David and Goliath

“We are all of us not merely liable to fear, we are also prone to be afraid of being afraid. But conquering of fear produces exhilaration. When we have been afraid that we may panic in air-raid and when it has happened, we have exhibited a calm exterior. The contrast between the previous apprehension and the present relief and feeling of security promotes a self-confidence that is the very father and mother of courage.”

- J T MacCurdy quoted this on how Londoners reacted to Germany’s Blitzkrieg

In the fall of 1940, during second world war, the long-anticipated attack on London began. Over a period of eight months - beginning with 57 consecutive nights of devastating bombardment - German bombers thundered across the skies above London,dropping thousands of high-explosive bombs and more than a million incendiary devices. 47,000 people were killed and 46,000 injured. A million buildings were damaged. In the city’s East end, entire neighborhoods were laid waste. It was everything the British government officials had feared - except that every one of their predictions about how Londoners would react turned out to be wrong.

- David and Goliath.