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Hitler wanted Blackpool as 'personal playground'
IMAGES of wartime Blackpool used to guide the bombs of the German Second World War Luftwaffe have been put up for sale.
Although the Fylde coast escaped largely unscathed from the ravages of Hitler's Blitzkrieg – the maps are a chilling reminder of the devastation that might have been.
The intelligence images, which have been plucked from a former
German military base, clearly mark the resort's main landmarks including the three piers, Stanley Park and Blackpool Tower.
Now copies of the maps have been released for sale by York company www.GermanInvasion.co.uk
Elaine Smith, chairman of Blackpool Civic Trust, said she was delighted to hear about the maps.
She said: "This will no doubt be a source of much interest to a lot of local people, especially those who were alive during the war.
"I've heard Hitler intended to use Blackpool as his personal playground after the war which is perhaps why we largely escaped the bombing.
"I know the Italian Gardens in Stanley Park were mapped by the German's as the paths in the Italian Gardens clearly mark the directions of North, East, South and West.
"I very much look forward to seeing it."
The maps and aerial photographs were issued in Berlin in the early 1940s by the German Department for War.
They cover most areas of Britain with an emphasis on the south and east coasts – likely landing areas for the intended invasion.
The Blackpool map shows a number of changes in the last 70 years. On the map South Pier is named Victoria Pier and a large swimming pool is marked nearby.
The former Central Railway Station, which is now Central Car Park, can also be seen.
Michael Cole from GermanInvasion.co.uk said: "We're expecting a lot of interest from around the country with these fascinating maps.
"I got them from Germany around a year ago and although a few copies have been seen in the UK over the years, they are still very rare.
"They have immense historical significance as some of the few surviving remnants of World War Two German invasion material and also as exceedingly scarce items of local history for the areas of the UK involved."
The first bombs Blackpool saw in the war fell on North Shore golf course in August 1940. The most serious incident came on September 11 when a stick of bombs fell near North Station.
One was a 500-pounder and Seed Street, off Talbot Road, took the brunt. Eight people were killed and 14 injured.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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