During the spring of 1941, the Luftwaffe attacked Northern Ireland in a series of four devastating aerial raids that became known as the Belfast Blitz.
The Belfast Blitz was a series of devastating Luftwaffe air raids that took place in Northern Ireland during the Second World War. The bombs caused death and destruction across the city, affecting those of all religions and political backgrounds.
Luftwaffe bombers honed in on strategically selected targets of industrial and military importance across the city. Over the course of four nights in the Spring of 1941, German bombers attacked many of these targets but it was working-class residents in the city who paid the highest price. In particular, neighbourhoods in North Belfast and East Belfast suffered. Tightly-packed, poorly-built housing was no match for the high explosive bombs, parachute mines, and incendiary bombs of the German Luftwaffe.
Between 7th April 1941 and 6th May 1941, an estimated 900-1,000 people died as a result of enemy action in Belfast and parts of Co. Down and Co. Londonderry.
