Documentary revisits German bombing of Klaksvík

A new documentary recounts three German bombing raids on Klaksvík in October 1941, when bombs struck ships and homes but no one was injured. Kringvarp Føroya (KVF) reports that the film, “When the Germans bombed Klaksvík,” will premiere publicly on October 20 and air on television two days later.

At about 1.30pm on October 10, a German bomber appeared unexpectedly from behind Klakkin and dived towards Langukaj, a quay where several British trawlers were moored alongside Faroese fishing vessels. The aircraft dropped several bombs. One hit the sloop Fugloy, lifting it out of the water before it sank within a minute.

People fled in search of shelter as the bomber flew low along and across Eiðið, firing a machine gun. The following day, the aircraft returned and struck the Norwegian longliner Silva in the harbour. A bomb passed through the ship’s side and into the engine room, where the chief engineer was.

After a few days without attacks, a German bomber flew high over Klaksvík on October 26 and dropped four bombs, which exploded among houses in Vágur. Five houses were badly damaged and about 35 others were also damaged. No one was hurt in the attacks over those three days.

The documentary was prepared by John Willim Joensen and Kári Sólstein, with filming by Ólavur Wolles and Hans Petur Hansen. People who were children during the war describe what they saw and how the raids affected them. The public screening is at 7.30pm on October 20 at Varpið, a cultural centre in Klaksvík. Admission is free. The film will be shown on television on October 22.