Greenock Blitz: Difference between revisions
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The '''Greenock Blitz''' is the name given to two nights of intensive [[Strategic bombing during World War II|bombing]] of the town of [[Greenock]], [[Scotland]] by the [[Nazi German]] ''[[Luftwaffe]]'' during the [[Second World War]]. The raids over the nights of the 6 and 7 May 1941 targeted the [[shipyard]]s and berthed ships around the town (similar to the [[Clydebank Blitz]] the previous March). The brunt of the bombing fell on residential areas. Over the two nights, 271 people were killed and over 10,200 injured.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.inverclyde.gov.uk/community-life-and-leisure/heritage/family-history/war-dead-greenock-ww2|title=Inverclyde Council {{!}} War Dead: Greenock WW2|website=www.inverclyde.gov.uk|access-date=2018-02-27}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.lostancestors.eu/memwar/G/Greenock02.htm}}</ref> |
The '''Greenock Blitz''' is the name given to two nights of intensive [[Strategic bombing during World War II|bombing]] of the town of [[Greenock]], [[Scotland]] by the [[Nazi German]] ''[[Luftwaffe]]'' during the [[Second World War]]. The raids over the nights of the 6 and 7 May 1941 targeted the [[shipyard]]s and berthed ships around the town (similar to the [[Clydebank Blitz]] the previous March). The brunt of the bombing fell on residential areas. Over the two nights, 271 people were killed and over 10,200 injured.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.inverclyde.gov.uk/community-life-and-leisure/heritage/family-history/war-dead-greenock-ww2|title=Inverclyde Council {{!}} War Dead: Greenock WW2|website=www.inverclyde.gov.uk|access-date=2018-02-27}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.lostancestors.eu/memwar/G/Greenock02.htm}}</ref> |
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From a total of 180,000 homes nearly 25,000 suffered damage and 5,000 were destroyed outright.{{Citation needed|reason=numbers need sourced|date=January 2014}} |
From a total of 180,000 homes nearly 25,000 suffered damage and 5,000 were destroyed outright.{{Citation needed|reason=numbers need sourced|date=January 2014}} |
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==Lead up to the raids== |
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When the German Luftwaffe began pounding London in 1940, it was decided that all convoy and merchant shipping activity in general would be transferred to the Clyde. Fortunately for the people living on or near the West coast of Scotland, Hitler was busy making final preparations for his attack on Russia and ordered that any air raids on the Clyde were to be treated more as a diversion than anything else. One shudders to think of the carnage that might have been inflicted on this area had he focused his attention on it just a few months before.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Greenock Revisited|last=Gemmill.|first=Stewart, Stewart|date=2014|publisher=Amazon |ASIN : B00KBCFGGU|location=Greenock}}</ref> |
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==6 May== |
==6 May== |
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Revision as of 11:48, 22 December 2020
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The Greenock Blitz is the name given to two nights of intensive bombing of the town of Greenock, Scotland by the Nazi German Luftwaffe during the Second World War. The raids over the nights of the 6 and 7 May 1941 targeted the shipyards and berthed ships around the town (similar to the Clydebank Blitz the previous March). The brunt of the bombing fell on residential areas. Over the two nights, 271 people were killed and over 10,200 injured.[1][2] From a total of 180,000 homes nearly 25,000 suffered damage and 5,000 were destroyed outright.[citation needed]
Lead up to the raids
When the German Luftwaffe began pounding London in 1940, it was decided that all convoy and merchant shipping activity in general would be transferred to the Clyde. Fortunately for the people living on or near the West coast of Scotland, Hitler was busy making final preparations for his attack on Russia and ordered that any air raids on the Clyde were to be treated more as a diversion than anything else. One shudders to think of the carnage that might have been inflicted on this area had he focused his attention on it just a few months before.[3]
6 May
The attack began around midnight on 6 May when around 350 German bombers attacked the town.[4] Bombs fell all over the town and surrounding area; serious damage being inflicted on East Crawford Street and Belville Street. Many civilians fled to the tunnels in the east end of the town, significantly reducing casualties the next night.[citation needed]
7 May
Air raid sirens at 12:15 am on 7 May marked the beginning of a second night of bombing. Initially, incendiary bombs were dropped around the perimeter of the town. The second wave attacked primarily the east end and centre of Greenock; the distillery in Ingleston Street had been set alight in the first wave, causing a huge fire which acted as a beacon for the rest of the bomber force. The final wave came around 2 am; dropping high-explosive bombs and parachute land mines which caused widespread destruction.[citation needed]
At 3:30 am the "All Clear" sounded, but a large area of the town was in flames. The sugar refineries, distillery and foundries were all extensively damaged, the Municipal Buildings complex was partly destroyed, and several churches were left as burnt-out shells. However, damage to the shipyards was minimal.[citation needed]
Decoy site
An Air Ministry decoy starfish site behind Loch Thom prevented the number of casualties being even higher. The decoy was lit on the second night of the blitz. It consisted of a large number of mounds of combustible materials scattered over a wide area of the moorland to simulate a burning urban area. Scores of large bomb craters were found after an inspection of the decoy after the air raids.[5]
George Medal
Three local firemen were awarded the George Medal - Firemaster A.S. Pratten, Sub-Station Officer William Neill and Fireman James Berry - who entered a burning building and at great personal risk managed to control a blaze which threatened to destroy a quantity of material essential to the war effort.
References
- ^ "Inverclyde Council | War Dead: Greenock WW2". www.inverclyde.gov.uk. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
- ^ http://www.lostancestors.eu/memwar/G/Greenock02.htm.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Gemmill., Stewart, Stewart (2014). Greenock Revisited. Greenock: Amazon.
{{cite book}}: Text "ASIN : B00KBCFGGU" ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Inverclyde Council | Greenock blitz". www.inverclyde.gov.uk. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
- ^ Leslie., Dow, James (1975). Greenock. Greenock: Corporation of Greenock. ISBN 9780904834000. OCLC 2074684.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
External links
- Full list of casualties
- http://inverclyde-tv.com/stories/4717-greenock-blitz