Blitz

Timeline

7 September 1940
The Blitz (from the German Blitzkrieg, "lightning war") refers to the strategic bombing campaign waged by Nazi Germany's Luftwaffe against British cities bet…
11 May 1941
The Blitz (from the German Blitzkrieg, "lightning war") refers to the strategic bombing campaign waged by Nazi Germany's Luftwaffe against British cities bet…
15 November 1940
Major raids hit Coventry (notably the night of 14–, which destroyed Coventry Cathedral), Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield, Bristol, Southampton,…
22 June 1941
The campaign wound down in May 1941 as Hitler redirected forces eastward in preparation for Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union launched .

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In November 1940, a single Luftwaffe raid on Coventry destroyed the medieval cathedral and killed over 500 civilians, becoming one of the most cited episodes of the Blitz.

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Timeline

7 September 1940

The Blitz (from the German Blitzkrieg, "lightning war") refers to the strategic bombing campaign waged by Nazi Germany's Luftwaffe against British cities bet…

11 May 1941

The Blitz (from the German Blitzkrieg, "lightning war") refers to the strategic bombing campaign waged by Nazi Germany's Luftwaffe against British cities bet…

15 November 1940

Major raids hit Coventry (notably the night of 14–, which destroyed Coventry Cathedral), Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield, Bristol, Southampton,…

22 June 1941

The campaign wound down in May 1941 as Hitler redirected forces eastward in preparation for Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union launched .

Research it like a delegate

The Blitz (from the German Blitzkrieg, "lightning war") refers to the strategic bombing campaign waged by Nazi Germany's Luftwaffe against British cities between 7 September 1940 and 11 May 1941. It followed the Battle of Britain, after the Luftwaffe failed to achieve air superiority over the Royal Air Force and shifted from attacking RAF airfields to bombing urban, industrial, and civilian targets.

London was struck on 57 consecutive nights beginning 7 September 1940, but the campaign extended across the country. Major raids hit Coventry (notably the night of 14–15 November 1940, which destroyed Coventry Cathedral), Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield, Bristol, Southampton, Plymouth, Belfast, Glasgow (the Clydebank Blitz of March 1941), and Hull. The campaign killed roughly 40,000–43,000 civilians and destroyed or damaged more than a million homes.

Strategically, the Blitz aimed to break British morale, disrupt war production, and pressure the United Kingdom into a negotiated settlement. It largely failed on each count. British civil defence — including blackouts, Anderson and Morrison shelters, the Underground used as shelter in London, the Auxiliary Fire Service, and ARP wardens — adapted under heavy strain. Radar, improved night-fighter tactics, and anti-aircraft defences gradually raised the cost to the Luftwaffe.

The campaign wound down in May 1941 as Hitler redirected forces eastward in preparation for Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union launched 22 June 1941. Smaller raids continued throughout the war, including the 1942 "Baedeker" raids on historic cities and the 1944 V-1 and V-2 attacks, though these are usually treated separately from the Blitz proper.

For IR and history researchers, the Blitz is a key case study in:

The limits of strategic bombing against civilian morale, later echoed in debates over Allied bombing of Germany and Japan.
The development of civil defence doctrine and home-front mobilisation.
Wartime propaganda and the construction of the "Blitz spirit" narrative in British national memory.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Blitz the same as Blitzkrieg?

No. Blitzkrieg refers to Germany's combined-arms doctrine of rapid armoured warfare used in Poland and France. The Blitz is the English term for the 1940–41 aerial bombing of Britain, named informally after that word.

When did the Blitz end and why?

Major raids tapered off after 11 May 1941, primarily because Hitler redeployed Luftwaffe units eastward in preparation for Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union launched on 22 June 1941.

Did the Blitz break British morale?

No. Despite roughly 40,000 civilian deaths and massive destruction, British war production continued and the government's authority held. Postwar studies of strategic bombing generally cite the Blitz as evidence that area bombing alone rarely collapses civilian morale.

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Frequently asked questions

Is the Blitz the same as Blitzkrieg?

When did the Blitz end and why?

Did the Blitz break British morale?

Go deeper than the definition

Take Blitz beyond the glossary

Frequently asked questions

Is the Blitz the same as Blitzkrieg?

When did the Blitz end and why?

Did the Blitz break British morale?