The Blitz devastated large parts of Great Britain between September 1940 and May 1941, killing and injuring tens of thousands of people and making millions homeless. Here are 16 explosive facts about The Blitz!

1. 16 explosive facts
about ‘The Blitz’

2. On 23rd August 1940 the Luftwaffe launched a massive air bombing raid on
the south of England. During the raid a small detachment of German
bombers got lost and, worried about being caught by the RAF, they dumped
their bombs and quickly returned home. The thing is they just happened to
drop their bombs on London. Killing nine civilians.

3. Churchill was angry
at this apparent
unprovoked attack
on civilians and
immediately
ordered the RAF to
bomb Berlin in
retaliation.

4. On 25 August 1940, eighty-one RAF bombers set off for Berlin. Only
twenty-nine planes reached their target, no civilians were killed
and the physical damage done to Berlin was minimal.

5. On 4 September 1940 in a speech at the
Berlin Sportpalast, Hitler retaliated:
‘… and if the British Air Force drops two,
three or four thousand kilos of bombs, then
we will drop 150,000, 180,000, 230,000,
300,000, 400,000 kilos, or more, in one
night. If they declare that they will attack
our cities on a large scale, we will erase
theirs!’
The message was loud and clear.
Britain was about to get Blitz’d

6. Shortly before 4pm on 7 September, over 300 German bombers, escorted by
over 600 fighters roared up the Thames Estuary heading straight for the
London dockyards. Thousands of bombs smashed buildings, destroyed
homes and caused massive damage.
The Blitz had started.

7. At approx 8pm it was time for the Luftwaffe night shift. It rained
bombs until 4.30am.
Thousands of homes and buildings were destroyed, 448 Londoners
were dead with another 1,600 injured.

8. Day two of the Blitz over London saw 200 enemy planes repeat the bombing; this
time targeting power stations and railway hubs.
Another 412 Londoners died with 747 seriously injured.

9. Day three saw 370 deaths and 1,400 injured – that day King George VI also ventured
out to see the devastation in the East End for himself.

10. The same night, the RAF hit back at Berlin. All bomber crews were told that under no
circumstances were they to return to England with their bombs.
Even Hitler’s Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels’s garden received a direct hit.

11. To escape the bombing raids, thousands of Londoners took refuge in
tube stations across the capital

12. London wasn’t the only city to get bombed.
Cities such as Coventry, Bristol, Manchester and
Birmingham were also attacked.

13. On 14 November 1940 over 500 bombers attacked Coventry.
Over 4,000 homes were destroyed and 554 people killed. At
one point during the night 200 separate fires burned in the city.

14. The Blitz claimed over 40,000 lives. With another 40,000 injured.
Millions were made homeless.

15. One in ten bombs didn’t explode. Brave bomb disposal units
successfully dealt with 40,000 unexploded bombs. 750 men
died trying to defuse the devices.

16. Between September 1940 and May 1941 127 separate raids were carried out
over Great Britain. Dropping 30,000 tonnes of high explosives

17. Hitler called off the bombing raids in May 1941. He was planning something big in the
east and needed all available planes to spearhead a new offensive.
Operation Barbarossa

18. WW2: A Layman’s Guide
Want to know the facts and discover the
why/who/what/when of WW2 without
being bored rigid?
This 'Layman's Guide' has been written to
educate, engage and entertain readers -
especially those who perhaps have not read
too much about WW2 before.

19. WW2: A Layman’s Guide
Want to know the facts and discover the
why/who/what/when of WW2 without
being bored rigid?
This 'Layman's Guide' has been written to
educate, engage and entertain readers -
especially those who perhaps have not read
too much about WW2 before.
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