World War II brought a lot of grief to people all over the world. It is difficult to explain in words all the absurdity and horror of hostilities. This is another proof that such events shouldn’t happen in the civilised world. The period of the Second World War was one of the most difficult for the residents of London. Of course, the whole of Great Britain was well-prepared in advance and had good positioning, but it didn’t do much to reduce air attacks. What events were the most terrifying? What was done to ensure the livelihood and protection of the city? How did the capital manage to survive? Learn more at london-yes.
The first shots and the importance of preliminary preparation
Great Britain, and in particular its capital, showed that preliminary preparations are very important. Of course, unlike many other cities in Europe, London had more time to carry them out. Thus, providing explanatory instructions to the population, practising, preparing for possible bombings and gas attacks as well as creating the necessary facilities for evacuation gave the city an advantage in many areas. Politicians and military commanders analysed the actions of the enemy during the First World War. It showed that psychological preparation is extremely important as well. After all, the results of the bombings could damage not only the physical but also the mental health of the population. It was also likely that the Germans could use any weapon, including poison gas. In general, the country’s government expected the shelling to begin much earlier. Therefore, preparatory measures were carried out at the beginning of the Second World War.
It is also worth noting that during the year of waiting for possible enemy attacks, a large part of the population hasn’t performed the actions they should have. Most of the evacuated children returned home again, people no longer took gas masks along leaving their homes and used the available products quite irresponsibly. The situation changed dramatically in September 1940 when London was attacked from the air. The enemy resorted to bombing industrial centres, infrastructure and the most famous architectural monuments after the German air force began to lose the battle for Britain. One of the first and most terrible events for London took place on September 15, 1940. Then the city was being shelled all day long. A few months later, the enemy carried out such a large-scale air raid that the capital was engulfed by a huge fire. Such a disaster hasn’t arisen in the city since the Great Fire of London.
Further shelling and actions of the population
Initially, London was bombarded mainly during the day, although the shelling was prolonged. However, a little later, the enemy took up another tactic and started to do it at night. Thus, during the first days of the Blitz, the capital of Great Britain was attacked more than 50 nights in a row. However, the population mentally coped with such a horror better than it was expected. Moreover, Londoners played a major role in the defence of their city. A large number of people (mostly men) were mobilised, but those who didn’t join the army did their best to resist the enemy. People joined Air Raid Precautions, the Auxiliary Fire Service and the Home Guard. All of those organisations brought civilians together, supported the British army, carried out preparations for aerial attacks and also helped to put out fires. Even teenagers were involved in such activities. In particular, various youth organisations (for example, scouts) assisted the emergency services. Thanks to the unity of the people, London survived those terrible events.