Why the Major Cities of Britain Were Bombed by the Germans in 1940 - 1941

1253 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Significance of the Battle of Britain

Why the Major Cities of Britain Were Bombed by the Germans in 1940 - 1941

Immediately after the defeat of France in the June of 1940, Adolf

Hitler gave his generals the orders to organise the invasion of

Britain. This plan was code-named Operation Sealion and its objective

was to land 160,000 German fighters along a forty mile stretch of

south-east England's coast. It was only a few weeks before a large

fleet of vessels was ready for attack. Among them 2000 barges lay

waiting for the go ahead in German, Belgian and French harbours. As

Hitler's generals were concerned about the damage the R.A.F could

inflict upon their armada the invasion was postponed until the British

air force had been annihilated. On 12th August the mass bomber attacks

on radar stations, aircraft factories and fighter airfields began;

This attack was followed by daily raids on Britain, this became the

beginning of the Battle of Britain. Although these plans were drawn up

Hitler was never very keen on them, his lack of enthusiasm caused

their abandonment on October the 12th 1940. Instead of invasion Hitler

switched his efforts to pounding Britain into submission with gruesome

sustained nightly bombing campaign. 'Blitz' the German word for

lightening was applied by the British press to the raids carried out

over Britain in 1940 and 1941. This concentrated direct bombing of

industrial targets and civilian centres began on 7th September 1940

with heavy raids on London and other major cities.

Manchester (marked ('A')

London

Belfast

Sheffield

Coventry

Portsmouth

Glasgow

Edinburgh

Canterbury

Newcastle

Norwich

Su...

... middle of paper ...

...r pipe.

Censorship of photographs was very common during the blitz.

Photographs were not always censored because they showed death and

disasters of the worst kind, but also because they portrayed the

misery and angst of civilians, and depicted the widening gap between

the ways of life of the working classes in comparison. However all the

censorship could not hide the damage nor repair it and it could not

erase the images of burning and dismembered corpses in the minds of

the people.

Although the people stoically stood shoulder-to-shoulder against the

onslaught, what they suffered was nothing compared to what the Germans

were going to suffer. As Sir Arthur (bomber) Harris said when he had

the new generation of long-range heavy bombers at his disposal

"They have sown the wind, now they will reap the whirlwind".

Show More
Related

  • Why the Major Cities of Britain were Bombed by the Germans in 1940 and 1941

    373 Words  | 1 Pages

    Why the Major Cities of Britain were Bombed by the Germans in 1940 and 1941

    Read More

  • Why Hitler Decided to Bomb Major Cities in 1940-1941

    618 Words  | 2 Pages

    Factories were bombed to stop the production of weapons. The Germans were unsure of which factories were actually producing them as many got converted in to munitions factories at the start of the war. Factories were camouflaged making the pilots’ job harder. One of the most famous bombings was on Coventry. This was because Coventry was a big centre for industry.

    Read More

  • Ways the British Government Attempted to Hide the Effects of the Blitz from the People of Britain

    1370 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ways the British Government Attempted to Hide the Effects of the Blitz from the People of Britain

    Read More

  • The Battle of Britain as a Turning Point in the Defeat of German in World War Two

    2198 Words  | 5 Pages

    The Battle of Britain as a Turning Point in the Defeat of German in World War Two

    Read More

  • the battle of britain

    799 Words  | 2 Pages

    ”Battle of Britain, in World War II, a series of air battles between Great Britain and Germany, fought over Britain from Aug. to Oct., 1940. As a prelude to a planned invasion of England, the German Luftwaffe attacked British coastal defenses, radar stations, and shipping. On Aug. 24 the attack was shifted inland to Royal Air Force installations and aircraft factories in an effort to gain control of the air over S England. Failing to destroy the RAF, the Germans began (Sept. 7) The night bombing, or blitz, of London. Heavy night bombings of English cities continued into October, when the attack was shifted back to coastal installations. The Germans gradually gave up hope of invading England, and the battle tapered off by the end of October. Though heavily outnumbered, the RAF put up a gallant defense; radar, used for the first time in battle by Britain, played an important role. The Germans lost some 2,300 aircraft; the RAF 900. The Battle of Britain was the first major failure of the Germans in World War II, and it thwarted Hitler's plan to force Britain to accept peace or face invasion” (Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia).

    Read More

  • Strategic Bombing During World War 2

    4484 Words  | 9 Pages

    The strategic bombing campaign significantly shortened the length of the war. It disabled the production industry and weakened the German morale.

    Read More

  • The British Government's Decision to Evacuate Children from Britain’s Major Cities at the Start of the Second World War

    1769 Words  | 4 Pages

    The government evacuated children from major cities in Britain to safer areas of the country in response to a new style of warfare that had emerged from World War One, due to the use of aircraft. Aircraft began to target industrial areas in an attempt to damage a country’s economy, and therefore damage their ability on the front line, and morale. However, accuracy was bad and so bombs often landed off target and injured civilians who worked or lived in the industrial areas. The Government decided that the children needed to be protected as they were the next generation and fewer child deaths meant higher morale for the British people. Bombs were less likely to fall on rural areas of Great Britain and so the government decided to evacuate people who could not help the war effort out to houses, and families, in the countryside.

    Read More

  • The Causes of World War II

    663 Words  | 2 Pages

    The causes of World War II can be attributed to the following ideas or events: the mentality of power is strength by Heinrich von Treitschke, the Treaty of Versailles, the global depression following the end of World War I, and Nazi Imperialism.

    Read More

  • World War 2 Turning Point Essay

    652 Words  | 2 Pages

    This was to prepare for a ground invasion called Operation Sea Lion. “Eagle-day” is then planned to be begun by the Germans, which is a continued destruction of the RAF and a plan to install radar. However, this is delayed with poor weather conditions. Bombing continues in Britain, but the RAF are not yet defeated. They defend themselves aggressively, destroying at least 104 German aircrafts with a continued defeat of 330 German aircrafts. The British are constantly killing thousands of German troops, and Hitler eventually postpones Operation Sea Lion, with a new interest in dominating Russia. From both sides of the battle, more than 3,000 aircraft were destroyed; 1,023 from the British side, and 1,887 from the Luftwaffe. 544 RAF command pilots died, and 2,500 Luftwaffe aircraft were killed. During the relentless bombing known as “The Blitz”, 40,000 British citizens tragically died in the process. Britain had a much higher advantage in the war, due to its high performing navy, compared to Germany’s non-existing navy due to losses in Norway. If the Germans never gave up on this battle and won, the United States would probably become involved much deeper in the war. The Battle of Britain officially ended on October 31,

    Read More

  • Despair and Fear during the Battle of Britain

    1503 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...n Longmate, 158). This despair did not reach the Luftwaffe and Hitler because they would not have publicized such feelings in their attempt to keep up the British war spirit. One of the witnesses to the bombing of Coventry even realized the situation “deducing that ‘morale was obviously failing’” (Longmate, 38). Furthermore, the Royal Air Force report in Air Raid: The Bombing of Coventry, 1940 exposed that the working classes were believed to be revolt, another indication of poor morale.

    Read More

  • Did the Blitz Divide or Unite Britain During World War II?

    1362 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout the intense bombing of the Blitz you could argue that the idea of Britain being invaded and conquered brought out the ‘grit’ and resolve in the British people that helped to destroy social boundaries, bring people together in a united front and inevitably win World War II. Or you could also argue that, the fear, panic and unrest created by the Blitz managed only to divide a country already separated by class, gender and social barriers, therefore increasing existing tensions and creating new problems; that the government could only control by forcing censorship and propaganda to manipulate the frightened and overwhelmed people of Britain. One thing is clear, that most evidence (including the Sources given) shows proof of an understandably terrified Britain during times of devastation and destruction.

    Read More

  • The Battle of the Coral Sea

    2142 Words  | 5 Pages

    In the early months of 1941 the world was at war. Not all countries where involved in combat since the war was primarily focused on Europe, but many countries outsi...

    Read More

  • Explain Why Did The World Plunged Into Ww2 Dbq

    1057 Words  | 3 Pages

    The world plunged into World War II in 1939, from the unsettlement between countries. Different countries had different ideas about world affairs. Some countries preferred appeasement and other countries preferred collective securities to solve problems such as the turmoil in Germany. According to the circumstances of Europe during 1939, from economic depression and unsettlement between countries, collective security was the best answer. Appeasement was attempted, but it turned out to be a failure.

    Read More

  • The Role of the Royal Air Force in World War II

    1107 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Royal Air Force (RAF) provided the first successful display of air power in a defensive and offensive strategy. In the fall of 1940, the Battle of Britain was the first airpower only operation. The German objective was to gain air superiority over the Royal Air Force (RAF) by attacking military and civilian targets in and around the United Kingdom. The RAF defense of the homeland by tactical aircraft and ground anti-air weapons slowed German aggression. The success of the offensive strategic bombing of Berlin caused Adolf Hitler and the Luftwaffe to shift air resources to protect Germany. The combination of tactical defense and strategic bombing enabled the RAF’s defense of Britain; this was one of the first successful air operations of WW2.

    Read More

  • Great Britain During World War II

    1434 Words  | 3 Pages

    Six hours later, France would also declare war on Germany. In May 1940, Britain would get a more aggressive pro-war leader, Winston Churchill, to replace Neville Chamberlain. Later that month, on May 26, 1940, in the face of a large-scale German attack, British soldiers on the home front were forced to perform one of the largest evacuations in history, The Evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk on the Belgian coast. From July through October, the British people suffered during the Battle of Britain, which was a lot of intense German bombings. But, the Royal Air Force successfully defended its homeland from the German Luftwaffe, and the Nazis were unable to crush British morale.

    Read More

More about Why the Major Cities of Britain Were Bombed by the Germans in 1940 - 1941

Open Document