The Blitz

Abigael McGaha

What was the Blitz?

• The word ‘blitz’ comes from the German word called ‘Blitzkrieg’ which means lighting war

• The Blitz happened on September 7th, 1940.

• The German air force launched a massive raid on London. 350 bombers dropped 300 tons of bombs the first night

• Nearly 2,000 were dead on the first night

The Bombs

• London was bombed everyday and night for 11 week. 1/3 of London was destroyed

• German air force dropped 5,300 tons of high explosives on London the first 24 nights

• The main bombs dropped were: H.E (High Explosives), Incendiary bombs (Fire Bombs), and Oil Bombs

• One in ten bombs would be a ‘dud’. Some had a delayed action fuse. They could explode at any time

What did the Government do?

• The government would play sirens warning London citizens of the bombings

• Air raid shelters were made

• They had blackouts to confuse the German planes

• Barrage balloons were made to force the German planes higher

• Children were evacuated