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Why was OXford not bombed in WW2

• Message 1.Β 

  Posted by collin1234 (U14122452) on Sunday, 13th September 2009

  A question I have wanted the answer to for a long time is why was Oxford not bombed in WW2. It was not bombed in the Baedeker raids, or because of the factories at Cowley and around Oxford. These Factories made Lancaster Wings, Spitfire engine radiators and other important war equipment, and the Germans had aerial. The only bombing was a small possibly single plane raid on the airfield at Cowley, only being used to break-up crashed aircraft and one or two raids on the training airfield at Kidlington. One story I heard a long time ago was that Hitler wanted Oxford for his capital after he invaded Britain.
  
  Anybody any views or information?
  
  Thank you

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• Message 2

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by MattJ18 (U13798409) on Monday, 14th September 2009

  Wasn't there an agreement between Britain and Germany not to bomb each others historical university cities. I think Heidelberg was the German equivalent.

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• Message 3

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  Posted by TimTrack (U1730472) on Monday, 14th September 2009

  If that is so Matt, I have never heard of it before.
  
  The following website says this of Hedelberg, for the reason it was not subjected to extensive bombing :
  
  "It has been theorized by some that Heidelberg escaped bombing in the Second World War because the US Army wanted to use the city as a garrison after the war. In fact, as Heidelberg was neither an industrial center nor a transport hub, there was nothing worth bombing in Heidelberg and Allied air raids focused extensively on the nearby industrial cities of Mannheim and Ludwigshafen."
  
  .
  
  
  Whilst this site shows at least one raid being mounted on Heidelberg by january 1941.
  
  
  
  Gentelmen's agreements were in short supply during the second world war.

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• Message 4

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  Posted by petaluma (U10056951) on Monday, 14th September 2009

  Could be because largest of German bombing force directed at civilians, mines, by-product plants, steel works all couldn't be black-outed, industry left intact in case of partial surrender to fight the Russians? Communism unfavorable to the ruling heads of Germany and Britain.

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• Message 5

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  Posted by dmatt47 (U13073434) on Monday, 14th September 2009

  That would seem to be odd as both Coventry and London were bombed.

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• Message 6

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  Posted by dmatt47 (U13073434) on Monday, 14th September 2009

  Ignore my message. I didn't see the word universities.

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• Message 7

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  Posted by serge_09 (U14069714) on Thursday, 17th September 2009

  I dont know wheather there was Cov Uni at the time but if yes then it was bombed because Coventry was one of the most bombed city in the UK and I know that the Coventry Cathedral which is situated next to the University was massacred by bombings.

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• Message 8

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  Posted by U3280211 (U3280211) on Thursday, 17th September 2009

  Wasn't there an agreement between Britain and Germany not to bomb each others historical university cities. I think Heidelberg was the German equivalent. Β 
  Would you count Cambridge as a "University City"?
  
  If so, it was bombed on 19th June 1940, 10 people were killed.
  
  It was also hit several times later by German aircraft "dumping bombs" (presumably reducing their load after being shot at, or running low on fuel?).
  
  We should remember that bombing was notoriously inaccurate in the early stages of the war.
  
  Before 1942, 97% of allied bombs fell outside a one mile radius of the intended target. Many bombs fell 10 miles (or more) outside.

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• Message 9

  , in reply to message 7.

  Posted by MB (U177470) on Friday, 18th September 2009

  I dont know wheather there was Cov Uni at the time but if yes then it was bombed because Coventry was one of the most bombed city in the UK and I know that the Coventry Cathedral which is situated next to the University was massacred by bombings.Β 
  
  I thought there had been only a couple of small raids on Coventry before 14 November 1940? There were a couple more heavy raids about a year later.
  
  Coventry University was Coventry Polytechnic until 1992.
  
  

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