National Content: Belgium
Results of bombing on Belgian towns:
More than 750 dead in 48 hours
| Source | “ Le Soir”, the 15th of May 1944 |
| Event referred to | City Bombing during World War II |
| Technological characteristics | Type of file: Image Extension : pdf Characteristics Dimension of the file: 826 Ko Availability proposed: pdf document with zoom options |
| Description of the source | Kind of source: Newspaper article Origin of the source: Archives of the National Library of Belgium, Brussels Language: French Copyright issues: reproduction and pedagogical exploitation authorized in the framework of the MHM project |
| Contextualisation of the source | « Le Soir » is an important French-speaking newspaper. Started in 1887, this daily of neutral trend is edited in Brussels. It is mostly read by the middle classes. In 1944, this newspaper was controlled by the German. It was called in Belgium, during the war, "Le Soir volé", i.e. "the stolen Soir". |
| Interpretation of the source | The German propaganda uses the exact number of dead and the bombed towns precise names, without comments, to arouse and increase hostility towards the Allies. To reinforce its propaganda, just in the same page, near this article, an other article shows one of the bombing consequences : children’s evacuation from Brussels to the country. |
| Original Contents | |
| Original Contents (English Translation) | Results of bombings on Belgian towns: More than 750 dead in 48 hours… In Brussels, 150 dead, 250 wounded persons, temporary numbers. In Louvain, more than 12 corpses have been taken out the ruins, but many victims are still buried under the debris. In Liège, seven bombings since May 7th, 207 dead, 221 wounded, 29 corpses remain under the ruins. In Hasselt, around 60 persons have been killed. In Beeringen, many victims, around 50 dead. In Lokeren, temporary balance: 80 dead, 50 seriously wounded persons. More than 500 houses destroyed or seriously damaged. In Herenthals, 4 dead, 15 seriously wounded persons, 10 houses entirely destroyed, 100 others seriously damaged. |