"[22], In his opinion, the greatest want was the lack of hospital facilities. Video, 00:01:09The Spitfire turns 80, The German bombing of Coventry. Train after train and bus after bus were filled with those next in line. The attacks by both V1's and V2's only ended as the Allies advanced up through Western Europe . While some of the poorer and more crowded suburban areas suffered severely, the mansions of Mayfair, the luxury flats of Kensington, and Buckingham Palace itselfwhich was bombed four separate timesfared little better. Another attacked Bangor, killing five. This view was probably influenced by the decision of the IRA Army Council to support Germany. When the Blitz began, the government enforced a blackout in an attempt to make targeting more difficult for German night bombers. The Blitz began at around 4 pm on September 7, 1940, when German bomber planes first appeared over London. 10 Awesome Facts About Fibre - linkedin.com 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. On September 1, 1939, the day World War II began with Germanys invasion of Poland, the British government implemented a massive evacuation plan. Since most casualties were caused by falling masonry rather than by blast, they provided effective shelter for those who had them. Beginning in September 1940, the Blitz was an aerial bombing campaign conducted by the Luftwaffe against British cities. This type of shelteressentially a low steel cage large enough to contain two adults and two small childrenwas designed to be set up indoors and could serve as a refuge if the building began to collapse. Other targets included Sheffield, Manchester, Coventry, and Southampton. The initial human cost of the Blitz was lower than the government had expected, but the level of destruction exceeded the governments dire predictions. So had Clydeside until recently. Air-raid damage was widespread; hospitals, clubs, churches, museums, residential and shopping streets, hotels, public houses, theatres, schools, monuments, newspaper offices, embassies, and the London Zoo were bombed. By Jonathan Bardon. No significant cut was made in necessary social services, and public and private premises, except when irreparably damaged, were repaired as speedily as possible. 7. About 1,000 people were killed and bombs hit half of the houses in the city, leaving 100,000 people homeless. Air power alone had failed to knock the United Kingdom out of the war. Accounts differ as to when flares were dropped to light up the city. "It says a lot about how these people are forgotten that there is no Blitz memorial in Belfast," Mr Freeburn says. Video, 00:00:36, Tears of relief after man found in Amazon jungle. 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. 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. Once more, London was targeted and children were victims. The raids on London primarily targeted the Docklands area of the East End. 10 fascinating facts about Belfast that you probably didn't know 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. In each station volunteers were asked for, as it was beyond their normal duties. 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 House of Commons, Westminster Abbey, and the British Museum were severely damaged, and The Temple was almost completely destroyed. People are leaving from all parts of town and not only from the bombed areas. Belfast Blitz: The Luftwaffe attacks Northern Ireland - WartimeNI 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. On the ground, there were only 22 anti-aircraft guns positioned around the city, six light and 16 heavy, and on the first night only seven of these were manned and operational. 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. The period of the next moon from say the 7th to the 16th of April may well bring our turn." British Spies and Irish Rebels by Paul McMahon, Report by the Garda Sochna 23 October 1941 IMA G2/1722, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Irish Minister for the Co-ordination of Defensive Measures, "Eamon de Valera and Hitler: An Analysis of International Reaction to the Visit to the German Minister, May 1945", "Extracts from an article, "The Belfast Blitz, 1941", "Historical Topics Series 2 The Belfast Blitz", "Your Place and Mine The Belfast Blitz", "Northern Ireland Parliamentary Elections Results: Biographies", "Belfast Blitz: The night death and destruction rained down on city", "Multitext - the Blitz - Belfast during the second World War", http://www.niwarmemorial.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/The_Belfast_Blitz.pdf, http://www.proni.gov.uk/historical_topics_series_-_02_-_the_belfast_blitz.pdf, Extracts from an article on The Belfast Blitz, 1941. Apart from one or two false alarms in the early days of the war, no sirens wailed in London until June 25. Thank you. The first day of the Blitz is remembered as Black Saturday. Weighing 46,328 tonnes, Titanic was to be the largest manmade moveable object the world had ever seen. One, Tom Coleman, attended to receive recognition for his colleagues' solidarity at such a critical time. "There are plans for one but there isn't one yet. For 57 nightsuntil November 2more than 1 million bombs were dropped on the capital city. By 1940, Short and Harland could shelter its entire workforce and Harland and Wolff had provision to shelter 16,000 workers. A victory for the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain would indeed have exposed Great Britain to invasion and occupation. 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. These figures are based on newspaper reports of the time, personal recollections and other primary sources, such as:- Harland and Wolff: The troubled history of Belfast's shipyard Many bodies and body parts could not be identified. Up to now, we have escaped an attack, said John MacDermott, the Minister for Security, Belfast, on March 24, 1941. The government announced that 77 people had died, but for years local residents insisted the toll was much higher. With the surrender of France in June 1940, Germanys sole remaining enemy lay across the English Channel. Here are 10 facts about both the German Blitzkrieg and the Allied bombing of Germany. Everything on wheels is being pressed into service. 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. Some had received food, others were famished. Read about our approach to external linking. When the war began, Belfast, like many other cities, adopted the wartime practices of rationing and blackouts. It was not the last time Belfast would suffer. With tangled hair, staring eyes, clutching hands, contorted limbs, their grey-green faces covered with dust, they lay, bundled into the coffins, half-shrouded in rugs or blankets, or an occasional sheet, still wearing their dirty, torn twisted garments. Death should be dignified, peaceful; Hitler had made even death grotesque. Belfast is famous for being the birthplace of the Titanic. (Some authors count this as the second raid of four). [6] It was MacDermott who sent a telegram to de Valera seeking assistance. 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. After the passing of the Government of Ireland Act, 1920, it became the seat of the government of Northern Ireland. In early 1941 the Germans launched another wave of attacks, this time focusing on ports. In the first days of the Blitz, a tragic incident in the East End stoked public anger over the governments shelter policy. Video, 00:01:23, Watch: Matt Hancock message row in 83 seconds, Isabel Oakeshott: Why I leaked Hancock's messages. In every instance, all stepped forward. For eight months the Luftwaffe dropped bombs on London and other strategic cities across Britain. Authorities had noted Queens Island in the cityas a vulnerable point as early as 1929. Sir Basil Brooke, the Minister of Agriculture, was the only active minister. 1. Government ministers in Northern Ireland began to realise the Luftwaffe may launch an attack, but it was too little, too late. But the raid of 15-16 April - the Easter Tuesday Raid - was on another scale. 255 corpses were laid out in St George's Market. It is perhaps true that many saved their lives running but I am afraid a much greater number lost them or became casualties."[20]. These balloons, the largest of which were some 60 feet (18 metres) long, were essentially an airspace denial tool. 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. 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). They are sleeping in the same sheugh (ditch), below the same tree or in the same barn. Hundreds of incendiary and many high-explosive bombs were dropped, doing little material damage but causing many casualties. Nine were registered on three separate occasions, and from the start of the Blitz until November 30 there were more than 350 alerts. Your donations help keep MHN afloat. No attendant nurse had soothed the last moments of these victims; no gentle reverent hand had closed their eyes or crossed their hands. (Great War casualties) had died in hospital beds, their eyes had been reverently closed, their hands crossed to their breasts. 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". ISBN 9781909556324. 7. The British thus fought with the advantage of superior equipment and undivided aim against an enemy with inconsistent objectives. [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. Many of the surface shelters built by local authorities were flimsy and provided little protection from bombs, falling debris, and fire. Lecturer of History, Queens University, Belfast, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Belfast_Blitz&oldid=1136721396, During the war years, Belfast shipyards built or converted over 3,000 navy vessels, repaired more than 22,000 others and launched over half a million tons of merchant shipping over 140. 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. 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." Video, 00:01:15The Belfast blitz, Up Next. 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.
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