Bombing of Kassel in World War II

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The Kassel World War II bombings were a set of Allied strategic bombing attacks which took place from February 1942 to March 1945. In a single deadliest raid on 22–23 October 1943, 150,000 inhabitants were bombed-out,Script error: No such module "Unsubst". at least 6,000 people died,Script error: No such module "Unsubst". the vast majority of the city center was destroyed, and the fire of the most severe air raid burned for seven days. When the US First Army captured Kassel on 3 April 1945, only 50,000 inhabitants remained of its 1939 population of 236,000.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

Targets

File:Untere koenigsstrasse 1945.jpg
Bomb damaged buildings in Kassel, Untere Königsstraße

As well as being the capital of the provinces of Hesse-Nassau and Kurhessen, Kassel had some important targets:

  • Fieseler aircraft facility
  • Henschel & Sohn facilities, maker of the Tiger I and King Tiger heavy tanks
  • The Henschel & Sohn firm's locomotive plant
  • engine plant
  • motor transport plant
  • railway works
  • Military HQs at Wehrkreis IX, and Bereich Hauptsitz Kassel
  • Central Germany HQ, highway & railway construction
  • Regional Supreme Court

Bombing raids

Bombing raids on Kassel during World War II
Date Target
Script error: No such module "sort". Script error: No such module "Unsubst". File:RAF roundel.svg 10 Wellingtons and 3 Stirlings to Emden, Hamburg, Kassel and Aachen.
Script error: No such module "sort". Henschel File:RAF roundel.svg 306 aircraft destroyed/seriously damaged 144/317 buildings, particularly in the city southwest. Three Henschel buildings were seriously damaged, and 43/251 were killed/injured.[1]
8/9 September 1942 Script error: No such module "Unsubst". File:RAF roundel.svg Nearly 100 aircraft hit several armament factories, and destroyed the railway station, the Red Palace, and the Museum Fridericianum, home of the Kassel State Library, along with 350,000 books, seven-eighths of the library's entire book collection.[2]
2/3 October 1943 Script error: No such module "Unsubst". File:RAF roundel.svg The Pathfinder Force (PFF) was not able to find the center of the city, and most bombs into Ihringshausen and Bettenhausen. In addition to considerable damage, an ammunition store was hit.
3/4 October 1943 Script error: No such module "Unsubst". File:RAF roundel.svg 547 aircraft used H2S radar; the main weight of bombs fell on the western suburbs and outlying towns and villages.
22/23 October 1943 city centre File:RAF roundel.svg 569 bombers dropped more than 1,800 tons of bombs (including 460,000 magnesium fire sticks) in a concentrated pattern.[3] For deception, the attack used Operation Corona radio spoofing and a Frankfurt diversionary raid. The blaze caused a minor firestorm similar in nature to that at Hamburg. Damage to the main telephone exchange and the city's water pipes hindered firefighting efforts.
18/19 March 1944 Script error: No such module "Unsubst". File:RAF roundel.svg 11 Mosquitos on a diversionary raid.
30/31 March 1944 Script error: No such module "Unsubst". File:RAF roundel.svg 34 Mosquitos on diversionary raids to Aachen, Cologne and Kassel.
27/28 September 1944 Script error: No such module "Unsubst". File:RAF roundel.svg 46 Mosquitos on a diversionary raid.
28 September 1944 Henschel motor transport plant File:Eighth Air Force - Emblem (World War II).png Mission 652: 243 of 262 dispatched B-24s bombed the Kassel/Henschel motor transport plant.[4]
3/4 October 1944 Script error: No such module "Unsubst". File:RAF roundel.svg 43 Mosquitos.
15/16 October 1944 Script error: No such module "Unsubst". File:RAF roundel.svg 2 Mosquitos on a diversionary raid.
9/10 November 1944 Script error: No such module "Unsubst". File:RAF roundel.svg 3 Mosquitos.
27/28 December 1944 Script error: No such module "Unsubst". File:RAF roundel.svg 7 Mosquitos on Oboe (navigation) trials (some flew over Kassel).Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
6/7 January 1945 Script error: No such module "Unsubst". File:RAF roundel.svg 20 Mosquitos.
18/19 January 1945 Script error: No such module "Unsubst". File:RAF roundel.svg 12 Mosquitos.
21/22 January 1945 Script error: No such module "Unsubst". File:RAF roundel.svg 76 Mosquitos
2/3 March 1945 Script error: No such module "Unsubst". File:RAF roundel.svg 67 Mosquitos on a training raid.
8/9 March 1945 Script error: No such module "Unsubst". File:RAF roundel.svg 176 aircraft; the last heavy raid by the RAF on Kassel.
18/19 March 1945 Script error: No such module "Unsubst". File:RAF roundel.svg 24 Mosquitos.
20/21 March 1945 Script error: No such module "Unsubst". File:RAF roundel.svg 16 Mosquitos on a diversionary raid.

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See also

References

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  1. ↑ File:RAF roundel.svg Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". February 1942 Template:Webarchive, August 1942 Template:Webarchive, October 1943 Template:Webarchive, November 1943 Template:Webarchive, December 1943 Template:Webarchive January 1944 Template:Webarchive, February 1944 Template:Webarchive March 1944 Template:Webarchive, September 1944 Template:Webarchive, October 1944 Template:Webarchive, November 1944 Template:Webarchive, December 1944 Template:Webarchive January 1945 Template:Webarchive, February 1945 Template:Webarchive March 1945 Template:Webarchive, April 1945 Template:Webarchive
  2. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  3. ↑ Bomber Command October 1943 Template:Webarchive
  4. ↑ File:Eighth Air Force - Emblem (World War II).png Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
    1942: January Template:Webarchive, February Template:Webarchive, March Template:Webarchive, April Template:Webarchive, May Template:Webarchive, June Template:Webarchive, July Template:Webarchive, August Template:Webarchive, September Template:Webarchive, October Template:Webarchive, November Template:Webarchive, December Template:Webarchive
    1943: January Template:Webarchive, February Template:Webarchive, March Template:Webarchive, April Template:Webarchive, May Template:Webarchive, June Template:Webarchive, July Template:Webarchive, August Template:Webarchive, September Template:Webarchive, October Template:Webarchive, November Template:Webarchive, December Template:Webarchive
    1944: January Template:Webarchive, February Template:Webarchive, March Template:Webarchive, April Template:Webarchive, May Template:Webarchive, June Template:Webarchive, July Template:Webarchive, August Template:Webarchive, September Template:Webarchive, October Template:Webarchive, November Template:Webarchive, December Template:Webarchive
    1945: January Template:Webarchive, February Template:Webarchive, March Template:Webarchive, April Template:Webarchive, May Template:Webarchive, June Template:Webarchive, July Template:Webarchive, August Template:Webarchive, September Template:Webarchive

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Sources

  • Werner Dettmar: Die Zerstörung Kassels im Oktober 1943. Hesse, Fuldabrück 1983, Template:ISBN
  • Gebhard Aders: Bombenkrieg/Strategien der Zerstörung. licoverlag 2004

External links

Template:RAF WWII Strategic Bombing Template:WWII city bombing

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