Many Hamburg residents died together when they were struck by the heat and debris. Many Hamburg residents died with their families when they were caught in the fire, losing their lives to the heavy rocks.

　　Many Hamburg residents died together, either from the heat or from the debris. Many Hamburg residents died with their families after being caught in the fire and losing their lives to heavy boulders. Tornadoes filled the city with fire, cinders, and debris, sucking especially the old and young toward the fire.

　The July 1943 raid on Hamburg, Germany's second largest city, was called Operation Gomorrah, after the Biblical city destroyed by fire and bricks. Six raids took place until August 3, 1943.

　　The asphalt melted and it was impossible to proceed across the road. Some people in the roadway were already dead, others were still alive and impaled on the asphalt. I ran out onto the roadway. My legs were stuck and I tried to escape with my hands out. They were on their hands and knees, screaming. Thousands of incendiary bombs erupted into fire, causing concentrated destruction. A chain of concentrated and uncontrolled fires turned parts of Hamburg into a furnace. Hot winds rose into the sky and sucked many from the streets. Wind speeds reached 240 kilometers per hour and temperatures reached at least 800 degrees Celsius. Wood, cloth, and flesh caught fire. Glass exploded, metal twisted, and stonework glowed a dull red.

　In 1942, the War Cabinet and the Air Staff decided to destroy all German cities with a population of 100,000 or more. The area of destruction was much larger, about 31 square kilometers. A total of 214 km in length and 16,000 buildings housing 450,000 people were burned from top to bottom. Estimates of the death toll among the citizens of Hamburg ranged between 34,000 and 43,000.