SZ/AEAF/7/3/2-4 - Casualties among French civilians resulting from rail centre attacks

SZ/AEAF/7/3/2-4

Item

Casualties among French civilians resulting from rail centre attacks

1944

7 leaves

Typescript drafts. Copy [SZ/AEAF/7/3/2] lacks the table of targets, showing the date(s) attacked, tonnage of bombs dropped, numbers killed and wounded, and estimated number likely to be killed, for each target. Copy [SZ/AEAF/7/3/4] has a number of MS revisions.

The paper is the report of an investigation to determine the extent of French civilian casualties as a result of the offensive against rail centres in support of Operation Overlord and to make a comparison with estimates of casualties. The investigation was based on the records of the headquarters of the "Defence Passive" [French Civil Defence] and covers attacks by RAF Bomber Command, AEAF and the US Eighth Air Force between 6/3/44 and 4/6/44. The report concludes that the number of observed casualties was 46% of the number estimated, the difference being in part due to evacuation of the civil population.