The BelfastBlitz

The BelfastBlitz

As a result of Poland's invasion in 1939 by Germany, the Second World

War began. One year later, the Battle of Britain commenced, with major

cities such as Liverpool and Bristol targets for bombing. It was in

the summer of 1941 when Belfast, one of the largest yet undefended

cities in the United Kingdom, was devastated by their onslaught

between the months of April and May. Receiving four bombardments in

total, Belfast suffered death and destruction in larger quantities

than any other city attacked by the Luftwaffe.

When compared to examples such as Portsmouth, which had a death total

of 930 as a result of 67 attacks, it is evident that Belfast, with 955

deaths, experienced many problems during and before their attacks,

which led the densely populated city to undergo this catastrophe.

So why was it that such a small number of raids caused so much carnage

and were able to destroy such a large city? Many did, and still do,

blame the Government, led by James Craig from 1940. Through their

decisions based on the Warnock report, the Government's laid back

attitude and inefficiency are valid reasons to blame them for the

devastation, though there are many more besides, which I plan to

discuss during the course of this essay.

One of the most successful and common means of protection during such

raids were the use of air raid shelters, specifically Anderson or

Morrison shelters. Belfast had a vastly insufficient amount of such

shelters, and those built were of poor quality. The public had to

compromise by hiding beneath kitchen tables or under the stairs; both

unsuccessful methods. Those that were fortunate enough...

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To conclude, it is apparent that there were many reasons, some small

and seemingly trivial, others crucial, as to why the city of Belfast

suffered so highly during its attacks by the Luftwaffe than any other

targeted city in the United Kingdom. As I have explained throughout

this essay, simple precautions such as adequate amount of air raid

shelters and hoses could have made a large and positive impact on the

final death total after the bombardments. The general attitude of the

Northern Ireland Government, as well as the general public, added to

the unexpected results and inability to deal with such attacks.

However, it can be seen that the foremost reason for Belfast's

suffering lies with its Government. Its reliability on an inaccurate

and misleading report resulted in one of the United Kingdom's worst

tragedies.