Bombing of Livorno in World War II

Livorno, the main port of Tuscany, was considered by the Allies to be of strategic importance owing to its harbour facilities (the harbour of Livorno was one of the main ports of the Italian Tyrrhenian coast north of Rome), its marshalling yards, its shipyard (which built destroyers and corvettes for the Italian Navy), its oil refinery and other factories engaged in war production, such as the Motofides torpedo factory.^[3][4][5]

Summarize Timeline Top Qs Fact Check

The first air raid on Livorno took place at 2:30 on 16 June 1940, six days after Italy's entrance into the war, when some French Amiot 143 medium bombers dropped a few bombs in the Venezia Nuova district, causing light damage.^[6] Another minor raid by the Armée de l'Air took place two days before the Armistice of Villa Incisa, at 4:45 on 22 June, when a few naval aircraft hit and badly damaged a hotel and a beach resort. This raid was also notable because the approaching French aircraft were detected by an Italian radar prototype.^{[6][7][4][8][5]}

After the surrender of France, Livorno enjoyed a period of relative calm until 9 February 1941, when eighteen Fairey Swordfish aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm, flown from the carrier HMS Ark Royal during Operation Grog, bombed the ANIC oil refinery.^{[9][10][11][7][8][5]}

The rest of 1941, 1942 and early 1943 passed without incident, as Livorno was outside the range of both RAF Bomber Command aircraft that from England attacked the cities of Northwestern Italy, and Malta-based RAF bombers that attacked the cities of Southern Italy. The situation changed with the Allied conquest of French North Africa and the end of the Tunisian campaign; USAAF bombers, taking off from airfields in Tunisia, were now able to hit Livorno as well.^[4]

The first raid on Livorno by the USAAF took place on 28 May 1943, when a hundred Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers of the 12th Air Force took off from bases in North Africa and attacked the harbour, the oil refinery and the marshalling yard. The objectives were hit (the maritime station was destroyed), but a large part of the bombs (roughly 180 tons) fell on the city, causing widespread damage, especially in the city centre and the Venezia Nuova district; 170 buildings were destroyed, including the cathedral, the Synagogue, the market hall and the Verdi and Rossini theatres, 300 were badly damaged and 1,300 lightly damaged, with the death of 249 civilians (other sources claim that the dead were about three hundred, with a thousand wounded).^{[12][6][7][13][8][5]} A bomb hit Villa Baciocchi, used as an orphanage for little girls, killing forty little girls and nuns; dozens of people were killed when the improvised air raid shelters created in the cellars of the Livornese Rowing Association were hit and collapsed.^[14][15] Several ships were sunk in the harbour, including the torpedo boats Angelo Bassini and Antares, the corvette FR 52, the steamer Tiziano and the auxiliary cruiser Caralis, which was loaded with ammunition and blew up, causing further damage to the harbour and to other ships.^[16] Some 20,000 people abandoned the city in the following days; the town of Rosignano, for instance, was swarmed with 8,000 refugees in one day, forcing local authorities to requisition the schools and every vacant building to house them.^[13][8]

A second, identical raid by 97 B-17 bombers of the 12th Air Force, targeting the same objectives, took place exactly a month later, and had identical results; about 250 tons of bombs were dropped, hitting both the objectives (the industrial area and the central station were badly damaged) and the city, causing widespread destruction and killing another 252 people.^[12][13][5] Eighty-six people died in an air raid shelter, hit by a bomb.^[17] The old light cruiser Bari was sunk in the harbour.^[16] These two raids were the most devastating attacks suffered by Livorno during the entire war.

On 24 July 1943 thirty-three RAF bombers, during a shuttle bombing mission from the United Kingdom to Algeria, dropped 83 tons of bombs against Livorno's power plant, but the bombs fell on the city, especially the San Marco district, destroying 165 buildings, causing heavy damage to another 550 and killing 44 people.^[12][8][5] This raid also damaged the Italian Naval Academy and prompted its relocation to Venice, outside the operational range of Allied bombers.^[18]

The proclamation of the Armistice of Cassibile, on 8 September 1943, was followed two days later by German occupation. On 21 September thirty-two bombers of the 12th Air Force bombed the harbour, causing heavy damage to its facilities, and in the night of 24 September this attack was repeated by eighty bombers of the Royal Air Force.^[12][8] On 30 October the German command declared most of the city (the historical centre, the industrial area, the area surrounding the Naval Academy, and some other parts of the city) "Black Zone", and ordered its evacuation; the inhabitants were given ten days to leave with their belongings. After the expiry of this date, trespassers would be shot on sight. People residing outside of the "Black Zone" were also advised to leave, and most did, leaving the city almost deserted. The municipal authority, whose seat (Palazzo Comunale) had been badly damaged, was relocated to the hill frazione of Montenero.^[19][20][21]

Further raids, targeting the harbour, took place on 24, 25, 29 and 30 March 1944 and 1 April 1944, all by the USAAF; on 2 April thirteen RAF bombers attacked again the harbour, whereas on 14 April the USAAF bombed the marshalling yard, followed that night by 24 RAF bombers that attacked the harbour. On 15 April 1944 U.S. bombers attacked the marshalling yard, and on the following day five RAF bombers bombed the harbour; on 19 April twenty-three British bombers attacked the harbour, and 24 RAF bombers did the same on 23 April. More raids took place on 29 April (22 RAF bombers), 30 April (six RAF bombers), 1 May (six RAF bombers, targeting the marshalling yard), 2 May (twelve RAF bombers), 9 May (eight RAF bombers), 19 May (USAAF, targeting the harbour), 7, 13 and 21 June (all by USAAF, against the port). The heaviest raids of 1944 were the ones that took place on 19 May and 7 June, hitting again the city centre and destroying the "Black Zone"; there were no casualties thanks to its evacuation a few months before.^[22]