Bombing of Hildesheim in World War II
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The German city of Hildesheim
, ca. 30 kilometres south of Hanover
was target of several Allied air raids in 1945.
The Hildesheim branch of the Vereinigte Deutsche Metallwerke (United German Metalworks) produced aircraft parts and engines and jet-engines, other factories produced tank parts (Senking Werke), torpedoes (Ahlborn AG) and rubber products (Wetzell Gummiwerke AG). Outside the city the Robert Bosch GmbH
manufactured engine components for the Tiger I
and Tiger II
tanks.
There was also a major marshalling yard
in Hildesheim.
and St. Lamberti Church) suffered severe damage. 998 houses and four churches, among them the Cathedral
and Saint Michael's Church which were declared World Heritage Site
in 1985, were slightly damaged.
About 250 people were killed.
was bombed. A total of 583 explosive bombs were dropped on Oststadt, a residential area in the Eastern part of the city. 51 houses were completely destroyed and 58 suffered severe damage. 22 houses were slightly damaged and 52 people were killed.
At 2 p.m. about 250 bomber aircraft started the attack. In the following 15 minutes, they dropped a total of 438.8 tons of high explosive and 624 tons of incendiary bombs.
Almost 74% of the buildings in Hildesheim were destroyed or damaged during the attack, including nearly the entire historical city centre. 26.8% of the houses remained undamaged. The Cathedral
and Saint Michael's Church
were completely destroyed. The centre, which had retained its medieval character until then, was almost levelled. Although the famous historic center had little military significance, two months before the end of the war in Europe it was chosen to be destroyed in order to shatter the will to defend as part of the area bombing directive
.
About 1,500 civilians were killed in the attacks in March, of which about 500 could not be identified.
, another World Heritage Site, was rebuilt from 1946-1960. During the war, the valuable world heritage had been hidden in the basement of the city wall. In the 1980s a reconstruction of the historic centre began. Some of the unattractive concrete buildings around the historic market place
were torn down and replaced by replicas of the Butchers' Guild Hall
and the other original buildings. In the fall of 2007, a decision was made to reconstruct the "Umgestülpter Zuckerhut" ("Upended Sugarloaf
"), an iconic half-timbered house famous for its unusual shape. It was completed in October 2010.
Hildesheim
Hildesheim is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located in the district of Hildesheim, about 30 km southeast of Hanover on the banks of the Innerste river, which is a small tributary of the Leine river...
, ca. 30 kilometres south of Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
was target of several Allied air raids in 1945.
Hildesheim during World War II
In 1939, Hildesheim had about 72,000 inhabitants. For most of the war Hildesheim was regarded as a minor target by British Bomber Command mainly because the military potential of the industry in and around Hildesheim was underestimated and classified as 'minor plants in major industries, or major plants in minor industries'.The Hildesheim branch of the Vereinigte Deutsche Metallwerke (United German Metalworks) produced aircraft parts and engines and jet-engines, other factories produced tank parts (Senking Werke), torpedoes (Ahlborn AG) and rubber products (Wetzell Gummiwerke AG). Outside the city the Robert Bosch GmbH
Robert Bosch GmbH
Robert Bosch GmbH is a multinational engineering and electronics company headquartered in Gerlingen, near Stuttgart, Germany. It is the world's largest supplier of automotive components...
manufactured engine components for the Tiger I
Tiger I
Tiger I is the common name of a German heavy tank developed in 1942 and used in World War II. The final official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf. E, often shortened to Tiger. It was an answer to the unexpectedly formidable Soviet armour encountered in the initial months of...
and Tiger II
Tiger II
Tiger II is the common name of a German heavy tank of the Second World War. The final official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf. B,Panzerkampfwagen – abbr: Pz. or Pz.Kfw. Ausführung – abbr: Ausf. .The full titles Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf...
tanks.
There was also a major marshalling yard
Classification yard
A classification yard or marshalling yard is a railroad yard found at some freight train stations, used to separate railroad cars on to one of several tracks. First the cars are taken to a track, sometimes called a lead or a drill...
in Hildesheim.
July 29, 1944
During the first air raid on Hildesheim the sugar refinery received heavy damage and the marshalling yard was slightly damaged. 34 people were killed. The city itself remained undamaged.August 12, 1944
20 explosive and 80 incendiary bombs were dropped on Hildesheim at night. The sugar refinery was damaged again and the Vereinigte Deutsche Metallwerke (United German Metalworks) were slightly damaged. A few bombs hit Südstadt, a residential area in the Southern part of the city where one house was destroyed and five heavily damaged. Several bombs hit the camp where the POWs were sleeping and 10 of them were killed.November 26, 1944
Between 11 a.m. and 1.30 p.m. a few bombs were dropped on the forests in the west of Hildesheim and on the city itself. Hildesheim was probably an alternate target. Nobody was killed, but a few houses were damaged in the city center, which was hit for the first time. One house was destroyed in Steinbergviertel, a residential area in the Southwestern part of Hildesheim.February 13, 1945
An aerial mine was dropped on a tennis court at night. Nobody was killed, but hundreds of roofs were damaged in the city center and in the Southern and Southwestern residential areas.Operation Clarion
As part of the Allied Operation Clarion (destruction of German traffic centres in smaller cities) the marshalling yard in Hildesheim was targeted in the afternoon of February 22, 1945. Due to good weather and clear sight the marshalling yard was heavily damaged, the city itself received considerable damage: 102 houses were completely destroyed, and 106 houses and two churches (St. Bernward's ChurchSt. Bernward's Church, Hildesheim
St. Bernward's Church is a catholic church in the city of Hildesheim in Lower Saxony, Germany. The name refers to the bishop Bernward of Hildesheim who was canonized by Pope Celestine III.- History :...
and St. Lamberti Church) suffered severe damage. 998 houses and four churches, among them the Cathedral
St. Mary's Cathedral, Hildesheim
St. Mary's Cathedral in Hildesheim, Germany, is an important medieval Catholic cathedral, that has been on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list since 1985....
and Saint Michael's Church which were declared World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
in 1985, were slightly damaged.
About 250 people were killed.
March 3, 1945
On March 3, 1945, Hildesheim was an alternate target when the city of BraunschweigBombing of Braunschweig in World War II
During World War II Braunschweig was attacked by Allied aircraft in 42 bombing raids.The attack on the night of 14/15 October 1944 by No. 5 Group Royal Air Force marked the high point of the destruction of Henry the Lion's city in the Second World War...
was bombed. A total of 583 explosive bombs were dropped on Oststadt, a residential area in the Eastern part of the city. 51 houses were completely destroyed and 58 suffered severe damage. 22 houses were slightly damaged and 52 people were killed.
March 14, 1945
On March 14, 1945 elements of the 1st Air Division bombed several targets in the area around Hanover. Among these were the Vereinigte Deutsche Metallwerke (VDM) and again the marshalling yard in Hildesheim. While the marshalling yard was hit hard again and disabled for several days, the bombers missed VDM and instead bombed the Senking metal works, completely destroying the factory. About 150 people were killed, including 60 POWs. In the city itself, 18 houses were completely destroyed and 20 suffered severe damage. 109 houses were slightly damaged.March 22, 1945
On March 22, 1945, Hildesheim was the key target of the Allied Bomber Command. British and Canadian bomber aircraft were ordered 'to destroy built up area with associated industries and railway facilities.'At 2 p.m. about 250 bomber aircraft started the attack. In the following 15 minutes, they dropped a total of 438.8 tons of high explosive and 624 tons of incendiary bombs.
Almost 74% of the buildings in Hildesheim were destroyed or damaged during the attack, including nearly the entire historical city centre. 26.8% of the houses remained undamaged. The Cathedral
St. Mary's Cathedral, Hildesheim
St. Mary's Cathedral in Hildesheim, Germany, is an important medieval Catholic cathedral, that has been on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list since 1985....
and Saint Michael's Church
St. Michael's Church, Hildesheim
The Church of St. Michael in Hildesheim, Germany, is an early-Romanesque church. It has been on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list since 1985.-History:...
were completely destroyed. The centre, which had retained its medieval character until then, was almost levelled. Although the famous historic center had little military significance, two months before the end of the war in Europe it was chosen to be destroyed in order to shatter the will to defend as part of the area bombing directive
Area bombing directive
The Area Bombing Directive was a directive from the wartime British Government's Air Ministry to the Royal Air Force which ordered RAF bombers to attack the German industrial workforce and the morale of the German populace through bombing German cities and their civilian inhabitants.- Background...
.
About 1,500 civilians were killed in the attacks in March, of which about 500 could not be identified.
After the war
As people were suffering, 34,000 people or 46% of the city's population had remained homeless; as in many cities, preference was given to quickly build housing, and concrete structures took the place of the destroyed buildings. Fortunately, the churches, two of them now UNESCO World Heritage Sites, were all rebuilt in the original style after the war. The reconstruction of the Cathedral took ten years (1950-1960). Saint Michael's ChurchSt. Michael's Church, Hildesheim
The Church of St. Michael in Hildesheim, Germany, is an early-Romanesque church. It has been on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list since 1985.-History:...
, another World Heritage Site, was rebuilt from 1946-1960. During the war, the valuable world heritage had been hidden in the basement of the city wall. In the 1980s a reconstruction of the historic centre began. Some of the unattractive concrete buildings around the historic market place
Historic Market Place, Hildesheim
The Historic Market Place is one of the most famous sights in the city of Hildesheim in Lower Saxony, Germany- History :Hildesheim, one of the oldest cities in the North of Germany, was founded in 815 as a bishopric close to a ford of the river Innerste. The settlement very quickly developed into a...
were torn down and replaced by replicas of the Butchers' Guild Hall
Butchers' Guild Hall, Hildesheim
The Butchers' Guild Hall is a half-timbered house in Hildesheim in the federal state of Lower Saxony, Germany.- History and Architecture :...
and the other original buildings. In the fall of 2007, a decision was made to reconstruct the "Umgestülpter Zuckerhut" ("Upended Sugarloaf
Upended Sugarloaf, Hildesheim
The Upended Sugarloaf is an iconic half-timbered house in the city of Hildesheim in the federal state of Lower Saxony in Germany.- History and architecture :...
"), an iconic half-timbered house famous for its unusual shape. It was completed in October 2010.