July 24

Operation Gomorrah — Firebombing of Hamburg Begins

RAF Bomber Command began a week-long series of raids on Hamburg, Germany's second city, using Window — strips of metal foil that blinded German radar. The raids created history's first firestorm, with temperatures reaching 1,500°F and winds of 150 mph.

Hamburg's firestorm killed 37,000 people in one night and shocked the Nazi leadership; Albert Speer warned Hitler that six more such raids could end the war.