The air war for Berlin started on 25 August 1940. That was when bombers of the Royal Air Force (RAF) attacked Berlin for the first time.  The attack was meant as revenge for German attacks on London.

This first phase of the British bombings lasted until the fall of 1941. The following year Berlin was largely left in peace and was attacked only nine times. It wasn’t until March 1944 that Berlin was again bombed regularly by the Allies. At this point the British received support from the Americans with the US Army Air Force (USAAF). The capital of the Nazi Reich wasn’t only an important psychological target, but it was also of strategic importance because of the presence of the war industry.