  We consider $p$-blocks with abelian defect groups and in the first part prove
a relationship between its Loewy length and that for blocks of normal subgroups
of index $p$. Using this, we show that if $B$ is a $2$-block of a finite group
with abelian defect group $D \cong C_{2^{a_1}} \times \cdots \times C_{2^{a_r}}
\times (C_2)^s$, where $a_i > 1$ for all $i$ and $r \geq 0$, then $d < LL(B)
\leq 2^{a_1}+\cdots+2^{a_r}+2s-r+1$, where $|D|=2^d$. When $s=1$ the upper
bound can be improved to $2^{a_1}+\cdots+2^{a_r}+2-r$. Together these give
sharp upper bounds for every isomorphism type of $D$. A consequence is that
when $D$ is an abelian $2$-group the Loewy length is bounded above by $|D|$
except when $D$ is a Klein-four group and $B$ is Morita equivalent to the
principal block of $A_5$. We conjecture similar bounds for arbitrary primes and
give evidence that it holds for principal $3$-blocks.
