A significant number of the aircraft not shot down after the resort to night bombing were wrecked during landings or crashed in bad weather. KGr 100 increased its use of incendiaries from 13 to 28 percent. These attacks produced some breaks in morale, with civil leaders fleeing the cities before the offensive reached its height. The moon was full and the Thames had a very low ebb tide. [101] On 8 September the Luftwaffe returned; 412 people were killed and 747 severely wounded. When this proved impossible, he began to fear that popular feeling would turn against his regime, and he redoubled efforts to mount a similar "terror offensive" against Britain in order to produce a stalemate in which both sides would hesitate to use bombing at all. This caused more than 2,000 fires; 1,436 people were killed and 1,792 seriously injured, which affected morale badly. In subsequent months a steady number of German bombers would fall to night fighters. 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. [17], The vital industries and transport centres that would be targeted for shutdown were valid military targets. London experienced regular attacks and on 10-11 May 1941 was hit by its biggest raid. Two aerials at ground stations were rotated so that their beams converged over the target. 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. He frequently complained of the Luftwaffe's inability to damage industries sufficiently, saying, "The munitions industry cannot be impeded effectively by air raids usually, the prescribed targets are not hit". [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. The policy of RAF Bomber Command became an attempt to achieve victory through the destruction of civilian will, communications and industry. Loge continued for 57 nights. Home Secretary Sir John Anderson was replaced by Morrison soon afterwards, in the wake of a Cabinet reshuffle as the dying Neville Chamberlain resigned. 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. [53] Winston Churchill told Parliament in 1934, "We must expect that, under the pressure of continuous attack upon London, at least three or four million people would be driven out into the open country around the metropolis". 5 Jan. Leslie Hore-Belisha, Britain's Minister of War, is dismissed. 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". From 7 September 1940, London was systematically bombed by the Luftwaffe for 56 of the following 57 days and nights. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term Blitzkrieg, the German word meaning 'lightning war'.[4]. At around 8.30pm on Sunday 13 October, a high-explosive bomb plunged through the Coronation Avenue flats on Stoke Newington High Street, and exploded directly above a shelter made up of three interconnected basements. Praise for Blitz: "With a relaxed style and array of fun characters, including an agent who makes people who look at him see their mother and a baby goat that turns into a little boy, O'Malley's latest will appeal to his many followers." Kirkus Reviews Praise for Daniel O'Malley and the Rook Files series: "Laugh-out-loud funny, occasionally bawdy, and paced like a spy thriller . Upsurges in population in south Wales and Gloucester intimated where these displaced people went. Regional commissioners were given plenipotentiary powers to restore communications and organise the distribution of supplies to keep the war economy moving. Whitechapel suffered greatly during this period. [58][59], The most important existing communal shelters were the London Underground stations.
Timeline: London's Explosive History : NPR Tickets were issued for bunks in large shelters, to reduce the amount of time spent queuing. On occasion, only one-third of German bombs hit their targets. [24], A major problem in the managing of the Luftwaffe was Gring. [131] Whitehall's disquiet at the failures of the RAF led to the replacement of Dowding (who was already due for retirement) with Sholto Douglas on 25 November. The production of false radio navigation signals by re-transmitting the originals became known as meaconing using masking beacons (meacons). [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. 604 Squadron RAF shot down a bomber flying an AI-equipped Beaufighter, the first air victory for the airborne radar. Beginning in September 1940, the Blitz was an aerial bombing campaign conducted by the Luftwaffe against British cities. The Blitz and what was known as 'Black Saturday' was the start in Britain of what Poland and Western Europe had already experienced - total war.
Bomb Sight - Mapping the World War 2 London Blitz Bomb Census [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. [161] Another raid was carried out on 11/12 May 1941. [35], While Gring was optimistic the Luftwaffe could prevail, Hitler was not. Liverpool and its port became an important destination for convoys heading through the Western Approaches from North America, bringing supplies and materials. Over a quarter of London's population had left the city by November 1940. 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. People left shelters when told instead of refusing to leave, although many housewives reportedly enjoyed the break from housework. Much of the city centre was destroyed. [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. Timeline London portal v t e The United Kingdom took part in World War II from 3 September 1939 until 15 August 1945. One-third of London's streets were impassable. Included are activities that A further attack on the Clyde, this time at Greenock, took place on 6 and 7 May. 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. [157] Air attacks sank 39,126 long tons (39,754t) of shipping, with another 111,601 long tons (113,392t) damaged. The blasts at Hyde Park and Regents Park kill 11 people and injure 50 others. Anti-Semitic attitudes became widespread, particularly in London.
A Princess At War: Queen Elizabeth II During World War II However, meteorological conditions over Britain were not favourable for flying and prevented an escalation in air operations. It is argued that persisting with attacks on RAF airfields might have won air superiority for the Luftwaffe. But the Luftwaffe's effort eased in the last 10 attacks as seven Kampfgruppen moved to Austria in preparation for the Balkans Campaign in Yugoslavia and Greece. 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. [170] In November and December 1940, the Luftwaffe flew 9,000 sorties against British targets and RAF night fighters claimed only six shot down.
- Wikipedia Three cross-beams intersected the beam along which the He 111 was flying. All but seven of its 12,000 houses were damaged. [186] At the time it was seen as a useful propaganda tool for domestic and foreign consumption. [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. 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. [165], The last major attack on London was on 10/11 May 1941, on which the Luftwaffe flew 571 sorties and dropped 787 long tons (800t) of bombs. During World War I, German zeppelins and Gotha airplanes had bombed the city and forced people to take shelter in the tunnels. The first three directives in 1940 did not mention civilian populations or morale in any way. [79] The Women's Voluntary Services for Civil Defence (WVS) was established in 1938 by the Home Secretary, Samuel Hoare, who considered it the female branch of the ARP. On 15 October, the bombers returned and about 900 fires were started by the mix of 376 tons (382t) of high explosive and 10 tons of incendiaries dropped. The London Blitz started quietly. [19] General Walther Wever (Chief of the Luftwaffe General Staff 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. [108], Kesselring, commanding Luftflotte 2, was ordered to send 50 sorties per night against London and attack eastern harbours in daylight. London: The Blitz, September 1940-June 1941 Records are incomplete, but between 7 October 1940 and 6 June 1941 almost 28,000 high explosive bombs and over 400 parachute mines were recorded landing on Greater London. [184], Raids during the Blitz produced the greatest divisions and morale effects in the working-class areas, with lack of sleep, insufficient shelters and inefficiency of warning systems being major causes. (PROSE: Ash, TV: The Empty Child) It lasted from 7 September 1940 to 21 May 1941. [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. [10] Bombing failed to demoralise the British into surrender or do much damage to the war economy; eight months of bombing never seriously hampered British war production, which continued to increase. [109] Special units, such as KGr 100, became the Beleuchtergruppe (Firelighter Group), which used incendiaries and high explosives to mark the target area. For eight months the Luftwaffe dropped bombs on London and other strategic cities across Britain. [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. On 17 September he postponed Operation Sea Lion (as it turned out, indefinitely) rather than gamble Germany's newly gained military prestige on a risky cross-Channel operation, particularly in the face of a sceptical Joseph Stalin in the Soviet Union. The Blitz was a huge bombing campaign of London and other English cities carried about by the German airforce from September 1940 to May 1941. London was then bombed for 57 consecutive nights, and often during daytime too. Later in . 1940 30 June: The order is given by Reichsmarschall Hermann Gering, head of the Luftwaffe, to draw the RAF into battle. The Minister of Aircraft Production, Lord Beaverbrook and Churchill distanced themselves. London was bombed ever day and night, bar one, for 11 weeks. [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. Erik Larson (Goodreads Author) (shelved 1 time as london-blitz) avg rating 4.29 99,548 ratings published 2020. [145], In 1941, the Luftwaffe shifted strategy again. [107], Luftwaffe policy at this point was primarily to continue progressive attacks on London, chiefly by night attack; second, to interfere with production in the vast industrial arms factories of the West Midlands, again chiefly by night attack; and third to disrupt plants and factories during the day by means of fighter-bombers. However, resentment of rich self-evacuees or hostile treatment of poor ones were signs of persistence of class resentments although these factors did not appear to threaten social order. [180] The 10th directive in October 1940 mentioned morale by name but industrial cities were only to be targeted if weather prevented raids on oil targets.[181]. To paralyse the enemy armed forces by stopping production in armaments factories. 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. [140] The first group to use these incendiaries was Kampfgruppe 100 which despatched 10 "pathfinder" He 111s. The loss of sleep was a particular factor, with many not bothering to attend inconvenient shelters. [11][12] The greatest effect was to force the British to disperse the production of aircraft and spare parts. [50], On the other hand, some historians have recently contended that this revisionism of the "Blitz spirit" narrative may have been an over-correction. Nine days later, two waves of 125 and 170 bombers dropped heavy bombs, including 160 tons (163t) of high explosive and 32,000 incendiaries. 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. Bomb damage around St Paul's Cathedral in the City of London. [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. 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. 7 September 1940 In the run up to 7 September, the night the Blitz began, the Luftwaffe had targeted RAF airfields and radar stations for destruction in preparation for the German invasion of the. 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. The Battle of Britain and the Blitz were two central moments in the British war effort during World War II. Hello, I Am Charlie from London - Stephane Husar 2014-07-15 The Demon in the Embers - Julia Edwards 2016-09-02 . When the second hand re-aligned with the first, the bombs were released. On the night of 13/14 November, 77 He 111s of Kampfgeschwader 26 (26th Bomber Wing, or KG 26) bombed London while 63 from KG 55 hit Birmingham.
London in World War II - Wikipedia Sperrle, commanding Luftflotte 3, was ordered to dispatch 250 sorties per night including 100 against the West Midlands. German intelligence suggested Fighter Command was weakening, and an attack on London would force it into a final battle of annihilation while compelling the British Government to surrender. German legal scholars of the 1930s carefully worked out guidelines for what type of bombing was permissible under international law. [88] Bomber crews already had some experience with the Lorenz beam, a commercial blind-landing aid for night or bad weather landings. [161] This raid was significant, as 63 German fighters were sent with the bombers, indicating the growing effectiveness of RAF night fighter defences. [143], Not all of the Luftwaffe effort was made against inland cities. [127] Other sources say 449 bombers and a total of 470 long tons (478t) of bombs were dropped. In some cases, the concentration of the bombing and resulting conflagration created firestorms of 1,000C. Douglas set about introducing more squadrons and dispersing the few GL sets to create a carpet effect in the southern counties. 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. The effectiveness of British countermeasures against Knickebein caused the Luftwaffe to prefer fire light instead for target marking and navigation. [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. [119] The Ministry of Home Security reported that although the damage caused was "serious" it was not "crippling" and the quays, basins, railways and equipment remained operational. Only one year earlier, there had only been 6,600 full-time and 13,800 part-time firemen in the entire country. The pilot flew along an approach beam, monitored by a ground controller. Added to the fact an interception relied on visual sighting, a kill was most unlikely even in the conditions of a moonlit sky. 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. [153] For Gring, his prestige had been damaged by the defeat in the Battle of Britain, and he wanted to regain it by subduing Britain by air power alone.
London History: A Look at The London Underground During - Londontopia London Blitz took place during the World War 2. The difficulty of RAF bombers in night navigation and target finding led the British to believe that it would be the same for German bomber crews. Port cities were also attacked to try to disrupt trade and sea communications. 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. They concluded bombers should strike a single target each night and use more incendiaries because they had a greater impact on production than high explosives. [80], Pre-war dire predictions of mass air-raid neurosis were not borne out. 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. but even after the Blitz ended, danger remained. London: Aurum Press. [29] The British produced 10,000 aircraft in 1940, in comparison to Germany's 8,000. [170] On 19 November, John Cunningham of No. 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. At 18:17, it released the first of 10,000 firebombs, eventually amounting to 300 dropped per minute. It showed the extent to which Hitler mistook Allied strategy for one of morale breaking instead of one of economic warfare, with the collapse of morale as a bonus. British anti-aircraft defences (General Frederick Alfred Pile) fired 8,326 rounds and shot down only 2 bombers.