An airplane crashes behind the Carlton Hotel
The Carlton Hotel building was destroyed when a British Halifax bomber crashed behind the hotel on the night of 26-27 April 1943.
The Carlton Hotel in Amsterdam was used by the Germans during the occupation to house officers of the Luftwaffe and their entourage. Other buildings in the area were also in use by the Luftwaffe. This naturally attracted the attention of the Allies but German anti-aircraft fire managed to hit an RAF aircraft, it crashed into a number of residential houses behind the Carlton Hotel also causing a lot of damage to the hotel.[1]
Anne describes this in her diary:
"The Carlton Hotel is smashed to bits. Two British planes loaded with incendiary bombs feel right on top of the 'Offizierenheim'. The whole Vijzelstraat-Singel corner is burnt down."[2]
The Germans were forced to move the command post.[3]
Footnotes
- ^ Zie http://www.reguliers.net/oorlogsbrand.php (geraadpleegd 12 november 2022).
- ^ Anne Frank, Diary Version B, 27 April 1943, in: The Collected Works, trans. from the Dutch by Susan Massotty, London: Bloomsbury Continuum, 2019.
- ^ Voor een uitgebreide reconstructie zie: https://www.upinthesky.nl/2022/07/23/de-carlton-crash-in-hart-van-amsterdam/ (geraadpleegd 12 november 2022).