Get the stories that matter to you sent straight to your inbox with our daily newsletter. Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

WITH a population of around 10,000 during World War II, Peterhead seemed unlikely to be one of Hitler's top targets.

But a new book - Luftwaffe Over Scotland, by Les Taylor - claims the fishing port was the second most bombed place in Britain after London.

The reason was not because of its strategic value, but Peterhead's geographical position. It was the first urban area the Luftwaffe saw as they attacked the UK from Norway.

The town was bombed 28 times during World War II - followed by Aberdeen with 24 raids, Fraserburgh 23, Edinburgh 18, Montrose 15 and Glasgow 11.

In total, there were more than 500 German air raids on Scotland - ranging from single aircraft hit-and-runs, to mass bombings by 240 planes.

During the air war in Scotland, 2500 people died and 8000 were injured.

And more than 200 enemy aircraft were shot down on Scottish territory. Although Peterhead was attacked more times than any other Scottish town, Clydebank suffered the greatest loss of life in one raid - the Clydebank Blitz.

In the book, Les reveals that the terror bombing of the Clydeside - which killed 800 people over two nights - was never planned by the Nazis.

Les, 48, who lives near Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, has spent the last five years carrying out detailed research for the book.

He read hundreds of documents from municipal authorities, the German military, the former Scottish Office, newspaper clippings, the Imperial War Museum and interviewed eye witnesses.

He said: "From that first attack until the Battle of Britain, all the action took place over Scotland."

The worst loss of life came in Clydebank in March 1941, when 236 German planes were sent to bomb naval targets such as the Admiralty oil storage farm at Dalnottar and the old John Brown Shipyard.

Les said: "It has never been explained before why so many people in Glasgow were killed in that raid.

"But it was because of what is known as 'creepback' - keeping away from the fierce anti-aircraft fire.

"The Germans were forced to release their bombs early over Glasgow to avoid the gun fire and get away from the danger area.

"The bombing was never intended. The bombs were scattered across the Glasgow area. Of the 1300 people who died, only 500 were in the intended target area of Clydebank."

The Greenock Blitz, again over two nights, in May, 1941 - the second and last of the German mass bombings in Scotland- claimed 250 lives.

But British night fighters from Ayr, who engaged the bombers, caused the fleeing Germans to also drop bombs across south-west Scotland, too.

However, the Germans did strike their intended targets in both raids - and only three German planes were downed, all in the Greenock attack.

However, Les said that raid was considered a failure because only one person was killed for every two tonnes of explosive dropped - roughly one per cent of the military's pre-war planning calculation.

In total, a massive 1000 tonnes of explosive was dropped in the two raids alone - equivalent to one of the war's most infamous attacks on Coventry.

Scotland's main interest to Hitler was that it was home to so many strategic naval anchorages.

One of the most important was Scapa Flow in Orkney, from where a major air battle was fought three months before the Battle of Britain.

In 1940, between April 8 and April 10, up to 60 German bombers attacked at a time.

"It was in effect a rehearsal for the Battle of Britain," said Les. "It was also the first time radar was used to intercept and attack enemy planes, which was a major factor in the Battle of Britain. The tactics used in Orkney were just the same.

"The Germans mounted the attack as part of their invasion of Norway and to try and drive the Navy out of Scapa Flow. In my view it should be officially recognised as The Battle of Orkney."

Scotland claimed many UK firsts during the war. The first civilian victim of the war in Britain was James Isbister, who was killed in a German air raid on Orkney on March 16, 1940.

The previous October, the Luftwaffe carried out their first raid over Britain, with an attack above the Firth of Forth on two warships. A total of 16 sailors were killed aboard HMS Mohawk.

The same day, painter and decorator Joe McCluskie was shot in the stomach. He was hit by friendly fire from a Spitfire chasing a Junkers 88 over central Edinburgh. Fortunately, he survived.

Les said: "This book is the first complete record of German air attacks on Scotland. Following the summer of 1940, the nature of those attacks turned to terror bombings against civilians."

The first strafing occurred in July, 1940, when a Junkers 88 machine gunned Queen Street in Peterhead. Incredibly, nobody died.

Hitler wanted to match the British terror bombing of German cities by inflicting the same devastation on the UK.

He appointed General Major Dietrich Pelz as attack leader and his first raid came on April 21, 1943, when 125 people were killed in Aberdeen after 29 German Dornier 217s from the elite KJ2 Squadron attacked the Granite City.

It was also the last German raid on a Scottish city during the war, though the honour of being the last casualty fell to a Mrs McGregor on the same day.

The farmer's wife, from Fraserburgh, was hit on the head from a falling slate after a bomb exploded near her house. Luckily she survived.

Scotland also staged the last air battle in Europe, which was fought off the Aberdeenshire coast on April 21, 1945.

Mosquitoes from the Banff strike wing intercepted 18 torpedo bombers - only four made it back to Norway.