the Blitz, (September 7, 1940–May 11, 1941), intense bombing campaign undertaken by Nazi Germany against the United Kingdom during World War II. For eight months the Luftwaffe dropped bombs on London and other strategic cities across Britain.
What was the reason for the Blitz?
Why did the Blitz happen? The Blitz began as bombing attacks intended to destroy strategically important airforce bases and aircraft factories. Bombers did not initially target civilian areas as Hitler was hopeful that Britain would relent and eventually ask for a peace agreement. This changed on 24th August 1940.
What was Hitler’s goal with the Blitz?
“Blitzkrieg,” a German word meaning “Lightning War,” was Germany’s strategy to avoid a long war in the first phase of World War II in Europe. Germany’s strategy was to defeat its opponents in a series of short campaigns.
Why was the East End targeted in the Blitz?
Why was the East End targeted by the Germans? The East End of London contains some of the city’s most important dockland areas. At the time, it was a hub for imports and was used to store vital goods for the war effort, making this a prime target for bombing raids.
Who was attacked during the Blitz?
The Blitz began on 7 September, ‘Black Saturday’, when German bombers attacked London, leaving 430 dead and 1,600 injured. London was then bombed for 57 consecutive nights, and often during daytime too. London experienced regular attacks and on 10-11 May 1941 was hit by its biggest raid.
Why did Germany bomb London in the Blitz?
In October, Hitler ordered a massive bombing campaign against London and other cities to crush British morale and force an armistice. Despite significant loss of life and tremendous material damage to Britain’s cities, the country’s resolve remained unbroken.
What were Hitler’s 3 aims for Germany?
Hitler had three main aims in his foreign policy: revise the Treaty of Versailles. unite all German-speaking people into one Reich. expand eastwards to achieve Lebensraum.
Who ended the Blitz?
| The Blitz | |
|---|---|
| Date 7 September 1940 – 11 May 1941 (8 months, 5 days) Location United Kingdom Result German strategic failure | |
| Belligerents | |
| United Kingdom | Germany |
| Commanders and leaders |
When was the worst of the Blitz?
The Blitz – The Hardest Night
The most devastating raid on London took place on the night of 10/11 May 1941. The moon was full and the Thames had a very low ebb tide.
Where did people hide during the Blitz?
During almost nightly German air raids (known as “the Blitz”) on London, the civilian population of the city sought refuge–as shown in this footage–in air raid shelters and in London’s subway system (called the “Underground” or the “Tube”).
How did the Blitz end?
The Blitz came to an end as Hitler ordered the Luftwaffe transferred to eastern Europe in preparation for Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the USSR. In all, 18,000 tons of high explosives had been dropped on England during eight months of the Blitz.
How long did the Blitz last?
Beginning in September 1940, the Blitz was an aerial bombing campaign conducted by the Luftwaffe against British cities. Over a period of nine months, over 43,500 civilians were killed in the raids, which focused on major cities and industrial centres.
How many died in the Blitz?
In WWII there were 384,000 soldiers killed in combat, but a higher civilian death toll (70,000, as opposed to 2,000 in WWI), largely due to German bombing raids during the Blitz: 40,000 civilians died in the seven-month period between September 1940 and May 1941, almost half of them in London.
How did people stay safe during the Blitz?
Children and some women were evacuated from the big cities into the countryside. People carried gas masks to protect themselves against a possible gas attack. People built air raid shelters in their gardens. All windows and doors were blacked out to make it harder for the enemy planes to spot where they lived.
Why was the Blitz a war crime?
Article 6(b) of the Charter thus condemned the “wanton destruction of cities, towns or villages, or devastation not justified by military necessity” and classified it as a violation of the laws or customs of war, therefore, making it a war crime.
What was the most bombed English city in ww2?
Hull was the most severely damaged British city or town during the Second World War, with 95 percent of houses damaged. It was under air raid alert for 1,000 hours. Hull was the target of the first daylight raid of the war and the last piloted air raid on Britain.
What was Hitler’s reason for war?
Obsessed with the idea of the superiority of the “pure” German race, which he called “Aryan,” Hitler believed that war was the only way to gain the necessary “Lebensraum,” or living space, for the German race to expand.
What was Hitler’s ambition?
Hitler had an overriding ambition for territorial expansion, which was largely driven by his desire to reunify the German peoples and his pursuit of Lebensraum, “living space” that would enable Germans to become economically self-sufficient and militarily secure.
What were Hitler’s goals quizlet?
Hitler planned to defy the Versailles treaty, create jobs, and bring Germany back to greatness. In 1919, German leaders drafted a constitution in the city of Weimar and created a new democratic gov’t. Germany had to pay $33 billion in reparations.
How did Britain win the Blitz?
The British developed an air defence network that would give them a critical advantage in the Battle of Britain. The Dowding System – named for Fighter Command’s Commander-in-Chief Sir Hugh Dowding – brought together technology such as radar, ground defences and fighter aircraft into a unified system of defence.
How did the Blitz start and end?
When did the Blitz begin and end? The main phase of the Blitz began on 7 September 1940 and ended in May 1941, though Germany continued with sporadic bombings until 1945. A series of German raids in 1942 targeted historic cities and were nicknamed ‘Baedecker raids’ after the German guidebooks of that name.