Naval bases to cut off Atlantic trade.
Furthermore, Hitler was provoked into an attack. Firstly by the British press who mocked the 'Phoney War' that had been going on since September 1939 and also by the fact that we bombed Berlin. For these reasons Hitler's attack on London could be thought of as an act of revenge for our attack on Berlin and Hitler's honour.
Between September 1940 and May 1941, the made 127 large-scale night raids. Of these, 71 were targeted on . During the Blitz some two million houses (60 per cent of these in ) were destroyed and 60,000 civilians were killed and 87,000 were seriously injured. Of those killed, the majority lived in London. Until halfway through the , more women and children in had been killed than soldiers.
Describe the effects of the Blitz on everyday life in Britain.
The Second World War greatly affected the lives of British people. For 6 years civilians lived dangerous and disrupted lives. On the 7th September 1940 the German airforce changed its strategy and began to concentrate on bombing . On the first day of the Blitz killed 430 citizens and 1,600 were severely injured. The German bombers returned the next day and a further 412 died.
Britain was prepared for war well before it actually started. During recent wars in Spain and the Far East there had been awful bombing of towns and cities. The government expected the same to happen in this war and precautions were being taken months before the War began. On September 1st 1939, two days before war was finally declared, the Blackout was introduced. The fear of uncovered lights being used as beacons for incoming German aircraft, led to the imposition of the Blackout from the outbreak of war until September 17th 1944. Everyone, however young, had to have a gas mask and 38 million gas masks were issued. They had to be taken everywhere. Their smell of rubber and disinfectant made many people sick. Leaflets were sent out to every house to explain what to do in a gas attack.
The government did it's best to counter the effects of the Blitz. At the very beginning of the war thousands of city children were sent off as 'evacuees' to the safety of the countryside; often to new and very different surroundings and homes than those they had known in the slum areas of large towns and cities. Their teachers went with them to help them settle in. Most evacuees were treated with kindness by the country people that threw their homes open to them.
Heavy bombing was expected in Britain's large industrial centres and it happened. The main targets outside the capital were , , , , , , , , , , , , , and . To counter this air raid shelters were put up in city streets and the government supplied thousands of Anderson shelters for people to put up in their gardens. Londoners found safety by sleeping every night on the platforms of the underground railway stations, while other people simply moved their bedding under the stairs in their own houses, where they were relatively well protected from all but a direct hit. People in Britain withstood the terror attacks amazingly well. Each night the wailing of the air raid siren announced the approach of the German bombers and ensured that most people had time to take cover before the raid actually started. The night was then spent in whatever form of shelter people had, until, near dawn, the all clear sounded and it was possible to return home.
In this way, daily life continued. After a night in the air-raid shelter, men went off to work, and children to school, and housewives went about the routine business of preparing food and doing the housework. There was very little panic, and certainly no sign that people wanted to give in. In fact, although the bombs caused many deaths as well as terrible damage, they never succeeded in breaking the public spirit. If anything they made everyone more determined then ever to resist Hitler to the very end.
In what ways did the British government attempt to hide the effects of the Blitz from the people of Britain?
The British government attempted to hide the effects of the Blitz from the people of Britain because they didn't want to lower morale. If the civilians began to doubt in their country then Hitler would be winning and his plan to break the British spirit and cause the public to call to the government to make peace with Germany would be working. They could not let this happen, so they kept up morale any way they could.
The censors and the Ministry of Information took control of the press to keep the public in the dark about the reality of the bombings and the true amount of people killed and damage caused. There was a blackout of stories of large-scale casualties and the government censors banned gory photos showing destruction and death. The amount of German aircraft that had been shot down was increased for the public, who were constantly hidden from the truth in order to avoid panic.
Even the advertising hoardings changed their appearance and became covered with wartime notices issued by the government, urging people to 'Dig For Victory' or reminding them that 'Careless Talk Costs Lives' and that 'Coughs and Sneezes Spread Diseases'. It was impossible to walk down any city street in Britain without being constantly reminded in various different ways that the country was at war. The propaganda campaign to say that the damage was not as serious as it seemed was also a tactic that the Germans used at home in Germany and the government needed to counter this German propaganda with their own.
Keeping up morale was the most important aspect of government censorship. Movies and songs were made to inspire people and were a very valid part of the propaganda campaign against Germany. Radio, film and posters were everywhere and reminded people constantly of Hitler's threat to their country and what it stood for. This helped to maintain public morale and encouraged patriotism. As did Churchill and the Royal Family by going on walkabouts encouraging the people to keep helping the war effort, which kept spirits up.
Target:
Key Features
Level 1:
Simple statements supported by some knowledge, eg newspaper articles, photographs
(1-5)
Level 2:
Developed statements supported by relevant knowledge, eg the use of censorship, photographs could not be published, articles were written by the government etc.
(6-10)
Level 3:
Developed explanation supported by selected knowledge, eg showing understanding of the role of the censor and the Ministry of Information, use of newsreel and accounts of the number of German aircraft shot down.
(11-15)
Level 4:
Sustained argument supported by precisely selected knowledge, eg understands the overall aim of the in applying censorship, need to maintain public morale, counter German propaganda, use of posters, film, the radio the press etc.
