[173] On 3/4 May, nine were shot down in one night. 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 . [30] The replacement of pilots and aircrew was more difficult. [11][12] The greatest effect was to force the British to disperse the production of aircraft and spare parts. The exhausted population took three weeks to overcome the effects of an attack. Bungay, Stephen (2000). (PROSE: Ash, TV: The Empty Child) It lasted from 7 September 1940 to 21 May 1941. Later in . Predictions had underestimated civilian adaptability and resourcefulness. [73][74][75], The cheerful crowds visiting bomb sites were so large they interfered with rescue work. 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. [141][failed verification] Altogether, 130 German bombers destroyed the historical centre of London. In subsequent months a steady number of German bombers would fall to night fighters. It was during the Second World War. To paralyse the enemy armed forces by stopping production in armaments factories. [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. Bomb-Damage Maps Reveal London's World War II Devastation. In some cases, the concentration of the bombing and resulting conflagration created firestorms of 1,000C. The shortage of bombers caused OKL to improvise. Just three and twelve were claimed by the RAF and AA defences respectively. [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. Bombers were flown with airborne search lights out of desperation but to little avail. 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. An estimated 43,000 people lost their lives. 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. On occasion, only one-third of German bombs hit their targets. 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. Contact Us 0207 608 5516 Call today: 9am - 5.30pm 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. 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]. The effectiveness of British countermeasures against Knickebein caused the Luftwaffe to prefer fire light instead for target marking and navigation. A tall white house known locally as the 'leaning tower of Rotherhithe' has sold for 1.5million. 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 year-long project . [186] At the time it was seen as a useful propaganda tool for domestic and foreign consumption. When the second hand re-aligned with the first, the bombs were released. 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. Erik Larson (Goodreads Author) (shelved 1 time as london-blitz) avg rating 4.29 99,548 ratings published 2020. The number of suicides and drunkenness declined, and London recorded only about two cases of "bomb neurosis" per week in the first three months of bombing. A Raid From Above [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. The London Underground rail system was also affected; high explosive bombs damaged the tunnels rendering some unsafe. [76], Civilians of London played an enormous role in protecting their city. The defences failed to prevent widespread damage but on some occasions did prevent German bombers concentrating on their targets. Morale was not mentioned until the ninth wartime directive on 21 September 1940. Ingersol wrote that Battersea Power Station, one of the largest landmarks in London, received only a minor hit. He recognised the right of the public to seize tube stations and authorised plans to improve their condition and expand them by tunnelling. [67] By the end of 1940 improvements had been made in the Underground and in many other large shelters. On 17 April 346 tons (352t) of explosives and 46,000 incendiaries were dropped from 250 bombers led by KG 26. For eight months the Luftwaffe dropped bombs on London and other strategic cities across Britain. There were also many new civil defence roles that gave a sense of fighting back rather than despair. However, meteorological conditions over Britain were not favourable for flying and prevented an escalation in air operations. [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. 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. 5 Jan. Leslie Hore-Belisha, Britain's Minister of War, is dismissed. [16], The Luftwaffe took a cautious view of strategic bombing but the OKL did not oppose the strategic bombardment of industries or cities. The Battle of Britain and the Blitz were two central moments in the British war effort during World War II. [111], Wartime observers perceived the bombing as indiscriminate. The bombings left parts of London in ruins, and when the war ended in 1945 much of the city had to be rebuilt. Fighter Command lost 17 fighters and six pilots. The next night, a large force hit Coventry. [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. 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 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'.. It believed it could greatly affect the balance of power on the battlefield by disrupting production and damaging civilian morale. 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. [125], Few fighter aircraft were able to operate at night. The first attack merely damaged the rail network for three days,[102] and the second attack failed altogether. [13], The air offensive against the RAF and British industry failed to have the desired effect. Want to Read. Anti-Jewish sentiment was reported, particularly around the East End of London, with anti-Semitic graffiti and anti-Semitic rumours, such as that Jewish people were "hogging" air raid shelters. The maximum range of Y-Gert was similar to the other systems and it was accurate enough on occasion for specific buildings to be hit. 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. Both the RAF and Luftwaffe struggled to replace manpower losses, though the Germans had larger reserves of trained aircrew. 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. The production of false radio navigation signals by re-transmitting the originals became known as meaconing using masking beacons (meacons). [121] Few anti-aircraft guns had fire-control systems, and the underpowered searchlights were usually ineffective against aircraft at altitudes above 12,000ft (3,700m). Browse 1,952 london blitz stock photos and images available, or search for the blitz or world war ii to find more great stock photos and pictures. The 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. Dowding agreed air defence would require some offensive action and that fighters could not defend Britain alone. [85] Although night air defence was causing greater concern before the war, it was not at the forefront of RAF planning after 1935, when funds were directed into the new ground-based radar day fighter interception system. Many civilians who were unwilling or unable to join the military joined the Home Guard, the Air Raid Precautions service (ARP), the Auxiliary Fire Service and many other civilian organisations. Destroying RAF Fighter Command would allow the Germans to gain control of the skies over the invasion area. 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. The debris of St Thomas's Hospital, London, the morning after receiving a direct hit during the Blitz, in front of the Houses of . A building collapsing in Whitechapel during the Blitz. The Most Dangerous Enemy: A History of the Battle of Britain. [77] Before the war, civilians were issued with 50million respirators (gas masks) in case bombardment with gas began before evacuation. The Blitz as it became known in the British press was a sustained aerial attack, sending waves of bombs raining down onto British towns and cities. [120], British night air defences were in a poor state. [137] Around 21 factories were seriously damaged in Coventry, and loss of public utilities stopped work at nine others, disrupting industrial output for several months. The first major raid took place on 7 September. 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. Below is a table by city of the number of major raids (where at least 100 tons of bombs were dropped) and tonnage of bombs dropped during these major raids. Over the next few days weather was poor and the next main effort would not be made until 15 September 1940. 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. It would prove formidable but its development was slow. Attacking ports, shipping and imports as well as disrupting rail traffic in the surrounding areas, especially the distribution of coal, an important fuel in all industrial economies of the Second World War, would net a positive result. The Battle of Britain: Timeline July 26, 2010 2 mins read The dates of the four phases of the Battle of Britain are contested by some, and have been inserted in brackets only as a guideline. Nearly 350 German bombers (escorted by over 600 fighters) dropped explosives on East London, targeting the docks in particular. 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. [171] In the bad weather of February 1941, Fighter Command flew 568 sorties to counter the Luftwaffe which flew 1,644 sorties. There was also minor ethnic antagonism between the small Black, Indian and Jewish communities, but despite this these tensions quietly and quickly subsided. [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. 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. dodged bombs to make her way across London from her aunts house to dance class. Rumours that Jewish support was underpinning the Communist surge were frequent. Five main rail lines were cut in London and rolling stock damaged. [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. [31], The circumstances affected the Germans more than the British. His hope wasfor reasons of political prestige within Germany itselfthat the German population would be protected from the Allied bombings. [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. An interactive map showing the location of bombs dropped on London during World War II has been created. The Luftwaffe had dropped 16,331 long tons (16,593t) of bombs. [81], British air doctrine, since Hugh Trenchard had commanded the Royal Flying Corps (19151917), stressed offence as the best means of defence,[82] which became known as the cult of the offensive. Around 250 tons (9,000 bombs) had been dropped, killing 1,413 people and injuring 3,500 more. 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. 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. Before the war, the Chamberlain government stated that night defence from air attack should not take up much of the national effort. Two heavy (50 long tons (51t) of bombs) attacks were also flown. 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. The receipt of the German signal by the receiver was duly passed to the transmitter, the signal to be repeated. [35], While Gring was optimistic the Luftwaffe could prevail, Hitler was not. [76], Despite the attacks, defeat in Norway and France, and the threat of invasion, overall morale remained high. [66], Public demand caused the government in October 1940 to build new deep shelters within the Underground to hold 80,000 people but the period of heaviest bombing had passed before they were finished. 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. German legal scholars of the 1930s carefully worked out guidelines for what type of bombing was permissible under international law. Douglas set about introducing more squadrons and dispersing the few GL sets to create a carpet effect in the southern counties. The system worked on 6677MHz, a higher frequency than Knickebein. 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 pilot flew along an approach beam, monitored by a ground controller. This is a Timeline of the United Kingdom home front during World War II covering Britain 1939-45.Timeline of the United Kingdom home front during World War II covering Britain 1939-45. 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. 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.