Blitz, The, was a series of German aerial attacks during the Battle of Britain , an air conflict between British and German forces during World War II (1939-1945). The word Blitz comes from the German Blitzkrieg (lightning war). Germany’s objective was to gain air superiority prior to an invasion of the United Kingdom. See World War II (The Battle of Britain) .
Beginning on Sept. 7, 1940, German warplanes bombed London for 57 straight days. The Royal Air Force survived the attacks, however, and Operation Sea Lion, the planned German invasion, was called off. Germany shifted its attack emphasis from bombing factories and airfields to bombing the cities themselves. On December 29, the Germans dropped incendiary and high explosive bombs on central London. The attack started 1,500 fires and severely damaged the docks.
The last big raid on London was on May 10, 1941, when the House of Commons was gutted. More than 43,000 people throughout the United Kingdom were killed in the Blitz or died from injuries received during the raids.
