Bristol Blitz
WWII aerial bombardment of British city / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Bristol Blitz was the heavy bombing of Bristol, England by the Nazi German Luftwaffe during the Second World War.[1] Due to the presence of Bristol Harbour and the Bristol Aeroplane Company, the city was a target for bombing and was easily found as enemy bombers were able to trace a course up the River Avon from Avonmouth using reflected moonlight on the waters, into the heart of the city. Bristol was the fifth-most heavily-bombed British city of the war.[2]
Bristol Blitz | |||||||
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Part of the Strategic bombing campaign of World War II | |||||||
Bomb-damaged buildings and the remains of St Mary le Port church (left) viewed from the south east, following bombing of the area now known as Castle Park | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Nazi Germany | United Kingdom | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
Unknown | 1,299 killed, 1,303 injured |
The Luftwaffe conducted six major bombing campaigns on Bristol between November 1940 and April 1941, causing Bristol to experience 548 air raid alerts and 77 air raids with:
- 919 tons of high-explosive bombs plus many thousands of incendiary bombs dropped in clusters
- 1,299 people killed, 1,303 seriously injured and 697 rescued from the debris of bombed buildings
- 89,080 buildings damaged including 81,830 houses destroyed and over 3,000 rendered unusable and later demolished.[3]
To counter the raids, Bristol's defenders developed an air defence system that increased in size and sophistication during the course of the war; local heavy anti-aircraft guns fired c. 59,000 rounds at attacking aircraft during the conflict.[4]