Operation Thunderclap was a strategic effort by the Allied forces, particularly the United States Army Air Forces, to conduct a series of large-scale bombing raids on German cities to undermine military and industrial capacity as the war neared its conclusion. On February 3, 1945, this operation culminated in an extensive daylight bombing raid on Berlin, where approximately 1,000 B-17 Flying Fortress bombers were dispatched. This coordinated effort aimed to target important infrastructure, including transportation hubs and factories vital to the Nazi war machine.

The raid's planning and execution involved meticulous coordination between various Allied air commands, and it marked a shift towards increasingly aggressive air assaults on civilian targets as a means of demoralizing enemy forces. As the bombers approached Berlin, they encountered fierce resistance from German anti-aircraft defenses and fighter aircraft. Despite the dangers, the B-17 crews dropped a substantial number of bombs over the city, resulting in widespread destruction. The aftermath of the bombing revealed a significant human cost, with fatalities estimated between 2,500 and 3,000, along with massive displacement and homelessness affecting around 120,000 residents.

This raid, while militarily significant in terms of the destruction it wrought, symbolized the escalating intensity of the conflict in the final stages of World War II. It served as a harbinger of the destructive capabilities of strategic bombing campaigns and highlighted the blurred lines between military and civilian targets in wartime strategy. As the war progressed, such raids characterized the Allies' relentless pursuit of victory, contributing to the eventual fall of Berlin and the end of the Third Reich.