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. However that attack was not an error. When the war began, Belfast, like many other cities, adopted the wartime practices of rationing and blackouts. 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. A force of 180 bombers dropped 750 bombs - including 203 tonnes of high explosives - and 29,000 incendiaries over a five-hour period. Belfast Blitz: Marking the lost lives 80 years on A force of 180 bombers dropped 750 bombs - including 203 tonnes of high explosives - and 29,000 incendiaries over a five-hour period. The Blitz Around Britain - World War 2 | Imperial War Museums IWM C 5424 1. Many of those who died as a result of enemy action lived in tightly packed, poorly constructed, terraced housing. Instead of pressing his advantage, however, Hitler abruptly changed his strategy. 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. The creeping TikTok bans. 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. As more and more people began sleeping on the platforms, however, the government relented and provided bunk beds and bathrooms for the underground communities. He was succeeded by J. M. Andrews, then 69 years old, who was no more capable of dealing with the situation than his predecessor. The youngest victim was just six-weeks-old. 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 shipyard was among the largest in the world, producing merchant vessels and military shipping. Three vessels nearing completion at Harland and Wolff's were hit as was its power station. Moya Woodside[23] noted in her diary: "Evacuation is taking on panic proportions. At the core of this book is a compelling account of the Luftwaffe's blitz on Belfast in April-May 1941. 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. ", Mapping the lives lost in the Belfast Blitz. At the beginning of the Blitz, British ack ack gunners struggled to inflict meaningful damage on German bombers, but later developments in radar guidance greatly improved the effectiveness of both antiaircraft artillery and searchlights. 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. Over 150 people died in what became known as the 'Fire Blitz'. Another defensive measure employed by the British was barrage balloonslarge oval-shaped unmanned balloons with stabilizing tail finsinstalled in and around major target areas. There is no slacking in our loyalty. Wherever Churchill is hiding his war material we will go Belfast is as worthy a target as Coventry, Birmingham, Bristol or Glasgow." By then most of the major fires were under control and the firemen from Clydeside and other British cities were arriving. 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. It became a city by royal charter in 1888. The area included the Harland and Wolff Ltd. Shipyard, the Short and Harland Ltd. Aircraft Factory, and the airfield at RAF Sydenham. When the Blitz began, the government enforced a blackout in an attempt to make targeting more difficult for German night bombers. The bombing of British cities - Swansea, Belfast, Glasgow He successfully busied himself with the task of making Northern Ireland a major supplier of food to Britain in her time of need.[5]. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of any material on this site without expressand written permission from the author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. On May 11, 1941, Hitler called off the Blitz as he shifted his forces eastward against the Soviet Union. Over 100 German planes made contact with barrage balloon cables during the Blitz, and two-thirds of them crashed or made forced landings on British soil. 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. From September 1940 until May 1941, Britain was subjected to sustained enemy bombing campaign, now known as the Blitz. Your donations help keep MHN afloat. Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, Historical Topics Series 2, The Belfast Blitz, 2007, This page was last edited on 31 January 2023, at 20:18. department distributed more than two million Anderson shelters (named after Sir John Anderson, head of the A.R.P.) 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. "Liverpool, Clydebank and Portsmouth all have a memorial to their victims of the Blitz. Since 1:45am all telephones had been cut. They all say the same thing, that the government is no good. Revised estimates made decades later indicated that close to 600 men, women, and children had been killed in the bombing. The Blitz | Facts, History, Damage, & Casualties | Britannica High explosives were dropped. "They have never been published before, never seen the light of day.". At 4:15am John MacDermott, the Minister of Public Security, managed to contact Basil Brooke (then Agriculture Minister), seeking permission to seek help from the Irish government. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. 1. Children and World War Two - History Learning Site 7. By British mainland blitz standards, casualties were light. 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. Over a period of nine months, over 43,500 civilians were killed in the raids, which focused on major cities and industrial centres. Sir Basil Brooke, the Minister of Agriculture, was the only active minister. 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. The Belfast Blitz - Inside the Deadly 1941 Luftwaffe Raids on Northern The Germans, however, saw Belfast as a legitimate target due to the shipyards in the city that were contributing to Britain's war efforts. By 6am, within two hours of the request for assistance, 71 firemen with 13 fire tenders from Dundalk, Drogheda, Dublin, and Dn Laoghaire were on their way to cross the Irish border to assist their Belfast colleagues. 15 Powerful Photos Of The WW2 Blitz | Imperial War Museums NI WW2 veterans honoured by France. Fiber-optic cables are made from thin strings of glass and are generally about one-tenth the width of a . The creeping TikTok bans, Hong Kong skyscraper fire seen on city's skyline. 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. 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. 6. People are leaving from all parts of town and not only from the bombed areas. WW2: How did an elephant beat the Belfast Blitz? - BBC Teach The raids on London primarily targeted the Docklands area of the East End. Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom . Six Heinkel He 111 bombers, from Kampfgruppe 26, flying at 7,000 feet (2,100m), dropped incendiaries, high explosive and parachute-mines. Another claim was that the Catholic population in general and the IRA in particular guided the bombers. Between Black Saturday and December 2, there was no 24-hour period without at least one alertas the alarms came to be calledand generally far more. Wave after wave of bombers dropped their incendiaries, high explosives and land-mines. London seemed ablaze from the docks to Westminster, much damage was done, and casualties were high. Video, 00:01:09The Spitfire turns 80, The German bombing of Coventry. The 'Blitz' - from the German term Blitzkrieg ('lightning war') - was the sustained campaign of aerial bombing attacks on British towns and cities carried out by the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) from September 1940 until May 1941. Death should be dignified, peaceful; Hitler had made even death grotesque. At the time of the first attack in April 1941, there were no operational searchlights, too few anti-aircraft batteries and scarcely enough public air raid shelters for a quarter of the population. 10 Facts about Belfast City. The raids hurt Britains war production, but they also killed many civilians and left many others homeless. They are sleeping in the same sheugh (ditch), below the same tree or in the same barn. The Blitz began at about 4:00 in the afternoon on September 7, 1940, when German planes appeared over London. 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. By the. There were few bomb shelters. "Through cross-referencing a number of different sources I have been able to get the most accurate number of people who died in the Blitz," he says. Other Belfast factories manufactured gun mountings. Also, on Queens Island, stood the Short and Harland Ltd. Aircraft Factory. There was unease with the complacent attitude of the government, which led to resignations: Craigavon died on 24 November 1940. Thank you. The first deliberate raid took place on the night of 7 April. As well as photographs, the Luftwaffe gathered information on landmarks, potential targets and defences or lack thereof. In early 1941 the Germans launched another wave of attacks, this time focusing on ports. Wherever Churchill is hiding his war material we will go. Belfast was largely unprepared for an attack of such a scale as 200 German bombers shelled the city on 15 April 1941. Beginning in September 1940, the Blitz was an aerial bombing campaign conducted by the Luftwaffe against British cities. In clear weather, targets were easily identifiable. After the bombing began on September 7, local authorities urged displaced people to take shelter at South Hallsville School. But these people all had families and friends and they had to deal with their loss for the rest of their lives.". Belfast, Irish Bal Feirste, city, district, and capital of Northern Ireland, on the River Lagan, at its entrance to Belfast Lough (inlet of the sea). 13 died, including a soldier killed when an anti-aircraft gun, at the Balmoral show-grounds, misfired. By 4 am the entire city seemed to be in flames. 10,000 "officially" crossed the border. On 4-5 May, another raid, made up of 204 bombers, killed another 203 people and the following night 22 more died. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Air power alone had failed to knock the United Kingdom out of the war. The Titanic was built in Belfast. Oakland plans to unleash 'pothole blitz' to fix notorious street damage More than 1,000 people were killed, and the damage was more widespread than on any previous occasion. 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 Luftwaffe crews returned to their base in Northern France and reported that Belfast's defences were, "inferior in quality, scanty and insufficient". The city covers a total area of 132.5 square kilometers (51 square miles). Eduard Hempel, the German Minister to Ireland, visited the Irish Ministry for External Affairs to offer sympathy and attempt an explanation. The Belfast Blitz: the city in the war years - History Ireland Brooke noted in his diary "I gave him authority as it is obviously a question of expediency". This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. The Belfast blitz devastated a city that up until 1941 had remained unscathed during World War Two. 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. What's the least amount of exercise we can get away with? For two hours on the first day, 348 German bombers and 617 fighters blasted London. 11 churches, two hospitals and two schools were destroyed. Fortunately, the railway telegraphy link between Belfast and Dublin was still operational. John Wood Dunlop invented the pneumatic tyre in Belfast in 1887. 2. This view was probably influenced by the decision of the IRA Army Council to support Germany. Harland and Wolff: The troubled history of Belfast's shipyard You can see the difference in those letters - post-Blitz is very much a grieving tone. "A lot of the people I spoke to were relatives who ended up donating images and handwritten letters from before and after the Blitz. Outside of London, with some 900 dead, this was the greatest loss of life in a night raid during the Blitz. Heavy jacks were unavailable. 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. Hitlers intention had been to break the morale of the British people so they would pressure their government to surrender. In the east of the city, Westbourne and Newcastle Streets on the Newtownards Road, Thorndyke Street off the Albertbridge Road and Ravenscroft Avenue were destroyed or damaged. In each station volunteers were asked for, as it was beyond their normal duties. [citation needed], Other writers, such as Tony Gray in The Lost Years state that the Germans did follow their radio guidance beams. Train after train and bus after bus were filled with those next in line. Although it arrested German spies that its police and military intelligence services caught, the state never broke off diplomatic relations with Axis nations: the German Legation in Dublin remained open throughout the war. Find out how it began, what the Germans hoped to achieve and how it severe it was, plus we visit nine places affected by the attacks. A short respite followed, until a widespread series of night raids on April 7 included some targets in the London area. It is believed that the wartime government covered up the death toll because of concern over the effect it would have had on public morale. Morale did suffer amid the death and devastation, but there were few calls for surrender. Humanity knows no borders, no politics, no differences of religious belief. Three nights later (April 1920) London was again subjected to a seven-hour raid, and the loss of life was considerable, especially among firefighters and the A.R.P. 150 corpses remained in the Falls Road baths for three days before they were buried in a mass grave, with 123 still unidentified. The M.V. The initial human cost of the Blitz was lower than the government had expected, but the level of destruction exceeded the governments dire predictions. But the RAF had not responded. 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. One, Tom Coleman, attended to receive recognition for his colleagues' solidarity at such a critical time. Video, 00:02:12, Isabel Oakeshott: Why I leaked Hancock's messages, Tears of relief after man found in Amazon jungle. Belfast was ill-prepared for the blitz. Because basements, a logical destination in the event of an air raid, were a relative rarity in Britain, the A.R.P. Beginning on Black Saturday, London was attacked on 57 straight nights. Video, 00:00:51Australia's 'biggest drug bust' nets $700m of cocaine, Thanks, but no big speech, in Ken Bruce's sign off. Taoiseach amon de Valera formally protested to Berlin. While Anderson shelters offered good protection from bomb fragments and debris, they were cold and damp and generally ill-suited for prolonged occupancy. Compared to other cities, Belfast was virtually undefended. As of October 2020, the population of Belfast is about 350,000 people. On July 16, 1940, Hitler issued a directive ordering the preparation and, if necessary, execution of Operation Sea Lion, the amphibious invasion of Great Britain. When the bombing began, 76-year-old William and 72-year-old Harriette took refuge under the stairs along with Dorothy, Dot and Isa. The 2017 film Zoo depicts an air raid during the Belfast Blitz. The Belfast Blitz - KS3 History (Environment and society) - BBC 1. He was asked, in the N.I. A Luftwaffe pilot gave this description "We were in exceptional good humour knowing that we were going for a new target, one of England's last hiding places. Major Sen O'Sullivan reported on the intensity of the bombing in some areas, such as the Antrim Road, where bombs "fell within fifteen to twenty yards of one another." Yesterday the hand of good-fellowship was reached across the Border. [27] One widespread criticism was that the Germans located Belfast by heading for Dublin and following the railway lines north. The A.R.P. 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 telegram was sent at 4:35am,[citation needed] asking the Irish Taoiseach, amon de Valera for assistance. 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. Clydeside got its blitz during the period of the last moon. "Through resources such as the Public Records Office and ancestry and genealogy websites I managed to get about 100 photos - which is about one tenth of the victims," he says. Please select which sections you would like to print: Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. 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. The government was blamed by some for inadequate precautions. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). The working-class living close to industrial centres suffered more than anyone over the course of the four raids. Belfast Blitz: Marking the lost lives 80 years on. Under the leadership of amon de Valera it had declared its neutrality during the Second World War. His report concluded with: "a second Belfast would be too horrible to contemplate". 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. The firm had produced Handley Page Hereford bombers since 1936. There were still 80,000 more in Belfast. Authorities had noted Queens Island in the cityas a vulnerable point as early as 1929. (Some authors count this as the second raid of four). The bombing of British cities - Swansea, Belfast, Glasgow Before the war broke out, civilians had been issued with gas masks and Anderson shelters, which people were encouraged to build at the. 13 Facts You Didn't Know About Belfast headquarters, Toynbee hall and St. Dunstans; the American, Spanish, Japanese and Peruvian embassies and the buildings of the Times newspaper, the Associated Press of America, and the National City bank of New York; the centre court at Wimbledon, Wembley stadium, the Ring (Blackfriars); Drury Lane, the Queens and the Saville theatres; Rotten row, Lambeth walk, the Burlington arcade and Madame Tussauds. A modern bomb census has attempted to pinpoint the location of every bomb dropped on London during the Blitz, and the visualization of that data makes clear how thoroughly the Luftwaffe saturated the city. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. And even then, Westminster stated it was not ample provision; Stormont still worried about the costs to industry. Only four were known still to be alive. [citation needed], Casualties were lower than at Easter, partly because the sirens had sounded at 11.45pm while the Luftwaffe attacked more cautiously from a greater height. Video, 00:01:41NI WW2 veterans honoured by France, The Spitfire turns 80. There are other diarists and narratives. Many in Northern Ireland thought that Belfast was outside the range of the Luftwaffe. Video, 00:01:38At least 17 dead in Jakarta fuel storage depot fire, Australia's 'biggest drug bust' nets $700m of cocaine. So had Clydeside until recently. The offensive came to be called the Blitz after the German word blitzkrieg ("lightning war"). Some 900 people died as a result of the bombing and 1,500 were injured. continuous trek to railway stations. Guided by Davies, the people of the shelter created an ad hoc government and established a set of rules. 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. By 1941, production of the Short Stirling Bomber and the Short Sunderland Flying Boat was underway. 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. The attacks were authorized by Germanys chancellor, Adolf Hitler, after the British carried out a nighttime air raid on Berlin. 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. Several theatres and many cinemas were open, and there were even a few sporting events. Everything on wheels is being pressed into service. Since most casualties were caused by falling masonry rather than by blast, they provided effective shelter for those who had them. But the Luftwaffe was ready. Sixty years after the Germans bombed Belfast in World War II BBC News Online looks back and remembers the anniversary of the blitz. The mass relocation, called Operation Pied Piper, was the largest internal migration in British history. The first was on the night of 78 April 1941, a small attack which probably took place only to test Belfast's defences. 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. The attack on Coventry was particularly destructive. Can Nigeria's election result be overturned? wardens, and members of the Home Guard drilling in the parks, life went on much as usual. As many as 5,000 people had packed into this network of underground tunnels, which was dangerously overcrowded, dirty, and dark. After the first week of September, although night bombing on a large scale continued, the large mass attacks by day, which had proved so costly to the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain, were replaced by smaller parties coming over in successive waves. There were Heinkel He 111s, Junkers Ju 88s and Dornier Do 17s. From their photographs, they identified suitable targets: There had been a number of small bombings, probably by planes that missed their targets over the River Clyde in Glasgow or the cities of the northwest of England. Similar initiatives bearing the same name were ordered in the past decade by former mayors Libby . "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.". 255 corpses were laid out in St George's Market. 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. Again the Irish emergency services crossed the border, this time without waiting for an invitation. Video, 00:02:54Living through the London Blitz, At least 17 dead in Jakarta fuel storage depot fire. 4. When Germany bombed Belfast as part of the Blitz during World War Two, the massive air raids left more than a thousand people dead. In the mistaken belief that they might damage RAF fighters, the anti-aircraft batteries ceased firing. A Luftwaffe terror bombing attack on the Spanish city of Guernica (April 26, 1937) during the Spanish Civil War had killed hundreds of civilians and destroyed much of the town. Liverpool, for example, protected by 100 guns. Read about our approach to external linking. Despite the attacks, Belfast continued to contribute to the war effort, and within less than a year the city witnessed the arrival of thousands of American troops. [13] However at the time Lord Craigavon, Prime Minister of Northern Ireland since its inception in 1921, said: "Ulster is ready when we get the word and always will be." Updates? Where they are going, what they will find to eat when they get there, nobody knows. THE BELFAST BLITZ was a series of four air raids over Northern Ireland during the spring of 1941. Around 1am, Luftwaffe bombers flew over the city, concentrating their attack on the Harbour Estate and Queen's Island. In many cases the daily life of the city was able to resume with delays of only hours. However Belfast was not mentioned again by the Nazis. 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. The bombs caused death and destruction across the city, affecting those of all religions and political backgrounds. It is situated at on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. Van Morrison is from the east part of the city. Tragically 35 were crushed to death when the mill wall collapsed. The Belfast Blitz: April-May 1941 - History Ireland Belfast was bombed by the Nazis in World War II. Many bodies and body parts could not be identified. Given Belfast's geographic position, it was considered to be at the fringe of the operational range of German bombers and hence there was no provision for night-fighter aerial cover. The Germans established that Belfast was defended by only seven anti-aircraft batteries, which made it the most poorly defended city in the United Kingdom. The night raids on London continued into 1941, and January 1011 saw exceptionally heavy attacks; the Mansion House (residence of the lord mayor of London) and the Bank of England narrowly avoided destruction when a bomb fell directly between them, creating a gigantic crater.

Assetto Corsa Bugatti Test Track, 2 Killed In Car Accident In Houston Today, Gordon Ramsay Meal Kits Usa, James Condon Riverton Utah, James Baker Sons, Articles OTHER