Allied bombs fall around the Fokker factories
The Allied bombing of the Fokker factories on 17 July 1943 ended in tragedy.
Gebombardeerde woningen Amsterdam-Noord
Gebombardeerde woningen in Amsterdam-Noord. Copyright: Fotocollectie BeeldbankWO2 - NIOD
On Saturday 17 July 1943, a unit of the US Air Force carried out a bombing raid on the Fokker aircraft factory, but they completely missed their target and struck the surrounding residential areas instead. Hundreds of civilians were killed instantly or later succumbed to their injuries.[1] A week later, British bombers bombed the factory again, this time successfully. A few days later, French bombers bombed the factory once more, but they too missed their target and caused further civilian casualties.
Anne Frank writes in her diary:
"North Amsterdam was very heavily bombed on Sunday (sic, ed.). The devastation seems to be terrible, whole streets lie in ruins (…). You hear of chldren lost in the smouldering ruins, looking for their parents. I shudder when I recall the dull, droning rumble in the distance (…)." [2]
Footnotes
- ^ Wikipedia: Bombardementen op Amsterdam-Noord.
- ^ Anne Frank, Diary Version B, 19 July 1943, in: The Collected Works, transl. from the Dutch by Susan Massotty, London [etc.]: Bloomsbury Continuum, 2019.