The physical destruction of the blitz not only involved industrial centres, ports, dockyards and factories but

also the cities densely populated civilian areas. This meant that a huge number of the tightly packed slums that housed a majority of the English population were destroyed and thousands of people made homeless. The destruction was not only due the usual explosive bombs which exploded on impact, but also incendiary fire-starters which were far more dangerous, beginning raging fires which could attack even some air raid shelters and caused a huge amount of damage, raging higher than the great fire of London 275 years earlier. Homes were levelled and permanent scars were left on the city, most notably the destruction of cathedrals, museums and famous monuments, an especially cruel tactic of Hitler s, designed to make the people of Britain lose morale with the loss of their precious historical heritage. Cultural places bombed included Bath, Coventry whose cathedral was totally destroyed, York and Canterbury, the raids named the Baedeker raids as the Nazis picked the cities out of the Baedeker tourist guide book. However main targets were industrial centres like Liverpool, Cardiff and Manchester which produced vital steel and munitions works for the army and so suffered heavy casualties and increased levels of poverty as the factories, often peoples main source of income were destroyed. Britains ports and dockyards were also targeted, especially those on the south coast of those in trade with America , the Nazis aim being to weaken their ability to defend themselves attacking the ports was necessary, especially since much of the country s trade came from overseas. Overall the destruction was concentrated, though not widespread and successfully destroyed the industries and lives of millions of British people. Civilian casualties rose to unbelievable numbers during the Blitz, mounting to 29 890 in London alone. These numbers were made up mostly of the poorer classes, being more vulnerable in the tighly packed slums and not able to afford shelters, but even Buckingham palace was bombed, and the rich were by no means exempt.