Southampton Blitz

Southampton Blitz
Part of the Strategic bombing campaign of World War II
Damage in Southampton following the Blitz
Date 1940–1944 Location Southampton, Hampshire, England Result Southampton heavily damaged by German air raids
Belligerents
Nazi Germany	United Kingdom
Casualties and losses
Unknown	137

The Southampton Blitz was the heavy bombing of Southampton by the Nazi German Luftwaffe during World War II. Southampton was a strategic bombing target for the Luftwaffe as it contained both busy docks with associated business premises and factories and the Supermarine factory building Spitfires in Woolston. Being a large port city on the south coast it was within easy reach of German airfields in France.

During the war, 57 attacks on the city were made, but over 1,500 air raid warnings were issued. According to the Air Raid Precautions (ARP) Department approximately 2,300 bombs were dropped amounting to over 470 tonnes of high explosives. Over 30,000 incendiary devices were dropped on the city with nearly 45,000 buildings damaged or destroyed, with most of the city's High Street being hit.