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So while I personally have put this down to a discrepancy within the book-to-movie transition, I want to hear other alternatives.

Its been a while since I read Mockingjay but from what I remember, someone within Katniss's time in District 13 explains that the underground facility was set up a refuge from the Capitol government should it ever be needed in a time of crisis. Yet a little further on, both within and without the movie, Peeta warns them that they are about to be bombed.

Now this is where the problem arises, In the movie, Coin says comes to the conclusion that the Capitol bombers don't know what or where to bomb and are just guessing. This isn't discussed within the book.

Yet, if the underground facility was for the Capitol/Government, then why wouldn't they have detailed plans and so know exactly were to bomb them?

Hmm, weird?

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    It's been at least 75 years since the split between the Capitol and District 13. I think it's implied that District 13 have been busy in the meantime, and built new underground constructions that are unknown to the Capitol. (Presumably in anticipation of a future Capitol raid based on then-current plans.) The Capitol know the rough location of 13, but not the detailed plans.
    – alexwlchan
    Commented Mar 30, 2015 at 14:03
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    Knowing where something is doesn't always mean it can be easily destroyed - the location of the U.S.' primary military command center is well known, but since it's buried deep under a mountain near the center of the country it would take multiple direct hits with very large nukes to take it out.
    – Joe L.
    Commented Mar 30, 2015 at 14:08
  • Historically, bombing from the air has been surprisingly ineffective at at completely destroying military installations, especially ones that were prepared for it. Commented Mar 30, 2015 at 17:51
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    The main reason is retaliation. The Capitol knows that if it dropped bigger bombs, then D13 would be able to reciprocate with even bigger bombs - after all, they are the nuclear district. I believe both parties mutually understand that total annihilation should not be the end game.
    – Möoz
    Commented Mar 31, 2015 at 0:36
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    As an addition to @alexwlchan's comment, President Coin comes to the realization that the Capitol bombers are operating on outdated information and says as much in the movie. They promptly power-down and conceal all of their anti-air defenses and just ride out the bombs.
    – Ellesedil
    Commented Nov 10, 2015 at 21:45

1 Answer 1

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It's implied in the books that the destruction of District 13 was not the Capitol's intention.

Four more bunker missiles fall over this period, all massive, all very damaging, but there's no urgency to the attack. The bombs are spread out over the long hours so that just when you think the raid is over, another blast sends shock waves through your guts. It feels more designed to keep us in lockdown than to decimate 13. Cripple the district, yes. Give the people plenty to do to get the place running again. But destroy it? No. Coin was right on that point. You don't destroy what you want to acquire in the future. I assume what they really want, in the short term, is to stop the Airtime Assaults and keep me off the televisions of Panem.

As for the movie, we see that the Capitol scores a direct hit on the actual surface location of the bunker... and then drops President Snow's white roses all over the crater. That would seem to confirm that the bombing was intended more as a message to Katniss than an attempt to actually destroy District 13.

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