Gravenhorst (Hörstel)

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The Hörsteler Aa in Gravenhorst, in the background the former ironworks

Gravenhorst is one of the city Hörstel belonging to peasants in the region Tecklenburger country . It is best known for the Gravenhorst monastery located there .

geography

Gravenhorst memorial

Gravenhorst is located on the foothills of the Teutoburg Forest . The Mittelland Canal lies to the west of the village . The Hörsteler Aa flows north of the village. The crossing of the Mittelland Canal through the Teutoburg Forest is popularly known as the Gravenhorster Gorge.

history

1st bombing of the culvert on November 6, 1944

On the night of November 6th to 7th, 1944, the first of several bombings of the Ibbenbürener Aa culvert under the Mittelland Canal near Gravenhorst took place. The aim was to permanently disrupt supplies, especially for submarine construction, by destroying the shipping connection. The attacking association of No. 5 Bomber Group consisted of 235 Avro Lancaster and 7 Mosquito which took off from the airfields near Metheringham , Waddington and Strubby . At the same time, the Dortmund-Ems Canal in Ladbergen was to be bombed.

The bombing was a failure because the target marker had fallen into the canal and was therefore extinguished. Only a few bombers were able to drop their bombs until the mission was canceled. 10 bombers were shot down by the German night fighters.

2nd bombing of the culvert on November 21, 1944

After the first unsuccessful bombing of the Mittelland Canal culvert on November 6th, another attempt was made in the night of November 21st to 22nd. 138 Lancaster and 6 Mosquito of No. 5 Bomber Group started among others in Fulbeck near Nottingham . The hits of the approximately 1,400 bombs dropped caused the canal to run out and become unusable for some time. In this attack 22 civilians, Dutch inland waterwaymen and Russian prisoners of war were killed in Gravenhorst. Two Lancasters were also shot down, killing 13 British soldiers.

3. Bombing of the culvert on January 1, 1945

On December 20, the Mittelland Canal was put back into operation after being repaired by prisoners of war, forced laborers and labor service. In the evening hours of January 1, 1945 , the Bomber Command sent 152 Lancasters and 5 Mosquito for the third attack on the Aa culvert. They dropped around 1,700 bombs which damaged the canal again. The canal has now been repaired with the same effort as after the second bombing.

4. Bombing of the culvert on February 21, 1945

The repaired canal was attacked again on the evening of February 21, 1945. The day before, on the night of February 20th to 21st, there was an unsuccessful approach of 154 Lancaster and 11 Mosquito which was canceled due to the closed cloud cover in the target area.

The following night, February 21-22, the attack was repeated with 165 Lancasters and 12 Mosquito and the culvert was hit with around 2,100 bombs.

Ordnance clearance

Between 1963 and 1994 578 duds were defused by the ordnance disposal service in the area of ​​the culvert in Gravenhorst. The size of the dropped bombs was primarily 5, 10 and 20 quintals.

Others

The Gravenhorster ironworks (today Teuto Guss) was the second coking coal- fired blast furnace in Germany (after Gleiwitz ). During the Second World War , the culvert under the Mittelland Canal was bombed three times. As a result of this bombing, numerous people were killed in Gravenhorst. There is a reminder and reminder center on the Mittelland Canal.

literature

  • Hans Röhrs : 200 years of Gravenhorster ironworks . Ibbenbürener Vereindruckerei, Ibbenbüren 2010, ISBN 978-3-941607-12-5 .
  • Willi Riegert: Home under Bombs, The Air War in the Steinfurt, Münster and Osnabrück area 1939–1945 . Dülmen 2003, ISBN 3-89960-235-8 .

Web links

Commons : Gravenhorst  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://www.bomberhistory.co.uk/canal_raids/gravenhorst Information about the bombings in English
  2. ↑ https://www.backtonormandy.org/the-history/air-force-operations/airplanes-allies-and-axis-lost/lancaster/22470-LL9531944-11-07.html Information in English: Airfield
  3. ↑ https://www.backtonormandy.org/the-history/air-force-operations/airplanes-allies-and-axis-lost/lancaster/17473-NN7231944-11-07.html Info in English on Strubby airfield
  4. ↑ https://www.backtonormandy.org/the-history/air-force-operations/airplanes-allies-and-axis-lost/lancaster/18180-PD3111944-11-07.html Information in English: Another airport
  5. ^ IVZ on November 19, 2014: "A cruel day for Gravenhorst"
  6. ↑ http: //www.übertage-untertage.de/Ibbenbueren.html Information on bombing and repairs on überage-unterage.de
  7. ↑ Willi Riegert: Homeland under bombs, The air war in the Steinfurt area, Münster and Osnabrück 1939–1945 p. 132
  8. ↑ http: //www.übertage-untertage.de/Ibbenbueren.html Information on ordnance disposal

Coordinates: 52 ° 17 '  N , 7 ° 37'  E