According to the Air Raid Precautions (ARP) Department approximately 2,300 bombs were dropped amounting to over 470 tonnes of high explosives.

Hermann Goering, head of the Luftwaffe, had remarked that the Civic Centre appeared like a "piece of cake" from the air, and that he was going to "cut himself a slice".

During the raid, twelve bombs were dropped, including a direct hit on the Civic Centre with a 500lb high explosive.

Starting at 18:15, or 6:15 P.M, and running until midnight on the evening of 23 November, 77 people were killed and over 300 injured with the Civic Centre taking much of the brunt of the attack.

All Saints', Holyrood[5] and St. Mary's churches,[6] were destroyed, although St. Michael's escaped with only minor damage, allegedly because the spire was used by the German bombers as a landmark and their pilots were ordered not to hit it.

[7] Altogether, Southampton lost seven churches during the blitz,[8] as well as the Audit House, the Ordnance Survey offices[9] and many shops, factories and homes.