The+Blitz

The Blitz is the title given to the German bombing campaign on British cities during World War 2. However, the term ‘Blitz’ is more commonly used for the bombing campaign against London. After the failure of the Battle of Britain, the Germans attempted to bomb London and other major cities into submission.



The huge fear generated by the Guernica bombing during the war convinced many people that a civilian population could be bombed into submission. The theory was that the population, in constant fear of a sudden and violent death, would put pressure on their government to surrender. If that government did not surrender, then the population would take to the streets, riot and overthrow the government. The whole point of a sustained bombing campaign was to destroy a nation’s morale. However the Nation's morale was still high and everybody pulled together even more tightly. Children were taught songs to help them through the trauma of the Blitz.

Songs from the Blitz

By mid-September 1940, the Battle of Britain had been lost by the Germans. This was the first setback Hitler had received during World War 2. The Blitz on British cities – night-time raids as opposed to daytime to enhance the fear factor – was Hitler’s attempt to destroy Britain’s morale. The attacks started on September 7th 1940 and continued to May 1941.



Swansea during the blitz

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