View source for Baedeker Blitz

{{Short description |German air raids on British cities during World War II}}
{{Use British English |date=October 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates |date=February 2017}}
{{CS1 config |mode=cs1 }}
{{Use shortened footnotes |date=October 2025}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict    = Baedeker Blitz
| partof      = the [[Western Front of World War II]]
| image       = {{Location map many|England|width=300
| label2=[[Exeter]] | pos2=left | lat2=50.7242  | long2=-3.5324
| label3=[[Bath, Somerset|Bath]] | pos3=left | lat3=51.3804  | long3=-2.3618
| label4=[[Norwich]] | pos4=left | lat4=52.6281  | long4=1.2993
| label5=[[York]] | pos5=left | lat5=53.9578  | long5=-1.0823
| label6=<br />[[Canterbury]] | pos6=left | lat6=51.2783  | long6=1.0776
}}<!-- See [[Template:Location map many/doc]]-->
| caption     = Map of [[England]] with the main cities targeted in the Baedeker Blitz
| date        = April–May 1942
| place       = [[England]]
| result      = German strategic failure
| combatant1  = {{Flagcountry|United Kingdom}}
| combatant2  = {{Flagcountry|Nazi Germany}}
| commander1  = {{plainlist|
* {{Flag icon|United Kingdom}} [[Sholto Douglas, 1st Baron Douglas of Kirtleside|Sholto Douglas]]
* {{Flag icon|United Kingdom}} [[Frederick Alfred Pile]]}}
| commander2  = {{plainlist|
* {{Flag icon|Nazi Germany}} [[Hermann Göring]]
* {{Flag icon|Nazi Germany}} [[Hugo Sperrle]]}}
| strength1   = [[RAF Fighter Command]]
* [[No. 11 Group RAF]]
* [[No. 9 Group RAF]]
* [[No. 10 Group RAF]]
* [[No. 12 Group RAF]]
* [[Anti-Aircraft Command]]
| strength2   = {{lang |de |[[Luftflotte 3]]}}
* [[Kampfgeschwader 2|KG2]]
* [[Kampfgruppe 106|KG106]]
* [[Kampfgeschwader 100|I/KG100]]
| casualties1 = {{plainlist|
* 1,637 civilians killed
* {{circa|1,760}} civilians injured
* 50,000 homes destroyed or damaged}}
| casualties2 = {{plainlist|
* 40 bombers destroyed
* 150 aircrew}}
| notes=
| campaignbox = {{Campaignbox Home Front (World War II)}}
}}

The '''Baedeker Blitz''' or '''Baedeker raids''' was a series of [[Aerial bombing of cities|bombing raids]] by the {{lang |de |[[Luftwaffe]]}} on the [[United Kingdom]] during [[World War II]] in April and May 1942. Towns and cities in [[England]] were targeted for their cultural value as part of a [[Demoralization (warfare)|demoralisation]] campaign.

The {{lang |de |Luftwaffe}} planned the raids in response to the [[Royal Air Force]]'s (RAF) [[area bombing]] offensive against [[Nazi Germany]] as a result of the [[area bombing directive]], starting with the [[Bombing of Lübeck in World War II|bombing of Lübeck]] in March 1942. Bombers of {{lang |de |[[Luftflotte 3]]}} under the command of [[Hugo Sperrle]] attacked sites such [[cathedral]]s, [[Destination spa|health resort]]s, and [[town hall]]s. The aim was to begin a "[[Tit for tat|tit-for-tat]]" exchange with the hope of demoralising the British public and forcing the RAF to reduce their attacks on Germany. The name derives from [[Baedeker]], a series of German tourist [[guide book]]s used to select targets for bombing. 

The Baedeker Blitz was a strategic failure{{snd}}German damage to British cities was minimal compared to [[The Blitz]] or the RAF bombing raids against Germany, and the {{lang |de |Luftwaffe}} suffered from unsustainable losses. Over 1,600 civilians were killed and tens of thousands of homes were damaged in the main raids. Towns and cities in England continued to be targeted by the {{lang |de |Luftwaffe}} for their cultural value and killing thousands more civilians over the following two years. 

==Background==
By the winter of 1941, both the British and German [[strategic bombing]] campaigns had reached a low ebb. The German [[Offensive (military)|offensive]] against the British, a nine-month period of [[night bombing]] known as ''[[The Blitz]]'', had left [[London]] and many other British cities heavily damaged. The Blitz came to an end in May 1941 when the {{lang |de |Luftwaffe}} had prioritised its resources towards the [[Operation Barbarossa|German invasion of the Soviet Union]]. Thereafter, it had confined itself to [[Hit-and-run tactics|hit-and-run]] raids on British coastal towns. Meanwhile, the RAF's night bombing offensive against Germany had been shown to be largely ineffective, as revealed by the [[Butt Report]] in August 1941, and by [[Christmas]] such attacks had largely petered out.{{sfn|Hastings|loc=chap. IV|pp=106-122}}{{sfn|Terraine|pp=292-294}}

When the RAF offensive resumed in March 1942 with the [[Bombing of Lübeck in World War II|bombing of Lübeck]], there was a marked change in effectiveness. New heavy bombers were introduced such as the [[Short Stirling]] and [[Handley Page Halifax]], followed by the unreliable [[Avro Manchester]] from which was developed the excellent [[Avro Lancaster|Lancaster]]. Improved navigation systems such as [[Gee (navigation)|Gee]] and [[Oboe (navigation)|Oboe]] allowed the RAF to strike better at their targets. The appointment of [[Air Vice-Marshal]] [[Arthur Harris]] as chief of [[RAF Bomber Command]] saw greater enthusiasm for area bombing attacks of German cities, with new tactics such as the [[bomber stream]], the use of [[incendiary device|incendiary bombs]], and particularly [[area bombardment]]. Prior to this the RAF had attempted to conduct [[precision bombing]], aiming at individual factories, [[power station]]s, even [[post office]]s, in multiple strikes across Germany, which had been costly and ineffective. Following the example of the {{lang |de |Luftwaffe}}{{'}}s [[Coventry Blitz|bombing of Coventry]] in November 1940, the RAF began concentrating a single blow against an area where several worthwhile targets existed, including the homes and morale of the civilian population living there.{{cn|date=April 2022}}

==Planning==
The leadership and population in [[Nazi Germany]] were shocked by the destruction of [[Lübeck]], and of [[Rostock]] the following month.{{sfn|Hastings|pp=146-148}}{{sfn|Terraine|pp=472-478}} Up to this point they had been mostly unaffected by the RAF's bombing campaign. Now, [[Joseph Goebbels]] reported, "the damage was really enormous" and "it is horrible{{nbsp}}... the English air raids have increased in scope and importance; if they can be continued for weeks on these lines, they might conceivably have a demoralising effect on the population."{{sfn|Terraine|p=477}} After the bombing of Rostock he reported "the air raid{{nbsp}}... was more devastating than those before. Community life there is practically at an end{{nbsp}}... the situation is in some sections catastrophic{{nbsp}}... seven-tenths of the city have been destroyed{{nbsp}}... more than 100,000 people had to be evacuated{{nbsp}}... there was, in fact, panic".{{sfn|Terraine|p=480}}

[[Adolf Hitler]] was enraged, and demanded that the {{lang |de |Luftwaffe}} retaliate accordingly. On 14 April 1942, he ordered "that the air war against England be given a more aggressive stamp. Accordingly when targets are being selected, preference is to be given to those where attacks are likely to have the greatest possible effect on civilian life. Besides raids on ports and industry, terror attacks of a retaliatory nature [{{lang|de|Vergeltungsangriffe}}] are to be carried out on towns other than London".{{sfn|Price|p=132}}

After the [[Bath Blitz|raid on Bath]], Goebbels reported that Hitler intended to "repeat these raids night after night until the English are sick and tired of terror attacks" and that he "shared [Goebbels'] opinion absolutely that cultural centres, health resorts and civilian centres must be attacked{{nbsp}}... there is no other way of bringing the English to their senses. They belong to a class of human beings with whom you can only talk after you have first knocked out their teeth."{{sfn|Terraine|p=479}}

==Name==
[[File:BaedekerGB 1937.png|thumb|upright|Baedeker's [[Great Britain]] guide for 1937]]
The raids were referred to on both sides as ''Baedeker raids'', derived from a comment by a [[Nazi propaganda|German propagandist]].{{sfn|Price|p=132}} Gustaf Braun von Stumm, a spokesman for the [[Federal Foreign Office|German Foreign Office]], is reported to have said on 24 April 1942, "We shall go out and bomb every building in Britain marked with three stars in the Baedeker Guide",{{sfn|Grayling|p=51}} a reference to the popular German travel guides, [[Baedeker Guides]]. Goebbels was furious and keen to brand British attacks as "terror bombing", he was equally keen to designate German efforts as "retaliatory measures".{{sfn|Hastings|p=232}} Stumm's [[Ad libitum|off-the-cuff]] remark "effectively admitted the Germans were targetting cultural and historic targets, just what the German leadership did not want to do, and Goebbels took steps to make sure it did not happen again".{{sfn|Rothnie|p=131}}

The British [[Ministry of Economic Warfare]] issued the ''Bomber's Baedeker'' in 1943,{{sfn|Blunden|1943|p=2}} a methodical analysis of bombing targets in Germany, in reference to Stumm's comment. A second edition followed in 1944.{{sfn|Enemy Branch|1944}}

==Raids==
[[File:St. Sidwell’s Church, Exeter, after the Blitz.jpg|thumb|Watercolour by [[Olive Wharry]] circa 1942 of St. Sidwell's Church, [[Exeter]], after the Blitz. In the early hours of 4th May 1942 a {{cvt|250|kg|adj=on}} bomb fell directly on St Sidwells. The church tower was left standing but was so badly damaged that it was pulled down shortly after. A replacement church was built on the site.]]

The task of carrying out the attacks was given to the {{lang |de |Luftflotte 3}} bomber groups [[Kampfgeschwader 2|KG 2]] and [[Kampfgeschwader 6|KG 6]], formed from the earlier {{lang|de|Küstenfliegergruppe 106}} maritime aviation group,{{sfn|Holm|2003}} to be led by the pathfinders of [[Kampfgeschwader 100|I./KG 100]]. Each raid involved 30 to 40 aircraft, and to increase their effectiveness it was planned each would fly two [[Sortie|sorties]] per night. Each raid involved two periods of 60 to 90 minutes, separated by two or three hours.{{sfn|Price|p=132}}

The [[Exeter Blitz]], the first raid of the Baedeker Blitz, was directed against [[Exeter]], the ancient county town of [[Devon]] with its immense heritage of historic buildings, on the night of [[Saint George's Day]], 23/24 April 1942. While this raid caused little damage, a second raid the following night was more severe, with over 80 fatalities. On the nights of 25/26 and 26/27 April, the bomber force conducted the [[Bath Blitz]], causing widespread damage to [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]] and some 400 casualties. These raids came a month after the Lübeck raid and coincided with the RAF's four-night offensive against Rostock. On 27/28 April, the {{lang |de |Luftwaffe}} attacked [[Norwich]], dropping more than {{convert|90|t|lb}} of bombs and causing 67 deaths. On 28/29 April, they attacked [[York]], causing limited damage but 79 deaths.{{sfn|Rothnie|p=141}}

[[File:St Lawrence Church, High St, Exeter.jpg|thumb|St Lawrence Church in [[Exeter]] painted by an unknown author. This painting depicts Exeter's High Street. St Lawrence Church is in the background. St Lawrence Church, which predated the thirteenth-century, was destroyed on 4 May 1942.]]

On the night of 3/4 May, the {{lang |de |Luftwaffe}} returned to Exeter, causing heavy damage to the city centre, considerable damage to the south side of [[Exeter Cathedral]], and 164 deaths. The following night they attacked [[Cowes]] on the [[Isle of Wight]], a target of both cultural and military value, being the home of the [[J. Samuel White]] shipyard. On 8/9 May, Norwich was attacked again, though the raid was ineffective despite more than 70 aircraft taking part. During May, the {{lang |de |Luftwaffe}} also bombed [[Kingston upon Hull|Hull]] (a major port, and thus a military target) [[Poole]], [[Grimsby]] and, at the end of May, [[Canterbury]]. This raid, which coincided with the RAF's first [[Thousand-bomber raids|thousand-bomber raid]] on [[Cologne]], involved 77 bombers, dropping {{convert|40|t|lb}} of bombs, which resulted in 43 deaths.{{sfn|Rothnie|p=141}}

Across all the raids in this period, a total of 1,637 civilians were killed and 1,760 injured, and over 50,000 houses were destroyed.{{sfn|Grayling|p=52}} Some notable buildings were destroyed or damaged, including York's [[Guildhall, York|Guildhall]] and the [[Bath Assembly Rooms]], but on the whole most escaped{{snd}}[[Norwich Cathedral]], [[Canterbury Cathedral]], and [[York Minster]] included. Exeter Cathedral was hit in the early hours of 4 May with the complete destruction of St James Chapel on the south side and considerable damage to the South Quire Aisle. 

On 27 April, [[Winston Churchill]] told the War Cabinet that the government should do all it could to "ensure that disproportionate publicity was not given to these raids" and "avoid giving the impression that the Germans were making full reprisal" for British raids.{{sfn|Gilbert|p=319}}

==Aftermath==
The Baedeker Blitz was a strategic failure for the Germans as the {{lang |de |Luftwaffe}} suffered heavy losses for minimal damage inflicted and demoralisation of the British public. The [[Axis powers|Axis]]'s need for reinforcements in the [[North African campaign]] and on the [[Eastern Front (World War II)|Eastern Front]] meant further operations could only continue at a reduced scale, with mostly intermittent hit-and-run raids on coastal towns by [[Focke-Wulf Fw 190]] fighter-bombers.{{cn|date=April 2022}} Whilst the term ''Baedeker Blitz'' is sometimes limited to the raids on those five cities (Exeter, Bath, Canterbury, Norwich and York) in April and May 1942,{{sfn|Grayling|p=52}} the {{lang |de |Luftwaffe}} continued to target cities for their cultural value for the next two years.{{sfn|Price|p=136}}

===Continued raids===
In June 1942, they attacked [[Ipswich]], Poole and Canterbury again, [[Southampton]] (a port target), Norwich again, and [[Weston-super-Mare]]. In July, there were three raids on [[Birmingham]], another three on [[Middlesbrough]], and one on Hull, all industrial cities of military and strategic value. In August, the Germans returned to "Baedeker" targets: Norwich, [[Swansea]], [[Colchester]] and Ipswich.{{cn|date=April 2022}}

In September, they attacked [[Sunderland, Tyne and Wear|Sunderland]], a port and industrial centre, and [[King's Lynn]], a market town of no military value. All these raids were less intense than those of April and May, involving some 20 aircraft apiece. This reflected the steady and increasing losses suffered by the Germans as the RAF's night-fighter defences improved and German casualties mounted. By the autumn, KG 2 had lost 65 of its 88 crews and the offensive had come to a halt.{{citation needed|date=January 2015}} To find new ways to continue the pressure, the {{lang |de |Luftwaffe}} experimented with both low-level and very high-level attacks. In August 1942, two modified [[Junkers Ju 86|Junkers Ju 86P]] bombers were employed making high-altitude runs over southern England. These operated with impunity for several weeks, and one raid on [[Bristol]] on 28 August resulted in 48 fatalities. These flights were halted when the RAF fielded a similarly modified flight of [[Supermarine Spitfire]]s and caught one of these bombers in the highest air battle of the war.{{sfn|Price|p=140}}

On 31 October 1942, thirty German [[fighter-bomber]]s escorted by sixty fighters made a low-level attack on Canterbury, dropping 28 bombs on the city and causing 30 deaths. Three of the attacking aircraft were shot down.{{sfn|Price|p=142}}

By the end of 1942, 3,236 people had been killed and 4,148 injured in these raids.  However, the strength of the {{lang |de |Luftwaffe}} in the [[Western Front (World War II)|Western Front]] had drained away while the RAF had gone from strength to strength, regularly mounting raids of 200 or more aircraft on Germany.{{sfn|Price|p=143}}{{sfn|Hastings|loc=chap. VIII|pp=196-222}}{{sfn|Terraine|pp=513–519}}

In 1943, the {{lang |de |Luftwaffe}} in the west was revitalised and {{lang |de |Luftflotte 3}} brought back up to strength. In January, KG 2 had 60 [[Dornier Do 217]] bombers and KG 6 the same number of [[Junkers Ju 88]]s. These were reinforced with a fast bomber wing, [[Schnellkampfgeschwader 10|SKG 10]] of [[Focke-Wulf Fw 190|Fw 190]] fighter-bombers. These renewed the offensive. On 17/18 January 1943 they raided London, followed by a low-level attack on the city on 20 January. After a lull in February, they returned in March leading to the [[Bethnal Green Tube disaster]], where 178 people died.{{sfn|Price|p=147}} Throughout the year, raids were made on a variety of targets; some of strategic value (Southampton, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Hull, Sunderland, [[Newcastle upon Tyne|Newcastle]]) and others with little or none ([[Eastbourne]], [[Hastings]], [[Maidstone]], [[Cheltenham]], [[Chelmsford]], [[Bournemouth]], [[Lincoln, England|Lincoln]]). Again, new tactics were tried. In June 1943, a raid on Grimsby saw the use of delayed-action [[Anti-personnel weapon|anti-personnel]] "[[butterfly bomb]]s", which resulted in 163 civilian casualties, most of them from these devices as people returned to their homes after the [[all clear]] was sounded.{{sfn|Price|p=152}}
[[File:Exeter after bombings.png|thumb|Exeter in the late 1940s ]]
In November 1943, following the RAF and [[United States Army Air Forces]]' [[Bombing of Hamburg in World War II|bombing of Hamburg]] and the first use of the "[[Chaff (countermeasure)|Window]]" [[radar]] [[countermeasure]], the {{lang |de |Luftwaffe}} were able to respond with a raid on Norwich using Duppel, their equivalent. While British radar was negated, the raid caused little damage. With the continuing losses of experienced personnel, the German crews were increasingly made up of inexperienced replacements, with a corresponding drop in effectiveness. By the end of 1943, the {{lang |de |Luftwaffe}} had mounted some 20 raids, in which more than {{convert|10|t|lb}} of bombs had been dropped, a total of {{convert|2,320|LT|t e6lb|order=out|abbr=off}} for the whole year.{{sfn|Price|p=157}} These caused 2,372 deaths and 3,450 injuries, according to a report by [[Lord Cherwell]]. The report contrasted this with the RAF's achievement of a total of {{convert|136,000|LT|t e6lb|order=out|abbr=off}} dropped during the year, and pointed out that a single raid on Berlin made in the same week that the report was published had dropped {{convert|2,480|LT|t e6lb|order=out|abbr=off}}, more than the entire German effort. The report pointed out that these raids were confined to towns on or near the coast, and that fires caused by bombing only accounted for one-thirtieth of all the incidents dealt with by the [[National Fire Service]].{{sfn|Price|p=157}}

The Baedeker-type raids ended in 1944, as the Germans realised they were ineffective; unsustainable losses were being suffered for no material gain. A switch to London as the principal target for retaliation was made in January 1944. The {{lang |de |Luftwaffe}} mounted {{lang |de |[[Operation Steinbock]]}}, an all-out attack on London employing all of its available bomber force in the west, on 21 January. This too was largely a failure, with heavy losses for little gain. Henceforth, efforts were re-directed toward the ports that the Germans suspected were going to be used for the [[Operation Overlord|allied invasion of France]], while the assault on London became the domain of Germany's [[V-weapons]].{{citation needed|date=January 2015}}

==See also==
* [[Strategic bombing during World War II]]
* [[Operation Diver]]
* [[Operation Gisela]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist |20em}}

==References==
{{Refbegin |30em |indent=yes}}
* {{cite news |last=Blunden |first=Godfrey |date=1943-11-24 |title='Bombers' Baedeker' for Air Ministry |newspaper=[[The Argus (Melbourne)|The Argus]] |issue=30341 |location=Victoria, Australia |page=2 |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11783080 |access-date=2024-11-18 |via=National Library of Australia}}
* {{cite Q |Q131175942 |ref={{sfnref|Enemy Branch|1944}} }}{{sfn whitelist |CITEREFEnemy_Branch1944}}
* {{Cite book
  |author-link=Martin Gilbert
  |last=Gilbert  |first=Martin
  |title=Second World War
  |year=1989
  |publisher=Weidenfeld & Nicolson
  |ref={{sfnref|Gilbert}}
}}{{location missing |date=October 2025}}{{ISBN missing |date=October 2025}}
* {{cite Q
  |Q136472797
  |last=Grayling |first=A. C.
  |author-link=A. C. Grayling
  |ref={{sfnref|Grayling}}
  |pages=50–52
}}{{sfn whitelist |CITEREFGrayling}}
* {{Cite book
  |author-link=Max Hastings
  |last=Hastings  |first=Max
  |title=Bomber Command
  |year=1979
  |publisher=Pan Books
  |isbn=0-330-39204-2
  |ref={{sfnref|Hastings}}
}}
*{{cite web 
  |last=Holm |first=Michael 
  |year=2003 
  |title=Küstenfliegergruppe 106 / Kampfgruppe 106
  |at=Ku.Fl.Gr 106 
  |website=The Luftwaffe, 1939–1945 
  |url=https://www.ww2.dk/air/seefl/kflgr106.htm 
  |access-date=2025-10-11  
}}
* {{Cite book
  |last=Price  |first=Alfred
  |author-link=Alfred Price (author)
  |title=Blitz on Britain 1939–1945
  |year=1977
  |publisher=Ian Allan
  |isbn=0711007233
  |ref={{sfnref|Price}}
}}
* {{Cite book
  |last=Rothnie  |first=Niall
  |title=The Baedeker Blitz
  |year=1992
  |publisher=Ian Allan
  |isbn=978-0-7110-2038-2
  |ref={{sfnref|Rothnie}}
}}
* {{Cite book
  |author-link=John Terraine
  |last=Terraine  |first=John
  |title=The Right of the Line
  |year=1985
  |publisher=Hodder & Stoughton
  |isbn=0-340-26644-9
  |ref={{sfnref|Terraine}}
}}
{{Refend}}

==Further reading==
{{Refbegin |30em |indent=yes}}
* {{Cite book
  |last=Harris  |first=Arthur
  |author-link=Arthur Harris
  |orig-year=1947
  |title=Bomber Offensive
  |publisher=Pen & Sword
  |year=2005
  |isbn=1-84415-210-3
  |ref=none <!-- {{sfnref|Harris}} -->
  |page=105
}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
* [https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/1892714.stm BBC News: Blitzed by guidebook]; retrieved February 2012
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/timeline/factfiles/nonflash/a1132921.shtml?sectionId=4&articleId=1132921 BBC: People's War]; retrieved February 2012
* [http://www.bathblitz.org Bath Blitz website]; retrieved February 2012
* [http://yorkairraids.wordpress.com York Air Raids]; retrieved February 2012

{{The Blitz}}
{{Baedeker Blitz|state=expanded}}
{{WWII city bombing|state=autocollapse}}
{{WW2AirDefenceUK}}

[[Category:World War II aerial operations and battles of the Western European Theatre]]
[[Category:1942 in England]]
[[Category:The Blitz]]
[[Category:World War II strategic bombing conducted by Germany]]
[[Category:1942 in military history]]