Why were the major cities of Britain bombed by the Germans in 1940-41?

History Coursework

The Blitz

1.) Why were the major cities of Britain bombed by the Germans in 1940-41?

On the night of 24th August 1940 a German bombing raid aimed at British Fighter Command aerodromes, was miscalculated and some bombs landed on London. Reichsmarschall Herman Goering, in charge of the Luftwaffe was furious, as although commanders were ordered to prepare for the possibility of city bombing, it was forbidden. Churchill had already declared that if London was hit, “it seems very important to be able to return the compliment the next day on Berlin”. Sure enough, Bomber Command mounted an attack on the German capital the next night. On top of this the RAF had been bombing Germany for some time, but never Berlin. This paved the way for further escalation, and it was Hitler who had been reluctant before to bomb London who responded on the 4th September: “if they declare they will attack our cities on a large scale, we will erase theirs!”

However, retaliation to RAF aggression wasn’t the only reason for the commencement of nighttime city bombing. There had previously been a prolonged aerial battle, dubbed “The Battle of Britain” because the Germans were trying to destroy the RAF in preparation for the invasion of Britain, operation ‘Sealion’. Nighttime bombing originated as an extension of the bombing of British aircraft factories and aerodromes and was an attempt to deny the RAF with reinforcements. When it seemed evident to German commanders that present tactics weren’t working they decided that they could defeat the British by destroying their infrastructure, by bombing railway stations and destroying roads and lines of communication. By crippling war production, thus making it impossible to continue the fight, they could also force surrender. Another desired effect, adopted as the sole German motive by the British for propaganda reasons, was to demoralise the civilians and to kill so many that their protests forced the government to seek peace.

The attempt to destroy the morale of the British people was a very important factor nonetheless, and was perhaps the main reason that cities were bombed, as opposed to more military targets, such as army bases or training grounds.

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However an incident on 15th September forced the nighttime attacks to become the main focus, and Germany’s only way to attack the British people and war production on their own soil. A huge German daytime attack of 1’200 planes, discovered by the British Radar system, was intercepted by Hurricanes and Spitfires and almost annihilated with many being damaged and barely getting to base, and a fantastic British claim of 184 planes shot down was incorrect, but 34 bombers were destroyed and a quarter of the fleet was no longer fit for action. As a result of this the RAF had won the Battle of Britain in what was called ‘The Battle of Britain Day’.

Nighttime attacks were also a benefit for the German aircrew as they were absolutely exhausted by days of continuous flying, and only flying at nights helped them to recover. Also, the RAF was almost dysfunctional at night and could do little to defend their cities. This factor along with the sight of their enemy’s cities burning in many different places was a great boost to German morale.

It made a lot of sense to many German commanders to attack the cities indiscriminately; as bombing was very inaccurate so precision bombing was almost impossible during the day, let alone at night. They felt it was much better to attack huge industrial areas rather than aerodromes or particular targets, especially now daytime attacks were no longer a feasible option.

Originally, the Luftwaffe only bombed London, as it was easy to find and had the largest effect on the population. They bombed the Docklands, as it was the centre of London’s trade, where all their imports arrived. As well as this, it had much timber and burnt very well. The Docklands and the East End where also targeted as they had a concentration of working class families, who were already poor and ethnically mixed, and if they felt they were taking the brunt of the German attack over the middle and upper classes, they would be the most likely people to give up easily, and moreover, they were the majority.

From 7th of September, London was bombed until the end of the month, when invasion was still considered a possibility, and then from October till November in attempt to break morale by terrifying the population and by destroying their homes. But on 15th November there was a major air raid on Coventry which was the beginning of the generalisation of bombing all over Great Britain, when London was just one of many suffering from the Blitz, and Londoners gained a respite.

The attack on Coventry was an attempt to destroy the factories and other means of war production that were in the city, which had a central role in the British war effort. It was the first of a number of major industrial centres of the provinces, which were attacked in an attempt to stop British resistance from its roots, in the factories where any machines of war were made. These targets included Southampton, Birmingham, Liverpool, Bristol, Plymouth and of course Coventry. In January 1941, Cardiff became a target for the first time and so were the shipyards of Portsmouth and Avenmouth. Birmingham and Bristol were also attacked earlier in the attempt to break morale.

Portsmouth and other naval bases were also bombed in an attempt to prepare for invasion, and then just in an attempt to aid the u-boats in the destruction of Royal Navy ships which may escort convoys to England from America or from around the empire.

Towards the closing stages of the Blitz from January to May 1941, as well attacking London, the bombers tended to concentrate on ports, particularly after General Admiral Raeder persuaded Hitler to issue a directive on 6th February that gave attacks on ports the highest authority. This included Plymouth, Portsmouth, Bristol, Avenmouth, Swansea, Belfast and Newcastle. Western ports also became a major focus as the termini for the supplies offered by the USA, under President Roosevelt, who was pro-war and also pro-allies. This included Liverpool, Birkenhead, Greenock, Cardiff, Bristol, Plymouth and Devonport, as well as Belfast.

By Dominic Wilkinson