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The Blitz

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The Blitz

The Blitz (English: 'flash') was a bombing campaign by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy against the United Kingdom during the Second World War. It lasted for eight months, from 7 September, 1940 to 11 May, 1941. The name is a shortened form of Blitzkrieg, a term used in the popular press to describe a German style of surprise attack used during the war. Towards the end of the Battle of Britain in 1940, daylight air superiority over the United Kingdom was contested between the Luftwaffe and the Royal Air Force. Germany began conducting mass air attacks against British cities, beginning with London, in an attempt to draw the RAF Fighter Command into a battle of annihilation. Adolf Hitler and Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring, commander-in-chief of the Luftwaffe, ordered the new policy on 6 September 1940. From 7 September 1940, London was systematically bombed by the Luftwaffe for 56 of the following 57 days and nights. The attacks included a large daylight attack against London on 15 September, a large raid on 29 December 1940 against London resulting in a firestorm known as the Second Great Fire of London, and a large raid on the night of 10–11 May 1941. The Luftwaffe gradually decreased daylight operations in favour of night attacks to evade attacks by the RAF, and the Blitz became a night bombing campaign after October 1940. The Luftwaffe attacked the main Atlantic seaport of Liverpool in the Liverpool Blitz. The North Sea port of Hull, a convenient and easily found target or secondary target for bombers unable to locate their primary targets, suffered the Hull Blitz. The port cities of Bristol, Cardiff, Portsmouth, Plymouth, Southampton, Sunderland, Swansea, Belfast and Glasgow also were bombed, as were the industrial centres of Birmingham, Coventry, Manchester and Sheffield. More than 40,000 civilians were killed by Luftwaffe bombing during the war, almost half of them in the capital, where more than a million houses were destroyed or damaged. In early July 1940 the German High Command began planning Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union. 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. The greatest effect was to force the British to disperse the production of aircraft and spare parts. British wartime studies concluded that most cities took 10 to 15 days to recover when hit severely, although some, such as Birmingham, took three months. 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. Poor intelligence about British industry and economic efficiency led to OKL concentrating on tactics, rather than strategy. The bombing effort was diluted by attacks against several sets of industries instead of constant pressure on those most vital to the British war effort.

Infobox

Date
7 September 1940 – 11 May 1941 (1940-09-07 – 1941-05-11)(8 months, 5 days)
Location
United Kingdom
Result
Axis strategic failure

Tables

British output index, September 1940 – May 1941[178][d] · Aftermath › Effectiveness of bombing
1940
1940
Month
1940
September
September
Month
September
Output
217
October
October
Month
October
Output
245
November
November
Month
November
Output
242
December
December
Month
December
Output
239
1941
1941
Month
1941
January
January
Month
January
Output
244
February
February
Month
February
Output
266
March
March
Month
March
Output
303
April
April
Month
April
Output
284
May
May
Month
May
Output
319
Month
Output
1940
September
217
October
245
November
242
December
239
1941
January
244
February
266
March
303
April
284
May
319
Big raids and combined bomb tonnage[210] · Tables › Bombing raid statistics
London
London
City
London
Tons
18,291
Raids
71
Liverpool/Merseyside
Liverpool/Merseyside
City
Liverpool/Merseyside
Tons
1,957
Raids
8
Birmingham
Birmingham
City
Birmingham
Tons
1,852
Raids
8
Glasgow/Clydeside
Glasgow/Clydeside
City
Glasgow/Clydeside
Tons
1,329
Raids
5
Plymouth
Plymouth
City
Plymouth
Tons
1,228
Raids
8
Bristol
Bristol
City
Bristol
Tons
919
Raids
6
Coventry
Coventry
City
Coventry
Tons
818
Raids
2
Portsmouth
Portsmouth
City
Portsmouth
Tons
687
Raids
3
Southampton
Southampton
City
Southampton
Tons
647
Raids
4
Hull
Hull
City
Hull
Tons
593
Raids
3
Manchester
Manchester
City
Manchester
Tons
578
Raids
3
Belfast
Belfast
City
Belfast
Tons
440
Raids
2
Sheffield
Sheffield
City
Sheffield
Tons
355
Raids
2
Sunderland
Sunderland
City
Sunderland
Tons
155
Raids
1
Nottingham
Nottingham
City
Nottingham
Tons
137
Raids
1
Cardiff
Cardiff
City
Cardiff
Tons
115
Raids
1
Swansea
Swansea
City
Swansea
Tons
89
Raids
3
Exeter
Exeter
City
Exeter
Tons
75
Raids
19
City
Tons
Raids
London
18,291
71
Liverpool/Merseyside
1,957
8
Birmingham
1,852
8
Glasgow/Clydeside
1,329
5
Plymouth
1,228
8
Bristol
919
6
Coventry
818
2
Portsmouth
687
3
Southampton
647
4
Hull
593
3
Manchester
578
3
Belfast
440
2
Sheffield
355
2
Sunderland
155
1
Nottingham
137
1
Cardiff
115
1
Swansea
89
3
Exeter
75
19
The Blitz: estimated Luftwaffe bomber sorties[123] · Tables › Sorties flown
October 1940
October 1940
Month/year
October 1940
Day sorties (losses)
2,300 (79)
Night sorties (losses)
5,900 (23)
Luftflotte 2 sorties
2,400
Luftflotte 3 sorties
3,500
Major attacks
25
Heavy attacks
4
November 1940
November 1940
Month/year
November 1940
Day sorties (losses)
925 (65)
Night sorties (losses)
6,125 (48)
Luftflotte 2 sorties
1,600
Luftflotte 3 sorties
4,525
Major attacks
23
Heavy attacks
2
December 1940
December 1940
Month/year
December 1940
Day sorties (losses)
650 (24)
Night sorties (losses)
3,450 (44)
Luftflotte 2 sorties
700
Luftflotte 3 sorties
2,750
Major attacks
11
Heavy attacks
5
January 1941
January 1941
Month/year
January 1941
Day sorties (losses)
675 (7)
Night sorties (losses)
2,050 (22)
Luftflotte 2 sorties
450
Luftflotte 3 sorties
1,600
Major attacks
7
Heavy attacks
6
February 1941
February 1941
Month/year
February 1941
Day sorties (losses)
500 (9)
Night sorties (losses)
1,450 (18)
Luftflotte 2 sorties
475
Luftflotte 3 sorties
975
Major attacks
–
Heavy attacks
2
March 1941
March 1941
Month/year
March 1941
Day sorties (losses)
800 (8)
Night sorties (losses)
4,275 (46)
Luftflotte 2 sorties
1,625
Luftflotte 3 sorties
2,650
Major attacks
12
Heavy attacks
3
April 1941
April 1941
Month/year
April 1941
Day sorties (losses)
800 (9)
Night sorties (losses)
5,250 (58)
Luftflotte 2 sorties
1,500
Luftflotte 3 sorties
3,750
Major attacks
16
Heavy attacks
5
May 1941
May 1941
Month/year
May 1941
Day sorties (losses)
200 (3)
Night sorties (losses)
3,800 (55)
Luftflotte 2 sorties
1,300
Luftflotte 3 sorties
2,500
Major attacks
11
Heavy attacks
3
Month/year
Day sorties (losses)
Night sorties (losses)
Luftflotte 2 sorties
Luftflotte 3 sorties
Major attacks
Heavy attacks
October 1940
2,300 (79)
5,900 (23)
2,400
3,500
25
4
November 1940
925 (65)
6,125 (48)
1,600
4,525
23
2
December 1940
650 (24)
3,450 (44)
700
2,750
11
5
January 1941
675 (7)
2,050 (22)
450
1,600
7
6
February 1941
500 (9)
1,450 (18)
475
975
–
2
March 1941
800 (8)
4,275 (46)
1,625
2,650
12
3
April 1941
800 (9)
5,250 (58)
1,500
3,750
16
5
May 1941
200 (3)
3,800 (55)
1,300
2,500
11
3

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