A HURRICANE has landed in York city centre.

The Yorkshire Air Museum’s Hawker Hurricane aircraft is on its now-annual visit to the heart of the city to mark the 73rd anniversary of the Baedeker Raids and will be in St Sampson’s Square until next Monday night.

Yesterday pupils from nearby St Wilfrid’s RC Primary School in Monkgate joined re-enactors and the museum team to mark the occasion. Often referred to as the York Blitz, the Baedeker attack on the city took place at 2.36am on Wednesday, April 29, 1942, when 40 Luftwaffe bombers crossed the east coast between Flamborough Head and Hornsea, with their sights set firmly on York.

For more than 90 minutes, the attacking German bombers rained down 84 tonnes of incendiary and high explosive bombs, setting the historic city ablaze.

The medieval Guildhall was largely destroyed, along with St Martin le Grande Church in Coney Street. The railway station, an obvious target, was hit and badly damaged, as was a King’s Cross bound train, carrying soldiers and other service personnel among its passengers. In all 95 people died, 212 were injured and 579 homes were destroyed.

The damage could have been worse but for the intervention of a lone French Ffighter pilot, 23-year-old Yves Mahé, serving with 253 Squadron RAF Fighter Command, who was the first to intervene. He immediately dived in with his Hawker Hurricane, with all eight machine guns blazing, and quickly set his sights on a Heinkel H III bomber, shooting it down in flames into the River Ouse He then targeted a JU88, but this, along with the rest of the attacking force decided it was time to leave and turned away with the cover of smoke to assist their exit.

Museum director Ian Reed said: “It is very fitting that as the city prepares for the Tour de Yorkshire, our Hawker Hurricane is making this now annual pilgrimage into York to celebrate the day a French airman saved York from what could have been catastrophic damage had the raid continued for much longer.”