The rate of civilian housing loss was averaging 40,000 people per week dehoused in September 1940. 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. [24], Hitler was much more attracted to the political aspects of bombing. For eight months the Luftwaffe dropped bombs on London and other strategic cities across Britain. (PROSE: A History of Humankind) In 1903, after receiving a wealth of information from the future, Grigori Rasputin foresaw the Blitz. [30] The replacement of pilots and aircrew was more difficult. The London Blitz The Blitz is the term used to describe the German bombing campaign that took place from September 7, 1940, through May 11, 1941. To paralyse the enemy armed forces by stopping production in armaments factories. 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. Wever outlined five points of air strategy: Wever argued that OKL should not be solely educated in tactical and operational matters but also in grand strategy, war economics, armament production and the mentality of potential opponents (also known as mirror imaging). The defences failed to prevent widespread damage but on some occasions did prevent German bombers concentrating on their targets. The Minister of Aircraft Production, Lord Beaverbrook and Churchill distanced themselves. 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. 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. Sperrle, commanding Luftflotte 3, was ordered to dispatch 250 sorties per night including 100 against the West Midlands. [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). 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. [35], While Gring was optimistic the Luftwaffe could prevail, Hitler was not. 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. [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. [37], Regardless of the ability of the Luftwaffe to win air superiority, Hitler was frustrated it was not happening quickly enough. Around 200 people were killed and another 2,000 injured. [13] British wartime studies concluded that most cities took 10 to 15 days to recover when hit severely, but some, such as Birmingham, took three months. Smaller raids are not included in the tonnages. Hull and Glasgow were attacked but 715 long tons (726t) of bombs were spread out all over Britain. Bombers were noisy, cold, and vibrated badly. One-third of London's streets were impassable. German crews, even if they survived, faced capture. 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. Many unemployed people were drafted into the Royal Army Pay Corps and with the Pioneer Corps, were tasked with salvaging and clean-up. [70], Although the intensity of the bombing was not as great as pre-war expectations so an equal comparison is impossible, no psychiatric crisis occurred because of the Blitz even during the period of greatest bombing of September 1940. Between 1940 and 1941, the Germans attacked Britain by bombing London. Mackay2002, pp. 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. From 1916 to 1918, German raids had diminished against countermeasures which demonstrated defence against night air raids was possible. Much of the city centre was destroyed. [5] Large air battles broke out, lasting for most of the day. This heavy bombing by German forces began in September 1940 and lasted for 57 days. [168] The Blenheim had only a small speed advantage to overtake a German bomber in a stern-chase. [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. Despite the bombing, British production rose steadily throughout this period, although there were significant falls during April 1941, probably influenced by the departure of workers for Easter Holidays, according to the British official history. In late 1940, Churchill credited the shelters. When the second hand re-aligned with the first, the bombs were released. The fake fires could only begin when the bombing started over an adjacent target and its effects were brought under control. Erich Raedercommander-in-chief of the Kriegsmarinehad long argued the Luftwaffe should support the German submarine force (U-Bootwaffe) in the Battle of the Atlantic by attacking shipping in the Atlantic Ocean and attacking British ports. The Blitz (the London Blitz) was the sustained bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7th September 1940 and 10th May 1941 during the World War Two Every night bar one for ten solid weeks,from 7 September to 14 November 1940, London was attacked by an average of 160 bombers. 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. Dowding had to rely on night fighters. 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. [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). 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. It was supposed Bomber Command, Coastal Command, and the Royal Navy could not operate under conditions of German air superiority. 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. Hayward 2007, www.ltmrecordings.com/blitz1notes.html, Last edited on 24 February 2023, at 12:33, German strategic bombing during World War I, Neville Chamberlain declared war on Germany, Women's Voluntary Services for Civil Defence, Bombing of Wiener Neustadt in World War II, "The Blitz: The Bombing of Britain in WWII", "Families pay tribute to Stoke Newington war dead", Forgotten Voices of the Blitz and the Battle for Britain, The Wages of Destruction: The Making and Breaking of the Nazi Economy, Parliament & The Blitz UK Parliament Living Heritage, "London Blitz 1940: the first day's bomb attacks listed in full", Archive recordings from The Blitz, 194041 (audiobook), The Blitz: Sorting the Myth from the Reality, Exploring 20th century London The Blitz, Oral history interview with Barry Fulford, recalling his childhood during the Blitz, Interactive bombing map of Buckinghamshire, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Blitz&oldid=1141315217. Although many civilians had used them for shelter during the First World War, the government in 1939 refused to allow the stations to be used as shelters so as not to interfere with commuter and troop travel and the fears that occupants might refuse to leave. The estimate of tonnes of bombs an enemy could drop per day grew as aircraft technology advanced, from 75 in 1922, to 150 in 1934, to 644 in 1937. 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. This weight of attack went on for two months, with the Luftwaffe dropping 12,400 long tons (12,600t) of bombs. [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. [42], Although it had equipment capable of doing serious damage, the Luftwaffe had an unclear strategy and poor intelligence. 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. In the last days of the battle, the bombers became lures in an attempt to draw the RAF into combat with German fighters. Only a few weeks after the British victory in the Battle of. Damage was inflicted on the port installations, but many bombs fell on the city itself. The Battle of Britain and the Blitz were two central moments in the British war effort during World War II. The bombings left parts of London in ruins, and when the war ended in 1945 much of the city had to be rebuilt. The word "blitz" comes from the German term. There is much that Londoners can look back on with pride, remarkably little about which they need to feel ashamed. [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. Ed Murrow reporting on war torn London during the blitz. [118] The London Docklands, in particular, the Royal Victoria Dock, received many hits and Port of London trade was disrupted. [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. [192] The total number of evacuees numbered 1.4million, including a high proportion from the poorest inner-city families. From 7 September 1940, London was systematically bombed by the Luftwaffe for 56 of the following 57 days and nights. [51], British air raid sirens sounded for the first time 22 minutes after Neville Chamberlain declared war on Germany. Red lamps were used to simulate blast furnaces and locomotive fireboxes. [7][8] Notable attacks included a large daylight attack against London on 15 September, a large raid on December 29 1940 against London resulting in a firestorm known as the Second Great Fire of London. Other targets would be considered if the primary ones could not be attacked because of weather conditions. [93], For industrial areas, fires and lighting were simulated. [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. [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. Warehouses, rail lines and houses were destroyed and damaged, but the docks were largely untouched. There was also minor ethnic antagonism between the small Black, Indian and Jewish communities, but despite this these tensions quietly and quickly subsided. [23], Ultimately, Hitler was trapped within his own vision of bombing as a terror weapon, formed in the 1930s when he threatened smaller nations into accepting German rule rather than submit to air bombardment. [100] Another 247 bombers from Luftflotte 3 (Air Fleet 3) attacked that night. [60], Each day orderly lines of people queued until 4:00pm, when they were allowed to enter the stations. [183], A popular image arose of British people in the Second World War: a collection of people locked in national solidarity. Minister of Home Security Herbert Morrison was also worried morale was breaking, noting the defeatism expressed by civilians. [126] RAF day fighters were converting to night operations and the interim Bristol Blenheim night fighter conversion of the light bomber was being replaced by the powerful Beaufighter, but this was only available in very small numbers. Many houses and commercial centres were heavily damaged, the electrical supply was knocked out, and five oil tanks and two magazines exploded. Battle noises were muffled and sleep was easier in the deepest stations, but many people were killed from direct hits on stations. The offensive came to be called the Blitz after the German word blitzkrieg ("lightning war"). Still, in February 1941, there remained only seven squadrons with 87 pilots, under half the required strength. [2], The British began to assess the impact of the Blitz in August 1941 and the RAF Air Staff used the German experience to improve Bomber Command's offensives. The government up until November 1940, was opposed to the centralised organisation of shelter. [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. 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". Many more ports were attacked. Rumours that Jews were inflating prices, were responsible for the Black Market, were the first to panic under attack (even the cause of the panic) and secured the best shelters via underhanded methods, were also widespread. Too early and the chances of success receded; too late and the real conflagration at the target would exceed the diversionary fires. Entertainment included concerts, films, plays and books from local libraries. Bomb-Damage Maps Reveal London's World War II Devastation. Industry, seats of government and communications could be destroyed, depriving an opponent of the means to make war. 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. Timeline London portal v t e The United Kingdom took part in World War II from 3 September 1939 until 15 August 1945. Beginning in September 1940, the Blitz was an aerial bombing campaign conducted by the Luftwaffe against British cities. Regional commissioners were given plenipotentiary powers to restore communications and organise the distribution of supplies to keep the war economy moving. [139], Although official German air doctrine did target civilian morale, it did not espouse the attacking of civilians directly. To start off, the idea of the London Underground as a bomb shelter wasn't a new one by 1940. Rapid frequency changes were introduced for X-Gert, whose wider band of frequencies and greater tactical flexibility ensured it remained effective at a time when British selective jamming was degrading the effectiveness of Y-Gert. The first major raid took place on 7 September. The Luftwaffe attacked the main Atlantic seaport of Liverpool in the Liverpool Blitz. Much damage was done. [95][96], Initially, the change in strategy caught the RAF off-guard and caused extensive damage and civilian casualties. [109] Special units, such as KGr 100, became the Beleuchtergruppe (Firelighter Group), which used incendiaries and high explosives to mark the target area. 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. London: Aurum Press. With the doors to our museums physically closed, we are offering some exclusive World War II content from our galleries and collections. The British government grew anxious about the delays and disruption of supplies during the month. [43] The Luftwaffe's strategy became increasingly aimless over the winter of 19401941. [50] The unexpected delay to civilian bombing during the Phoney War meant that the shelter programme finished in June 1940, before the Blitz. [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. In Wartime One Girls Journey From The Blitz To Sadlers Wells is understandable in our digital library an online permission to it is set as public . In Sunderland on 25 April, Luftflotte 2 sent 60 bombers which dropped 80 tons (81.3t) of high explosive and 9,000 incendiaries. 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). Loge continued for 57 nights. An estimated 43,000 people lost their lives. However, the use of delayed-action bombs, while initially very effective, gradually had less impact, partly because they failed to detonate. Some people even told government surveyors that they enjoyed air raids if they occurred occasionally, perhaps once a week. [151], Directive 23 was the only concession made by Gring to the Kriegsmarine over the strategic bombing strategy of the Luftwaffe against Britain. Throughout 193339 none of the 16 Western Air Plans drafted mentioned morale as a target. It was faster, able to catch the bombers and its configuration of four machine guns in a turret could (much like German night fighters in 19431945 with Schrge Musik) engage the German bomber from beneath. [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. [38][a], It was decided to focus on bombing Britain's industrial cities, in daylight to begin with. 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]. Moreover, the OKL could not settle on an appropriate strategy. 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. [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. 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. [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. Daylight bombing was abandoned after October 1940 as the Luftwaffe experienced unsustainable losses. Democracies, where public opinion was allowed, were thought particularly vulnerable. Less than 100 incidents reported by the London Fire Brigade up to 5pm on September 7, 1940. At a London railway station, arriving troops pass by children who are being evacuated to the countryside. Daniel Todman reveals how Britons rebuilt their lives, and their cities, in the aftermath of the raids Published: December 1, 2017 at 4:27 pm Subs offer Moreover, bombers had four to five crewmen on board, representing a greater loss of manpower. These units were fed from two adjacent tanks containing oil and water. British fighter aircraft production continued at a rate surpassing Germany's by 2 to 1. [b] The British had anticipated the change in strategy and dispersed its production facilities, making them less vulnerable to a concentrated attack. While wartime bombings affected London in both world wars, it was the Blitz that truly altered the cityscape forever. The blasts at Hyde Park and Regents Park kill 11 people and injure 50 others. [133] By mid-November, nine squadrons were available, but only one was equipped with Beaufighters (No. The German Luftwaffe dropped thousands of bombs on London from 1939 to 1945, killing almost 30,000 people. "Bombing of London" and "London Blitz" redirect here. 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. This page was last edited on 24 February 2023, at 12:33. In late 1943, just before the Battle of Berlin, Harris declared the power of Bomber Command would enable it to achieve "a state of devastation in which surrender is inevitable". By the height of the Blitz, they were becoming more successful. The London docks and railways communications had taken a heavy pounding, and much damage had been done to the railway system outside. 604 Squadron RAF shot down a bomber flying an AI-equipped Beaufighter, the first air victory for the airborne radar. [122][123] In July 1940, only 1,200 heavy and 549 light guns were deployed in the whole of Britain. 11 Feb 2020. [116] On 7 November, St Pancras, Kensal and Bricklayers Arms stations were hit and several lines of Southern Rail were cut on 10 November. Still, many British citizens, who had been members of the Labour Party, itself inert over the issue, turned to the Communist Party. This involved the bombing of English Channel convoys, ports, and RAF airfields and supporting industries. Dec. 17, 1983: Six people are. 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. 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. When the Luftwaffe struck at British cities for the first time on 7 September 1940, a number of civic and political leaders were worried by Dowding's apparent lack of reaction to the new crisis. It believed it could greatly affect the balance of power on the battlefield by disrupting production and damaging civilian morale. 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. London Blitz took place during the World War 2. THIS DAY IN HISTORY September 07 1940 September 07 The Blitz begins as Germany bombs London On September 7, 1940, 300 German bombers raid London, in the first of 57 consecutive nights of.