25 JULY

THE FIRST RAF FIRE BOMBING RAID ON HAMBURG KILLS THOUSANDS

[ 25 July 1943 ]

At about 00.57 on 25 July 1943,  RAF bombers unleashed hundreds of bright red and yellow marker bombs, followed by thousands of incendiary bombs, on the densely populated German city of Hamburg. It was the first of four RAF fire bombing raids endured by the inhabitants over the following ten days, which destroyed or damaged an estimated 61% of the buildings and killed approximately 36,500 civilians.¹ 

BRITISH COMMANDER ORDERS TROOPS TO ‘SHOW CONTEMPT FOR JEWS’

[ 25 July 1946 ]

On 25 July 1946, General Sir Evelyn Barker, commanding British forces in Palestine, issued an order to all ranks instructing them that ‘all Jewish places of entertainment, cafes, restaurants, shops and dwellings’ were out of bounds and calling on his men to punish Jews ‘by showing our contempt for them.’²

BORIS JOHNSON ADMITS UK NOT OPPOSED TO ILLEGAL DRONE STRIKES

[ 25 July 2018 ]

Writing for The Spectator on 25 July 2018, the recently resigned British foreign secretary Boris Johnson implied that the government would not hesitate in authorizing intelligence sharing to enable a drone strike assassination of targets, who while not necessarily posing any imminent threat to life, were prime suspects for earlier terror crimes.

FOOTNOTES

1. Richard Overy, The Bombing War: Europe 1939-1945, Allen Lane, London, 2013, p. 333 and 335.
2. ‘G.O.C.: “All Jews to Blame,’ The Daily Herald, 29 July 1946, p1 and ‘Show Contempt For Jews,’ The Birmingham Daily Gazette, 29 July 1946, p. 1.

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