Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Bombed out
LONDON, 1940
The intensive bombing of European cities was one of the most devastating strategies de-
ployed by both sides during the Second World War. Many old and beautiful buildings were
completely destroyed; the survival of others, such as St Paul's Cathedral in London, seemed
almost miraculous. Air raids caused many deaths and wreaked terrible damage upon the in-
frastructure of their targets, and thus successfully reduced the contribution that each city
could make to its country's war effort. Nonetheless, the bombers failed in their second, and
arguably more important, aim of crushing their opponents' morale. Neither the Germans nor
the British were persuaded to surrender.
The London Blitz was among the most sustained of these bombing campaigns. The Ger-
man Luftwaffe attacked the city more than 70 times between September 1940 and May 1941,
