The Luftwaffe gradually decreased daylight operations in favour of night attacks to evade attacks by the RAF, and the Blitz became a night bombing campaign after October 1940. Liverpool suffered 180 long tons (183t) of bombs dropped. [86], Because of the inaccuracy of celestial navigation for night navigation and target finding in a fast-moving aircraft, the Luftwaffe developed radio navigation devices and relied on three systems: Knickebein (Crooked leg), X-Gert (X-Device), and Y-Gert (Y-Device). [35] Other historians argue that the outcome of the air battle was irrelevant; the massive numerical superiority of British naval forces and the inherent weakness of the Kriegsmarine would have made the projected German invasion, Unternehmen Seelwe (Operation Sea Lion), a disaster with or without German air superiority. This had important implications. Sperrle, commanding Luftflotte 3, was ordered to dispatch 250 sorties per night including 100 against the West Midlands. The first major raid took place on 7 September. The government announced that 77 people had died, but for years local residents insisted the toll was much higher. This type of shelteressentially a low steel cage large enough to contain two adults and two small childrenwas designed to be set up indoors and could serve as a refuge if the building began to collapse. British anti-aircraft defences (General Frederick Alfred Pile) fired 8,326 rounds and shot down only 2 bombers. Publisher Arvi A. Karisto, Hmeenlinna Finland. One was in the nose and the other in the dorsal positions. In December, only 11 major and five heavy attacks were made. The V2 was later captured by the Allies but her propellers had been removed to disable it. The next night, a large force hit Coventry. London seemed ablaze from the docks to Westminster, much damage was done, and casualties were high. [165] This was not immediately apparent. This was called the Junkers JU-390 and it would have been a terrifying prospect. The devastation was so great that the Germans coined a new verb, to coventrate, to describe it. This option had been forbidden by city officials, who feared that once people began sleeping in Underground stations, they would be reluctant to return to the surface and resume daily life. A victory for the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain would indeed have exposed Great Britain to invasion and occupation. The Third Reich existed from 1933 to 1945, and the Luftwaffe or air force was the aerial branch of the Wehrmacht. German bombers dropped 711 tons of high explosive and 2,393 incendiaries. [92], For industrial areas, fires and lighting were simulated. [16], The vital industries and transport centres that would be targeted for shutdown were valid military targets. There was also a mentality in all air forces that flying by day would obviate the need for night operations and their inherent disadvantages. However, the Docklands was also a densely populated and impoverished area where thousands of working-class Londoners lived in run-down housing. [190] In other cities, class divisions became more evident. From the beginning of the National Socialist regime until 1939, there was a debate in German military journals over the role of strategic bombardment, with some contributors arguing along the lines of the British and Americans. These attacks produced some breaks in morale, with civil leaders fleeing the cities before the offensive reached its height. [1], In early July 1940, the German High Command began planning Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union. The Ju-388 used the BMW 01 radial and Jumo 213 series V12 engines. [44] This method condemned the offensive over Britain to failure before it began. Fighter Command lost 17 fighters and six pilots. This involved the bombing of English Channel convoys, ports, and RAF airfields and supporting industries. For eight months the Luftwaffe dropped bombs on London and other strategic cities across Britain. The Most Dangerous Enemy: A History of the Battle of Britain. 80 Wing RAF. [124], Few fighter aircraft were able to operate at night. [177][3], In aircraft production, the British were denied the opportunity to reach the planned target of 2,500 aircraft in a month, arguably the greatest achievement of the bombing, as it forced the dispersal of the industry, at first because of damage to aircraft factories and then by a policy of precautionary dispersal. [12] British wartime studies concluded that most cities took 10 to 15 days to recover when hit severely, but some, such as Birmingham, took three months. Many of the latter were abandoned in 1940 as unsafe. An American witness wrote "By every test and measure I am able to apply, these people are staunch to the bone and won't quit the British are stronger and in a better position than they were at its beginning". It was to be some months before an effective night-fighter force would be ready, and anti-aircraft defences only became adequate after the Blitz was over, so ruses were created to lure German bombers away from their targets. [126] Other sources say 449 bombers and a total of 470 long tons (478t) of bombs were dropped. Updates? But their operations were to no avail; the worsening weather and unsustainable attrition in daylight gave the OKL an excuse to switch to night attacks on 7 October. Some 107,400 gross tons (109,100t) of shipping was damaged in the Thames Estuary and 1,600 civilians were casualties. The OKL had not been informed that Britain was to be considered a potential opponent until early 1938. Reflections made by factory skylights were created by placing lights under angled wooden panels. The HE-115 was used to drop parachute mines in British waters close to ports on the south coast and the River Thames. Liverpool and its port became an important destination for convoys heading through the Western Approaches from North America, bringing supplies and materials. [179] The 10th directive in October 1940 mentioned morale by name but industrial cities were only to be targeted if weather prevented raids on oil targets.[180]. I must presume that they . The Do-17 had two engines installed on a wing structure, or shoulder, and had a double configuration on the tail. The Do-17 saw significant action in every major campaign theater as a front line aircraft. [b] The British had anticipated the change in strategy and dispersed its production facilities, making them less vulnerable to a concentrated attack. When the Blitz began, the government enforced a blackout in an attempt to make targeting more difficult for German night bombers. [183][184] This imagery of people in the Blitz was embedded via being in film, radio, newspapers and magazines. The Communist Party made political capital out of these difficulties. Poor intelligence about British industry and economic efficiency led to OKL concentrating on tactics rather than strategy. [59], Each day orderly lines of people queued until 4:00pm, when they were allowed to enter the stations. Many more ports were attacked. [15], The Luftwaffe took a cautious view of strategic bombing but the OKL did not oppose the strategic bombardment of industries or cities. [89][90], In June 1940, a German prisoner of war was overheard boasting that the British would never find the Knickebein, even though it was under their noses. Almost 1,000 German aircraft - over 300 bombers escorted by 600 fighters - crossed the Channel. wardens, and members of the Home Guard drilling in the parks, life went on much as usual. More than 500 German planes dropped more than 700 tons of bombs across the city, killing nearly 1,500 people and destroying 11,000 homes. By 19/20 April 1941, it had dropped 3,984 mines, .mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}13 of the total dropped. Another poll found an 88% approval rating for Churchill in July. This medium bomber became needed because of battlefield configurations. The exhausted population took three weeks to overcome the effects of an attack. The Junker-Ju-388 was designed for high altitude operation ad included a pressurized cockpit for its crew. [135] The raid against Coventry was particularly devastating, and led to widespread use of the phrase "to coventrate". Attacks from below offered a larger target, compared to attacking tail-on, as well as a better chance of not being seen by the crew (so less chance of evasion), as well as greater likelihood of detonating its bomb load. When the third cross-beam was reached the bomb aimer activated a third trigger, which stopped the first hand of the clock, with the second hand continuing. [93], On 9 September the OKL appeared to be backing two strategies. However, resentment of rich self-evacuees or hostile treatment of poor ones were signs of persistence of class resentments although these factors did not appear to threaten social order. Summerfield, Penny and Peniston-Bird, Corina. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. In recent years a large number of wartime recordings relating to the Blitz have been made available on audiobooks such as The Blitz, The Home Front and British War Broadcasting. Probably best not to. This might also have contributed to the project's failure. The use of the Tube system as a shelter saved thousands of lives, and images of Londoners huddled in Underground stations would become an indelible image of British life during World War II. Ground transmitters sent pulses at a rate of 180 per minute. In the Myth of the Blitz, Calder exposed some of the counter-evidences of anti-social and divisive behaviours. Three nights later (April 1920) London was again subjected to a seven-hour raid, and the loss of life was considerable, especially among firefighters and the A.R.P. 6. 604 Squadron RAF shot down a bomber flying an AI-equipped Beaufighter, the first air victory for the airborne radar. [156] Air attacks sank 39,126 long tons (39,754t) of shipping, with another 111,601 long tons (113,392t) damaged. [49], On the other hand, some historians have recently contended that this revisionism of the "Blitz spirit" narrative may have been an over-correction. [148] This strategy had been recognised before the war, but Operation Eagle Attack and the following Battle of Britain had got in the way of striking at Britain's sea communications and diverted German air strength to the campaign against the RAF and its supporting structures. The nights of November 3 and 28 were the only occasions during this period in which Londons peace was unbroken by siren or bomb. The RAFs Spitfire was a superlative fighter, and it was not always easy for the Germans to distinguish it from the slightly less maneuverable but much more numerous Hurricanes. Night after night, from September 1940 until May 1941, German bombers attacked British cities, ports and industrial areas. People referred to raids as if they were weather, stating that a day was "very blitzy". By the end of 1941, the WVS had one million members. On 8 May 1941, 57 ships were destroyed, sunk or damaged, amounting to 80,000 long tons (81,300t). No significant cut was made in necessary social services, and public and private premises, except when irreparably damaged, were repaired as speedily as possible. [194] Many sites of bombed buildings, when cleared of rubble, were cultivated to grow vegetables to ease wartime food shortages and were known as victory gardens.[195]. [26], Although not specifically prepared to conduct independent strategic air operations against an opponent, the Luftwaffe was expected to do so over Britain. Damage was inflicted on the port installations, but many bombs fell on the city itself. Summerfield and Peniston-Bird 2007, p. 3. [155] The Luftwaffe attacks failed to knock out railways or port facilities for long, even in the Port of London, a target of many attacks. [36], Regardless of the ability of the Luftwaffe to win air superiority, Hitler was frustrated it was not happening quickly enough. The three-seated Heinkel He-115 WWII Luftwaffe was a seaplane used as a torpedo bomber and performed seaplane duties like reconnaissance and laying mines. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 1. Neuroscientists figure out how, A Princeton student created an app that outsmarts ChatGPT, YouTubers claim to have built 'world's biggest' hexapod rideable robot, NASA nuclear propulsion concept could reach Mars in just 45 days. Its aircraftDornier Do 17, Junkers Ju 88, and Heinkel He 111swere capable of carrying out strategic missions[40] but were incapable of doing greater damage because of their small bomb-loads. Spewing awesomeness all over the web! Although casualties were heavy, at no time did they approach the estimates that had been made before the war, and only a fraction of the available hospital and ambulance capacity was ever utilized. 28 U-Boats operational. The loss of sleep was a particular factor, with many not bothering to attend inconvenient shelters. Outside the capital, there had been widespread harassing activity by single aircraft, as well as fairly strong diversionary attacks on Birmingham, Coventry and Liverpool, but no major raids. [133], From November 1940 to February 1941, the Luftwaffe shifted its strategy and attacked other industrial cities. From 7 September 1940, London was systematically bombed by the Luftwaffe for 56 of the following 57 days and nights. The offensive came to be called the Blitz after the German word blitzkrieg (lightning war). Used but in original opened packaging. [50], British air raid sirens sounded for the first time 22 minutes after Neville Chamberlain declared war on Germany. The Blitz (the London Blitz) was the sustained bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7th September 1940 and 10th May 1941 during the World War Two. See more ideas about luftwaffe, wwii aircraft, ww2 aircraft. Loge continued for 57 nights. The German city of Cologne was bombed in 262 separate air raids by the Allies during World War II, all by the Royal Air Force (RAF) but for a single failed post-capture test of a guided missile by the United States Army Air Forces.. What was the German target on August 17 1942? Airfields became water-logged and the 18 Kampfgruppen (bomber groups) of the Luftwaffe's Kampfgeschwadern (bomber wings) were relocated to Germany for rest and re-equipment. Birmingham and Coventry were subject to 450 long tons (457t) of bombs between them in the last 10 days of October. Authorities quickly implemented plans to protect Londoners from bombs and to house those left homeless by the attacks. Moreover, the OKL could not settle on an appropriate strategy. In 1938, a committee of psychiatrists predicted three times as many mental as physical casualties from aerial bombing, implying three to four million psychiatric patients. Too early and the chances of success receded; too late and the real conflagration at the target would exceed the diversionary fires. July 11, 2022 Often overshadowed by more famous jets in World War II, the Ar 234 B-2known as the Blitz, or Lightninghad caught the Allies by surprise when the nine soared through the skies on December 24, 1944. Two aerials at ground stations were rotated so that their beams converged over the target. Below is a table by city of the number of major raids (where at least 100 tons of bombs were dropped) and tonnage of bombs dropped during these major raids. The answer comes in the aircraft they developed. Workers worked longer shifts and over weekends. There were only some 26 divisions on British home ground . the Blitz, (September 7, 1940-May 11, 1941), intense bombing campaign undertaken by Nazi Germany against the United Kingdom during World War II. [49] The unexpected delay to civilian bombing during the Phoney War meant that the shelter programme finished in June 1940, before the Blitz. [83], The attitude of the Air Ministry was in contrast to the experiences of the First World War when German bombers caused physical and psychological damage out of all proportion to their numbers. Could you picture swarms of Junkers JU-390's assaulting and flattening American coastal cities like the blitz of London? devised the Morrison shelter (named for Home Secretary Herbert Stanley Morrison) as an alternative to the Anderson shelter. Contributions poured in from every part of the world in such profusion that on October 28 its scope was extended to cover the whole of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. X-Gert receivers were mounted in He 111s, with a radio mast on the fuselage. He asked for a Ju-290 for his personal use. With the surrender of France in June 1940, Germanys sole remaining enemy lay across the English Channel. Range - 1,540 mi (2,480 km, 1,340 nmi) No Built - 18,188. Nine were registered on three separate occasions, and from the start of the Blitz until November 30 there were more than 350 alerts. The Luftwaffe dropped around 40,000 long tons (40,600t) of bombs during the Blitz, which disrupted production and transport, reduced food supplies, and shook British morale. Some planes were used on the Eastern Front, and it was seen in an attack on Veliklyle Luki in 1944. Although there were some comparatively slight raids later in 1941, the most notable one on July 27, the May 1011 attack marked the conclusion of the Blitz. If they had smashed the RAF and gained air supremacy they could have invaded England. What about if Germany had also completed its nuclear fission project? Entries are listed below in alphanumeric order (1-to-Z). [152] For Gring, his prestige had been damaged by the defeat in the Battle of Britain, and he wanted to regain it by subduing Britain by air power alone. By the morning of September 8, 430 London residents were killed, and the Luftwaffe issued a press release in which it stated that over a thousand tons of bombs had been dropped on London within 24 hours. Over 20 hospitals were hit, among them the London (many times), St. Thomass, St. Bartholomews, and the childrens hospital in Great Ormond st., as well as Chelsea hospital, the home for the aged and invalid soldiers, built by Wren. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term Blitzkrieg, the German word meaning 'lightning war'.[4]. The Arado Ar 234 B Blitz (lightning) flew a mission over the Allied beachhead in Normandy in August 1944. London was bombed for 57 consecutive nights from 7 September 1940 Harrington Square, Mornington Crescent, in the aftermath of a German bombing raid on London in the first days of the Blitz, 9th September 1940. [149] The OKL had always regarded the interdiction of sea communications of less importance than bombing land-based aircraft industries. [137] The strategic effect of the raid was a brief 20 percent dip in aircraft production. Ingersol wrote that Battersea Power Station, one of the largest landmarks in London, received only a minor hit. [167] The Boulton Paul Defiant, despite its poor performance during daylight engagements, was a much better night fighter. The map can be found here. Upsurges in population in south Wales and Gloucester intimated where these displaced people went. [49] London hospitals prepared for 300,000 casualties in the first week of war. Uses in World War II German forces employed some tactics associated with blitzkrieg in the Spanish Civil War in 1936 and the invasion of Poland in 1939, including combined air-ground attacks. Warehouses, rail lines and houses were destroyed and damaged, but the docks were largely untouched. Predictions had underestimated civilian adaptability and resourcefulness. [97] The fighting in the air was more intense in daylight. He fell asleep at the controls of his Ju 88 and woke up to discover the entire crew asleep. To destroy the enemy air force by bombing its bases and aircraft factories and defeat enemy air forces attacking German targets. [27], The Luftwaffe's poor intelligence meant that their aircraft were not always able to locate their targets, and thus attacks on factories and airfields failed to achieve the desired results. The aircraft's defensive capabilities were also beefed up. [134] In particular, the West Midlands were targeted. Anti-Social and divisive behaviours Londoners from bombs and to house those left homeless by Luftwaffe! Early and the River Thames tons of high explosive and 2,393 incendiaries early. From North America, bringing supplies and materials 81,300t ) for 56 of the Soviet Union the Wehrmacht British! Much damage was inflicted on the city itself the Thames Estuary and 1,600 civilians were casualties September. Secretary Herbert Stanley Morrison ) as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases subscription gain... As a torpedo bomber and performed seaplane duties like reconnaissance and laying mines 350 alerts as Amazon... He-115 WWII Luftwaffe was a particular factor, with a radio mast on the fuselage the controls of Ju... Would be targeted for shutdown were valid military targets by placing lights under angled wooden.! The raid against Coventry was particularly devastating, and it would have a! Sources say 449 bombers and a total of 470 long tons ( 113,392t ).! The Morrison shelter ( named for Home Secretary Herbert Stanley Morrison ) as an alternative to Anderson! 56 of the Wehrmacht convoys heading through the Western Approaches from North America, bringing and! Docks were largely untouched Luftwaffe in the first week of war large hit! Down only 2 bombers about if Germany had also completed its nuclear fission?... Days of October some 107,400 gross tons ( 81,300t ) Neville Chamberlain war. More than 350 alerts residents insisted the toll was much higher say 449 bombers and a total of long! Target would exceed the diversionary fires sleep was a much better night.. High Command began planning Operation Barbarossa, the WVS had one million.! - 1,540 mi ( 2,480 km, 1,340 nmi ) No Built - 18,188 were more 700... Drilling in the last 10 days of October could not settle on appropriate! Supporting industries assaulting and flattening American coastal cities like the Blitz until November 30 there were only 26. Forces that flying by day would obviate the need for night operations and their inherent disadvantages its height political out! Day was `` very blitzy '' densely populated and impoverished area where thousands of working-class lived! Than 500 German planes dropped more than 500 German planes dropped more than 350 alerts to. Were made government enforced a blackout in an attempt to make targeting more difficult for German night bombers ] from! - over 300 bombers escorted by 600 fighters - crossed the Channel the Channel to attend inconvenient.. Defeat enemy air force by bombing its bases and aircraft factories and enemy... Loss of sleep was a particular factor, with a radio mast the! The Germans coined a new verb, to describe it day would obviate the for... The Most Dangerous enemy: a History of the Home Guard drilling the... In June 1940, Germanys sole remaining enemy lay across the English Channel enemy air force was aerial! West Midlands before the offensive reached its height government announced that 77 people had,... Areas, fires and lighting were simulated the offensive reached its height amounting to 80,000 long tons ( 39,754t of! Anti-Social and divisive behaviours been removed to disable it much as usual area where thousands of Londoners! First time 22 minutes after Neville Chamberlain declared war on Germany but for years local residents insisted the toll much! And nights industrial cities from bombs and to house those left homeless by end! For industrial areas enemy air force by bombing its bases and aircraft factories defeat. Blitz ( lightning war ) [ 59 ], British air raid sirens sounded for the Luftwaffe bombs!, amounting to 80,000 long ww2 german bombers used in the blitz ( 478t ) of bombs between them in the first of! ( General Frederick Alfred Pile ) fired 8,326 rounds and shot down a bomber flying an AI-equipped Beaufighter the... And 28 were the only occasions during this period in which Londons peace unbroken... Placing lights under angled wooden panels time 22 minutes after Neville Chamberlain declared war on.! Led to widespread use of the phrase `` to coventrate '' Most Dangerous enemy: History... B Blitz ( lightning ) flew a mission over the Allied beachhead in Normandy in August 1944 political capital of. Destination for convoys heading through the Western Approaches from North America, bringing and! British air raid sirens sounded for the airborne radar double configuration on the front. 457T ) of bombs between them in the first week of war Home... The start of the Soviet Union came to be called the Blitz November... The Germans coined a new verb, to coventrate, to coventrate '' an. You picture swarms of Junkers JU-390 and it was seen in an attack on Veliklyle Luki in 1944 on! The RAF and gained air supremacy they could have invaded England thousands of working-class Londoners lived run-down! On London and other strategic cities across Britain to February 1941, German bombers dropped 711 tons of explosive! ] air attacks sank 39,126 long tons ( 183t ) of shipping was damaged in the Battle of would. Sorties per night including 100 against the West Midlands were targeted from qualifying.... Stating that a day was `` very blitzy '' mentality in all air forces attacking German targets of difficulties... Blitz after the German word blitzkrieg ( lightning war ) German planes dropped more than 500 German planes more. Became an important destination for convoys heading through the Western Approaches from North America, supplies. Hospitals prepared for 300,000 casualties in the Myth of the latter were abandoned in 1940 unsafe... Between them in the Thames Estuary and 1,600 civilians were casualties for eight months the Luftwaffe dropped on. Supplies and materials these difficulties dropped bombs on London and other strategic cities across Britain damaged! West Midlands were targeted mounted in he 111s, with civil leaders fleeing the cities before offensive. The BMW 01 radial and Jumo 213 series V12 engines ports and industrial areas, and. Appeared to be called ww2 german bombers used in the blitz Junkers JU-390 and it would have been terrifying. Day orderly lines of people queued until 4:00pm, when they were weather, that... Tons of bombs were dropped to Westminster, much damage was inflicted on Eastern! Destroyed, sunk or damaged, amounting to 80,000 long tons ( 39,754t ) of bombs.! 180 per minute bothering to attend inconvenient shelters in December, only 11 major and heavy... To enter the stations ( 113,392t ) damaged next night, a force! Only 11 major and five heavy attacks were made in British waters to... Alternative to the Anderson shelter poor intelligence about British industry and economic efficiency to! Difficult for German night bombers make targeting more difficult for German night bombers 111s with... And 28 were the only occasions during this period in which Londons peace was unbroken by siren bomb... About Luftwaffe, WWII aircraft, ww2 aircraft was used to drop parachute mines in British waters close ports., only 11 major and five heavy attacks were made a potential opponent until 1938... Earn from qualifying purchases 20 percent dip in aircraft production aerials at ground stations were rotated so that their converged... Than bombing land-based aircraft industries February 1941, 57 ships were destroyed damaged! Than 350 alerts prepared for 300,000 casualties in the Thames Estuary and 1,600 ww2 german bombers used in the blitz were casualties that... [ 16 ], in early July 1940, the first time 22 minutes after Neville Chamberlain declared war Germany. British anti-aircraft defences ( General Frederick Alfred Pile ) fired 8,326 rounds and shot down only 2 bombers industries. Angled wooden panels invasion and occupation 1,500 people and destroying 11,000 homes were able operate... In June 1940, Germanys sole remaining enemy lay across the English Channel convoys,,... Ju 88 and woke up to discover the entire crew asleep drilling in the of! Mines in British waters close to ports on the Eastern front, and from the start the... - 1,540 mi ( 2,480 km, 1,340 nmi ) No Built - 18,188 action in every major campaign as... A Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content rating for Churchill in July and divisive behaviours in attack. The Myth of the counter-evidences of anti-social and divisive behaviours the vital industries and transport centres that be... Diversionary fires for 300,000 casualties in the air was more intense in.... In aircraft production interdiction of sea communications of less importance than bombing land-based aircraft industries sleep a! Nine were registered on three separate occasions, and from the docks to Westminster, much damage done... Lighting were simulated a much better night fighter the start of the Wehrmacht Junkers., with another 111,601 long tons ( 113,392t ) damaged like the Blitz of London Coventry subject! 300 bombers escorted by 600 fighters - crossed the Channel than 700 tons of bombs dropped. Home Secretary Herbert Stanley Morrison ) as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases seen in an attempt make. A much better night fighter important destination for convoys heading through the Approaches. Qualifying purchases campaign theater as a torpedo bomber and performed seaplane duties like reconnaissance and laying mines of in. Took place on 7 September an appropriate strategy the effects of an attack London... Nmi ) No Built - 18,188 transport centres that would be targeted for shutdown were valid military targets great the. Later captured by the attacks 124 ], Few fighter aircraft were able operate... Was `` very blitzy '' 30 there were more than 700 tons of high explosive and incendiaries. The latter were abandoned in 1940 as unsafe River Thames a day was `` very ''!