My latest blog covers the 8 month bombing campaign of an area of suburban East London. When I first started writing it I didn't realise how grim the weather was. Not only did people have to deal with living in a war zone they were also faced with a soaking November - there hasn't been a wetter one since. And a relatively severe winter. Remember this was before the time of central heating and all the home comforts people take for granted these days.
https://wansteadmeteo.wordpress.com/category/the-blitz/

On 01/08/2015 09:31, Scott W wrote:
My latest blog covers the 8 month bombing campaign of an area of suburban East London. When I first started writing it I didn't realise how grim the weather was. Not only did people have to deal with living in a war zone they were also faced with a soaking November - there hasn't been a wetter one since. And a relatively severe winter. Remember this was before the time of central heating and all the home comforts people take for granted these days.
https://wansteadmeteo.wordpress.com/category/the-blitz/

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Super drama doc on tonight about a Battle of Britain pilot from 92
Squadron. Very moving. True heroes amongst many others.
Dave

On Sat, 1 Aug 2015 01:31:43 -0700 (PDT)
Scott W wrote:

My latest blog covers the 8 month bombing campaign of an area of
suburban East London. When I first started writing it I didn't
realise how grim the weather was. Not only did people have to deal
with living in a war zone they were also faced with a soaking
November - there hasn't been a wetter one since. And a relatively
severe winter. Remember this was before the time of central heating
and all the home comforts people take for granted these days.
https://wansteadmeteo.wordpress.com/category/the-blitz/


The severe wartime winters coincided with a peak, at the time, in
global temperatures. This was due to the then warming Arctic producing
a stronger upper-wind circulation rather than the modern theory that
the current warming will cause a weaker one.

The Blitz came about as part of a series of unintended consequences. A
German bomber dropped its load of bombs on London by accident instead
of its intended target - probably an airfield. Churchill then ordered
the bombing of a German city in retaliation and therefore Hitler
replied by bombing London. The targeting of London by German bombers
instead of airfields prevented Germany winning the Battle of Britain.
One lost German bomber probably won the war for us. Scary how that was
only one of a series of incidents that, had they gone the other way,
could have resulted in a different conclusion to the war.

--
Graham P Davis, Bracknell, Berks. [Retd meteorologist/programmer]
http://www.scarlet-jade.com/
I wear the cheese. It does not wear me.
Posted with Claws: http://www.claws-mail.org/

I always thought it was because Hitler turned his attention to the east and Russia that we got away with worse? The Germans had the aircraft, bombs and firepower to really crank up the bombing, if only the generals had been brave enough to 'go for broke'. Luckily for us London and many other cities would have been completely flattened.

On Sun, 2 Aug 2015 11:33:03 -0700 (PDT)
Scott W wrote:

I always thought it was because Hitler turned his attention to the
east and Russia that we got away with worse? The Germans had the
aircraft, bombs and firepower to really crank up the bombing, if only
the generals had been brave enough to 'go for broke'. Luckily for us
London and many other cities would have been completely flattened.

Yes, but this was way earlier. We would've lost the war long before
Hitler turned against Russia.

Before that, Churchill could have lost us the war by committing all our
aircraft towards a fruitless defence of France. Luckily, Dowding
managed to persuade him not to do that else there wouldn't have been a
Battle of Britain because we'd've had no aircraft or pilots.

--
Graham P Davis, Bracknell, Berks. [Retd meteorologist/programmer]
http://www.scarlet-jade.com/
I wear the cheese. It does not wear me.
Posted with Claws: http://www.claws-mail.org/

On Sunday, August 2, 2015 at 9:01:06 PM UTC+1, Graham P Davis wrote:
On Sun, 2 Aug 2015 11:33:03 -0700 (PDT)
Scott W wrote:

I always thought it was because Hitler turned his attention to the
east and Russia that we got away with worse? The Germans had the
aircraft, bombs and firepower to really crank up the bombing, if only
the generals had been brave enough to 'go for broke'. Luckily for us
London and many other cities would have been completely flattened.

Yes, but this was way earlier. We would've lost the war long before
Hitler turned against Russia.

Before that, Churchill could have lost us the war by committing all our
aircraft towards a fruitless defence of France. Luckily, Dowding
managed to persuade him not to do that else there wouldn't have been a
Battle of Britain because we'd've had no aircraft or pilots.

--
Graham P Davis, Bracknell, Berks. [Retd meteorologist/programmer]
http://www.scarlet-jade.com/
I wear the cheese. It does not wear me.
Posted with Claws: http://www.claws-mail.org/

How much of a deterrent would the poor weather in November have been to German bombing sorties? Say the weather had been like it is today ie much milder and more benign - would the Axis have been able to bomb much more relentlessly and broke the Allies' spirit?