The areas had important heavy industry including shipbuilding and busy docks sending coal to London and the south and there were also major railway connections to Scotland.

Targets included the Tyne river bridges, the docks, Elswick steelworks, Swan Hunter's shipyard, Vickers Armstrong "Naval Yard" and Wallsend slipway.

Following the declaration of war against Germany in September 1939, over 30,000 people, mainly children, were evacuated from the city to areas including the Lake District and rural Northumberland.

Though much of the attacking force was intercepted by British fighters a number of bombers dropped bombs on Newcastle and Sunderland.

On 25 April 1941, a force of German bombers attacked Newcastle and dropped high explosive bombs, incendiaries and a parachute mine.