How many tonnes of bombs did the Luftwaffe drop during the Blitz?
 

To follow up the D-Day discussion for purposes of comparison, I would like to ask whether anyone has figures of the tonnage of bombs dropped by the Luftwaffe during the Blitz in 1940 and 1941. I have found a figure of 31,822 tonnes in Richard Overy's Bombing War, but it isn't clear whether this refers to all operations, or just the major bombing raids.

Kind regards,

Dan

Re: How many tonnes of bombs did the Luftwaffe drop during the Blitz?
 

The slow way to find out is to go to the TSAMO site and add up the figures given in the Ob.d.L daily sitreps for the period although they tend to give tonnage of HE but numbers of incendiaries.

Re: How many tonnes of bombs did the Luftwaffe drop during the Blitz?
 

There is a chart at the end of this article, taken from a book by John Ray The Night Blitz: 1940–1941.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blitz

The chart tonnage omits raids where under 100 tonnes were dropped. If I did the math right it totals 30,176.

Re: How many tonnes of bombs did the Luftwaffe drop during the Blitz?
 

Hi Dan

I have been working on tonnages (metric) aimed at, and/or dropped on, the UK throughout the war based on e.g. intercept data, contemporary UK estimates, and what knot. I stress this very much represents a work in progress but the figures are beginning to look fairly robust, and in line with the Richard Overy Bombing War figures

Monthly statistics for September 1939 to December 1941 are as follows: September 1939: 4 tonnes; Oct 1939: 70 tonnes, November 1939: 36 tonnes, December 1939: 16 tonnes, January 1940: 60 tonnes, February 1940: 61 tonnes, March 1940: 111 tonnes, April 1940: 118 tonnes, May 1940: 46 tonnes, June 1940: 884 tonnes; July 1940: 1,345 tonnes (day); 829 tonnes (night); August 1940: 3,590 tonnes (day); 3,180 tonnes (Night); Sep 1940: 3,840 tonnes (day); 6,135 tonnes (night); Oct 1940: 1,065 tonnes (day); 5,845 tonnes (night); Nov 1940: 610 tonnes (Day); 5055 tonnes (night); Dec 1940: No recorded daytime tonnage; 3,565 tonnes (night); January 1941: 2,373 tonnes, February 1941: 1,351 tonnes; March 1941: 4,168 tonnes; April 1941: 5,386 tonnes; May 1941 4,673 tonnes; June 1941: 1,528 tonnes; July 1941: 1,150 tonnes; August 1941: 318 tonnes; September 1941: 262 tonnes; October 1941 365; November 1941: 205 tonnes; December 1941: 207 tonnes.

That’s 58,821 tonnes between Sep 3rd 1939 and Dec 31st 1941 of which 53,460 tonnes were dropped during the Battle of Britain and London ‘Blitz’ period for the period, ie July 1940 to May 1941.

Best

ChrisG

Re: How many tonnes of bombs did the Luftwaffe drop during the Blitz?
 

The best estimate of German bombs aimed at UK targets between 3 September 1939 and 8 May 1945, using Ministry of Home Security, AWAS, and monthly Luftwaffe Abteilung IIIc sources against TsAMO records is approx 74,976 tonnes (including V1 and V2 data). Please don't all rush for chapter and verse for each month/day just now: it will be footnoted when published (I like a footnote, me) ...promise. Need to split off Incendiaries by weight though.

Chris

Re: How many tonnes of bombs did the Luftwaffe drop during the Blitz?
 

AFAIK no bomb was intended to fall on UK during the above period. Do you including anti-shipping missions on British coast, and/or aerial mine dropping ?

Re: How many tonnes of bombs did the Luftwaffe drop during the Blitz?
 

You're quite right Laurent. The figures for the early months will be for anti-shipping operations and mine dropping in coastal waters, estuaries, with the occasional overland mishap. I believe the first bombs dropped on land were in the vicinity of Scapa Flow. Allegedly the only casualties were rabbit(s).

ChrisG

Re: How many tonnes of bombs did the Luftwaffe drop during the Blitz?
 

Hi Chris - published in what form? A book?

Re: How many tonnes of bombs did the Luftwaffe drop during the Blitz?
 

Gentlemen, thank you for taking this discussion forward during my enforced absence. My responses and comments follow below:

Nick,

I am very glad that Chris has already done this, and more, it seems!

Thank you for drawing my attention to this, RSwank. All of this has caused me to go back to Richard Overy's book and clarify the nature and source of the data presented therein.

I took my information from 'Table 2.3: Major Night Raids on the British Isles and Weight of Bombs (Tonnes), 12 August 1940–26 June 1941'. Thus, we are looking at information concerning major night raids only, not all raids. 31,822 tonnes is in fact a sum that I calculated myself, based on the totals in the table, give as: "HE Bombs 28,706 / Incendiaries 3,116"

Richard Overy's source is the Bundesarchiv document, BA-MA, RL 2-IV/27, Otto Bechtle, ‘Der Einsatz der Luftwaffe gegen England, 1940–1943’, 2 Apr 1944, which includes an appendix, ‘Grossangriffe bei Nacht gegen Lebenszentren Englands in der Zeit 12.8.1940–26.6.1941’.

Chris,

I am very impressed with your work! I appreciate this would have taken a lot of time and effort. This is exactly the sort of information that I have been looking for, I have sent you a privat message.

Kind regards,

Dan