Reports suggested the attacks blocked the movement of coal to the Greater London regions and urgent repairs were required. Nearly 350 German bombers (escorted by over 600 fighters) dropped explosives on East London, targeting the docks in particular. People were forced to sleep in air raid shelters, and many people took shelter in underground stations. Its explosive sound describes the Luftwaffe's almost continual aerial bombardment of the British Isles from. [68], Although only a small number of Londoners used the mass shelters, when journalists, celebrities and foreigners visited they became part of the Beveridge Report, part of a national debate on social and class division. Many houses and commercial centres were heavily damaged, the electrical supply was knocked out, and five oil tanks and two magazines exploded. 348 bombers led by 617 fighters barraged London around 4:00 in the afternoon that day. Although many civilians had used them for shelter during the First World War, the government in 1939 refused to allow the stations to be used as shelters so as not to interfere with commuter and troop travel and the fears that occupants might refuse to leave. Around 250 tons (9,000 bombs) had been dropped, killing 1,413 people and injuring 3,500 more. Some 107,400 gross tons (109,100t) of shipping was damaged in the Thames Estuary and 1,600 civilians were casualties. Hello, I Am Charlie from London - Stephane Husar 2014-07-15 The Demon in the Embers - Julia Edwards 2016-09-02 . IWM C 5424 1. Rumours that Jewish support was underpinning the Communist surge were frequent. Much damage was done. [143], Not all of the Luftwaffe effort was made against inland cities. For eight months the Luftwaffe dropped bombs on London and other strategic cities across Britain. The Communists attempted to blame the damage and casualties of the Coventry raid on the rich factory owners, big business and landowning interests and called for a negotiated peace. The British were still one-third below the establishment of heavy anti-aircraft artillery AAA (or ack-ack) in May 1941, with only 2,631 weapons available. Between 7 September 1940 and 21 May 1941 there were major aerial raids (attacks in which m Subjects: British History, Social Studies - History, World History Grades: [97] Of this total around 400 were killed. Contributions rose to the 5,000 "Spitfire Funds" to build fighters and the number of work days lost to strikes in 1940 was the lowest in history. (Photo by J. [2], The military effectiveness of bombing varied. [183], A popular image arose of British people in the Second World War: a collection of people locked in national solidarity. 'Blitz' is an abbreviation of the German word 'blitzkrieg', meaning 'lightning war'. The London Blitz The Blitz is the term used to describe the German bombing campaign that took place from September 7, 1940, through May 11, 1941. [111], Wartime observers perceived the bombing as indiscriminate. [15] It was thought that "the bomber will always get through" and could not be resisted, particularly at night. Although there were a few large air battles fought in daylight later in the month and into October, the Luftwaffe switched its main effort to night attacks. Bombing civilians would cause a collapse of morale and a loss of production in the remaining factories. At 18:17, it released the first of 10,000 firebombs, eventually amounting to 300 dropped per minute. [149], A further line in the directive stressed the need to inflict the heaviest losses possible, but also to intensify the air war in order to create the impression an amphibious assault on Britain was planned for 1941. [87] Dowding accepted that as AOC, he was responsible for the day and night defence of Britain but seemed reluctant to act quickly and his critics in the Air Staff felt that this was due to his stubborn nature. [192] The total number of evacuees numbered 1.4million, including a high proportion from the poorest inner-city families. [76], Civilians of London played an enormous role in protecting their city. The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom, in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. [129] AA defences improved by better use of radar and searchlights. His hope wasfor reasons of political prestige within Germany itselfthat the German population would be protected from the Allied bombings. The first German attack on London actually occurred by accident. The Germans conducted mass air attacks against industrial targets, towns, and cities, beginning with raids on London towards the end of the Battle of Britain in 1940 (a battle for daylight air superiority between the Luftwaffe and the Royal Air Force over the United Kingdom). What he saw as the mythserene national unitybecame "historical truth". In recent years a large number of wartime recordings relating to the Blitz have been made available on audiobooks such as The Blitz, The Home Front and British War Broadcasting. Locating targets in skies obscured by industrial haze meant the target area needed to be illuminated and hit "without regard for the civilian population". To reduce losses further, strategy changed to prefer night raids, giving the bombers greater protection under cover of darkness. [130], Airborne Interception radar (AI) was unreliable. [7][8] Notable attacks included a large daylight attack against London on 15 September, a large raid on December 29 1940 against London resulting in a firestorm known as the Second Great Fire of London. The defences failed to prevent widespread damage but on some occasions did prevent German bombers concentrating on their targets. Its aircraftDornier Do 17, Junkers Ju 88, and Heinkel He 111swere capable of carrying out strategic missions[41] but were incapable of doing greater damage because of their small bomb-loads. [154], Even so, the decision by the OKL to support the strategy in Directive 23 was instigated by two considerations, both of which had little to do with wanting to destroy Britain's sea communications in conjunction with the Kriegsmarine. Dowding had to rely on night fighters. Most residents found that such divisions continued within the shelters and many arguments and fights occurred over noise, space and other matters. The German bombers would fly along either beam until they picked up the signal from the other beam. Contact Us 0207 608 5516 Call today: 9am - 5.30pm The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz (Kindle Edition) by. [12], Five nights later, Birmingham was hit by 369 bombers from KG 54, KG26, and KG55. But their operations were to no avail; the worsening weather and unsustainable attrition in daylight gave the OKL an excuse to switch to night attacks on 7 October. An American witness wrote "By every test and measure I am able to apply, these people are staunch to the bone and won't quit the British are stronger and in a better position than they were at its beginning". The air campaign soon got underway against London and other British cities. [13] British wartime studies concluded that most cities took 10 to 15 days to recover when hit severely, but some, such as Birmingham, took three months. Bombers were flown with airborne search lights out of desperation but to little avail. [50] The unexpected delay to civilian bombing during the Phoney War meant that the shelter programme finished in June 1940, before the Blitz. [67] By the end of 1940 improvements had been made in the Underground and in many other large shelters. The Blitz began on 7 September, 'Black Saturday', when German bombers attacked London, leaving 430 dead and 1,600 injured. This is a Timeline of the United Kingdom home front during World War II covering Britain 1939-45.Timeline of the United Kingdom home front during World War II covering Britain 1939-45. [156], The Luftwaffe could still inflict much damage and after the German conquest of Western Europe, the air and submarine offensive against British sea communications became much more dangerous than the German offensive during the First World War. Many unemployed people were drafted into the Royal Army Pay Corps and with the Pioneer Corps, were tasked with salvaging and clean-up. The lack of bombing in the Phoney War contributed significantly to the return of people to the cities, but class conflict was not eased a year later when evacuation operations had to be put into effect again. Ex-Army personnel and his successors as Chief of the Luftwaffe General Staff, Albert Kesselring (3 June 1936 31 May 1937) and Hans-Jrgen Stumpff (1 June 1937 31 January 1939) are usually blamed for abandoning strategic planning for close air support. Below is a table by city of the number of major raids (where at least 100 tons of bombs were dropped) and tonnage of bombs dropped during these major raids. [16], The Luftwaffe took a cautious view of strategic bombing but the OKL did not oppose the strategic bombardment of industries or cities. Dozens of men, women and children celebrate a Christmas party at a London Underground station during the Blitz in 1940. The government up until November 1940, was opposed to the centralised organisation of shelter. [13] In April 1941, when the targets were British ports, rifle production fell by 25 percent, filled-shell production by 4.6 percent and in small-arms production 4.5 percent. At a London railway station, arriving troops pass by children who are being evacuated to the countryside. Beginning in September 1940, the Blitz was an aerial bombing campaign conducted by the Luftwaffe against British cities. Birmingham and Coventry were subject to 450 long tons (457t) of bombs between them in the last 10 days of October. [179], Some writers claim the Air Staff ignored a critical lesson, that British morale did not break and that attacking German morale was not sufficient to induce a collapse. [38][a], It was decided to focus on bombing Britain's industrial cities, in daylight to begin with. [citation needed] This image entered the historiography of the Second World War in the 1980s and 1990s,[dubious discuss] especially after the publication of Angus Calder's book The Myth of the Blitz (1991). Many civilians found that the best way to retain mental stability was to be with family, and after the first few weeks of bombing, avoidance of the evacuation programmes grew. It could be claimed civilians were not to be targeted directly, but the breakdown of production would affect their morale and will to fight. In January, Swansea was bombed four times, very heavily. An unknown number of bombs fell on these diversionary ("Starfish") targets. [66], Public demand caused the government in October 1940 to build new deep shelters within the Underground to hold 80,000 people but the period of heaviest bombing had passed before they were finished. 604 Squadron RAF shot down a bomber flying an AI-equipped Beaufighter, the first air victory for the airborne radar. Liverpool and its port became an important destination for convoys heading through the Western Approaches from North America, bringing supplies and materials. The most intense series of these raids took place from September 1940 to May 1941 in a period that has become known as the Blitz. In Sunderland on 25 April, Luftflotte 2 sent 60 bombers which dropped 80 tons (81.3t) of high explosive and 9,000 incendiaries. But the great bulk of the traffic went on, and Londonersthough they glanced apprehensively each morning at the list of closed stretches of line displayed at their local station, or made strange detours round back streets in the busesstill got to work. First, the difficulty in estimating the impact of bombing upon war production was becoming apparent, and second, the conclusion British morale was unlikely to break led the OKL to adopt the naval option. The name "Blitz" comes from the word "blitzkrieg" which meant "lightning war". In March 1941, two raids on Plymouth and London dehoused 148,000 people. [61] A single direct hit on a shelter in Stoke Newington on October 1940 killed 160 civilians. Seven major and eight heavy attacks were flown, but the weather made it difficult to keep up the pressure. [103] The air battle was later commemorated by Battle of Britain Day. THIS DAY IN HISTORY September 07 1940 September 07 The Blitz begins as Germany bombs London On September 7, 1940, 300 German bombers raid London, in the first of 57 consecutive nights of. [115] The bombing disrupted rail traffic through London without destroying any of the crossings. The Blitz came to London on September Saturday 7 th 1940 and lasted for many days. The primary goal of Bomber Command was to destroy the German industrial base (economic warfare) and in doing so reduce morale. This weight of attack went on for two months, with the Luftwaffe dropping 12,400 long tons (12,600t) of bombs. The maximum range of Y-Gert was similar to the other systems and it was accurate enough on occasion for specific buildings to be hit. [1], In early July 1940, the German High Command began planning Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union. It was supposed Bomber Command, Coastal Command, and the Royal Navy could not operate under conditions of German air superiority. The exhausted population took three weeks to overcome the effects of an attack. British night-fighter operations out over the Channel were proving successful. Although there had been many bombing raids on London since mid 1940, the first raid where the survival of St. Paul's Cathedral was at risk and where the Watch were tested in the extreme was on Sunday 29th December 1940. [40] The Port of London, in particular, was an important target, bringing in one-third of overseas trade. The considerable rail network distributed to the rest of the country. Before the war, the Chamberlain government stated that night defence from air attack should not take up much of the national effort. When Gring decided against continuing Wever's original heavy bomber programme in 1937, the Reichsmarschall's own explanation was that Hitler wanted to know only how many bombers there were, not how many engines each had. X-Gert receivers were mounted in He 111s, with a radio mast on the fuselage. With no sign of the RAF weakening and the Luftflotten suffering many losses, OKL was keen for a change in strategy. In the Myth of the Blitz, Calder exposed some of the counter-evidences of anti-social and divisive behaviours. [5][6] Adolf Hitler and Reichsmarschall Hermann Gring, commander-in-chief of the Luftwaffe, ordered the new policy on 6 September 1940. A Gallup poll found only 3% of Britons expected to lose the war in May 1940. 5 Jan. Leslie Hore-Belisha, Britain's Minister of War, is dismissed. [49], In addition to high-explosive and incendiary bombs, the Germans could use poison gas and even bacteriological warfare, all with a high degree of accuracy. At least 3,363 Luftwaffe aircrew were killed, 2,641 missing and 2,117 wounded. This day marks the beginning of the Blitz when an attack on London is launched by the Germans, starting a nine-month long campaign against the city. Blitzkrieg - the lightning war - was the name given to the devastating German bombing attacks to which the United Kingdom was subjected from September 1940 until May 1941. [145] Captured German aircrews also indicated the homes of industrial workers were deliberately targeted. Official histories concluded that the mental health of a nation may have improved, while panic was rare. [118] The London Docklands, in particular, the Royal Victoria Dock, received many hits and Port of London trade was disrupted. [124] Although the use of the guns improved civilian morale, with the knowledge the German bomber crews were facing the barrage, it is now believed that the anti-aircraft guns achieved little and in fact the falling shell fragments caused more British casualties on the ground. [156] Westminster Abbey and the Law Courts were damaged, while the Chamber of the House of Commons was destroyed. One-third of London's streets were impassable. [172], By April and May 1941, the Luftwaffe was still getting through to their targets, taking no more than one- to two-percent losses per mission. (PROSE: A History of Humankind) In 1903, after receiving a wealth of information from the future, Grigori Rasputin foresaw the Blitz. [150] The OKL had always regarded the interdiction of sea communications of less importance than bombing land-based aircraft industries. The Germans conducted mass air attacks against industrial targets, towns, and cities, beginning with raids on London towards the end of the Battle of . The Metropolitan-Vickers works in Manchester was hit by 12 long tons (12.2t) of bombs. The Blitz refers to the strategic bombing campaign conducted by the Germans against London and other cities in England from September of 1940 through May of 1941, targeting populated areas, factories and dock yards. Only one bomber was lost, to anti-aircraft fire, despite the RAF flying 125-night sorties. He recognised the right of the public to seize tube stations and authorised plans to improve their condition and expand them by tunnelling. The fake fires could only begin when the bombing started over an adjacent target and its effects were brought under control. The History Place - World War II in Europe Timeline: London During the Blitz London during the Blitz A view of Big Ben through barbed wire entanglement. Both the RAF and Luftwaffe struggled to replace manpower losses, though the Germans had larger reserves of trained aircrew. Industry, seats of government and communications could be destroyed, depriving an opponent of the means to make war. [155], The diversion of heavier bombers to the Balkans meant that the crews and units left behind were asked to fly two or three sorties per night. Regional commissioners were given plenipotentiary powers to restore communications and organise the distribution of supplies to keep the war economy moving. German crews, even if they survived, faced capture. Lights were not allowed after dark for almost six years and the blackout became by far the most unpopular aspect of the war for civilians, even more than rationing. By December, this had increased to 92 percent. Liverpool suffered 180 long tons (183t) of bombs dropped. This involved the bombing of English Channel convoys, ports, and RAF airfields and supporting industries. Eventually, it would become a success. Ed Murrow reporting on war torn London during the blitz. [127] In November 1940, 6,000 sorties and 23 major attacks (more than 100 tons [102t] of bombs dropped) were flown. But the Blitz started in earnest on the afternoon of 7 September when the German Luftwaffe filled the skies in the first major daytime raid on London. Support for peace negotiations declined from 29% in February. Destroying RAF Fighter Command would allow the Germans to gain control of the skies over the invasion area. In late 1940, Churchill credited the shelters. The receipt of the German signal by the receiver was duly passed to the transmitter, the signal to be repeated. Upsurges in population in south Wales and Gloucester intimated where these displaced people went. This had important implications. From 1940 to 1941, the most successful night-fighter was the Boulton Paul Defiant; its four squadrons shot down more enemy aircraft than any other type. So worried were the government over the sudden campaign of leaflets and posters distributed by the Communist Party in Coventry and London, that the police were sent to seize their production facilities. Before getting into detail, an overview of the area around St. Paul's Cathedral will help set the scene. Blitz Incidents Thursday, 2 January 2014 High Holborn - the morning of 8th October 1940 I had no idea fighter-bombers were used against London as early as 1940, yet on Tuesday 8th October just before 9 am a raid took place that certainly hit targets across the centre of London, including Whitehall, at the very heart of British government. The details of the conversation were passed to an RAF Air Staff technical advisor, Dr. R. V. Jones, who started a search which discovered that Luftwaffe Lorenz receivers were more than blind-landing devices. More than 70,000 buildings . Only one year earlier, there had only been 6,600 full-time and 13,800 part-time firemen in the entire country. [11][12] The greatest effect was to force the British to disperse the production of aircraft and spare parts. Committees quickly formed within shelters as informal governments, and organisations such as the British Red Cross and the Salvation Army worked to improve conditions. Between 1940 and 1941, the Germans attacked Britain by bombing London. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term Blitzkrieg, the German word meaning 'lightning war'.[4]. History of the Battle of Britain The Blitz - The Hardest Night The Blitz - The Hardest Night 10/11 May 1941, 11:02pm - 05:57am The most devastating raid on London took place on the night of 10/11 May 1941. [170] In November and December 1940, the Luftwaffe flew 9,000 sorties against British targets and RAF night fighters claimed only six shot down. For one thing, Gring's fear of Hitler led him to falsify or misrepresent what information was available in the direction of an uncritical and over-optimistic interpretation of air strength. These include Peter Hennessy, Andrew Thorpe, and Philip Ziegler, who while admitting serious exceptions, argue that the population largely behaved well during the Blitz.[193]. [186] At the time it was seen as a useful propaganda tool for domestic and foreign consumption. [52], Based in part on the experience of German bombing in the First World War, politicians feared mass psychological trauma from aerial attacks and the collapse of civil society. At around 4:00 PM on that September day, 348 German bombers escorted by 617 fighters Sept. 7, 1940 - the beginning of the London Blitz blasted London until 6:00 PM. All but seven of its 12,000 houses were damaged. The aerial bombing was now principally aimed at the destruction of industrial targets, but also continued with the objective of breaking the morale of the civilian population. The Luftwaffe had dropped 16,331 long tons (16,593t) of bombs. This meant that British coastal centres and shipping at sea west of Ireland were the prime targets. These were marked out by parachute flares. By September 1940, the large-scale German air raids which had been expected twelve months earlier finally arrived. Bomb-Damage Maps Reveal London's World War II Devastation. For the London-based American football team, see, Directive 23: Gring and the Kriegsmarine, This was caused by moisture ruining the electrical. [145] Use of incendiaries, which were inherently inaccurate, indicated much less care was taken to avoid civilian property close to industrial sites. This became official policy on 7 October. [93] In general, German bombers were likely to get through to their targets without too much difficulty. [94] A total of 348 bombers and 617 fighters took part in the attack. Within four months, 88 percent of evacuated mothers, 86 percent of small children, and 43 percent of schoolchildren had been returned home. From 1916 to 1918, German raids had diminished against countermeasures which demonstrated defence against night air raids was possible. In Portsmouth Southsea and Gosport waves of 150 bombers destroyed vast swaths of the city with 40,000 incendiaries. [101] On 8 September the Luftwaffe returned; 412 people were killed and 747 severely wounded. [100] Another 247 bombers from Luftflotte 3 (Air Fleet 3) attacked that night. [122][123] In July 1940, only 1,200 heavy and 549 light guns were deployed in the whole of Britain. Summerfield and Peniston-Bird 2007, p. 84. These collections include period interviews with civilians, servicemen, aircrew, politicians and Civil Defence personnel, as well as Blitz actuality recordings, news bulletins and public information broadcasts. OKL did not believe air power alone could be decisive and the Luftwaffe did not adopt an official policy of the deliberate bombing of civilians until 1942. Airfields became water-logged and the 18 Kampfgruppen (bomber groups) of the Luftwaffe's Kampfgeschwadern (bomber wings) were relocated to Germany for rest and re-equipment. Hitler believed the Luftwaffe was "the most effective strategic weapon", and in reply to repeated requests from the Kriegsmarine for control over naval aircraft insisted, "We should never have been able to hold our own in this war if we had not had an undivided Luftwaffe. [179] Though militarily ineffective, the Blitz cost around 41,000 lives, may have injured another 139,000 people and did enormous damage to British infrastructure and housing stock. [24], Hitler was much more attracted to the political aspects of bombing. Important events of 1940, including the beginning of the London Blitz (pictured above) and the Battle of Britain. Throughout 193339 none of the 16 Western Air Plans drafted mentioned morale as a target. [148], Hitler's interest in this strategy forced Gring and Jeschonnek to review the air war against Britain in January 1941. At this time, the Underground lines were mostly owned and run by separate companies, all of which were merged together with . [161] Another raid was carried out on 11/12 May 1941. Of the "heavies", some 200 were of the obsolescent 3in (76mm) type; the remainder were the effective 4.5in (110mm) and 3.7in (94mm) guns, with a theoretical "ceiling"' of over 30,000ft (9,100m) but a practical limit of 25,000ft (7,600m) because the predictor in use could not accept greater heights. Timeline London portal v t e The United Kingdom took part in World War II from 3 September 1939 until 15 August 1945. Wever's vision was not realised, staff studies in those subjects fell by the wayside and the Air Academies focused on tactics, technology and operational planning, rather than on independent strategic air offensives. Attacks from below offered a larger target, compared to attacking tail-on, as well as a better chance of not being seen by the crew (so less chance of evasion), as well as greater likelihood of detonating its bomb load. Entertainment included concerts, films, plays and books from local libraries. [188] In the wake of the Coventry Blitz, there was widespread agitation from the Communist Party over the need for bomb-proof shelters. Beginning. [195] Many sites of bombed buildings, when cleared of rubble, were cultivated to grow vegetables to ease wartime food shortages and were known as victory gardens.[196]. Plymouth was attacked five times before the end of the month while Belfast, Hull, and Cardiff were hit. World War 2 Timeline - 1940. by Ben Johnson. [35][104][105], On 14 October, the heaviest night attack to date saw 380 German bombers from Luftflotte 3 hit London. They also noted regional production was severely disrupted when city centres were devastated through the loss of administrative offices, utilities and transport. The number of suicides and drunkenness declined, and London recorded only about two cases of "bomb neurosis" per week in the first three months of bombing. Get 20% off purchases above 10.Apply discount code SAVE20 at checkout.. Company Search. [169], Improved aircraft designs were in the offing with the Bristol Beaufighter, then under development. Though they failed to make a large gain in influence, the membership of the Party had doubled by June 1941. 6063, 6768, 75, 7879, 21516. X-Gert received and analysed the pulses, giving the pilot visual and aural directions. Ground-based radar was limited, and airborne radar and RAF night fighters were generally ineffective. Corum 1997, pp. [116] On 7 November, St Pancras, Kensal and Bricklayers Arms stations were hit and several lines of Southern Rail were cut on 10 November. Over the next few days weather was poor and the next main effort would not be made until 15 September 1940. To confuse the British, radio silence was observed until the bombs fell. London was then bombed for 57 consecutive nights, and often during daytime too. It was faster, able to catch the bombers and its configuration of four machine guns in a turret could (much like German night fighters in 19431945 with Schrge Musik) engage the German bomber from beneath. [135] In particular, the West Midlands were targeted. This incident was called the 'Blitz'. [95][96], Initially, the change in strategy caught the RAF off-guard and caused extensive damage and civilian casualties. [113] In the case of Battersea power station, an unused extension was hit and destroyed during November but the station was not put out of action during the night attacks. [146] Eventually, he convinced Hitler of the need to attack British port facilities. Cardiff was bombed on three nights; Portsmouth centre was devastated by five raids.

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