Figure 1.-- The Germn V-1s resulted in theThird and final evacuation of London and other southeastern cities. These London children are evacuationg (July 12). They are carrying various parcels at an unidentified to train station. As with the earliest evacuations, the trains were the fastest way to get the children out of the city. One girl seems to be carrying her gas mask. In the earlier evacuations all the children had their gas masks and were well drilled in using them.

Most of the evacuees by late-1943 had returned home. There were only 350,000 people still officially billeted outside London and the big cities. The German V-1 campaign came as a shock to the British people. They had gone through the Blitz and thought that the Germans no longer had the capability to bomb Britain. Actually the Germans had planned a much more massive assault, but was substantially undercut by Allied bombing operations. All of this was done in secret, both the German plans and the Allied disruption efforts. There was no effort made to prepare the British people. The V-1 campaign It occurred amidst the euphoria of the successful D-Day landings. The Germans began launching the V-1 flying buzz bombs a week after D-Day (June 13). They had no choice because they could only reach Britain if fired from the French Channel coast and now the Allies were in the process of liberating France. The V-1 was a relatively simple weapon and could be produced inexpensively in large numbers, but it could not be aimed at specific targets other than large cities. The effort had been delayed and reduced by the Allied counter measures, but finally began. London was the main, but not the only target. Hitler had a fixation on the British capital. Not only had the stubbon resistance of Londoners derailed his war plans, but the British RAF was now helping the Allied effort to smash German cities to rubble as part of an effort to destroy the NAZI war-making capability. Hitler had tried to destroy it once and now had another opportunity. The result was the third and final British World War II evacuation. The V-1 attacks resulted in a third exodus from London. Some 1.5 million people left (by September). Only 20 percent of these, however, were 'official' evacuees. Most of the evacuees sought to live with family and friends in the countryside and small towns. The evacuation process was officially halted (September) when the Allies were in full command of the Channel Coast. The evacuation was reversed for almost all areas except for London and the vulnerable East coast. The Germans were, however, not done with London. This was just when the V-2 attacks began. The V-2s had much greater range than the V-1s. They could devestate an entire city block, but were much more complicated to produce and this were not available in the numbers that had been planned for the V-1s. Unlike the V-1s they could not be shot down. The British Government did not officially approve people returning to London until a month after the German surrender (June 1945). The billeting program was finally ended (March 1946). There were still some 38,000 people without homes, mny from London. A HBC reader writes, "I am of course much too young to know of such things but my parents lived in the East End of London during the Blitz, my oldest sister was born in 1942 and was evacuated with my mother to Norfolk in 1944 to escape the flying bombs."

Luftwaffe Bombing Ends (1941-42)

The German Blitz tapered off (early-1941). The weather and the Wehrmacht's shift east in preparation for Barbarossa meant that the Luftwaffe gradualkly wound down its bombing campain. The last big raid was conducted (May 1941). The growing power of the RAF and then American Army Air Forces after Ameruican entered the War (December 1941) meant that German daylight raids were suiside and even night time raids were difficult to mount. As British bombing of the Reich increased, Hitler ordered the Luftwaffe deeply committed in the East to strike back. The resultvwas the inefectual Baedeker Raids. They were were the serious Luftwaffe effort, although small scale raids compared to the growing Allied strategic bombing effort (April-May 1942). The RAFs growing night fighter capability took a serious toll on the German bombers which achieved no serious results.

Evacuee Children Head Home (1942-43)

As the German bombing tapered off and the danger leasned, the 1939-41 evacuated children began coming home. Most of the evacuees by late-1943 had returned home. There were, however, only 350,000 people still officially billeted outside London and the big cities at the time the V-s began hitting London (June 1944).

V Weapons

The German V-1 campaign came as a shock to the British people. They had gone through the Blitz and thought that the Germans no longer had the capability to bomb Britain. Actually the Germans had planned a much more massive assault, but was substantially undercut by Allied bombing operations. All of this was done in secret, both the German plans and the Allied disruption efforts. There was no effort made to prepare the British people. The V-1 campaign It occurred amidst the euphoria of the successful D-Day landings. The Germans began launching the V-1 flying buzz bombs a week after D-Day (June 13). They had no choice because they could only reach Britain if fired from the French Channel coast and now the Allies were in the process of liberating France. The V-1 was a relatively simple weapon and could be produced inexpensively in large numbers, but it could not be aimed at specific targets other than large cities. The effort had been delayed and reduced by the Allied counter measures, but finally began. London was the main, but not the only target. Hitler had a fixation on the British capital. Not only had the stubbon resistance of Londoners derailed his war plans, but the British RAF was now helping the Allied effort to smash German cities to rubble as part of an effort to destroy the NAZI war-making capability.

Evacuation Process

Hitler had tried to destroy London once and now with the V-weapons he had another opportunity. The result was the third and final British World War II evacuation. The German V-1 attacks began after D-Day (June 1944). The V-1 attacks resulted in a third exodus from London. Some 1.5 million people were evacuated in this third evacuation, some of whom had been evacuated earlier (1939-41). They were conducted more piece-meal than the earlier evacuatins (June-Septemkber). Only 20 percent of these, however, were 'official' evacuees. Most of the evacuees sought to live with family and friends in the countryside and small towns. The evacuation process was officially halted (September) by which time the Allies were in full command of the Channel Coast and the V-1s could no longer reach London. The evacuation was reversed for almost all areas except for London and the vulnerable East coast. The Germans were, however, not done with London. Just has the V-1 attacks ended, the Germans began attacks with the longer range V-2 missle attacks. The V-2s had much greater range than the V-1s. And they had a more powerful warhead. They could devestate an entire city block, but were much more complicated and expensive to produce and this were not available in the numbers that had been planned for the V-1s. Unlike the V-1s they could not be shot down. The British Government did not officially approve people returning to London until a month after the German surrender (June 1945). The billeting program was finally ended (March 1946). There were still some 38,000 people without homes, many from London. A HBC reader writes, "I am of course much too young to know of such things but my parents lived in the East End of London during the Blitz, my oldest sister was born in 1942 and was evacuated with my mother to Norfolk in 1944 to escape the flying bombs."

Reception

The imagery of the British World War II evacuatiions focuses on the evacuations, primarily at rail stations in London. The literatute focuses extensively on the experiences of the children in their billets with their host families. Given the nature of modern historiography, there is often an empphasis on the negative. Given the enorimty of the evacuations and the fact that most of the children missed their homes and parents, there are some instances of abuse and mistreatment. But given the number of children and the suvervision of the the process, instances of real abuse were relatively rare. What is less well covered in the process that unfolded when the trains arrived at the towns and villages where the children were to be billited. A HBC reader has provided us a detailed description of the process in his hometown of Blackburn. This was an industrial town in northwest Lancashire (northern England). As Blackburn was a relatively small town and located in the north and thus out of range of the V-weapons, it was thought to be a safe place. And the German V weapon campaign which primarily focused on London as a result of Hitler's obsession with destrioying the British capital. For the third time scenes like this unfolded all over England.

Created: 9:22 PM 4/8/2013
Last updated: 1:18 AM 5/11/2018