Air raids on Erfurt

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Allied air raids on Erfurt during World War II were carried out by the 8th Air Force of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) and by the Bomber Command of the British Royal Air Force (RAF). The time center was between July 1944 and March 1945. At 27 air raids by more than 565 bombers were 1,100 tons of bombs on the space Erfurt dropped, but there was in Erfurt in contrast to all other German cities the same size no carpet bombing. 530 buildings were destroyed, 2,550 severely to moderately damaged. These included numerous cultural buildings. About 1,600 civilians, mostly women and children, were killed.

Erfurt before the war and during the war

Until 1945 Erfurt was the capital of a Prussian government district . With 147,000 inhabitants (1935) it was a major city and the largest city in Thuringia , as well as its economic center. It had a historic old town with Gothic churches and stately town houses. Erfurt was an important junction for the Deutsche Reichsbahn , also with a large freight station and depot . Erfurt had a connection to the new Reichsautobahn . Since the 1920s (until 1939) the city owned a civil airport Erfurt-Nord on the Roten Berg.

Erfurt was also a garrison town of the Reichswehr during the Weimar Republic. Since the mid-1930s, however, it has been expanded into a strong Wehrmacht base for infantry, tanks, artillery and the air force. Many new barracks were built, two military airfields ( Erfurt-Nord airfield and Erfurt-Bindersleben ), a hospital site and military supply facilities. Consequences of the air raids: "The numerous military installations were only partially affected by the effects of the war" (the two airfields were severely affected), "None of the new barracks of the army had to show any major damage".

The Erfurt industry increasingly took on armaments tasks . These companies included: the Flugzeug-Reparaturwerk (REWE) with the Erfurt Nord airfield (formerly the civil airfield) on the Roten Berg , the Geipel machine factory (ERMA), the Berlin-Erfurt machine factory , the Olympia Büromaschinenwerk AG Erfurt and the Telefunken GmbH. Consequences of the air raids: "The city's larger traditional armaments factories, on the other hand, were largely spared" (aircraft repair shop badly hit).

Air raid

Entrance (2015) to the air raid shelter Arnstädter Hohle in the Steigerwald (Erfurt)
Air raid shelter museum Erfurt Wigbertihof (2016)

The Reich Aviation Ministry classified Erfurt as a "particularly endangered location". Nevertheless, as a "2nd order air raid shelter", it had no bomb-proof raised bunkers and initially no deep bunkers. In addition to the public, operational, official and private air raid shelters , those responsible in the city relied on numerous existing vaulted cellars and tunnels that were to be expanded.

In 1938, for example, four medieval vaulted cellars under the south-western wing of the Wigbertihof (former police station) were converted into air raid shelters for 50 people, including a gas lock and protective fan. The former shelter no. 4 is now shown as a viewing room for the city museum. It is located on Meister-Eckehart-Straße, access from Wigbertihof, and is typical of air raid shelters in historic old towns at that time.

The “Predigerkeller” under the former preacher's monastery next to the Predigerkirche with Predigerhof was also converted into an air raid rescue station.

At the end of the war there were 70 “public collective protection rooms” in Erfurt.

There were several air protection tunnels on the southern edge of the Steigerwald . For example, a large and very busy public air raid shelter of 1,000 m² was located in the Arnstadt Cave. From February 1944, the bastion walls to the battlements of the Petersberg Citadel were opened in 17 places and provided with massive, also gas-tight entrance structures. Seven of these entrances can still be seen in 2019. Under the direction of the Reichsbahn , from the beginning of 1944 a large tunnel was built under the Daberstedter Schanze / the city ​​park opposite the main station and provided with entrances on all sides. In 1945 it was occupied by up to 2,000 asylum seekers. In 1944/45 a large command bunker was under construction in Johann-Sebastian-Bach-Straße (about under the current ice rink), which was also open to the public.

In anticipation of Allied area attacks using incendiary bombs especially fire-risk buildings in 1937 were abandoned in Erfurt precaution eroded in the Old City, as of 1944, the dreigieblige, castles mill from the mid-18th century.

Like all of Thuringia, Erfurt had to take in air war evacuates from West Germany, Hamburg and Berlin . By the end of 1943 there were 3,500 such people in the city. They also brought their personal experiences with them from the bombing raids and thus increased the corresponding fears in the Erfurt population. This was particularly the case after the devastating attack on Kassel in October 1943. The city endeavored to encourage mothers with young children to leave the city, at least at night. In January 1944 there was even a public discussion in the Kaisersaal: “Should Erfurt be evacuated or not?” All efforts to “loosen up the population” failed, the opposite occurred. By February 1945 the population had risen to 180,000 from evacuees and refugees from the east, to reach 200,000 in April. This also greatly increased the risk of high numbers of victims in air raids.

Attack planning

In the British plans to attack German cities, Erfurt used the “fish cover name” Whitefish ( whitefish ). In 1942, Erfurt was on a list of 25 German cities in the British War Cabinet that were intended for area attacks. In the summer of 1942, Erfurt was in a target complex together with Eisenach , Gotha , Weimar and Jena for a thousand bomber attack , planned by Air Marshal Arthur Harris . In November 1942, the commander in chief of the RAF, Charles Portal , proposed Erfurt for a "cremation bombardment". In November 1943, Erfurt was part of the Central German "Small Ruhr Area" on a corresponding target list from Harris. A number of targets in Erfurt could be found in the continuously updated British “The Bombers Baedeker” . In 1944, British chemical experts described Erfurt as a promising potential target for their government in the event of a gas war. In November 1944 Erfurt was in a "traffic attack plan" by the USAAF. Harris put Erfurt on a list of German cities in January 1945 that still had larger, undestroyed urban areas. On February 8, 1945, the chiefs of staff issued an order to the 8th Air Force and the British Bomber Command to include Erfurt among the main targets in the attacks on military transports and refugee flows (causing chaos).

For April 2, 1945, postponed to April 3, and for April 4, the RAF had planned a devastating double attack with area bombing on Erfurt. This was to be carried out by a total of 685 heavy four-engine bombers of the Halifax and Lancaster types , with a drop of 2,740 tons of bombs. Erfurt escaped the fate of its extinction because the Americans intervened at short notice because of the proximity of their ground troops - which had already reached Gotha on April 3 and were about 15 km from Erfurt on April 4. A joint Air Commanders Conference of British and Americans on March 29, 1945 formed the basis for planning the attack . Steffen Raßloff describes the fact that this extermination attack did not take place as the "greatest stroke of luck in the history of the city" of Erfurt.

The attacks

American heavy bombers of the type B-24 "Liberator"
American B-17 "Flying Fortress" throwing a bomb
British mosquito high-speed bomber 1944
American P-47 Thunderbolt fighter plane

The 27 Allied air raids on Erfurt took place from July 1940 to April 1945. 17 of them were classified as easy, ten as moderate. Eight were daytime and 19 night attacks. Eight attacks were carried out by the USAAF with a total of 298 heavy four-engine bombers of the types B-17 (Flying Fortress) and B-24 (Liberator), accompanied by long-range fighters such as Thunderbolts . 19 attacks were carried out by the British RAF with at least 267 Mosquito night bombers. Of the more than 1,100 tons of bombs dropped over the Erfurt area, over 60% were from the US Air Force. 92% of the bomb load was high-explosive bombs and mine bombs , 8% incendiary bombs . These statistics do not include the numerous fighter-bomber raids in April 1945. The daytime attacks by the Americans were mainly carried out as bomb carpets on relatively limited target areas. The bombing of the RAF had "selective" character, but extended over a wide area of ​​damage.

The individual attacks:

  • From July 26, 1940 to January 21, 1944, the RAF carried out six night attacks with incendiary and high-explosive bombs on Erfurt, mostly with individual aircraft. The damage was limited, there were only a few deaths. In addition to mainly residential areas, the Gneisenau barracks (Melchendorfer Landstrasse) and the Arnold garage were hit on August 17, 1940.
  • On February 20, 1944 60 heavy B-24 bombers attacked the USAAF with a concentrated explosive bombing the airfield Erfurt- Bindersleben and residential areas of the city on Peter Born, crosses, Hahne Garden, pipe path, Pfortenweg, Binder Landstraße, Gotha Street, Henry Street, Brühl ravine , Meineckestrasse, Ottostrasse, Grünstrasse. Striking objects of damage were the Bindersleben air base, Olympia AG and the 4th police station. 133 deaths were to be lamented. In the main cemetery , 13 graves from the French grove of honor were destroyed. The task force had attacked Erfurt in confusion with its actual target Gotha .
  • On July 20, 1944, 134 USAAF B-24s launched a heavy attack, dropping 341 tons of high-explosive and incendiary bombs on the aircraft repair facility and the Erfurt Nord airfield , on the village of Bindersleben and on the city center, which burned in many places . Damage areas: Roter Berg, Mittelhäuser Strasse, Schwerborner Strasse, Hohenimmernstrasse, Roßbachstrasse, Pilse, Anger, Schlösserstrasse, Kaufmännerstrasse, Johannesstrasse. Striking objects of damage: Erfurt-Nord and Bindersleben airports, repair shop , Petrol-May, Reibstein department store, Ursuline monastery , telegraph office, horticultural company JC Schmidt , Henry Pels Umformtechnik . There were 284 German and foreign dead. At least 88 members of the Wehrmacht, especially flak soldiers on the Red Mountain , were also victims of the attack.
  • On November 11, 1944, 3 RAF mosquitos dropped mine bombs in the old town at night . Damage areas: Meienbergstrasse, Johannesstrasse, Futterstrasse. The “Wolfsschlucht” inn was also hit.
  • On November 21, 1944, operations by a USAAF task force led to plane crashes over the city, at Löberring (German fighter plane) and Borsigstrasse (now Paul-Schäfer-Strasse / Hugo-John-Strasse). Seven dead were to be mourned.
  • On the night of November 25th to 26th (00:54) 1944, 5 RAF mosquitos attacked the old town after midnight with 9 tons of mine bombs. Damaged areas: Thomasstrasse, Junkersand, Schlösserstrasse, Neue Strasse, Rathausgasse, Venice, Weidengasse, Moritzgasse, Johannesufer, Goebenstrasse (now part of Stauffenberg-Allee). Striking objects of damage: Reibstein department store, 1st police station, Neue Mühle, Weidenmühle.
  • On the night of November 26th to 27th (02:10 am) 3 mosquitos with a total of 5.4 tons of mine bombs attacked targets in the old town. Damage areas: Barfüßerstraße, Weitergasse, Taschengasse, Löberstraße, Gartenstraße, Löberring, Südfriedhof , Ludendorffstraße (now Tschaikowskistraße). Among other things, the Barefoot Church and the neighboring residential area were destroyed. In both attacks together, 71 residents died. November 26th was the Sunday of the Dead .
  • On December 6th (8:50 pm) 1944, an RAF Lancaster dropped its bombs over the city center, Leipziger Platz and Hospitalplatz: 2 dead.
  • On February 6, 1945, a squadron of US fighter-bombers attacked Bindersleben Air Base.
  • On February 9, 1945, 12 USAAF B-17 (flying fortresses) bombed the core of the old town with a concentrated drop of 32.5 tons of high-explosive bombs: Hügelgasse, Tournamentgasse, Augustinerstrasse, Michaelisstrasse, Ziegengasse, Pfeiffersgasse, Grünstrasse, Kreuzgasse, Kreuzsand, Weidengasse , Kronenburggasse, Johannestor. Among other things, they destroyed the Collegium Maius of the old University of Erfurt , and the malt factory on Johannesring was also hit. 138 people died.
  • On February 18, 1945, an RAF mosquito destroyed the “French graves” in the main cemetery with its mine bomb (1.8 t).
  • On the evening of February 19, 1945, 79 RAF mosquitos attacked the city center, the freight yard, the gas works and the Army Clothing Office with 100 tons of high explosive, mine and incendiary bombs. Damage areas: Bahnhofstrasse, Müfflingstrasse (now Theo-Neubauer-Strasse), Franckestrasse, Herwarthstrasse (now Ruhrstrasse), Krämpferring, Moltkestrasse (now Thälmannstrasse), Sedanstrasse (now: Am Stadtpark), Thomasstrasse, Hindenburgstrasse (now Arnstädter Strasse), Löberring, Kartäuserstrasse , Wilhelmstrasse (now Wilhelm-Külz-Strasse), Lange Brücke, Leipziger Strasse, Stunzengasse, Blumenthalstrasse (now Geschwister-Scholl-Strasse), Winterfeldstrasse (now Jonny-Scheer-Strasse), Bellingstrasse (now Reisshaus-Strasse), freight yard. The Humboldt School was destroyed, and Bahnpost, Erfurter Verkehrsverein, Maschinenfabrik Geipel (ERMA), Gasthaus Kaiser, Barbarossa and Großer Kurfürst, Angermuseum and Gasthaus Hohe Lilie were also hit . 223 people lost their lives.
  • On February 22, 1945, 4 mosquitos dropped a total of 5.4 tons of mine bombs in the evening: on Dieselstrasse, Marbach and Witterda .
  • On February 25, 1945, 59 RAF mosquitos unloaded 73 tons of incendiary, high-explosive and mine bombs over the city center. 288 people died, 276 of them in the basement of the library building of the Augustinian monastery from one of two mine bombs. Also affected: Moltkestrasse (now Thälmannstrasse), Andreasstrasse, Nordhäuser Strasse, Blücherstrasse (now Breitscheidstrasse), Moritzgasse, Große Ackerhofsgasse, Leipziger Strasse, Comthurgasse. The Wolf malt factory was also hit.
  • On March 1, 1945 an attack by 40 mosquitos of the RAF with 65 tons of high explosive bombs took place on the freight yard, Tiergarten, Ringelberg, restaurant "Reseda", Steinmetzstraße (now Werner-Uhlworm-Straße). Explosive bombs exploded on the sports field of the Herderschule, causing severe damage to the school's attic. Due to many bad throws, probably due to the weather, the hit rate was comparatively "low", 2 dead.
  • On March 15, 1945 there was an attack by 22 mosquitos with 26.5 tons of explosive and mine bombs on the city: Gartenstraße, Nettelbeckufer, Blumenstraße, Schlachthofstraße, Petersberg, Nordhäuser Straße, Kronenburggasse, Johannesstraße. 18 dead.
  • On March 17, 1945 51 B-17 (Flying Fortresses) of the USAAF unloaded 151 tons of explosive and incendiary bombs over the outskirts as well as Dittelstedt , the grounds of the artillery barracks "Henne", Melchendorf and Urbich . 94 people died, most of them in Dittelstedt. The missed target is said to have been the Erfurt railway operations center.
  • On March 20, 1945, 15 US P-47 Thunderbolt fighter-bombers attacked Bindersleben Air Base.
  • On March 26, 1945, two RAF mosquitos dropped air mines (3.6 t) on Yorkstrasse (now Rosa-Luxemburg-Strasse) and Löberflur. The Erfurter Verkehrs AG was hit and 17 people died.
  • On March 27, 4 mosquitos with 5.4 tons of mine bombs attacked Stadtpark , Straßburger Strasse (Robert-Koch-Strasse), Gustav-Freytag-Strasse and Rückertstrasse. 10 people died.
  • On March 30, 1945 at 11.40 p.m. 43 mosquitos from the RAF carried out an attack with 57 tons of incendiary, explosive and mine bombs on the urban area: Hopfenberg, Schillerstrasse, Arnstädter Strasse, Kartäuser Strasse, Neuwerkstrasse, Goethestrasse, Ludendorffstrasse (Tschaikowskistrasse), Strasbourg Straße (Robert-Koch-Straße), Hochheimer Straße, Dorotheenstraße (Gerhart-Hauptmann-Straße), Thomasstraße, Domplatz, Sedanstraße (now: Am Stadtpark), Herderstraße. Striking objects of damage: "Kaffeetrichter" restaurant, Marienapotheke, "Adolf Hitler House" (Neuwerkstrasse 23/24), vehicle depot of the Deutsche Reichsbahn, Riebeck brewery, Schiller school, fire station. There were 125 deaths.
  • On March 31, 1945, 25 B-17 bombers (flying fortresses) attacked the southern part of the city and Reichsbahn operating facilities with 70 tons of high explosive and fragmentation bombs. Affected were: Bahnhofstrasse, Thomasstrasse, Löberstrasse, Rosengasse, Anger, Breitengasse, Gartenstrasse, Ringstrasse, Reichartstrasse, R.-Breslau-Strasse, Espach, Dorotheenstrasse (now Gerhart Hauptmann-Strasse), Bismarckstrasse (now Löberwallgraben), Hohenzollernstrasse (later street der Unity, now Alfred-Hess-Strasse), Schillerstrasse, Friedrichstrasse (now Strasse des Friedens). Striking objects of damage: St. Thomas Church , State High School, NS district administration in Villa Schillerstraße 39 (next to St. Thomas Church). The attack is said to have involved a mix-up with Gotha. 93 people died.
  • On April 4, 1945, the repeater office of the Reichspost in Gustav-Freytag-Strasse was switched off with a targeted high-explosive bombing by a US aircraft . Shortly afterwards, a US escort attacked the freight yard and the urban area. There were 15 dead.
  • The frequent further low-flying attacks on the city and the surrounding area up to the occupation of Erfurt on April 12, 1945 are not documented in detail. The US fighter bombers dominated completely the airspace and fired incendiary bullets from.
  • On April 12, 1945, Erfurt was under artillery fire from 3:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. , especially the Petersberg and the city center. After the occupation of Erfurt on April 12th, the US troops did not allow the fire police to fight the fires.

Loss of buildings

In Erfurt (former urban district) 530 buildings were totally destroyed by the aerial warfare, 790 heavily, 1,750 moderately and 6,040 slightly damaged. Of almost 50,000 apartments (existing in 1939), 8,250 were completely destroyed (17%) and several times that number were seriously, moderately or slightly damaged. 23,000 residents were left homeless. 40 industrial buildings were completely destroyed, 62 severely and over 300 slightly damaged. The total volume of rubble is said to have been 225,000 cubic meters.

The damage in the industrial sector mainly affected small and medium-sized companies. Most of the city's larger traditional armaments factories were largely spared. The aircraft repair works, the Reichsbahn, the Reichspost, the gas works and the municipal transport company were hardest hit by large-scale systems.

Military facilities: The two Erfurt airfields on the Red Mountain and in Bindersleben were badly damaged. There was also damage to the Jägerkaserne , on the Petersberg and at the Army Clothing Office. On the other hand, none of the large barracks complexes built in the 1930s showed any major damage.

The amount of damage (structural damage, excluding inventory and equipment) from the air war in Erfurt was estimated at 86 million Reichsmarks. Residential buildings accounted for 45%, cultural buildings and monuments 4.4%, school buildings 3.4%, Reichsbahn and Reichspost buildings 3.2%, administration buildings 2.7% and commercial and other buildings 41%.

Numerous residential areas were affected by air strikes and artillery shelling. In the old town of Erfurt were particularly affected: Kreuzgasse, Gotthardtstrasse, Horngasse, Michaelisstrasse, Hügelgasse, Pergamentergasse, Rathausgasse, Comthurgasse, Marbacher Gasse, Barfüßer-Strasse, Augustiner-Strasse, Futterstrasse, Pilse, Große Ackerhofsgasse, Huttenplatz and Venice. The largest contiguous destroyed district was between Thomasstrasse, Großer Engengasse, Löberring, Gartenstrasse and Löberstrasse.

Along with the destroyed residential and business premises, a large number of historical secular and sacred buildings fell into ruins.

A dud exploded on the premises of the Danker scrap company in December 1947 , again damaging the façade and interior of the Herderschule, which had been badly hit in March 1945. It was not until March 1949 that the students were able to return to their school. Wolf gives the explosion of a mine bomb at the same scrap company on Heckerstieg on January 26, 1948, by which 80 apartments were totally destroyed. There were 2 dead and 107 injured.

Loss of and damage to cultural buildings

The following information comes partly from Helmut Wolf Erfurt in the aerial warfare 1939–1945 , but mostly from the standard work “Fate of German Architectural Monuments in the Second World War”. Rudolf Zießler, who edited the chapter “Erfurt”, wrote: “Erfurt was one of the most valuable historical city centers in Germany, especially in the area of ​​the former inner wall ring”.

Dance of Death by Hans Walther (1947) for the destruction of the Barefoot Church and living area
Basement of the Augustinian Library (2005), in which 267 people died

Church buildings

  • The Augustinian monastery was severely damaged by mine bombs on February 25, 1945. The Waidhäuser and the library building including its cellar were completely destroyed (with 267 civilians killed, including many children from the orphanage). The enclosure was badly damaged, especially the winter refectory with the old priory, as well as the southern part of the west wing (Martinstift) and the building connecting it to the library. The other monastery buildings (orphanage, guest house, cloister) and the Augustinian Church were only slightly less affected. A large part of the precious books of the Martinsstift (3,200 volumes) were lost, while the books of the Evangelical Ministry that were stored in village churches were saved.
  • The barefoot church in its nave was largely destroyed by a mine bomb on November 27, 1944, the night of the Sunday of the Dead. The medieval colored glass windows had been saved by removing them and storing them in the cellars under the cathedral crypt. On the wall of the ruin, a relief “Dance of Death” by Hans Walther (1947) reminds of the fate of the building and the neighboring residential area. The neighboring rectory was also badly damaged and the neighboring residential area destroyed.
  • The Erfurt Cathedral was not hit directly, but explosive and mine bombs fell several times in its immediate vicinity. He suffered considerable damage in the area of ​​the high choir, especially on February 19, 1945: the roof was covered, the roof structure damaged, all the window panes smashed, the ribs of five of the large choir windows were broken off. The medieval windows were saved by being stored in the cellars under the crypt. Other works of art, such as the Gothic choir stalls, were also protected by relocation or walling. The towers were damaged by artillery fire in April 1945. It was not until 1949 that the cathedral could resume its function after restoration.
  • The Thomaskirche in Schillerstraße was severely damaged by the effects of high explosive bombs on March 31, 1945, and the east side of the central nave was torn open.
  • The Ursuline convent church on the Anger was badly hit on July 20, 1944, and the roof and stucco ceiling were destroyed. The monastery church burned down, as well as a side wing of the monastery building.
  • The Kaufmannskirche was badly damaged by a mine bomb detonation nearby on November 11, 1944; the restoration lasted until 1952.
  • The Michaelis church was badly damaged by bombs on March 9, 1945 on the roof and work indoors, including the organ. It was not until 1960 that it was able to resume its function after rebuilding.
  • In 1944/45 the Predigerkirche suffered indirect damage to the roof structure and the windows from high explosive bombs in the neighborhood. In this condition she was exposed to the elements for a long time.
  • The Schottenkirche St. Jacob was more heavily damaged by artillery fire in April 1945, on the west facade, on the roof and inside (organ gallery).
  • The Bartholomäusturm am Anger, originating from the former Bartholomäuskirche, lost its wooden pointed helmet due to being shot in April 1945. The tracery balustrade was also destroyed.

Profane buildings (in some cases of considerable urban value)

  • Development around the Augustinian monastery: many buildings destroyed by mine bombs on February 25, 1945. Among them are the five western building axes of the Georgenburse , the former home of Martin Luther at times
  • Development in the area of ​​the back buildings of the Hohe Lilie and the "Green Pharmacy": Hundorfgasse, Stunzengasse, houses from the 15th to 19th centuries. The transverse structure and the front gabled house of the historic Hohe Lilie Inn were also affected.
  • Buildings in the Barfüßerkirche area, residential buildings from the 17th to 19th centuries, completely destroyed by a mine bomb on November 27, 1944
  • Development in the area of Schlösserstraße , Schlösserbrücke, Junkersand, Pilse, Behind the Town Hall: residential buildings from the 15th to 19th centuries, largely destroyed. The town hall suffered damage to the facade and interior from artillery fire in April 1945.
  • Development in the areas of Futterstraße , Wenigemarkt , Meienbergstraße and Johannesstraße : Town houses on the south side of Futterstraße significantly affected. The house "Zum Kronprinz" and the hotel "König von Preußen" were completely destroyed, and "Zum Rebenstock" was badly damaged.
  • Development in the Kreuzgasse area: houses from the 15th to 19th centuries, considerable damage
  • The Krämerbrücke : damaged by artillery fire on April 11, 1945
  • The Collegium Maius , the former main university building on Michaelisstrasse, was completely destroyed by explosive bombs on February 9, 1945
  • The historic town houses "Zum Greifenstein" and "Zum Schwarzen Rößchen" in Michaelisstrasse were lost on February 9, 1945, as was the last wall tower (tower 23) of the former outer fortress ring.
  • The Kurmainzische Lieutenancy ("The Government") was damaged on the balustrade and in the area of ​​the guard houses
  • The house "Zum Helm" on the corner of Anger and Schlösserstraße was destroyed and demolished
  • The Angermuseum , the former Kurmainzische Packhof, was badly damaged on the facade and roof on February 19, 1945
  • The house Große Arche 14, a three-story, nine-axis Renaissance building, was destroyed and demolished
  • The house "Zum Güldenen Kranich" from 1425, a former bar house of the Carthusians, was destroyed and demolished

Loss of life

Memorial for bomb victims in the main cemetery: Ehrenhain II

According to official information, the number of civilians, mostly women and children, killed in bombing raids on Erfurt (then the city area) was 1,392. Helmut Wolf assumes that there were more. The Nazi propaganda would have tried to minimize the effects of the bombing war. For years after the end of the war, the remains of buried victims were found during construction work. The number of injuries - some seriously - was several times that of the fatalities. According to Wolf, the number of civilian fatalities in Erfurt, including the incorporated towns, the victims of low-flying aircraft, artillery shelling and other acts of war, is likely to be 1,600. 75 residents of Dittelstedt and 21 in Bindersleben died from bombs and in Marbach 24 people died in their cellars when they were shot at with HE shells .

Burial and memorial sites

Most of the Erfurt bomb victims are among the war dead in the main cemetery in Erfurt , not a few also in the former southern cemetery (now the southern park ) and in district cemeteries. 784 war dead (1939–1945) rest on Ehrenhain II, 748 on Ehrenhain III and 154 on the so-called "Hamburger Block" (named after the Hamburg bomb victims who died in Erfurt in 1943) in the main cemetery, 108 in today's Südpark. On the Ehrenhain II there is a memorial column from 1958 with the inscription: " The dead admonish - the victims of the terror bombing from the Second World War ". In 1952 the sculptor Helmut Braun created the memorial MEMENTO "To the victims of the bombing war 1944-1945" for the Ehrenhain III . It was completely renovated in 2019.

After the fall of the Wall , worthy memorials were built in the cemeteries in and around Erfurt, and some grave fields had already been leveled during the GDR era.

  • Bomb victims, main cemetery Erfurt Ehrenhain II

  • MEMENTO Bomb victim Erfurt Ehrenhain III

  • Bomb victim Erfurt Ehrenhain III

  • "Place of Silence" in the basement of the former Augustinian library built in 2010 (267 dead)

memory

In Erfurt, the air strikes and their consequences tend to be viewed as less serious in view of the destruction in other German cities. A well-read city guide writes: "Erfurt was largely spared from bombing attacks." In fact, however, there were at least 27 air raids (17 of which were classified as light and ten as moderate), with an estimated drop of 4,000 bombs (calculated from the documented 1,100 tons of bomb load and acceptance of mostly 250 kg bombs).

literature

  • Walter Geiger: Nordhausen in the bomber visor - On the air war fate of a central German city 1940–1945. Neukirchner, Nordhausen 2000, ISBN 3-929767-43-0 .
  • Olaf Groehler : bombing war against Germany. Academy, Berlin 1990, ISBN 3-05-000612-9 .
  • Helmut Wolf: Erfurt in the air war 1939–1945 (= writings of the association for the history and antiquity of Erfurt . Vol. 4). Glaux, Jena 2005, ISBN 3-931743-89-6 .
  • Rudolf Zießler : District of Erfurt. In: Götz Eckardt (Ed.): Fates of German architectural monuments in the Second World War. A documentation of the damage and total losses in the area of ​​the GDR. Volume 2. Henschel, Berlin 1978. pp. 474-486.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Tragedy of the Augustinian Monastery on February 25, 1945
  2. ↑ Helmut Wolf: Erfurt in the air war 1939-1945 . P. 259
  3. ↑ Helmut Wolf: Erfurt in the air war 1939-1945 . P. 255
  4. ↑ Erfurt. The Wigbertihof . Ed. City of Erfurt, 2005. P. 12
  5. ↑ Karsten Grobe: Air raid shelters in the walls. Thuringian newspaper, February 20, 2015
  6. ↑ Karsten Grobe: Walled access exposed. Citadel Petersberg ... . Thuringian newspaper, January 5, 2019
  7. ↑ Helmut Wolf: Erfurt in the air war 1939-1945 . Jena, 2005. pp. 72-74
  8. ↑ Karsten Grobe: Rarities of the mill history. Thuringian regional newspaper, April 25, 2018
  9. ↑ Helmut Wolf: Erfurt in the air war 1939-1945 . Jena 2005. pp. 64, 66-68, 70-71
  10. ↑ Helmut Wolf: Erfurt in the air war 1939-1945 . Jena 2005. pp. 58/59
  11. ^ Olaf Groehler: Bomb war against Germany . Akademie-Verlag, Berlin 1990. pp. 35, 62, 69, 74, 179, 332/333, 365, 385
  12. ^ Olaf Groehler: Bomb war against Germany. Akademie-Verlag, Berlin 1990. pp. 432-433
  13. ^ Walter Geiger: Nordhausen in the bomber sight. Neukirchner, Nordhausen 2000. pp. 293-294
  14. ↑ http://www.erfurt-web.de/Verhahrung_Luftangriff_4._April_1945
  15. ↑ Helmut Wolf: Erfurt in the air war 1939-1945 . Glaux, Jena 2005. pp. 212, 213, 252
  16. ↑ http://www.erfurt-web.de/Verhahrung_Luftangriff_4._April_1945
  17. ↑ Helmut Wolf: Erfurt in the air war 1939-1945 . Glaux-Verlag, Jena 2005. pp. 250, 251
  18. ↑ Helmut Wolf: Erfurt in the air war 1939-1945 . Glaux-Verlag, Jena 2005. pp. 284-286
  19. ↑ The cemetery signpost . Edited by the city administration of Erfurt. 3rd edition, 2014. p. 29
  20. ↑ Helmut Wolf: Erfurt in the air war 1939-1945 . Glaux, Jena 2005. p. 140
  21. ↑ Helmut Wolf: Erfurt in the air war 1939-1945 . Jena 2005. p. 244
  22. ↑ a b c d Helmut Wolf: Erfurt in the air war 1939-1945 . Glaux-Verlag, 2005. pp. 252-259
  23. ↑ Eberhard Menzel: On the varied history of the Erfurt Herderschule (1023-2014) . City and history, magazine for Erfurt. No. 63, 02/16. P. 11
  24. ↑ Helmut Wolf: Erfurt in the air war 1939-1945 . Glaux-Verlag, Jena 2005. p. 253
  25. ^ Rudolf Zießler: Erfurt . In: Götz Eckardt: Fate of German architectural monuments in the Second World War . Henschel-Verlag, Berlin 1978. Volume 2. pp. 474-486
  26. ↑ Memory of the victims of the bomb attack. Prayer and podium in the Augustinian monastery . Thuringian regional newspaper, February 25, 2015
  27. ↑ Martin Fischer: The Erfurt Domberg in the shadow of the Second World War . Yearbook for Central German Church and Order History. 12th year 2016. Verlag FW Cordier. Heiligenstadt, 2016. pp. 77–115. ISBN 978-3-939848-52-3
  28. ↑ Helmut Wolf: Erfurt in the air war 1939-1945 . Glaux, Jena 2005. pp. 260-261
  29. ↑ Helmut Wolf: Erfurt in the air war 1939-1945 . Jena 2005. pp. 198, 262
  30. ^ Memorial to bomb victims is being renovated . Thuringian national newspaper, June 14, 2019
  31. ↑ Helmut Wolf: Erfurt in the air war 1939-1945 . Glaux, Jena 2005. pp. 262, 263, 283
  32. ↑ The cemetery signpost . Edited by the city administration of Erfurt. 3rd edition, 2014. pp. 28–29
  33. ^ Hermann H. Saitz : Erfurt on foot. 5th edition. Miniathür, Erfurt 2010.

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Commons : Air raids on Erfurt  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files