Belfast was ill-prepared for the blitz. Video, 00:02:54Living through the London Blitz, At least 17 dead in Jakarta fuel storage depot fire. The initial human cost of the Blitz was lower than the government had expected, but the level of destruction exceeded the governments dire predictions. As more and more people began sleeping on the platforms, however, the government relented and provided bunk beds and bathrooms for the underground communities. In just these few hours, 430 people were killed and 1,600 were badly injured. 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. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Still, many in Northern Ireland believed no Luftwaffe attack would come. But the raid of 15-16 April - the Easter Tuesday Raid - was on another scale. At the core of this book is a compelling account of the Luftwaffe's blitz on Belfast in April-May 1941. 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. Neighbouring residential areas were also hit. Your donations help keep MHN afloat. By 4 am the entire city seemed to be in flames. That contrasts with the figure that is often given of more than 900 killed on Easter Tuesday alone. The first deliberate raid took place on the night of 7 April. He was succeeded by J. M. Andrews, then 69 years old, who was no more capable of dealing with the situation than his predecessor. 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]. 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. 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. But Mr Freeburn's research casts doubt on this. It was not the last time Belfast would suffer. One of every six Londoners was made homeless at some point during the Blitz, and at least 1.1 million houses and flats were damaged or destroyed. Fortunately, the railway telegraphy link between Belfast and Dublin was still operational. When Germany bombed Belfast as part of the Blitz during World War Two, the massive air raids left more than a thousand people dead. The Air Raid Precautions (A.R.P.) [27] One widespread criticism was that the Germans located Belfast by heading for Dublin and following the railway lines north. Incendiary bombs predominated in this raid. 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. There [is] ground for thinking that the enemy could not easily reach Belfast in force except during a period of moonlight. 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 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. It remains a high death toll - a shocking number of people killed in just a few weeks. Video, 00:01:41NI WW2 veterans honoured by France, The Spitfire turns 80. Interesting facts about Belfast | Just Fun Facts 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. No attendant nurse had soothed the last moments of these victims; no gentle reverent hand had closed their eyes or crossed their hands. Belfast - Kids | Britannica Kids | Homework Help Another defensive measure employed by the British was barrage balloonslarge oval-shaped unmanned balloons with stabilizing tail finsinstalled in and around major target areas. 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. Outside of London, with some 900 dead, this was the greatest loss of life in a night raid during the Blitz. Death had to a certain extent been made decent. 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. (Great War casualties) had died in hospital beds, their eyes had been reverently closed, their hands crossed to their breasts. By 1941, production of the Short Stirling Bomber and the Short Sunderland Flying Boat was underway. The shipyard was among the largest in the world, producing merchant vessels and military shipping. Some 900 people died as a result of the bombing and 1,500 were injured. 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." Belfast is famous for being the birthplace of the Titanic. The Titanic was built in Belfast. 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". Many of the surface shelters built by local authorities were flimsy and provided little protection from bombs, falling debris, and fire. Maps and documents uncovered at Gatow Airfield near Berlin in 1945 showed the level of detail involved. Three vessels nearing completion at Harland and Wolff's were hit as was its power station. Targets identified included: the Short and Harland Ltd. Aircraft Factory; the Belfast power station and waterworks; Other maps uncovered following the Second World War also showed the parliament and city hall, Belfast gasworks, a rope factory and the Royal Belfast Academical Institution. MacDermott would be proved right. 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. While Anderson shelters offered good protection from bomb fragments and debris, they were cold and damp and generally ill-suited for prolonged occupancy. Published: September 7, 2020 at 12:00 pm. 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. 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. Sixty years after the Germans bombed Belfast in World War II BBC News Online looks back and remembers the anniversary of the blitz. As well as these two major targets, other firms in Belfast produced valuable materials for the war effort including munitions, linen, ropes, food supplies and, of course, cigarettes. I felt outraged, I should have felt sympathy, grief, but instead feelings of revulsion and disgust assailed me. Major O'Sullivan reported that "In the heavily 'blitzed' areas people ran panic-stricken into the streets and made for the open country. sprang into action, and Londoners, while maintaining the work, business, and efficiency of their city, displayed remarkable fortitude. 14 Breathtaking Facts about Belfast - Fact City After the bombing began on September 7, local authorities urged displaced people to take shelter at South Hallsville School. Harland and Wolff: The troubled history of Belfast's shipyard Belfast Blitz: The Luftwaffe attacks Northern Ireland - WartimeNI 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. Video, 00:03:09Mapping the lives lost in the Belfast Blitz, Belfast City Hall in darkness as the Blitz is marked, Street fighting in Bakhmut but Russia not in control, Russian minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims. Government ministers in Northern Ireland began to realise the Luftwaffe may launch an attack, but it was too little, too late. London was bombed for 57 consecutive nights from 7 September 1940 Over the course of three days, some 1.5 million civiliansthe overwhelming majority of them childrenwere transported from urban centres to rural areas that were believed to be safe. Oakland plans to unleash 'pothole blitz' to fix notorious street damage The city covers a total area of 132.5 square kilometers (51 square miles). The Belfast Blitz was a series of devastating Luftwaffe air raids that took place in Northern Ireland during the Second World War. Belfast was bombed by the Nazis in World War II. ", 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, 00:01:37, Thanks, but no big speech, in Ken Bruce's sign off, Tear gas fired at Greece train crash protesters. As of October 2020, the population of Belfast is about 350,000 people. Gring had insisted that such an attack was an impossibility, because of the citys formidable air defense network. Nevertheless, for all the hardship it caused, the campaign proved to be a strategic mistake by the Germans. Air power alone had failed to knock the United Kingdom out of the war. The danger faced in London was greatly increased when the V2 attacks started and the casualty figures mirrored those of the Blitz.. [4], The Government of Northern Ireland lacked the will, energy and capacity to cope with a major crisis when it came. The attack on Coventry was particularly destructive. and Major Sen O'Sullivan, who produced a detailed report for the Dublin government. But the RAF had not responded. The government announced that 77 people had died, but for years local residents insisted the toll was much higher. Video, 00:00:46, Hong Kong skyscraper fire seen on city's skyline, Watch: Matt Hancock message row in 83 seconds. Instead of pressing his advantage, however, Hitler abruptly changed his strategy. Islington parish church, the rebuilt Our Lady of Victories (Kensington), the French church by Leicester square, St. Annes, Soho (famous for its music), All Souls, Langham place, and Christ Church in Westminster Bridge road (whose towerfortunately savedcommemorates President Lincolns abolition of slavery), were among a large number of others. The World's Most-Famous Ship, The Titanic, was constructed here. Up to now, we have escaped an attack, said John MacDermott, the Minister for Security, Belfast, on March 24, 1941. Although casualties were heavy, at no time did they approach the estimates that had been made before the war, and only a fraction of the available hospital and ambulance capacity was ever utilized. The Blitz: When Was It, Why Did It Begin And How Did It End The raid so infuriated Hitler that he ordered the Luftwaffe to shift its attacks from RAF sites to London and other cities. [citation needed]. Dissatisfaction with public shelters also led to another notable development in the East EndMickeys Shelter. There were few bomb shelters. In each station volunteers were asked for, as it was beyond their normal duties. 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. This view was probably influenced by the decision of the IRA Army Council to support Germany. Since 1:45am all telephones had been cut. The M.V. 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. When the house was hit William, Harriette, Dorothy, 36-year-old Dot and 41-year-old Isa were all killed. In Bristol, the bombed-out ruins of St Peter's Church were left standing with added memorial plaques to the civilians who were killed. Belfast was not properly prepared for the attacks, with too few shelters and not enough anti-aircraft guns. In the first days of the Blitz, a tragic incident in the East End stoked public anger over the governments shelter policy. He stated that "he would once more tell his government how he felt about the matter and he would ask them to confine the operations to military objectives as far as it was humanly possible. 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. On the 60th anniversary of the Belfast Blitz, Luftwaffe Pilot Gerhardt Becker spoke to BBC Northern Ireland about his mission over Belfast in 1941. [citation needed]. Men from the South worked with men from the North in the universal cause of the relief of suffering. The telegram was sent at 4:35am,[citation needed] asking the Irish Taoiseach, amon de Valera for assistance. The youngest victim was just six-weeks-old. Prior to the "Belfast Blitz" there were only 200 public shelters in the city, although around 4,000 households had built their own private shelters. 1. Yesterday the hand of good-fellowship was reached across the Border. Belfast is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland . THE BELFAST BLITZ was a series of four air raids over Northern Ireland during the spring of 1941. Belfast was Ireland's industrial home, famous for tobacco, rope-making, linen, and ship-building, which made it the powerhouse it was. The refugees looked dazed and horror stricken and many had neglected to bring more than a few belongings Any and every means of exit from the city was availed of and the final destination appeared to be a matter of indifference. Video, 00:01:15The Belfast blitz, Up Next. These figures are based on newspaper reports of the time, personal recollections and other primary sources, such as:- Belfast has the world's largest dry dock. 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. In every instance, all stepped forward. 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. This hub of industry and trade represented a legitimate military target for the Germans, and some 25,000 bombs were dropped on the Port of London alone. But the authorities were afraid that bombs might not be the. In many cases the daily life of the city was able to resume with delays of only hours. They prevented low-flying aircraft from approaching their targets at optimal altitudes and angles of attack. It became a city by royal charter in 1888. On 24 March 1941, John MacDermott, Minister for Security, wrote to Prime Minister John Andrews, expressing his concerns that Belfast was so poorly protected: "Up to now we have escaped attack. 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.". Belfast's Albert Clock tower is sinking - it leans by four feet. Emma Duffin, a nurse at the Queen's University Hospital, (who previously served during the Great War), who kept a diary; However that attack was not an error. In early 1941 the Germans launched another wave of attacks, this time focusing on ports. 4. Brian Barton of Queen's University, Belfast, has written most on this topic.[19]. However Belfast was not mentioned again by the Nazis. 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. The crypt under the sanctuary and the cellar under the working sacristy had been fitted out and opened to the public as an air-raid shelter. It was the worst wartime raid outside of London in 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. The period of the next moon from say the 7th to the 16th of April may well bring our turn.. The area included the Harland and Wolff Ltd. Shipyard, the Short and Harland Ltd. Aircraft Factory, and the airfield at RAF Sydenham. Train after train and bus after bus were filled with those next in line. John Wood Dunlop invented the pneumatic tyre in Belfast in 1887. 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. Video, 00:00:36, Tears of relief after man found in Amazon jungle. There was no opposition. These balloons, the largest of which were some 60 feet (18 metres) long, were essentially an airspace denial tool. The "pothole blitz" is a common short-term initiative to combat storm weather damage. During the whole period, although the citys operation was disrupted in ways that were sometimes serious, no essential service was more than temporarily impaired. Londoners enjoyed three weeks of uneasy peace until May 1011, the night of a full moon, when the Luftwaffe launched the most intense raid of the Blitz. continuous trek to railway stations. After a brief lull, the Luftwaffe returned in force on February 17. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. "[22], In his opinion, the greatest want was the lack of hospital facilities. The Belfast Blitz - Inside the Deadly 1941 Luftwaffe Raids on Northern

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