Search results for ""Author John Conen""

Historical events which are frequently mentioned in passing, but never explored in any depth or detail always arouse curiosity. One such event is the 'Little Blitz' on London in the early part of 1944. The 'Little Blitz' is the name applied to the air raids on Britain which were the manifestation of the Luftwaffe's Operation Steinbock, planned in the last few months of 1943 and put into effect from the middle of January 1944. The raids, planned as revenge for the destructive RAF raids on Berlin, mainly targeted London, and after nearly three years of respite from air raids, the 'Little Blitz' was an unwelcome surprise for Londoners. The offensive was largely ineffective, but some of the raids caused significant casualties and damage, and some alarm amongst the population and the authorities. This is the first account of the 'Little Blitz' to explore these raids in detail and assess their impact on London. The Little Blitz: The Luftwaffe's Last Attack on London describes the raids, making use of some vivid personal accounts.

Read more less

This is the story of the London Blitz of 1940-41 and is a combination of social and military history of this time. The title emphasises bombing over blitz as the word 'Blitz' has now taken on a much more general meaning associated with Britain's wartime spirit. This book describes how the Blitz progressed from the daylight attacks of the summer of 1940 through to the major raids of the spring of 1941, and looks at exactly what happened in the metropolis in those years. During the course of these attacks thousands of bombs fell on London, many triggering an ‘incident, a bland word that on hundreds of occasions effectively resulted in a disaster which in peacetime would have made national headlines. A chronology of the London Blitz forms the centrepiece of this account, exploring the progress of the aerial attack, what happened in each raid, the human cost and material destruction, the buildings destroyed or damaged and the people killed and injured. These major bombing incidents and bomb-related events have remained little-known since the War. The Civilian War Dead Roll of Honour and the London Gazette – sources of which only limited use has been previously made – are used to investigate these events. The damage to London’s buildings has also seldom been fully explored. The book covers all the major losses suffered during the war, what happened to the damaged buildings after it and how that destruction has influenced today’s townscape. It will help readers appreciate what happened in the capital in the grim years 1940-41, and celebrate and recognise those Londoners who endured it.

Read more less