The 'Baedeker Raid' on York......April 29th 1942

The aim of this website is to tell the story of York's "Baedeker Blitz" with additional material that explains the background to the raid.......what was the Butt Report, what happened at Lübeck and how the term Baedeker came to be associated with a series of bombing raids.

The composition of Luftwaffe forces is analysed together with how Britain's air defence system operated.
York's Civil Defence system is explained and detailed information is given about casualties on the ground and in the air.

For the first time, I believe, there is a description of the deaths and damage caused by the raid at RAF Clifton and the story of the troop train destroyed in York station is examined.

Those killed, either on the ground or in the air, can be located by name or by the location of the incident.

The aftermath of the raid is examined using extracts from many of the reports that were compiled.

The website concludes with a series of "Then & Now" photographs.

An attempt has been made to correct a number of minor errors which occur in some publications and are repeated all over the internet. Where possible, primary sources of information (The York Press, County & Council Archives, the British Library and the National Archives) have been used and the references are quoted on the Acknowledgement and Sources page. 

My thanks go to David Poole for his invaluable assistance.

The "Update Log" will inform visitors of new and/or updated content.