Originally Posted by
Heathrow Harry
But they were still alive Ken... which is my original point... carpet bombing (or mining) doesn't wipe out all opposition.... I doubt the Wermacht or the Confederacy would have surrendered in droves...
I had no idea the point of carpet bombing was to "wipe out all opposition." Indeed its doubtful anything short of a nuke could do so, and even then there will likely be survivors. I believe there is a vast difference between the existence of survivors and the existence of an effective fighting force, and its neutralizing the latter that is the point of carpet bombing. So yes, plenty of Iraqi survivors, but no, no longer an effective fighting force. And that just applies to tactical use of carpet bombing. Carpet bombing is also effective at destroying manufacturing, transportation, governmental, and other strategic targets.