London in WWII (Historic Environment)

London in WWII (Historic Environment)

1. Districts

   • The East End
     • Docks
     • Factories
     • Railway Termini
   • Westminster
     • Government buildings
       • Houses of Parliament and Commons
       • 10 Downing Street
       • Whitehall
     • Palace of Westminster
     • Important figures - Winston Churchill, King George VI, Exchequer
     • Ministries - Finance & Defence
   • The City
     • Financial institutions
       • Bank of England
       • Faraday Building
       • Stock Exchange
     • St. Paul's Cathedral
     • Rail hub
   • The Suburbs
     • Residential area
     • London's workforce

2. Weapons dropped on London

   • HX/HE bombs
     • Parachute mines
     • Butterfly bombs
   • High Impact bombs
   • Incendiary bombs
     • Brandbombe - 'Fire bomb'
     • Flammenbombe - 'Flame bomb'
     • Sprengbombe C50 - 'Explosive bomb C50'
   • V1 'Doodlebug'/'Kirschkern'
     • Pulsejet engine
     • Launched from ramps in Northern France and Belgium
     • 17% hit rate
   • V2
     • First ballistic missile
     • Stationed at Peenemunde
     • Wernher von Braun

3. Three phases

   • Phase 1: The Blitz (Sept. 1940 - May 1941)
     • HX bombs, High-impact bombs, Incendiary bombs
     • Firefighting
     • Firewatchers
     • Blackout
     • ARP wardens
   • Phase 2: The Little Blitz (Jan. 1944 - Sept. 1944)
     • 474 German aircraft
       • 329 German aircraft destroyed
       • Average of 77 aircraft lost per month
     • Achieved very little
   • Phase 3: V1 attacks (Jun. 1944 - Sept. 1944), V2 attacks (Sept. 1944 - Mar. 1945)
     • V1: 17% hit rate
     • Most V1s hit the suburbs
     • V1: 2000 lbs of explosives
     • The British government lied to the public about the first V-2 attack, claiming the explosions to be caused by the gas mains
     • V1: Distinctive low growl of the engine
     • V2s hit with surprise as they generated a sonic boom during flight, breaking the sound barrier

4. Shelters

   • Anderson Shelters
     • 1.5M distributed free of charge
     • Named after Sir John Anderson, who led the Anderson Committee
   • Morrison Shelters
     • "Morrison Sandwiches" - concrete pillboxes
   • Underground shelters
     • Aldwych tube station
     • Savoy Hotel