WW2 blits
WW2 blitzWhat was an air raid?An air raid was an attack by enemy
planes dropping bombs. Warning of enemy planes was given bysirens.
When people heard the sirens' wailing sound, they went intoair raid
shelters.Big bombs exploded with a loud bang and blew buildings
apart. Small bombs called 'incendiaries' started fires.
Firefighters worked bravely to put out the flames. Rescue teams
pulled people from fallen buildings. Ambulances took the injured to
hospital. When the planes had gone, the sirens sounded the 'All
Clear'.
The BlitzAir raids on London began in September 1940. This was
the start of theBlitz. Lots of other places were bombed, including
industrial cities and ports such as Birmingham, Coventry,
Southampton, Sheffield, Manchester, Liverpool, Hull and Glasgow.
There were air raids on seaside towns, such as Eastbourne, and on
cathedral cities such as Canterbury.In 1944, Britain faced attacks
from new weapons. First came the V-1, a robot 'flying bomb'. Then
there was the V-2, a rocket which flew so fast no-one could see or
hear it coming. London was the main target for V-1 and V-2
attacks.
Where did people shelter?
Many people had their ownair raid shelter. Called an Anderson
Shelter, it could be built in a small garden. It was made of steel
panels. The panels were 'corrugated' (made wavy), which made the
shelter strong, especially with soil spread over the top. There was
an entrance at one end. Inside was a bench-seat, which could become
a bed at night.Public shelters were made of brick and concrete.
No-one liked them much. They were dark, smelly and not as strong as
they looked. In London, more than 150,000 people went into
Undergroundstations every night for shelter. They slept on the
platforms.
A shelter at home
To put up an Anderson shelter, you had to have a garden. From
1941, people could have an indoor shelter, called a Morrison
shelter. It looked like a steel table with wire mesh around the
sides. You could play table tennis on top, and crawl inside to
play. People slept inside too, though it was a bit squashed and you
felt like monkeys in a cage!The Morrison shelter was very strong.
People inside were usually safe even if the ceiling of the room
fell down on top of them.
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