The most heavily bombed cities outside London were Liverpool and Birmingham. Other targets included Sheffield, Manchester, Coventry, and Southampton. The attack on Coventry was particularly destructive.
Which city was most affected by the Blitz?
However, this proved to be the last major raid until January 1943. While London was bombed more heavily and more often than anywhere else in Britain, the Blitz was an attack on the whole country. Very few areas were left untouched by air raids.
Why was London targeted in the Blitz?
Nearly 350 German bombers (escorted by over 600 fighters) dropped explosives on East London, targeting the docks in particular. The intention was to completely destabilise the economic backbone of London which included docks, factories, warehouses and railway lines, in a bid to destroy and weaken the infrastructure.
What places were affected by the Blitz?
The word Blitz was taken from the German word Blitzkrieg which, when interpreted, means lightening war. London was not the only city that was bombed, other cities included Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Coventry, Liverpool, Plymouth, Southampton and Swansea.
What areas in Britain were affected by the Blitz?
Birmingham and Coventry were subject to 450 long tons (457 t) of bombs between them in the last 10 days of October. Liverpool suffered 180 long tons (183 t) of bombs dropped. Hull and Glasgow were attacked but 715 long tons (726 t) of bombs were spread out all over Britain.
Why was Birmingham targeted during the Blitz?
As an important industrial centre and Britain’s largest city outside of London, Birmingham was an obvious target for enemy air attacks. Planes, tanks and army vehicles rolled off the production lines of the city’s factories during the war.
Why was Portsmouth targeted in the Blitz?
The City of Portsmouth, home to the Royal Navy, with facilities such as, Portsmouth Dockyard as well as countless other military and industrial installations, was obviously a prime target for bombing raids by the German Luftwaffe.
Why was Glasgow targeted in the Blitz?
Scotland was bombed in the Second World War because it had coal mines, factories and shipyards, which were important for the war effort.
Why did the Germans want to bomb London?
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 was the Blitz and why did it happen?
The heavy and frequent bombing attacks on London and other cities was known as the ‘Blitz’. Night after night, from September 1940 until May 1941, German bombers attacked British cities, ports and industrial areas. London was bombed ever day and night, bar one, for 11 weeks. One third of London was destroyed.
How many cities were attacked during the Blitz?
Around 17 British towns and cities were the targets of major bombing raids during the Blitz. The most affected towns and cities were London, Liverpool, Birmingham, Glasgow & Plymouth. Over 1,000 tons of high explosives were dropped on each of these cities, causing incredible damage and loss of life.
Which cities suffered the most damage in WW2?
Hiroshima lost more than 60,000 of its 90,000 buildings, all destroyed or severely damaged by one bomb. In comparison, Nagasaki – though blasted by a bigger bomb on 9 August 1945 (21,000 tonnes of TNT to Hiroshima’s 15,000) – lost 19,400 of its 52,000 buildings.
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”).
Which British city was bombed the most in WW2?
The air raid on Coventry on the night of 14 November 1940 was the single most concentrated attack on a British city in the Second World War. Following the raid, Nazi propagandists coined a new word in German – coventrieren – to raze a city to the ground.
Which cities were not bombed during the Blitz?
15 Beautiful German Cities Not Destroyed That Survived WW2 Almost Untouched
- 1 – Goslar, Lower Saxony.
- 2 – Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg.
- 3 – Regensburg, Bavaria.
- 4 – Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg.
- 5 – Bamberg, Bavaria.
- 6 – Lüneburg, Lower Saxony.
- 7 – Göttingen, Lower Saxony.
- 8 – Celle, Lower Saxony.
Was Buckingham Palace damaged during the Blitz?
Sunday 13th September marks 80 years since the bombing of Buckingham Palace during the raids of The Blitz in 1940. To mark the anniversary we are sharing accounts of the raid as recorded by Members of the Royal Family, from the Royal Archives.
How was Birmingham affected by the Blitz?
In November 1940, just five days after the Coventry attack, Birmingham suffered three nights of consecutive bombing. 800 people lost their lives, 2,345 people were injured and 20,000 civilians were made homeless.
Which areas of Birmingham were bombed during the Blitz?
In the first of these, 235 bombers dropped 280 tonnes of explosives and 40,000 incendiaries, concentrated on the city-centre. The Bull Ring, New Street, High Street, and Dale End all suffered heavy damage, St Martin in the Bull Ring was damaged and the Prince of Wales Theatre and Midland Arcade were destroyed.
What parts of London were bombed in the Blitz?
The Blitz changed the landscape of the city. Many famous landmarks were hit, including Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament, the Tower of London and the Imperial War Museum. Some areas, such as Stepney, were so badly damaged that they had to be almost entirely rebuilt after the war.
Why did Germany bomb Southampton?
Southampton was a strategic bombing target for the Luftwaffe as it contained both busy docks with associated business premises and factories and the Supermarine factory building Spitfires in Woolston. Being a large port city on the south coast it was within easy reach of German airfields in France.
Where did the Queen go during the Blitz?
While King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother) remained at Buckingham Palace, Elizabeth and Princess Margaret were moved out to Windsor Castle for their safety before the Blitz, remaining there until the armistice.