The Baedeker Blitz or Baedeker raids were a series of reprisal raids for the bombing of the erstwhile Hanseatic League city of Lübeck during World War II, which was being used to supply the Russian front. The foundations of the Hanseatic League (German: Hanse), an alliance of trading cities that for a time in the later Middle Ages and the Early Modern period maintained a trade monopoly over most of Northern Europe and the Baltic, can be seen as early as the 12th century, with the... Statistics State: Schleswig-Holstein District: Independent city Area: 214. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ...

The Baedeker Blitz was conducted by the German Luftwaffe between April and June 1942. It targeted strategically unimportant but picturesque cities in England. The cities were reputedly selected from the German Baedeker tourist Guide to Britain, meeting the criterion of having been awarded three stars. The Luftwaffe (literally, air weapon, pronounced looft-vaaf-feh) is the air force of Germany. ... 1942 was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area  - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 1st UK 49,138,831 377/km² Religion... Karl Baedeker (not Baedecker) (3 November 1801 - 4 October 1859) was a publisher whose company set the standard for authoritative guidebooks for tourists. ...

The cities attacked were:

• Bath (April 25 and 26)
• Canterbury (May 31; June 2 and 6)
• Exeter (April 23 and 24; May 3)
• Norwich (April 27 and 29)
• York (April 28)

1,637 civilians were killed and 1,760 injured during the raids on these five towns, and over 50,000 houses were destroyed. Palladian Pulteney Bridge and the weir at Bath Bath is a city in southwest England, most famous for its baths fed by three hot springs. ... Location within the British Isles. ... The city of Exeter is the county town of Devon, in England, UK. It is located at 50° 43′ 25″ N 3° 31′ 39″ W. In the 2001 census its population was recorded at 111,066. ... Norwich (pronounced variously Norritch or Norridge) is a city in East Anglia, in Eastern England, the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. ... York is a city in Northern England, built at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss. ...

Several other raids are sometimes included under the Baedeker title, although only a few aircraft were involved in each and damage was not extensive:

• Bury St Edmunds
• Cambridge
• Great Yarmouth
• Ipswich

Bury St Edmunds is a town in the county of Suffolk, England. ... The city of Cambridge is an old English university town and the regional centre of the county of Cambridgeshire. ... Great Yarmouth is a town on the Norfolk, England coast. ... For other places and usages with this name, see Ipswich (disambiguation). ...

See also

• Battle of Britain
• The Blitz
• British military history of World War II
• UK topics

A major campaign of World War II, the Battle of Britain is the name for the attempt by Germanys Luftwaffe to gain control of British airspace and destroy the Royal Air Force (RAF). ... The Blitz, a popular English contraction of the German word Blitzkrieg, was the sustained and intensive bombing of Britain, particularly London, from September 7, 1940 through to May 1941 by the German Luftwaffe in World War II. Although the Blitz is named after Blitzkrieg, it was not an example of... The United Kingdom, along with France, declared war on Nazi Germany in 1939 as part of the United Kingdoms pledge to defend Poland to the invasion of Poland. ... Shortcut: UK topics This is a list of topics related to the United Kingdom. ...

External links

• The Bath Blitz Memorial Project (http://www.thejwarrens.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/bathblitz/blitz.htm)
• Canterbury at War (http://www.digiserve.com/peter/war/hs1.htm)