[17], The vital industries and transport centres that would be targeted for shutdown were valid military targets. As the mere threat of it had produced diplomatic results in the 1930s, he expected that the threat of German retaliation would persuade the Allies to adopt a policy of moderation and not to begin a policy of unrestricted bombing. [109], These decisions, apparently taken at the Luftflotte or Fliegerkorps level, meant attacks on individual targets were gradually replaced by what was, for all intents and purposes, an unrestricted area attack or Terrorangriff (Terror Attack). [100] Another 247 bombers from Luftflotte 3 (Air Fleet 3) attacked that night. [127] In November 1940, 6,000 sorties and 23 major attacks (more than 100 tons [102t] of bombs dropped) were flown. Most residents found that such divisions continued within the shelters and many arguments and fights occurred over noise, space and other matters. The defences failed to prevent widespread damage but on some occasions did prevent German bombers concentrating on their targets. In July 1939, Gring arranged a display of the Luftwaffe's most advanced equipment at Rechlin, to give the impression the air force was more prepared for a strategic air war than was actually the case. [58], Deep shelters provided most protection against a direct hit. [93], For industrial areas, fires and lighting were simulated. [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. 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. Many Londoners, in particular, took to using the Underground railway system, without authority, for shelter and sleeping through the night. Nevertheless, its official opposition to attacks on civilians became an increasingly moot point when large-scale raids were conducted in November and December 1940. These include Peter Hennessy, Andrew Thorpe, and Philip Ziegler, who while admitting serious exceptions, argue that the population largely behaved well during the Blitz.[193]. More than 70,000 buildings . 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. [45] This method condemned the offensive over Britain to failure before it began. 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'.. The most intense series of these raids took place from September 1940 to May 1941 in a period that has become known as the Blitz. (PROSE: A History of Humankind) In 1903, after receiving a wealth of information from the future, Grigori Rasputin foresaw the Blitz. Though they failed to make a large gain in influence, the membership of the Party had doubled by June 1941. [16], The Luftwaffe took a cautious view of strategic bombing but the OKL did not oppose the strategic bombardment of industries or cities. It is argued that persisting with attacks on RAF airfields might have won air superiority for the Luftwaffe. Yet when compared with Luftwaffe daylight operations, there was a sharp decline in German losses to one percent. [67] By the end of 1940 improvements had been made in the Underground and in many other large shelters. [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. The Communists attempted to blame the damage and casualties of the Coventry raid on the rich factory owners, big business and landowning interests and called for a negotiated peace. By the height of the Blitz, they were becoming more successful. [89][90], Knickebein was in general use but the X-Gert (X apparatus) was reserved for specially trained pathfinder crews. World War 2 Timeline - 1940. by Ben Johnson. [157] Air attacks sank 39,126 long tons (39,754t) of shipping, with another 111,601 long tons (113,392t) damaged. In March 1941, two raids on Plymouth and London dehoused 148,000 people. 1 March 1935 3 June 1936) championed strategic bombing and the building of suitable aircraft, although he emphasised the importance of aviation in operational and tactical terms. [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. Other reasons, including industry dispersal may have been a factor. 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. [47] Up to nine special transmitters directed their signals at the beams in a manner that subtly widened their paths, making it harder for bomber crews to locate targets; confidence in the device was diminished by the time the Luftwaffe was ready to conduct big raids. [117] Attacks against East End docks were effective and many Thames barges were destroyed. Just three and twelve were claimed by the RAF and AA defences respectively. In subsequent months a steady number of German bombers would fall to night fighters. [106], Loge continued during October. [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. [78], During the Blitz, The Scout Association guided fire engines to where they were most needed and became known as the "Blitz Scouts". The Battle of Britain and the Blitz were two central moments in the British war effort during World War II. [112] In fact, on 8 September 1940 both Battersea and West Ham Power Station were both shut down after the 7 September daylight attack on London. The Blitz began on 7 September, 'Black Saturday', when German bombers attacked London, leaving 430 dead and 1,600 injured. For the London-based American football team, see, Directive 23: Gring and the Kriegsmarine, This was caused by moisture ruining the electrical. [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. 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. [97] Of this total around 400 were killed. 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. Fighter Command lost 17 fighters and six pilots. Industry, seats of government and communications could be destroyed, depriving an opponent of the means to make war. At 18:17, it released the first of 10,000 firebombs, eventually amounting to 300 dropped per minute. The electronic war intensified but the Luftwaffe flew major inland missions only on moonlit nights. Rumours that Jewish support was underpinning the Communist surge were frequent. 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. [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. The Romanov family was the imperial house of the Russian Empire from 1613 until being forced out of power in 1917 during the Russian Revolution. Mackay2002, pp. [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. 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. These units were fed from two adjacent tanks containing oil and water. [133] By mid-November, nine squadrons were available, but only one was equipped with Beaufighters (No. 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. [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. Reception committees were completely unprepared for the condition of some of the children. [156], The Luftwaffe could still inflict much damage and after the German conquest of Western Europe, the air and submarine offensive against British sea communications became much more dangerous than the German offensive during the First World War. [83] Until September 1939, the RAF lacked specialist night-fighting aircraft and relied on anti-aircraft units, which were poorly equipped and lacking in numbers. Birmingham and Coventry were subject to 450 long tons (457t) of bombs between them in the last 10 days of October. 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. [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. Seven major and eight heavy attacks were flown, but the weather made it difficult to keep up the pressure. It was to be some months before an effective night-fighter force would be ready, and anti-aircraft defences only became adequate after the Blitz was over, so ruses were created to lure German bombers away from their targets. [101] On 8 September the Luftwaffe returned; 412 people were killed and 747 severely wounded. London was then bombed for 57 consecutive nights, and often during daytime too. 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. 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. This was when warfare deliberately included civilian populations. 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). Battle of Britain timeline. This became official policy on 7 October. A summary of Harris' strategic intentions was clear. By 16 February 1941, this had grown to 12; with 5 equipped, or partially equipped with Beaufighters spread over 5 Groups. 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. The attack started at 16:43 and lasted for 12 hours. The RAF and the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) adopted much of this apocalyptic thinking. At this time, the Underground lines were mostly owned and run by separate companies, all of which were merged together with . "Bombing of London" and "London Blitz" redirect here. Between 1940 and 1941, the Germans attacked Britain by bombing London. Over a period of nine months, over 43,500 civilians were killed in the raids, which focused on major cities and industrial centres. [62], Communal shelters never housed more than one seventh of Greater London residents. [145], In 1941, the Luftwaffe shifted strategy again. Support for peace negotiations declined from 29% in February. Workers worked longer shifts and over weekends. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term Blitzkrieg, the German word meaning 'lightning war'.[4]. 604 Squadron RAF shot down a bomber flying an AI-equipped Beaufighter, the first air victory for the airborne radar. The bombing effort was diluted by attacks against several sets of industries instead of constant pressure on the most vital. [164], In the north, substantial efforts were made against Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Sunderland, which were large ports on the English east coast. [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. The crew would be ordered to drop their bombs either by a code word from the ground controller or at the conclusion of the signal transmissions which would stop. 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. The lack of bombing in the Phoney War contributed significantly to the return of people to the cities, but class conflict was not eased a year later when evacuation operations had to be put into effect again. Many more ports were attacked. It also took part in the bombing over Britain. So worried were the government over the sudden campaign of leaflets and posters distributed by the Communist Party in Coventry and London, that the police were sent to seize their production facilities. They have usually been treated as distinct campaigns, but they are linked by the fact that the German Air Force conducted a continuous eleven-month offensive against Britain from July 1940 to June 1941. The Luftwaffe attacked the main Atlantic seaport of Liverpool in the Liverpool Blitz. From 7 September 1940, London was systematically bombed by the Luftwaffe for 56 of the following 57 days and nights. People referred to raids as if they were weather, stating that a day was "very blitzy". Sperrle, commanding Luftflotte 3, was ordered to dispatch 250 sorties per night including 100 against the West Midlands. By the end of November, 1,100 bombers were available for night 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. [173] On 3/4 May, nine were shot down in one night. [173] On 10/11 May, London suffered severe damage, but 10 German bombers were downed. [73][74][75], The cheerful crowds visiting bomb sites were so large they interfered with rescue work. 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". The Minister of Aircraft Production, Lord Beaverbrook and Churchill distanced themselves. [40], However, the Luftwaffe faced limitations. It had no time to gather reliable intelligence on Britain's industries. Corum 1997, pp. 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. Direction-finding checks also enabled the controller to keep the pilot on course. From 1916 to 1918, German raids had diminished against countermeasures which demonstrated defence against night air raids was possible. Home Secretary Sir John Anderson was replaced by Morrison soon afterwards, in the wake of a Cabinet reshuffle as the dying Neville Chamberlain resigned. [144] In January and February 1941, Luftwaffe serviceability rates declined until just 551 of 1,214 bombers were combat-worthy. With the doors to our museums physically closed, we are offering some exclusive World War II content from our galleries and collections. [143], Not all of the Luftwaffe effort was made against inland cities. 219 Squadron RAF at RAF Kenley). . Gring's lack of co-operation was detrimental to the one air strategy with potentially decisive strategic effect on Britain. From the beginning of the National Socialist regime until 1939, there was a debate in German military journals over the role of strategic bombardment, with some contributors arguing along the lines of the British and Americans. [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]. 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. Only a few weeks after the British victory in the Battle of. However, meteorological conditions over Britain were not favourable for flying and prevented an escalation in air operations. [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. The primary goal of Bomber Command was to destroy the German industrial base (economic warfare) and in doing so reduce morale. Red lamps were used to simulate blast furnaces and locomotive fireboxes. Much damage was done. These were marked out by parachute flares. Around 66,000 houses were destroyed and 77,000 people made homeless ("bombed out"[158]), with 1,900 people killed and 1,450 seriously hurt on one night. His hope wasfor reasons of political prestige within Germany itselfthat the German population would be protected from the Allied bombings. Other targets would be considered if the primary ones could not be attacked because of weather conditions. With no sign of the RAF weakening and the Luftflotten suffering many losses, OKL was keen for a change in strategy. 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 populace of the port of Hull became "trekkers", people who made a mass exodus from cities before, during and after attacks. The AFS had 138,000 personnel by July 1939. 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 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). They emphasised the core strategic interest was attacking ports but they insisted in maintaining pressure or diverting strength, onto industries building aircraft, anti-aircraft guns, and explosives. The Luftwaffe gradually decreased daylight operations in favour of night attacks to evade attacks by the RAF, and the Blitz became a night bombing campaign after October 1940. Civilians left for more remote areas of the country. Predictions had underestimated civilian adaptability and resourcefulness. The rate of civilian housing loss was averaging 40,000 people per week dehoused in September 1940. 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. [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. London, and cities. 348 bombers led by 617 fighters barraged London around 4:00 in the afternoon that day. The hope was that, if it could deceive German bombardiers, it would draw more bombers away from the real target. 5 Jan. Leslie Hore-Belisha, Britain's Minister of War, is dismissed. [31] On 7 September, the Germans shifted away from the destruction of the RAF's supporting structures. 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. [50] The unexpected delay to civilian bombing during the Phoney War meant that the shelter programme finished in June 1940, before the Blitz. The shortage of bombers caused OKL to improvise. The cities and the capital were bombed until the following morning, leaving more than 430 dead and over 1600 people badly injured. Timeline London portal v t e The United Kingdom took part in World War II from 3 September 1939 until 15 August 1945. Many people over 35 remembered the bombing and were afraid of more. [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. Of the "heavies", some 200 were of the obsolescent 3in (76mm) type; the remainder were the effective 4.5in (110mm) and 3.7in (94mm) guns, with a theoretical "ceiling"' of over 30,000ft (9,100m) but a practical limit of 25,000ft (7,600m) because the predictor in use could not accept greater heights. It would prove formidable but its development was slow. 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. At the beginning of the war in 1939, London was the largest city in the world, with 8.2 million inhabitants. American observer Ralph Ingersoll reported the bombing was inaccurate and did not hit targets of military value, but destroyed the surrounding areas. Around 200 people were killed and another 2,000 injured. The damage was considerable, and the Germans also used aerial mines. [11][162] Plymouth in particular, because of its vulnerable position on the south coast and close proximity to German air bases, was subjected to the heaviest attacks. Some 107,400 gross tons (109,100t) of shipping was damaged in the Thames Estuary and 1,600 civilians were casualties. Daylight bombing was abandoned after October 1940 as the Luftwaffe experienced unsustainable losses. Less than 100 incidents reported by the London Fire Brigade up to 5pm on September 7, 1940. [63] Peak use of the Underground as shelter was 177,000 on 27 September 1940 and a November 1940 census of London, found that about 4% of residents used the Tube and other large shelters, 9% in public surface shelters and 27% in private home shelters, implying that the remaining 60% of the city stayed at home. Want to Read. Explore Docklands at War. [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". [24][182] [145] Captured German aircrews also indicated the homes of industrial workers were deliberately targeted. The Luftwaffe had dropped 16,331 long tons (16,593t) of bombs. [149], From the German point of view, March 1941 saw an improvement. News reports of the Spanish Civil War, such as the bombing of Barcelona, supported the 50-casualties-per-tonne estimate. The main damage was inflicted on the commercial and domestic areas. 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. [24], A major problem in the managing of the Luftwaffe was Gring. Summerfield, Penny and Peniston-Bird, Corina. In those sites, carbon arc lamps were used to simulate flashes at tram overhead wires. This caused more than 2,000 fires; 1,436 people were killed and 1,792 seriously injured, which affected morale badly. Seeschlange would be carried out by Fliegerkorps X (10th Air Corps) which concentrated on mining operations against shipping. London Blitz took place during the World War 2. 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. The British government grew anxious about the delays and disruption of supplies during the month. Between 7 September 1940 and 21 May 1941 there were major aerial raids (attacks in which m Subjects: British History, Social Studies - History, World History Grades: On occasion, only one-third of German bombs hit their targets. [55] The relocation of the government and the civil service was also planned but would only have occurred if necessary so as not to damage civilian morale. [145] The shift from precision bombing to area attack is indicated in the tactical methods and weapons dropped. An unknown number of bombs fell on these diversionary ("Starfish") targets. The first jamming operations were carried out using requisitioned hospital electrocautery machines. A trial blackout was held on 10 August 1939 and when Germany invaded Poland on 1 September, a blackout began at sunset. Douglas set about introducing more squadrons and dispersing the few GL sets to create a carpet effect in the southern counties. Ground-based radar was limited, and airborne radar and RAF night fighters were generally ineffective. 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. Plymouth was attacked five times before the end of the month while Belfast, Hull, and Cardiff were hit. By December, the SC2500 (2,500kg (5,512lb)) "Max" bomb was used. A tall white house known locally as the 'leaning tower of Rotherhithe' has sold for 1.5million. [170] On 19 November, John Cunningham of No. [187] Historians' critical response to this construction focused on what were seen as over-emphasised claims of patriotic nationalism and national unity. The Metropolitan-Vickers works in Manchester was hit by 12 long tons (12.2t) of bombs. de Zeng, Henry L., Doug G. Stankey and Eddie J. Creek. [93], The first deliberate air raids on London were mainly aimed at the Port of London, causing severe damage. [160], On 13 March, the upper Clyde port of Clydebank near Glasgow was bombed (Clydebank Blitz). [109] Special units, such as KGr 100, became the Beleuchtergruppe (Firelighter Group), which used incendiaries and high explosives to mark the target area. [94], On 15 September the Luftwaffe made two large daylight attacks on London along the Thames Estuary, targeting the docks and rail communications in the city. In January 1941, Fighter Command flew 486 sorties against 1,965 made by the Germans. Ex-Army personnel and his successors as Chief of the Luftwaffe General Staff, Albert Kesselring (3 June 1936 31 May 1937) and Hans-Jrgen Stumpff (1 June 1937 31 January 1939) are usually blamed for abandoning strategic planning for close air support. On 8 May 1941, 57 ships were destroyed, sunk or damaged, amounting to 80,000 long tons (81,300t). [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. 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. 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. London experienced regular attacks and on 10-11 May 1941 was hit by its biggest raid. He roused them, ensured they took oxygen and Dextro-Energen amphetamine tablets, then completed the mission. At a London railway station, arriving troops pass by children who are being evacuated to the countryside. Much of the city centre was destroyed. It was supposed Bomber Command, Coastal Command, and the Royal Navy could not operate under conditions of German air superiority. Added to the tension of the mission which exhausted and drained crews, tiredness caught up with and killed many. The Luftwaffe lost 18 percent of the bombers sent on the operations that day and failed to gain air superiority. [173] In May 1941, RAF night fighters shot down 38 German bombers. The loss of sleep was a particular factor, with many not bothering to attend inconvenient shelters. But even in May, 67 percent of the sorties were visual cat's-eye missions. [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. [b] The British had anticipated the change in strategy and dispersed its production facilities, making them less vulnerable to a concentrated attack. [134], From November 1940 to February 1941, the Luftwaffe shifted its strategy and attacked other industrial cities. Hello, I Am Charlie from London - Stephane Husar 2014-07-15 The Demon in the Embers - Julia Edwards 2016-09-02 . 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. Loge continued for 57 nights. [159] Operations against London up until May 1941 could also have a severe impact on morale. British fighter aircraft production continued at a rate surpassing Germany's by 2 to 1.

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