The Blitz - 14th November 1940

Just a thought about the need for ongoing secrecy regarding Bletchley Park; some times it is as important to know what your friends are saying behind your back as it is your enemies!

Even some places marked red on the map though badly damaged were brought back into production quite quickly. My father cycled to work at GEC Ford St., (marked red above centre right of the map) soon after the "all-clear" on 16th November to find one end of the workshop the floor had been lifted up by blast entering a culvert underneath, but his milling machine was undamaged although the roof above it was missing. He was given work on reclamation and after covering the roof with tarpaulin was back working when the electricity was restored a few days later. On his way into work he passed a partly destroyed house with a land mine swinging from a parachute caught on the rafters. He could not take the same route home because several unexploded bombs had been discovered.

I was also led to believe that the IRA Bomb placed in Broadgate a few Months prior was a target to help the Germans locate the City Centre. I have no idea whether there is any truth in this or not.

I'm not sure how that would've helped them mods............ If you ever visit the Air Museum they have some interesting Luftwaffe maps showing how they used the lines of Holyhead Road etc. to guide them towards town

The moon was obviously a key part of the raid. I believe that small planes used to and maybe still do navigate partly using major roads as route maps. I do know that the Germans put a call out to collect images and maps from tourists for chosen targets - hence the Baedeker Raids. Coventry was changing at a staggering rate before the war, even without things like the shadow factories, so I wonder how useful the information they collected was? Once the city was alight, it was its own beacon. According to Wikipedia (ok, I know ) the raid went on for hours and the bombers went back to France to pick up more bombs. If that was the case then there wasn't much that could be done stop a raid. Once the first bombs dropped, the British forces knew where the attack was and didn't need to put the codebreaking at risk of discovery but the raid continued. So apart from an early air raid warning, what would have happened differently if they had known that Coventry was the target and which night it was going to be on? Maybe the big secret was how vulnerable we were to bombers, whether we knew they were coming or not?

I think it will be one of those life mysteries that we may never know the full facts, though I do feel there were a compendium of scenarios. For small and light aircraft, they will use landscape features, even still today. There is a modern version of the Knickebein, called VOR, VHF Omnidirection Range, which allows all aircraft flying by VFR (Visual Flight Rules) to navigate by radio beacon from point to point. Typically light and small aircraft will use VFR while the larger commercial aircraft will be guided by eyes on the ground from Air Traffic Control. Modern ILS (instrument landing systems) are probably a more advanced version of the Knickebein, where the aircraft are guided to the runway touchdown point, not just by direction, but also height and angle of descent known as the glide path. A good example of a VOR is at Honiley near Balsall Common, on the grounds of the former RAF Honiley, now one of many of JLR's R&D sites. That's in a very basic nutshell for today's flight travel. In case anyone is wondering, I just have an interest in electronics and radio.

Interesting info. To think that there was such a lack of defence that they could return for a 2nd run is incredible to think. Not wanting to go down more rabbits holes of conspiracy, could there have still be a deliberate decision in not showing "their hand" yet, if the response in defence was too strong it may have given away the countries defensive abilities? That may not make any sense though to do that, it could be that there was the want to protect was being produced as when needed it really was going to be effective - save what they had rather than have a potential major loss of under cooked resources.

From Wikipedia In the Allied raids later in the war, 500 or more heavy four-engine bombers all delivered their 3,000-6,000 lb (1,400-2,700 kg) bomb loads in a concentrated wave lasting only a few minutes. At Coventry, the German twin-engined bombers carried smaller bomb loads (2,000-4,000 lb (910-1,810 kg)), and attacked in smaller waves. Each bomber flew several sorties over the target, returning to base in France for more bombs. Thus the attack was spread over several hours, and there were lulls in the raid when firefighters and rescuers could reorganise and evacuate civilians.