The Blitz
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From September 1940 until May 1941, the people of the United Kingdom experienced the horrors of war firsthand. Hundreds of bombers ran thousands of missions over civilian areas of Great Britain. The hardest hit of all the cities was the capital of London. By the time the bombing campaign had ended, tens of thousands were killed, over 100,000 were injured, and thousands of buildings, including homes, factories, and historic landmarks, were destroyed.

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The targets of the Blitz were mostly civilian targets, and the devastation which resulted was massive and widespread. To understand why the Blitz took place, we have to go back earlier in 1940 when the Battle of Britain took place. The Battle of Britain, which took place between July 10th and October 31st, 1940, was a pivotal air campaign during the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force defended the United Kingdom against large-scale attacks by the German Luftwaffe.

It's considered to be the first large-scale air battle in world history. Following the fall of France, Adolf Hitler sought to achieve air superiority as a precursor to a planned invasion of Britain, dubbed Operation Sea Lion, a topic I covered in a previous episode. The battle featured intense dogfights and strategic bombing of British airfields, radar stations, and cities.

Despite being outnumbered, the RAF, aided by radar technology and the resilience of its pilots, successfully resisted the onslaught of the Luftwaffe. This victory marked Germany's first major defeat in the war, thwarting Hitler's invasion plans and solidifying Britain's role as a key Allied power. While the Battle of Britain was being fought over the skies of the UK, the British planned a counterattack.

On August 25, 1940, the RAF carried out its first bombing raid on Berlin, marking a significant escalation in the air war. The raid was conducted in response to a German bombing of London which had mistakenly targeted civilians instead of military sites. 95 bombers were sent to bomb Tempelhof Airport in Berlin and other targets in the city. 81 of the bombers actually managed to drop their payloads.

Though the damage inflicted on Berlin was actually minimal, the attack had profound psychological and strategic repercussions. It shattered the perception of Berlin's invulnerability. The raid demonstrated Britain's resolve to strike back and signaled the beginning of a broader Allied strategy of strategic bombing against German territory. The raid, as you might suspect, infuriated Hitler. Up till this point, the Battle of Britain had mostly been fought with fighters in an attempt to establish air superiority.

There had been some bombing raids, but it wasn't necessarily the focus of the battle. Prior to the start of the Second World War, several military theorists, including Italian General Giulio Due and American General Billy Mitchell, had predicted the advent of strategic bombing. Mitchell believed that air forces could strike deep into enemy territory, targeting critical infrastructure such as factories, transportation networks, and military bases, thereby entirely crippling the enemy's war-making capability.

Dewey advocated for strategic bombing aimed directly at civilian populations and industrial centers, arguing that this would break enemy morale and force surrender without prolonged ground combat. Dewey introduced the idea of a strategic knockout blow, suggesting that the first nation to seize air superiority and launch devastating bombing would achieve a quick victory. Despite the size of the Battle of Britain, Mitchell and Dewey's theories of strategic bombing hadn't yet been put to the test.

Hitler decided to test the theory. He was going to engage in a massive strategic bombing campaign against the British in an attempt to take them out of the war and, if possible, pave the way for Operation Sea Lion. He and Joseph Goebbels made public pronouncements about how they were going to retaliate against the British. Before the Blitz began in September, British intelligence had several clues indicating that a massive German air campaign against Britain was imminent.

These indicators came from a combination of intelligence-gathering efforts, including code-breaking, observations, and analysis of German actions. British cryptographers at Betchley Park intercepted German communications, indicating German plans to shift focus to urban centers and critical infrastructure, signaling a change in strategy after the Battle of Britain had stalled.

British radar stations and observers noted a significant increase in German reconnaissance flights over southern England, particularly around major cities like London, industrial hubs, and ports. These flights suggested detailed mapping for future bombing raids. Furthermore, British military planners recognized that Germany's failure to achieve air superiority in the Battle of Britain would likely push Hitler towards alternative strategies.

A bombing campaign targeting civilians and infrastructure was consistent with Germany's known tactics. The Blitz began on the evening of September 7, 1940. This first night, often referred to as Black Saturday, represented a strategic shift in German tactics during the Battle of Britain, moving from attacks on RAF airfields and infrastructure to targeting civilians and industrial areas.

Around 5pm, the Luftwaffe launched a major coordinated daylight raid involving 348 bombers escorted by 617 fighter aircraft. The initial targets included the East End docks, particularly the Royal Docks, a critical hub for London's industrial and shipping activity. German bombs caused catastrophic fires across the docklands, destroying warehouses, factories and residential areas.

Large areas of Silvertown and Canningtown in East London were devastated. Thousands of tons of goods, including food and supplies vital for the war effort, were lost. Civilians bore the brunt of the attack, with over 400 killed and more than 1,600 injured on the first day alone. Thousands were displaced as their homes were destroyed, and fires raged uncontrollably throughout the night. Many sought refuge in underground stations, which would become iconic symbols of civilian resistance during the Blitz.

The bombing continued into the night with waves of bombers dropping incendiary and high explosive bombs on residential areas. The constant raids lasted until dawn, amplifying the psychological toll on the population. What happened on September 7th was not a one-off attack. It was just the beginning. For the next 57 consecutive nights, Britain was hit by waves of bombers dropping tons of bombs on civilian and industrial targets.

The Blitz necessitated several major changes to the British defense strategy and how civilians were organized. Despite being outnumbered, the RAF remained active throughout the Blitz, intercepting German bombers whenever possible. Night fighters such as the Bristol Bow Fighter equipped with radar played crucial roles in countering nighttime raids. The British Chain Home radar system provided early warnings of incoming Luftwaffe raids, enabling fighter pilots to intercept German bombers before they reached their targets.

The AKAK, or Anti-Aircraft Artillery System, targeted German bombers with guns stationed around major cities and industrial sites. Searchlights were used to illuminate enemy planes at night, assisting both anti-aircraft gunners and RAF night fighters. Finally, large tethered balloons were deployed over key targets to obstruct low-flying aircraft and to deter dive bombing. Key industries were relocated from London and other major cities to less vulnerable rural areas to safeguard production capabilities.

Factories that remained in targeted cities adopted camouflage techniques and reinforced structures to minimize damage. Perhaps one of the biggest efforts was taken to protect the civilian population. Perhaps the most important group was the Air Raid Precautions Organization, or ARP. The ARP coordinated civilian defenses, including blackout enforcement, fire watching, and bomb shelter management. ARP wardens patrolled neighborhoods, ensuring compliance with blackout rules and helping people stay safe during raids.

Operation Pied Piper evacuated over 3 million people, primarily children, from cities to rural areas, reducing casualties and easing the strain on urban resources. Families hosted evacuees, fostering a sense of shared national effort. Physically protecting people from bombs became a high priority as well. The government provided communal shelters such as Anderson Shelters, which were designed for gardens, and Morrison Shelters, which were indoor table-like shelters for homes.

Many Londoners took refuge in the London Underground, turning train platforms into makeshift communities during bombing raids. Some purpose-built deep shelters were also constructed beneath London, designed to withstand heavy bombardment. Firefighters worked tirelessly to extinguish incendiary bomb fires, often at great personal risk. Hospitals expanded capacity, and volunteer groups such as the Women's Voluntary Service provided first aid and support to the injured and homeless.

While London bore the brunt of the attacks, other cities like Coventry, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, and Southampton also experienced devastating raids. Coventry, for example, suffered catastrophic destruction in November of 1940 during what became known as the Coventry Blitz. After 57 consecutive nights of bombing, the frequency of the raids was scaled back, but they continued until May 1941. The toll of eight months of constant bombing was staggering.

Approximately 43,000 civilians were killed and 139,000 were injured during the Blitz. On top of the human losses, thousands of buildings were destroyed, including homes, factories, and landmarks. The Germans had dropped over 40,000 tons of bombs on Britain. Yet, despite the damage, they failed in their end goal and in the process, disproved the pre-war theories regarding the effectiveness of strategic bombing.

The Blitz did not destroy the British armaments industry. If anything, it simply spread out manufacturing to more of the country. The Germans didn't weaken the British resolve to fight. If anything, it brought the country closer together and stiffened their resolve. This was the impetus behind the famous phrase, keep calm and carry on. Perhaps more importantly, the Blitz may have actually worked against the Germans.

The Luftwaffe suffered major losses during the air campaigns over Britain, which rendered them less effective for the rest of the war. Moreover, the British were able to analyze exactly what worked and what didn't in all of the German attacks. They used this data when they began their own strategic bombing campaign against Germany later in the war. Allied bombing of Germany was largely more targeted against specific industrial targets.

When the Allies did bomb cities, they took the lessons learned from the Blitz and were far more lethal than the Germans ever were. For example, when the Allies bombed the city of Hamburg, as many civilians died in just that one city as did during the entirety of the Blitz. Ultimately, the Blitz was ended because the Germans were preparing for Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union. They couldn't afford to expend resources on Britain that were needed in the East.

When the Blitz ended in May of 1941, it was hardly the end of attacks on Britain during the war. Beginning in 1944, another wave of attacks took place. But this time, instead of bombers, Britain was hit with waves of rocket attacks from V-1 and V-2 rockets. This became known as the Second Blitz.

And while it wasn't as lethal as the first Blitz, an additional 15,000 people lost their lives from rocket attacks, which represented an entirely new type of warfare. The second Blitz and the V-1 and V-2 rocket programs will be the subject of a future episode. The Blitz holds significant historical importance as one of the first large-scale sustained aerial bombing campaigns targeting civilian populations, marking a dramatic shift in the nature of modern warfare.

It demonstrated the devastating potential of strategic bombing to disrupt urban life, destroy infrastructure, and test civilian morale, setting a precedent for total war, where entire nations, not just military forces, were involved in the conflict. Yet, the Blitz ultimately failed and disproved the idea that wars could be won by air power alone. And this was largely due to the resolve shown by the British people and their refusal to let it destroy their morale.

The executive producer of Everything Everywhere Daily is Charles Daniel. The associate producers are Benji Long and Cameron Kiefer. I want to give a big shout out to everyone who supports the show over on Patreon, including the show's producers. Your support helps me put out a show every single day. And also, Patreon is currently the only place where Everything Everywhere Daily merchandise is available to the top tier of supporters.

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