At 4:56pm on 7 September 1940, the sirens wailed as the German Air Force, the luftwaffe, launched a massive raid on London. Over 350 bombers flew across the Channel from airfields in France and dropped 300 tonnes of bombs on the docks and streets of the East End of London.

Heavy and frequent bombing raids carried out over Britain in 1940 and 1941. This was called The Blitz. London was bombed ever day and night, bar one, for 11 weeks.

What does 'Blitz' mean?
Blitz is the German word for 'lightning'.

On the 7th September, 1940 the German air force changed its strategy of bombing the British air force battle of Britain and began to concentrate on bombing London. During the first month, German Air Force dropped 5,300 tons of high explosives on London in just 24 nights.

What other cities were bombed?
Other cities and towns were also heavily bombed, including Swansea, Cardiff, Bristol, Southampton, Plymouth, Birmingham, Coventry and Liverpool.

How many people died during the World War Two Blitz in Britain?
During the Blitz some two million houses (60 per cent of these in London) were destroyed and 32,000 civilians were killed and 87,000 were seriously injured.

How did the government try to protect cities from being bombed?
They put up Barrage balloons over major cities to deter low flights by enemy aircraft. The Barrage balloons were tethered by steel cables strong enough to destroy any aircraft which flew into them.

The Blitz ended in mid-May 1941, when much of the German air force was sent east to prepare for the invasion of Russia.