Air Raid Research Articles

Civilian Casualty Management in World War II: A Case Study of Plymouth's Halwell Street Mortuary.

On the eve of the Second World War, Britain prepared for the likelihood of civilian mass casualty events by directing Local Authorities to requisition property for mortuaries and to staff these facilities. In Plymouth, a lumber yard on Halwell Street served as the city's principal wartime mortuary. The scale of the German Luftwaffe's aerial assault in the spring of 1941 presented challenges. Plymouth's largest civilian mass casualty incident occurred at Portland Square on 23 April. Although Plymouth followed Ministry of Health guidance in preparing for treating civilian war dead, the intensity of the German campaign overwhelmed those plans and compelled officials to adapt. As part of its oversight, Plymouth also had to facilitate the burial of air raid victims. This paper presents a local case study concerning the treatment of civilian war dead to explore the role mortuaries played in the management of large-scale civilian fatalities on the British home front.

Revealing the Peculiarities of Female Students’ Physiological Characteristics with Different Somatotypes in the Absence of Compulsory Physical Activity at University

Objectives. The purpose of the study was to determine the parameters of female students’ physiological characteristics with different somatotypes, which they achieved by exercising outside the university due to COVID-19 quarantine and air raids during the hostilities in Ukraine. Material and methods. The study involved 66 female students aged 17.8 ± 0.6 years, who belonged to different somatotypes and had no reservations about engaging in different amounts of physical activity. The Shtefko-Ostrovsky method, modified by S. Darskaja, was used to diagnose the somatotype. The necessary empirical data were obtained through the performing well-known functional tests that allowed to determine blood pressure, heart rate in different situations, vital capacity, vital capacity index, maximum isometric strength index, and Robinson index. The parameters of these characteristics were determined in female students with each of the four available somatotypes during the study, and each parameter was compared with different somatotypes. The testing was conducted at the beginning (January) and at the end (May-June) of the academic semester, but during one academic year. Results. At the beginning, and even more so at the end of the academic year, the parameters of the studied characteristics in female students with each of the available somatotypes differed from each other (p-values ranging at the level from 0.05 to 0.000). The volumes and conditions of physical activity used during the academic year did not lead to significant changes in the physiological characteristics of all female students, i.e. parameters remained at the previously achieved level. At the same time, the presence of peculiarities caused by the girl’s belonging to a certain somatotype was observed. Conclusions. Identifying the peculiarities in changes of female students’ physiological characteristics’ parameters, taking into account their somatotypes, is a perspective and significant direction for modernization of physical education at university. The obtained data will contribute to the individualization of the content and normative bases of physical education for female students, using information on the manifestation and change of parameters of various characteristics, including physiological ones.

The Nazi Hospital in Thessaloniki and the Murals of its Air Raid Shelter

The Nazi Hospital in Thessaloniki and the Murals of its Air Raid Shelter

Ninth Pharmacologic-Historical Forum, 2024, Munich, Germany: the development of experimental pharmacology in Munich at the Walther Straub Institute.

In 1887, Hermann Tappeiner (1847-1927) was appointed as professor for medicinal chemistry and pharmacology. He studied the role of intestinal bacteria and contributed to better understanding of digestion. In 1923, Walther Straub (1874-1944) succeeded. He was at the zenith of his scientific career, gained habilitation in Leipzig already in 1900, accepted the direction of the Institute of Pharmacology at Marburg in 1905, of Würzburg in 1906, before he moved to Freiburg in 1907. Straub preferred quantitative studies with various alkaloids, cardiac glycosides, and Senna glycosides on isolated organs. One important legacy is his contribution "Die Digitalisgruppe" in Hefters Handb. Exp. Pharmakol. 1924. Walther Straub was editor of Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Archives of Pharmacology and founded the Deutsche Pharmakologische Gesellschaft in 1920. In 1944 when most of the institute was destroyed by air raids, Walther Straub retired and succumbed in Bad Tölz. In 1946, August Wilhelm Forst (1890-1981), a pupil of Straub, was appointed to head the institute ruins. We owe to him the provisional reconstruction of the old building, institution of an Insulin Control Laboratory, and the development of a vibratory cage that allowed the registration of psychomotor activity in rodents. Forst published the first comprehensive review on "Detoxication." In 1961, Manfred Kiese (1910-1983), a pupil of W. Heubner, came from Tübingen and accompanied the erection of a new building. Kiese made important contributions to the understanding of the biotransformation of foreign compounds and was the first to describe the biological N-oxygenation. His studies on ferrihemoglobin formation resulted in the development of an effective cyanide antidote, 4-dimethylaminophenol. "Methemoglobinemia, a Comprehensive Treatise" is part of his scientific legacy. In 1980, Wolfgang Forth (1932-2009) from Bochum headed the institute and convinced the medical faculty of LMU to rename the building into Walther Straub Institute. His scientific interests were centered on interactions between essential and toxic metals during intestinal absorption. He was co-editor of the German Textbook on Pharmacology and Toxicology founded in 1975, which is presently in its 13th edition. In 2000, Peter Eyer (1942) was commissioned to lead the institute until Thomas Gudermann (1960) was appointed to direct the chair in 2008.

Collapse of Cancer Care Under the Current Conflict in Sudan.

Sudan has been under an armed conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia since April 15, 2023. The conflict has turned the country into the largest internal displacement humanitarian crisis with 9.05 million internally displaced persons including 2.2 million children younger than 5 years and caused 1.47 million Sudanese to flee the country as refugees. The conflict has had a major destructive impact on the health system, which has incurred targeting with air raids, ground invasion, vandalization, looting of assets and supplies, and killing of doctors, nurses, and other health personnel. Khartoum Oncology Hospital, Sudan's main cancer hub for treatment, diagnostics, and research has become nonfunctional as a result of the conflict. The National Cancer Institute in Wad Medani, the second largest hub, faced a similar fate as the conflict spread to Al-Gezira State. Patients with cancer have been displaced multiple times in Sudan with grave consequences on the continuity of care, worsening of their disease outcomes and palpable negative impacts on children. The oncology workforce in Sudan have themselves been displaced yet are working hard to provide services and care for patients under impossible circumstances. Sudan's doctors in diaspora have rallied to provide support but they face multiple obstacles. As the conflict continues to spread, we call upon the WHO, the United Nations Children's Fund, St Jude Hospital, and all relevant partners to implement an immediate evacuation operation with urgent air lifts of the affected children to continue their cancer care in neighboring countries as was done in Ukraine and Gaza.

Impacts of WWII bomb explosions on weathering damage of architectural heritage: Bath, England

The effects of bomb impacts, including the explosive force and combustion associated with these impacts, are preserved in only a few cities across the UK. In particular, World War Two (WWII) has left scars across a wide range of structures as a result of air raids. On immovable heritage, such as architectural structures, these impacts commonly take the form of craters, fractures and fire damage to stonework. This instantaneous damage is subsequently exposed to environmental stresses, such as moisture cycling, thermal stress and the movement of soluble elements and can thus lead to further deterioration of the stone. In this study, Rock Surface Hardness (RSH) measurements, permeametry measurements and microscopic observations were selected to capture stone deterioration data from 80-year-old bomb impacts on two walls of the Labour Exchange in Bath (UK) for spatial distribution analysis (Kriging) in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The results show that the weathering forms that were found on the two walls can be attributed to nine different types. They can provide quantitative assessment of damage caused by bomb explosions and combustion in the war. The increase in permeability of walls and craters is shown to be primarily caused by the bomb explosion and combustion, whereas the decrease of hardness is associated with subsequent stone deterioration processes. This indicates that the interplay of initial damage likely accelerates subsequent response to environmental stress, extending the initial damage patterns from the impact crater to larger areas of stonework.

Some theoretical and practical problems of legal protection of occupational safety: national and international aspects

The academic article deals with certain issues of the theory and practice of regulatory regulation of labour protection in Ukraine. Main organisational and legal forms of occupational safety and health, as well as main tasks of labour protection management in the country, are defined. Philosophical, general scientific and special legal methods of cognition, including but not limited to formal-legal and comparative legal methods, were used for the research. It is noted that Ukraine’s health and safety situation is one of the most challenging in Europe. The authors also state that importance of the psychological climate in the workplace and its impact on the production process cannot be underestimated, so relevant measures in the context of its improvement are proposed. The article highlights certain aspects of labour protection regulation at the international legal level in general (ensured by the International Labour Organization) and at the level of the European Union in particular, as well as the impact of relevant standards on national legislation. The authors formulate proposals for improving the labour protection institute in modern economic conditions in Ukraine, including but not limited to: implementing innovative legal education and training programs focused on occupational safety and health;, creating/improving safe working conditions under martial law, including proper equipment of shelters for use during air raids; ensuring submission of a draft law on improving penalties for violations of labour protection legislation, which will increase employers’ responsibility for compliance with labour protection legislation. It is concluded that the occupational health and safety management system shall be based not only on measures taken by the state, but also on the interest of the parties to labour relations in maintaining the proper physical condition of the employee, which is inextricably linked to the economic and social well-being of the employer.

Using technology in family relationships lived apart

In the wake of war and displacement, families like Oksana’s and Anna’s have found solace and connection through the use of digital technology. This article explores the experiences of Oksana and Anna, a Ukrainian woman aged 51 and her 23-year-old daughter who currently live in Edinburgh, separated from Oksana’s husband (Anna’s father), extended family and friends due to the war in Ukraine. Through a narrative lens, Oksana shares her reliance on communication tools such as Telegram, WhatsApp, and Facetime to bridge the physical distance between loved ones. The family’s daily rituals, from shared dinners over video calls to collaborative board games, highlight the importance of maintaining familial bonds amidst adversity. Additionally, the article sheds light on the broader societal context, comparing the prevalence of digital communication practices in Ukraine versus Scotland. The narrative also touches upon the profound impact of technology on healthcare management, particularly in supporting Maria, Oksana’s daughter, who battles diabetes. Lastly, Anna reflects on the emotional complexities of maintaining family ties amidst war, emphasizing the significance of technology in preserving connection and providing a lifeline to loved ones in times of distress. Through stories about air raid alerts and family group chats, Anna underscores the resilience and adaptability of Ukrainian families facing adversity.

A Holocaust Survivor Who Became a Freedom School Teacher: Marione Ingram’s Journey from Hamburg to Mississippi

Marione Ingram was born in 1935 in Hamburg, Nazi Germany. In late July 1943, two days before the date of Ingram’s family’s deportation, the Hamburg air raid, one of the biggest air raids during World War II, began. Ingram and her mother narrowly survived it and spent the rest of the war in hiding. In 1952, Ingram immigrated to the United States to follow after her mother. Upon learning about the discrimination against African Americans, Ingram became involved in the civil rights movement to protest racial bigotry and prejudice. She worked for the March on Washington in 1963 and as a Freedom School teacher in Mississippi in 1964. Through her involvement in the civil rights movement, Ingram transformed herself from a “victim” of the Holocaust into a “combatant in a campaign against racial injustice.” This study aims to demonstrate an example of how a Holocaust experience could turn into power to bring peace and equality to the world through the analysis of Ingram’s autobiographies, The Hands of War (2013) and The Hands of Peace (2015), which Miyuki Kita translated to Japanese.

Revolutionary Enclosures (Until the Apricots)

Jasbir K. Puar and Dima Srouji build upon their respective work in architecture, visual art and decolonial theory to produce a collaborative examination of colonial pathologies for Sharjah Art Biennial 15, 2023. Srouji’s architecture and art practice encompass a variety of mediums that allow her to explore notions of heritage and public space in Palestine and the region. Puar is a writer and scholar whose current work focuses on settler colonial violence, disability and debility in Palestine. Their collaborative installations integrate understandings of space and planning with the contemporary politics of resistance in the context of Palestine and the surrounding region. At Sharjah Art Biennial 15, Puar and Srouji present ‘Revolutionary Enclosures (Until the Apricots)’ (2023), a series of household items that respond to the material conditions of lockdown, interweaving the artists’ experiences of COVID-19 quarantine in Palestine and their memories of the Second Intifada (2000–2005), a major Palestinian uprising against Israel. The project reframes everyday objects emblematic of the trauma of enclosure for Palestinians as transformative matter and reservoirs of affective practices of resilience, community and caregiving: hoarded cans of tuna form the constituent parts of a radiator signifying warmth; resin apricots evoke the exchange of sustenance among neighbours; shrapnel becomes decorative wallpaper motifs; a stairwell used as shelter from air raids transforms into a communal reading space. Exploring the collective rhythms and materialities of these conditions, Srouji and Puar conjure the everyday making and remaking of the commons through and against the constraints of siege and containment. The conversation published here took place between March and September 2023, and thus predates the latest phase in the catastrophic violence that has historically defined Israel’s relationship to Palestine and the Palestinians. Triggered by an unprecedented and shocking attack by Hamas on 7 October, Israel’s genocidal military campaign in Gaza is not an anomaly, but in line with and part and parcel of the systematic ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians and the Apartheid system that the settler colonial state of Israel has relied on for its sustenance since 1948. The questions asked here by Maasri and Toukan, as well as the artworks discussed by Jasbir and Srouji, probe aspects of this very condition that has brought us to the unabashed genocidal violence we are now all witness to today.

Hermeneutics of Memory for Tourist Promotion: An Upcycling Process of Spanish Civil War Air Raid Shelters

This study delves into the transformative role of air-raid shelters from the Spanish Civil War in Alicante, Spain, highlighting their significance in the recovery and preservation of intangible heritage. Through a detailed hermeneutic analysis based on interviews and existing research, the investigation explores the shelters’ contribution to cultural identity, memory, and sustainable urban development. It reveals how the hermeneutics of memory, applied via a rigorous scientific approach, serves as a vital tool for justifying, rehabilitating, and planning these historical sites for tourism aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals. The rehabilitation of these shelters not only acts as a conservation effort but also as a means to promote cultural tourism enhancing Alicante’s cultural and tourist offerings. The study underscores the shelters’ dual role as educational resources and tourist attractions, facilitating a deeper understanding and connection with the past, and fostering community development and sustainability.

Historical trend of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in a sediment core from Osaka Bay during the Meghalayan

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are produced by incomplete combustion of biomass and fossil fuel, yet PAHs have been rarely analyzed in coastal sediment cores as a tracer for human activities before industrialization. The aim of this study was to assess if the historical trend of PAHs can be related to past human activities. To this end, we have determined the concentrations of PAHs in a 9 m-long sediment core from Osaka Bay, which records history of the last 2400 years. The concentration of PAHs before the beginning of the 17th century CE, the beginning of the peaceful Edo period, was consistently low (<100 ng g−1) and mainly comprised of smoke-derived PAHs reflecting the natural background. A relative higher abundance of 4−6 ring PAHs from the early 17th century CE and a higher PAH concentration from the early 18th century CE until approximately 1800 CE agreed with a population increase, Cu smelting activities and increasing combustion of charcoal. The constant PAH concentration until the late 19th century CE overlapped with a decline in the population in the Osaka area. An increasing PAH concentration from the late 19th century CE marked the beginning of industrialization in the Modern age. The peak in PAH concentration in 1945 CE was likely caused by burning of wooden structures due to air raids on Osaka City. A second peak around 1980 CE indicated the introduction of cleaner energies. We conclude that PAHs in coastal sediment cores can be used to reconstruct past human activities.

Psychological Support of Internally Displaced Persons in Ukraine and Emigrants Abroad: Challenges of Wartime

In the context of war, providing timely psychological support is crucial for internally displaced persons in Ukraine and emigrants abroad. This kind of assistance is considered a priority for individuals who have recently experienced traumatic events and are in a vulnerable psychological state. The article is focused on identifying mental health problems among individuals who have been temporarily displaced or emigrated abroad during the war. It aims to improve the toolkit for providing psychological support to these populations. The study analyses the specific challenges associated with providing psychological support to these individuals. Forced resettlement to another region or country, combined with the prolonged impact of information stress, air raids, and the loss of a normal way of life, has been shown to contribute to the development of psychological disorders at both emotional and behavioural levels. The article focuses on the specificity of manifestations of prolonged stress, which can take the form of severe anxiety and excessive worry, as well as unpredictable outbursts of anger. It is widely accepted that physical stress can cause symptoms such as muscle pain, chronic fatigue, rapid heartbeat, and increased irritability. The physical aspects of stress, when combined, can have a detrimental effect on a person's personality and negatively impact their psychological well-being. This paper defines the complexity levels of mental disorders and outlines their factoriality. Factors such as age, involvement in the emergency (as a witness, participant, or directly affected), personal life experience, psychological health, and interpersonal relationships are considered. A conceptual approach is proposed for providing first psychological aid to the studied population categories. This includes providing emotional, physical, and social support to the affected individual, enhancing their sense of security. The practical significance of the research results lies in their potential application in the development, improvement, and implementation of psychological support programs for internally displaced persons in Ukraine and emigrants abroad in wartime conditions.

Vegetative regulation of cardiac activity under the influence of the “air raid” alarm

Vegetative regulation of cardiac activity under the influence of the “air raid” alarm

The Invention of Anti-American Sentiment －Why North Korea Shifted the Blame for the Sinchon Massacre to the United States－

From October to December 1950, a large-scale massacre took place in Sinchon, Hwanghae Province. North Korea dubbed this incident “Sinchon Massacre” and claims that 35,383 people were slaughtered by the US military. In times of external and internal crises, North Korea has recalled the memory of the Sinchon Massacre to stir up anti- American sentiment among its people and achieve regime integration. However, the atrocious crimes of murder, arson, rape, and torture that North Korea attributes to the US military had actually been committed by members of the right-wing peace preservation corps in retaliation for the North Korean regime’s preventive custody measure. Nevertheless, North Korea shifted the blame for the Sinchon Massacre to the US military because there was a need to embrace the members of the base class who had betrayed the regime during the UN occupation of North Korea. To this end, North Korea included the air raids that indiscriminately killed civilians in the scope of “massacre” and named Harrison as the individual ultimately responsible for driving the North Korean people out to the site where they were eventually massacred. Moreover, former members of the peace preservation corps were classified into “active instigators” and “passive participants”－the scope of the former group was minimized, and the latter group was reeducated through home confinement and other forms of social punishment. Yet, the “counterrevolutionary” ideology prevalent in post-war North Korea proved to be an obstacle in achieving regime integration. In particular, it led to animosities and jealousies among members of production facilities, such as cooperative farms and factories, negatively impacting economic reconstruction and productivity growth. In an effort to resolve this issue, North Korea aimed to achieve societal integration and productivity growth by historicizing the Sinchon Massacre and fostering anti-American sentiment. Accordingly, the site of the massacre was transformed into the museum, and the move also served as a subtle warning to the former “hostile elements.”

Destruction from Above: Long-Term Legacies of the Tokyo Air Raids

Destruction from Above: Long-Term Legacies of the Tokyo Air Raids

Optimization of attack coordination decisions for UAVs based on genetic algorithms

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are increasingly demonstrating their superiority in air raids. Making accurate and effective coordinated attack decisions is one of the most important factors in ensuring victory in aerial combat involving drones. Therefore, optimizing joint attack decisions for UAVs is also garnering increasing attention. This article introduces a method of using genetic algorithms to determine the threat index and optimize target distribution and firepower.

Peculiarities of conducting economic activity under martial law: Business and human rights

The relevance of the topic of scientific research lies in creating conditions for the necessary level of legal regulation of economic activity, which is the basis for forming national defence interests. The purpose of the research in this article is to establish the features of conducting economic activities during the special regime, namely the regime of martial law, analyse the newly created regulatory legal documents in this area, and provide proposals for improving legislation in the named field. The article utilises a system of methods including systemic analysis, deduction method, inductive method, abstraction method, and formal-logical method. During the writing of the article, an analysis of the valid Ukrainian legislation regarding the peculiarities of conducting economic activities during the martial law regime was conducted. It was established in the article that during the conduct of economic activities under special regimes, it is necessary to consider the features defined in special legislation. Therefore, the articles of the Economic Code of Ukraine and Law of Ukraine No. 389-VIII were analysed. Changes introduced by the Law of Ukraine No. 3219-IX regarding taxation regimes and reporting by economic entities after the introduction of martial law were identified and analysed. An analysis was conducted regarding the fact that Ukrainian legislation contains certain contradictory norms regarding the regulation of economic activity during martial law. These contradictions are the main factor in revealing the weakness of the state in the face of actual challenges. Among the measures aimed at protecting workers’ rights, termination of employment contracts and ensuring the civil defence of workers during the working day were identified. Ways for necessary reform of the regulatory legal framework for conducting economic activities during martial law were proposed. To ensure the rights of workers in conditions of air raid alert, it is important to develop a new regulatory legal act. It should clearly establish the right of workers not to go to their workplace during such a situation, as well as determine the employer’s responsibility for forced labour during this period. The research has practical value since this topic began to be explored only with the start of a full-scale war in Ukraine. The results of the research can be used during the study of the discipline “Commercial Law” and during the conduct of comprehensive research on the peculiarities of state regulation of economic activity after the end of martial law

DEVELOPING ORIENTEERING IN UKRAINE DURING STATE OF WAR, INDOOR ORIENTEERING

The article analyzes the possibility of training and orienteering competitions during state of war in Ukraine. Today, Ukraine is the most mined country in the world, any territory in Ukraine is bombarded and shelled by missiles and drones every day. Therefore, the population is prohibited from entering the territories where hostilities took place, forest areas around cities. In such conditions, it is safe to hold orienteering training and competitions indoors. The authors give examples of such competitions’ organization. Indoor orienteering competitions have been held in Ukraine also before war - to hold safe orienteering competitions for children and adults, especially in cold winter weather. Now the advantages of such competitions are not visible from the air crowd of people, which can be a target for enemy fire and that competitions are held in buildings with bomb shelters that can be used during an air raid alarm.

“Listening to the zoom of a hornet”: Virginia Woolf’s feminist reflections on the sounds of military weapons and war violence

In her diaries, novels, and essays, Virginia Woolf records the psychological trauma the British people suffered from in the soundscape of military weapons during the two world wars and describes its delayed effects on the populace after the wars. Drawing upon the notions of the soundscape and Johan Galtung’s violence triangle, this paper explores how Woolf’s works portray the traumatic experience brought by the soundscape of military weapons to soldiers and ordinary citizens during the two world wars and discusses how the roar of cars and planes in her works induces the public’s traumatic memory after the wars. Then, through a close study of her essay “Thoughts on Peace in an Air Raid”, this paper contends that the soundscape of German air raids compels Woolf to contemplate the roles of feminism in opposing the wars and healing war trauma.