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Dowding agreed air defence would require some offensive action and that fighters could not defend Britain alone. The government saw the leading role taken by the Communist Party in advocating the building of deep shelters as an attempt to damage civilian morale, especially after the MolotovRibbentrop Pact of August 1939. A. Hampton/Topical Press Agency . [106], Loge continued during October. 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. Smaller raids are not included in the tonnages. The heavy fighting in the Battle of Britain had eaten up most of Fighter Command's resources, so there was little investment in night fighting. Nine days later, two waves of 125 and 170 bombers dropped heavy bombs, including 160 tons (163t) of high explosive and 32,000 incendiaries. WW2: Eight months of Blitz terror - BBC Teach Added to the fact an interception relied on visual sighting, a kill was most unlikely even in the conditions of a moonlit sky. The German bombers would fly along either beam until they picked up the signal from the other beam. Dozens of men, women and children celebrate a Christmas party at a London Underground station during the Blitz in 1940. This heavy bombing by German forces began in September 1940 and lasted for 57 days. The Luftwaffe had dropped 16,331 long tons (16,593t) of bombs. [9] and a large raid on the night of 10-11 May 1941. [87], Because of the inaccuracy of celestial navigation for night navigation and target finding in a fast-moving aircraft, the Luftwaffe developed radio navigation devices and relied on three systems: Knickebein (Crooked leg), X-Gert (X-Device), and Y-Gert (Y-Device). Authorities provided stoves and bathrooms and canteen trains provided food. However, meteorological conditions over Britain were not favourable for flying and prevented an escalation in air operations. WW2 Timeline | Timeline Cards (teacher made) - Twinkl Moreover, the OKL could not settle on an appropriate strategy. In the last days of the battle, the bombers became lures in an attempt to draw the RAF into combat with German fighters. 10 Facts about London Blitz | Less Known Facts Many unemployed people were drafted into the Royal Army Pay Corps and with the Pioneer Corps, were tasked with salvaging and clean-up. [101] On 8 September the Luftwaffe returned; 412 people were killed and 747 severely wounded. Browse 1,952 london blitz stock photos and images available, or search for the blitz or world war ii to find more great stock photos and pictures. [92] The counter-operations were carried out by British Electronic Counter Measures (ECM) units under Wing Commander Edward Addison, No. The bombing effort was diluted by attacks against several sets of industries instead of constant pressure on the most vital. People were forced to sleep in air raid shelters, and many people took shelter in underground stations. The German bombing of Britain from 1940-45 exacted a terrible price, in lives lost, infrastructure wrecked and nerves shattered. This incident was called the 'Blitz'. The shortage of bombers caused OKL to improvise. [156], German air supremacy at night was also now under threat. One-third of London's streets were impassable. The official history volume British War Production (Postan, 1952) noted that the greatest effect on output of warlike stores was on the supply of components and dispersal of production rather than complete equipment. No follow-up raids were made, as OKL underestimated the British power of recovery (as Bomber Command would do over Germany from 1943 to 1945). dodged bombs to make her way across London from her aunts house to dance class. In late 1943, just before the Battle of Berlin, Harris declared the power of Bomber Command would enable it to achieve "a state of devastation in which surrender is inevitable". Locating targets in skies obscured by industrial haze meant the target area needed to be illuminated and hit "without regard for the civilian population". The general neglect of the RAF until the late spurt in 1938, left few resources for night air defence and the Government, through the Air Ministry and other civil and military institutions was responsible for policy. 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. 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 programme evacuated 2,664 boys and girls (ages 5 - 15) until its ending in October after the sinking of the SS City of Benares with the loss of 81 children out of 100 on board. Whitechapel suffered greatly during this period. This led to their agreeing to Hitler's Directive 23, Directions for operations against the British War Economy, which was published on 6 February 1941 and gave aerial interdiction of British imports by sea top priority. Birmingham and Coventry were subject to 450 long tons (457t) of bombs between them in the last 10 days of October. The property stands alone on a section of riverbank on the Thames, in South East London 's . [40], However, the Luftwaffe faced limitations. These units were fed from two adjacent tanks containing oil and water. A significant number of the aircraft not shot down after the resort to night bombing were wrecked during landings or crashed in bad weather. Many popular works of fiction during the 1920s and 1930s portrayed aerial bombing, such as H. G. Wells' novel The Shape of Things to Come and its 1936 film adaptation, and others such as The Air War of 1936 and The Poison War. The Blitz | Tardis | Fandom Although bombing attacks unexpectedly did not begin immediately during the Phoney War,[51] civilians were aware of the deadly power of aerial attacks through newsreels of Barcelona, the Bombing of Guernica and the Bombing of Shanghai. 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. [168] The Boulton Paul Defiant, despite its poor performance during daylight engagements, was a much better night fighter. [100] Another 247 bombers from Luftflotte 3 (Air Fleet 3) attacked that night. The first German attack on London actually occurred by accident. Hello, I Am Charlie from London - Stephane Husar 2014-07-15 The Demon in the Embers - Julia Edwards 2016-09-02 . The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz (Kindle Edition) by. Civilians left for more remote areas of the country. [139], Although official German air doctrine did target civilian morale, it did not espouse the attacking of civilians directly. The docks drew produce and people from all over the world; they survived the bombings of World War II and the economic downturn of the 1970s and 80s to become a hive of industry and activity once again. In January 1941, Fighter Command flew 486 sorties against 1,965 made by the Germans. [50] London hospitals prepared for 300,000 casualties in the first week of war. The policy of RAF Bomber Command became an attempt to achieve victory through the destruction of civilian will, communications and industry. [32], The decision to change strategy is sometimes claimed as a major mistake by OKL. The port cities of Bristol, Cardiff, Portsmouth, Plymouth, Southampton, Swansea, Belfast, and Glasgow were also bombed, as were the industrial centres of Birmingham, Coventry, Manchester, and Sheffield. The meacon system involved separate locations for a receiver with a directional aerial and a transmitter. 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. The populace of the port of Hull became "trekkers", people who made a mass exodus from cities before, during and after attacks. 5 Jan. Leslie Hore-Belisha, Britain's Minister of War, is dismissed. Mackay2002, pp. BBC - WW2 People's War - Timeline Fact File : The Blitz 25 August 1940 to 16 May 1941 Theatre: United Kingdom Area: London and other major cities Players: Britain: RAF Fighter Command under. [194], In one 6-month period, 750,000 tons (762,000t) of bombsite rubble from London were transported by railway on 1,700 freight trains to make runways on Bomber Command airfields in East Anglia. The Top Historical Events That Shaped London - Culture Trip [5] Large air battles broke out, lasting for most of the day. There were also many new civil defence roles that gave a sense of fighting back rather than despair. The beginning of the London Blitz - The National Archives blog The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom, in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. London's Royal Docks History - Official Timeline The Blitz holds a special place in British history for the light which it supposedly sheds on . It also took part in the bombing over Britain. The bombings left parts of London in ruins, and when the war ended in 1945 much of the city had to be rebuilt. Although the weather was poor, heavy raids took place that afternoon on the London suburbs and the airfield at Farnborough. At least 3,363 Luftwaffe aircrew were killed, 2,641 missing and 2,117 wounded. [127] By the second month of the Blitz the defences were not performing well. An average of 200 were able to strike per night. [70], Although the intensity of the bombing was not as great as pre-war expectations so an equal comparison is impossible, no psychiatric crisis occurred because of the Blitz even during the period of greatest bombing of September 1940. The bombing also helped to support the U-boat blockade by sinking some 58,000 long tons (58,900t) of shipping and damaging 450,000 long tons (457,000t) more. [137] Around 21 factories were seriously damaged in Coventry, and loss of public utilities stopped work at nine others, disrupting industrial output for several months. The name "Blitz" comes from the word "blitzkrieg" which meant "lightning war". Ed Murrow reporting on war torn London during the blitz. In particular, class division was most evident during the Blitz. Jones began a search for German beams; Avro Ansons of the Beam Approach Training Development Unit (BATDU) were flown up and down Britain fitted with a 30MHz receiver. [117] Attacks against East End docks were effective and many Thames barges were destroyed. Nevertheless, its official opposition to attacks on civilians became an increasingly moot point when large-scale raids were conducted in November and December 1940. [80], Pre-war dire predictions of mass air-raid neurosis were not borne out. [37], Regardless of the ability of the Luftwaffe to win air superiority, Hitler was frustrated it was not happening quickly enough. [95][96], Initially, the change in strategy caught the RAF off-guard and caused extensive damage and civilian casualties. [49] In 1939 military theorist Basil Liddell-Hart predicted that 250,000 deaths and injuries in Britain could occur in the first week of war. Let us find out other historical facts about London Blitz below: Facts about London Blitz 1: the German intelligence Seven major and eight heavy attacks were flown, but the weather made it difficult to keep up the pressure. [3] OKL instead sought clusters of targets that suited the latest policy (which changed frequently), and disputes within the leadership were about tactics rather than strategy. 10 great films set in Britain during the Second World War | BFI 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. 4 June 1940 18 June 1940 22 June 1940 1 July 1940 . [13][14], In the 1920s and 1930s, airpower theorists such as Giulio Douhet and Billy Mitchell claimed that air forces could win wars, obviating the need for land and sea combat. [149], By now, the imminent threat of invasion had all but passed as the Luftwaffe had failed to gain the prerequisite air superiority. 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. Over a quarter of London's population had left the city by November 1940. The Battle of Britain Although the stress of the war resulted in many anxiety attacks, eating disorders, fatigue, weeping, miscarriages, and other physical and mental ailments, society did not collapse. [94] A total of 348 bombers and 617 fighters took part in the attack. The attacks were authorized by Germany's chancellor, Adolf Hitler, after the British carried out a nighttime air raid on Berlin. Unpopular with many of his fellow MP's, Prime Minister Chamberlain agreed to replace him under pressure from . Sewer, rail, docklands, and electric installations were damaged. Just three and twelve were claimed by the RAF and AA defences respectively. They also noted regional production was severely disrupted when city centres were devastated through the loss of administrative offices, utilities and transport. This philosophy proved impractical, as Bomber Command lacked the technology and equipment for mass night operations, since resources were diverted to Fighter Command in the mid-1930s and it took until 1943 to catch up. [173] On 19/20 April 1941, in honour of Hitler's 52nd birthday, 712 bombers hit Plymouth with a record 1,000tons (1,016t) of bombs. [139], Probably the most devastating attack occurred on the evening of 29 December, when German aircraft attacked the City of London itself with incendiary and high explosive bombs, causing a firestorm that has been called the Second Great Fire of London. Entertainment included concerts, films, plays and books from local libraries. Air raids caused about 2,300 casualties in London in World War I, and during the Battle of Britain in World War II, the city was bombed relentlessly by the German Luftwaffethe London Blitz . Its hope was to destroy its targets and draw the RAF into defending them, allowing the Luftwaffe to destroy their fighters in large numbers, thereby achieving air superiority. Official histories concluded that the mental health of a nation may have improved, while panic was rare. 348 bombers led by 617 fighters barraged London around 4:00 in the afternoon that day. The attack started at 16:43 and lasted for 12 hours. 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. The clock mechanism was co-ordinated with the distances of the intersecting beams from the target so the target was directly below when the bombs were released. The GL carpet was supported by six GCI sets controlling radar-equipped night-fighters. [35][104][105], On 14 October, the heaviest night attack to date saw 380 German bombers from Luftflotte 3 hit London. Predictions had underestimated civilian adaptability and resourcefulness. WW2: The Blitz Hits | Sky HISTORY TV Channel When a continuous sound was heard from the second beam the crew knew they were above the target and dropped their bombs. The London boroughs of City of Westminster and St Marylebone - 8.3 square miles of central London stretching from the north bank of the Thames up to Paddington and St John's Wood - were to suffer considerable bombing during the ensuing London Blitz of 7 September 1940 - 11 May 1941 and in later attacks during 1944 -1945. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term Blitzkrieg, the German word meaning 'lightning war'.[4]. [118] The London Docklands, in particular, the Royal Victoria Dock, received many hits and Port of London trade was disrupted. [23], Ultimately, Hitler was trapped within his own vision of bombing as a terror weapon, formed in the 1930s when he threatened smaller nations into accepting German rule rather than submit to air bombardment. London: The Blitz, September 1940-June 1941 | Historic England 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. Ports were easier to find and made better targets. Rumours that Jews were inflating prices, were responsible for the Black Market, were the first to panic under attack (even the cause of the panic) and secured the best shelters via underhanded methods, were also widespread. Within four months, 88 percent of evacuated mothers, 86 percent of small children, and 43 percent of schoolchildren had been returned home. Notable interviews include Thomas Alderson, the first recipient of the George Cross, John Cormack, who survived eight days trapped beneath rubble on Clydeside, and Herbert Morrison's famous "Britain shall not burn" appeal for more fireguards in December 1940. [178][3], In aircraft production, the British were denied the opportunity to reach the planned target of 2,500 aircraft in a month, arguably the greatest achievement of the bombing, as it forced the dispersal of the industry, at first because of damage to aircraft factories and then by a policy of precautionary dispersal. [31], The circumstances affected the Germans more than the British. 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. Anti-Semitic attitudes became widespread, particularly in London. [151], Directive 23 was the only concession made by Gring to the Kriegsmarine over the strategic bombing strategy of the Luftwaffe against Britain. [36] Other historians argue that the outcome of the air battle was irrelevant; the massive numerical superiority of British naval forces and the inherent weakness of the Kriegsmarine would have made the projected German invasion, Unternehmen Seelwe (Operation Sea Lion), a disaster with or without German air superiority. Over several months, the 20,000 shells spent per raider shot down in September 1940, was reduced to 4,087 in January 1941 and to 2,963 shells in February 1941. If a vigilant bomber crew could spot the fighter first, they had a decent chance of evading it. [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. United Kingdom: The Blitz Facts & Worksheets | History - KidsKonnect Morale was not mentioned until the ninth wartime directive on 21 September 1940. While wartime bombings affected London in both world wars, it was the Blitz that truly altered the cityscape forever. Bungay, Stephen (2000). 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. Dec. 17, 1983: Six people are. 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. Later in . [57] The programme favoured backyard Anderson shelters and small brick surface shelters. German planners had to decide whether the Luftwaffe should deliver the weight of its attacks against a specific segment of British industry such as aircraft factories, or against a system of interrelated industries such as Britain's import and distribution network, or even in a blow aimed at breaking the morale of the British population. The London Underground rail system was also affected; high explosive bombs damaged the tunnels rendering some unsafe. [46], In an operational capacity, limitations in weapons technology and quick British reactions were making it more difficult to achieve strategic effect. [152] Raeder's successorKarl Dnitzwouldon the intervention of Hitlergain control of one unit (KG 40), but Gring would soon regain it. [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. [47], London had nine million peoplea fifth of the British populationliving in an area of 750 square miles (1,940 square kilometres), which was difficult to defend because of its size. [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. London Blitz Books - Goodreads [90][91], In June 1940, a German prisoner of war was overheard boasting that the British would never find the Knickebein, even though it was under their noses.