Between
7th September 1940 and 11th May 1941 London suffered under the terrible
Blitzkrieg ('lightning war') of Nazi bombers. The damage and
casualties caused by almost 19,000 tons of high explosive dropped over
the city were enormous: over 15,000 people lost their lives and 3,500,000
buildings were damaged or destroyed.
Much
of London's heritage vanished, and many of the ancient buildings that
survived could not be repaired until the 1960s or 1970s due to the high
cost and lack of materials in post-war Britain. The photo to the left
above shows planes flying over St Paul's and Ludgate Hill in 1940 -
most of the area surrounding St Paul's was devastated although the cathedral
itself was saved. To the right members of London's Fire Brigade battle
flames during the height of the Blitz.
