The Blitz In Britain
'Blitz' stands for heavy bombing attacks from the air. The word is a
shortened form of the German 'Blitzkrieg', which means lightning war.
Blitz describes the German air raids on Britain in 1940.
Source A suggests the Bravery of the British people; it talks about
the people being heroes. Looking at the first sentence, it describes
the Bravery that the British people showed during the Blitz and says
'that they didn't have to be in uniform to be heroes.' This source is
a propaganda showing the determination of the British people. In my
point of view this is how they managed to stay positive and confident
during the worst of times.
2)Howuseful are sources B and C in helping you understand the effects
of the Blitz on people in Britain?
The two sources can be used to represent the effects of the Blitz on
the people in Britain. Source B shows us the reality of the Blitz that
many people in Britain were not able to see because it was a censored
photograph.
The photograph shows a scene of a bombed girls´ school with many dead
bodies lying all over. This was a censored photograph because it would
depress everyone and would show how many people were being killed.
People living nearby the bombed school would have seen this anyway,
what I know is that the people tried to keep this off their minds and
remain positive.
Source C shows people gathered together in the photo who are smiling
and look positive after their houses were bombed. After looking at the
photograph in source B, this shows the difference between the reality
and the people's view of the war. Although their houses were bombed
and destroyed their lives, they still manage to find something to be
happy about and focused on this thab the reality.
The two sources show the difference between the two sides of the war
and show us the effects on the people in Britain.
3) Study sources B, C, and D.
“The war correspondent is responsible for most of the ideas of battle which the public possesses … I can’t write that it occurred if I know that it did not, even if by painting it that way I can rouse the blood and make the pulse beat faster – and undoubtedly these men here deserve that people’s pulses shall beat for them. But War Correspondents have so habitually exaggerated the heroism of battles that people don’t realise that real actions are heroic.”
Why the Major Cities of Britain were Bombed by the Germans in 1940 and 1941
Overall McPherson’s reasons for the soldiers motivations were clear and concise, easy to follow and understand allowing for easy interpretation of the book. McPherson also includes multiple quotes from various letters and diary entries to support his statements which gives his statements credibility. The reasons for motivation presented in the book were convincing and were supported by numerous quotes.
World War Two triggered a significant change in the attitudes that people had towards one another. With all the death and destruction, one would assume that the lives of the citizens of Bexley would be run by fear during this terrible time, especially as Bexley happened to be an area that received a great deal of bombing. However, this was not the case. A temperament known as the ‘Blitz Spirit’ was widely adopted, encouraging the citizens of Bexley to rally together and face the war with courage and optimism.
During the First World War, Britain introduced conscription for the first time to massively increase the input of power of their army had and forced men aged 16-19 to serve in the army. However, a group of roughly 16,800 men refused to serve. These groups of people were called Conscientious Objectors; sometimes called COs or Conchies; and many were very religious and believed that thou shall not kill as it is a sin in the Bible. This was a main point that most Conscientious Objectors did not take any part during the First World War as they believed it would result in pointless bloodshed. The Government’s and general public’s view on Conscientious Objectors was that Conscientious Objectors were unpatriotic cowards and the Government used propaganda to manipulate the general public’s view on Conscientious Objectors by showing that they would not aid the Britain and were weak. As a result they were treated harshly. The Government made being a Conscientious Objector very hard and difficult as they would enforce tribunals which consisted of ex- military officials who were biased as they were for the First World War. Therefore, these people gave huge prison sentences to Conscientious Objectors as a scare tactic to reduce the number of Conscientious Objectors. Historians use interpretations to show the message behind each source to see it’s reliable or useful. Also this is done to see if the source itself is a primary or secondary interpretation which shows if the source’s view and meaning is from the author of sources (primary interpretation) or giving a generalised views on people who were there at the time (secondary interpretation).
In John Hersey's book, Hiroshima, he provides a detailed account of six people and how the bombing of Hiroshima affected their lives. John Heresy felt it was important to focus his story on six individuals to create a remembrance that war affects more than just nations and countries, but actual human beings. Moreover, the book details the effect the bomb had on the city of Hiroshima. “Houses all around were burning, and the wind was now blowing hard.” (Hersey, 27).
...aving them with only a few places to get aid which resulted in many people not getting the help they needed. Hersey tells the reader this so they get the full impact of an atomic bomb.
by the US Air Force in October of 1944. It was a city that was also known
Salden, Chris. “Wartime Holidays and the ‘Myth of the Blitz’.” Cultural History 2, no. 2 (May 2005).
The Effect of the Blitz on Everday Life During World War Two The effect of the blitz on everyday life was enormous. From rationing of essential food to evacuation of thousands of city children during the Second World War was extraordinary. Throughout the war women were the ones that did everything to make sure the men could concentrate on winning the war. They did everything from working at night while looking after the children in the day, cooking for the family while coping with rations, coping with the bombs and not knowing if their husbands would come back alive. Also conscription of women began in December 1941.
area. Every house had to have a bucket to put out fires, a safe room
Fear is something that everyone in their life experiences. Of course fear to different degrees. Maybe you are afraid of losing your job or afraid you won’t make it on the varsity team. But imagine the true fear of british people during Word War Two. They experienced the war in their backyards! Now that is true fear, not knowing if you were going to see tomorrow. What was scary for the British was the German bombing, named the Blitz. The Blitz was the period of time that they were being bombed by Germany. The Blitz started in September of 1940 until May of 1941. In 1941, Hitler’s attention was turned to the eastern front. (Aceto 28) Over the course of that time of the Blitz, 16,000 people were killed in London alone. (Aceto 28) This is what Londoners experienced everyday, 200 tons of bombs being dropped over the city everyday! (Aceto 28)
The mannerisms, attitudes, and background of the American and British soldiers contrasted greatly. The values held by the individual soldiers of the two armies differed. American soldiers had a tendency to think on their own accord and often with liberty in mind (143). In contrast, the British soldiers held the values that their army held (144). American soldiers often fought with the same men from their town or village (142). The British soldiers, however, were pulled from society and isolated from it (144). During the time of the British soldiers’ isolation, they were tightly disciplined and rigorously trained (144). This too shows a contrast between the British and American soldiers. British soldiers underwent a stricter regimen of training while the training Americans had was more informal. The commanding men of the armies, the officers, were different as well. The British officers held themselves aloof from war and quite distant from their men (145). British officers were also much harsher on their men and trained them more effectively (136). The American officer sought to achieve the refinement of the British officers but often failed in achieving it. (145). The training American officers gave to their men was also not as cohesive like the
Wars are good business. They create an immediate demand for a wide variety of materials needed by the government in order to fight the war. They create work opportunities for people that might not ordinarily be considered part of the normal work force. And, while not necessarily good for the soldiers engaged in the fighting, wars are always good for the businesses that provide the materials used in a war. The Second World War was very good for business.
3. Chapter 3, page 29, #1: ““Blitzkrieg”, repeated Finny doubtfully. “We could figure out some kind of blitzkrieg baseball,” I said. “We’ll call it blitzkrieg ball,” said Bobby. “Or just blitzball””