Question 3
Source D and supports the evidence of source B, both sources were government censored because they both showed the sheer damage and destruction left in the wake of the bombing. Source D shows massive destruction and has people standing in dismay at the wreckages; we also have two men arguing and one clutching a bag. This suggests that looting took place during the blitz. Although source B doesn’t show as much damage as source D we have dead bodies in sacks which suggest that the bombing was severe and resulted in tragedy.
Source C doesn’t support source D because rather than show the negative effects of the bombing, e.g. rubble, arguments damaged buildings, it shows the positive effects of the blitz. The photo shows the community coming together to take a group photo. Source C appears to be staged as there would most certainly be a few people showing frustration or any other negative emotion, so this makes it appears fake. Unlike source C, source D appears to show much more realistic emotions like shock, bewilderment and confrontation. However, both sources do show after affects of bombing, they show the bombing of a town and the effects on the people.
In conclusion source D supports the evidence in source B because it shows the devastation and destruction caused by the blitz. However, source C isn’t supported by source D because it appears to be propaganda and seems too positive to be real. It does however, show the effects of bombing on the people, for example it shows everybody pulling together as a community whereas in source D we have people fighting over belongings.
Question 4
The morale of the British people was the main concern of the British government in 1940, because bombing by the Germans had started in September 1940 without any warning. Hitler’s objective was to bomb Britain into submission; the Nazis believed this would lead to civil unrest forcing the government to remove troops from the war. Moreover there was severe destruction and London lost 10,000 people and there were 13,000 casualties. In November 1940 Coventry was bombed and the city centre was completely demolished, 500 people died. The Nazis plan failed as the bombing had the opposite effect on the British people unlike what the Nazis anticipated. The British people believed they should just hold on and endure the bombing because there was a greater to good, which was to defeat the Nazis.
London was bombed for 76 evenings non-stop, this resulted in more than 40,000 people losing there homes and 800,000 residential buildings destroyed. The East End was largely effected by the bombing as shown is Source E, which describes the exodus of families from the East End to find safer accommodation with relatives. Most of London’s factories and docks were located in the East End, the Germans believed if they bombed them Britain would come to an economical stand still, in fact they were actually wrong, bombed factories would open and start production 2 – 3 days after being bombed usually. The government were becoming concerned British morale was beginning to become low. The government continued to censor incidents that resulted in tragedy or would lower morale, for example the bombing of Balham underground station in October 1940, 64 civilians were killed, because of burst water mains. The censorship wasn’t released until well after the war, largely because many people used the underground as shelters during the night and incidents like these would cause widespread panic.
Another major fear the government had was the bombing of the industries, they feared that many workers would leave their jobs to find safety. However many workers kept good attendances, some would sleep in forests like Epping Forest and would go back to work in the morning as source G shows. This was an excellent example of the courage and determination of British people during the Blitz. If the workers refused to go to work the manufacturing of planes, tanks and armaments would have halted and Britain would have to withdraw from the war of face inevitable defeat. Morale was low in the East End as source F shows, when the King and Queen were booed by the general public as they visited a bombed site in the East End. This showed that many people had lost faith. When Buckingham palace was bombed British people finally saw the Royal Family as being on their level.
The government initiated the ‘Shelter Policy’, this allowed Bomb Shelters to be built in the gardens of houses, this didn’t actually provide much protection but it made families feel secure and encouraged them to just hold on a bit longer as they’ll be safe in their bomb shelter; this was the feeling the government wanted to give them.
In conclusion the government was largely concerned about the demoralisation of the British public because of the constant bombing they had received over 75 days. They were also worried about the amount of people leaving major cities like London to seek safer accommodation. However, many people still stayed in bombed cities to carry on working and to do their part to help Britain in the war, moreover the government launched a massive campaign full of propaganda encouraging people to their bit.
Question 5
The impression that Britain faced the Blitz with courage and unity wasn’t a myth. The British people joined together to deal with the effects of the Blitz and to take part in the defeat of Hitler and the Nazis.
The government censored a lot of facts and truths during the Blitz to prevent the demoralisation of British citizens. Photos like source B would be censored because the government feared that these would lead to civil unrest and therefore lead to economic standstill and the withdrawal of troops. Photos like Source B would cause unrest because they showed one of the places that people send their children were still susceptible to attack, the bombing Catford Girls’ School would cause panic.
The East End of London was targeted greatly by the German planes; this was where most of London’s factories were as well as the docks. The Germans believed that if they bombed out the east end Britain would come to a stand still. However, the German bombing accuracy was 10% this meant that it wasn’t the docks and factories that were hit most of the time, it was civilian households. As source E shows many people were leaving the East end and were seeking ‘exodus’ from the severe East End bombing. This was a secret report but still shows the government worry about the loss or morale furthermore the report suggested there was no ‘Blitz Spirit’.
The government used propaganda to try and raise morale; they made films like ‘F for Freddie’ and ‘In which we serve’ which showed the British troops fighting back and winning against all odds. The government also invented stories which described British heroism while fighting the Germans. An example of propaganda was the Battle of Britain; the number of defeated German planes was largely exaggerated. Source C is most likely propaganda because it shows a community recently hit by bombs all smiling with the thumbs up, this is largely irregular as most people would be licking their wounds instead of standing as a community for a photo.
The government also encouraged groups like the Home Guard. The home guard was largely made from older men or former soldiers. Their main role was to take over the duties over the British army at home. They would patrol and stood sentry during the night and weekends, they also rounded up German pilots who had been shot down. The Home Guard was encouraged to take part in Guerrilla warfare after a German invasion. This showed high morale as it showed that many people were willing to give up their time and safety to save and protect their country.
British citizens also showed courage and determination as source G shows even though they faced constant bombing they still kept a good work attendance. People still turned up and helped build parts for the war. Some people would sleep in forests during the night and go to work during the morning. They saw this as doing their bit for the country.
However there was times when morale was low, as source D shows there was times when there was confrontation, the two men arguing, the man is holding a bag, so this suggests there may have been looting.
In conclusion there were times when morale was low as Source D and Source E shows, however even though there was complete bombing people still tried to do their part for the country, Blitz Spirit wasn’t a myth but wasn’t applicable in all circumstances, but at the end of the day people would still go to work and seek shelter after. The British citizens still acknowledged that their country’s cause was far greater.