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. In the following month, 22 German bombers were lost with 13 confirmed to have been shot down by night fighters. The London Underground rail system was also affected; high explosive bombs damaged the tunnels rendering some unsafe. [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. To support naval operations by attacking naval bases, protecting German naval bases and participating directly in naval battles. Another innovation was the boiler fire. Little tonnage was dropped on Fighter Command airfields; Bomber Command airfields were hit instead. On 8 May 1941, 57 ships were destroyed, sunk or damaged, amounting to 80,000 long tons (81,300t). The first three directives in 1940 did not mention civilian populations or morale in any way. The property stands alone on a section of riverbank on the Thames, in South East London 's . Liverpool suffered 180 long tons (183t) of bombs dropped. For one thing, Gring's fear of Hitler led him to falsify or misrepresent what information was available in the direction of an uncritical and over-optimistic interpretation of air strength. [122][123] In July 1940, only 1,200 heavy and 549 light guns were deployed in the whole of Britain. [24][182] [89][90], Knickebein was in general use but the X-Gert (X apparatus) was reserved for specially trained pathfinder crews. 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. [184][185] This imagery of people in the Blitz was embedded via being in film, radio, newspapers and magazines. Outside the capital, there had been widespread harassing activity by single aircraft, as well as fairly strong diversionary attacks on Birmingham, Coventry and Liverpool, but no major raids. BBC - WW2 People's War - Timeline Fact File : The Blitz 25 August 1940 to 16 May 1941 Theatre: United Kingdom Area: London and other major cities Players: Britain: RAF Fighter Command under. [143], Not all of the Luftwaffe effort was made against inland cities. The first attack merely damaged the rail network for three days,[102] and the second attack failed altogether. Contributions rose to the 5,000 "Spitfire Funds" to build fighters and the number of work days lost to strikes in 1940 was the lowest in history. [107], Luftwaffe policy at this point was primarily to continue progressive attacks on London, chiefly by night attack; second, to interfere with production in the vast industrial arms factories of the West Midlands, again chiefly by night attack; and third to disrupt plants and factories during the day by means of fighter-bombers. 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. The Luftwaffe flew 4,000 sorties that month, including 12 major and three heavy attacks. July 20, 1982: Two IRA bombs explode in central London less than two hours apart. [109] Special units, such as KGr 100, became the Beleuchtergruppe (Firelighter Group), which used incendiaries and high explosives to mark the target area. Upsurges in population in south Wales and Gloucester intimated where these displaced people went. Seven major and eight heavy attacks were flown, but the weather made it difficult to keep up the pressure. In those sites, carbon arc lamps were used to simulate flashes at tram overhead wires. Bombsite rubble from Birmingham was used to make runways on US Air Force bases in Kent and Essex in southeast England. 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 . Hull and Glasgow were attacked but 715 long tons (726t) of bombs were spread out all over Britain. [31], The circumstances affected the Germans more than the British. [31] On 7 September, the Germans shifted away from the destruction of the RAF's supporting structures. [94] A total of 348 bombers and 617 fighters took part in the attack. The defences failed to prevent widespread damage but on some occasions did prevent German bombers concentrating on their targets. [127] Other sources say 449 bombers and a total of 470 long tons (478t) of bombs were dropped. 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. (PROSE: A History of Humankind) In 1903, after receiving a wealth of information from the future, Grigori Rasputin foresaw the Blitz. 7 September 1940 In the run up to 7 September, the night the Blitz began, the Luftwaffe had targeted RAF airfields and radar stations for destruction in preparation for the German invasion of the. To destroy the enemy air force by bombing its bases and aircraft factories and defeat enemy air forces attacking German targets. Airfields became water-logged and the 18 Kampfgruppen (bomber groups) of the Luftwaffe's Kampfgeschwadern (bomber wings) were relocated to Germany for rest and re-equipment. Two hours later, guided by the fires set by the first assault, a second group of raiders commenced another attack that lasted until 4:30 the following morning. In March 1941, two raids on Plymouth and London dehoused 148,000 people. 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars. The reverse would apply only if the meacon were closer. [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). More might have been achieved had OKL exploited the vulnerability of British sea communications. 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. Curiously, while 43 percent of the contacts in May 1941 were by visual sightings, they accounted for 61 percent of the combats. These units were fed from two adjacent tanks containing oil and water. It was during the Second World War. 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. The mines' ability to destroy entire streets earned them respect in Britain, but several fell unexploded into British hands allowing counter-measures to be developed which damaged the German anti-shipping campaign. 28384; Murray 1983, pp. A Gallup poll found only 3% of Britons expected to lose the war in May 1940. 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. Two heavy (50 long tons (51t) of bombs) attacks were also flown. The RAF and the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) adopted much of this apocalyptic thinking. [119] The Ministry of Home Security reported that although the damage caused was "serious" it was not "crippling" and the quays, basins, railways and equipment remained operational. [149], A further line in the directive stressed the need to inflict the heaviest losses possible, but also to intensify the air war in order to create the impression an amphibious assault on Britain was planned for 1941. 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. Contact Us 0207 608 5516 Call today: 9am - 5.30pm Fighter Command lost 17 fighters and six pilots. [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. [145], In 1941, the Luftwaffe shifted strategy again. Only one bomber was lost, to anti-aircraft fire, despite the RAF flying 125-night sorties. 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. Authorities provided stoves and bathrooms and canteen trains provided food. 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. [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. Liverpool and its port became an important destination for convoys heading through the Western Approaches from North America, bringing supplies and materials. [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. [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]. 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. 11 Group RAF and No. Air attacks continued sporadically, then in 1944 an entirely new threat arrived in the form . The Blitz began on 7 September, 'Black Saturday', when German bombers attacked London, leaving 430 dead and 1,600 injured. [168] The Boulton Paul Defiant, despite its poor performance during daylight engagements, was a much better night fighter. [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. For the London-based American football team, see, Directive 23: Gring and the Kriegsmarine, This was caused by moisture ruining the electrical. 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. It reveals the devastation caused by the Blitz over eight months. Bungay, Stephen (2000). [173] On 3/4 May, nine were shot down in one night. Bomb-Damage Maps Reveal London's World War II Devastation. [1] It was the capital not just for the United Kingdom, but for the entire British Empire. 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]. 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". 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. On 17 January around 100 bombers dropped a high concentration of incendiaries, some 32,000 in all. The moon was full and the Thames had a very low ebb tide. The first German attack on London actually occurred by accident. [77] Before the war, civilians were issued with 50million respirators (gas masks) in case bombardment with gas began before evacuation. [148], Hitler's interest in this strategy forced Gring and Jeschonnek to review the air war against Britain in January 1941. In 1938, a committee of psychiatrists predicted three times as many mental as physical casualties from aerial bombing, implying three to four million psychiatric patients. By the height of the Blitz, they were becoming more successful. The name "Blitz" comes from the word "blitzkrieg" which meant "lightning war". But even in May, 67 percent of the sorties were visual cat's-eye missions. [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. Bombers were flown with airborne search lights out of desperation but to little avail. [13] The strategic impact on industrial cities was varied; most took from 10 to 15 days to recover from heavy raids, although Belfast and Liverpool took longer. To prevent German formations from hitting targets in Britain, Bomber Command would destroy Luftwaffe aircraft on their bases, aircraft in their factories and fuel reserves by attacking oil plants. [144] In January and February 1941, Luftwaffe serviceability rates declined until just 551 of 1,214 bombers were combat-worthy. At this time, the Underground lines were mostly owned and run by separate companies, all of which were merged together with . The British were still one-third below the establishment of heavy anti-aircraft artillery AAA (or ack-ack) in May 1941, with only 2,631 weapons available. [128] London's defences were rapidly reorganised by General Pile, the Commander-in-Chief of Anti-Aircraft Command. "Bombing of London" and "London Blitz" redirect here. [130], Airborne Interception radar (AI) was unreliable. [169], Improved aircraft designs were in the offing with the Bristol Beaufighter, then under development. 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: [94], On 9 September the OKL appeared to be backing two strategies. He roused them, ensured they took oxygen and Dextro-Energen amphetamine tablets, then completed the mission. Over a period of nine months, over 43,500 civilians were killed in the raids, which focused on major cities and industrial centres. [13], The German air offensive failed because the Luftwaffe High Command (Oberkommando der Luftwaffe, OKL) did not develop a methodical strategy for destroying British war industry. [72] The psychoanalysts were correct, and the special network of psychiatric clinics opened to receive mental casualties of the attacks closed due to lack of need. Included are activities that 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. [80] The WVS organised the evacuation of children, established centres for those displaced by bombing and operated canteens, salvage and recycling schemes. [133] By mid-November, nine squadrons were available, but only one was equipped with Beaufighters (No. It could be claimed civilians were not to be targeted directly, but the breakdown of production would affect their morale and will to fight. Committees quickly formed within shelters as informal governments, and organisations such as the British Red Cross and the Salvation Army worked to improve conditions. He fell asleep at the controls of his Ju 88 and woke up to discover the entire crew asleep. 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. 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". Support for peace negotiations declined from 29% in February. [166] This was not immediately apparent. Red lamps were used to simulate blast furnaces and locomotive fireboxes. [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 attack started at 16:43 and lasted for 12 hours. It expected about 90% of evacuees to stay in private homes, conducted an extensive survey to determine the amount of space available and made detailed preparations for transporting evacuees. Only one year earlier, there had only been 6,600 full-time and 13,800 part-time firemen in the entire country. 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. [58][59], The most important existing communal shelters were the London Underground stations. Less than 100 incidents reported by the London Fire Brigade up to 5pm on September 7, 1940. [149] Some 50 Junkers Ju 87 Stuka dive-bombers and Jabos (fighter-bombers) were used, officially classed as Leichte Kampfflugzeuge ("light bombers") and sometimes called Leichte Kesselringe ("Light Kesselrings"). Just three and twelve were claimed by the RAF and AA defences respectively. [154], Even so, the decision by the OKL to support the strategy in Directive 23 was instigated by two considerations, both of which had little to do with wanting to destroy Britain's sea communications in conjunction with the Kriegsmarine. [9] and a large raid on the night of 10-11 May 1941. This page was last edited on 24 February 2023, at 12:33. [37], Regardless of the ability of the Luftwaffe to win air superiority, Hitler was frustrated it was not happening quickly enough. [183], A popular image arose of British people in the Second World War: a collection of people locked in national solidarity. [141][failed verification] Altogether, 130 German bombers destroyed the historical centre of London. [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. [114] It is not clear whether the power station or any specific structure was targeted during the German offensive as the Luftwaffe could not accurately bomb select targets during night operations. 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. [145] Use of incendiaries, which were inherently inaccurate, indicated much less care was taken to avoid civilian property close to industrial sites. [174] By the end of May, Kesselring's Luftflotte 2 had been withdrawn, leaving Hugo Sperrle's Luftflotte 3 as a token force to maintain the illusion of strategic bombing. [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. A. Hampton/Topical Press Agency . [139], Although official German air doctrine did target civilian morale, it did not espouse the attacking of civilians directly. Some people even told government surveyors that they enjoyed air raids if they occurred occasionally, perhaps once a week. The first major raid took place on 7 September. The London Blitz started quietly. By September 1940, London had already experienced German bombing. In Sunderland on 25 April, Luftflotte 2 sent 60 bombers which dropped 80 tons (81.3t) of high explosive and 9,000 incendiaries. This weight of attack went on for two months, with the Luftwaffe dropping 12,400 long tons (12,600t) of bombs. 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 Blitz was a huge bombing campaign of London and other English cities carried about by the German airforce from September 1940 to May 1941. [62], Communal shelters never housed more than one seventh of Greater London residents. "Pathfinders" from 12 Kampfgruppe 100 (Bomb Group 100 or KGr100) led 437 bombers from KG 1, KG 3, KG26, KG 27, KG55 and Lehrgeschwader 1 (1st Training Wing, or LG1) which dropped 350 long tons (356t) of high explosive, 50 long tons (50.8t) of incendiaries, and 127 parachute mines. 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. 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. These attacks produced some breaks in morale, with civil leaders fleeing the cities before the offensive reached its height. [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. [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 comparison to the Allied bombing campaign against Germany, casualties due to the Blitz were relatively low; the bombing of Hamburg alone inflicted about 40,000 civilian casualties. [187] Historians' critical response to this construction focused on what were seen as over-emphasised claims of patriotic nationalism and national unity. By September 1940, the large-scale German air raids which had been expected twelve months earlier finally arrived. [44] Disputes among OKL staff revolved more around tactics than strategy. This was when warfare deliberately included civilian populations. 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). From July until September 1940 the Luftwaffe attacked Fighter Command to gain air superiority as a prelude to invasion. Many more ports were attacked. [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. Locating targets in skies obscured by industrial haze meant the target area needed to be illuminated and hit "without regard for the civilian population". [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. Around 250 tons (9,000 bombs) had been dropped, killing 1,413 people and injuring 3,500 more. 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. A building collapsing in Whitechapel during the Blitz. In recent years a large number of wartime recordings relating to the Blitz have been made available on audiobooks such as The Blitz, The Home Front and British War Broadcasting. Instead, he wasted aircraft of Fliegerfhrer Atlantik (Flying Command Atlantic) on bombing mainland Britain instead of attacks against convoys. The 'all clear' was sounded at 05.00 on 8 September - 420 people were killed and over 1600 seriously wounded. On 17 April 346 tons (352t) of explosives and 46,000 incendiaries were dropped from 250 bombers led by KG 26. [87] Dowding accepted that as AOC, he was responsible for the day and night defence of Britain but seemed reluctant to act quickly and his critics in the Air Staff felt that this was due to his stubborn nature. However, the use of delayed-action bombs, while initially very effective, gradually had less impact, partly because they failed to detonate. [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. [164], In the north, substantial efforts were made against Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Sunderland, which were large ports on the English east coast. 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. Before getting into detail, an overview of the area around St. Paul's Cathedral will help set the scene. 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. An average of 200 were able to strike per night. [50] London hospitals prepared for 300,000 casualties in the first week of war. He was always reluctant to co-operate with Raeder. [97] Of this total around 400 were killed. 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. Added to the tension of the mission which exhausted and drained crews, tiredness caught up with and killed many. There is much that Londoners can look back on with pride, remarkably little about which they need to feel ashamed. The difficulty of RAF bombers in night navigation and target finding led the British to believe that it would be the same for German bomber crews. Poor intelligence about British industry and economic efficiency led to OKL concentrating on tactics rather than strategy. Bomb damage around St Paul's Cathedral in the City of London. [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. Beginning in September 1940, the Blitz was an aerial bombing campaign conducted by the Luftwaffe against British cities. 219 Squadron RAF at RAF Kenley). [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. [186] At the time it was seen as a useful propaganda tool for domestic and foreign consumption. [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". 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. [149], From the German point of view, March 1941 saw an improvement. Other units ceased using parachute flares and opted for explosive target markers. Throughout 193339 none of the 16 Western Air Plans drafted mentioned morale as a target. [13], The air offensive against the RAF and British industry failed to have the desired effect. 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. [191] In other cities, class divisions became more evident. [188] In the wake of the Coventry Blitz, there was widespread agitation from the Communist Party over the need for bomb-proof shelters. [149] The indifference displayed by the OKL to Directive 23 was perhaps best demonstrated in operational directives which diluted its effect. The rate of civilian housing loss was averaging 40,000 people per week dehoused in September 1940. [145] The shift from precision bombing to area attack is indicated in the tactical methods and weapons dropped. Douglas set about introducing more squadrons and dispersing the few GL sets to create a carpet effect in the southern counties. Timeline How Allies Broke The Deadlock | First World War EP6 | Timeline Biographer Reveals Audrey Hepburn's . Dowding had introduced the concept of airborne radar and encouraged its usage. This led to their agreeing to Hitler's Directive 23, Directions for operations against the British War Economy, which was published on 6 February 1941 and gave aerial interdiction of British imports by sea top priority. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term Blitzkrieg, the German word meaning 'lightning war'.[4]. Nearly 350 German bombers (escorted by over 600 fighters) dropped explosives on East London, targeting the docks in particular. 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. [32], The decision to change strategy is sometimes claimed as a major mistake by OKL. London: The Blitz, September 1940-June 1941 Records are incomplete, but between 7 October 1940 and 6 June 1941 almost 28,000 high explosive bombs and over 400 parachute mines were recorded landing on Greater London.
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