Manchester bombing

After the defeat of France in the hostilities of May-June 1940, Adolf Hitler decided to invade the British Isles in order to force England to capitulate. However, for this it was necessary to gain air supremacy over the English Channel; otherwise, the British Air Force and the Royal Navy , far superior in strength to the Kriegsmarine , could disrupt the landing operation.

In August 1940, bombing of British military airfields and military-industrial centers of Great Britain began. Among them was Manchester.

Initially, the main target of the air raids was the Trafford Park industrial area in Stratford , which housed the factories that manufactured Avro Manchester bombers and Rolls-Royce Merlin engines for Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire fighters . However, in September 1940, according to Hitler’s directive, the Luftwaffe shifted focus to the bombing of civilian targets, which was supposed to break the morale of the British ^[1] . As a result, the number of civilian casualties increased.

Christmas Blitz

Manchester suffered the most severe air raids on the nights from 22 to 23 and from 23 to 24 December 1940. This was the time before Christmas , so the bombing was called Christmas Blitz . During the Christmas blitz, 684 people were killed and 2364 wounded ^{[2] [3]} . In Trafford Park, 13 Avro Manchester aircraft destroyed by the Metropolitan Vickers factory were destroyed. Manchester Cathedral , the Free Trade Hall , the Royal Exchange ^[4] were seriously damaged, thousands of buildings were destroyed. In just 2 nights, German aircraft dropped 468 tons of high-explosive and 1925 incendiary bombs on Manchester.

According to the recollections of an eyewitness,

... sirens sounded at dusk on December 23 ... I was a sister of mercy in the hospital of St. John and immediately ran to the first medical center through Seymour Park. Bombs were falling all around me. The roar of explosions, the firing of our artillery, the howling of falling bombs turned my way into a road full of horror. Manchester was a raging hell, enveloped in a wall of fire that illuminated the sky for miles around. Fourteen sisters of mercy were killed in the hospital, and patients who were able to walk were advised to make their way home. The bombing was not going to subside, I ran from one shelter to another until I got to Seymour Park School, where there was the first medical center ^[5] .

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Original text

The sirens sounded at dusk on 23rd ... As I was a volunteer nurse in the St John Ambulance I ran to the First Aid post through Seymour Park, incendiaries falling all around me. The noise of exploding bombs, chains of shells from our guns exploding in the sky, the terrifying screams of bombs falling made my dash to a shelter a journey of complete horror. Manchester was a raging inferno, encircled by a wall of fire, the sky for miles illuminated. 14 nurses were killed in one hospital and patients who could walk at all were advised to try and find their way home. There was no let up from the bombardment, I dodged from one shelter to another in the park and eventually arrived at Seymour Park School, Eyres Road, which was the local First Aid Post.

Subsequent bombing

The bombing of Manchester continued in the future, but their intensity decreased. As before, both the objects of the military-industrial complex and completely peaceful buildings were destroyed. In May 1941, the Germans bombed a newly opened Ford factory specializing in aircraft engines. Prior to this, on March 11, during an airstrike on industrial areas, the Old Trafford Stadium, owned by the Manchester United Football Club, was partially destroyed ^[6] .

On March 11, 1941, after a three-hour bombing, the most casualties were on Victoria Street and Rutland Street, where six people were killed by landmines that destroyed several buildings. Four people, still alive, were pulled out from under the rubble on Erskine Street. One of the newspaper sales boys lost both parents when their house was completely destroyed by bombs. His bed with him was thrown out into the street like from a catapult, and the boy was lucky to survive on this terrifying night ... ^[7]

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Original text

On 11th March 1941 during a three-hours' raid, the most serious incidents were in Victoria street and Rutland street, Hulme where six people were killed by HE bombs that destroyed several houses. Four people were rescued alive from debris in Erskine street. One of our paper boys lost both his parents when the family home was totally destroyed by a bomb. His bed was catapulted over the rubble into the street with him in it and he was very lucky to survive this terrifying ordeal ...

In December 1944, again on the eve of Christmas, Manchester was bombarded with V-1 missiles. Most of them passed the targets without causing much harm, but one rocket exploded in Oldham , killing 32 people ^[4] .

• In pictures: The Manchester Blitz . BBC (September 2, 2009). Archived July 11, 2013.
• Manchester Blitz film . Manchester Evening News (December 10, 2010).