Liverpool Blitz
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The Liverpool Blitz was the heavy and sustained bombing of the city of Liverpool in the United Kingdom during the Second World War. Liverpool was the most heavily bombed area of the country outside of the London Blitz, due to its importance in the UK's war effort.
Liverpool was a strategically important location in the Second World War for numerous reasons. Its large port on the River Mersey on the West Coast of England meant that the Atlantic Ocean, and therefore the United States, was easily accessible. This would prove to be a key part in the UK's participation in the Battle of the Atlantic with Liverpool's port being used for import and export of goods as well as Navy ships being stationed there.
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[edit] Preparations for war
Evacuation of children at the start of the war in September 1939 was a pre-emptive measure. The evacuations were organised by Liverpool Corporation and the children were transported to nearby but far more rural areas in North Wales and Cheshire.
[edit] The Christmas blitz
Air raid attacks grew heavier towards the end of 1940 and Liverpool suffered over 300 air raids by the end of the year. 365 people were killed between December 20 and December 22 due to various direct hits on air raid shelters, including the demolition of railway arches on Bentinck Street which were being used as an air raid shelter. On December 21 a further 74 people were killed in a direct hit on an air raid shelter.
The bombing decreased in severity after the new year and in the early part of 1941.
[edit] The 1941 blitz
The peak of the bombing occurred from May 1 to May 7, 1941. It involved 681 Luftwaffe bombers. Half of the docks were put out of action, as well as 1,741 people being killed, and 1,154 people injured, with many more being made homeless. 2,315 high explosive bombs and 119 other explosives such as incendaries were dropped.
One particularly large incident occurred on May 3 when the SS Malakand exploded in the Huskisson Dock. The Malakand was loaded with over 1,000 tons of bombs and explosives and caused a large amount of damage to the surrounding docks.
Today one of the most vivid reminders of the Liverpool Blitz in the city is the burnt out shell of St Luke's Church which was destroyed by an incendiary bomb on May 5, 1941.
[edit] 1942
The last German air-raid on Liverpool took place on January 10, 1942, destroying houses on Upper Stanhope Street. By an incredible quirk of fate, Number 102 Upper Stanhope Street was the birthplace of Adolf Hitler's nephew, William Patrick Hitler. The site has remained a bomb site ever since.
