John Clarke MacDermott, the Minister of Public Security, after the first bombing, initiated the "Hiram Plan" to evacuate the city and to return Belfast to 'normality' as quickly as possible. 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. 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. NI WW2 veterans honoured by France. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of any material on this site without expressand written permission from the author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Fiber-optic cables are made from thin strings of glass and are generally about one-tenth the width of a . 55,000 British civilian casualties were sustained through German bombing before the end of 1940 This included 23,000 deaths. The Belfast blitz is remembered. Wherever Churchill is hiding his war material we will go Belfast is as worthy a target as Coventry, Birmingham, Bristol or Glasgow." It was solemn, tragic, dignified, but here it was grotesque, repulsive, horrible. For eight months the Luftwaffe dropped bombs on London and other strategic cities across Britain. department distributed more than two million Anderson shelters (named after Sir John Anderson, head of the A.R.P.) By Jonathan Bardon. For 57 nightsuntil November 2more than 1 million bombs were dropped on the capital city. Guided by Davies, the people of the shelter created an ad hoc government and established a set of rules. 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. Belfast was Ireland's industrial home, famous for tobacco, rope-making, linen, and ship-building, which made it the powerhouse it was. The Germans, however, saw Belfast as a legitimate target due to the shipyards in the city that were contributing to Britain's war efforts. The city covers a total area of 132.5 square kilometers (51 square miles). The first was on the night of 7-8 April 1941, a small attack which probably took place only to test Belfast's defences. The success of Mickeys Shelter was another factor that urged the government to improve existing deep shelters and to create new ones. By then 250 firemen from Clydeside had arrived. 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 asked, in the N.I. Read about our approach to external linking. Hitlers intention had been to break the morale of the British people so they would pressure their government to surrender. However Belfast was not mentioned again by the Nazis. [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." [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]. A charitable relief fund for the people of London was opened September 10. [6] It was MacDermott who sent a telegram to de Valera seeking assistance. Omissions? Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. ", 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. A short respite followed, until a widespread series of night raids on April 7 included some targets in the London area. When Germany bombed Belfast as part of the Blitz during World War Two, the massive air raids left more than a thousand people dead. They all say the same thing, that the government is no good. 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. 13 died, including a soldier killed when an anti-aircraft gun, at the Balmoral show-grounds, misfired. 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. Mr Freeburn set out to find out more about those who died, their personal stories and the tales of those left behind. The Belfast Blitz: April-May 1941 - History Ireland On the 17th I heard that hundreds who either could not get away or could not leave for other reasons simply went out into the fields and remained in the open all night with whatever they could take in the way of covering. 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. An earlier flight on Oct. 18 allowed the crew to plot several targets in the city. 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. Video, 00:01:38At least 17 dead in Jakarta fuel storage depot fire, Australia's 'biggest drug bust' nets $700m of cocaine. By 1941, production of the Short Stirling Bomber and the Short Sunderland Flying Boat was underway. The Blitz | Facts, History, Damage, & Casualties | Britannica Also, on Queens Island, stood the Short and Harland Ltd. Aircraft Factory. From papers recovered after the war, we know of a Luftwaffe reconnaissance flight over Belfast on 30 November 1940. There were few bomb shelters. The attacks were authorized by Germanys chancellor, Adolf Hitler, after the British carried out a nighttime air raid on Berlin. Half of the city's housing was damaged over the course of all the raids. The South Hallsville School disaster prompted Londoners, especially residents of the East End, to find safer shelters, on their own if necessary. Thank you. 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 is situated at on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. 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. 1. 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. Over 500 received care from the Irish Red Cross in Dublin. Despite the military and industrial importance of the city, the Luftwaffe described the defences asweak, scanty, insufficient. By the end of the attacks, between 900 and 1,000 people were dead and thousands more were injured, homeless and displaced. As well as photographs, the Luftwaffe gathered information on landmarks, potential targets and defences or lack thereof. Belfast Blitz: Remembering the ordinary people who lost their lives The fourth and final Belfast raid took place on the following night, 56 May. 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, 00:02:12Isabel Oakeshott: Why I leaked Hancock's messages, Tears of relief after man found in Amazon jungle. 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. Video, 00:00:26, Living through the London Blitz. Brian Barton of Queen's University, Belfast, has written most on this topic.[19]. [17] A stray bomber attacked Derry, killing 15. Compared to other cities, Belfast was virtually undefended. The creeping TikTok bans. The Belfast blitz devastated a city that up until 1941 had remained unscathed during World War Two. 10 fascinating facts about Belfast that you probably didn't know 3. 15 Powerful Photos Of The WW2 Blitz | Imperial War Museums 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, Russian minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims, US-made cheese can be called 'gruyere' - court, AOC under investigation for Met Gala dress, Saving Private Ryan actor Tom Sizemore dies at 61, The children left behind in Cuba's exodus, Walkie Talkie architect Rafael Violy dies aged 78, Alex Murdaugh's legal troubles are far from over, Mother who killed her five children euthanised. Over a period of nine months, over 43,500 civilians were killed in the raids, which focused on major cities and industrial centres. When incendiaries were dropped, the city burned as water pressure was too low for effective firefighting. 4. Another claim was that the Catholic population in general and the IRA in particular guided the bombers. Since most casualties were caused by falling masonry rather than by blast, they provided effective shelter for those who had them. No significant cut was made in necessary social services, and public and private premises, except when irreparably damaged, were repaired as speedily as possible. It was not the first time the alarm had sounded to signify the presence of Luftwaffe bombers over the city. Accounts differ as to when flares were dropped to light up the city. The mass relocation, called Operation Pied Piper, was the largest internal migration in British history. 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. That evening over 150 bombers left their bases in northern France and the Netherlands and headed for Belfast. [27] One widespread criticism was that the Germans located Belfast by heading for Dublin and following the railway lines north. 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. 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. It was the worst wartime raid outside of London in the UK. It became a city by royal charter in 1888. ", Dawson Bates, the Home Affairs Minister, apparently refused to reply to army correspondence and when the Ministry of Home Affairs was informed by imperial defence experts in 1939 that Belfast was regarded as "a very definite German objective", little was done outside providing shelters in the Harbour area.[14]. Belfast was largely unprepared for an attack of such a scale as 200 German bombers shelled the city on 15 April 1941. Those who sought refuge at the school were told that they would quickly be relocated to a safer area, but the evacuation was delayed. The British government had anticipated air attacks on its population centres, and it had predicted catastrophic casualties. "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. 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. 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. The first was on the night of 78 April 1941, a small attack which probably took place only to test Belfast's defences. In clear weather, targets were easily identifiable. There is no slacking in our loyalty. The Air Raid Precautions (A.R.P.) At the core of this book is a compelling account of the Luftwaffe's blitz on Belfast in April-May 1941. Updates? 6. It targeted the docks. Belfast was not properly prepared for the attacks, with too few shelters and not enough anti-aircraft guns. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The devastation was so great that the Germans coined a new verb, to coventrate, to describe it. In each station volunteers were asked for, as it was beyond their normal duties. The most heavily bombed cities outside London were Liverpool and Birmingham. They prevented low-flying aircraft from approaching their targets at optimal altitudes and angles of attack. In a survey of shelter use, it was found that, although the public shelters were fully occupied every night, just 9 percent of Londoners made use of them. The telegram was sent at 4:35am,[citation needed] asking the Irish Taoiseach, amon de Valera for assistance. They are sleeping in the same sheugh (ditch), below the same tree or in the same barn. During the whole period, although the citys operation was disrupted in ways that were sometimes serious, no essential service was more than temporarily impaired. 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. Sir Basil Brooke, the Minister of Agriculture, was the only active minister. 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. ", Dawson Bates informed the Cabinet of rack-renting of barns, and over thirty people per house in some areas.[24]. He believed that key targets identified across the city were hit. 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.". The M.V. 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. Very early in the German bombing campaign, it became clear that the preparationshowever extensive they seemed to have beenwere inadequate. Strand Public Elementary school, York Road railway station, the adjacent Midland Hotel on York Road, and Salisbury Avenue tram depot were all hit. In every instance, all stepped forward. Similar initiatives bearing the same name were ordered in the past decade by former mayors Libby . By then most of the major fires were under control and the firemen from Clydeside and other British cities were arriving. For eight months the Luftwaffe dropped bombs on London and other strategic cities across Britain. Video, 00:00:51, Australia's 'biggest drug bust' nets $700m of cocaine, Thanks, but no big speech, in Ken Bruce's sign off. While Anderson shelters offered good protection from bomb fragments and debris, they were cold and damp and generally ill-suited for prolonged occupancy. 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}.
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