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The first attack merely damaged the rail network for three days,[102] and the second attack failed altogether. [9] and a large raid on the night of 10-11 May 1941. In March 1941, two raids on Plymouth and London dehoused 148,000 people. 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. More than 40,000civilians were killed by Luftwaffe bombing during the war, almost half of them in the capital, where more than a million houses were destroyed or damaged. [12], Five nights later, Birmingham was hit by 369 bombers from KG 54, KG26, and KG55. However, as with the attacks in the south, the Germans failed to prevent maritime movements or cripple industry in the regions. But even in May, 67 percent of the sorties were visual cat's-eye missions. Of greater potential was the GL (Gunlaying) radar and searchlights with fighter direction from RAF fighter control rooms to begin a GCI system (Ground Control-led Interception) under Group-level control (No. [135] In particular, the West Midlands were targeted. 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. [149], From the German point of view, March 1941 saw an improvement. "Bombing of London" and "London Blitz" redirect here. London: Aurum Press. [39] The attacks were focused against western ports in March. [130], Airborne Interception radar (AI) was unreliable. [111], Wartime observers perceived the bombing as indiscriminate. By 19/20 April 1941, it had dropped 3,984 mines, .mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}13 of the total dropped. 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars. With no sign of the RAF weakening and the Luftflotten suffering many losses, OKL was keen for a change in strategy. [35][36], It was also possible, if RAF losses became severe, that they could pull out to the north, wait for the German invasion, then redeploy southward again. [173] In May 1941, RAF night fighters shot down 38 German bombers. [1] It was the capital not just for the United Kingdom, but for the entire British Empire. Ultimately, the Russian royal family reached a . [148], Hitler's interest in this strategy forced Gring and Jeschonnek to review the air war against Britain in January 1941. (Photo by J. The Battle of Britain: Timeline July 26, 2010 2 mins read The dates of the four phases of the Battle of Britain are contested by some, and have been inserted in brackets only as a guideline. Hello, I Am Charlie from London - Stephane Husar 2014-07-15 The Demon in the Embers - Julia Edwards 2016-09-02 . The action did not guarantee automatic success. At the beginning of the war in 1939, London was the largest city in the world, with 8.2 million inhabitants. Bombers were noisy, cold, and vibrated badly. On the night of 22/23 July 1940, Flying Officer Cyril Ashfield (pilot), Pilot Officer Geoffrey Morris (air observer) and Flight Sergeant Reginald Leyland (Air Intercept radar operator) of the Fighter Interception Unit became the first pilot and crew to intercept and destroy an enemy aircraft using onboard radar to guide them to a visual interception, when their AI night fighter brought down a Do 17 off Sussex. [190], The brief success of the Communists also fed into the hands of the British Union of Fascists (BUF). [50] The unexpected delay to civilian bombing during the Phoney War meant that the shelter programme finished in June 1940, before the Blitz. [116] On 7 November, St Pancras, Kensal and Bricklayers Arms stations were hit and several lines of Southern Rail were cut on 10 November. The London docks and railways communications had taken a heavy pounding, and much damage had been done to the railway system outside. [29] The British produced 10,000 aircraft in 1940, in comparison to Germany's 8,000. Between 1940 and 1941, the Germans attacked Britain by bombing London. Later in . [40] Late in the afternoon of 7 September 1940, the Germans began Operation London (Unternehmen Loge, Loge being the codename for London) and Operation Sea Snake (Unternehmen Seeschlange), the air offensives against London and other industrial cities. People were forced to sleep in air raid shelters, and many people took shelter in underground stations. This led the British to develop countermeasures, which became known as the Battle of the Beams. However, the use of delayed-action bombs, while initially very effective, gradually had less impact, partly because they failed to detonate. 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. The bombings left parts of London in ruins, and when the war ended in 1945 much of the city had to be rebuilt. Smaller raids are not included in the tonnages. The London Blitz started quietly. Anti-Semitic attitudes became widespread, particularly in London. For eight months the Luftwaffe dropped bombs on London and other strategic cities across Britain. To paralyse the enemy armed forces by stopping production in armaments factories. A trial blackout was held on 10 August 1939 and when Germany invaded Poland on 1 September, a blackout began at sunset. He fell asleep at the controls of his Ju 88 and woke up to discover the entire crew asleep. [114] It is not clear whether the power station or any specific structure was targeted during the German offensive as the Luftwaffe could not accurately bomb select targets during night operations. When a continuous sound was heard from the second beam the crew knew they were above the target and dropped their bombs. [175], Between 20 June 1940, when the first German air operations began over Britain, and 31 March 1941, OKL recorded the loss of 2,265 aircraft over the British Isles, a quarter of them fighters and one-third bombers. [145] Captured German aircrews also indicated the homes of industrial workers were deliberately targeted. More than 13,000 civilians had been killed, and almost 20,000 injured, in September and October alone,[110] but the death toll was much less than expected. [129] AA defences improved by better use of radar and searchlights. German legal scholars of the 1930s carefully worked out guidelines for what type of bombing was permissible under international law. [28], The Luftwaffe's poor intelligence meant that their aircraft were not always able to locate their targets, and thus attacks on factories and airfields failed to achieve the desired results. Liverpool suffered 180 long tons (183t) of bombs dropped. World War 2 Timeline - 1940. by Ben Johnson. [138] The strategic effect of the raid was a brief 20 percent dip in aircraft production. In comparison to the Allied bombing campaign against Germany, casualties due to the Blitz were relatively low; the bombing of Hamburg alone inflicted about 40,000 civilian casualties. The first major raid took place on 7 September. Fighter Command lost 17 fighters and six pilots. Other units ceased using parachute flares and opted for explosive target markers. [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. 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. The Communist Party made political capital out of these difficulties. In this section. Between September 1940 and May 1941 the German Luftwaffe attacked the city on over 70 separate occasions, with around 1 million homes being destroyed and killing over 20,000 civilians. The day's fighting cost Kesselring and Luftflotte 2 (Air Fleet 2) 24 aircraft, including 13 Bf 109s. 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. Areas of Learning Mathematics Literacy Communication and Language Understanding The World Physical Development Personal, Social & Emotional Development Expressive Arts and Design Theme and Topics Everyday Life Fantasy and Adventure Festivals and Cultural Celebrations Places Weather and Seasons Science & Investigation 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). The Metropolitan-Vickers works in Manchester was hit by 12 long tons (12.2t) of bombs. [187] Historians' critical response to this construction focused on what were seen as over-emphasised claims of patriotic nationalism and national unity. 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. In the following month, 22 German bombers were lost with 13 confirmed to have been shot down by night fighters. What he saw as the mythserene national unitybecame "historical truth". Locating targets in skies obscured by industrial haze meant the target area needed to be illuminated and hit "without regard for the civilian population". Bungay, Stephen (2000). The primary goal of Bomber Command was to destroy the German industrial base (economic warfare) and in doing so reduce morale. [184][185] This imagery of people in the Blitz was embedded via being in film, radio, newspapers and magazines. [157] Air attacks sank 39,126 long tons (39,754t) of shipping, with another 111,601 long tons (113,392t) damaged. The Luftwaffe was not pressed into ground support operations because of pressure from the army or because it was led by ex-soldiers, the Luftwaffe favoured a model of joint inter-service operations, rather than independent strategic air campaigns. Destroying RAF Fighter Command would allow the Germans to gain control of the skies over the invasion area. The difference this made to the effectiveness of air defences is questionable. [140] The first group to use these incendiaries was Kampfgruppe 100 which despatched 10 "pathfinder" He 111s. [60], Each day orderly lines of people queued until 4:00pm, when they were allowed to enter the stations. The hope was that, if it could deceive German bombardiers, it would draw more bombers away from the real target. 12 Group RAF). Over a period of nine months, over 43,500 civilians were killed in the raids, which focused on major cities and industrial centres. 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. Then bombers carrying SC1000 (1,000kg (2,205lb)), SC1400 (1,400kg (3,086lb)), and SC1800 (1,800kg (3,968lb)) "Satan" bombs were used to level streets and residential areas. Douglas set about introducing more squadrons and dispersing the few GL sets to create a carpet effect in the southern counties. [80] The WVS organised the evacuation of children, established centres for those displaced by bombing and operated canteens, salvage and recycling schemes. Hitler quickly developed scepticism toward strategic bombing, confirmed by the results of the Blitz. 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. In mid-September 1940, about 150,000 people a night slept in the Underground, although by winter and spring the numbers declined to 100,000 or less. The bombing effort was diluted by attacks against several sets of industries instead of constant pressure on the most vital. [132] On 19 November 1940 the famous RAF night fighter ace John Cunningham shot down a Ju 88 bomber using airborne radar, just as Dowding had predicted. A tall white house known locally as the 'leaning tower of Rotherhithe' has sold for 1.5million. [141][failed verification] Altogether, 130 German bombers destroyed the historical centre of London. In the Myth of the Blitz, Calder exposed some of the counter-evidences of anti-social and divisive behaviours. [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. [173] Losses were minimal. One-third of London's streets were impassable. [40] The Luftwaffe's decision in the interwar period to concentrate on medium bombers can be attributed to several reasons: Hitler did not intend or foresee a war with Britain in 1939, the OKL believed a medium bomber could carry out strategic missions just as well as a heavy bomber force, and Germany did not possess the resources or technical ability to produce four-engined bombers before the war. Dec. 17, 1983: Six people are. All but seven of its 12,000 houses were damaged. Birmingham and Coventry were subject to 450 long tons (457t) of bombs between them in the last 10 days of October. 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. (AUDIO: The Wanderer) Despite being forbidden under the terms of the Treaty of . Harold Macmillan wrote in 1956 that he and others around him "thought of air warfare in 1938 rather as people think of nuclear war today". Over 2,000 AAA shells were fired, destroying two Ju 88s. Minister of Home Security Herbert Morrison was also worried morale was breaking, noting the defeatism expressed by civilians. 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. It is argued that persisting with attacks on RAF airfields might have won air superiority for the Luftwaffe. [24], A major problem in the managing of the Luftwaffe was Gring. [71], According to Anna Freud and Edward Glover, London civilians surprisingly did not suffer from widespread shell shock, unlike the soldiers in the Dunkirk evacuation. [161] Still, while heavily damaged, British ports continued to support war industry and supplies from North America continued to pass through them while the Royal Navy continued to operate in Plymouth, Southampton, and Portsmouth. [42], Although it had equipment capable of doing serious damage, the Luftwaffe had an unclear strategy and poor intelligence. In Sunderland on 25 April, Luftflotte 2 sent 60 bombers which dropped 80 tons (81.3t) of high explosive and 9,000 incendiaries. [2], The military effectiveness of bombing varied. A summary of Harris' strategic intentions was clear. [21], In 1936, Wever was killed in an air crash and the failure to implement his vision for the new Luftwaffe was largely attributable to his successors. In those sites, carbon arc lamps were used to simulate flashes at tram overhead wires. [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. Another innovation was the boiler fire. If a vigilant bomber crew could spot the fighter first, they had a decent chance of evading it. It reveals the devastation caused by the Blitz over eight months. [133] By mid-November, nine squadrons were available, but only one was equipped with Beaufighters (No. [27], Although not specifically prepared to conduct independent strategic air operations against an opponent, the Luftwaffe was expected to do so over Britain. From 1943 to the end of the war, he [Harris] and other proponents of the area offensive represented it [the bomber offensive] less as an attack on morale than as an assault on the housing, utilities, communications, and other services that supported the war production effort. [61] A single direct hit on a shelter in Stoke Newington on October 1940 killed 160 civilians. While direct attacks against civilians were ruled out as "terror bombing", the concept of attacking vital war industriesand probable heavy civilian casualties and breakdown of civilian moralewas ruled as acceptable.[18]. [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). Children pull crackers under paper decorations while jubilant adults smile . [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. Who . Dowding had introduced the concept of airborne radar and encouraged its usage. On 15 September, on a date known as Battle of Britain Day, a large-scale raid was launched in daylight, but suffered significant loss for no lasting gain. [34] It has also been argued that it was doubtful the Luftwaffe could have won air superiority before the "weather window" began to deteriorate in October. 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. [115] In the initial operations against London, it did appear as if rail targets and the bridges over the Thames had been singled out: Victoria Station was hit by four bombs and suffered extensive damage. Although not encouraged by official policy, the use of mines and incendiaries, for tactical expediency, came close to indiscriminate bombing. [176] Total losses could have been as high as 600 bombers, just 1.5 percent of the sorties flown. [145] The shift from precision bombing to area attack is indicated in the tactical methods and weapons dropped. The tactic was expanded into Feuerleitung (Blaze Control) with the creation of Brandbombenfelder (Incendiary Fields) to mark targets. The oil-fed fires were then injected with water from time to time; the flashes produced were similar to those of the German C-250 and C-500 Flammbomben. 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. 1940 30 June: The order is given by Reichsmarschall Hermann Gering, head of the Luftwaffe, to draw the RAF into battle. [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. Its explosive sound describes the Luftwaffe's almost continual aerial bombardment of the British Isles from. [77] Before the war, civilians were issued with 50million respirators (gas masks) in case bombardment with gas began before evacuation. Gring's lack of co-operation was detrimental to the one air strategy with potentially decisive strategic effect on Britain. Outside the capital, there had been widespread harassing activity by single aircraft, as well as fairly strong diversionary attacks on Birmingham, Coventry and Liverpool, but no major raids. 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. Many Londoners, in particular, took to using the Underground railway system, without authority, for shelter and sleeping through the night. [192] The total number of evacuees numbered 1.4million, including a high proportion from the poorest inner-city families. On September 13, 1940, shortly after the start of Germany's bombing campaign on the towns and cities of Britain, five high explosive bombs were dropped on Buckingham Palace. These units were fed from two adjacent tanks containing oil and water. For the London-based American football team, see, Directive 23: Gring and the Kriegsmarine, This was caused by moisture ruining the electrical. [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. The Blitz referred to the bombing of most major British cities by the Germans in World War II. [94], On 9 September the OKL appeared to be backing two strategies. [22], Hitler paid less attention to the bombing of opponents than air defence, although he promoted the development of a bomber force in the 1930s and understood it was possible to use bombers for strategic purposes. [89][90], Knickebein was in general use but the X-Gert (X apparatus) was reserved for specially trained pathfinder crews. [85] Although night air defence was causing greater concern before the war, it was not at the forefront of RAF planning after 1935, when funds were directed into the new ground-based radar day fighter interception system. [25] In 1940 and 1941, Gring's refusal to co-operate with the Kriegsmarine denied the entire Wehrmacht military forces of the Reich the chance to strangle British sea communications, which might have had a strategic or decisive effect in the war against the British Empire. The London Underground rail system was also affected; high explosive bombs damaged the tunnels rendering some unsafe. The word "blitz" comes from the German term. [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. 4 June 1940 18 June 1940 22 June 1940 1 July 1940 . In the last days of the battle, the bombers became lures in an attempt to draw the RAF into combat with German fighters. To support the operations of the army formations, independent of railways, i.e., armoured forces and motorised forces, by impeding the enemy's advance and participating directly in ground operations. 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. A significant number of the aircraft not shot down after the resort to night bombing were wrecked during landings or crashed in bad weather. [139], Although official German air doctrine did target civilian morale, it did not espouse the attacking of civilians directly. [159] Operations against London up until May 1941 could also have a severe impact on morale. 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. Some 107,400 gross tons (109,100t) of shipping was damaged in the Thames Estuary and 1,600 civilians were casualties. Still, in February 1941, there remained only seven squadrons with 87 pilots, under half the required strength. [161] This raid was significant, as 63 German fighters were sent with the bombers, indicating the growing effectiveness of RAF night fighter defences. [35][104][105], On 14 October, the heaviest night attack to date saw 380 German bombers from Luftflotte 3 hit London. From 7 September 1940, London was systematically bombed by the Luftwaffe for 56 of the following 57 days and nights. On September 7, 1940, 350 German bombers escorted by fighters bombarded London on consecutive successions. [58][59], The most important existing communal shelters were the London Underground stations. The first three directives in 1940 did not mention civilian populations or morale in any way. Launched in May 2020 to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day, discover our collection of resources about the resilience of London during World War II. [45] This method condemned the offensive over Britain to failure before it began. [156] Other sources point out that half of the 144 berths in the port were rendered unusable and cargo unloading capability was reduced by 75 percent. Liverpool and its port became an important destination for convoys heading through the Western Approaches from North America, bringing supplies and materials. [95][96], Initially, the change in strategy caught the RAF off-guard and caused extensive damage and civilian casualties. At a London railway station, arriving troops pass by children who are being evacuated to the countryside. [43] The Luftwaffe's strategy became increasingly aimless over the winter of 19401941. Signals from the station were retransmitted by the bomber's equipment, which allowed the distance the bomber had travelled along the beam to be measured precisely. Loge continued for 57 nights. Still, many British citizens, who had been members of the Labour Party, itself inert over the issue, turned to the Communist Party. Rumours that Jewish support was underpinning the Communist surge were frequent. [25], When Hitler tried to intervene more in the running of the air force later in the war, he was faced with a political conflict of his own making between himself and Gring, which was not fully resolved until the war was almost over. The populace of the port of Hull became "trekkers", people who made a mass exodus from cities before, during and after attacks. 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. Damage was inflicted on the port installations, but many bombs fell on the city itself. Beginning in September 1940, the Blitz was an aerial bombing campaign conducted by the Luftwaffe against British cities. [60] In March 1943, 173 men, women and children were crushed to death at Bethnal Green tube station in a crowd surge after a woman fell down the steps as she entered the station. Over a quarter of London's population had left the city by November 1940. [30] The replacement of pilots and aircrew was more difficult. [76], Despite the attacks, defeat in Norway and France, and the threat of invasion, overall morale remained high. Morale was not mentioned until the ninth wartime directive on 21 September 1940. [92], German beacons operated on the medium-frequency band and the signals involved a two-letter Morse identifier followed by a lengthy time-lapse which enabled the Luftwaffe crews to determine the signal's bearing. 604 Squadron RAF shot down a bomber flying an AI-equipped Beaufighter, the first air victory for the airborne radar. [97] Of this total around 400 were killed. KGr 100 increased its use of incendiaries from 13 to 28 percent. [48] Based on experience with German strategic bombing during World War I against the United Kingdom, the British government estimated that 50 casualtieswith about one-third killedwould result for every tonne of bombs dropped on London. Direction-finding checks also enabled the controller to keep the pilot on course. [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. Just three and twelve were claimed by the RAF and AA defences respectively. The name "Blitz" comes from the word "blitzkrieg" which meant "lightning war". 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. It was decided to recreate normal residential street lighting, and in non-essential areas, lighting to recreate heavy industrial targets. 8200 tons (8,330t) of bombs were dropped that month, about 10 percent in daylight, over 5400 tons (5,490t) on London during the night. 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. 348 bombers led by 617 fighters barraged London around 4:00 in the afternoon that day. The OKL had not been informed that Britain was to be considered a potential opponent until early 1938. [161] Another raid was carried out on 11/12 May 1941. [26], The deliberate separation of the Luftwaffe from the rest of the military structure encouraged the emergence of a major "communications gap" between Hitler and the Luftwaffe, which other factors helped to exacerbate. [173] On 3/4 May, nine were shot down in one night. The building of London's Royal Docks introduced a new world of commerce to the capital. [86], Hugh Dowding, Air Officer Commanding Fighter Command, defeated the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain, but preparing day fighter defences left little for night air defence. The electronic war intensified but the Luftwaffe flew major inland missions only on moonlit nights. Only one year earlier, there had only been 6,600 full-time and 13,800 part-time firemen in the entire country. In September, there had been no less than 667 hits on railways in Great Britain, and at one period, between 5,000 and 6,000 wagons were standing idle from the effect of delayed action bombs. [93], For industrial areas, fires and lighting were simulated. [103] The air battle was later commemorated by Battle of Britain Day. [186] At the time it was seen as a useful propaganda tool for domestic and foreign consumption. 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.