location Cologne NERFINISHED
Cologne, Germany
militaryBranch Royal Air Force Bomber Command
notableFor first 1,000-bomber raid by RAF Bomber Command
notableOutcome boosted British public morale
used as propaganda success by the Allies
numberOfAircraft about 1,000
over 1,000 bombers
operator RAF Bomber Command
Royal Air Force
partOf RAF night bombing offensive
strategic bombing campaign against Germany
plannedBy RAF Bomber Command headquarters
pointInTime May 1942
precededBy smaller-scale RAF bombing raids on Germany
result civilian casualties in Cologne
extensive damage to Cologne
large-scale fires in Cologne
startTime 1942-05-30
strategicObjective test massed bomber stream tactics
undermine German morale
target city of Cologne
theatreOfWar Western Front of World War II
timePeriod Battle of the Atlantic era
European theatre of World War II
usedTactic area bombing
night bombing
usedWeapon high-explosive bombs
incendiary bombs

Referenced by (1)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
Royal Air Force Bomber Command
operation

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