SZ/BBSU - British Bombing Survey Unit

SZ/BBSU

Series

British Bombing Survey Unit

1937-1981

27 boxes Mixed

World War, 1939-1945 -- Aerial operations
British Bombing Survey Unit
Bombing, Aerial

The BBSU, of which SZ was Scientific Director, was formed in June 1945 and took over the tasks of the BAU and the BBRM. The BBSU's task was to assess the impact of the Allied air offensive against the German war machine in western Europe, with particular reference to transport, oil and the economy. The series contains correspondence concerning the establishment of the BBSU; correspondence, and drafts and final versions of the panel and overall reports; French and German railway and industry documents; pre- and early-war air plans; a large amount of papers relating to Albert Speer, including interrogation reports and correspondence relating to Speer's meeting with SZ in 1974; background papers for the BBSU's work; and papers from the USSBS, the BBSU's American counterpart.

This series contains correspondence concerning the establishment of the British Bombing Survey Unit (BBSU); correspondence relating to, and drafts and final versions of, BBSU reports; French and German railway and industry documents; pre- and early-war air plans; background papers for the BBSU’s work; papers from the United States Strategic Bombing Survey (USSBS), the BBSU’s American counterpart; and a large amount of material relating to Albert Speer, including interrogation reports and correspondence relating to Speer’s meeting with SZ in 1974. Speer was a German architect who became a close confidant of Hitler and served as armaments and munitions minister from 1942 to 1945. From 1943 Speer had overall responsibility for Germany’s war economy and under him German armaments production tripled between 1942 and 1944. At the Nuremberg Trials Speer was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for his use of forced labour. The BBSU, of which SZ was Scientific Director, was formed in June 1945 and took over the work of the BAU and the BBRM. The BBSU’s principal task was to assess the impact of the allied air offensive on the German war machine, with particular reference to transport, oil, and the economy.