| Original caption: “This picture, taken during the first mass air raid on London, September 7, 1940, describes more than words ever could, the scene in London’s dock area. Tower Bridge stands out against a background of smoke and fires. New York Times Paris Bureau Collection.” London’s dock area. Tower Bridge stands out against a background of smoke and fires. During World War II, Tower Bridge, built between 1886 and 1894, was seen as a major transport link to the Port of London, and consequently was a target for Nazi German aircraft. The 1st deliberate air raids on London were mainly aimed at the Port of London, causing severe damage. Late in the afternoon of September 7, 1940, the Germans began Unternehmen Loge (“Operation London,” where Loge was the codename for London) and Unternehmen Seeschlange (“Operation Sea Snake”), the air offensives against London and other industrial cities. A total of 348 bombers and 617 fighters took part in the initial attack. Initially, the change in strategy from attacking airfields to striking London caught the Royal Air Force (RAF) off guard and caused extensive damage and civilian casualties. Some 107,400 gross tons (109,100 tons) of shipping was damaged in the Thames Estuary and 1,600 civilians were casualties. Of this total around 400 were killed. The fighting in the air was more intense in daylight. Loge had cost the Luftwaffe 41 aircraft: 14 bombers, 16 Messerschmitt Bf-109s, 7 Messerschmitt Bf-110s, and 4 reconnaissance aircraft. RAF Fighter Command lost 23 fighters, with 6 pilots killed and another 7 wounded. Another 247 bombers from Luftwaffe (“Nazi German Air Force”) Luftflotte 3 (“Air Fleet 3”) attacked that night. On September 8, 1940, the Luftwaffe returned; 412 people were killed and 747 severely wounded. Unternehmen Loge continued for 57 straight nights. In 1940, Tower Bridge’s high-level span took a direct hit, severing the hydraulic mechanism and taking the bridge out of action. In April 1941, a parachute mine exploded close to the bridge, causing serious damage to the bascule, towers, and engine room. In 1942, a 3rd engine was installed in case the existing ones were damaged by enemy action. It was a 150 horsepower horizontal cross-compound engine, built by Vickers Armstrong Limited at their Elswick works in Newcastle upon Tyne. It was fitted with a flywheel having a 9-foot (2.7 meter) diameter and weighing 9 tons, and was governed to a speed of 30 revolutions per minute. The engine became redundant when the rest of the system was modernized in 1974, and was donated to the Forncett Industrial Steam Museum by the City of London Corporation. | |
| Image Filename | wwii2021.jpg |
| Image Size | 967.17 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2924 x 2361 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | New York Times |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | September 7, 1940 |
| Location | |
| City | London |
| State or Province | London |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | NWDNS-306-NT-2743V |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
Author of the World War II Multimedia Database