Barrow Blitz

The Barrow Blitz is the name given to the Luftwaffe bombings of Barrow-in-Furness, United Kingdom during World War II. They took place primarily during April and May 1941, although the earliest Luftwaffe bombing occurred in September 1940.VSEL shipyard was the main target for bombing alongside Barrow's steelworks which were formerly the largest in the world.

Many Barrovians believe the first sign of German interest of the town was in May 1936, when the Hindenburg Zeppelin flew very low and slowly over Barrow, which locals and government officials alike believed was spying on the shipyard, although it claimed to be simply carrying passengers on a luxury trip. The town, with a population of around 75,000 in 1941, was targeted by the Luftwaffe mainly for its shipbuilding industry (similar to the Clydebank Blitz) which was one of the most sophisticated in the world and built many submarines and ships for the Royal Navy.

During the Second World War, Walney Island was home to two of the country's many coastal artillery installations (Hilpsford Fort and Fort Walney), numerous pillboxes can to this day be found littered across the Walney coastline. They were used as lookouts and contained rifles and light machine guns that could be used to defend Barrow against the Luftwaffe. The entrance to a large underground air-raid shelter that was used by shipyard workers can be found in the car park of the Waterfront Barrow-in-Furness development. A large unit of the Royal Air Force was based at Barrow/Walney Island Airport which was expanded during the war in an effort to aid Britain's air defences.

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