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{{Short description|Aerial bombardment of British city during World War II}} |
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{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2017}} |
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2017}} |
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{{Use British English|date=July 2013}} |
{{Use British English|date=July 2013}} |
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{{main|The Blitz}} |
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| ⚫ | The '''Manchester Blitz''' (also known as the '''Christmas Blitz''') was the [[The Blitz|heavy bombing]] of the city of [[Manchester]] and its surrounding areas in [[North West England]] during the Second World War by the [[Nazi Germany|German]] ''[[Luftwaffe]]''. It was one of three major raids{{efn|A major raid is one in which 100 or more tons of high |
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{{Infobox military conflict |
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| conflict = Manchester Blitz |
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| partof = the [[Strategic bombing during World War II|Strategic bombing campaign]] of [[World War II]] |
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| width = |
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| image = Air Raid Damage in Britain- Manchester HU49833.jpg |
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| alt = |
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| caption = Firefighters putting out a blaze at a bomb site in Manchester city centre |
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| date = 1940–1942 |
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| place = [[Manchester]] |
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| coordinates = |
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| map_type = |
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| map_relief = |
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| map_size = |
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| map_marksize = |
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| map_caption = |
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| map_label = |
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| territory = |
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| result = Manchester damaged by German air raids |
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| status = |
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| combatants_header = |
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| combatant1 = {{flag|Nazi Germany}} |
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| combatant2 = {{flag|United Kingdom}} |
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| casualties1 = Unknown |
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| casualties2 = 1,000 |
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| notes = |
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}} |
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{{campaignbox German bombing of Britain 1940–1941}} |
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| ⚫ | The '''Manchester Blitz''' (also known as the '''Christmas Blitz''') was the [[The Blitz|heavy bombing]] of the city of [[Manchester]] and its surrounding areas in [[North West England]] during the [[Second World War]] by the [[Nazi Germany|German]] ''[[Luftwaffe]]''. It was one of three major raids{{efn|A major raid is one in which 100 or more tons of high explosives are dropped.<ref name="IWM" />}} on Manchester, an important inland port and industrial city; [[Trafford Park]] in neighbouring [[Stretford]] was a major centre of war production. |
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==Raids on Manchester== |
==Raids on Manchester== |
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Air raids began in August 1940, and in September 1940 the [[Palace Theatre, Manchester|Palace Theatre]] on [[Wilmslow Road|Oxford Street]] was |
Air raids began in August 1940, and in September 1940 the [[Palace Theatre, Manchester|Palace Theatre]] on [[Wilmslow Road|Oxford Street]] was hit. The heaviest raids occurred on the nights of 22/23 and 23/24 December 1940, killing an estimated 684 people and injuring more than 2,000.<ref name="IWM">{{cite web |last=Mason |first=Amanda |title=The Manchester Blitz |publisher=Imperial War Museum |url=http://www.iwm.org.uk/history/the-manchester-blitz |access-date=19 November 2007}}</ref> [[Manchester Cathedral]], the [[Royal Exchange, Manchester|Royal Exchange]], the [[Free Trade Hall]] and the [[Manchester Assize Courts]] were among the large buildings damaged. On the night of 22/23 December, 272 tons of [[high explosive]]s were dropped, and another 195 tons the following night. Almost 2,000 [[Incendiary device|incendiaries]] were also dropped on the city over the two nights.<ref name="IWM" /> The aircraft spread fanwise over the city and adopted the by then familiar tactic of dropping flares followed by incendiaries and high explosives with later waves targeting the fires caused by the earlier attacks. There were other less intensive bombing raids across Britain<ref>{{cite news|last1=Anon|title=Two German planes shot down;Building damaged by fire|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000521/19401223/046/0006|access-date=27 January 2018|work=Derby Daily Telegraph|date=23 December 1940}}</ref> and two German aircraft were reported to have been lost over the British Isles on 24 December; one crashed in the sea near [[Blackpool]] and the other, loaded with incendiaries and flares, crashed in flames near Sussex with no survivors.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Anon|title=Manchester gets its first big bombing|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000560/19401224/011/0002|access-date=27 January 2018|work=Daily Mirror|date=24 December 1940}}</ref> |
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==Salford and Stretford== |
==Salford and Stretford== |
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Neighbouring [[County Borough of Salford|Salford]], [[Stretford]] and other districts were also badly damaged by the bombing. It is estimated that more than 215 people were killed and 910 injured in Salford, and more than 8,000 homes were damaged or destroyed.<ref name="IWM" /> Seventy-three were killed in Stretford, and many more were injured.{{sfnp|Masterson|Cliff|2002|p=156}} |
Neighbouring [[County Borough of Salford|Salford]], [[Stretford]] and other districts were also badly damaged by the bombing. It is estimated that more than 215 people were killed and 910 injured in Salford, and more than 8,000 homes were damaged or destroyed.<ref name="IWM" /> Seventy-three were killed in Stretford, and many more were injured.{{sfnp|Masterson|Cliff|2002|p=156}} |
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In June 1941, German bombs damaged [[Salford Royal Hospital|the original Salford Royal Hospital]] on [[A6 road (England)|Chapel Street]] at the junction with Adelphi Street, killing 14 nurses.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/nurse-remembers-blitz-victims-at-old-1186058|title= Nurse remembers blitz victims at old bomb-site|date=17 February 2007|publisher=Manchester Evening News|access-date=30 April 2018}}</ref> |
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==Further raids== |
==Further raids== |
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On 11 March 1941 [[Old Trafford]] football stadium, the home of [[Manchester United F.C.]], was hit by a bomb aimed at the industrial complex of Trafford Park, wrecking the pitch and demolishing the stands. The stadium was rebuilt after the war and reopened in 1949, until which time United played at [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City's]] [[Maine Road]] stadium.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aboutmanutd.com/man-u-history/worst-of-times.html |title= |
On 11 March 1941, [[Old Trafford]] football stadium, the home of [[Manchester United F.C.]], was hit by a bomb aimed at the industrial complex of [[Trafford Park]], wrecking the pitch and demolishing the stands. The stadium was rebuilt after the war and reopened in 1949, until which time United played at [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City's]] [[Maine Road]] stadium.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aboutmanutd.com/man-u-history/worst-of-times.html |title=About Man Utd | Manchester United history: The worst of times |access-date=30 December 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120101142150/http://www.aboutmanutd.com/man-u-history/worst-of-times.html |archive-date=1 January 2012 |df=dmy}}</ref> |
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In June 1941 German bombs damaged the police headquarters. Manchester continued to be bombed by the ''[[Luftwaffe]]'' throughout the war, and |
In June 1941, German bombs damaged the police headquarters. Manchester continued to be bombed by the ''[[Luftwaffe]]'' throughout the war, and became the target of airborne [[V-1 flying bomb]]s. On Christmas Eve 1944, [[Heinkel He 111]] bombers flying over the [[Yorkshire]] coast launched 45 flying bombs at Manchester. No V-1s landed in Manchester itself, but 27 people in neighbouring [[Oldham]] were killed by a stray bomb. Another 17 people were killed elsewhere and 109 wounded overall. [[Royal Air Force|RAF]] [[De Havilland Mosquito]]s shot down one German bomber over the [[North Sea]] and severely damaged another, causing it to crash land in Germany.<ref>{{cite web |title=V1 attack on Manchester, Christmas Eve 1944 |url=http://aircrashsites.co.uk/air-raids-bomb-sites/luftwaffe-v1-attack-on-manchester-christmas-eve-1944/ |date=25 April 2011 |access-date=19 November 2017}}</ref> |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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'''Bibliography''' |
'''Bibliography''' |
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{{refbegin}} |
{{refbegin}} |
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* {{cite book |first1=Vicki |last1=Masterson |last2=Cliff |first2=Karen |title=Stretford: An Illustrated History |publisher=The Breedon Books Publishing Company |year=2002 |isbn=978-1-85983-321-6 |
* {{cite book |first1=Vicki |last1=Masterson |last2=Cliff |first2=Karen |title=Stretford: An Illustrated History |publisher=The Breedon Books Publishing Company |year=2002 |isbn=978-1-85983-321-6 }} |
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{{refend}} |
{{refend}} |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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{{cc}} |
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* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/82/a2078282.shtml The Manchester Christmas Blitz, by Frank Walsh] |
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/82/a2078282.shtml The Manchester Christmas Blitz, by Frank Walsh] |
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* [https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/manchester-blitz-bomb-sites-map-10465447 Interactive map of Manchester blitz bomb sites showing where civilians were killed in 1940 Christmas attacks] |
* [https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/manchester-blitz-bomb-sites-map-10465447 Interactive map of Manchester blitz bomb sites showing where civilians were killed in 1940 Christmas attacks] |
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*[https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/live-manchester-blitz-christmas-1940-10453329 A retrospective minute by minute report of the Manchester Blitz in the Manchester Evening News] |
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{{The Blitz}} |
{{The Blitz}} |
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{{WWII city bombing|state=autocollapse}} |
{{WWII city bombing|state=autocollapse}} |
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[[Category:20th century in Manchester]] |
[[Category:20th century in Manchester]] |
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[[Category:Battles involving Lancashire|Manchester]] |
[[Category:Battles involving Lancashire|Manchester]] |
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[[Category:1940s in Manchester]] |
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Revision as of 18:23, 27 April 2024
| Manchester Blitz | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Strategic bombing campaign of World War II | |||||||
 Firefighters putting out a blaze at a bomb site in Manchester city centre | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Nazi Germany |
 United Kingdom | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | 1,000 | ||||||
The Manchester Blitz (also known as the Christmas Blitz) was the heavy bombing of the city of Manchester and its surrounding areas in North West England during the Second World War by the German Luftwaffe. It was one of three major raids[a] on Manchester, an important inland port and industrial city; Trafford Park in neighbouring Stretford was a major centre of war production.
Raids on Manchester
Air raids began in August 1940, and in September 1940 the Palace Theatre on Oxford Street was hit. The heaviest raids occurred on the nights of 22/23 and 23/24 December 1940, killing an estimated 684 people and injuring more than 2,000.[1] Manchester Cathedral, the Royal Exchange, the Free Trade Hall and the Manchester Assize Courts were among the large buildings damaged. On the night of 22/23 December, 272 tons of high explosives were dropped, and another 195 tons the following night. Almost 2,000 incendiaries were also dropped on the city over the two nights.[1] The aircraft spread fanwise over the city and adopted the by then familiar tactic of dropping flares followed by incendiaries and high explosives with later waves targeting the fires caused by the earlier attacks. There were other less intensive bombing raids across Britain[2] and two German aircraft were reported to have been lost over the British Isles on 24 December; one crashed in the sea near Blackpool and the other, loaded with incendiaries and flares, crashed in flames near Sussex with no survivors.[3]
Salford and Stretford
Neighbouring Salford, Stretford and other districts were also badly damaged by the bombing. It is estimated that more than 215 people were killed and 910 injured in Salford, and more than 8,000 homes were damaged or destroyed.[1] Seventy-three were killed in Stretford, and many more were injured.[4]
In June 1941, German bombs damaged the original Salford Royal Hospital on Chapel Street at the junction with Adelphi Street, killing 14 nurses.[5]
Further raids
On 11 March 1941, Old Trafford football stadium, the home of Manchester United F.C., was hit by a bomb aimed at the industrial complex of Trafford Park, wrecking the pitch and demolishing the stands. The stadium was rebuilt after the war and reopened in 1949, until which time United played at Manchester City's Maine Road stadium.[6]
In June 1941, German bombs damaged the police headquarters. Manchester continued to be bombed by the Luftwaffe throughout the war, and became the target of airborne V-1 flying bombs. On Christmas Eve 1944, Heinkel He 111 bombers flying over the Yorkshire coast launched 45 flying bombs at Manchester. No V-1s landed in Manchester itself, but 27 people in neighbouring Oldham were killed by a stray bomb. Another 17 people were killed elsewhere and 109 wounded overall. RAF De Havilland Mosquitos shot down one German bomber over the North Sea and severely damaged another, causing it to crash land in Germany.[7]
See also
References
Notes
Citations
- ^ a b c d Mason, Amanda. "The Manchester Blitz". Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 19 November 2007.
- ^ Anon (23 December 1940). "Two German planes shot down;Building damaged by fire". Derby Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
- ^ Anon (24 December 1940). "Manchester gets its first big bombing". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
- ^ Masterson & Cliff (2002), p. 156.
- ^ "Nurse remembers blitz victims at old bomb-site". Manchester Evening News. 17 February 2007. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
- ^ "About Man Utd | Manchester United history: The worst of times". Archived from the original on 1 January 2012. Retrieved 30 December 2011.
- ^ "V1 attack on Manchester, Christmas Eve 1944". 25 April 2011. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
Bibliography
- Masterson, Vicki; Cliff, Karen (2002). Stretford: An Illustrated History. The Breedon Books Publishing Company. ISBN 978-1-85983-321-6.
Further reading
- Daily Dispatch and Evening Chronicle (1945) Our Blitz: Red Sky over Manchester. Manchester: Kemsley Newspapers (Facsimile edition by Aurora Publishing, Bolton, [ca. 2000] ISBN 978-1-85926-049-4).
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Manchester Blitz.