See the resilient citizens of London carry on in the face of brutal devastation.
Throughout the war, England was mercilessly bombed by the German Luftwaffe. Although cities were hit hard and large swathes were reduced to rubble, the people of Britain took it in stride with the now-famous mantra of "Keep Calm, Carry On".
Take in the sites of urban ruin, blazing fires, enemy planes overhead, and the people who bravely lived through it all.
1
Office workers make their way to work through debris after a heavy air raid
1940
2
Two German Luftwaffe Ju 87 Stuka dive bombers return from an attack against the British south coast
August, 1940
3
A ninety-minute exposure taken from a Fleet Street rooftop during an air raid in London
September 2, 1940
4
A German twin propelled Messerschmitt BF 110 bomber, nicknamed “Fliegender Haifisch” (Flying Shark), over the English Channel
August, 1940
5
London school children during an air raid drill
July 20, 1940
6
A formation of low-flying German Heinkel He 111 bombers flies over the waves of the English Channel
1940
7
Women salvaging possessions from their bombed house, including plants and a clock
1940
8
3.7-inch anti-aircraft guns in Hyde Park, London
1940
9
Firefighters tackling a blaze amongst ruined buildings after an air raid on London
1940
10
People shelter and sleep on the platform and on the train tracks
October, 1940
11
The dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral during the Battle of Britain The dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral during the Battle of Britain
December 29, 1940
12
Aldwych tube station being used as a bomb shelter
1940
13
The tail and part of the fuselage of a German Dornier plane landed on a London rooftop
1940
14
Aftermath of the German bombings in London
1940
15
Observer Corps spotter scans the skies of London
September, 1940
16
Barrage balloons flying over central London
1940
17
Smoke rising from fires in the London docks, following bombing on
September 7, 1940
18
Three anti-aircraft guns flash in the dark in London
September 20, 1940
20
The Record Office in London, lit by flames ignited by a German air raid
1940
21
The artist Ethel Gabain, newly appointed by the Ministry of Information to make historical war pictures
1940
22
A huge crater was made in a road at Elephant & Castle, London
September, 1940
23
One of many fires started in Surrey Commercial Dock, London
September, 1940
24
A German aircraft drops its load of bombs above England
September, 1940
25
A scene of devastation in the Dockland area of London
September, 1940
26
Air raid damage, including the twisted remains of a double-decker city bus
September, 1940
27
A German raid smashed this hall in an undisclosed London district
October, 1940
28
A German Heinkel He 111 bomber flies over London
1940
29
A London shopkeeper opens up the morning after bombings
1940
30
The caves in Hastings, a south-east English town used as a nightly bombing refuge
December, 1940
31
Firemen spray water on damaged buildings, near London Bridge
September, 1940
32
The effects of a large concentrated attack by the German Luftwaffe
September, 1940
33
A girl being assisted across a London street after a bombing
October, 1940
34
The force of a bomb blast in London piled these furniture vans atop one another
December, 1940
