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The sky was clearing in Belfast on Easter Tuesday, the 15 April 1941, as 180 German bombers took off from aerodromes in Northern France.

The pilots were in high spirits: "We were in exceptional good humour knowing that we were going for one of England鈥檚 last hiding places. Wherever Churchill is hiding his war material we will go. Belfast is as worthy a target as Coventry, Birmingham, Bristol or Glasgow."

The city was woefully ill prepared for attack and the Luftwaffe bombed Belfast almost completely unopposed. At one point the chief fire officer was found beneath a table in Chichester Street fire station, weeping and refusing to come out.

An eyewitness recalled: 鈥淭he sky was red, pure red. You would have thought that someone had set fire to the world.鈥�