The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz

Hitler’s chief officers convince him that Germany should organize a raid on London to retaliate for the recent RAF raids on Germany and to “camouflage the Russian invasion by demonstrating Germany’s continued commitment to conquering England” (462). After Mary talks to Beaverbrook and Pamela, her confidence about her engagement to Eric starts to weaken. On the afternoon of May 9, the RAF’s radar center detects a German navigational beam over London, indicating that a raid will take place. The beam is code-named “Anton.”

Rudolf Hess once again takes off for Scotland in his Messerschmitt plane from the airfield at Augsburg, Germany. Goring calls Adolf Galland and orders him to use his entire fighter squad to stop Hess. Meanwhile, British radar experts detect Hess’s plane flying over Britain toward Scotland and attempt to intercept it. 

Over six hours on the night of May 10, the Luftwaffe carries out a violent raid on London. Westminster, the Tower of London, the Law Courts, and other historic treasures are gravely damaged. The goal of the raid seems to be to kill Churchill and his government; they remain unscathed, although the main chamber of the House of Commons is destroyed. Harriman’s secretary, Robert Meiklejohn, takes refuge in the bomb shelter of his hotel.