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Bombing of Frankfurt am Main in World War II

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Bombing of Frankfurt am Main by the Allies of World War II killed about 5,500 residents and destroyed the largest half-timbered historical city centre in Germany (the Eighth Air Force dropped 12,197 tons of explosives on the city).

Bomb damage near Frankfurt Cathedral included 2 bridges (May 1945).
The old City of Frankfurt in 1942 before its destruction

In the 1939–45 period the Royal Air Force (RAF) dropped 15,696 long tons of bombs on Frankfurt.[1]

Post-war reconstruction generally used modern architecture, and a few landmark buildings were rebuilt in a simple historical style. The 1st building rebuilt was the 1789 Paulskirche (St. Paul's Church).[citation needed]

Chronology
Date Event
1942-12-22 Frankfurt was unsuccessfully bombed when bad weather prevented crews from hearing Sqn Ldr S. P. Daniels' on the standard-frequency radio equipment in the 1st Master Bomber mission (proposed by Air-Vice Marshal Don Bennett on 22 December 1942—preceding the Operation Chastise MB by 6 months.)[citation needed]
1943-10-04/05 155 Boeing B-17 from the 1st Bombardment Wing targeted the Vereinigte Deutsche Metallwerke (United German Metalworks) in Heddernheim

Frankfurt is bombed by 402 British bombers – 162 Avro Lancaster, 170 Handley Page Halifax as well as 70 Short Stirling – and 3 USAAF B-17 participated.[2]

1944-01-29 Mission 24 daylight bombing of Frankfurt[3] killed Princess Marie Alexandra of Baden.
1944-02-04 The 303 BG bombed the Frankfurt city area using PFF.[4][5]
1944-02-11 The 303 BG attacked Frankfurt[6]
1944-03-02 The 303 BG targeted Frankfurt's V.K.F. (Vereinigte Kugellagerfabriken) ball bearing plant, followed by the Berlin Erkner ball bearing works on 03-03 and 03-08.[4]
1944-03-22 A night raid destroyed the old part of Frankfurt and killed over 1000 inhabitants, and the east port suffered major damage.
1944-09-12 RAF Bomber Command dropped 400,000 incendiary bombs on the industrial areas of Frankfurt, Germany. .
1944-12-22/23
1945-01-08/09 		De Havilland Mosquitos raided Frankfurt during the Battle of Berlin (air).
[when?] The Municipal Library was hit during an air raid, destroying its Cairo Genizah document collection and lists of the collection.[7]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Is the Bomber Obsolescent?". Flight Global. 9 August 1945. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  2. ^ "Royal Air Force Bomber Command, Campaign Diary October 1943". Official RAF Website. 6 April 2005. Archived from the original on 10 May 2005. Retrieved 18 December 2013.
  3. ^ Mission 24: Frankfurt, Germany, January 29, 1944, "Forts Blast Frankfurt; Kassel Hit" – Retrieved 9 May 2008
  4. ^ a b Miller, Edgar "Ed" C. "...My Combat Missions..." Sirinet.net/~lgarris. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 27 July 2011.
  5. ^ "303rd BG Combat Missions and Reports".
  6. ^ "Devil's Ball: B-17G-10-BO 42-31238: 351st Bomb Group, 511th Bomb Squadron". USAAF. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  7. ^ Goitein, S.D. (2000). Economic Foundations. A Mediterranean Society: The Jewish Communities of the Arab World as Portrayed in the Documents of the Cairo Geniza. Vol. I. University of California Press. p. 5.
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