The Goverment and Civillians role in the blitz

we could reinforce up our small number of pilots from parts Empire. For example, pilots were brought in from the West Indies.Between July and September of 1940 waves of German attacked RAF bases in England, but due to the radar system the attacks were known to be coming. Hurricanes and Spitfires intercepted the German planes but losses were high with pilots being lost faster than they could be replaced. The RAF commander, realised that defeat was close but Hitler made a fatal mistake which insured Britain's survival and eventual victory. He relieved the pressure on the RAF by deciding instead to bomb the main British cities. This gave the RAF time to re-group. Hitler's decision to change tactics may have been a result of Eagle Day when the RAF shot down 183 German planes. (This number may have been exaggerated as propaganda was used throughout the war ). Although Hitler's tactic was good for the RAF it was a disaster for the people as the bombs were often dropped quite indiscriminately on the cities and major centres of population. Although our armed forces were not too well organised the people of the cities were and that is why we survived the Blitz.The British government estimated that one million would die in the Blitz but the actual number was sixty thousand and this was because we were so well organised. The government realised that if too many people died we would have severe trouble in the future with a shortage in the workforce and it would face the blame. London was bombed on 75 out of 76 nights. People built Anderson shelters in their garden or took refuge down the tube stations. Although Anderson shelters could not survive a direct hit they could protect families from nearby blasts. People were not completely safe in the underground because if a bomb went down a ventilation shaft then most people below would die. Coventry suffered the second worst attacks especially on November 4th 1940 when a massive air raid caused 30% of its buildings to be destroyed including the Cathedral. The government realised there could be a major panic and to prevent this told the newspapers that they could not print the full story. Liverpool, Glasgow, Birmingham, Manchester, Dover, Canterbury, Plymouth and Southampton were all heavily bombed. The Blitz happened mostly in 1940-41 but some air raids occurred after this.It was not just the air raid shelters that meant we survived the Blitz. Massed air raids on civilians by the German air force brought an early response from the RAF. Children were evacuated from London and other major cities to be taken to safer rural regions where they would be protected against German bombers flying from air bases in Europe. For many evacuees, it was very distressing to be made to live with strange people and in unfamiliar places. In some bad cases children were abused by the people they stayed with. The policy may have saved many children, but it could be described as a little over the top.Rationing of food and other goods was one of the minor frustrations of the war. The population was issued with books of ration coupons for various provisions, and currency transactions almost ceased for some products and services. People often grew their own food, or sometimes bought illegal goods on the black market. The cost of the war for the British economy was so great that rationing carried on beyond the end of World War II as the British government struggled to pay off its debts.In 1940, when Great Britain faced its worst danger of the war and German invasion was a possibility, the Home Guard was formed. It grew in time to more than a million part-time soldiers, who received basic training and some arms to defend their local areas against the Germans in the event of an invasion.Land girls were a way for women to help the War effort. They were brought onto the fields to replace male agricultural workers called up into the armed services. Food supplies were a considerable problem for Britain, with its ocean links to its usual foreign food sources under constant threat from German U-boats and bombers, and every effort was made to increase home cultivation. The land girls and other women helped to sustain production levels in every branch of the economy.One of the most important factors in Britain's victory was its leader, Winston Churchill. Churchill succeeded Chamberlain as Prime Minister on May 10, 1940. During the awful days that followed-Dunkirk, the fall of France, and the blitz-Churchill's rousing speeches united the British to continue the fight. He urged the British people to conduct themselves so that "if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years men will still say: 'This was their finest hour." By successful Propaganda tactics the British morale didn‘t fall. With rousing speeches from Churchill and a communist like media censorship, many Britain’s were unbeknown to the atrocities cities like London and Coventry were facing. The government was very successful with its propaganda attempts It hid the truth in many different ways such as; Ministry of InformationMedia censorshipGovernment posters and captions helped portray the image that all was wellGovernment news reels in cinema  It must be said that without Winston Churchill Britain's people would have lost heart and probably would have wanted to surrender but with his skilled speeches, Propaganda tactics and outright stubbornness he kept the country united and got Britain through the war.