Greenock — the raids of 6–7 May 1941
6–7 May 1941 · Greenock, Renfrewshire
View this record on the map →- Date
- 6–7 May 1941
- Record type
- Historic bombing area
- Bomb type
- mixed
- Location
- Greenock, Renfrewshire
- Position accuracy
- Confirmed event, area-level point only (exact site not verified)
What happened
Around 350 German bombers attacked over two nights, aiming for the shipyards but doing far more damage to the town around them — much as at Clydebank two months earlier. Civilian deaths were markedly lower on the second night, once people had learned to shelter in tunnels in the town's east end.
Casualty note
271 people killed over the two nights, more than 10,200 injured. Around 25,000 homes damaged and 5,000 destroyed — that housing-stock figure is given against a town-wide total of roughly 180,000 homes in one source, which looks too high for Greenock alone and has not been cross-checked against a second source; treat the raw casualty figures as solid and the housing totals as provisional.
Also worth knowing
A decoy site behind Loch Thom successfully drew bombs away from the town — scores of large craters were found there afterwards. The shipyards, the intended target, escaped comparatively lightly; the sugar refineries, distillery and foundries did not.