The Blitz: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 23:08, 15 July 2005

Revision as of 14:43, 26 July 2005

Line 26:

==The third phase==

In February 1941, Grand Admiral [[Erich Raeder]] persuaded Hitler to switch the focus of the bombing campaign to attacking British ports in support of the [[Kriegsmarine]]'s [[Second Battle of the Atlantic|Battle of the Atlantic]]. Hitler issued a directive on [[6 February]] ordering the Luftwaffe to concentrate its efforts on ports, notably [[Plymouth]], [[Portsmouth]], Bristol and Avonmouth, [[Swansea]], [[Merseyside]], [[Belfast]], [[Clydebank]], [[Kingston upon Hull|Hull]], [[Sunderland]], and [[Newcastle]]. 46 attacks were mounted against those cities between [[19 February]] and [[12 May]], with only seven directed against London, Birmingham, Coventry, and [[Nottingham]].

By this time, the effort was aimed as much against civilians as against industrial targets and the raids were intended to provoke terror among the civilian population. However, British defences had significantly improved by this time. The [[Bristol Beaufighter]], mounted with airborne radar systems, proved an effective weapon against incoming bombers when used in conjunction with ground-based radar systems that guided night fighters to their targets. An increasing number of anti-aircraft guns and searchlights were radar-controlled, improving the targeting of enemy aircraft. The Luftwaffe's losses mounted and, with the impending invasion of Russia requiring the movement of air power to the East, the Blitz was wound down in May 1941.