Torquay harbour and seafront
1940 to 1944 · Torquay, Devon
View this record on the map →- Date
- 1940 to 1944
- Record type
- Reported target area
- Bomb type
- target-area
- Casualties
- 168
- Location
- Torquay, Devon
- Position accuracy
- Strategic target area
What happened
Torquay's harbour, seafront hotels and rail links drew repeated low-level attacks, and the town was a military training area throughout the war — RAF training units early on, US forces preparing for D-Day later. It was hit in at least 40 raids, in which 168 people were killed.
Casualty note
Townwide toll across the war, not specific to this area alone.
Also worth knowing
Area marker, not a single incident — use the individual records for confirmed strike points. A further Home Guard death came at Barton Gas Works in June 1942, and six men died at the Corbyn Head coastal battery in August 1944 when a gun burst during practice — an accident rather than enemy action.