Thomas Fordyce 11AJ
Why were the cities of Britain bombed
during the period 1940-41?
During the period 1940-41 of the Second World War the cities of Britain were bombed by the German Air Force, the Luftwaffe. This period is known as the Blitz. There were many reasons for this bombing of civilian targets.
One reason for this bombing was the war aims of Adolf Hitler. His intention at the beginning of the war was to provide the German people with “lebensraum” (living space). He took the area he had wanted in Europe quickly. He had no desire to invade Britain; he would have much preferred peace. This was made impossible when in 1940 Britain declared itself at war with Germany. Therefore, Hitler formed a plan to invade Britain, known as Operation Sealion. Under this plan he would have to transport his armies across the English Channel. To do that, he would have to destroy the RAF. Therefore, he never fully favoured this plan. He wanted to invade Russia instead, as there was a land link there. This led to him deciding to bomb British cities. Sealion had been unpopular with the German Navy anyway, and if he could take Russia, Britain would be forced to negotiate – they would have no allies left.
