The Blitz 7 September

On this day, 7 September, in 1940, Nazi Germany started an aerial bombardment of Britain. Centred initially around the Docks situated in the East End of London, by the end of the war in 1945 the 'Blitz', as it became known, had inflicted around 43,000 deaths. Additionally, over a million houses were destroyed and 'bombsites' were still a part of Britains urban landscape until the early 1980s. Nevertheless, the Blitz failed to achieve the Germans' strategic objectives of knocking Britain out of the war or rendering it unable to resist an invasion. - So jolly hard cheese Adolf, you beastly, cabbage-eating swine!

The first raid on 7 September involved 300 bombers escorted by 600 fighters. A further 180 bombers attacked that night. Sadly, because of the inaccurate nature of bombing at the time, many of the bombs aimed at the docks fell on neighbouring residential areas, killing 430 Londoners and injuring another 1,600. This was a pattern that continued until mid-November 1940, with an average of 200 bombers attacking London almost every night.

By February 1941, when the Blitz still hadn't acheived its objective of bringing dear old Blighty to its knees, the focus of activity changed. (For those of you who are experts in such things, one of the major tenants of war-winning doctrine is 'maintenance of aim', which, luckily for us, young Mr Hitler didn't learn when he was at school - no doubt because of his all-consuming passion for painting houses and dressing up in strange outfits.) Anyway, Grand Admiral Erich Raeder, well known German nautical type, persuaded Adolf to switch the focus of the campaign and attack British ports in support of the Battle of the Atlantic. Hitler, being the sort of chap he was - always happy to oblige a sailor - issued a directive on 6 February ordering the Luftwaffe to concentrate its efforts on ports.

That pretty much blew his chances, especially since the plucky Brits had by now come up with the Bristol Beaufighter, mounted with airborne radar systems, ground-based radar systems that guided night fighters to their targets, and an increasing number of anti-aircraft guns and searchlights that were radar-controlled. The tide was turning against the Bosch and the Luftwaffe's losses mounted. Finally, with the impending invasion of Russia requiring the movement of air power to the East, the Blitz was wound down in May 1941. Hurrah!

We shouldn't forget though, that Adolf was a multi-faceted chap (for a murderous dictator, that is) and, whilst Blitzing our brave East-enders, he was also orchastrating the Treaty of Craiova between Romania and Bulgaria. The treaty, signed on 7 September 1940, forced Romania to give the southern part of Dobrogea (the Cadrilater) to Bulgaria and to participate in the organization of a 'population exchange'. 88,000 Romanians and Aromanians were forced to abandon their houses in southern Dobrogea to move north while 65,000 Bulgarians had to move south.

Ethnic cleansing by bomb or bullet - all one to your thorough-going tyrant.