If you've ever felt blasé when old folk talk about the London Blitz...

[Hibbyradge]

This should shake your indifference.

I know it did mine!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-20637222

[wpj]

This should shake your indifference.

I know it did mine!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-20637222

Saw this on the London news this morning, will be going online to check it out in more detail later, especially my neighbourhood, would like to see a map of Britain.

[lyonhibs]

I've never felt blasé about the Blitz, but that website is fascinating. The photo of the area surrounding St Paul's the morning after that area got carpeted makes it all the more incredible that it survived.

[Phil D. Rolls]

I've never felt blasé about the Blitz, but that website is fascinating. The photo of the area surrounding St Paul's the morning after that area got carpeted makes it all the more incredible that it survived.

I heard that the Luftwaffe wanted it there as a landmark for navigation.

[ballengeich]

I heard that the Luftwaffe wanted it there as a landmark for navigation.

The same was said about Cologne cathedral on the other side. I'm not convinced that bombs could be delivered that accurately.

[hibby rae]

The same was said about Cologne cathedral on the other side. I'm not convinced that bombs could be delivered that accurately.

They couldn't. During the war there was a report (by D.M.Butt I think) that showed that, for example, only 1 out of 10 planes dropped their bombs within 5 miles of the target in the Ruhr. It was one of the main reasons the RAF switched to area bombing.

[GhostofBolivar]

They couldn't. During the war there was a report (by D.M.Butt I think) that showed that, for example, only 1 out of 10 planes dropped their bombs within 5 miles of the target in the Ruhr. It was one of the main reasons the RAF switched to area bombing.

Of course - on the other hand - on the raid that sank her, the RAF did get two direct hits on Tirpitz with Tallboys.

[RyeSloan]

Of course - on the other hand - on the raid that sank her, the RAF did get two direct hits on Tirpitz with Tallboys.

Indeed they did however that attack was with over 30 Lancasters....there had been many failed attempts before that cost scores of lives.

Barns Wallis of the bouncing bomb fame designed the tall boy iirc.

[PapillonVert]

We live in south-west London, an area which I always imagined was relatively unaffected compared to other parts of London.

Went on the site and was surprised to see how many bombs landed very near to us, although none in our wee street.

We live in an area which consists of several parallel rows of late Victorian terraced houses and I often wondered why in the streets which run parallel to ours, there were a number of houses whose architecture was quite different from all the typical and uniform Victorian terraces around.

Now I know why.

[hibby rae]

Of course - on the other hand - on the raid that sank her, the RAF did get two direct hits on Tirpitz with Tallboys.


Very true. However, that raid was launched by 617 squadron ( the dambusters) who were possibly the best bomber pilots in the world at the time and it was launched later in the war so possibly the technology or methods had been improved on plus the conditions may have been different. For example, less resistance from the Germans and the raid was launched in daylight.

[DarrenSQH]

The same was said about Cologne cathedral on the other side. I'm not convinced that bombs could be delivered that accurately.

I think if they wanted to hit the one in cologne they could easily have done, its bloody massive.

[Phil D. Rolls]

We live in south-west London, an area which I always imagined was relatively unaffected compared to other parts of London.

Went on the site and was surprised to see how many bombs landed very near to us, although none in our wee street.

We live in an area which consists of several parallel rows of late Victorian terraced houses and I often wondered why in the streets which run parallel to ours, there were a number of houses whose architecture was quite different from all the typical and uniform Victorian terraces around.

Now I know why.

Keith Richards, in his autobiography, recalls how many planes offloaded their bombs on Dartford on their way home.