[134], From November 1940 to February 1941, the Luftwaffe shifted its strategy and attacked other industrial cities. 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. [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. 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. The name "Blitz" comes from the word "blitzkrieg" which meant "lightning war". 348 bombers led by 617 fighters barraged London around 4:00 in the afternoon that day. If a vigilant bomber crew could spot the fighter first, they had a decent chance of evading it. London was bombed ever day and night, bar one, for 11 weeks. [169], Improved aircraft designs were in the offing with the Bristol Beaufighter, then under development. [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. [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. His hope wasfor reasons of political prestige within Germany itselfthat the German population would be protected from the Allied bombings. The Children's Overseas Reception Board was organised by the government to help parents send their children overseas to four British Dominions Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. [125], Few fighter aircraft were able to operate at night. This was when warfare deliberately included civilian populations. On 17 April 346 tons (352t) of explosives and 46,000 incendiaries were dropped from 250 bombers led by KG 26. [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. [149] This strategy had been recognised before the war, but Operation Eagle Attack and the following Battle of Britain had got in the way of striking at Britain's sea communications and diverted German air strength to the campaign against the RAF and its supporting structures. Who . Summerfield and Peniston-Bird 2007, p. 4. [11][12] The greatest effect was to force the British to disperse the production of aircraft and spare parts. With no sign of the RAF weakening and the Luftflotten suffering many losses, OKL was keen for a change in strategy. While wartime bombings affected London in both world wars, it was the Blitz that truly altered the cityscape forever. [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. 1940 30 June: The order is given by Reichsmarschall Hermann Gering, head of the Luftwaffe, to draw the RAF into battle. The London docks and railways communications had taken a heavy pounding, and much damage had been done to the railway system outside. [58], Deep shelters provided most protection against a direct hit. This involved the bombing of English Channel convoys, ports, and RAF airfields and supporting industries. Rumours that Jewish support was underpinning the Communist surge were frequent. The pilot flew along an approach beam, monitored by a ground controller. [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. Much of the city centre was destroyed. 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. 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. Cardiff was bombed on three nights; Portsmouth centre was devastated by five raids. 10 Group RAF, No. These units were fed from two adjacent tanks containing oil and water. [189] The "Communist threat" was deemed important enough for Herbert Morrison to order, with the support of the Cabinet, the cessation of activities of the Daily Worker, the Communist newspaper. They also noted regional production was severely disrupted when city centres were devastated through the loss of administrative offices, utilities and transport. At the beginning of the war in 1939, London was the largest city in the world, with 8.2 million inhabitants. Included are activities that In the Myth of the Blitz, Calder exposed some of the counter-evidences of anti-social and divisive behaviours. They believed the Luftwaffe had failed in precision attack and concluded the German example of area attack using incendiaries was the way forward for operations over Germany. Each setback caused more civilians to volunteer to become unpaid Local Defence Volunteers. The Luftwaffe dropped around 40,000 long tons (40,600t) of bombs during the Blitz, which disrupted production and transport, reduced food supplies, and shook British morale. Loge continued for 57 nights. [190], The brief success of the Communists also fed into the hands of the British Union of Fascists (BUF). What he saw as the mythserene national unitybecame "historical truth". Only a few weeks after the British victory in the Battle of. By September 1940, London had already experienced German bombing. [169] The Beaufighter had a maximum speed of 320mph (510km/h), an operational ceiling of 26,000ft (7,900m), a climb rate of 2,500ft (760m) per minute, and its battery of four 20mm (0.79in) Hispano cannon and six .303in Browning machine guns was much more lethal. To reduce losses further, strategy changed to prefer night raids, giving the bombers greater protection under cover of darkness. [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. The Luftwaffe lost 18 percent of the bombers sent on the operations that day and failed to gain air superiority. [171] In the bad weather of February 1941, Fighter Command flew 568 sorties to counter the Luftwaffe which flew 1,644 sorties. 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. The name "Blitz" comes from the word "blitzkrieg" which meant "lightning war". 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. [151], Directive 23 was the only concession made by Gring to the Kriegsmarine over the strategic bombing strategy of the Luftwaffe against Britain. [76], Civilians of London played an enormous role in protecting their city. The Blitz came to London on September Saturday 7 th 1940 and lasted for many days. The government up until November 1940, was opposed to the centralised organisation of shelter. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term Blitzkrieg, the German word meaning 'lightning war'.[4]. Hull and Glasgow were attacked but 715 long tons (726t) of bombs were spread out all over Britain. [135] In particular, the West Midlands were targeted. [84], The attitude of the Air Ministry was in contrast to the experiences of the First World War when German bombers caused physical and psychological damage out of all proportion to their numbers. [148], Hitler's interest in this strategy forced Gring and Jeschonnek to review the air war against Britain in January 1941. [89][90], Knickebein was in general use but the X-Gert (X apparatus) was reserved for specially trained pathfinder crews. A tall white house known locally as the 'leaning tower of Rotherhithe' has sold for 1.5million. 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. London was then bombed for 57 consecutive nights, and often during daytime too. [b] The British had anticipated the change in strategy and dispersed its production facilities, making them less vulnerable to a concentrated attack. The Allies did so later when Bomber Command attacked rail communications and the United States Army Air Forces targeted oil, but that would have required an economic-industrial analysis of which the Luftwaffe was incapable. The Communist Party made political capital out of these difficulties. [127] By the second month of the Blitz the defences were not performing well. The 'all clear' was sounded at 05.00 on 8 September - 420 people were killed and over 1600 seriously wounded. In Portsmouth Southsea and Gosport waves of 150 bombers destroyed vast swaths of the city with 40,000 incendiaries. To start off, the idea of the London Underground as a bomb shelter wasn't a new one by 1940. The British government grew anxious about the delays and disruption of supplies during the month. The main damage was inflicted on the commercial and domestic areas. [49], In 1937 the Committee on Imperial Defence estimated that an attack of 60 days would result in 600,000 dead and 1.2million wounded. Sewer, rail, docklands, and electric installations were damaged. 5 Jan. Leslie Hore-Belisha, Britain's Minister of War, is dismissed. [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. Gring's lack of co-operation was detrimental to the one air strategy with potentially decisive strategic effect on Britain. The fake fires could only begin when the bombing started over an adjacent target and its effects were brought under control. [127] Other sources say 449 bombers and a total of 470 long tons (478t) of bombs were dropped. [159] Operations against London up until May 1941 could also have a severe impact on morale. Morale was not mentioned until the ninth wartime directive on 21 September 1940. [145] Part of the reason for this was inaccuracy of navigation. Two aerials at ground stations were rotated so that their beams converged over the target. 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. Both the RAF and Luftwaffe struggled to replace manpower losses, though the Germans had larger reserves of trained aircrew. Children pull crackers under paper decorations while jubilant adults smile . [51], British air raid sirens sounded for the first time 22 minutes after Neville Chamberlain declared war on Germany. It was decided to recreate normal residential street lighting, and in non-essential areas, lighting to recreate heavy industrial targets. [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. In one incident on 28/29 April, Peter Stahl of KG 30 was flying on his 50th mission. Two heavy (50 long tons (51t) of bombs) attacks were also flown. [58][59], The most important existing communal shelters were the London Underground stations. [117] Attacks against East End docks were effective and many Thames barges were destroyed. [56] Not only was there evacuation over land, but also by ship. 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. At this time, the Underground lines were mostly owned and run by separate companies, all of which were merged together with . This had important implications. The bombings left parts of London in ruins, and when the war ended in 1945 much of the city had to be rebuilt. But even in May, 67 percent of the sorties were visual cat's-eye missions. Most residents found that such divisions continued within the shelters and many arguments and fights occurred over noise, space and other matters. He was always reluctant to co-operate with Raeder. In January, Swansea was bombed four times, very heavily. Many of the latter were abandoned in 1940 as unsafe. [115] The bombing disrupted rail traffic through London without destroying any of the crossings. X-Gert received and analysed the pulses, giving the pilot visual and aural directions. [31], The circumstances affected the Germans more than the British. [94], On 9 September the OKL appeared to be backing two strategies. Night after night, from September 1940 until May 1941, German bombers attacked British cities, ports and industrial areas. Warehouses, rail lines and houses were destroyed and damaged, but the docks were largely untouched. Roads and railways were blocked and ships could not leave harbour. [144] In January and February 1941, Luftwaffe serviceability rates declined until just 551 of 1,214 bombers were combat-worthy. The London Blitz Timeline Nathaniel Zarate Sep 7 1940 September 7, 1940 On Saturday September 7th 1940, Hitler ordered the Luftwaffe, the German Air Force to bomb London. Hitler quickly developed scepticism toward strategic bombing, confirmed by the results of the Blitz. In subsequent months a steady number of German bombers would fall to night fighters. [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. 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". [15] It was thought that "the bomber will always get through" and could not be resisted, particularly at night. 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. [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. The populace of the port of Hull became "trekkers", people who made a mass exodus from cities before, during and after attacks. 219 Squadron RAF at RAF Kenley). [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. 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. This caused more than 2,000 fires; 1,436 people were killed and 1,792 seriously injured, which affected morale badly. By 1938, experts generally expected that Germany would try to drop as much as 3,500 tonnes in the first 24 hours of war and average 700 tonnes a day for several weeks. The failure to prepare adequate night air defences was undeniable but it was not the responsibility of the AOC Fighter Command to dictate the disposal of resources. [103] The air battle was later commemorated by Battle of Britain Day. The word "blitz" comes from the German term. Some 107,400 gross tons (109,100t) of shipping was damaged in the Thames Estuary and 1,600 civilians were casualties. Moreover, bombers had four to five crewmen on board, representing a greater loss of manpower. Just three and twelve were claimed by the RAF and AA defences respectively. News reports of the Spanish Civil War, such as the bombing of Barcelona, supported the 50-casualties-per-tonne estimate. By September 1940, the Luftwaffe had lost the Battle of Britain and the German air fleets (Luftflotten) were ordered to attack London, to draw RAF Fighter Command into a battle of annihilation. [33] Others argue that the Luftwaffe made little impression on Fighter Command in the last week of August and first week of September and that the shift in strategy was not decisive. [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 Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom, in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War.The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term Blitzkrieg, the German word meaning 'lightning war'.. [38][a], It was decided to focus on bombing Britain's industrial cities, in daylight to begin with. 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. [167] The Bristol Blenheim F.1 carried four .303in (7.7mm) machine guns which lacked the firepower to easily shoot down a Do 17, Ju 88 or Heinkel He 111. [93], The first deliberate air raids on London were mainly aimed at the Port of London, causing severe damage. The meacon system involved separate locations for a receiver with a directional aerial and a transmitter. The London Blitz started quietly. 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. Later in . Using historical paintings, a timeline, and a simple map, children can discover why the re started, how it spread, and the damage it caused. The first attack merely damaged the rail network for three days,[102] and the second attack failed altogether. The debris of St Thomas's Hospital, London, the morning after receiving a direct hit during the Blitz, in front of the Houses of . [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. Reception committees were completely unprepared for the condition of some of the children. The electronic war intensified but the Luftwaffe flew major inland missions only on moonlit nights. 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. [149], By now, the imminent threat of invasion had all but passed as the Luftwaffe had failed to gain the prerequisite air superiority. 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 German bombers would fly along either beam until they picked up the signal from the other beam. London alone had 1,589 assembly points and although most children boarded evacuation trains at their local stations, trains ran out of the capital's main stations every nine minutes for nine hours. "Bombing of London" and "London Blitz" redirect here. [156] Hitler now had his sights set on attacking the USSR with Operation Barbarossa, and the Blitz came to an end. [69] Contrary to pre-war fears of anti-Semitic violence in the East End, one observer found that the "Cockney and the Jew [worked] together, against the Indian". 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 GL carpet was supported by six GCI sets controlling radar-equipped night-fighters. This became official policy on 7 October. [1], In early July 1940, the German High Command began planning Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union. [50] Panic during the Munich crisis, such as the migration by 150,000 people to Wales, contributed to fear of social chaos.[54]. [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. [76], Despite the attacks, defeat in Norway and France, and the threat of invasion, overall morale remained high. To prevent the movement of large enemy ground forces to the decisive areas, by destroying railways and roads, particularly bridges and tunnels, which are indispensable for the movement and supply of forces. 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. He recognised the right of the public to seize tube stations and authorised plans to improve their condition and expand them by tunnelling. 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars. It had no time to gather reliable intelligence on Britain's industries. London, and cities. [27], Although not specifically prepared to conduct independent strategic air operations against an opponent, the Luftwaffe was expected to do so over Britain. [146] Eventually, he convinced Hitler of the need to attack British port facilities. With the doors to our museums physically closed, we are offering some exclusive World War II content from our galleries and collections. [187] Historians' critical response to this construction focused on what were seen as over-emphasised claims of patriotic nationalism and national unity. [93] In general, German bombers were likely to get through to their targets without too much difficulty. [111], Wartime observers perceived the bombing as indiscriminate. [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. [93] The use of diversionary techniques such as fires had to be made carefully. The first cross-beam alerted the bomb-aimer, who activated a bombing clock when the second cross-beam was reached. It reveals the devastation caused by the Blitz over eight months. Support for peace negotiations declined from 29% in February. The Luftwaffe had dropped 16,331 long tons (16,593t) of bombs. In this section. For all the destruction of life and property, the observers sent out by the Ministry of Home Security failed to discover the slightest sign of a break in morale. Whitechapel suffered greatly during this period. Dowding was summoned on 17 October, to explain the poor state of the night defences and the supposed (but ultimately successful) "failure" of his daytime strategy. Regional commissioners were given plenipotentiary powers to restore communications and organise the distribution of supplies to keep the war economy moving. World War 2 Timeline - 1940. by Ben Johnson. In the last days of the battle, the bombers became lures in an attempt to draw the RAF into combat with German fighters. Night fighters could claim only four bombers for four losses. [39] The attacks were focused against western ports in March. [109], By mid-November 1940, when the Germans adopted a changed plan, more than 11,600 long tons (11,800t) of high explosive and nearly 1,000,000 incendiaries had fallen on London. X- and Y-Gert beams were placed over false targets and switched only at the last minute. Seven major and eight heavy attacks were flown, but the weather made it difficult to keep up the pressure. 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. When the second hand re-aligned with the first, the bombs were released. Contact Us 0207 608 5516 Call today: 9am - 5.30pm He told OKL in 1939 that ruthless employment of the Luftwaffe against the heart of the British will to resist would follow when the moment was right. [156] The Luftwaffe attacks failed to knock out railways or port facilities for long, even in the Port of London, a target of many attacks. [99] Fighter Command lost 23 fighters, with six pilots killed and another seven wounded. On occasion, only one-third of German bombs hit their targets. By September 1940, the large-scale German air raids which had been expected twelve months earlier finally arrived. Little tonnage was dropped on Fighter Command airfields; Bomber Command airfields were hit instead. The maps help to contextualize the staggering statistics from the Blitz: in London alone, there were 57 consecutive nights of bombing. The amount of firm operational and tactical preparation for a bombing campaign was minimal, largely because of the failure by Hitler as supreme commander to insist upon such a commitment. The primary target of NAZI Germany was to destroy the civilian center and industries on London. [127] Over 10,000 incendiaries were dropped. The defences failed to prevent widespread damage but on some occasions did prevent German bombers concentrating on their targets. 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. More than 70,000 buildings . 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. When the third cross-beam was reached the bomb aimer activated a third trigger, which stopped the first hand of the clock, with the second hand continuing. The Blitz (shortened from German 'Blitzkrieg', "lightning war") was the period of sustained strategic bombing of the United Kingdom by Nazi Germany during the Second World War. 6063, 6768, 75, 7879, 21516. [22], Two prominent enthusiasts for ground-support operations (direct or indirect) were Hugo Sperrle the commander of Luftflotte 3 (1 February 1939 23 August 1944) and Hans Jeschonnek (Chief of the Luftwaffe General Staff from 1 February 1939 19 August 1943). The Blitz The heavy and frequent bombing attacks on London and other cities was known as the 'Blitz'. Authorities provided stoves and bathrooms and canteen trains provided food. This led the British to develop countermeasures, which became known as the Battle of the Beams. Much civil-defence preparation in the form of shelters was left in the hands of local authorities and many areas such as Birmingham, Coventry, Belfast and the East End of London did not have enough shelters. 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. [118] The London Docklands, in particular, the Royal Victoria Dock, received many hits and Port of London trade was disrupted.
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