In 1940, Germany had started carpet bombing major cities of Britain.

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Louise Trump

History Coursework

Question 1

In 1940, Germany had started carpet bombing major cities of Britain. Carpet-bombing, is where the enemy uses large numbers of bombers to drop hundreds of bombs on a wide area of a target. This differs from precision bombing which needs aircraft to hit a specific target only, carpet bombing hits a much wider area and the chances are you will hit important installations at the same time. Bombing was an effective method of warfare. They had gained this technique through their involvement during the Spanish civil war. On the 9th April 1940, ideas about the war had changed overnight, when the Germans invaded Denmark and then Norway. A month later, Holland, France and Belgium were also attacked. All of the countries were quickly overrun and by 22nd June, Hitler gained control over Western Europe. In the summer of 1940, the nazi's were just across the channel waiting to invade. The Battle of Britain occurred in July and August 1940, and this was the first setback for Hitler. In July, the Germans began to attack British targets. First they bombed shipping in the English Channel and then attacked ports on the south coast and radar stations. In the middle of August, they attacked the Royal Air Force. The date of the beginning of the Battle of Britain is debated. To the Germans, it began on August 13th, but to the British, it began on July 10th.  

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The Blitz refers to the carpet-bombing conducted by the Germans against cities in England from September 1940 through to May 1941. The Blitz began after Hitler gave up his attempt to invade Britain in September 1940. This had been called 'Operation Sealion'. The first German attack on London occurred by accident. On the night of August 24th 1940, Luftwaffe bombers aiming for military targets on the outskirts of London actually dropped their bombs on the centre of London destroying homes and killing civilians. Hitler believed bombs could knock out a country in weeks. The Prime Minister Winston Churchill believed it was ...

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