The next source is a table of figures on the raids and damage caused by them and is the only source to cover all 4 raids. It was put together from official numbers years after the actual bombings and therefore may not be completely accurate but is free of any need to cover up truth. Its usefulness is limited to informing about the overall number of raids, casualties and damages and can be used to check the reliability of other sources but there is no individual or personal account and doesn’t tell how the people reacted to the raids.
The government report on the 15/16 April raids was likely to be truthful because it was confidential and its contents match research evidence. The information is quite detailed but it too is only about one raid and does not cover May. It says that as a result of the bombing there was “a good deal of panic exodus from the city” and that the casualties were “heavy” but damage “normal”. This corresponds with Source B which states that Belfast had the highest total number of deaths out of all five cities mentioned but the damage was verging on the higher average. There is no evidence about how everyday life was affected but does enable the conclusion that Belfast’s lack of preparation and failures of the government were exposed by the bombings.
The radio broadcast was about the same attack as the report but has a much more positive tone because the BBC is a government station and it has a similar motive to the official statement in Source A. Though it too is commenting on the result of the 15/16 April raid its usefulness is very limited as it’s very brief and does not agree with the table or report. It claims “a small number of people were killed” in contrast to the ‘heavy’ casualties stated in the other two and research evidence backs up the others. This broadcast only covers one raid and confirms that there was an attack on 15/16th April but adds nothing extra to Source C.
The photo is an accurate source as huge areas of Belfast dockland were on fire due to the raids. However its usefulness is very limited as it’s of poor quality and is only showing one building on fire in April as a result of one raid and also omits May. It backs up Sources A and C to prove that fires were started due to the bombing but provides virtually no information on the impact on the people or number of casualties.
The internet article was from long after the Blitz, therefore it has a fairly unbiased view and its content does match the truth. However it’s about the civil defence preparations prior to the attack and is of little use on its own. It does show up the bias of Source A by describing how ill prepared the government was and therefore definitely could not have coped as well as the statement suggests. It also helps to explain the why the damages were so severe and therefore backs up Sources B, C and E.
All these sources provide some information on the raids but there is little evidence on what happened in May, no personal accounts from people during the attacks or anything from the German point of view. Therefore there is not sufficient evidence to fully explain what happened in Belfast during April and May 1941 as a result of the Blitz.
