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In 1940 and 1941, German aeroplane dropped bombs on many British cities. This was called The Blitz.

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The Battle of Britain

In June 1940, Germany defeated France. Next Germany started to fight Britain. There were many battles in the sky between German and British aeroplanes. This was called the Battle of Britain. The Battle of Britain happened from July to October 1940. The Germans lost more planes than the British.

The Start of the Blitz

But in September 1940, the Germans started to attack British cities as well. On 7th September 1940, the Germans dropped bombs on London. This was the first air raid on London. 430 people were killed and 1600 were badly hurt. The next day, there was another air raid on London and 412 people were killed.

Other Cities
The Germans attacked other cities, including Birmingham, Coventry, Liverpool, Plymouth, Glasgow and Portsmouth. The bombs destroyed houses and often started fires. On 14th November 1940, there was a big air raid on Coventry. The bombs started over 200 fires and the old centre of Coventry was destroyed. Coventry Cathedral was destroyed.

Air Raid Shelters

People in the cities had to stay in air raid shelters. Many people built an air raid shelter in their garden. They were called Anderson Shelters. They had a metal roof. People often slept in Anderson Shelters during the night because the German aeroplanes usually attacked during the night. The Blitz continued for nine months. After June 1941 there were fewer air raids because the Germans started to attack Russia. Two million houses were destroyed during the Blitz and 60,000 people were killed.

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