Chronology of World War II

Friday, September 13th


Inspecting Bomb Damage at Buckingham Palace


Inspecting Bomb Damage at Buckingham Palace
British King George VI and his wife Queen Elizabeth survey the damage to Buckingham Palace from German bombs. Both the King and Queen were in the Palace when the attack hit the palace grounds and chapel on the morning of 13 September 1940. As they made their way to the palace shelter, they felt the Palace shake under the assault of high explosive and incendiary bombs. They were unhurt. Undeterred by the danger, the royal couple vowed to stay in London in the Palace. The Palace was a deliberate target for the Luftwaffe, as its High Command reasoned that its destruction would demoralize the nation. But it had the opposite effect, and the Queen was famously to utter "I'm glad we have been bombed. Now I can look the East End in the face."