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,[ citation needed ] at least 6,000 people died,[ citation needed ] the vast majority of the city center was destroyed, and the fire of the most severe air raid burned for seven days. The US First Army captured Kassel on 3 April 1945, where only 50,000 inhabitants remained, versus 236,000 in 1939.[ citation needed ]
Quick Facts Kassel World War II bombings, Date ...
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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
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Bombing raids on Kassel during World War II
Date
Target
17/18 February 1942
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10 Wellingtons and 3 Stirlings to Emden, Hamburg, Kassel and Aachen.
27/28 August 1942
Henschel
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
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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
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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
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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
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
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11 Mosquitos on a diversionary raid.
30/31 March 1944
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34 Mosquitos on diversionary raids to Aachen, Cologne and Kassel.
27/28 September 1944
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46 Mosquitos on a diversionary raid.
28 September 1944
Henschel motor transport plant
Mission 652: 243 of 262 dispatched B-24s bombed the Kassel/Henschel motor transport plant.[4]
3/4 October 1944
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43 Mosquitos.
15/16 October 1944
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2 Mosquitos on a diversionary raid.
9/10 November 1944
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3 Mosquitos.
27/28 December 1944
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7 Mosquitos on Oboe (navigation) trials (some flew over Kassel).[ citation needed ]
6/7 January 1945
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20 Mosquitos.
18/19 January 1945
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12 Mosquitos.
21/22 January 1945
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76 Mosquitos
2/3 March 1945
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67 Mosquitos on a training raid.
8/9 March 1945
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176 aircraft; the last heavy raid by the RAF on Kassel.
18/19 March 1945
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24 Mosquitos.
20/21 March 1945
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16 Mosquitos on a diversionary raid.
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"Campaign Diary" . Royal Air Force Bomber Command 60th Anniversary . UK Crown. Archived from the original on 2009-04-17. Retrieved 2009-03-22 .
February 1942 Archived June 7, 2007, at the Wayback Machine ,
August 1942 Archived 2007-07-06 at the UK Government Web Archive ,
October 1943 Archived March 3, 2009, at the Wayback Machine ,
November 1943 Archived June 11, 2007, at the Wayback Machine ,
December 1943 Archived March 3, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
January 1944 Archived 2007-07-06 at the UK Government Web Archive ,
February 1944 Archived 2007-07-06 at the UK Government Web Archive
March 1944 Archived 2007-07-06 at the UK Government Web Archive ,
September 1944 Archived 2004-09-29 at the Wayback Machine ,
October 1944 Archived 2007-07-06 at the UK Government Web Archive ,
November 1944 Archived 2007-07-06 at the UK Government Web Archive ,
December 1944 Archived June 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
January 1945 Archived 2007-07-06 at the UK Government Web Archive ,
February 1945 Archived 2007-07-06 at the UK Government Web Archive
March 1945 Archived 2007-07-06 at the UK Government Web Archive ,
April 1945 Archived 2012-07-28 at the Wayback Machine
McKillop, Jack. "Combat Chronology of the USAAF" . usaaf.net. Archived from the original on 2007-06-10. Retrieved 2009-04-09 . 1942 :
January Archived 2009-02-04 at the Wayback Machine ,
February Archived 2009-02-11 at the Wayback Machine ,
March Archived 2009-02-11 at the Wayback Machine ,
April Archived 2009-02-11 at the Wayback Machine ,
May Archived 2009-02-11 at the Wayback Machine ,
June Archived 2009-02-11 at the Wayback Machine ,
July Archived 2009-02-11 at the Wayback Machine ,
August Archived 2009-02-11 at the Wayback Machine ,
September Archived 2009-02-11 at the Wayback Machine ,
October Archived 2009-02-11 at the Wayback Machine ,
November Archived 2009-02-11 at the Wayback Machine ,
December Archived 2009-02-11 at the Wayback Machine 1943 :
January Archived 2012-05-31 at the Wayback Machine ,
February Archived 2009-02-11 at the Wayback Machine ,
March Archived 2009-02-11 at the Wayback Machine ,
April Archived 2009-02-11 at the Wayback Machine ,
May Archived 2009-02-28 at the Wayback Machine ,
June Archived 2009-02-28 at the Wayback Machine ,
July Archived 2009-02-11 at the Wayback Machine ,
August Archived 2009-02-12 at the Wayback Machine ,
September Archived 2009-02-11 at the Wayback Machine ,
October Archived 2012-05-31 at the Wayback Machine ,
November Archived 2009-02-11 at the Wayback Machine ,
December Archived 2006-10-07 at the Wayback Machine 1944 :
January Archived 2009-02-11 at the Wayback Machine ,
February Archived 2014-12-27 at the Wayback Machine ,
March Archived 2009-02-11 at the Wayback Machine ,
April Archived 2009-02-16 at the Wayback Machine ,
May Archived 2012-06-06 at the Wayback Machine ,
June Archived 2009-02-16 at the Wayback Machine ,
July Archived 2013-05-27 at the Wayback Machine ,
August Archived 2009-02-11 at the Wayback Machine ,
September Archived 2009-02-13 at the Wayback Machine ,
October Archived 2010-03-07 at the Wayback Machine ,
November Archived 2009-02-11 at the Wayback Machine ,
December Archived 2009-02-11 at the Wayback Machine 1945 :
January Archived 2009-02-16 at the Wayback Machine ,
February Archived 2013-09-29 at the Wayback Machine ,
March Archived 2013-06-02 at the Wayback Machine ,
April Archived 2010-03-07 at the Wayback Machine ,
May Archived 2010-03-07 at the Wayback Machine ,
June Archived 2009-02-11 at the Wayback Machine ,
July Archived 2010-03-07 at the Wayback Machine ,
August Archived 2009-02-11 at the Wayback Machine ,
September Archived 2009-02-11 at the Wayback Machine
Werner Dettmar: Die Zerstörung Kassels im Oktober 1943. Hesse, Fuldabrück 1983, ISBN 3-924259-00-3
Gebhard Aders: Bombenkrieg/Strategien der Zerstörung. licoverlag 2004