Part Four
A pre-war Luftwaffe briefing map showing flying distances to a number of key points in Britain. Interestingly, the distances are calculated largely from points that Germany would have to invade before the Luftwaffe could make use of them. The German state airline Lufthansa, launched in January 1926, soon became one of the leading airlines in Europe. From the mid-1930s, however, the airline’s activities over Britain were not always purely civil. Under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles 1918, Germany was not supposed to have an air force, so the Luftwaffe was covertly trained and organized using Lufthansa as cover. The air force’s existence was officially announced on 1 April 1935. Photo mapping was undertaken by many of the German airliners and this proved invaluable later for targeting purposes. Equally, a number of German airline pilots familiar with the routes to and around Britain later joined the Luftwaffe. (IWM HU16202)
The 1938 caption for this picture describes it as, The Mersey Bight near Port Ellesmere, near Liverpool. The Manchester Ship Canal can be seen running from two thirds of the way up the frame on the right and running off the frame, top left, out into the River Mersey. The straight line running across the centre of the photo is a railway line. It is, however, the area between these two features that was of interest to the Luftwaffe – the Shell Petrochemical Refinery at Stanlow. Established in 1922, Stanlow was one of Britain’s biggest oil refineries and its continued operation was vital for the British war effort. Reportedly, there was a German commercial mapping company operating around Liverpool pre-war and this may be one of their photos. By 12 December 1940, Merseyside had been subjected to 300 air raids. (IWM HU16205)
A pre-war vertical aerial photo of the centre of London. Among the points of interest noted on the photo are the Houses of Parliament (h), The Tower of London (e), The Oval cricket ground (o) and Hyde Park (c). Towards the end of the 1930s, Lufthansa operations in Britain had grown considerably. Operating from airports such as Croydon, Lufthansa aircraft would take off at night with spare crews on night training missions. Frequently, using bad weather as an excuse, Lufthansa pilots would fly near or even over RAF airfields including Biggin Hill and Kenley. The German airline staff continued to be based in Britain almost until war broke out. The last Lufthansa flight, a Ju52 departed Croydon on 31 August 1939. (IWM HU16281)
A reconnaissance photo of Birmingham, the city whose industry was so vital to the British war effort. Birmingham became, after London, the second most heavily bombed British city. 2,241 residents were killed while Luftwaffe action seriously injured another 3,010. Luftwaffe attacks began on 9 August 1940 and ended on 23 April 1943. 12,391 houses, 302 factories, 34 churches, halls and cinemas, and 205 other buildings were destroyed. Bomb damage reports were not, however, public knowledge as it may have served as feedback to the Luftwaffe who may have been able to refine or improve their bombing techniques. The role of the aircraft factory at Castle Bromwich, Birmingham, cannot be underestimated. By the end of the war, it was producing 320 Spitfires and 20 Lancasters a month – more than any other British factory. (IWM HU16288)
A pre-war photo of what the Luftwaffe described as, …the Austin Aircraft works in the south of Birmingham. The enormous Longbridge car plant had manufactured aircraft and other military equipment during the First World War so the Germans were aware of its potential during another war. In early 1940, Churchill’s Chiefs of Staff told him that, Germany could not gain complete air superiority unless she could not knock out our air force, and the aircraft industries, some vital portions of which are concentrated at Coventry and Birmingham. During the Second World War the plant produced ammunition, tank components, steel helmets, Hawker Hurricanes, Fairey Battles, Horsa gliders, mines, depth charges and even Lancaster bombers – 2,866 aircraft in all. By 1944, around 400,000 of Birmingham’s population were engaged in war work. (IWM HU16291)
This excellent oblique aerial photo shows the Manchester Ship Canal as it heads away from Manchester. In the foreground denoted by ‘sa’ can be seen Salford Quays. The Luftwaffe Blitz on Manchester over Christmas 1940 affected 50,000 homes in the city and left 596 dead and over 2,300 Mancunians injured, 719 of them seriously. More than 30 acres of land within a mile of Manchester Town Hall were destroyed in 1940. Manchester Cathedral was seriously damaged and the Manchester Royal Infirmary suffered a direct hit. Victoria Station and even Manchester United’s football ground were not spared. 72,000 children were evacuated and did not return until much later in the war. (IWM HU16294)
Pre-war silhouettes of harbours of north-east Britain used to train Luftwaffe navigators in preparation for attacks against industrial targets. It may appear obvious but it was important that Luftwaffe navigators could confidently identify potential targets. Some navigators were less able than others which accounted for bombs falling many miles from their intended targets or even German aircraft and their disorientated crews landing at British bases. The industrial centres of the north-east of England were prime targets for the Luftwaffe. Centred on the Rivers Tees, Tyne and Wear, they were relatively easy to identify from the air. The ICI works on Teesside was frequently attacked but never seriously damaged. Flying from bases in Scandinavia almost 400 miles away, the Luftwaffe began attacking targets between the Rivers Tyne and Humber in August 1940. In all, there were more than 250 Luftwaffe air raids on the North-East and North Yorkshire. (IWM HU16300)