BBC reported a heavy raid on Berlin on March 1st, so a retaliatory attack was expected. On March 3rd, at 8:17 pm, air defence sirens went off and people began an orderly move down into the tunnels. At 8:27, a nearby anti-aircraft battery opened fire, launching a new type of rocket, that people had never heard before.
This frightened the crowd, which started pushing forward faster. It is believed that a woman, possibly carrying a baby, tripped on the stairs, causing others to fall around her. Civilians toward the back did not know this and continued to push forward, and in a very short time, about 90 seconds, 300 people were crushed. A total of 172 people were dead on the scene and another died at a hospital. Even worse, 62 were children.
The tragedy was reported, but due to wartime censorship, the location was not given. This was the largest single loss of civilians during WW II, and none of them were from German bombs. Actually, I never did read whether an attack actually occurred that night.
The largest single civilian loss in London during the attacks was 65 at Balham Underground station when an armor piercing bomb exploded in it.
Sad to Be True. --Cooter
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