OTD (well, tonight) in 1942, the 1st of the so-called 'Baedeker' raids took place against SW England. Contrary to popular belief, these were not intended as attacks on cultural targets, as this lengthy thread will attempt to explain.

The reasons for the 1942 Luftwaffe bombing campaign go back to a March 1942 raid by the RAF in France. On 3 March, the largest bombing raid to that date took place on the Renault factory at Boulogne-Billancourt in the suburbs of Paris.

Bomber Command concentrated 235 aircraft over this target, all of which bombed in a 110 minute period. The importance of this attack was highlighted in a British publication in 1942, but also prompted the German decision to resume bombing operations.

On 6 March, retaliation against British targets was discussed at a conference held by Reichsmarschall Goring. Hitler 'wanted the strongest forces possible to undertake reprisal raids on London as soon as the weather was suitable'.

Bomber Command continued with their experimental tactics, & the 1st saturation attack with incendiaries took place at Lubeck on 28/29 March, destroying the centre of the city. This has erroneously been identified as the reason for Baedeker, but this decision had already been made

Although the 1st raid did not take place until late April, British Intelligence anticipated attacks once area bombing began, with Fighter Command in 'a high state of readiness'. Hitler expected attacks on London, but Luftwaffe planners knew this would lead to unacceptable losses.

The campaign was therefore directed at the periphery of British defences, often lacking AA guns. On the night of 23/24 April the 1st raid was attempted against Exeter, but bombing was so scattered that the British did not detect any particular concentration.