Bombing of Bamberg

Bombing of Bamberg during World War II
Part of Strategic bombing during World War II
Date 1944 - 1945 Location Bamberg Result 4.4% of the city destroyed, 378 deaths
Belligerents
United Kingdom United States	Germany
Strength
9 bombing raids

The bombing of Bamberg were a series of British and American aerial bombing attacks on the city of Bamberg during World War II. A total of nine air raids were held by the Royal Air Force and United States Army Air Forces in 1944 and 1945 as part of the Allied campaign of strategic bombing of Germany. However, unlike nearby Nuremberg, the city itself escaped major damage. Today, the historical city center is a UNESCO Heritage Site.

Background

Unlike the nearby industrial hub of Nuremberg, which was also an important city propaganda-wise for Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party due to the huge yearly propaganda rallies held there each year, Bamberg was strategically irrelevant to the Allies and escaped any bombing raids for the majority of the war. In 1939, the city had a total of 59.466 inhabitants.

Attacks

The first attack on Bamberg happened on March 31, 1944, by British forces. However, the city was not a deliberate target: the RAF dropped unused bombs after an attack on Nuremberg on the urban area, causing minor damage to two houses on Kirschäckerstraße. On January 2, 1945, the RAF dropped unused or emergency bombs once more on the urban center of Bamberg after an attack on Nuremberg, killing one and injuring several people. The attack also caused significant damage to houses in the Hainstraße, Sodenstraße and Schützenstraße. Another emergency bombardment occurred on January 16 when an American bomber dropped its unused payload on the city, damaging houses on Hainstraße and Ottostraße.

On February 14, American airplanes targeted the railway station with high-explosive and incendiary bombs, destroying or damaging residential buildings between the Moosstraße, Zollnerstraße and Pödeldorfer Straße and killing 94 people, including many schoolchildren waiting for their bus at the nearby bus station. The reason for the attack was that not all Allied aircraft had reached the actual target of Dresden due to bad weather and chose Bamberg as an alternative target.

The biggest and deadliest bombing run happened over a week later on February 22 however. In the afternoon, American planes attacked the Bamberg railway station and surroundings with bombs. Because of poor visibility, the bombs were also dropped over residential houses, killing a total of 216 civilians and causing many houses between Oberer Stephansberg and Oberer Kaulberg to be damaged or destroyed as a result. The inner city was also hit, particularly in the Obstmarkt, Lange Straße, Grüner Markt and Keßlerstraße. Three significant landmarks in the city were hit: the Erlöserkirche or Church of the Redeemer at the Kunigundendamm which was almost completely destroyed (only the tower remained), the historic Altane on the Grüner Markt and the Alte Maut or Old Toll. A follow-up attack was planned for February 23, but ultimately cancelled due to bad weather. After that, low-flying Allied aircraft continued to attack Bamberg, threatening large gatherings of people and sometimes also dropping leaflets mocking National Socialism and its propaganda. Another 67 people died as a result of these attacks.

By then, Bamberg was declared a front area within the Jura Line by the Nazi commanders, in order to protect the city of Nuremberg for propagandistic reasons. As a result, Volkssturm units, anti-tank barriers and anti-tank ditches were also meant to stop the advance of the Americans. In line with Hitler's Nero Decree, the plan was to destroy important German infrastructure before handing them over to the Allies. Such plans were also put in place for Bamberg, but never carried out. Nevertheless, German troops blew up all the brigdes in Bamberg between April 10 and 13 in order to stop the Allied advance or to at least prevent them from obtaining any useful infrastructure. Despite the destruction of the bridges, American forces entered Bamberg anyway and by April 14 had fully taken over the city.

After the war

After the war ended, Americans briefly fought in the city, which ultimately fell with little resistance on April 14 despite having a fanatical General of the Waffen-SS at the helm. Besides Bamberg being a strategically irrelevant target, there were also other reasons why the city was not heavily destroyed by Allied bombs. Church representatives like Auxiliary bishop Landgraf negotiated for surrender, and the confusion of the military command structures at the tail end of the war thanks to the dissolution of the Wehrmacht and party hierarchy also likely played an important part in the city being largely spared. A memorial stone has since been erected at the E.T.A.-Hoffmann high school and an annual commemoration is held to remind everyone of the air raid on February 22, 1945.

On February 22, 2015, 70 years after the attack on the city, an exhibition titled Spared from war? The end of the Second World War in Bamberg in 1945 was held in the Stadtarchiv Bamberg. Around 100 historical recordings were displayed, showing the levels of destruction of the February 22 air raid.

Destruction

Aerial view of the historical city center of Bamberg in 2020. The city center is a UNESCO Heritage Site.

After the war ended, a reconstruction commission was put in place in 1946 by the city with little influence, putting an emphasis on traditional architecture. In 1947, the first reconstruction efforts began. Bamberg station was eventually restored to its original state, as was the Erlöserkirche in 1950. The houses that were damaged during the bombing attacks were reconstructed in the original style, predominantly in the inner city, while the destroyed houses were built anew in the post-war style typical for that time, putting an emphasis on traditional styles. Most houses around the railway station were however not rebuilt, nor were any of the historical buildings like the Altane or Alte Maut or the bridges gracing the rivers of the city, with the exception of the Obere Brücke near the historic city hall. 362 buildings were destroyed in total, with another 4000 being damaged. 2500 apartments were lightly hit and another 1700 of the 16,000 apartments were severely damaged during World War II. In total, 4.4% of the city ended up being destroyed. Besides the material damage, a total of 378 civilians also died during the bombing attacks.

See also

• Strategic bombing during World War II
• Bombing of Nuremberg in World War II