london blitz timeline

Morale was not mentioned until the ninth wartime directive on 21 September 1940. 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. [93] The use of diversionary techniques such as fires had to be made carefully. The difference this made to the effectiveness of air defences is questionable. These were marked out by parachute flares. 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. The first cross-beam alerted the bomb-aimer, who activated a bombing clock when the second cross-beam was reached. 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). de Zeng, Henry L., Doug G. Stankey and Eddie J. Creek. London was bombed ever day and night, bar one, for 11 weeks. An interactive map showing the location of bombs dropped on London during World War II has been created. Poor intelligence about British industry and economic efficiency led to OKL concentrating on tactics rather than strategy. [160], On 13 March, the upper Clyde port of Clydebank near Glasgow was bombed (Clydebank Blitz). [40] The Port of London, in particular, was an important target, bringing in one-third of overseas trade. German intelligence suggested Fighter Command was weakening, and an attack on London would force it into a final battle of annihilation while compelling the British Government to surrender. The main damage was inflicted on the commercial and domestic areas. It was during the Second World War. More might have been achieved had OKL exploited the vulnerability of British sea communications. Whitechapel suffered greatly during this period. Throughout 1940, dummy airfields were prepared, good enough to stand up to skilled observation. [129] AA defences improved by better use of radar and searchlights. On 9 April 1941, Luftflotte 2 dropped 150 tons (152t) of high explosives and 50,000 incendiaries from 120 bombers in a five-hour attack. 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. [149] The indifference displayed by the OKL to Directive 23 was perhaps best demonstrated in operational directives which diluted its effect. [83] Until September 1939, the RAF lacked specialist night-fighting aircraft and relied on anti-aircraft units, which were poorly equipped and lacking in numbers. 1940 30 June: The order is given by Reichsmarschall Hermann Gering, head of the Luftwaffe, to draw the RAF into battle. Still, at Southampton, attacks were so effective morale did give way briefly with civilian authorities leading people en masse out of the city. 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. [166] This was not immediately apparent. London Blitz Facts | London Blitz WWII | DK Find Out "[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. 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. 80 Wing RAF. 11 Group RAF and No. 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. [186] At the time it was seen as a useful propaganda tool for domestic and foreign consumption. Dozens of men, women and children celebrate a Christmas party at a London Underground station during the Blitz in 1940. [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. London Blitz: Bomb Sight interactive map created - BBC News The amount of firm operational and tactical preparation for a bombing campaign was minimal, largely because of the failure by Hitler as supreme commander to insist upon such a commitment. 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. When the second hand re-aligned with the first, the bombs were released. X-Gert received and analysed the pulses, giving the pilot visual and aural directions. The exhausted population took three weeks to overcome the effects of an attack. It is argued that persisting with attacks on RAF airfields might have won air superiority for the Luftwaffe. 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. The rate of civilian housing loss was averaging 40,000 people per week dehoused in September 1940. [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. Before getting into detail, an overview of the area around St. Paul's Cathedral will help set the scene. An average of 200 were able to strike per night. The government up until November 1940, was opposed to the centralised organisation of shelter. 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. The word "blitz" comes from the German term. [39] The attacks were focused against western ports in March. [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 action did not guarantee automatic success. The Blitz and what was known as 'Black Saturday' was the start in Britain of what Poland and Western Europe had already experienced - total war. [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. [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. Other targets would be considered if the primary ones could not be attacked because of weather conditions. Children in the East End of London, made homeless by the Blitz From this point, there were air raids every day for two months. [145] Part of the reason for this was inaccuracy of navigation. but even after the Blitz ended, danger remained. Timeline of the United Kingdom home front during World War II [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. Another innovation was the boiler fire. The Blitz refers to the strategic bombing campaign conducted by the Germans against London and other cities in England from September of 1940 through May of 1941, targeting populated areas, factories and dock yards. The German bombers would fly along either beam until they picked up the signal from the other beam. 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. WW2: Eight months of Blitz terror - BBC Teach [148], Hitler's interest in this strategy forced Gring and Jeschonnek to review the air war against Britain in January 1941. This had important implications. 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. A Gallup poll found only 3% of Britons expected to lose the war in May 1940. The primary goal of Bomber Command was to destroy the German industrial base (economic warfare) and in doing so reduce morale. Four days later 230 tons (234t) were dropped including 60,000 incendiaries. Some 107,400 gross tons (109,100t) of shipping was damaged in the Thames Estuary and 1,600 civilians were casualties. [146] Eventually, he convinced Hitler of the need to attack British port facilities. The Top Historical Events That Shaped London - Culture Trip [136] The Germans were surprised by the success of the attack. [176] Total losses could have been as high as 600 bombers, just 1.5 percent of the sorties flown. London, and cities. 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 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. Rumours that Jewish support was underpinning the Communist surge were frequent. The leaning tower of Rotherhithe sells for 1.5million On September 7, 1940, 350 German bombers escorted by fighters bombarded London on consecutive successions. They also noted regional production was severely disrupted when city centres were devastated through the loss of administrative offices, utilities and transport. It had no time to gather reliable intelligence on Britain's industries. [170] On 19 November, John Cunningham of No. [9] and a large raid on the night of 10-11 May 1941. 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. [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. He roused them, ensured they took oxygen and Dextro-Energen amphetamine tablets, then completed the mission. [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. [128] London's defences were rapidly reorganised by General Pile, the Commander-in-Chief of Anti-Aircraft Command. 219 Squadron RAF at RAF Kenley). Civilians left for more remote areas of the country. A trial blackout was held on 10 August 1939 and when Germany invaded Poland on 1 September, a blackout began at sunset. The Blitz referred to the bombing of most major British cities by the Germans in World War II. Support for peace negotiations declined from 29% in February. At 18:17, it released the first of 10,000 firebombs, eventually amounting to 300 dropped per minute. Edgar Jones, et al. [19] General Walther Wever (Chief of the Luftwaffe General Staff [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. The government did not build them for large populations before the war because of cost, time to build and fears that their safety would cause occupants to refuse to leave to return to work or that anti-war sentiment would develop in large congregations of civilians. 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. From 7 September 1940, London was systematically bombed by the Luftwaffe for 56 of the following 57 days and nights. Still, in February 1941, there remained only seven squadrons with 87 pilots, under half the required strength. Two aerials at ground stations were rotated so that their beams converged over the target. [70] Pub visits increased in number (beer was never rationed), and 13,000 attended cricket at Lord's. 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. [10] Bombing failed to demoralise the British into surrender or do much damage to the war economy; eight months of bombing never seriously hampered British war production, which continued to increase. This led the British to develop countermeasures, which became known as the Battle of the Beams. The AOC Bomber Command, Arthur Harris, who did see German morale as an objective, did not believe that the morale-collapse could occur without the destruction of the German economy. On 15 October, the bombers returned and about 900 fires were started by the mix of 376 tons (382t) of high explosive and 10 tons of incendiaries dropped. Authorities provided stoves and bathrooms and canteen trains provided food. [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. [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. 80th anniversary of The Blitz: How London kept calm and carried on - 9News 10 great films set in Britain during the Second World War | BFI The damage was considerable, and the Germans also used aerial mines. [78], During the Blitz, The Scout Association guided fire engines to where they were most needed and became known as the "Blitz Scouts". 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. Bomb damage around St Paul's Cathedral in the City of London. The reverse would apply only if the meacon were closer. The Minister of Aircraft Production, Lord Beaverbrook and Churchill distanced themselves. The defences failed to prevent widespread damage but on some occasions did prevent German bombers concentrating on their targets. Nearly 350 German bombers (escorted by over 600 fighters) dropped explosives on East London, targeting the docks in particular. [27], Although not specifically prepared to conduct independent strategic air operations against an opponent, the Luftwaffe was expected to do so over Britain. 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. Between 1940 and 1945, over 52,000 civilians were killed in Britain during bombing raids by German aircraft. 15 Powerful Photos Of The WW2 Blitz | Imperial War Museums 4546. In the Myth of the Blitz, Calder exposed some of the counter-evidences of anti-social and divisive behaviours. [60], Each day orderly lines of people queued until 4:00pm, when they were allowed to enter the stations. Cardiff was bombed on three nights; Portsmouth centre was devastated by five raids. However, as with the attacks in the south, the Germans failed to prevent maritime movements or cripple industry in the regions. Curiously, while 43 percent of the contacts in May 1941 were by visual sightings, they accounted for 61 percent of the combats. 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. No follow-up raids were made, as OKL underestimated the British power of recovery (as Bomber Command would do over Germany from 1943 to 1945). [116] On 7 November, St Pancras, Kensal and Bricklayers Arms stations were hit and several lines of Southern Rail were cut on 10 November. London History: A Look at The London Underground During - Londontopia Damage was inflicted on the port installations, but many bombs fell on the city itself. People were forced to sleep in air raid shelters, and many people took shelter in underground stations. 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. [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. [120], British night air defences were in a poor state. [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. The production of false radio navigation signals by re-transmitting the originals became known as meaconing using masking beacons (meacons). The OKL had not been informed that Britain was to be considered a potential opponent until early 1938. World War 2 Timeline - 1940. by Ben Johnson. 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. The Germans conducted mass air attacks against industrial targets, towns, and cities, beginning with raids on London towards the end of the Battle of . [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". The Impact of the Blitz on London - History Learning Site 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. From 1916 to 1918, German raids had diminished against countermeasures which demonstrated defence against night air raids was possible. [51], British air raid sirens sounded for the first time 22 minutes after Neville Chamberlain declared war on Germany. [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. [57] The programme favoured backyard Anderson shelters and small brick surface shelters. Below is a table by city of the number of major raids (where at least 100 tons of bombs were dropped) and tonnage of bombs dropped during these major raids. It would prove formidable but its development was slow. The German Luftwaffe dropped thousands of bombs on London from 1939 to 1945, killing almost 30,000 people. [140] The first group to use these incendiaries was Kampfgruppe 100 which despatched 10 "pathfinder" He 111s. American observer Ralph Ingersoll reported the bombing was inaccurate and did not hit targets of military value, but destroyed the surrounding areas. 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. [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. Many more ports were attacked. Only one year earlier, there had only been 6,600 full-time and 13,800 part-time firemen in the entire country. Around 200 people were killed and another 2,000 injured. At around 8.30pm on Sunday 13 October, a high-explosive bomb plunged through the Coronation Avenue flats on Stoke Newington High Street, and exploded directly above a shelter made up of three interconnected basements. [77] Before the war, civilians were issued with 50million respirators (gas masks) in case bombardment with gas began before evacuation. [17], The vital industries and transport centres that would be targeted for shutdown were valid military targets. [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. Yet when compared with Luftwaffe daylight operations, there was a sharp decline in German losses to one percent. [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. The blitz 1940-1941: an interactive timeline This interactive timeline tracks the German air force's bombing campaign as it devastated towns and cities across Britain during the second world. 348 bombers led by 617 fighters barraged London around 4:00 in the afternoon that day. The History Place - World War II in Europe Timeline: The Blitz In the last days of the battle, the bombers became lures in an attempt to draw the RAF into combat with German fighters. Aviation strategists dispute that morale was ever a major consideration for Bomber Command. - Wikipedia He was always reluctant to co-operate with Raeder. [31], The circumstances affected the Germans more than the British. [164], In the north, substantial efforts were made against Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Sunderland, which were large ports on the English east coast. [87], Because of the inaccuracy of celestial navigation for night navigation and target finding in a fast-moving aircraft, the Luftwaffe developed radio navigation devices and relied on three systems: Knickebein (Crooked leg), X-Gert (X-Device), and Y-Gert (Y-Device). 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. [97] Of this total around 400 were killed. News reports of the Spanish Civil War, such as the bombing of Barcelona, supported the 50-casualties-per-tonne estimate. Destroying RAF Fighter Command would allow the Germans to gain control of the skies over the invasion area. Blitzkrieg - the lightning war - was the name given to the devastating German bombing attacks to which the United Kingdom was subjected from September 1940 until May 1941. Famed SF author Connie Willis' first novel in five years, Blackout, returns to a scenario she's explored before: Time-traveling scholars find themselves changing historical events they're only . Moreover, the OKL could not settle on an appropriate strategy. 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. The History Press | The evacuation of children during the Second World War With no sign of the RAF weakening and the Luftflotten suffering many losses, OKL was keen for a change in strategy. [76], Civilians of London played an enormous role in protecting their city. The tactic was expanded into Feuerleitung (Blaze Control) with the creation of Brandbombenfelder (Incendiary Fields) to mark targets. [80], Pre-war dire predictions of mass air-raid neurosis were not borne out. [35][104][105], On 14 October, the heaviest night attack to date saw 380 German bombers from Luftflotte 3 hit London.

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