most bombed english city

[homer fan]

per capita, which english city recieved the most poundage of bombs during the second world war

[Octavius]

London was bombed nearly every night - The Blitz.

During September 1940, the German Air Force dropped 5,300 tons of high explosives on London in just 24 nights.

Other cities and towns were also heavily bombed, including Swansea, Cardiff, Bristol, Southampton, Plymouth, Birmingham, Coventry and Liverpool.

[coyn]

Since your question said PER CAPITA I would say Birmingham they had 2200 people killed London had 6000 killed, but the population of London is eight times bigger than Brum.

Assuming of course the site I googled is correct.

[Octavius]

I would disagree. Although Birmingham has for many years looked like a bomb has hit it, I would say that if it isn't London it would be Coventry.

The figures I came up with for London are that the blitz on London and the Southern counties continued for 57 consecutive nights and from 7th September 1940 to New Year's Day 1941 13,339 Londoners were killed and 17,937 seriously injured.

Coventry played a pivotal role in World War Two (1939-1945), as a munitions centre and target for German air raids. On 14 November 1940, 500 German bombers dropped 500 tons of explosives and nearly 900 incendiary bombs on Coventry in just ten hours.

The city was almost destroyed and the bombs claimed many lives.

[homer fan]

I was under the impression it was Plymouth, but this may be because I am from Plymouth, and I believe the local propaganda. This topic of discussion arose from last nights' programme 'firestorm' on Channel 4. None of the sites I looked at actually gave me any firm answers. Thankyou for your responses, if any one else has comments they would be welcome.

[Chessman]

I agree totall with Octavius, In one night, it was virually wiped out.

[don1]

The figures I came up with for London are that the blitz on London and the Southern counties continued for 57 consecutive nights and from 7th September 1940 to New Year's Day 1941 13,339 Londoners were killed and 17,937 seriously injured.

I dont normally trust the internet for facts and figures, but I would be interested to know why your 13000+ is more than the site I visited which gave a figure of less than half of that.

Do you have a link for that site Octavios? Perhaps it is more reliable than where I visited.

[Kingaroo]

Number of dead need not be factored into the per capita formula -- let's assume we're looking for pounds per person living in the city *before* it was bombed.

[Chessman]

Maybe you should look at Malta, it wasn't an English city, but at the time, it was British, in one four week period, they had more bombs dropped on them than London did during the worst year of the Blitz.

[hopalong]

Clydebank was also very heavily bombed but as Clydebank is in Scotland it doesn't count. Or at least that'd how you English feel about Scotland anyway

[janesmythe22]

If I remember well there is a term 'coventrization', meaning something like flattening (city) by heavy bombardment. One reason why Coventry twinned with Belgrade after WW2 (quite ironic after 1999 though). Why friends are for?

[Octavius]

Yes you are partly right.

Adolf Hitler singled out Coventry for heavy bombing raids, due to the fact that it was a major industrial centre providing the manufacture of aeroplanes, tanks, engines and armament. Large areas of the city were destroyed in a massive German bombing raid on November 14, 1940.

(Presumbaly estimates) 568 people were killed, 4,330 homes were destroyed and thousands more damaged in the attack which destroyed most of the city centre and the city's medieval cathedral. Industry was also hit hard with 75% of factories being damaged although war production was only briefly disrupted with much of it being continued in shadow factories around the city and further afield.

The devastation was so great that the word Koventrieren -- to "Coventrate" or devastate by aerial bombing -- entered the German and English languages. In response, two days later the Royal Air Force began to bomb Hamburg.

On the 8th April 1941 Coventry was hit by another massive air raid which brought the total dead to 1,236 with 1,746 injured.

Coventry is now twinned with 26 places across the world, including Dresden, Sarajevo, Volgograd and Warsaw amongst others.

[ed-lee]

After London, Birmingham and Hull received most bombs. (Tonnage).

But Coventry (centre) was the most 'devastated' site.

[elsiemary]

http://www.mayflowersteps.co.uk/plymouth/theblitz.html

[elsiemary]

London was the most obvious, Coventry and Plymouth virtually equal, Coventry due to the industrial link and Plymouth due to having the largest royal dockyard in addition to German knowledge the King & Queen were visiting during the most heaviest raid which made Plymouth an even more dedicated target.