To the Roofs

On the evening of October 15, 1940, London experienced one of the fiercest attacks of the Blitz. A total of 480 German aircraft dropped approximately 386 tons of high explosives and 70,000 incendiary bombs on the city. The incendiaries were a new and devastating threat. As Londoners took cover in basements and shelters, historic buildings and landmarks above them were engulfed in flames, burning unchecked. If such destruction continued, it seemed the city might be lost entirely.

In response, Winston Churchill issued a…