Beginning in September 1940, the Blitz was an aerial bombing campaign conducted by the Luftwaffe against British cities. Over a period of nine months, over 43,500 civilians were killed in the raids, which focused on major cities and industrial centres. 

Two Dornier Do 217 bombers flying over the Plumstead sewer bank, Crossness pumping station and the Royal Arsenal butts on Saturday 7 September 1940, the first day of the sustained Blitz on London.
© IWM C 5424
Photograph by unknown German photographer, Two Dornier Do 217 bombers flying over the Plumstead sewer bank, Crossness pumping station and the Royal Arsenal butts on Saturday 7 September 1940.
1. A Raid From Above

Two German bombers fly over south-east London on the first day of the Blitz, 7 September 1940.

Damage to the north transept of St Paul's Cathedral caused by a bomb during the Blitz.
© IWM PL 4864A
2.St Paul's Cathedral

Damage to St Paul's Cathedral. A bomb hit the north transept, crashed through the floor and exploded into the crypt.

Buildings surrounding a bus station in Manchester burning after a German air raid on the night of 23 December 1940.
© IWM H 6319
3. Fires In Manchester

Buildings in Manchester burn after an air raid on the night of 23 December 1940.

East End Wine Merchant's Cellar: Old woman sleeps in a bed constructed on top of a row of barrels.
© IWM D 1507
4.Taking Shelter

A woman sleeps on a bed made on top of a row of barrels in the cellar of a wine merchant's in East London in 1940.

In the aftermath of a bombing raid, a bus lies in a crater in Balham, South London.
© IWM HU 36188
5. Damage in South London

A bus lies in a crater in Balham, south London, after a bombing raid.

Bomb damage in Broadgate, central Coventry, the morning after the German air raid on the night of 14 November 1940.
© IWM H 5600
6. Broadgate, Central Coventry

Bomb damage in the centre of Coventry after the devastating German air raid on the night of 14 November 1940.

Elephant and Castle London Underground Station Shelter: People sleeping on the crowded platform of Elephant and Castle tube station while taking shelter from German air raids during the London Blitz.
© IWM D 1568
7. Sheltering In The Tube

Civilians take shelter in Elephant and Castle Underground Station in south London during an air raid in November 1940.

Only one very badly damaged house still stands amidst the huge piles of timber and rubble following an air raid on Queen's Road, Aston, Birmingham.
© IWM D 4130
8. Queen's Road, Birmingham

One badly damaged house still stands amidst the piles of timber and rubble following an air raid on Queen's Road, Aston, Birmingham, on 11 December 1940.

A group of local boys play a game of cards in this air raid shelter, probably a basement shelter, somewhere in South East London, in November 1940.
© IWM D 1619
9. Passing Time In An Air Raid Shelter

Local boys play a game of cards in an air raid shelter in south-east London in November 1940.

Troops of 9th Battalion, the Hampshire Regiment, helping to clear bomb damage in Hull.
© IWM H 11954
10. Clearing Damage in Hull

Troops of 9th Battalion, The Hampshire Regiment, clear bomb damage in Hull sustained during the Blitz.

Shop mannequins are among the debris that litters the pavement outside the John Lewis department store on London's Oxford Street, following an air raid on London. Windows have been blown out and awnings damaged.
© IWM D 1091
11. Mannequins Outside John Lewis, London

Mannequins litter the pavement outside the John Lewis department store on London’s Oxford Street after an air raid in September 1940.

Workers in the John Keble Church kitchen supply tea to other shelter volunteers to be distributed to shelterers.
© IWM D 1435
12. Refreshments In An Air Raid Shelter

Volunteers prepare to distribute tea to people taking shelter in North London.

The ruins of Coventry cathedral two days after the German Luftwaffe air raid on the city on the night of 14 November 1940.
© IWM H 5603
13. Coventry Cathedral

The ruins of Coventry Cathedral two days after the air raid on the city in November 1940.

Man sleeping in a stone sarcophagus in Christ Church, London, during an air raid.
© IWM D 1511
Man sleeping in a stone sarcophagus in Christ Church, London, during an air raid. Photograph by Bill Brandt.
14. A Makeshift Bed

A man sleeping in a stone sarcophagus in an East London church in November 1940.

A young boy called Leslie plants a Union Flag into the pile of rubble and debris that is all that is left of his home, following an air raid on London, 1940.
© IWM D 1303
15. Life Goes On In London

A young boy places a Union flag into the remains of his home, which was destroyed in an air raid on London in 1940.

Related content

Fire fighters tackle fires burning in Manchester during an air raid on 23-24 December.
© IWM (H 6324)
Second World War

The Manchester Blitz

In late autumn 1940, the Blitz spread beyond London to Britain's other major towns and cities. Many were the locations of major war industries. However, it was often their compact commercial centres and residential areas that were most badly affected by air raids.

Remains of the 600-year-old St Michael's Cathedral two days after the devastating air raid on Coventry on 14-15 November 1940
© IWM (H 5603)
Second World War

The Blitz Around Britain

The 'Blitz' – from the German term Blitzkrieg ('lightning war') – was the sustained campaign of aerial bombing attacks on British towns and cities carried out by the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) from September 1940 until May 1941.

Air raid damage: Liverpool.
The Blitz

The Liverpool Blitz

Liverpool experienced its first air raid in August 1940 and was targeted regularly through the autumn of 1940 with 15 raids in September and nine in October. The first major raid came on 28 November when it was hit by 350 tons of high explosive bombs, 30 land mines and 3,000 incendiaries. 

Nightly blackouts at Piccadilly Circus in 1940 during the Blitz.
© IWM D (000712)
The Blitz

The Blitz in photographs

The Blitz and its vivid collection of photographs is the sixth title in the new series showcasing the best of IWM’s photography collection and is available to buy from the IWM Shop. 

These striking photographs tell the stories of those who experienced the Blitz and highlight the bravery and determination of civilians in wartime Britain.

Black and white image showing the aftermath of a bombing raid on the city of London.
© Public Domain - Wikimedia Commons
Second World War

Did the Blitz make London richer?

The Blitz, the German bombing campaign against Britain during the Second World War, had a profound impact on London. From September 1940, the German Luftwaffe dropped some 20,000 bombs on the city, killing thousands, and leaving many more homeless. But for all its human cost, new research has revealed that the London Blitz may also have had some positive effects on the capital. 

Winston Churchill visiting the ruins of Coventry Cathedral
Second World War

Could the Blitz have made Britain surrender?

London, Coventry, Manchester and many more were bombed. But could the Blitz have worked?

In this episode of IWM Stories, Senior Curator Ian Kikuchi answers that very question by looking at one the deadliest nights of the Blitz, the bombing of Coventry.