The London Blitz

On this day, Germany began conducting mass air attacks against British cities, beginning with London, in an attempt to draw the RAF Fighter Command into a battle of annihilation. The decision was taken by Hitler and Göring the previous day and for 56 of the following 57 days and nights, London was systematically bombed by the Luftwaffe in what would become known as the London Blitz – a shortened form of Blitzkrieg, a term used in the popular press to describe a German style of surprise attack used during the war. The most important existing communal shelters from the bombing were the London Underground stations which offered a certain degree of safety although many civilians were killed by direct hits on stations. At the height of the bombing in mid-September, about 150,000 people were sleeping in the underground every night.

Read Bob Lynn’s short story “Grace Under Fire”
about the London Blitz HERE

Author: Tony

Born and raised in Malaysia between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. Educated at Wycliffe College in Stonehouse, Gloucestershire, England. Living in the foothills of Mount Etna since 1982 and teaching English at Catania University since 1987. View all posts by Tony