london blitz timeline

German planners had to decide whether the Luftwaffe should deliver the weight of its attacks against a specific segment of British industry such as aircraft factories, or against a system of interrelated industries such as Britain's import and distribution network, or even in a blow aimed at breaking the morale of the British population. 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. When the second hand re-aligned with the first, the bombs were released. [156], German air supremacy at night was also now under threat. [109] Special units, such as KGr 100, became the Beleuchtergruppe (Firelighter Group), which used incendiaries and high explosives to mark the target area. "Bombing of London" and "London Blitz" redirect here. Air raids caused about 2,300 casualties in London in World War I, and during the Battle of Britain in World War II, the city was bombed relentlessly by the German Luftwaffethe London Blitz . The production of false radio navigation signals by re-transmitting the originals became known as meaconing using masking beacons (meacons). [148], Hitler's interest in this strategy forced Gring and Jeschonnek to review the air war against Britain in January 1941. [24], A major problem in the managing of the Luftwaffe was Gring. People left shelters when told instead of refusing to leave, although many housewives reportedly enjoyed the break from housework. 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. [12], Five nights later, Birmingham was hit by 369 bombers from KG 54, KG26, and KG55. [159] Operations against London up until May 1941 could also have a severe impact on morale. Bomb damage around St Paul's Cathedral in the City of London. [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. 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 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'.. The government saw the leading role taken by the Communist Party in advocating the building of deep shelters as an attempt to damage civilian morale, especially after the MolotovRibbentrop Pact of August 1939. [24], Hitler was much more attracted to the political aspects of bombing. Bombsite rubble from Birmingham was used to make runways on US Air Force bases in Kent and Essex in southeast England. Support for peace negotiations declined from 29% in February. The main damage was inflicted on the commercial and domestic areas. 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". It reveals the devastation caused by the Blitz over eight months. [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]. 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. [2], The military effectiveness of bombing varied. The tactic was expanded into Feuerleitung (Blaze Control) with the creation of Brandbombenfelder (Incendiary Fields) to mark targets. [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". Ultimately, the Russian royal family reached a . Anti-Semitic attitudes became widespread, particularly in London. [76], Despite the attacks, defeat in Norway and France, and the threat of invasion, overall morale remained high. To support the operations of the army formations, independent of railways, i.e., armoured forces and motorised forces, by impeding the enemy's advance and participating directly in ground operations. 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. When Gring decided against continuing Wever's original heavy bomber programme in 1937, the Reichsmarschall's own explanation was that Hitler wanted to know only how many bombers there were, not how many engines each had. The air campaign soon got underway against London and other British cities. [125], Few fighter aircraft were able to operate at night. [166] This was not immediately apparent. Beginning. IWM C 5424 1. This philosophy proved impractical, as Bomber Command lacked the technology and equipment for mass night operations, since resources were diverted to Fighter Command in the mid-1930s and it took until 1943 to catch up. Eventually, it would become a success. [b] The British had anticipated the change in strategy and dispersed its production facilities, making them less vulnerable to a concentrated attack. [11][162] Plymouth in particular, because of its vulnerable position on the south coast and close proximity to German air bases, was subjected to the heaviest attacks. 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. The Luftwaffe had dropped 16,331 long tons (16,593t) of bombs. [93] The use of diversionary techniques such as fires had to be made carefully. Red lamps were used to simulate blast furnaces and locomotive fireboxes. [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. Although not encouraged by official policy, the use of mines and incendiaries, for tactical expediency, came close to indiscriminate bombing. Their incendiary bombs [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. A significant number of the aircraft not shot down after the resort to night bombing were wrecked during landings or crashed in bad weather. The first cross-beam alerted the bomb-aimer, who activated a bombing clock when the second cross-beam was reached. Added to the tension of the mission which exhausted and drained crews, tiredness caught up with and killed many. Locating targets in skies obscured by industrial haze meant the target area needed to be illuminated and hit "without regard for the civilian population". His hope wasfor reasons of political prestige within Germany itselfthat the German population would be protected from the Allied bombings. The AFS had 138,000 personnel by July 1939. 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. However, the use of delayed-action bombs, while initially very effective, gradually had less impact, partly because they failed to detonate. [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. In the Myth of the Blitz, Calder exposed some of the counter-evidences of anti-social and divisive behaviours. While wartime bombings affected London in both world wars, it was the Blitz that truly altered the cityscape forever. Around 66,000 houses were destroyed and 77,000 people made homeless ("bombed out"[158]), with 1,900 people killed and 1,450 seriously hurt on one night. This 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. So worried were the government over the sudden campaign of leaflets and posters distributed by the Communist Party in Coventry and London, that the police were sent to seize their production facilities. Britons in incredible photos marking 80 years since the Blitz [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. 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. 11 Group RAF and No. Aviation strategists dispute that morale was ever a major consideration for Bomber Command. [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". With no sign of the RAF weakening and the Luftflotten suffering many losses, OKL was keen for a change in strategy. Children pull crackers under paper decorations while jubilant adults smile . 604 Squadron RAF shot down a bomber flying an AI-equipped Beaufighter, the first air victory for the airborne radar. [115] In the initial operations against London, it did appear as if rail targets and the bridges over the Thames had been singled out: Victoria Station was hit by four bombs and suffered extensive damage. Some people even told government surveyors that they enjoyed air raids if they occurred occasionally, perhaps once a week. Timeline of the United Kingdom home front during World War II Ironically, the Blitz was the result of an . People were forced to sleep in air raid shelters, and many people took shelter in underground stations. 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. Other targets would be considered if the primary ones could not be attacked because of weather conditions. [42], Although it had equipment capable of doing serious damage, the Luftwaffe had an unclear strategy and poor intelligence. [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. [161] Another raid was carried out on 11/12 May 1941. Bomb Sight - Mapping the World War 2 London Blitz Bomb Census Ed Murrow reporting on war torn London during the blitz. Over the next few days weather was poor and the next main effort would not be made until 15 September 1940. 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. Important events of 1940, including the beginning of the London Blitz (pictured above) and the Battle of Britain. On 10/11 March, 240 bombers dropped 193 tons (196t) of high explosives and 46,000 incendiaries. [98] The fighting in the air was more intense in daylight. An estimated 43,000 people lost their lives. [157] Air attacks sank 39,126 long tons (39,754t) of shipping, with another 111,601 long tons (113,392t) damaged. 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. All but seven of its 12,000 houses were damaged. The Blitz - Historic UK 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. [24][182] [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. - Wikipedia [188] In the wake of the Coventry Blitz, there was widespread agitation from the Communist Party over the need for bomb-proof shelters. Hitler quickly developed scepticism toward strategic bombing, confirmed by the results of the Blitz. 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. Timeline How Allies Broke The Deadlock | First World War EP6 | Timeline Biographer Reveals Audrey Hepburn's . [122][123] In July 1940, only 1,200 heavy and 549 light guns were deployed in the whole of Britain. 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. [93] In general, German bombers were likely to get through to their targets without too much difficulty. The beginning of the London Blitz - The National Archives blog [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. Summerfield, Penny and Peniston-Bird, Corina. [46], In an operational capacity, limitations in weapons technology and quick British reactions were making it more difficult to achieve strategic effect. Five main rail lines were cut in London and rolling stock damaged. 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. 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". Throughout 193339 none of the 16 Western Air Plans drafted mentioned morale as a target. The RAF and the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) adopted much of this apocalyptic thinking. [173] In May 1941, RAF night fighters shot down 38 German bombers. Loge continued for 57 nights. Yet when compared with Luftwaffe daylight operations, there was a sharp decline in German losses to one percent. British fighter aircraft production continued at a rate surpassing Germany's by 2 to 1. [173] On 10/11 May, London suffered severe damage, but 10 German bombers were downed. [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. [173] Losses were minimal. Rumours that Jewish support was underpinning the Communist surge were frequent. [50] London hospitals prepared for 300,000 casualties in the first week of war. 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. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term Blitzkrieg, the German word meaning 'lightning war'.[4]. [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. [134], From November 1940 to February 1941, the Luftwaffe shifted its strategy and attacked other industrial cities. British night-fighter operations out over the Channel were proving successful. The Germans adapted the short-range Lorenz system into Knickebein, a 3033MHz system, which used two Lorenz beams with much stronger signals. In March 1941, two raids on Plymouth and London dehoused 148,000 people. Dowding was summoned on 17 October, to explain the poor state of the night defences and the supposed (but ultimately successful) "failure" of his daytime strategy. [149] This strategy had been recognised before the war, but Operation Eagle Attack and the following Battle of Britain had got in the way of striking at Britain's sea communications and diverted German air strength to the campaign against the RAF and its supporting structures. [32], The decision to change strategy is sometimes claimed as a major mistake by OKL. In the last days of the battle, the bombers became lures in an attempt to draw the RAF into combat with German fighters. The general neglect of the RAF until the late spurt in 1938, left few resources for night air defence and the Government, through the Air Ministry and other civil and military institutions was responsible for policy. [145] The shift from precision bombing to area attack is indicated in the tactical methods and weapons dropped. Throughout 1940, dummy airfields were prepared, good enough to stand up to skilled observation. The Blitz (the London Blitz) was the sustained bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7th September 1940 and 10th May 1941 during the World War Two Every night bar one for ten solid weeks,from 7 September to 14 November 1940, London was attacked by an average of 160 bombers. Although there were a few large air battles fought in daylight later in the month and into October, the Luftwaffe switched its main effort to night attacks. It could be claimed civilians were not to be targeted directly, but the breakdown of production would affect their morale and will to fight. More than 70,000 buildings . [93], For industrial areas, fires and lighting were simulated. KGr 100 increased its use of incendiaries from 13 to 28 percent. London's Royal Docks History - Official Timeline 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 . There were also many new civil defence roles that gave a sense of fighting back rather than despair. 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. They believed the Luftwaffe had failed in precision attack and concluded the German example of area attack using incendiaries was the way forward for operations over Germany. [64][65] The government distributed Anderson shelters until 1941 and that year began distributing the Morrison shelter, which could be used inside homes. [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). WW2: The Blitz Hits | Sky HISTORY TV Channel [94], On 9 September the OKL appeared to be backing two strategies. Some 107,400 gross tons (109,100t) of shipping was damaged in the Thames Estuary and 1,600 civilians were casualties. Destroying RAF Fighter Command would allow the Germans to gain control of the skies over the invasion area. [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. Fighter Command lost 17 fighters and six pilots. The government up until November 1940, was opposed to the centralised organisation of shelter. [40], However, the Luftwaffe faced limitations. Liverpool and its port became an important destination for convoys heading through the Western Approaches from North America, bringing supplies and materials. The name "Blitz" comes from the word "blitzkrieg" which meant "lightning war". Civilians left for more remote areas of the country. From July until September 1940 the Luftwaffe attacked Fighter Command to gain air superiority as a prelude to invasion. The programme evacuated 2,664 boys and girls (ages 5 - 15) until its ending in October after the sinking of the SS City of Benares with the loss of 81 children out of 100 on board. Each setback caused more civilians to volunteer to become unpaid Local Defence Volunteers. The official history volume British War Production (Postan, 1952) noted that the greatest effect on output of warlike stores was on the supply of components and dispersal of production rather than complete equipment. Before getting into detail, an overview of the area around St. Paul's Cathedral will help set the scene. In subsequent months a steady number of German bombers would fall to night fighters. The light guns, about half of which were of the excellent Bofors 40 mm, dealt with aircraft only up to 6,000ft (1,800m). Official histories concluded that the mental health of a nation may have improved, while panic was rare. When this proved impossible, he began to fear that popular feeling would turn against his regime, and he redoubled efforts to mount a similar "terror offensive" against Britain in order to produce a stalemate in which both sides would hesitate to use bombing at all. 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. What he saw as the mythserene national unitybecame "historical truth". 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. In January 1941, Fighter Command flew 486 sorties against 1,965 made by the Germans. Here are the flats today, courtesy of Street View . [184][185] This imagery of people in the Blitz was embedded via being in film, radio, newspapers and magazines. They emphasised the core strategic interest was attacking ports but they insisted in maintaining pressure or diverting strength, onto industries building aircraft, anti-aircraft guns, and explosives. Poor intelligence about British industry and economic efficiency led to OKL concentrating on tactics rather than strategy. 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. Two aerials at ground stations were rotated so that their beams converged over the target. [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. Although there had been many bombing raids on London since mid 1940, the first raid where the survival of St. Paul's Cathedral was at risk and where the Watch were tested in the extreme was on Sunday 29th December 1940. On 17 January around 100 bombers dropped a high concentration of incendiaries, some 32,000 in all. 219 Squadron RAF at RAF Kenley). Nearly 350 German bombers (escorted by over 600 fighters) dropped explosives on East London, targeting the docks in particular. [5] Large air battles broke out, lasting for most of the day. [167] The Bristol Blenheim F.1 carried four .303in (7.7mm) machine guns which lacked the firepower to easily shoot down a Do 17, Ju 88 or Heinkel He 111. 80th anniversary of The Blitz: How London kept calm and carried on - 9News Moreover, the OKL could not settle on an appropriate strategy. Gring's lack of co-operation was detrimental to the one air strategy with potentially decisive strategic effect on Britain. [136] The raid against Coventry was particularly devastating, and led to widespread use of the phrase "to coventrate". [76], Civilians of London played an enormous role in protecting their city. 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]. [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"). Hayward 2007, www.ltmrecordings.com/blitz1notes.html, Last edited on 24 February 2023, at 12:33, German strategic bombing during World War I, Neville Chamberlain declared war on Germany, Women's Voluntary Services for Civil Defence, Bombing of Wiener Neustadt in World War II, "The Blitz: The Bombing of Britain in WWII", "Families pay tribute to Stoke Newington war dead", Forgotten Voices of the Blitz and the Battle for Britain, The Wages of Destruction: The Making and Breaking of the Nazi Economy, Parliament & The Blitz UK Parliament Living Heritage, "London Blitz 1940: the first day's bomb attacks listed in full", Archive recordings from The Blitz, 194041 (audiobook), The Blitz: Sorting the Myth from the Reality, Exploring 20th century London The Blitz, Oral history interview with Barry Fulford, recalling his childhood during the Blitz, Interactive bombing map of Buckinghamshire, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Blitz&oldid=1141315217. Later in . The oil-fed fires were then injected with water from time to time; the flashes produced were similar to those of the German C-250 and C-500 Flammbomben. It had no time to gather reliable intelligence on Britain's industries. Its explosive sound describes the Luftwaffe's almost continual aerial bombardment of the British Isles from. A Princess At War: Queen Elizabeth II During World War II [133] By mid-November, nine squadrons were available, but only one was equipped with Beaufighters (No. Battle of Britain timeline. 8200 tons (8,330t) of bombs were dropped that month, about 10 percent in daylight, over 5400 tons (5,490t) on London during the night. Daylight bombing was abandoned after October 1940 as the Luftwaffe experienced unsustainable losses. Bombers were noisy, cold, and vibrated badly. Who . dodged bombs to make her way across London from her aunts house to dance class. The Battle of Britain: Timeline | Military History Matters The shortage of bombers caused OKL to improvise. From 7 September 1940, London was systematically bombed by the Luftwaffe for 56 of the following 57 days and nights. [186] At the time it was seen as a useful propaganda tool for domestic and foreign consumption.

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