Southampton Blitz: Difference between revisions

The [[History of Woolston, Southampton#Wartime|Supermarine factory building]] makingmanufacturing [[Supermarine Spitfire|Spitfires]] in [[Woolston, Southampton|Woolston]] was a key target in the city. On the 24 and 26 September, 1940, the ''Luftwaffe'' attackedbombed the riverside factory during two day-time raids. Much of the factory was destroyed and over 100110 people were killed.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/16868059.ceremony-at-memorial-to-men-killed-in-bombing-raids-on-the-supermarine-factory/|title=Ceremony at memorial to men killed in bombing raids on the Supermarine factory|date=15 September 2018|publisher=Daily Echo|accessdateaccess-date=11 April 2020}}</ref> Northam gasworks was also targeted on 26 September and 11 workers were killed in the raid.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vcGbDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT25|title=Southampton Airport Through Time|first= Peter C. |last=Brown|publisher=Amberley Publishing|year=2019|isbn=978-1445687445}}</ref>

A daylight raid on 6 November, 1940 targeted the city's Civic Centre. [[Hermann Goering]], head of the ''Luftwaffe'', had remarked that the Civic Centre appeared like a "piece of cake" from the air, and that he was going to "cut himself a slice". During the raid, twelve bombs were dropped, including a direct hit on the Civic Centre with a 500lb high explosive. The bomb penetrated to the lower floors of the art gallery killing 35 people, including 15 children, who were having an art lesson in the basement.<ref name=anniversary>{{cite web|url=https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/14112339.photos-southampton-blitz-city-remembers-on-75th-anniversary/|title=Southampton Blitz - city remembers on 75th anniversary|publisher=Daily Echo|date=30 November 2015|accessdateaccess-date=11 April 2020}}</ref>

Of the 57 air raids, by far the worst were on 23 and 30 November and 1 December 1940 and these attacks are generally referred to as "Southampton's Blitz". Starting at 181518:15, or 6:15 P.M, and running until midnight on the evening of 23 November, 77 people were killed and over 300 injured with the Civic Centre taking much of the brunt of the attack. The scale of the raid ruined the city's water supply and many of the fires had theto be left to burn themselves out.<ref name=anniversary/>

There were reports that the glow of the [[firestorm]] of Southampton burning could be seen from as far away as [[Cherbourg]] on the coast of France. [[Nazi propaganda|Nazi publicity]] declared in propaganda that the city had been left a smoking ruin.<ref>{{cite news|title=Nazis Claim Port Heavily Damaged|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=888&dat=19401125&id=-jRPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Y00DAAAAIBAJ&pg=1609,7901356|accessdateaccess-date=21 May 2012|newspaper=St Petersburg Times|date=25 November 1940}}</ref>

A week later, 120 German bombers returned for a further six-hour attack on the evening of November 30 November. The 800 bombs dropped on the city left 137 dead, 96 killed in their air raid shelters. Major buildings including Pirelli Cable Works, the Daily Echo newspaper building and the General Motors factory were severely damaged or destroyed. [[All Saints' Church, Southampton|All Saints']], [[Holyrood Church, Southampton|Holyrood]]<ref>{{cite book |title=Southampton at War: 1939–45 |last=Kemp |first=Anthony |year=1989 |publisher= Ensign Publications|location=Southampton |isbn=1-85455-033-0 |pages= 55–56}}</ref> and [[St. Mary's Church, Southampton|St. Mary's churches]],<ref>{{cite book |title= Southampton's Historic Buildings|last=Coles |first=R.J. |year= 1981|publisher=City of Southampton Society |location= |isbn= |page=6}}</ref> were destroyed and, although [[St. Michael's Church, Southampton|St. Michael's]] escaped with only minor damage, allegedly because the spire was used by the German bombers as a landmark and their pilots were ordered not to hit it.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.schmap.com/southampton/tours_tour1/#r=none&mapview=Map&tab=Text&p=120885&topleft=50.90835,-1.40722&bottomright=50.89663,-1.39516&i=120885.jpg|title=St. Michael's Church|work=Southampton Guide|publisher=www.schmap.com|accessdateaccess-date=3 November 2009|url-status=dead|archiveurlarchive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718043953/http://www.schmap.com/southampton/tours_tour1/#r=none&mapview=Map&tab=Text&p=120885&topleft=50.90835,-1.40722&bottomright=50.89663,-1.39516&i=120885.jpg |archivedatearchive-date=18 July 2011|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Altogether, Southampton lost seven churches during the blitz,<ref name=Rance166/> as well as the Audit House, the [[Ordnance Survey buildings, Southampton|Ordnance Survey offices]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Mapping the Southampton Blitz 70 years on|url=http://blog.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/2010/11/mapping-the-southampton-blitz-70-years-on/|publisher=Ordnance Survey|accessdateaccess-date=19 June 2012|date=30 November 2010}}</ref> and many shops, factories and homes.<ref name=Rance166>{{cite book | first=Adrian|last= Rance | title=Southampton. An Illustrated History | publisher=Milestone |location= Portsmouth| year=1986|page =166|isbn=0-903852-95-0}}</ref>

The last casualties of air raids in the city were in a small raid on the suburbs of the city in May 1941 and on 8 July 1941 in the area of Victory Crescent, [[Millbrook, Southampton|Millbrook]], with the loss of at leastkilling three livespeople. The last major raid of over 50 bombers was in June 1942. There were occasional tip and run raids and in 1944 two [[V1 flying bomb]]s in mid-July were the last enemy ordnance to fall in the city.<ref name=anniversary/>

Among the victims of the bombing was Edgar L. Perry, who had worked as a [[Coalcoal trimmer|trimmer]] on board the [[RMS Titanic|RMS ''Titanic'']] in 1912. Perry, who had survived the sinking, perished along with his wife on 23 November 1940 as they sought shelter from the bombing.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-survivor/edgar-lionel-perry.html|title=Mr Edgar Lionel Perry |author=Encyclopedia Titanica |date= |work= Southampton Guide|publisher=www.schmap.com|accessdateaccess-date=April 13, April 2012}}</ref>

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== External links ==

*[https://archive.istoday/20130420104358/http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/18/a2843318.shtml BBC People's War - getting bombed when home on leave]

{{WWII cityStrategic bombing|state=autocollapse during World War II}}