In 1940 England was at war. After Germany had failed to cripple Britain's airpower, especially in the Battle of Britain, Adolf Hitler was forced to make a change in strategy. By early September 1940, Hitler ordered the German bombers to switch their attention to London, with 57 consecutive nights of bombing known as "blitzkrieg" or the lightning war. By the end of Day One of the Blitz, German planes had dropped close to 300 tons of bombs on London. Although civilian populations were not the primary target of the poorest area, the East End suffered the most. Despite the barrage of enemy attacks that would continue until May 1941, London and its people were prepared.