[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. 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. The Germans adapted the short-range Lorenz system into Knickebein, a 3033MHz system, which used two Lorenz beams with much stronger signals. Workers worked longer shifts and over weekends. The Germans conducted mass air attacks against industrial targets, towns, and cities, beginning with raids on London towards the end of the Battle of . [19] General Walther Wever (Chief of the Luftwaffe General Staff In subsequent months a steady number of German bombers would fall to night fighters. 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. [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. A building collapsing in Whitechapel during the Blitz. Too early and the chances of success receded; too late and the real conflagration at the target would exceed the diversionary fires. The hope was that, if it could deceive German bombardiers, it would draw more bombers away from the real target. Moreover, the OKL could not settle on an appropriate strategy. [145] The shift from precision bombing to area attack is indicated in the tactical methods and weapons dropped. Air attacks continued sporadically, then in 1944 an entirely new threat arrived in the form . This is a Timeline of the United Kingdom home front during World War II covering Britain 1939-45.Timeline of the United Kingdom home front during World War II covering Britain 1939-45. 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. 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. In late 1940, Churchill credited the shelters. [11][12] The greatest effect was to force the British to disperse the production of aircraft and spare parts. [39] The attacks were focused against western ports in March. [149], From the German point of view, March 1941 saw an improvement. For eight months the Luftwaffe dropped bombs on London and other strategic cities across Britain. A third poll found 89% support for his leadership in October. Morale was not mentioned until the ninth wartime directive on 21 September 1940. Civilians left for more remote areas of the country. [125], Few fighter aircraft were able to operate at night. [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. Their incendiary bombs Still, at Southampton, attacks were so effective morale did give way briefly with civilian authorities leading people en masse out of the city. It was evoked by both the right and left political factions in Britain in 1982, during the Falklands War when it was portrayed in a nostalgic narrative in which the Second World War represented patriotism actively and successfully acting as a defender of democracy. [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. Timeline: London's Explosive History : NPR [127] Other sources say 449 bombers and a total of 470 long tons (478t) of bombs were dropped. The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom, in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War.The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term Blitzkrieg, the German word meaning 'lightning war'.. Its explosive sound describes the Luftwaffe's almost continual aerial bombardment of the British Isles from. Less than 100 incidents reported by the London Fire Brigade up to 5pm on September 7, 1940. The government up until November 1940, was opposed to the centralised organisation of shelter. - Wikipedia Committees quickly formed within shelters as informal governments, and organisations such as the British Red Cross and the Salvation Army worked to improve conditions. Daniel Todman reveals how Britons rebuilt their lives, and their cities, in the aftermath of the raids Published: December 1, 2017 at 4:27 pm Subs offer BBC - WW2 People's War - Timeline [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. London Blitz Facts | London Blitz WWII - DK Find Out London Blitz: Bomb Sight interactive map created - BBC News [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. He recognised the right of the public to seize tube stations and authorised plans to improve their condition and expand them by tunnelling. An estimated 43,000 people lost their lives. Other targets would be considered if the primary ones could not be attacked because of weather conditions. London Blitz Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images Explore Docklands at War. 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. Blitz WW2 - The Battle of London | Military History Matters Although the weather was poor, heavy raids took place that afternoon on the London suburbs and the airfield at Farnborough. 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 term was first used by the British press and originated from the term Blitzkrieg, the German word meaning 'lightning war'.[4]. To reduce losses further, strategy changed to prefer night raids, giving the bombers greater protection under cover of darkness. Industry, seats of government and communications could be destroyed, depriving an opponent of the means to make war. 1940 30 June: The order is given by Reichsmarschall Hermann Gering, head of the Luftwaffe, to draw the RAF into battle. [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. British night-fighter operations out over the Channel were proving successful. 604 Squadron RAF shot down a bomber flying an AI-equipped Beaufighter, the first air victory for the airborne radar. [100] Another 247 bombers from Luftflotte 3 (Air Fleet 3) attacked that night. Bomb Sight - Mapping the World War 2 London Blitz Bomb Census Another poll found an 88% approval rating for Churchill in July. The Blitz holds a special place in British history for the light which it supposedly sheds on . 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. [95][96], Initially, the change in strategy caught the RAF off-guard and caused extensive damage and civilian casualties. 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. At the beginning of the war in 1939, London was the largest city in the world, with 8.2 million inhabitants. The building of London's Royal Docks introduced a new world of commerce to the capital. [38][a], It was decided to focus on bombing Britain's industrial cities, in daylight to begin with. 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. WW2: The Blitz Hits | Sky HISTORY TV Channel 219 Squadron RAF at RAF Kenley). Battle of Britain timeline - RAF Benevolent Fund : The Blitz 1940 971941 510 : Blitz 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. [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. Regional commissioners were given plenipotentiary powers to restore communications and organise the distribution of supplies to keep the war economy moving. Over a period of nine months, over 43,500 civilians were killed in the raids, which focused on major cities and industrial centres. July 20, 1982: Two IRA bombs explode in central London less than two hours apart. Loge continued for 57 nights. At a London railway station, arriving troops pass by children who are being evacuated to the countryside. 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. [140] The first group to use these incendiaries was Kampfgruppe 100 which despatched 10 "pathfinder" He 111s. Throughout 193339 none of the 16 Western Air Plans drafted mentioned morale as a target. There was also minor ethnic antagonism between the small Black, Indian and Jewish communities, but despite this these tensions quietly and quickly subsided. Summerfield, Penny and Peniston-Bird, Corina. 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. The London Blitz started quietly. An interactive map showing the location of bombs dropped on London during World War II has been created. United Kingdom: The Blitz Facts & Worksheets | History - KidsKonnect Timeline of the United Kingdom home front during World War II Many more ports were attacked. One third of London was destroyed. Two heavy (50 long tons (51t) of bombs) attacks were also flown. [190], The brief success of the Communists also fed into the hands of the British Union of Fascists (BUF). The main focus was London. [24], Hitler was much more attracted to the political aspects of bombing. Using historical paintings, a timeline, and a simple map, children can discover why the re started, how it spread, and the damage it caused. London Blitz History, Facts & Importance | What was the Blitz of WW2 [93], The first deliberate air raids on London were mainly aimed at the Port of London, causing severe damage. 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. London Blitz Worksheets & Teaching Resources | Teachers Pay Teachers London during the Blitz - History Place Birmingham and Coventry were subject to 450 long tons (457t) of bombs between them in the last 10 days of October. News reports of the Spanish Civil War, such as the bombing of Barcelona, supported the 50-casualties-per-tonne estimate. Bombsite rubble from Birmingham was used to make runways on US Air Force bases in Kent and Essex in southeast England. [156], German air supremacy at night was also now under threat. Anti-Semitic attitudes became widespread, particularly in London. [117] Attacks against East End docks were effective and many Thames barges were destroyed. [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. 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. Included are activities that By 16 February 1941, this had grown to 12; with 5 equipped, or partially equipped with Beaufighters spread over 5 Groups. By the end of November, 1,100 bombers were available for night raids. Aviation strategists dispute that morale was ever a major consideration for Bomber Command.