Over a period of nine months, over 43,500 civilians were killed in the raids, which focused on major cities and industrial centres. In the course of four Luftwaffe attacks on the nights of 7-8 April, 15-16 April, 4-5 May and 5-6 May 1941, lasting ten hours in total, 1,100 people died, over 56,000 houses in the city were damaged (53 per cent of its entire housing stock), roughly 100,000 made temporarily homeless and 20 million damage was caused to property at wartime values. By 4 am the entire city seemed to be in flames. Another attacked Bangor, killing five. The wartime output of the yard included aircraft carriers HMS Formidable and HMS Unicorn, cruisers such as HMS Belfast and more than 130 other vessels used by the Royal Navy. Belfast was ill-prepared for the blitz. Very early in the German bombing campaign, it became clear that the preparationshowever extensive they seemed to have beenwere inadequate. The 2017 film Zoo depicts an air raid during the Belfast Blitz. The Germans expanded the Blitz to other cities in November 1940. Richard Dawson Bates was the Home Affairs Minister. The mass relocation, called Operation Pied Piper, was the largest internal migration in British history. ", Mapping the lives lost in the Belfast Blitz. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. On 4-5 May, another raid, made up of 204 bombers, killed another 203 people and the following night 22 more died. Read about our approach to external linking. The period of the next moon from say the 7th to the 16th of April may well bring our turn." Dissatisfaction with public shelters also led to another notable development in the East EndMickeys Shelter. As well as photographs, the Luftwaffe gathered information on landmarks, potential targets and defences or lack thereof. Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom . The Blitz | Facts, History, Damage, & Casualties | Britannica The national government also provided funds to local municipalities to construct public air-raid shelters. Video, 00:02:54, At least 17 dead in Jakarta fuel storage depot fire. Belfast was the birthplace of the RMS Titanic, the world' most famous ship which, when it was constructed in the early 1900s, was longer than the height of the world's tallest building at 882 feet and six inches in length. The Luftwaffe had lost more than 600 aircraft, and, although the RAF had lost fewer than half that many, the battle was claiming British fighters and experienced pilots at too great a rate. Oakland plans to unleash 'pothole blitz' to fix notorious street damage 13 died, including a soldier killed when an anti-aircraft gun, at the Balmoral show-grounds, misfired. Can Nigeria's election result be overturned? There were Heinkel He 111s, Junkers Ju 88s and Dornier Do 17s. The first was on the night of 7-8 April 1941, a small attack which probably took place only to test Belfast's defences. But the authorities were afraid that bombs might not be the. Six Heinkel He 111 bombers, from Kampfgruppe 26, flying at 7,000 feet (2,100m), dropped incendiaries, high explosive and parachute-mines. 8. Government apathy, a lack of leadership and a belief the Luftwaffe could not reach Belfast lead to the city lagging behind in terms of basic defences. NI WW2 veterans honoured by France. The attack on Coventry was particularly destructive. Just eight days earlier, eight planes destroyed the aircraft fuselage factory and damaged the docks, with 15 people ultimately killed as a result of that raid. All were exhausted. The bombs continued to fall until 5am. The Belfast blitz devastated a city that up until 1941 had remained unscathed during World War Two. When the war began, Belfast, like many other cities, adopted the wartime practices of rationing and blackouts. From a purely military perspective, the Blitz was entirely counterproductive to the main purpose of Germanys air offensiveto dominate the skies in advance of an invasion of England. One, Tom Coleman, attended to receive recognition for his colleagues' solidarity at such a critical time. Rescue workers search through the rubble of Eglington Street in Belfast, Northern Ireland, after a German Luftwaffe air raid, 7 May 1941, Anna (left) and her husband Billy (back right) survived while Harriette, Dorothy and Billy were killed along with Dot and Isa, Dot and Isa, with Dorothy when she was a toddler, Royal Welch Fusiliers assist in clearing bomb damage in Belfast, Northern Ireland, 7 May 1941, Mapping the lives lost in the Belfast Blitz. Hundreds of incendiary and many high-explosive bombs were dropped, doing little material damage but causing many casualties. As many as 5,000 people had packed into this network of underground tunnels, which was dangerously overcrowded, dirty, and dark. When incendiaries were dropped, the city burned as water pressure was too low for effective firefighting. The British thus fought with the advantage of superior equipment and undivided aim against an enemy with inconsistent objectives. Instead of pressing his advantage, however, Hitler abruptly changed his strategy. Video, 00:02:12, Isabel Oakeshott: Why I leaked Hancock's messages, Tears of relief after man found in Amazon jungle. In the subsequent years, this lack of preparation has often dominated the discussion about the Belfast Blitz, but a new project led by Alan Freeburn from the Northern Ireland War Memorial aims to shift the focus back to the ordinary men, women and children who lost their lives. The creeping TikTok bans. Jimmy Doherty, an air raid warden (who later served in London during the V1 and V2 blitz), who wrote a book on the Belfast blitz; The Royal Air Force announced that Squadron Leader J.W.C. There were still 80,000 more in Belfast. On April 16 an attack even fiercer and more indiscriminate than those of the previous autumn started at 9:00 pm and continued until 5:00 the following morning; 500 aircraft were believed to have flown over in continuous waves, raining an estimated 450 tons of bombs across the city. Liverpool, for example, protected by 100 guns. the Blitz, (September 7, 1940May 11, 1941), intense bombing campaign undertaken by Nazi Germany against the United Kingdom during World War II. Several accounts point out that Belfast, standing at the end of the long inlet of Belfast Lough, would be easily located. Unlike N Ireland, the Irish Free State was no longer part of the UK. In addition, there simply was not enough space for everyone who needed shelter in one of the largest and most densely populated cities in the world. When the house was hit William, Harriette, Dorothy, 36-year-old Dot and 41-year-old Isa were all killed. By Jonathan Bardon. Author Lawrence H. Dawson detailed the damage to Londons historic buildings for the 1941 Britannica Book of the Year: The following curtailed list identifies some of the better known places in inner London that have been damaged by enemy action. Gring had insisted that such an attack was an impossibility, because of the citys formidable air defense network. By the end of the attacks, between 900 and 1,000 people were dead and thousands more were injured, homeless and displaced. Streetlights, car headlights, and illuminated signs were kept off. Anna and Billy were buried up their necks in sewage but were rescued and survived. Their Chain Home early warning radar, the most advanced system in the world, gave Fighter Command adequate notice of where and when to direct their forces, and the Luftwaffe never made a concerted effort to neutralize it. "But there is no such equivalent in Belfast. The Belfast Blitz - KS3 History (Environment and society) - BBC O'Sullivan reported: "There were many terrible mutilations among both living and dead heads crushed, ghastly abdominal and face wounds, penetration by beams, mangled and crushed limbs etc.". St George's Church in High Street was damaged by fire. Around 1am, Luftwaffe bombers flew over the city, concentrating their attack on the Harbour Estate and Queen's Island. THE BELFAST BLITZ was a series of four air raids over Northern Ireland during the spring of 1941. Neighbouring residential areas were also hit. They prevented low-flying aircraft from approaching their targets at optimal altitudes and angles of attack. along with England, Scotland, and Wales. For more than six months, German planes had flown reconnaissance flights over Belfast. Government ministers in Northern Ireland began to realise the Luftwaffe may launch an attack, but it was too little, too late. The Blitz was devastating for the people of London and other cities. Two of the crews received refreshments in Banbridge; others were entertained in the Ancient Order of Hibernians hall in Newry. Major O'Sullivan reported that "In the heavily 'blitzed' areas people ran panic-stricken into the streets and made for the open country. Belfast was not properly prepared for the attacks, with too few shelters and not enough anti-aircraft guns. It would appear that Adolf Hitler, in view of de Valera's negative reaction, was concerned that de Valera and Irish American politicians might encourage the United States to enter the war. Brooke noted in his diary "I gave him authority as it is obviously a question of expediency". John Clarke MacDermott, the Minister of Public Security, after the first bombing, initiated the "Hiram Plan" to evacuate the city and to return Belfast to 'normality' as quickly as possible. ", Dawson Bates informed the Cabinet of rack-renting of barns, and over thirty people per house in some areas.[24]. There was no opposition. However, the Docklands was also a densely populated and impoverished area where thousands of working-class Londoners lived in run-down housing. The World's Most-Famous Ship, The Titanic, was constructed here. ISBN 9781909556324. The fall of France in June, 1940, enabled the Luftwaffe to establish airfields across the north of the country, leaving Ulster within reach of bombers. Days later a group of East Enders occupied the shelter at the upscale Savoy Hotel, and many others began to take refuge in the citys underground railway, or Tube, stations. Up Next. There were few bomb shelters. His death (along with preceding ill-health) came at a bad time and arguably inadvertently caused a leadership vacuum. He gave an interview saying: "the people of Belfast are Irish people too". At nightfall the Northern Counties Station was packed from platform gates to entrance gates and still refugees were coming along in a steady stream from the surrounding streets Open military lorries were finally put into service and even expectant mothers and mothers with young children were put into these in the rather heavy drizzle that lasted throughout the evening. However that attack was not an error. That evening over 150 bombers left their bases in northern France and the Netherlands and headed for Belfast. John Wood Dunlop invented the pneumatic tyre in Belfast in 1887. No significant cut was made in necessary social services, and public and private premises, except when irreparably damaged, were repaired as speedily as possible. They remained for three days, until they were sent back by the Northern Ireland government. Public buildings destroyed or badly damaged included Belfast City Hall's Banqueting Hall, the Ulster Hospital for Women and Children and Ballymacarrett library, (the last two being located on Templemore Avenue). Prayers were said and hymns sung by the mainly Protestant women and children during the bombing. The "Hiram Plan" initiated by Dawson Bates, the Home Affairs Minister, had failed to materialise. 13 Facts You Didn't Know About Belfast About 1,000 people were killed during the Belfast Blitz of 1941, with Harland and Wolff among the buildings that were hit by the Luftwaffe. Yesterday for once the people of Ireland were united under the shadow of a national blow. The bombs caused death and destruction across the city, affecting those of all religions and political backgrounds. Both planes quickly proved their mettle against German bombers, and Germanys best fighter, the Bf 109, was of limited use as an escort due to its relatively short operating range. A short respite followed, until a widespread series of night raids on April 7 included some targets in the London area. [12], There was little preparation for the conflict with Germany. Davies also set up medical stations and persuaded off-duty medical personnel to treat the sick and wounded. Tragically 35 were crushed to death when the mill wall collapsed. These balloons, the largest of which were some 60 feet (18 metres) long, were essentially an airspace denial tool. The database Mr Freeburn has compiled is, he believes, the most accurate list of those killed and includes 222 children aged 16 or under. High explosive bombs predominated in this raid. Initially it was thought that the Germans had mistaken this reservoir for the harbour and shipyards, where many ships, including HMS Ark Royal were being repaired. And then naturally as I was over the target, I did pick up flak but I have no sense of exactly how weak or how strong it was, because every bit of flak you get is dangerous.. On November 14, 1940, a German force of more than 500 bombers destroyed much of the old city centre and killed more than 550 people. The city covers a total area of 132.5 square kilometers (51 square miles). The phrase Business as usual, written in chalk on boarded-up shop windows, exemplified the British determination to keep calm and carry on as best they could. TOP 10: Facts About Belfast You Didn't Know - Ireland Before You Die Also, on Queens Island, stood the Short and Harland Ltd. Aircraft Factory. While Anderson shelters offered good protection from bomb fragments and debris, they were cold and damp and generally ill-suited for prolonged occupancy. This part of Belfast was the only one required to provide air raid shelters for workers. 4. William Joyce (known as "Lord Haw-Haw") announced in radio broadcasts from Hamburg that there will be "Easter eggs for Belfast". Over 20 hospitals were hit, among them the London (many times), St. Thomass, St. Bartholomews, and the childrens hospital in Great Ormond st., as well as Chelsea hospital, the home for the aged and invalid soldiers, built by Wren. Similar initiatives bearing the same name were ordered in the past decade by former mayors Libby . [citation needed]. Belfast was bombed by the Nazis in World War II. The creeping TikTok bans. The success of Mickeys Shelter was another factor that urged the government to improve existing deep shelters and to create new ones. Again the Irish emergency services crossed the border, this time without waiting for an invitation. The Luftwaffe never attacked the city after May 1941, but it would be many years before life returned to normal for many in the city. Churches destroyed or wrecked included Macrory Memorial Presbyterian in Duncairn Gardens; Duncairn Methodist, Castleton Presbyterian on York Road; St Silas's on the Oldpark Road; St James's on the Antrim Road; Newington Presbyterian on Limestone Road; Crumlin Road Presbyterian; Holy Trinity on Clifton Street and Clifton Street Presbyterian; York Street Presbyterian and York Street Non-Subscribing Presbyterian; Newtownards Road Methodist and Rosemary Street Presbyterian (the last of which was not rebuilt). He went to the Mater Hospital at 2pm, nine hours after the raid ended, to find the street with a traffic jam of ambulances waiting to admit their casualties. German bombing of London during the Blitz, Discover how the Third Reich attacked Great Britain during World War II's Battle of Britain, atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Watch President Roosevelt outline his Four Freedoms and learn how Britain defeated Germany's Luftwaffe. Video, 00:02:12Isabel Oakeshott: Why I leaked Hancock's messages, Tears of relief after man found in Amazon jungle. 2. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Belfast made a considerable contribution towards the Allied war effort, producing many naval ships, aircraft and munitions; therefore, the city was deemed a suitable bombing target by the Luftwaffe. workers. 29 - Belfast was once bigger than Dublin Moya Woodside[23] noted in her diary: "Evacuation is taking on panic proportions. (Some authors count this as the second raid of four). By 1940, Short and Harland could shelter its entire workforce and Harland and Wolff had provision to shelter 16,000 workers. Belfast - Kids | Britannica Kids | Homework Help And even then, Westminster stated it was not ample provision; Stormont still worried about the costs to industry. [18], Over 900 people died, 1,500 people were injured, 400 of them seriously. Belfast, the city with the highest population density in the UK at the time, also had the lowest proportion of public air-raid shelters. A charitable relief fund for the people of London was opened September 10. Guided by Davies, the people of the shelter created an ad hoc government and established a set of rules. Video, 00:01:37Thanks, but no big speech, in Ken Bruce's sign off, Tear gas fired at Greece train crash protesters. What's the least amount of exercise we can get away with? The attacks by both V1's and V2's only ended as the Allies advanced up through Western Europe . Although there were some comparatively slight raids later in 1941, the most notable one on July 27, the May 1011 attack marked the conclusion of the Blitz. wardens, and members of the Home Guard drilling in the parks, life went on much as usual. Fortunately, the railway telegraphy link between Belfast and Dublin was still operational. As the UK was preparing for the conflict, the factories and shipyards of Belfast were gearing up. The government was blamed by some for inadequate precautions. 7. J.P. Walshe, assistant secretary, recorded that Hempel was "clearly distressed by the news of the severe raid on Belfast and especially of the number of civilian casualties." In his interview, Becker stated that only military objectives were aimed for. Looking back on the Belfast Blitz, Oberleutnant Becker signed off with the following words: A war is the worst thing that can happen to Mankind. Here are 10 facts about both the German Blitzkrieg and the Allied bombing of Germany. Video, 00:03:09, Mapping the lives lost in the Belfast Blitz, Russian minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims. Clydeside got its blitz during the period of the last moon. From September 1940 until May 1941, Britain was subjected to sustained enemy bombing campaign, now known as the Blitz. Video, 00:01:23Watch: Matt Hancock message row in 83 seconds, One-minute World News. Video, 00:00:26The German bombing of Coventry, Living through the London Blitz. Learn how your comment data is processed. They are sleeping in the same sheugh (ditch), below the same tree or in the same barn. It was not the first time the alarm had sounded to signify the presence of Luftwaffe bombers over the city. But Mr Freeburn's research casts doubt on this. [citation needed], There was a second massive air raid on Belfast on Sunday 45 May 1941, three weeks after that of Easter Tuesday. The most heavily bombed cities outside London were Liverpool and Birmingham. 10,000 "officially" crossed the border. About 1,000 people were killed and bombs hit half of the houses in the city, leaving 100,000 people homeless. On the 17th I heard that hundreds who either could not get away or could not leave for other reasons simply went out into the fields and remained in the open all night with whatever they could take in the way of covering. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Raids between February and May pounded Plymouth, Portsmouth, Bristol, Newcastle upon Tyne, and Hull in England; Swansea in Wales; Belfast in Northern Ireland; and Clydeside in Scotland. The seeming normality of life on the Home Front was shattered in 1944 when the first of the V1's landed. At the start of World War Two, Belfast had considered itself safe from an aerial attack, as the city's leaders believed that Belfast was simply too far away for Luftwaffe bombers to reach - assuming that they would have to fly from Nazi Germany. Video, 00:01:37, Thanks, but no big speech, in Ken Bruce's sign off, Tear gas fired at Greece train crash protesters. "They have never been published before, never seen the light of day.". The British government had anticipated air attacks on its population centres, and it had predicted catastrophic casualties. By British mainland blitz standards, casualties were light. Belfast's Albert Clock tower is sinking - it leans by four feet. Belfast is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland . Just before Easter 1941, Anna and Billy Burdett and their 12-year-old daughter, Dorothy, returned to Belfast from England to visit Anna's family. Video, 00:00:36Tears of relief after man found in Amazon jungle. By the time the raid was over, at least 744 people had lost their lives, including some living in places such as Newtownards, Bangor and Londonderry. He successfully busied himself with the task of making Northern Ireland a major supplier of food to Britain in her time of need.[5]. The area included the Harland and Wolff Ltd. Shipyard, the Short and Harland Ltd. Aircraft Factory, and the airfield at RAF Sydenham. In just these few hours, 430 people were killed and 1,600 were badly injured. Read about our approach to external linking. You can see the difference in those letters - post-Blitz is very much a grieving tone. By then 250 firemen from Clydeside had arrived. 10 Facts About the Blitz and the Bombing of Germany 7. The next took. ", US journalist Ben Robertson reported that at night Dublin was the only city without a blackout between New York and Moscow, and between Lisbon and Sweden and that German bombers often flew overhead to check their bearings using its lights, angering the British. Video, 00:01:38, At least 17 dead in Jakarta fuel storage depot fire, Australia's 'biggest drug bust' nets $700m of cocaine. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. The "pothole blitz" is a common short-term initiative to combat storm weather damage. There wasn't enough room for Anna or Billy, so they sheltered elsewhere, a twist of fate that would save their lives. The attacks were authorized by Germanys chancellor, Adolf Hitler, after the British carried out a nighttime air raid on Berlin. It has been reported that on Easter Tuesday, Belfast suffered the highest loss of life of any city in the UK in a single raid. On August 25 the British retaliated by launching a bombing raid on Berlin. These shelters, made of corrugated steel, were designed to be dug into a garden and then covered with dirt. It was solemn, tragic, dignified, but here it was grotesque, repulsive, horrible. 2023 BBC. The Titanic was built in Belfast. There was no smokescreen ability, however there were some barrage balloons positioned strategically for protection. [17] A stray bomber attacked Derry, killing 15. On September 1, 1939, the day World War II began with Germanys invasion of Poland, the British government implemented a massive evacuation plan. Burke Street which ran between Annadale and Dawson streets in the New Lodge area, was completely wiped off the map with all its 20 houses flattened and all of the occupants killed.[16]. Belfast confetti," said one archive news report. Between April 7 and May 6 of that year, Luftwaffe bombers unleashed death and destruction on the cities of Belfast, Bangor, Derry/Londonderry and Newtownards. 50,000 houses, more than half the houses in the city, were damaged. Clydeside got its blitz during the period of the last moon. The danger faced in London was greatly increased when the V2 attacks started and the casualty figures mirrored those of the Blitz.. devised the Morrison shelter (named for Home Secretary Herbert Stanley Morrison) as an alternative to the Anderson shelter. Since 1:45am all telephones had been cut. These private air-raid shelters were Anderson shelters, constructed of sheets of corrugated galvanised iron covered in earth. Video, 00:00:51Australia's 'biggest drug bust' nets $700m of cocaine, Thanks, but no big speech, in Ken Bruce's sign off. The telegram was sent at 4:35am,[citation needed] asking the Irish Taoiseach, amon de Valera for assistance. [citation needed], On Easter Tuesday, 15 April 1941, spectators watching a football match at Windsor Park noticed a lone Luftwaffe Junkers Ju 88 aircraft circling overhead.[15]. Belfast is famous for being the birthplace of the Titanic. Protection of the city fell to seven anti-aircraft batteries of 16 heavy guns and six light guns. High explosives were dropped. At 10:40 on the evening of Easter Tuesday 1941 air raid sirens sounded across Belfast, sending people across the city scrambling for safety - in one of the 200 public shelters in the city or the thousands of shelters or other "safe" spaces in private homes. Over 150 people died in what became known as the 'Fire Blitz'. Contributions poured in from every part of the world in such profusion that on October 28 its scope was extended to cover the whole of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. [27] One widespread criticism was that the Germans located Belfast by heading for Dublin and following the railway lines north. After the war, instructions from Joseph Goebbels were discovered ordering it not to be mentioned. Belfast Blitz - Wikipedia Many of the surface shelters built by local authorities were flimsy and provided little protection from bombs, falling debris, and fire. While the balloons themselves were an obvious deterrent, they were anchored to the ground by steel tethers that were strong enough to damage or destroy any aircraft that flew into them. Mr Freeburn set out to find out more about those who died, their personal stories and the tales of those left behind. When war broke out in 1939 the city did not expect to be attacked by German bombers: it was geographically remote and deemed a relatively . An earlier flight on Oct. 18 allowed the crew to plot several targets in the city. Nurse Emma Duffin, who had served in World War I, contrasted death in that conflict with what she saw:.mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0}. No searchlights were set up in the city at the time, and these only arrived on 10 April. NI WW2 veterans honoured by France. The creeping TikTok bans, Hong Kong skyscraper fire seen on city's skyline. I was definitely one of the first over the target and as I flew in there was no great defence because there were not a great many aircraft over the target at that point, recalled Becker. William Joyce "Lord Haw-Haw" announced that "The Fhrer will give you time to bury your dead before the next attack Tuesday was only a sample." Between April 7 and May 6 of that year, Luftwaffe bombers unleashed death and destruction on the cities of Belfast, Bangor, Derry/Londonderry and Newtownards.

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