Air raid on Bari
out resistance by the British 1st Airborne Division. The
of Bari in Italy
The air raid on Bari was an air attack by German ber. The [4]
bombers on Allied forces and shipping in Bari, Italy on 2 250,000.
December 1943 during World War II. In the attack, 105
German Junkers Ju 88 bombers of Luftotte 2 achieved engaged
complete surprise, bombing shipping and personnel oper-
ating in support of the Allied Italian campaign and sink-
ing 27 cargo and transport ships and a schooner in Bari
harbour.
The attack lasted a little more than one hour and put the
port out of action until February 1944; it was called the
Little Pearl Harbor". The release of mustard gas from
one of the wrecked cargo ships added to the loss of life.
The British and US governments covered up the presence
of mustard gas and its eects on victims of the raid.
1 Background
In early September 1943, with the Allied invasion of Italy
partially complete, Italy surrendered to the Allies and
then joined them; the breakaway Italian Social Repub-
lic continued the war on the Axis side. On 11 September
1943 the port of Bari in southern Italy was taken with-
port then served as an important logistics hub for Allied
forces. Important ammunition, supplies, and provisions
were unloaded from ships at the port, then transported to
Allied forces attempting to capture Rome and push Ger-
man forces north, out of the Italian peninsula.
Bari had inadequate air defences; no Royal Air Force
(RAF) ghter aircraft squadrons were based there, and
ghters within range were assigned to escort or oen-
sive duties, not port defence. Ground defences were
ineective.[2]
Little thought was given to the possibility of a German air
raid on Bari, as it was believed that the Luftwae in Italy
was stretched too thin to mount a major attack. On the
afternoon of 2 December 1943, Air Marshal Sir Arthur
Coningham, commander of the Northwest African Tac-
tical Air Force, held a press conference where he stated
that the Germans had lost the air war. He said, I would
consider it as a personal insult if the enemy should send so
much as one plane over the city.[3] This was despite the
fact that German air raids, partially executed by KG 54
and KG 76, hit the Naples port area four times in the pre-
vious month and attacked other Mediterranean targets.[2]
Location
Thirty ships of American, British, Polish, Norwegian
and Dutch registry were in Bari Harbour on 2 Decem-
adjoining port city held a civilian population of
The port was lit on the night of the raid to ex-
pedite the unloading of supplies supporting Allied forces
in the Battle of Monte Cassino and was working
[4]
at full capacity.
2 Raid
On the afternoon of 2 December, Luftwae pilot Werner
Hahn made a reconnaissance ight over Bari in a
Messerschmitt Me 210. His report resulted in Albert
Kesselring[3] ordering the raid. Kesselring and his plan-
ners had earlier considered Allied airelds at Foggia as
targets, but the Luftwae lacked the resources to attack
such a large complex of targets. Generalfeldmarschall
Wolfram von Richthofenwho commanded Luftotte
2had suggested Bari as an alternative.[5] Richthofen be-
lieved that crippling the port might slow the advance of
the British Eighth Army. He told Kesselring that the only
planes available were his Junkers Ju 88 A-4 bombers, and
he might be able to muster 150 for the raid; in the event,
only 105 Ju 88s were available an unknown number of
1
2 3 JOHN HARVEY

Stephen Roskill, this cargo had been sent to Europe for

potential retaliatory use if Germany carried out its threat-
ened use of chemical warfare in Italy.[27] The destruction
of John Harvey caused liquid sulfur mustard from the
bombs to spill into waters already contaminated by oil
from the other damaged vessels. The many sailors who
had abandoned their ships into the water became covered
with this oily mixture which provided an ideal solvent for
the sulfur mustard. Some mustard evaporated and min-
gled with the clouds of smoke and ame.[4] The wounded
were pulled from the water and sent to medical facilities
whose personnel were unaware of the mustard gas. Med-
ical sta focused on personnel with blast or re injuries
and little attention was given to those merely covered with
Junkers Ju 88 of KG 54, elements of which may have attacked
Bari.
oil.[28] Many injuries caused by prolonged exposure to
low concentrations of mustard might have been reduced
by bathing or a change of clothes.[29]
these Ju 88As are said to have been from KG 54s Grup- Within a day, the rst symptoms of mustard poisoning
pen itself.[6] had appeared in 628 patients and medical sta, with
Most of the planes were to y from Italian airelds, symptoms including blindness and chemical burns. This
but Richthofen wanted to use a few aircraft ying from puzzling development was further complicated by the ar-
Yugoslavia in the hope that the Allies might be fooled rival of hundreds of Italian civilians also seeking treat-
into thinking the entire mission originated from there and ment, who had been poisoned by a cloud of sulfur mus-
misdirect any retaliatory strikes. The Ju 88 pilots were tard vapor that had blown over the city when some of John
ordered to y east to the Adriatic Sea, then swing south Harveys cargo exploded. As the medical crisis worsened,
and west, since it was thought that the Allied forces would little information was available about what was causing
expect any attack to come from the north. these symptoms, as the U.S. military command wanted
to keep the presence of chemical munitions secret from
The attack opened at 19:25, when two or three German
the Germans.[30] Nearly all crewmen of John Harvey had
aircraft circled the harbour at 10,000 ft (3,000 m) drop-
been killed, and were unavailable to explain the cause of
ping Dppel (foil strips) to confuse Allied radar. They
the "garlic-like odor noted by rescue personnel.[28]
also dropped ares, which were not needed due to the
harbour being well illuminated.[4] Informed about the mysterious symptoms, Deputy Sur-
geon General Fred Blesse sent for Lieutenant Colonel
The German bomber force obtained complete surprise
Stewart Francis Alexander, an expert in chemical war-
and was able to bomb the harbour and its contents with
fare. Carefully tallying the locations of the victims at
great accuracy. Hits on two ammunition ships caused ex-
the time of the attack, Alexander traced the epicenter to
plosions which shattered windows 7 mi (11 km) away.[4]
John Harvey, and conrmed mustard gas as the respon-
A bulk petrol pipeline on a quay was severed and the
sible agent when he located a fragment of the casing of a
gushing fuel ignited.[7] A sheet of burning fuel spread
U.S. M47A1 bomb.[3]
over much of the harbor, engulng otherwise undamaged
ships.[4] By the end of the month, 83 of the 628 hospitalized mili-
tary victims had died. The number of civilian casualties,
Twenty-eight merchant ships laden with more than
thought to have been even greater, could not be accurately
34,000 short tons (31,000 t) of cargo were sunk or de-
gauged since most had left the city to seek shelter with
stroyed; three ships carrying a further 7,500 short tons
relatives.[3]
(6,800 t) were later salvaged.[2][8] Twelve more ships were
damaged.[8] The port was closed for three weeks and was An additional cause of contamination with mustard is
only restored to full operation in February 1944.[7] All suggested by George Southern, the only survivor of the
Bari-based submarines were undamaged, their tough ex- raid to have written about it. The huge explosion of John
teriors able to withstand the German attack. Harvey, possibly simultaneously with another ammuni-
tion ship, sent large amounts of oily water mixed with
mustard into the air, which fell down like rain on men
who were on deck at the time. This aected the crews of
3 John Harvey the Hunt-class destroyers HMS Zetland and HMS Bices-
ter. Both ships were damaged by the force of the blast
One of the destroyed vesselsthe U.S. Liberty ship and had taken casualties. After moving the destroyers
John Harveyhad been carrying a secret cargo of 2000 away from burning ships and towing the tanker La Drome
M47A1 mustard gas bombs, each holding 6070 lb (27 away from the res, the ships received orders to sail for
32 kg) of the agent. According to Royal Navy historian
 3

Taranto. They threaded their way past burning wrecks, In 1988, through the eorts of Nick T. Spark, U.S. Sen-
with the otilla leader, Bicester having to follow Zetland ator Dennis DeConcini and U.S. Senator Bill Bradley,
as her navigation equipment was damaged. Some sur- Alexander received recognition from the Surgeon Gen-
vivors were picked up from the water in the harbour en- eral of the United States Army for his actions in the af-
trance by Bicester. When dawn broke, it became clear termath of the Bari disaster.[35]
that the magnetic and giro compasses had acquired large
errors, requiring a large course correction. Symptoms of
mustard gas poisoning then began to appear. By the time 4 Aftermath
they reached Taranto, none of Bicesters ocers could see
well enough to navigate the ship into harbour and assis-
A subsequent inquiry exonerated Coningham but found
tance had to be sought from the shore.[31]
that the absence of previous air attacks had led to
complacency.[7]
3.1 Cover-up
A member of Allied Supreme Commander General 5 See also
Dwight D. Eisenhower's medical sta, Dr. Stewart F.
Alexander, was dispatched to Bari following the raid. List of accidents and incidents involving transport or
Alexander had trained at the Armys Edgewood Arse- storage of ammunition
nal in Maryland, and was familiar with some of the ef-
fects of mustard gas. Although he was not informed of SS Charles Henderson
the cargo carried by John Harvey, and most victims suf-
fered atypical symptoms caused by exposure to mustard
diluted in water and oil (as opposed to airborne), Alexan- 6 Notes
der rapidly concluded that mustard gas was present. Al-
though he could not get any acknowledgment from the [1] Atkinson, pp. 275276.
chain of command, Alexander convinced medics to treat
patients for mustard gas exposure and saved many lives [2] Orange, p. 175.
as a result. He also preserved many tissue samples from [3] Faguet, Guy B. (2005). The War on Cancer. Springer. p.
autopsied victims at Bari. After World War II, these sam- 70. ISBN 1-4020-3618-3.
ples would result in the development of an early form of
chemotherapy based on mustard, Mustine.[32] [4] Saunders, p. 36.

From the start, Allied High Command tried to conceal the
disaster, in case the Germans believed that the Allies were
preparing to use chemical weapons, which might provoke
them into preemptive use, but there were too many wit-
nesses to keep the secret, and in February 1944, the U.S.
Chiefs of Sta issued a statement admitting to the acci-
dent and emphasizing that the U.S. had no intention of us-
ing chemical weapons except in the case of retaliation.[33]
General Dwight D. Eisenhower approved Dr. Alexan-
ders report. Winston Churchill, however, ordered all
British documents to be purged. Mustard gas deaths were
described as burns due to enemy action.[3]
[5] Ineld, p. 28.
[6] Kampfgeschwader 54 Totenkopf - Kampfgeschwader
(Jagd) 54 - 1. Lebenslauf - 1943. lexikon-der-
wehrmacht.de. Lexikon der Wehrmacht (in German).
Retrieved December 1, 2016. Im Dezember og das
Geschwader weiter Einstze gegen alliierte Schie in der
Adria und den Hafen von Bari (English - In December,
the wing continued to carry out operations against Allied
ships in the Adriatic and the port of Bari.)
[7] Orange, p. 176.
[8] D/S Bollsta. Warsailors. Retrieved 25 January 2012.

U.S. records of the attack were declassied in 1959, but [9] Barletta, Incrociatore ausiliario (in Italian). Marina Mil-
the episode remained obscure until 1967 when author itare. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
[32]
Glenn B. Ineld published the book Disaster at Bari. [10] Motonave BARLETTA"" (in Italian). Franco Prevato.
In 1986 the British government admitted to survivors of Retrieved 21 February 2015.
the Bari raid that they had been exposed to poison gas
and amended their pension payments.[34] [11] Bollsta (+ 1943)". Wrecksite. Retrieved 28 July 2011.

In his autobiographical work Destroyer Captain published [12] Devon Coast (+ 1943)". Wrecksite. Retrieved 28 July
in 1975 by William Kimber & Co, Lieutenant Comman- 2011.
der Roger Hill describes refuelling HMS Grenville in Bari
[13] Fort Athabasca (+ 1943)". Wrecksite. Retrieved 28 July
shortly after the attack. He describes the damage done
2011.
and details how a shipload of mustard gas came to be
in the harbour because of intelligence reports which he [14] Fort Lajoie (+ 1943)". Wrecksite. Retrieved 28 July
viewed as incredible. 2011.
4 8
[15] Frosinone (+ 1943)". Wrecksite. Retrieved 28 July
2011.
[16] Inaondabile (+ 1943)". Wrecksite. Retrieved 28 July
2011.
[17] http://www.armed-guard.com/sunk.html
[18] LIBERTY SHIPS Joaquin Johns. Mariners. Re-
trieved 6 November 2016.
[19] LIBERTY SHIPS Jonas Justo. Mariners. Retrieved
6 November 2016.
[20] Lars Kruse (+ 1943)". Wrecksite. Retrieved 28 July
2011.
[21] Lom (+ 1943)". Wrecksite. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
[22] Lwow (+ 1943)". Wrecksite. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
[23] Puck (+ 1943)". Wrecksite. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
[24] Lloydss Register, Navires a Vapeur et a Moteurs (pdf).
Plimsoll Ship Data. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
[25] LIBERTY SHIPS S. Mariners. Retrieved 6 Novem-
ber 2016.
[26] Testbank (+ 1943)". Wrecksite. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
[27] Orange, p. 176, citing Roskill.
[28] Saunders, p. 37.
[29] Saunders, p. 38.
[30] Pechura, p. 43.
[31] Southern, George (2002). Poisonous Inferno. Shrews-
bury, England: Airlife Publishing Ltd. pp. 8286. ISBN
1 84037 389 X.
[32] Disaster at Bari, Glenn B. Ineld, 1967 ISBN 978-
0450026591
[33] Hoenig, Steven L. (2002). Handbook of Chemical War-
fare and Terrorism. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 14.
ISBN 0-313-32407-7.
[34] Atkinson, Rick (2007). The Day of Battle: The War in
Sicily and Italy, 19431944. Henry Holt and Co. p. 277.
ISBN 0-8050-6289-0.
[35] Tucson senior helps retired doctor receive military
honor. Mojave Daily Miner. Associated Press. May 20,
1988. p. B8.
7 References
Atkinson, Rick (2007). The Day of Battle: The War
in Sicily and Italy, 19431944. New York: Henry
Holt. ISBN 0-8050-6289-0.
Ineld, Glenn B. (1988). Disaster at Bari (paper-
back). Toronto: Bantam. ISBN 0-553-27403-1.
EXTERNAL LINKS
Langford, R. Everett (2004). Introduction
to Weapons of Mass Destruction. John Wi-
ley/Interscience. ISBN 978-0-471-46560-7.
Mason, Georey B. (2004). Service Histories of
Royal Navy Warships in World War II.
Morison, Samuel Eliot (1975) [1954]. Volume
9: Sicily-Salerno-Anzio January 1943 June 1944.
History of United States Naval Operations in World
War II. Boston: Little, Brown. ISBN 0-316-58316-
2. OCLC 313489807.
Orange, Vincent (1992) [1st pub. London:
Methuen 1990]. Coningham: a biography of Air
Marshal Sir Arthur Coningham. Washington: Cen-
ter for Air Force History. ISBN 0-413-14580-8.
Pechura, Constance M.; Rall, David P., eds. (1993).
Veterans at Risk: The Health Eects of Mustard
Gas and Lewisite. Washington: National Academies
Press. ISBN 0-309-04832-X.
Reminick, Gerald (2001). Nightmare in Bari: The
World War II Liberty Ship Poison Gas Disaster and
Coverup. Palo Alto: Glencannon Press. ISBN 1-
889901-21-0.
Saunders, D.M., Capt. USN (September 1967).
The Bari Incident. United States Naval Institute
Proceedings. Annapolis: United States Naval Insti-
tute.
Southern, George (2002). Poisonous inferno: World
War II tragedy at Bari Harbour. Shrewsbury: Air-
life. ISBN 1-84037-389-X.
United States (U.S.) Naval Historical Center (8 Au-
gust 2006). Naval Armed Guard Service: Tragedy
at Bari, Italy on 2 December 1943. U.S. Depart-
ment of the Navy. Archived from the original on 12
January 2008. Retrieved 2008-01-07.
8 External links
Trailer documentary Top Secret Bari 2 December
1943 on YouTube
Coordinates: 4107N 1652E / 41.117N 16.867E
 5

9 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

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Air raid on Bari Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_raid_on_Bari?oldid=776740561 Contributors: Davidcannon, Wwoods, Var-
laam, Jason Quinn, Trevor MacInnis, D6, Rich Farmbrough, ArnoldReinhold, Bender235, Art LaPella, Denniss, Ardfern, Stefanomione,
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Mjroots, Cla68, Hmains, Greenshed, TGC55, The PIPE, John, Peter R Hastings, Andrwsc, Dl2000, Rcsfca, Matthew Proctor, DagosNavy,
TAnthony, Kirrages, Dodo19~enwiki, Sodabottle, The Anomebot2, KConWiki, FlieGerFaUstMe262, Dapi89, CommonsDelinker, Xyl 54,
SwordSmurf, Dvcas1, Newzild, Mild Bill Hiccup, Piledhigheranddeeper, EnigmaMcmxc, Wkharrisjr, Thewellman, Jim Sweeney, Addbot,
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Bot, Mjroots2, Falconerd, Mentibot, HandsomeFella, Megathon7, Frietjes, Helpful Pixie Bot, Gob Lofa, FuFoFuEd, Olonia, Fremotti,
Mithradatesvi, Froglich, ThoughtIdRetired, CaptAubrey, Hiker1967, Mhhossein, GeneralizationsAreBad, Dilidor, StjJackson, Lyndaship,
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