The Blitz on Coventry

The Blitz on Coventry DVD

At the start of the Second World War, Coventry was an industrial city of about 320,000 people with industries that, like much of the industrial West Midlands, focused mainly on metal working. In Coventry’s case, these included cars, bicycles, aeroplane engines and, since 1900, munitions factories. The City of Coventry was therefore, in the eyes of the Germans, a legitimate target for aerial bombing. The raid that began on the evening of 14 November 1940 was the most severe to hit Coventry during the war.

The attack, code-named Operation Mondscheinsonate (Moonlight Sonata), was carried out by 515 German bombers. The raid was intended to destroy Coventry’s factories and industrial infrastructure, although it was clear that damage to the rest of the city, including monuments and residential areas, would be considerable.

This programme tells the story of that fateful night.