10 facts about the belfast blitz

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 BELFAST BLITZ was a series of four air raids over Northern Ireland during the spring of 1941. The Germans, however, saw Belfast as a legitimate target due to the shipyards in the city that were contributing to Britain's war efforts. Brooke noted in his diary "I gave him authority as it is obviously a question of expediency". Video, 00:00:51Australia's 'biggest drug bust' nets $700m of cocaine, Thanks, but no big speech, in Ken Bruce's sign off. Fighter Commands efforts were greatly aided by the lack of any consistent plan of action on the part of the Germans. At the core of this book is a compelling account of the Luftwaffe's blitz on Belfast in April-May 1941. The Luftwaffe crews returned to their base in Northern France and reported that Belfast's defences were, "inferior in quality, scanty and insufficient". 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). Video, 00:01:41, The German bombing of Coventry. wardens, and members of the Home Guard drilling in the parks, life went on much as usual. There [is] ground for thinking that the enemy could not easily reach Belfast in force except during a period of moonlight. Despite the military and industrial importance of the city, the Luftwaffe described the defences asweak, scanty, insufficient. In early 1941 the Germans launched another wave of attacks, this time focusing on ports. More than 500 German planes dropped more than 700 tons of bombs across the city, killing nearly 1,500 people and destroying 11,000 homes. This raid overall caused relatively little damage, but a lot was revealed about Belfast's inadequate defences. Guided by Davies, the people of the shelter created an ad hoc government and established a set of rules. The nights of November 3 and 28 were the only occasions during this period in which Londons peace was unbroken by siren or bomb. The Blitz: When Was It, Why Did It Begin And How Did It End 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. 255 corpses were laid out in St George's Market. More than 1,000 people were killed, and the damage was more widespread than on any previous occasion. People hung black curtains in their windows so that no lights showed outside their houses. Video, 00:03:09, Mapping the lives lost in the Belfast Blitz, Russian minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims. Another defensive measure employed by the British was barrage balloonslarge oval-shaped unmanned balloons with stabilizing tail finsinstalled in and around major target areas. ", Mapping the lives lost in the Belfast Blitz. He spoke with Professor Flynn, (Theodore Thomson Flynn, an Australian based at the Mater Hospital and father of actor Errol Flynn), head of the casualty service for the city, who told him of "casualties due to shock, blast and secondary missiles, such as glass, stones, pieces of piping, etc." . "A lot of the people I spoke to were relatives who ended up donating images and handwritten letters from before and after the Blitz. 1. Compared to other cities, Belfast was virtually undefended. On August 2, Luftwaffe commander Hermann Gring issued his Eagle Day directive, laying down a plan of attack in which a few massive blows from the air were to destroy British air power and so open the way for the invasion. The World's Most-Famous Ship, The Titanic, was constructed here. He believed that this was being done already but it was inevitable that a certain number of civilian lives should be lost in the course of heavy bombing from the air". Added to this was the repair and refitting of 22,000 more vessels. The most heavily bombed area was that which lay between York Street and the Antrim Road, north of the city centre. [17] A stray bomber attacked Derry, killing 15. In another building, the York Street Mill, one of its massive sidewalls collapsed on to Sussex and Vere Streets, killing all those who remained in their homes. 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. 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. Richard Dawson Bates was the Home Affairs Minister. Of the churches, besides St. Pauls cathedral, where at one time were five unexploded bombs in the immediate vicinity and the roof of which was pierced by another that exploded and shattered the high altar to fragments, those damaged were Westminster abbey, St. Margarets Westminster, Southwark cathedral; fifteen Wren churches (including St. The winter of 193940 was severe, but the summer was pleasant, and in their leisure hours Londoners thronged the parks or worked in their gardens. continuous trek to railway stations. On occasion, forces consisting of as many as 300 to 400 aircraft would cross the coast by day and split into small groups, and a few planes would succeed in penetrating Londons outer defenses. Tragically 35 were crushed to death when the mill wall collapsed. For eight months the Luftwaffe dropped bombs on London and other strategic cities across Britain. Over 150 people died in what became known as the 'Fire Blitz'. He described some distressing consequences, such as how "in one case the leg and arm of a child had to be amputated before it could be extricated. By British mainland blitz standards, casualties were light. 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. The national government also provided funds to local municipalities to construct public air-raid shelters. His death (along with preceding ill-health) came at a bad time and arguably inadvertently caused a leadership vacuum. But the authorities were afraid that bombs might not be the. London seemed ablaze from the docks to Westminster, much damage was done, and casualties were high. On September 1, 1939, the day World War II began with Germanys invasion of Poland, the British government implemented a massive evacuation plan. Video, 00:01:23Watch: Matt Hancock message row in 83 seconds, One-minute World News. Belfast was bombed by the Nazis in World War II. Hitlers intention had been to break the morale of the British people so they would pressure their government to surrender. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Clydeside got its blitz during the period of the last moon. [citation needed]. department distributed more than two million Anderson shelters (named after Sir John Anderson, head of the A.R.P.) Few children had been successfully evacuated. Government ministers in Northern Ireland began to realise the Luftwaffe may launch an attack, but it was too little, too late. Beginning in September 1940, the Blitz was an aerial bombing campaign conducted by the Luftwaffe against British cities. The British thus fought with the advantage of superior equipment and undivided aim against an enemy with inconsistent objectives. Belfast's Albert Clock tower is sinking - it leans by four feet. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. VideoRussian minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims, The children left behind in Cuba's mass exodus, Xi Jinping's power grab - and why it matters, Snow, Fire and Lights: Photos of the Week. Protection of the city fell to seven anti-aircraft batteries of 16 heavy guns and six light guns. The Belfast Blitz - KS3 History (Environment and society) - BBC Accounts differ as to when flares were dropped to light up the city. After his optician business was destroyed by a bomb, Mickey Davies led an effort to organize the Spitalfield Shelter. 55,000 houses were damaged leaving 100,000 temporarily homeless. 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 Belfast Blitz: April-May 1941 - History Ireland The RAFs Spitfire was a superlative fighter, and it was not always easy for the Germans to distinguish it from the slightly less maneuverable but much more numerous Hurricanes. Nine were registered on three separate occasions, and from the start of the Blitz until November 30 there were more than 350 alerts. 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His report concluded with: "a second Belfast would be too horrible to contemplate". 29 interesting facts about Belfast you never knew - BeeLoved City Prayers were said and hymns sung by the mainly Protestant women and children during the bombing. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Belfast was ill-prepared for the blitz. A Raid From Above Video, 00:02:54Living through the London Blitz, At least 17 dead in Jakarta fuel storage depot fire. The success of Mickeys Shelter was another factor that urged the government to improve existing deep shelters and to create new ones. After the bombing began on September 7, local authorities urged displaced people to take shelter at South Hallsville School. Belfast has the world's largest dry dock. Another large-scale attack followed on March 19, when hundreds of houses and shops, many churches, six hospitals, and other public buildings were destroyed or seriously damaged. Video, 00:01:03One-minute World News, Isabel Oakeshott: Why I leaked Hancock's messages. Video, 00:02:12, Isabel Oakeshott: Why I leaked Hancock's messages, Tears of relief after man found in Amazon jungle. Learn how your comment data is processed. From September 1940 until May 1941, Britain was subjected to sustained enemy bombing campaign, now known as the Blitz. The Premier Online Military History Magazine, Re-printed with permission fromWartimeNI.com. Video, 00:02:54, At least 17 dead in Jakarta fuel storage depot fire. Video, 00:01:09The Spitfire turns 80, The German bombing of Coventry. He was replaced by 54-year-old Sir Basil Brooke on 1 May. Other targets included Sheffield, Manchester, Coventry, and Southampton. Only four were known still to be alive. This option had been forbidden by city officials, who feared that once people began sleeping in Underground stations, they would be reluctant to return to the surface and resume daily life. 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.. parliament: "if the government realized 'that these fast bombers can come to Northern Ireland in two and three quarter hours'". 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. Similar initiatives bearing the same name were ordered in the past decade by former mayors Libby . The Belfast Blitz consisted of four German air raids on strategic targets in the city of Belfast in Northern Ireland, in April and May 1941 during World War II, causing high casualties. 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. Another claim was that the Catholic population in general and the IRA in particular guided the bombers. In total over 1,300 houses were demolished, some 5,000 badly damaged, nearly 30,000 slightly damaged while 20,000 required "first aid repairs".[3]. He successfully busied himself with the task of making Northern Ireland a major supplier of food to Britain in her time of need.[5]. William Joyce (known as "Lord Haw-Haw") announced in radio broadcasts from Hamburg that there will be "Easter eggs for Belfast". Video, 00:00:26, Living through the London Blitz. The Belfast blitz is remembered. [27] One widespread criticism was that the Germans located Belfast by heading for Dublin and following the railway lines north. The government announced that 77 people had died, but for years local residents insisted the toll was much higher. The "Hiram Plan" initiated by Dawson Bates, the Home Affairs Minister, had failed to materialise. Mr Freeburn set out to find out more about those who died, their personal stories and the tales of those left behind. That night almost 300 people, many from the Protestant Shankill area, took refuge in the Clonard Monastery in the Catholic Falls Road. We were in exceptional good humour knowing that we were going for a new target, one of Englands last hiding places, said one pilot of the raid. The Air Raid Precautions (A.R.P.) Here are 10 facts about both the German Blitzkrieg and the Allied bombing of Germany. 10 Facts About the Blitz and the Bombing of Germany Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. 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}. But Mr Freeburn's research casts doubt on this. "There will always be people who will slip through the net but I am able to say at least 987 were killed across all raids.". He was succeeded by J. M. Andrews, then 69 years old, who was no more capable of dealing with the situation than his predecessor. 9. MacDermott would be proved right. This amounted to nearly half of Britains total civilian deaths for the whole war. Nearby residential areas in east Belfast were also hit when "203 metric tonnes of high explosive bombs, 80 land mines attached to parachutes, and 800 firebomb canisters containing 96,000 incendiary bombs"[16] were dropped. Several theatres and many cinemas were open, and there were even a few sporting events. When incendiaries were dropped, the city burned as water pressure was too low for effective firefighting. 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. Sometimes they were trying establish a blockade by destroying shipping and port facilities, sometimes they were directly attacking Fighter Command ground installations, sometimes they were targeting aircraft factories, and sometimes they were attempting to engage Fighter Command in the skies. In the eight months of attacks, some 43,000 civilians were killed. Video, 00:00:36, Tears of relief after man found in Amazon jungle. An air raid shelter on Hallidays Road received a direct hit, killing all those in it. The attack on Coventry was particularly destructive. Ulster Historical Foundation. By 1941, production of the Short Stirling Bomber and the Short Sunderland Flying Boat was underway. The use of the Tube system as a shelter saved thousands of lives, and images of Londoners huddled in Underground stations would become an indelible image of British life during World War II. The Germans expanded the Blitz to other cities in November 1940. The first deliberate raid took place on the night of 7 April. [9], War materials and food were sent by sea from Belfast to Great Britain, some under the protection of the neutral Irish tricolour. Some 27 percent of Londoners utilized private shelters, such as Anderson shelters, while the remaining 64 percent spent their evenings on duty with some branch of the civil defense or remained in their own homes. Yesterday the hand of good-fellowship was reached across the Border. Clydeside got its blitz during the period of the last moon. Fiber-optic cables are made from thin strings of glass and are generally about one-tenth the width of a . 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). It was not the first time the alarm had sounded to signify the presence of Luftwaffe bombers over the city. Two of the crews received refreshments in Banbridge; others were entertained in the Ancient Order of Hibernians hall in Newry. There are other diarists and narratives. The mass relocation, called Operation Pied Piper, was the largest internal migration in British history. The Belfast blitz during World War Two - BBC News The Belfast Blitzconsisted of four German air raids on strategic targets in the city of Belfastin Northern Ireland, in April and May 1941 during World War II, causing high casualties. 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. 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. The offensive came to be called the Blitz after the German word blitzkrieg ("lightning war"). Anna and Billy returned to England and continued running the children's home. They remained for three days, until they were sent back by the Northern Ireland government. The creeping TikTok bans, Hong Kong skyscraper fire seen on city's skyline. THE BELFAST BLITZ was a series of four air raids over Northern Ireland during the spring of 1941. On Nov. 30, 1940, a lone Luftwaffe plane flew across the Ards Peninsula unobserved and reported back to Berlin.

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