11 Group RAF and No. [161] Another raid was carried out on 11/12 May 1941. The port cities of Bristol, Cardiff, Portsmouth, Plymouth, Southampton, Swansea, Belfast, and Glasgow were also bombed, as were the industrial centres of Birmingham, Coventry, Manchester, and Sheffield. The first three directives in 1940 did not mention civilian populations or morale in any way. Beginning. Fighter Command lost 17 fighters and six pilots. [17], The vital industries and transport centres that would be targeted for shutdown were valid military targets. [13] In April 1941, when the targets were British ports, rifle production fell by 25 percent, filled-shell production by 4.6 percent and in small-arms production 4.5 percent. [43] The Luftwaffe's strategy became increasingly aimless over the winter of 19401941. 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. Over a period of nine months, over 43,500 civilians were killed in the raids, which focused on major cities and industrial centres. The Allies did so later when Bomber Command attacked rail communications and the United States Army Air Forces targeted oil, but that would have required an economic-industrial analysis of which the Luftwaffe was incapable. With the doors to our museums physically closed, we are offering some exclusive World War II content from our galleries and collections. 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. Summerfield and Peniston-Bird 2007, p. 84. [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. 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. It was during the Second World War. [149], From the German point of view, March 1941 saw an improvement. [195] Many sites of bombed buildings, when cleared of rubble, were cultivated to grow vegetables to ease wartime food shortages and were known as victory gardens.[196]. The main focus was London. The Blitz The heavy and frequent bombing attacks on London and other cities was known as the 'Blitz'. Two heavy (50 long tons (51t) of bombs) attacks were also flown. Important events of 1940, including the beginning of the London Blitz (pictured above) and the Battle of Britain. The policy of RAF Bomber Command became an attempt to achieve victory through the destruction of civilian will, communications and industry. [51], British air raid sirens sounded for the first time 22 minutes after Neville Chamberlain declared war on Germany. 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). [42], Although it had equipment capable of doing serious damage, the Luftwaffe had an unclear strategy and poor intelligence. [190], The brief success of the Communists also fed into the hands of the British Union of Fascists (BUF). The Blitz referred to the bombing of most major British cities by the Germans in World War II. [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. X- and Y-Gert beams were placed over false targets and switched only at the last minute. In late 1940, Churchill credited the shelters. 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. 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. Between 1940 and 1945, over 52,000 civilians were killed in Britain during bombing raids by German aircraft. 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. It had no time to gather reliable intelligence on Britain's industries. Roads and railways were blocked and ships could not leave harbour. Much damage was done. In the Myth of the Blitz, Calder exposed some of the counter-evidences of anti-social and divisive behaviours. Moreover, bombers had four to five crewmen on board, representing a greater loss of manpower. The word "blitz" comes from the German term. Let us find out other historical facts about London Blitz below: Facts about London Blitz 1: the German intelligence By September 1940, the large-scale German air raids which had been expected twelve months earlier finally arrived. "Civilian morale during the Second World War: Responses to air raids re-examined.". In this section. The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz (Kindle Edition) by. To confuse the British, radio silence was observed until the bombs fell. Who . Anti-Semitic attitudes became widespread, particularly in London. [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. Industry, seats of government and communications could be destroyed, depriving an opponent of the means to make war. Over a quarter of London's population had left the city by November 1940. A further attack on the Clyde, this time at Greenock, took place on 6 and 7 May. [35][104][105], On 14 October, the heaviest night attack to date saw 380 German bombers from Luftflotte 3 hit London. German crews, even if they survived, faced capture. Birmingham and Coventry were subject to 450 long tons (457t) of bombs between them in the last 10 days of October. Ironically, the Blitz was the result of an . [129] AA defences improved by better use of radar and searchlights. There was also minor ethnic antagonism between the small Black, Indian and Jewish communities, but despite this these tensions quietly and quickly subsided. But even in May, 67 percent of the sorties were visual cat's-eye missions. The details of the conversation were passed to an RAF Air Staff technical advisor, Dr. R. V. Jones, who started a search which discovered that Luftwaffe Lorenz receivers were more than blind-landing devices. This incident was called the 'Blitz'. Entertainment included concerts, films, plays and books from local libraries. Over the next few days weather was poor and the next main effort would not be made until 15 September 1940. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term Blitzkrieg, the German word meaning 'lightning war'.[4]. 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. Most residents found that such divisions continued within the shelters and many arguments and fights occurred over noise, space and other matters. To destroy the enemy air force by bombing its bases and aircraft factories and defeat enemy air forces attacking German targets. Dowding had introduced the concept of airborne radar and encouraged its usage. Plymouth was attacked five times before the end of the month while Belfast, Hull, and Cardiff were hit. Four days later 230 tons (234t) were dropped including 60,000 incendiaries. Dowding had to rely on night fighters. [60] In March 1943, 173 men, women and children were crushed to death at Bethnal Green tube station in a crowd surge after a woman fell down the steps as she entered the station. One third of London was destroyed. 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 . An unknown number of bombs fell on these diversionary ("Starfish") targets. Summerfield and Peniston-Bird 2007, p. 4. Hello, I Am Charlie from London - Stephane Husar 2014-07-15 The Demon in the Embers - Julia Edwards 2016-09-02 . 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. The Blitz came to London on September Saturday 7 th 1940 and lasted for many days. The attacks against Birmingham took war industries some three months to recover fully. [50], On the other hand, some historians have recently contended that this revisionism of the "Blitz spirit" narrative may have been an over-correction. [27], Although not specifically prepared to conduct independent strategic air operations against an opponent, the Luftwaffe was expected to do so over Britain. [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. [103] The air battle was later commemorated by Battle of Britain Day. [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. This caused more than 2,000 fires; 1,436 people were killed and 1,792 seriously injured, which affected morale badly. [101] On 8 September the Luftwaffe returned; 412 people were killed and 747 severely wounded. [67] By the end of 1940 improvements had been made in the Underground and in many other large shelters. It hoped to destroy morale by destroying the enemy's factories and public utilities as well as its food stocks (by attacking shipping). [58], Deep shelters provided most protection against a direct hit. [30] The replacement of pilots and aircrew was more difficult. July 20, 1982: Two IRA bombs explode in central London less than two hours apart. 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. [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. Still, at Southampton, attacks were so effective morale did give way briefly with civilian authorities leading people en masse out of the city. [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. 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. [157] Air attacks sank 39,126 long tons (39,754t) of shipping, with another 111,601 long tons (113,392t) damaged. [160], On 13 March, the upper Clyde port of Clydebank near Glasgow was bombed (Clydebank Blitz). Only one year earlier, there had only been 6,600 full-time and 13,800 part-time firemen in the entire country. . [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"). Its round-the-clock bombing of London was an immediate attempt to force the British government to capitulate, but it was also striking at Britain's vital sea communications to achieve a victory through siege. Many people over 35 remembered the bombing and were afraid of more. [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. [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. More than 70,000 buildings . The aerial bombing was now principally aimed at the destruction of industrial targets, but also continued with the objective of breaking the morale of the civilian population. [50] Panic during the Munich crisis, such as the migration by 150,000 people to Wales, contributed to fear of social chaos.[54]. News reports of the Spanish Civil War, such as the bombing of Barcelona, supported the 50-casualties-per-tonne estimate. [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. [140] The first group to use these incendiaries was Kampfgruppe 100 which despatched 10 "pathfinder" He 111s. [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. IWM C 5424 1. World War 2 Timeline - 1940. by Ben Johnson. [163] By the end of the air campaign over Britain, only eight percent of the German effort against British ports was made using mines. [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. [116] On 7 November, St Pancras, Kensal and Bricklayers Arms stations were hit and several lines of Southern Rail were cut on 10 November. The name "Blitz" comes from the word "blitzkrieg" which meant "lightning war". Loge had cost the Luftwaffe 41 aircraft; 14 bombers, 16 Messerschmitt Bf 109s, seven Messerschmitt Bf 110s and four reconnaissance aircraft. Too early and the chances of success receded; too late and the real conflagration at the target would exceed the diversionary fires. The attack started at 16:43 and lasted for 12 hours. [77] Before the war, civilians were issued with 50million respirators (gas masks) in case bombardment with gas began before evacuation. The Battle of Britain The government up until November 1940, was opposed to the centralised organisation of shelter. 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. 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. [139], Although official German air doctrine did target civilian morale, it did not espouse the attacking of civilians directly. Thereafter, he would refuse to make available any air units to destroy British dockyards, ports, port facilities, or shipping in dock or at sea, lest Kriegsmarine gain control of more Luftwaffe units. On 10/11 March, 240 bombers dropped 193 tons (196t) of high explosives and 46,000 incendiaries. The AFS had 138,000 personnel by July 1939. [1] It was the capital not just for the United Kingdom, but for the entire British Empire. The Luftwaffe flew 4,000 sorties that month, including 12 major and three heavy attacks. He fell asleep at the controls of his Ju 88 and woke up to discover the entire crew asleep. [106], Loge continued during October. [136] The raid against Coventry was particularly devastating, and led to widespread use of the phrase "to coventrate". [40], However, the Luftwaffe faced limitations. To start off, the idea of the London Underground as a bomb shelter wasn't a new one by 1940. [25], When Hitler tried to intervene more in the running of the air force later in the war, he was faced with a political conflict of his own making between himself and Gring, which was not fully resolved until the war was almost over. [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. [78], During the Blitz, The Scout Association guided fire engines to where they were most needed and became known as the "Blitz Scouts". Summerfield and Peniston-Bird 2007, p. 3. (Photo by J. [64][65] The government distributed Anderson shelters until 1941 and that year began distributing the Morrison shelter, which could be used inside homes. [35], While Gring was optimistic the Luftwaffe could prevail, Hitler was not. [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. By September 1940, London had already experienced German bombing. [90][91], Y-Gert was an automatic beam-tracking system and the most complex of the three devices, which was operated through autopilot. [161] This raid was significant, as 63 German fighters were sent with the bombers, indicating the growing effectiveness of RAF night fighter defences. Five main rail lines were cut in London and rolling stock damaged. Sperrle, commanding Luftflotte 3, was ordered to dispatch 250 sorties per night including 100 against the West Midlands. 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. Nearly 350 German bombers (escorted by over 600 fighters) dropped explosives on East London, targeting the docks in particular. 10 Group RAF, No. 5 Jan. Leslie Hore-Belisha, Britain's Minister of War, is dismissed. By December, the SC2500 (2,500kg (5,512lb)) "Max" bomb was used. 80 Wing RAF. [184][185] This imagery of people in the Blitz was embedded via being in film, radio, newspapers and magazines. [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. This day marks the beginning of the Blitz when an attack on London is launched by the Germans, starting a nine-month long campaign against the city. Warehouses, rail lines and houses were destroyed and damaged, but the docks were largely untouched. The Minister of Aircraft Production, Lord Beaverbrook and Churchill distanced themselves. 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. [127] In November 1940, 6,000 sorties and 23 major attacks (more than 100 tons [102t] of bombs dropped) were flown. [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. 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. Still, in February 1941, there remained only seven squadrons with 87 pilots, under half the required strength. At this time, the Underground lines were mostly owned and run by separate companies, all of which were merged together with . 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. The government planned the evacuation of four million peoplemostly women and childrenfrom urban areas, including 1.4million from London. [135] In particular, the West Midlands were targeted. [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. 11 Feb 2020. [153] For Gring, his prestige had been damaged by the defeat in the Battle of Britain, and he wanted to regain it by subduing Britain by air power alone. These collections include period interviews with civilians, servicemen, aircrew, politicians and Civil Defence personnel, as well as Blitz actuality recordings, news bulletins and public information broadcasts. The electronic war intensified but the Luftwaffe flew major inland missions only on moonlit nights. Many unemployed people were drafted into the Royal Army Pay Corps and with the Pioneer Corps, were tasked with salvaging and clean-up. [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. The Luftwaffe attacked the main Atlantic seaport of Liverpool in the Liverpool Blitz. [95][96], Initially, the change in strategy caught the RAF off-guard and caused extensive damage and civilian casualties. Night fighters could claim only four bombers for four losses. Smaller raids are not included in the tonnages. Liverpool suffered 180 long tons (183t) of bombs dropped. The Blitz began on 7 September, 'Black Saturday', when German bombers attacked London, leaving 430 dead and 1,600 injured. (AUDIO: The Wanderer) Despite being forbidden under the terms of the Treaty of . [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). The receipt of the German signal by the receiver was duly passed to the transmitter, the signal to be repeated. 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. These were marked out by parachute flares. [131] Whitehall's disquiet at the failures of the RAF led to the replacement of Dowding (who was already due for retirement) with Sholto Douglas on 25 November. [143], Not all of the Luftwaffe effort was made against inland cities. [37], Regardless of the ability of the Luftwaffe to win air superiority, Hitler was frustrated it was not happening quickly enough. 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. [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 considerable rail network distributed to the rest of the country. It showed the extent to which Hitler mistook Allied strategy for one of morale breaking instead of one of economic warfare, with the collapse of morale as a bonus. [44] Disputes among OKL staff revolved more around tactics than strategy. [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. [15] It was thought that "the bomber will always get through" and could not be resisted, particularly at night. 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. 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. 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. Ground-based radar was limited, and airborne radar and RAF night fighters were generally ineffective. [127] By the second month of the Blitz the defences were not performing well. [141][failed verification] Altogether, 130 German bombers destroyed the historical centre of London. [179] Though militarily ineffective, the Blitz cost around 41,000 lives, may have injured another 139,000 people and did enormous damage to British infrastructure and housing stock. [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. The loss of sleep was a particular factor, with many not bothering to attend inconvenient shelters. [31] On 7 September, the Germans shifted away from the destruction of the RAF's supporting structures. [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. Battle noises were muffled and sleep was easier in the deepest stations, but many people were killed from direct hits on stations. [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. Democracies, where public opinion was allowed, were thought particularly vulnerable. 6063, 6768, 75, 7879, 21516. [149] The indifference displayed by the OKL to Directive 23 was perhaps best demonstrated in operational directives which diluted its effect. 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. 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'.. [45] This method condemned the offensive over Britain to failure before it began. 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. It is argued that persisting with attacks on RAF airfields might have won air superiority for the Luftwaffe. 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. The Communist Party made political capital out of these difficulties. Upsurges in population in south Wales and Gloucester intimated where these displaced people went. The building of London's Royal Docks introduced a new world of commerce to the capital. Whitechapel suffered greatly during this period. Attacks from below offered a larger target, compared to attacking tail-on, as well as a better chance of not being seen by the crew (so less chance of evasion), as well as greater likelihood of detonating its bomb load. [38][a], It was decided to focus on bombing Britain's industrial cities, in daylight to begin with. From July until September 1940 the Luftwaffe attacked Fighter Command to gain air superiority as a prelude to invasion. [94], On 9 September the OKL appeared to be backing two strategies. It would prove formidable but its development was slow. Curiously, while 43 percent of the contacts in May 1941 were by visual sightings, they accounted for 61 percent of the combats. Liverpool and its port became an important destination for convoys heading through the Western Approaches from North America, bringing supplies and materials. [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. 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.
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