The night of 24th August saw the 80th anniversary of the first bombs being dropped by the Luftwaffe on central London, hitting homes, factories and dockyards across the city.
Until this point, Luftwaffe bombing had mostly been focused on military targets, such as airfields. Although the suburbs around London had been bombed, 24th of August was the first time that these attacks were focused on such densely populated areas, with multiple raids throughout the night targeting areas such as Hackney, Kingston and West Ham. The map below shows the locations of the attacks, with each raid a different colour. By September, London was being routinely bombed by the Luftwaffe in an attempt to break British morale known as 'The Blitz'.
The attacks enraged Churchill, who ordered three raids on Berlin within the next week, the first time that the British had targeted the German capital.
But why was London bombed on this particular day? Many believe it was an accident, and that the navigation and location systems of the Luftwaffe were incorrect. The attack was claimed to be the result of one or two He111 bombers, who were intending to target Rochester and Thameshaven, unintentionally bombing London after they were unable to locate their intended targets.
However, records now indicate that there were at least three raids during the night, leading to many more questions on whether the bombing was intentional.
RSK Ordnance Management can support your projects in London and throughout the UK. If you are looking for support with unexploded ordnance, whether it be a Stage 1 Preliminary Risk Assessment or on-site support, please get in touch with us!
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Satellite Avionics Engineer
1wWell done Liz, BAE is a great company, years ago I was a RE of several Airborne Reciever systems. Many platforms use their systems for good reasons. Are you staying local? They are truly everywhere, Ive even seen an office in Redmond Washington. Best wishes.