UXO risk in Birmingham

Why was Birmingham targeted and bombed in WWII?

Birmingham was an important industrial centre during WWII, producing munitions, aircraft and vehicles to aid the British war efforts. Many smaller workshops were involved in making items such as ammunition cases and grenades, as well as things like stirrup pumps for defence on the Home Front. Birmingham’s jewellers and silversmiths were well suited to use their specialist skills to produce component parts for rifles, aircraft and radar equipment. The city’s industries were crucial to the British war effort – a fact that was not lost on the German military.

Aerial photographs of factory sites were taken from civilian aircraft for the German intelligence services prior to the outbreak of war, and maps were gathered and annotated with named factories, hospitals, all major roads, railway lines, good yards, waterways and the electrical and telegraph grid. Birmingham had more key points than any other city outside London.

Home Office Bombing Statistics for Birmingham

Details obtained from the official Home Office bombing statistics, highlights the volume and type of bombs that fell on County Borough of Birmingham throughout WWII.

A total of 4,500 recorded bombs fell on Birmingham, equating to 88 items of ordnance per 1,000 acres.

Major bombing raids in Birmingham

There were three noticeable concentrations of key locations¹:

• In the south-east, the Acocks Green/Sparkbrook/Tyseley district
• In the north-west, the Nechells/Castle Bromwich district
• In the north-west, the Smethwick/West Bromwich district

During the expansion of the Royal Air Forde (RAF) in the 1930s, the ‘shadow factory’ scheme was set up. Motor car manufacturers were seen as ideal to run such operations. UK car manufacturers Austin Motors took on a new factory at Cofton Hackett, Morris Motors produced Spitfires at a new plant in Castle Bromwich, and the Rover Company set up in Tyseley and Solihull to produce engines. Other car manufacturing factories were set up at Marston Green and Alcocks Green.

Although bombing occurred in Birmingham from August 1940, 19th-22nd November 1940 was to be ‘the most severe attack on Birmingham during the course of the Second World War². Birmingham suffered three nights of consecutive bombing; 800 people lost their lives, 2,345 people were injured and 20,000 civilians were made homeless³.

The longest air raid of the ‘Birmingham Blitz’, lasting 13 hours, came on 11th December 1940⁴, 263 people were killed and 243 badly injured after explosives and 25,000 incendiaries were dropped on the city causing widespread damage and destruction.

Birmingham became the third most heavily bombed city in England after London and Liverpool, with a total of 365 air raid warnings sounded in Birmingham and 77 recorded air raids throughout WWII. A total of 2,241 people were killed and 3,010 people were injured, whilst 12,391 houses and 302 factories were destroyed⁵.

Below is a copy of Birmingham Composite Air Raid Map obtained from the Library of Birmingham, which gives a visual indication of the high level of bombing sustained in the city.