'The Bombing Of Coventry' on BBC2...

[Mysteryman]

In fact, and contrary to what Hastings states in his article, two days after the Coventry raid Hamburg was attacked and area bombing was used.

It was put out that this was in retaliation for Coventry, though the raid was probably initially planned prior to the date of the Coventry raid with the express intention of hitting the Blohm and Voss shipyards. The order would have been given to area bomb in retaliation.

When attacking Coventry the Germans used the X-Gerat radio beam system to locate the target which was illuminated initially by parachute flares. The British had successfully "bent" X-Gerat beams away from targets prior to this date but that night failed to do so. It has been postulated that this "failure" was deliberate.

It has also been stated that British intelligence knew of the raid in advance but did not add to the city's defences for fear of the Germans realising their codes had been broken.

Taking the two theories together some historians have stated that the raid was allowed to justify heavier raids on Germany - though, after the September 1940 bombing of London, there was every excuse to bomb German cities much more widely, had the RAF possessed adequate equipment.

The Hampdens, Whitleys, Blenheims and Wellingtons which at the time equipped Bomber Command were generally poor performers suitable for light bombing raids, poorly equipped with defensive armament and unsuitable, as Hamburg found out in the "reprisal" raid, for area bombing.

Whilst other German cities were hit more widely than in previous months, especially after the widespread December Blitz on British cities, it was not until mid 1941 when the Short Stirling entered service in reasonable numbers that the RAF had a bomber with the range and payload to make area bombing effective and it was only when the Lancaster entered service in 1942 that Harris had the weapon he needed to really hit back at Germany with significant payloads deliverable right across the Fatherland.

[Mysteryman]

Kyle, read my second post. It is outside the RAF Church, St Clement Danes, in the Strand, London.

During the first few months after the unveiling it was vandalised and was kept under guard for a year or two.

[max_tranmere]

Lots of interesting comments there, especially the detail in what Mysteryman has said.