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. "It says a lot about how these people are forgotten that there is no Blitz memorial in Belfast," Mr Freeburn says. 7. 2. 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Death should be dignified, peaceful; Hitler had made even death grotesque. London seemed ablaze from the docks to Westminster, much damage was done, and casualties were high. Munster, for example, operated by the Belfast Steamship Company, plied between Belfast and Liverpool under the tricolour, until she hit a mine and was sunk outside Liverpool. 3. 10 Facts about Belfast City. THE BELFAST BLITZ was a series of four air raids over Northern Ireland during the spring of 1941. The past doesnt change, its just over.. Fiber-optic cables are made from thin strings of glass and are generally about one-tenth the width of a . There were Heinkel He 111s, Junkers Ju 88s and Dornier Do 17s. After the bombing began on September 7, local authorities urged displaced people to take shelter at South Hallsville School. 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. [9], War materials and food were sent by sea from Belfast to Great Britain, some under the protection of the neutral Irish tricolour. After his optician business was destroyed by a bomb, Mickey Davies led an effort to organize the Spitalfield Shelter. That evening over 150 bombers left their bases in northern France and the Netherlands and headed for Belfast. Anna and Billy returned to England and continued running the children's home. 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. IWM C 5424 1. In spite of blackouts, ubiquitous shelters and sandbags, the visible effects of mass evacuation, the presence of A.R.P. The first (April 7 -8), a small attack, was most likely carried out to test the city's defenses. Major O'Sullivan reported that "In the heavily 'blitzed' areas people ran panic-stricken into the streets and made for the open country. the Blitz, (September 7, 1940May 11, 1941), intense bombing campaign undertaken by Nazi Germany against the United Kingdom during World War II. Air power alone had failed to knock the United Kingdom out of the war. When incendiaries were dropped, the city burned as water pressure was too low for effective firefighting. 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. [25] He followed up with his "they are our people" speech, made in Castlebar, County Mayo, on Sunday 20 April 1941 (Quoted in the Dundalk Democrat dated Saturday 26 April 1941): In the past, and probably in the present, too, a number of them did not see eye to eye with us politically, but they are our people we are one and the same people and their sorrows in the present instance are also our sorrows; and I want to say to them that any help we can give to them in the present time we will give to them whole-heartedly, believing that were the circumstances reversed they would also give us their help whole-heartedly Frank Aiken, the Irish Minister for the Co-ordination of Defensive Measures was in Boston, Massachusetts at the time. As many were caught in the open by blast and secondary missiles, the enormous number of casualties can be readily accounted for. Later, guided by the raging fires caused by the first attack, a second group of planes began another assault that lasted until 4:30 the following morning. Video, 00:01:38, At least 17 dead in Jakarta fuel storage depot fire, Australia's 'biggest drug bust' nets $700m of cocaine. 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. Prayers were said and hymns sung by the mainly Protestant women and children during the bombing. Richard Dawson Bates was the Home Affairs Minister. 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. workers. The Titanic was built in Belfast. Victory for the Royal Air Forces (RAFs) Fighter Command blocked this possibility and, in fact, created the conditions for Britains survival and the eventual destruction of the Third Reich. [21] Mass graves for the unclaimed bodies were dug in the Milltown and Belfast City Cemeteries. That contrasts with the figure that is often given of more than 900 killed on Easter Tuesday alone. The Belfast blitz. What happened in 1941 changed the city forever. 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. Most of the objectives laid out by the reconnaissance crews were of either military or industrial importance. The success of Mickeys Shelter was another factor that urged the government to improve existing deep shelters and to create new ones. 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. 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. Incendiary bombs predominated in this raid. The telegram was sent at 4:35am,[citation needed] asking the Irish Taoiseach, amon de Valera for assistance. Belfast was not properly prepared for the attacks, with too few shelters and not enough anti-aircraft guns. Video, 00:01:38At least 17 dead in Jakarta fuel storage depot fire, Australia's 'biggest drug bust' nets $700m of cocaine. Belfast is famous for being the birthplace of the Titanic. Hitlers intention had been to break the morale of the British people so they would pressure their government to surrender. 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). Despite the military and industrial importance of the city, the Luftwaffe described the defences asweak, scanty, insufficient. London was bombed for 57 consecutive nights from 7 September 1940 One, Tom Coleman, attended to receive recognition for his colleagues' solidarity at such a critical time. He was replaced by 54-year-old Sir Basil Brooke on 1 May. 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. Poor visibility on the night meant that the accuracy of the bombers was hampered and the explosives were dropped on densely populated areas of Belfast. [citation needed]. 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. O'Sullivan felt that the whole civil defence sector was utterly overwhelmed. 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. John Wood Dunlop invented the pneumatic tyre in Belfast in 1887. When the house was hit William, Harriette, Dorothy, 36-year-old Dot and 41-year-old Isa were all killed. After a brief lull, the Luftwaffe returned in force on February 17. 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. "A lot of the people I spoke to were relatives who ended up donating images and handwritten letters from before and after the Blitz. 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. These figures are based on newspaper reports of the time, personal recollections and other primary sources, such as:- Apart from those on London, this was the greatest loss of life in any night raid during the Blitz. Many "arrived in Fermanagh having nothing with them only night shirts". On 28 April 1943, six members of the Government threatened to resign, forcing him from office. Up Next. 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. It was solemn, tragic, dignified, but here it was grotesque, repulsive, horrible. They remained for three days, until they were sent back by the Northern Ireland government. The attack on Coventry was particularly destructive. They all say the same thing, that the government is no good. 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. As more and more people began sleeping on the platforms, however, the government relented and provided bunk beds and bathrooms for the underground communities. Morale did suffer amid the death and devastation, but there were few calls for surrender. Another claim was that the Catholic population in general and the IRA in particular guided the bombers. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. 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 . The bombs caused death and destruction across the city, affecting those of all religions and political backgrounds. Video, 00:00:36, Tears of relief after man found in Amazon jungle. Over 150 people died in what became known as the 'Fire Blitz'. Read about our approach to external linking. Belfast was Ireland's industrial home, famous for tobacco, rope-making, linen, and ship-building, which made it the powerhouse it was. Read about our approach to external linking. For two hours on the first day, 348 German bombers and 617 fighters blasted London. Another defensive measure employed by the British was barrage balloonslarge oval-shaped unmanned balloons with stabilizing tail finsinstalled in and around major target areas. Here are 10 facts about both the German Blitzkrieg and the Allied bombing of Germany. 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. 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. In Newtownards, Bangor, Larne, Carrickfergus, Lisburn and Antrim many thousands of Belfast citizens took refuge either with friends or strangers. 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. Weighing 46,328 tonnes, Titanic was to be the largest manmade moveable object the world had ever seen. The creeping TikTok bans, Hong Kong skyscraper fire seen on city's skyline. The Germans expanded the Blitz to other cities in November 1940. The Blitz began at around 4 pm on September 7, 1940, when German bomber planes first appeared over London. 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). 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. The seeming normality of life on the Home Front was shattered in 1944 when the first of the V1's landed. This amounted to nearly half of Britains total civilian deaths for the whole war. But the Luftwaffe was ready. On September 1, 1939, the day World War II began with Germanys invasion of Poland, the British government implemented a massive evacuation plan. MacDermott would be proved right. It targeted the docks. 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. The next took place on Easter Tuesday, 15 April 1941, when 200 Luftwaffe bombers attacked military and manufacturing targets in the city of Belfast. Belfast's Albert Clock tower is sinking - it leans by four feet. Simpson shot down one of the Heinkels over Downpatrick. It became a city by royal charter in 1888. The South Hallsville School disaster prompted Londoners, especially residents of the East End, to find safer shelters, on their own if necessary. Authorities quickly implemented plans to protect Londoners from bombs and to house those left homeless by the attacks. Maps and documents uncovered at Gatow Airfield near Berlin in 1945 showed the level of detail involved. The British thus fought with the advantage of superior equipment and undivided aim against an enemy with inconsistent objectives. Nevertheless, for all the hardship it caused, the campaign proved to be a strategic mistake by the Germans. People are leaving from all parts of town and not only from the bombed areas. 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. "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. Belfast was ill-prepared for the blitz. 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. But the raid of 15-16 April - the Easter Tuesday Raid - was on another scale. 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. 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. 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. NI WW2 veterans honoured by France. [17] A stray bomber attacked Derry, killing 15. At the core of this book is a compelling account of the Luftwaffe's blitz on Belfast in April-May 1941. The government announced that 77 people had died, but for years local residents insisted the toll was much higher. The area included the Harland and Wolff Ltd. Shipyard, the Short and Harland Ltd. Aircraft Factory, and the airfield at RAF Sydenham. Video, 00:01:37, Thanks, but no big speech, in Ken Bruce's sign off, Tear gas fired at Greece train crash protesters. 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. It is situated at on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. Many bodies and body parts could not be identified. They are sleeping in the same sheugh (ditch), below the same tree or in the same barn. St George's Church in High Street was damaged by fire. [12], There was little preparation for the conflict with Germany. 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. 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. 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. In late August the Germans dropped some bombs, apparently by accident, on civilian areas in London. For eight months the Luftwaffe dropped bombs on London and other strategic cities across Britain. 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. Two of the crews received refreshments in Banbridge; others were entertained in the Ancient Order of Hibernians hall in Newry. These private air-raid shelters were Anderson shelters, constructed of sheets of corrugated galvanised iron covered in earth. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. When the Blitz began, the government enforced a blackout in an attempt to make targeting more difficult for German night bombers. The Belfast Blitz was a series of devastating Luftwaffe air raids that took place in Northern Ireland during the Second World War. Belfast is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland . Once more, London was targeted and children were victims. During the whole period, although the citys operation was disrupted in ways that were sometimes serious, no essential service was more than temporarily impaired. Over a period of nine months, over 43,500 civilians were killed in the raids, which focused on major cities and industrial centres. 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. As many as 5,000 people had packed into this network of underground tunnels, which was dangerously overcrowded, dirty, and dark. 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." [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. [26], Initial German radio broadcasts celebrated the raid. 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. Beginning in September 1940, the Blitz was an aerial bombing campaign conducted by the Luftwaffe against British cities. On 4-5 May, another raid, made up of 204 bombers, killed another 203 people and the following night 22 more died. 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. sprang into action, and Londoners, while maintaining the work, business, and efficiency of their city, displayed remarkable fortitude. The most significant loss was a 4.5-acre (1.8ha) factory floor for manufacturing the fuselages of Short Stirling bombers. [citation needed]. By the end of the attacks, between 900 and 1,000 people were dead and thousands more were injured, homeless and displaced. Half of the city's housing was damaged over the course of all the raids. Belfast has the world's largest dry dock. And even then, Westminster stated it was not ample provision; Stormont still worried about the costs to industry. These shelters were vital as these factories had many employees working late at night and early in the morning when Luftwaffe attacks were likely. Moya Woodside[23] noted in her diary: "Evacuation is taking on panic proportions. The next took. [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]. 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. On August 25 the British retaliated by launching a bombing raid on Berlin. 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. 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.. Roads out of town are still one stream of cars, with mattresses and bedding tied on top. Over 500 received care from the Irish Red Cross in Dublin. 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. 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. Many of the surface shelters built by local authorities were flimsy and provided little protection from bombs, falling debris, and fire. Fighter Commands efforts were greatly aided by the lack of any consistent plan of action on the part of the Germans. The sense of relative calm was abruptly shattered in the first week of September 1940, when the war came to London in earnest. There [is] ground for thinking that the enemy could not easily reach Belfast in force except during a period of moonlight. Yesterday the hand of good-fellowship was reached across the Border. 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.". Video, 00:01:15The Belfast blitz, Up Next. 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. [citation needed]. [citation needed], Other writers, such as Tony Gray in The Lost Years state that the Germans did follow their radio guidance beams. For more than six months, German planes had flown reconnaissance flights over Belfast. About 1,000 people were killed and bombs hit half of the houses in the city, leaving 100,000 people homeless. The first attack was against the city's waterworks, which had been attacked in the previous raid. Clydeside got its blitz during the period of the last moon. Compared to other cities, Belfast was virtually undefended. Video, 00:00:36Tears of relief after man found in Amazon jungle. Video, 00:00:51, Australia's 'biggest drug bust' nets $700m of cocaine, Thanks, but no big speech, in Ken Bruce's sign off. . The creeping TikTok bans. Because basements, a logical destination in the event of an air raid, were a relative rarity in Britain, the A.R.P. 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. KS3 History (Environment and society) The Belfast Blitz learning resources for adults, children, parents and teachers. 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. However they were not in a position to communicate with the Germans, and information recovered from Germany after the war showed that the planning of the blitz was based entirely on German aerial reconnaissance. 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. More than 1,000 people were killed, and the damage was more widespread than on any previous occasion. The Blitz was devastating for the people of London and other cities. After the passing of the Government of Ireland Act, 1920, it became the seat of the government of Northern Ireland. For eight months the Luftwaffe dropped bombs on London and other strategic cities across Britain. His reply was: "We here today are in a state of war and we are prepared with the rest of the United Kingdom and Empire to face all the responsibilities that imposes on the Ulster people. Up to now, we have escaped an attack, said John MacDermott, the Minister for Security, Belfast, on March 24, 1941. Read about our approach to external linking. 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. In many cases the daily life of the city was able to resume with delays of only hours. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Wherever Churchill is hiding his war material we will go Belfast is as worthy a target as Coventry, Birmingham, Bristol or Glasgow." 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.