One of the main reasons why the Nazi Germany finally lost World War II was Hitler’s failed strategic bombing campaign of the United Kingdom. The Blitz lasted for eight months from September 1940 to May 1941, the Luftwaffe bombers attacked 16 British cities. Over a period of 267 days, London was attacked 71 times, including 57 consecutive nights of raids on the capital.
The fortitude and defiance of British citizens helped the Royal Air Force to fend off Hitler’s offensive during the early stages of the war. The last major attack on London began on the evening of Saturday May 10, 1941, known as “The Longest Night.” Luftwaffe bombers made 571 flight attacks and dropped 800 tonnes of bombs, killing 1,436 people.
The Blitz ultimately killed over 20,000 people in London and left another 1.5 million homeless. The destruction also changed the capital’s landscape more than at any time since the Great Fire of 1666. The following set of digital composite images make a tragic yet heroic comparison between scenes of London in 1940 and 1941 and present day to mark the 75th anniversary of the end of the Blitz in London on May 11, 2016.
