The Blitz - 14th November 1940

The German electronic guidance systems were very accurate. From what I recall, the first wave of bombers ('Pathfinder') used these and dropped flares that lit up the city to highlight it. They were followed by waves of bombers with a mix of incendiary devices and high explosives, designed to create a firestorm (which is what happened in the Cathedral). The high explosives would damage buildings and the incendiary devices land inside them and set fire to contents. Coventry was a 'legitimate' target, as it was a major centre for the manufacture of weapons, and the city centre was filled with small/medium sized businesses. It wasn't even a successful raid, in terms of stopping war production (it didn't) or demoralising the people. It could be argued that the front page headlines of a bombed cathedral was great propaganda for persuading the US to enter the war.

There is a story that in one of the Coventry factories there was a German engineer who went home just prior to the outbreak of the war. In the early days a German fighter plane appeared at the time of the shift change and began machine gunning people as they streamed through the gate. The story goes that it must have been someone who knew the shift change times, and as they dived for cover people shook their fists up and shouted "We know who you are you bu**er ! You're Herman Shickelgruber", or whatever his name was. We lived in Nuneaton and on the night of the blitz my father was on fire watch duty in Coventry where he worked. I remember from our back garden as we went to the shelter hearing the bombs and seeing the searchlights and the sky lit up over Coventry like a sunrise. Next morning, 15 November, which was my birthday, my father didn't come home and my mother was worried sick. He showed up eventually in the late afternoon, having walked home, covered in dust and dirt from helping to fight fires and dig people out -- the best birthday present I ever had I think.

Whether or not ex-employees had anything to do with the machine gun strafing at that particular factory, there are photographs in books showing Luftwaffe officers in full uniform being shown round the Armstrong Siddeley factory at Parkside a few years before the war. There are also German aerial photos of the city identifying by name key industries such as the above and Sterling Metals etc. With the saturation bombing inflicted on the city they had a good chance of hitting most if not all of the intended targets. It has been rumoured that the IRA had supplied Germany through their agents in Dublin early in the war, details of targets in many major cities. Not forgetting of course that IRA bombs had exploded in other cities, not just Coventry prior to the outbreak of war.

Wearethemods, America as well aided the Germans' war. How the Allied multinationals supplied Nazi Germany throughout World War II Rockefeller, Rothschilds, Frankfurt etc derive from Germany with the exception of JP Morgan who derive from Wales. Henry Ford his father was Irish from County Cork. The Bush family laundered money for Hitler. The only ones who gain from wars are the banks and the business they own. Rothschilds are Jews, they loaned UK money to fight WWI, WWII, JP Morgan also loaned UK money for war. Also A recent programme, Churchill knew of a spy an officer in R.A.F who retired from the R.A.F., also was a Lord too who would journey back and fro to Japan giving them vital secrets of ours, even showing them how to build ship aircraft carriers. Churchill was warned to move him but as he was one of the old boys buddies he allowed him to remain, which is the reason we no longer rule the world and caused us to be bankrupt. Churchill like Cameron is related to the Queen.

There are so many rumours and myths about WW2. If German bomb aiming was so accurate why did the UK have any factories producing war goods? Surely with such accuracy all factories would be demolished. This thread mentions the gas works and the power station where little or no damage occurred although bombs did drop in the vicinity. I remember Biffins chip shop in Proffit Ave receiving an almost direct hit, was that targeted? Was our house in Old Church Rd a target? I think not. The Germans did the same as we did, blanket bomb an area and hope for the best. There were no major factories in Coventry totally destroyed. The facts speak for themselves. It is an interesting point about straffing. The ME109 had a range of 90 minutes, that is if it was not involved in dog fights, then it would be less. This would have given the 109 about 20 minutes over London, Coventry would be way out of range. The ME110 was even worse. So, I remember 109s over Coventry in daylight, the only way they got to reach here was if they used drop tanks. Hermann refused to have drop tanks fitted but Galland had tanks made using moulded plywood, were they used? The 109 certainly used something or they wouldn't have got back to France. The Hawker Hurricane and the Spitfire had the same problem. Hawkers first design of the Hurricane he called the Hawker Slip Wing, this was really a bi plane with the top wing carrying extra fuel that could be "slipped" when empty.

Up to now I haven't read anyones peoples stories from the blitz online, stating all factories here were totalled, but I have read they were bombed. I know for fact Jag & Daimler Radford was hit not totalled, as my mum and dad worked there. I also know the Alvis was hit too as my dad and uncle helped dig out the dead bodies and take some to Livingstone Rd baths where there was a overspill mortuary as the main one was full. The Bombing Of Coventry In 1940 by C N Trueman

Yes Morgana a lot of factories were damaged along with churches, cinemas, pubs etc. All victims of blanket bombing.

Like I said the whole city was a bullseye, and people lived in arms length of all the major factories, so both was going to get hit, and I think dutchman said the GEC was totally flattened, and I'm glad someone else cheered when their father got home from helping out, I was beginning to think we were an odd family living through such times. I know what I saw, and how I felt at that time, and that's me out on this subject. Regards Kaga.

Well the FACTS are that the X-Gerat guidance system WAS accurate, hence why Britain engaged in the 'battle of the beams' to build countermeasures to block it. The raid on Coventry wasn't carpet bombing like the sort we inflicted on German cities in the closing days of the wars. Factories can be moved (some of Coventry's manufacturing was moved to new locations, such as the Land Rover plant in Solihull) and machinery wasn't destroyed by the bombing and could be got back into working order quickly. It didn't take long to get production up and running after a raid, and the raids weren't sustained or concentrated in time.

The reason they hit houses was to return what Churchill done to them, hit working class homes to dishearten the people, Hitler didn't want to bomb civilian targets, Churchill did and was first to do so.

Yes the Germans had several of these beam systems, think one was called Lorenz or something similar, also there was Night Beam that Germany called Nicht??? I can't remember, Flideray and also as you say X Gerat. As I said in previous posts that if these beams were so good why did Britain have any factories left? That would have been a quick way for Herr Hitler to finish the war. Why was Biffins chip shop destroyed? Why was a long stretch of residential housing destroyed on Foleshill Rd? Ulrich Steinhilper was the force behind the development of these and other systems. He was tasked with destroying British radar of which there were about 40 stations around Britain. Ventnor suffered most damage and was out of action for two days. Others had slight damage that did not stop them from operating. The German beams were good but not THAT good. There was not one factory in Coventry that was totally destroyed although many attempts were made. If one considers the size of these factories the probability of them getting hit even by random bombing is high. Yes, Bomber Harris ordered blanket bombing, he believed that was the way to finish the war. I don't believe that he was right. I know that the bombing of Coventry just made people more determined to carry on. For me, this topic is getting tiresome, so like Kaga I am out of here. This discussion could go round and round forever.

The GEC Whitefriars works was totally destroyed, it's the reason they moved to the former Rudge Works in Spon End. The former Triumph works in Priory Street, Cope Street, Dale Street and Cox Street was also totally destroyed. It was being used by smaller companies to make aircraft components at the time.

Lets not forget Rob's fabulous section on The Blitz over in the main Historic Coventry site. It can be found HERE - and mentions the "beams" on page 4 (Defending Coventry)

I appreciate that Norman Conquest said he was tiring of the topic but noticed that he said he had lived in Arbury Avenue. I was born in Arbury Avenue (in 1951) and have moved 100 yds into Astley Avenue. Thought you might be interested in this aerial photo from 1946 courtesy of Britain from above which shows Arbury Avenue at bottom of photo running left to right and the cul-de-sacs of Astley & Evelyn Avenues running off it. The arrow on Astley Avenue shows a light area which was the cleared bomb damage of 30 Astley Avenue. Mr Samuel Walter Tipson was not at home at the time but tragically his wife Ellen (39) and four children Joan (13) Pamela Eliza (6) Alan Roy (3) and Patricia Ann (9 months) all died on 14/11/1940 and are buried in the communal grave at London Road Cemetery.