London And WW2 (1939-45) - The Nature Of The Blitz Flashcards
1
Q
When was the first blitz (Black Saturday)
A
5pm on 7th September 1940 and lasted until 10th May 1941
2
Q
What were features of the first blitz (black saturday) ?
A
- first attack lasted 12 hours
- over 400 people were killed and 1600 injured
- attacks focused on industries, docks, railways and the east end
- raids aimed for high death tolls, serious urban damage and distruption of essential services
3
Q
How many people did conventional heavy bombing kill?
A
28,556
4
Q
What were the 3 types of bombs used
A
- Incendiaries
- High explosives
- Mines
5
Q
Incendiaries
A
- Dropped mainly by the first wave of bombers
- started the fires used by bombers as targets
- fires caused 90% of bombing damage
6
Q
High explosives
A
Were mainly dropped by later waves; some had delayed fuses to harm rescue workers
7
Q
Mines
A
The most powerful; dropped by parachute so attacks were silent and hard to detect
8
Q
What was the impact of V1 and V2 rockets? (1944-45)
A
- civilians morale was very low and factory workers were often absent from work
- more evacuations began and underground filled with civilians seeking shelter
- government popularity fell
- 30,000 houses destroyed and 29,000 people killed
9
Q
V2 attack on deptford
A
- 25th november 1944
- 160 killed and 200 injured
10
Q
V1 flying bomb
A
- Hit London targets in daytime
- Caused extensive damage and deaths
- Didn’t trigger air-raid warnings because they flew so low, so getting to air-raid shelters was difficult
- Most casualties caused by flying glass from explosions.
11
Q
V2 rocket
A
- The first ballistic missile (a rocket carrying a warhead)
- So fast that it exploded before people heard it coming; attacks continued until the launch sites were captured by the Allies in Europe.
