THE MELIÁ WHITE HOUSE JOURNAL Nº004
ALBANY ST, LONDON NW1 3UP
MARCH 30, 2017
Did you know…?
19 4 0 - 19 41 : A DA R K E R A FO R B R I TA I N But not for The White House, fortunately it was too valuable to be damaged With the outbreak of the war in 1939, London was not one of the best places to be. In 1940 and 1941, Germany carried out heavy air raids over Britain known as the Blitz (“lightning war” in German). But, very curiously, not one German bomb damaged The White House during the Blitz. This was because the Luftwaffe used the unique star shape of the building as a compass to help them gain their bearings. Four of the six wings of The White House point in exactly the same direction as the four main points on a compass. Due to this the Luftwaffe used the White House as a marker, making it too valuable to be destroyed. This information was later discovered via documents found when the Allies entered Berlin in 1945. Naturally the residents & owners of the White House we not aware of the building’s importance, therefore air raid protection was provided. However, little changed at The White House during this time; the swimming pool was covered with a parquet floor and used as a dance floor to keep up the spirits and morale of the residents.
Meliá White House
A War Damaged Bus in London, 1940.
Winston Churchill inspecting bomb damage in Battersea, South London, 10 September 1940.
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