Southwest In The War

Many towns were heavily bombed by the Luftwaffe during Operation Eagle. A lot of towns and cities on the coast were major ports so became ideal targets for the bombers. Large towns like Weymouth and Plymouth took a heavy toll from the bombers - indeed today the gutted remains of Plymouth's cathedral still stand to serve as a fitting memorial. The RAF were retaliating by attacking the German barges in Channel ports. The Blenheim, Wellington and Hampton bombers caused so much damage that the fleet was dispersed. The Luftwaffe began to change targets and were bombing London, Birmingham, Manchester and other major cities in an attempt to crush the morale of the British people.

This was believed to be the final burst of attacks before the invasion was put into effect. The order was given for 'Invasion Alert 1' meaning that invasion was expected within 12 hours. The Home Defences readied themselves for the first German forces to begin landing upon British soil. Thankfully due to the failiure of the Luftwaffe to destroy our airfields and eliminate the RAF, the damage caused by our bombers to the barges and difference within the German High Command, Operation Sealion was 'put on hold' indefinately by Hitler. The Coastal Batteries continued to remain operational throughout the remaining years of the war despite the receeding threat of invasion. German E-boats continued to patrol the Channel and fighter-bombers were still an active threat. Please click on my 'WW2 sites & memorial pages' to see my personal visits and documentation of WW2 sites of interest around the Southwest. These pages are found in the contents bar on the left.

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