[76], Despite the attacks, defeat in Norway and France, and the threat of invasion, overall morale remained high. An unknown number of bombs fell on these diversionary ("Starfish") targets. [175], Between 20 June 1940, when the first German air operations began over Britain, and 31 March 1941, OKL recorded the loss of 2,265 aircraft over the British Isles, a quarter of them fighters and one-third bombers. [156] Hitler now had his sights set on attacking the USSR with Operation Barbarossa, and the Blitz came to an end. To destroy the enemy air force by bombing its bases and aircraft factories and defeat enemy air forces attacking German targets. 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. [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. Mackay2002, pp. Before getting into detail, an overview of the area around St. Paul's Cathedral will help set the scene. [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. Ed Murrow reporting on war torn London during the blitz. Operating over home territory, British aircrew could fly again if they survived being shot down. [13], The air offensive against the RAF and British industry failed to have the desired effect. In January 1941, Fighter Command flew 486 sorties against 1,965 made by the Germans. [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. [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. Morrison warned that he could not counter the Communist unrest unless provision of shelters were made. [188] In the wake of the Coventry Blitz, there was widespread agitation from the Communist Party over the need for bomb-proof shelters. A Gallup poll found only 3% of Britons expected to lose the war in May 1940. The meacon system involved separate locations for a receiver with a directional aerial and a transmitter. The Germans conducted mass air attacks against industrial targets, towns, and cities, beginning with raids on London towards the end of the Battle of . 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. Most residents found that such divisions continued within the shelters and many arguments and fights occurred over noise, space and other matters. 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. [163] By the end of the air campaign over Britain, only eight percent of the German effort against British ports was made using mines. [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. [35][104][105], On 14 October, the heaviest night attack to date saw 380 German bombers from Luftflotte 3 hit London. By 16 February 1941, this had grown to 12; with 5 equipped, or partially equipped with Beaufighters spread over 5 Groups. 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. Only a few weeks after the British victory in the Battle of. 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. One-third of London's streets were impassable. Around 250 tons (9,000 bombs) had been dropped, killing 1,413 people and injuring 3,500 more. By the end of 1941, the WVS had one million members. Summerfield, Penny and Peniston-Bird, Corina. London was then bombed for 57 consecutive nights, and often during daytime too. [127] By the second month of the Blitz the defences were not performing well. [138] The strategic effect of the raid was a brief 20 percent dip in aircraft production. In January, Swansea was bombed four times, very heavily. : The Blitz 1940 971941 510 : Blitz Far from displaying the nation's unity in times of war, the scheme backfired, often aggravating class antagonism and bolstering prejudice about the urban poor. Locating targets in skies obscured by industrial haze meant the target area needed to be illuminated and hit "without regard for the civilian population". 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. [113] In the case of Battersea power station, an unused extension was hit and destroyed during November but the station was not put out of action during the night attacks. One third of London was destroyed. 28384; Murray 1983, pp. The Luftwaffe flew 4,000 sorties that month, including 12 major and three heavy attacks. The failure to prepare adequate night air defences was undeniable but it was not the responsibility of the AOC Fighter Command to dictate the disposal of resources. To reduce losses further, strategy changed to prefer night raids, giving the bombers greater protection under cover of darkness. Liverpool and its port became an important destination for convoys heading through the Western Approaches from North America, bringing supplies and materials. Dowding had introduced the concept of airborne radar and encouraged its usage. [129] AA defences improved by better use of radar and searchlights. The tactic was expanded into Feuerleitung (Blaze Control) with the creation of Brandbombenfelder (Incendiary Fields) to mark targets. 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. [58][59], The most important existing communal shelters were the London Underground stations. Summerfield and Peniston-Bird 2007, p. 3. [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. The word "blitz" comes from the German term. [170] In November and December 1940, the Luftwaffe flew 9,000 sorties against British targets and RAF night fighters claimed only six shot down. [58], Deep shelters provided most protection against a direct hit. Still, in February 1941, there remained only seven squadrons with 87 pilots, under half the required strength. 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. Two heavy (50 long tons (51t) of bombs) attacks were also flown. Later in . [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. Although not encouraged by official policy, the use of mines and incendiaries, for tactical expediency, came close to indiscriminate bombing. The debris of St Thomas's Hospital, London, the morning after receiving a direct hit during the Blitz, in front of the Houses of . [100] Another 247 bombers from Luftflotte 3 (Air Fleet 3) attacked that night. Too early and the chances of success receded; too late and the real conflagration at the target would exceed the diversionary fires. [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. Instead, he wasted aircraft of Fliegerfhrer Atlantik (Flying Command Atlantic) on bombing mainland Britain instead of attacks against convoys. 'Blitz' is an abbreviation of the German word 'blitzkrieg', meaning 'lightning war'. A building collapsing in Whitechapel during the Blitz. These units were fed from two adjacent tanks containing oil and water. The German bombers would fly along either beam until they picked up the signal from the other beam. The system worked on 6677MHz, a higher frequency than Knickebein. Democracies, where public opinion was allowed, were thought particularly vulnerable. [168] The Blenheim had only a small speed advantage to overtake a German bomber in a stern-chase. 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. 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. [52], Based in part on the experience of German bombing in the First World War, politicians feared mass psychological trauma from aerial attacks and the collapse of civil society. 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. Port cities were also attacked to try to disrupt trade and sea communications. The RAF and the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) adopted much of this apocalyptic thinking. [134], From November 1940 to February 1941, the Luftwaffe shifted its strategy and attacked other industrial cities. Unpopular with many of his fellow MP's, Prime Minister Chamberlain agreed to replace him under pressure from . [180] The 10th directive in October 1940 mentioned morale by name but industrial cities were only to be targeted if weather prevented raids on oil targets.[181]. On 8 May 1941, 57 ships were destroyed, sunk or damaged, amounting to 80,000 long tons (81,300t). The British government grew anxious about the delays and disruption of supplies during the month. By September 1940, the Luftwaffe had lost the Battle of Britain and the German air fleets (Luftflotten) were ordered to attack London, to draw RAF Fighter Command into a battle of annihilation. Nine days later, two waves of 125 and 170 bombers dropped heavy bombs, including 160 tons (163t) of high explosive and 32,000 incendiaries. Many people over 35 remembered the bombing and were afraid of more. [44] Disputes among OKL staff revolved more around tactics than strategy. [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. [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. [183], A popular image arose of British people in the Second World War: a collection of people locked in national solidarity. Aviation strategists dispute that morale was ever a major consideration for Bomber Command. A further attack on the Clyde, this time at Greenock, took place on 6 and 7 May. [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. Warehouses, rail lines and houses were destroyed and damaged, but the docks were largely untouched. [115] The bombing disrupted rail traffic through London without destroying any of the crossings. By 19/20 April 1941, it had dropped 3,984 mines, .mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}13 of the total dropped. [171] In the bad weather of February 1941, Fighter Command flew 568 sorties to counter the Luftwaffe which flew 1,644 sorties. 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. For eight months the Luftwaffe dropped bombs on London and other strategic cities across Britain. 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. [130], Airborne Interception radar (AI) was unreliable. To prevent the movement of large enemy ground forces to the decisive areas, by destroying railways and roads, particularly bridges and tunnels, which are indispensable for the movement and supply of forces. Dowding agreed air defence would require some offensive action and that fighters could not defend Britain alone. [176] Total losses could have been as high as 600 bombers, just 1.5 percent of the sorties flown. Many Londoners, in particular, took to using the Underground railway system, without authority, for shelter and sleeping through the night. The offensive came to be called the Blitz after the German word blitzkrieg ("lightning war"). Its explosive sound describes the Luftwaffe's almost continual aerial bombardment of the British Isles from. [11][12] The greatest effect was to force the British to disperse the production of aircraft and spare parts. They concluded bombers should strike a single target each night and use more incendiaries because they had a greater impact on production than high explosives. [107], Luftwaffe policy at this point was primarily to continue progressive attacks on London, chiefly by night attack; second, to interfere with production in the vast industrial arms factories of the West Midlands, again chiefly by night attack; and third to disrupt plants and factories during the day by means of fighter-bombers. [99] Fighter Command lost 23 fighters, with six pilots killed and another seven wounded. With no sign of the RAF weakening and the Luftflotten suffering many losses, OKL was keen for a change in strategy. This involved the bombing of English Channel convoys, ports, and RAF airfields and supporting industries. 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. [161] Still, while heavily damaged, British ports continued to support war industry and supplies from North America continued to pass through them while the Royal Navy continued to operate in Plymouth, Southampton, and Portsmouth. In one incident on 28/29 April, Peter Stahl of KG 30 was flying on his 50th mission. [92], German beacons operated on the medium-frequency band and the signals involved a two-letter Morse identifier followed by a lengthy time-lapse which enabled the Luftwaffe crews to determine the signal's bearing. Bomb-Damage Maps Reveal London's World War II Devastation. [5][6] Adolf Hitler and Reichsmarschall Hermann Gring, commander-in-chief of the Luftwaffe, ordered the new policy on 6 September 1940. The first attack merely damaged the rail network for three days,[102] and the second attack failed altogether. Underground officials were ordered to lock station entrances during raids but by the second week of heavy bombing, the government relented and ordered the stations to be opened. It also took part in the bombing over Britain. KGr 100 increased its use of incendiaries from 13 to 28 percent. Birmingham and Coventry were subject to 450 long tons (457t) of bombs between them in the last 10 days of October. On 17 April 346 tons (352t) of explosives and 46,000 incendiaries were dropped from 250 bombers led by KG 26. [45] This method condemned the offensive over Britain to failure before it began. On September 7, 1940, 350 German bombers escorted by fighters bombarded London on consecutive successions. [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 bombings left parts of London in ruins, and when the war ended in 1945 much of the city had to be rebuilt. [67] By the end of 1940 improvements had been made in the Underground and in many other large shelters. Minister of Home Security Herbert Morrison was also worried morale was breaking, noting the defeatism expressed by civilians. The year-long project . 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. 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. It would prove formidable but its development was slow. 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. But even in May, 67 percent of the sorties were visual cat's-eye missions. 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. [132] On 19 November 1940 the famous RAF night fighter ace John Cunningham shot down a Ju 88 bomber using airborne radar, just as Dowding had predicted. Loge continued for 57 nights. Throughout 1940, dummy airfields were prepared, good enough to stand up to skilled observation. Official histories concluded that the mental health of a nation may have improved, while panic was rare. Important events of 1940, including the beginning of the London Blitz (pictured above) and the Battle of Britain. [94], On 15 September the Luftwaffe made two large daylight attacks on London along the Thames Estuary, targeting the docks and rail communications in the city. News reports of the Spanish Civil War, such as the bombing of Barcelona, supported the 50-casualties-per-tonne estimate. There was also a mentality in all air forces that flying by day would obviate the need for night operations and their inherent disadvantages. [135] In particular, the West Midlands were targeted. 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. [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. Morale was not mentioned until the ninth wartime directive on 21 September 1940. [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". [5] Large air battles broke out, lasting for most of the day. From 1916 to 1918, German raids had diminished against countermeasures which demonstrated defence against night air raids was possible. 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. [152] Raeder's successorKarl Dnitzwouldon the intervention of Hitlergain control of one unit (KG 40), but Gring would soon regain it. The Luftwaffe lost 18 percent of the bombers sent on the operations that day and failed to gain air superiority. [161] Another raid was carried out on 11/12 May 1941. A significant number of the aircraft not shot down after the resort to night bombing were wrecked during landings or crashed in bad weather. London experienced regular attacks and on 10-11 May 1941 was hit by its biggest raid. German crews, even if they survived, faced capture. 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. [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. Support for peace negotiations declined from 29% in February. Still, at Southampton, attacks were so effective morale did give way briefly with civilian authorities leading people en masse out of the city. 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 government planned the evacuation of four million peoplemostly women and childrenfrom urban areas, including 1.4million from London. At around 4:00 PM on that September day, 348 German bombers escorted by 617 fighters Sept. 7, 1940 - the beginning of the London Blitz blasted London until 6:00 PM. [26], The deliberate separation of the Luftwaffe from the rest of the military structure encouraged the emergence of a major "communications gap" between Hitler and the Luftwaffe, which other factors helped to exacerbate. 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. Many unemployed people were drafted into the Royal Army Pay Corps and with the Pioneer Corps, were tasked with salvaging and clean-up. Bungay, Stephen (2000). American observer Ralph Ingersoll reported the bombing was inaccurate and did not hit targets of military value, but destroyed the surrounding areas. Within four months, 88 percent of evacuated mothers, 86 percent of small children, and 43 percent of schoolchildren had been returned home. [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. The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz (Kindle Edition) by. 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. The effectiveness of British countermeasures against Knickebein caused the Luftwaffe to prefer fire light instead for target marking and navigation. [142] Civilian casualties on London throughout the Blitz amounted to 28,556 killed, and 25,578 wounded. By December, this had increased to 92 percent. Over a period of nine months, over 43,500 civilians were killed in the raids, which focused on major cities and industrial centres. [149], From the German point of view, March 1941 saw an improvement. [146] Eventually, he convinced Hitler of the need to attack British port facilities. [126] RAF day fighters were converting to night operations and the interim Bristol Blenheim night fighter conversion of the light bomber was being replaced by the powerful Beaufighter, but this was only available in very small numbers. [46], In an operational capacity, limitations in weapons technology and quick British reactions were making it more difficult to achieve strategic effect. The first German attack on London actually occurred by accident. [50], On the other hand, some historians have recently contended that this revisionism of the "Blitz spirit" narrative may have been an over-correction. [156] Westminster Abbey and the Law Courts were damaged, while the Chamber of the House of Commons was destroyed. The first cross-beam alerted the bomb-aimer, who activated a bombing clock when the second cross-beam was reached. 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'.. Ground transmitters sent pulses at a rate of 180 per minute. The lightning attack was infamously called "Black Saturday". [2], The military effectiveness of bombing varied. British fighter aircraft production continued at a rate surpassing Germany's by 2 to 1. Children pull crackers under paper decorations while jubilant adults smile . [190], The brief success of the Communists also fed into the hands of the British Union of Fascists (BUF). [51], British air raid sirens sounded for the first time 22 minutes after Neville Chamberlain declared war on Germany. Some people even told government surveyors that they enjoyed air raids if they occurred occasionally, perhaps once a week. Although the stress of the war resulted in many anxiety attacks, eating disorders, fatigue, weeping, miscarriages, and other physical and mental ailments, society did not collapse. [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. Roads and railways were blocked and ships could not leave harbour. Timeline London portal v t e The United Kingdom took part in World War II from 3 September 1939 until 15 August 1945. By September 1940, London had already experienced German bombing. [109], By mid-November 1940, when the Germans adopted a changed plan, more than 11,600 long tons (11,800t) of high explosive and nearly 1,000,000 incendiaries had fallen on London. 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. Added to the fact an interception relied on visual sighting, a kill was most unlikely even in the conditions of a moonlit sky. [127] Other sources say 449 bombers and a total of 470 long tons (478t) of bombs were dropped.