What is The Blitz?
{{Infobox military conflict |conflict = The Blitz |partof = the [[Strategic bombing during World War II|Strategic bombing campaign]] of [[World War II]] |image =Heinkel over Wapping.jpg |image_size = 300px |caption = A [[Heinkel He 111]] bomber over the [[Surrey Commercial Docks]] in [[South London]] and [[Wapping]] and the [[Isle of Dogs]] in the [[East End of London]] on 7 September 1940 |date = {{start and end dates|1940|9|7|1941|5|11|df=yes}}<br />(8 months, 5 days) |place = United Kingdom |result = German strategic failure<!-- See [[Template:Infobox military conflict]] for result criteria.--> |combatant1 = {{Flagcountry|United Kingdom}} |combatant2 = {{Flagcountry|Nazi Germany}} |commander1 = {{plainlist | * {{flagicon|United Kingdom}} '''[[Winston Churchill]]''' * {{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[Hugh Dowding]] * {{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[Frederick Pile]] * {{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[Owen Tudor Boyd]] * {{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[Leslie Gossage]] }} |commander2 = {{plainlist | * {{flagicon|Nazi Germany}} '''[[Adolf Hitler]]''' * {{flagicon|Nazi Germany}} [[Hermann Göring]] * {{flagicon|Nazi Germany}} [[Hugo Sperrle]] * {{flagicon|Nazi Germany}} [[Albert Kesselring]] * {{flagicon|Nazi Germany}} [[Hans Jeschonnek]] }} |strength1 = |strength2 = |casualties1 = ~40,000–43,000 civilians killed<br />~46,000–139,000 injured<br />Two million houses damaged or destroyed (60 percent of these in London) |casualties2 = Unknown<br />3,363 aircrew<br />2,265 aircraft (summer 1940&nbsp;– May 1941) |alt_caption = [[St Paul's Cathedral]]<nowiki> surrounded by smoke after an air raid</nowiki> }} '''The Blitz''' was a German bombing campaign against the [[United Kingdom]] in 1940 and 1941, during the [[World War II|Second World War]]. The term was first used by the British press and came from the term {{lang|de|[[Blitzkrieg]]}}, the German word for 'lightning war'.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/the-blitz-eight-months-of-terror/z7dyxyc |title=WW2: Eight months of Blitz terror |publisher=[[BBC]] }}</ref>