London was then bombed for 57 consecutive nights, and often during daytime too. The Timeline: The Blitz | The Independent | The Independent The rate of civilian housing loss was averaging 40,000 people per week dehoused in September 1940. The 'all clear' was sounded at 05.00 on 8 September - 420 people were killed and over 1600 seriously wounded. Three cross-beams intersected the beam along which the He 111 was flying. London: The Blitz, September 1940-June 1941 | Historic England Still, many British citizens, who had been members of the Labour Party, itself inert over the issue, turned to the Communist Party. The first three directives in 1940 did not mention civilian populations or morale in any way. [37], Regardless of the ability of the Luftwaffe to win air superiority, Hitler was frustrated it was not happening quickly enough. July 20, 1982: Two IRA bombs explode in central London less than two hours apart. Who . X-Gert received and analysed the pulses, giving the pilot visual and aural directions. [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. Eventually, it would become a success. The Blitz | Blitz London | Battle of Britain WW2 | RAF Museum [24], A major problem in the managing of the Luftwaffe was Gring. 12 Group RAF). 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. [60], Each day orderly lines of people queued until 4:00pm, when they were allowed to enter the stations. [169] The Beaufighter had a maximum speed of 320mph (510km/h), an operational ceiling of 26,000ft (7,900m), a climb rate of 2,500ft (760m) per minute, and its battery of four 20mm (0.79in) Hispano cannon and six .303in Browning machine guns was much more lethal. British fighter aircraft production continued at a rate surpassing Germany's by 2 to 1. Many unemployed people were drafted into the Royal Army Pay Corps and with the Pioneer Corps, were tasked with salvaging and clean-up. [135] In particular, the West Midlands were targeted. [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. When the second hand re-aligned with the first, the bombs were released. People were forced to sleep in air raid shelters, and many people took shelter in underground stations. London during the Blitz - History Place Bomb-Damage Maps Reveal London's World War II Devastation - Science [28], The Luftwaffe's poor intelligence meant that their aircraft were not always able to locate their targets, and thus attacks on factories and airfields failed to achieve the desired results. This caused more than 2,000 fires; 1,436 people were killed and 1,792 seriously injured, which affected morale badly. The meacon system involved separate locations for a receiver with a directional aerial and a transmitter. A present day image of the Freedom Press, Whitechapel, London. [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. [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. Battle of Britain timeline - RAF Benevolent Fund [128] London's defences were rapidly reorganised by General Pile, the Commander-in-Chief of Anti-Aircraft Command. Mackay2002, pp. From 1943 to the end of the war, he [Harris] and other proponents of the area offensive represented it [the bomber offensive] less as an attack on morale than as an assault on the housing, utilities, communications, and other services that supported the war production effort. [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. American observer Ralph Ingersoll reported the bombing was inaccurate and did not hit targets of military value, but destroyed the surrounding areas. Over a quarter of London's population had left the city by November 1940. These units were fed from two adjacent tanks containing oil and water. Morrison warned that he could not counter the Communist unrest unless provision of shelters were made. [78], During the Blitz, The Scout Association guided fire engines to where they were most needed and became known as the "Blitz Scouts". Another poll found an 88% approval rating for Churchill in July. [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. [145] The shift from precision bombing to area attack is indicated in the tactical methods and weapons dropped. Many houses and commercial centres were heavily damaged, the electrical supply was knocked out, and five oil tanks and two magazines exploded. Timeline London portal v t e The United Kingdom took part in World War II from 3 September 1939 until 15 August 1945. [151], Directive 23 was the only concession made by Gring to the Kriegsmarine over the strategic bombing strategy of the Luftwaffe against Britain. Though they failed to make a large gain in influence, the membership of the Party had doubled by June 1941. Although the weather was poor, heavy raids took place that afternoon on the London suburbs and the airfield at Farnborough. Bombsite rubble from Birmingham was used to make runways on US Air Force bases in Kent and Essex in southeast England. In those sites, carbon arc lamps were used to simulate flashes at tram overhead wires. Contact Us 0207 608 5516 Call today: 9am - 5.30pm Using historical paintings, a timeline, and a simple map, children can discover why the re started, how it spread, and the damage it caused. This page was last edited on 24 February 2023, at 12:33. The Blitz | Tardis | Fandom Its explosive sound describes the Luftwaffe's almost continual aerial bombardment of the British Isles from. [183], A popular image arose of British people in the Second World War: a collection of people locked in national solidarity. 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars. Added to the tension of the mission which exhausted and drained crews, tiredness caught up with and killed many. [49] In 1939 military theorist Basil Liddell-Hart predicted that 250,000 deaths and injuries in Britain could occur in the first week of war. The production of false radio navigation signals by re-transmitting the originals became known as meaconing using masking beacons (meacons). Included are activities that Some people even told government surveyors that they enjoyed air raids if they occurred occasionally, perhaps once a week. [189] The "Communist threat" was deemed important enough for Herbert Morrison to order, with the support of the Cabinet, the cessation of activities of the Daily Worker, the Communist newspaper. London Blitz Worksheets & Teaching Resources | Teachers Pay Teachers [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. Morale was not mentioned until the ninth wartime directive on 21 September 1940. Timeline How Allies Broke The Deadlock | First World War EP6 | Timeline Biographer Reveals Audrey Hepburn's . Time Travel Back To The London Blitz In Connie Willis' New - Gizmodo 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. People referred to raids as if they were weather, stating that a day was "very blitzy". The crew would be ordered to drop their bombs either by a code word from the ground controller or at the conclusion of the signal transmissions which would stop. PDF The Great Fire Of London Ks1 Resources Copy 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. The bombings left parts of London in ruins, and when the war ended in 1945 much of the city had to be rebuilt. Dowding had to rely on night fighters. It believed it could greatly affect the balance of power on the battlefield by disrupting production and damaging civilian morale. [120], British night air defences were in a poor state. The Blitz - Historic UK Red lamps were used to simulate blast furnaces and locomotive fireboxes. . [46], In an operational capacity, limitations in weapons technology and quick British reactions were making it more difficult to achieve strategic effect. [99] Fighter Command lost 23 fighters, with six pilots killed and another seven wounded. Air attacks continued sporadically, then in 1944 an entirely new threat arrived in the form . 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. The Blitz holds a special place in British history for the light which it supposedly sheds on . 28384; Murray 1983, pp. More than 13,000 civilians had been killed, and almost 20,000 injured, in September and October alone,[110] but the death toll was much less than expected. The North Sea port of Hull, a convenient and easily found target or secondary target for bombers unable to locate their primary targets, suffered the Hull Blitz. The blitz: an interactive timeline | World news | theguardian.com Minister of Home Security Herbert Morrison was also worried morale was breaking, noting the defeatism expressed by civilians. 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. 5 Jan. Leslie Hore-Belisha, Britain's Minister of War, is dismissed. Important events of 1940, including the beginning of the London Blitz (pictured above) and the Battle of Britain. Although bombing attacks unexpectedly did not begin immediately during the Phoney War,[51] civilians were aware of the deadly power of aerial attacks through newsreels of Barcelona, the Bombing of Guernica and the Bombing of Shanghai. [56] Not only was there evacuation over land, but also by ship. [17], The vital industries and transport centres that would be targeted for shutdown were valid military targets. [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. The lack of bombing in the Phoney War contributed significantly to the return of people to the cities, but class conflict was not eased a year later when evacuation operations had to be put into effect again. Its aircraftDornier Do 17, Junkers Ju 88, and Heinkel He 111swere capable of carrying out strategic missions[41] but were incapable of doing greater damage because of their small bomb-loads. 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. [184][185] This imagery of people in the Blitz was embedded via being in film, radio, newspapers and magazines. [117] Attacks against East End docks were effective and many Thames barges were destroyed. [139], Although official German air doctrine did target civilian morale, it did not espouse the attacking of civilians directly. The exhausted population took three weeks to overcome the effects of an attack. [5] Large air battles broke out, lasting for most of the day. One third of London was destroyed. 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. The system worked on 6677MHz, a higher frequency than Knickebein. For eight months the Luftwaffe dropped bombs on London and other strategic cities across Britain. 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. London Blitz Books - Goodreads 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. [22], Two prominent enthusiasts for ground-support operations (direct or indirect) were Hugo Sperrle the commander of Luftflotte 3 (1 February 1939 23 August 1944) and Hans Jeschonnek (Chief of the Luftwaffe General Staff from 1 February 1939 19 August 1943). From 1916 to 1918, German raids had diminished against countermeasures which demonstrated defence against night air raids was possible. [57] The programme favoured backyard Anderson shelters and small brick surface shelters. 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. "[25] Such principles made it much harder to integrate the air force into the overall strategy and produced in Gring a jealous and damaging defence of his "empire" while removing Hitler voluntarily from the systematic direction of the Luftwaffe at either the strategic or operational level. 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. - Wikipedia 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. [152] Raeder's successorKarl Dnitzwouldon the intervention of Hitlergain control of one unit (KG 40), but Gring would soon regain it. Jones began a search for German beams; Avro Ansons of the Beam Approach Training Development Unit (BATDU) were flown up and down Britain fitted with a 30MHz receiver. World War 2 Timeline - 1940. by Ben Johnson. The first jamming operations were carried out using requisitioned hospital electrocautery machines. [160], On 13 March, the upper Clyde port of Clydebank near Glasgow was bombed (Clydebank Blitz). [19] General Walther Wever (Chief of the Luftwaffe General Staff [165], The last major attack on London was on 10/11 May 1941, on which the Luftwaffe flew 571 sorties and dropped 787 long tons (800t) of bombs. [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. Blitz Incidents: High Holborn - the morning of 8th October 1940 - Blogger [71], According to Anna Freud and Edward Glover, London civilians surprisingly did not suffer from widespread shell shock, unlike the soldiers in the Dunkirk evacuation. The History Place - World War II in Europe Timeline: The Blitz 1940 30 June: The order is given by Reichsmarschall Hermann Gering, head of the Luftwaffe, to draw the RAF into battle. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965) and his wife inspect bomb-damage in the City of London during the Blitz, 31st December 1940. [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. [93] The use of diversionary techniques such as fires had to be made carefully. 7 September 1940 In the run up to 7 September, the night the Blitz began, the Luftwaffe had targeted RAF airfields and radar stations for destruction in preparation for the German invasion of the. These include Peter Hennessy, Andrew Thorpe, and Philip Ziegler, who while admitting serious exceptions, argue that the population largely behaved well during the Blitz.[193]. [129] AA defences improved by better use of radar and searchlights. 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. [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. For all the destruction of life and property, the observers sent out by the Ministry of Home Security failed to discover the slightest sign of a break in morale. He was always reluctant to co-operate with Raeder. [64][65] The government distributed Anderson shelters until 1941 and that year began distributing the Morrison shelter, which could be used inside homes. Whitechapel, London - History | Victorian Era and Before London Blitz Facts | London Blitz WWII | DK Find Out While wartime bombings affected London in both world wars, it was the Blitz that truly altered the cityscape forever. Unpopular with many of his fellow MP's, Prime Minister Chamberlain agreed to replace him under pressure from . [173] Losses were minimal. [170] On 19 November, John Cunningham of No. [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"). It would prove formidable but its development was slow. [149], From the German point of view, March 1941 saw an improvement. [178][3], In aircraft production, the British were denied the opportunity to reach the planned target of 2,500 aircraft in a month, arguably the greatest achievement of the bombing, as it forced the dispersal of the industry, at first because of damage to aircraft factories and then by a policy of precautionary dispersal. Intricately Color-Coded Maps Marking Bomb Damage from the London Blitz He frequently complained of the Luftwaffe's inability to damage industries sufficiently, saying, "The munitions industry cannot be impeded effectively by air raids usually, the prescribed targets are not hit". A Raid From Above [127] In November 1940, 6,000 sorties and 23 major attacks (more than 100 tons [102t] of bombs dropped) were flown. The main focus was London. [173] On 10/11 May, London suffered severe damage, but 10 German bombers were downed. 10 great films set in Britain during the Second World War | BFI [179], Some writers claim the Air Staff ignored a critical lesson, that British morale did not break and that attacking German morale was not sufficient to induce a collapse. The docks drew produce and people from all over the world; they survived the bombings of World War II and the economic downturn of the 1970s and 80s to become a hive of industry and activity once again. This incident was called the 'Blitz'. Regional commissioners were given plenipotentiary powers to restore communications and organise the distribution of supplies to keep the war economy moving. 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. [80] The WVS organised the evacuation of children, established centres for those displaced by bombing and operated canteens, salvage and recycling schemes. Operating over home territory, British aircrew could fly again if they survived being shot down. By December, this had increased to 92 percent. [171] In the bad weather of February 1941, Fighter Command flew 568 sorties to counter the Luftwaffe which flew 1,644 sorties. When a continuous sound was heard from the second beam the crew knew they were above the target and dropped their bombs. A Princess At War: Queen Elizabeth II During World War II Nine days later, two waves of 125 and 170 bombers dropped heavy bombs, including 160 tons (163t) of high explosive and 32,000 incendiaries. The London boroughs of City of Westminster and St Marylebone - 8.3 square miles of central London stretching from the north bank of the Thames up to Paddington and St John's Wood - were to suffer considerable bombing during the ensuing London Blitz of 7 September 1940 - 11 May 1941 and in later attacks during 1944 -1945. By September 1940, London had already experienced German bombing. [145] Part of the reason for this was inaccuracy of navigation. At least 3,363 Luftwaffe aircrew were killed, 2,641 missing and 2,117 wounded. The number of contacts and combats rose in 1941, from 44 and two in 48 sorties in January 1941, to 204 and 74 in May (643 sorties). [155], The diversion of heavier bombers to the Balkans meant that the crews and units left behind were asked to fly two or three sorties per night. Corum 1997, pp. [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 Romanov family was the imperial house of the Russian Empire from 1613 until being forced out of power in 1917 during the Russian Revolution. The Royal Chapel, inner quadrangle and Palace gates were hit, and several workmen were injured. 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. 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. London Blitz 1940: the first day's bomb attacks listed in full The name "Blitz" comes from the word "blitzkrieg" which meant "lightning war". dodged bombs to make her way across London from her aunts house to dance class. [176] Total losses could have been as high as 600 bombers, just 1.5 percent of the sorties flown. [16], The Luftwaffe took a cautious view of strategic bombing but the OKL did not oppose the strategic bombardment of industries or cities. From 1940 to 1941, the most successful night-fighter was the Boulton Paul Defiant; its four squadrons shot down more enemy aircraft than any other type. [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. [97] Of this total around 400 were killed. The Impact of the Blitz on London - History Learning Site [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. Entertainment included concerts, films, plays and books from local libraries. [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. 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. [93], For industrial areas, fires and lighting were simulated. The year-long project . [50] London hospitals prepared for 300,000 casualties in the first week of war. 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. British night-fighter operations out over the Channel were proving successful. It could be claimed civilians were not to be targeted directly, but the breakdown of production would affect their morale and will to fight. The first major raid took place on 7 September. Other targets would be considered if the primary ones could not be attacked because of weather conditions. Bomb damage around St Paul's Cathedral in the City of London. The government up until November 1940, was opposed to the centralised organisation of shelter. The London docks and railways communications had taken a heavy pounding, and much damage had been done to the railway system outside. 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. 80 Wing RAF. In subsequent months a steady number of German bombers would fall to night fighters. TikTok said in a blog post in June that it will route all data from U.S. users to servers controlled by Oracle, the Silicon Valley company it chose as its U.S. tech partner in 2020 in an effort to . But even in May, 67 percent of the sorties were visual cat's-eye missions. 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. (AUDIO: The Wanderer) Despite being forbidden under the terms of the Treaty of . [131], Nevertheless, it was radar that proved to be the critical weapon in the night battles over Britain from this point onward. But their operations were to no avail; the worsening weather and unsustainable attrition in daylight gave the OKL an excuse to switch to night attacks on 7 October. Battle noises were muffled and sleep was easier in the deepest stations, but many people were killed from direct hits on stations. The most intense series of these raids took place from September 1940 to May 1941 in a period that has become known as the Blitz. [86], Hugh Dowding, Air Officer Commanding Fighter Command, defeated the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain, but preparing day fighter defences left little for night air defence.