80 years on, we need some... BLITZ SPIRIT
THE “Blitz spirit” helped Brits endure Nazi bombing in 1940, and millions of us have been trying to channel the keep calm and carry on attitude amid the coronavirus crisis. Blitz comes from the German phrase Blitzkrieg, meaning “lightning war”. Here, JAMES MOORE looks at the Blitz in numbers…
1…
London was the top target, followed by Liverpool and Birmingham. Other cities such as Hull were also among 16 major conurbations in the firing line.
5…
per cent. How much British wartime production was hit by the bombing – barely a scratch.
8…
months. That’s how long Hitler’s bombing campaign lasted, until May 1941.
9…
the number of times Buckingham Palace was hit. The Queen Mother, who toured bombsites, said she was glad because “now we can look the East End in the eye”.
10…
hours. Length of the attack on Coventry on
November 14, 1940.
Some 500 bombers dropped 500 tons of explosives, flattening the city and its historic cathedral.
28…
the number of incendiary bombs that fell on St Paul’s Cathedral, London, on December
29. Volunteers managed to put out the fires with hand pumps.
57…
number of consecutive days and nights that Hitler’s Luftwaffe pounded London.
88…
number of a London bus that fell into a crater left by a 3,000lb bomb in Balham.
100…
people saved by terrier Rip, right, who won the Dickin Medal for finding those buried beneath rubble.
750…
the number of wartime bomb disposal servicemen killed helping to defuse unexploded ordnance.
950…
enemy aircraft attacked London on September 7, 1940 – recognised as the first day of the Blitz. Dubbed Black Saturday, it left
400 people dead.
1436…
number of people killed in the biggest raid during the Blitz on May 10 and 11, 1941. Some 711 tons of high explosives were dropped and 2,393 incendiaries.
30,000…
the total number of places hit by air raids against Britain during World War Two.
43,500…
approximate number of people killed during the Blitz. Another
87,000 were seriously injured.
50,000…
tons of highexplosive bombs and 110,000 tons of incendiary bombs were dropped. Huge 2,200lb parachute mines caused massive devastation.
60,000…
total number of Brits who died from wartime bombing.
180,000…
that’s the number of people per night who took refuge from raids inside the London Underground.
750,000…
tons of bombsite rubble which were re-used to build runways for the RAF.
1.4million…
number of air raid wardens. Another 95,000 served in the Auxiliary Fire Service.
2m…
homes were destroyed or damaged, 60% of them in London. The House of Commons was hit, too.
2.5m…
Anderson shelters were used in gardens. Later on in the war, Morrison shelters – cages inside homes – were distributed.
3m…
number of people evacuated during the war, including a million children.