Air raids on Gera

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In ten air raids on Gera during World War II , allied air forces - almost exclusively the United States Army Air Forces - dropped a total of 550 tons of bombs over Gera from May 1944 to April 1945 . Some 550 civilians lost their lives (including artillery fire and low-flying attacks), 1,800 homes were destroyed, and 11,450 were left homeless. Numerous commercial and utility companies, public buildings and cultural buildings fell victim to the attacks. A total of 250, mostly heavy four-engine bombers flew the attacks. In the spring of 1945 there was practically no air defense, no flak or fighter planes. The heaviest attack was the bombing of 109 Flying Fortresses B-17 on April 6, 1945 with high explosive and incendiary bombs, especially on the inner city , lower house and gates , one week before the invasion of the US ground forces. The city ​​was spared a planned final area bombing by the British Royal Air Force , as there was no longer enough time until the American occupation on April 14th.

Air defense measures

US aerial photo Gera May 1944

The “ Geraer Höhler ” played a special role in the context of passive air protection . It is a system of artificial underground cavities (deep cellars) below the level of normal cellars, which in the past was primarily designed for the cool storage of beer. These have now been systematically linked to one another. There were also public air raid shelters under breweries and under the castle. Gera belonged to the group of "II order air raids", in which no bomb-proof air raid shelters were built. The air protection problems were exacerbated by the fact that from 1943 Gera had to take in air war evacuates from the Ruhr area, especially from Wuppertal - Barmen . Gera was also involved in accepting entire schools as part of the Kinderland dispatch from this area. From the beginning of 1945 there were also displaced persons from the eastern regions. So the population density in the city increased continuously.

Attack planning

In the British list of targets (as part of the Area Bombing Directive ) in Germany with fish aliases in World War II, Gera was listed as White Marlin (swordfish, spearfish). Gera, with its gas works, railway station facilities and industry, was included in the continuously updated "bomb baedeker" for British air war planning and the bomber crews. On a revised list from Charles Portal , the commander-in-chief of the RAF, from January 1945, Gera was listed as a target among the German cities that "still had larger undestroyed urban areas". From February 1945, Gera was on a list for Allied area bombing as a “filling target”. Reason: to facilitate the Soviet advance, to hinder the movement of troops and refugees.

The individual attacks

American "flying fortresses" Boeing B-17 bombing (during World War II)
American "Liberators" B-24
War damage in Gera 1945

The following information is essentially based on the standard work by Günter Sagan, East Thuringia in the bombing war of 1939–1945 .

With the exception of the first and last bombing raids carried out by the RAF, these were operations by the 8th Air Force of the USAAF and, with the exception of the drop in 1940, always day attacks by a total of 250 heavy four-engine bombers. The main attacks began with the start of the major American offensive against the central German hydrogenation works in May 1944. East Thuringia was at the end of the Allied "bomber route" to these and other targets in central Germany, which avoided strong German flak positions . This also increased the likelihood of "attacks of opportunity" by bomber groups that had not found their primary target or that German anti-aircraft forces had evaded Gera.

  • August 18, 1940: at around 10 p.m., a surprise attack by an RAF aircraft with explosive and incendiary bombs on Gera ( Liebschwitz , Neu- Taubenpreskel ). Three people were killed and three others injured.
  • May 12, 1944: 14 US aircraft of the type B-17 Flying Fortress dropped 25 tons of explosive bombs on Gera as a "target of opportunity" on Reichsbahn facilities from Zwötzen to Neue Strasse, on residential areas and industry. In the hospital Stadtgarten eight wounded and two sisters died. A total of 85 people died and 80 apartments were destroyed.
  • May 28, 1944 (Pentecost Sunday): six B-17s of the 3rd Bombardment Division dropped 11.4 tons of explosive bombs on railroad, industrial and residential areas on Gera as a target of opportunity. There were 3 deaths, 20 apartments were destroyed.
  • July 7, 1944: a flying fortress B-17 crashed over Liebschwitz .
  • September 13, 1944: eleven B-17 bombers attacked Gera with 27.5 tons of explosive bombs from a height of 8,000 m, mistaken for their actual primary target, Merseburg . The Tinz district and the east quarter were particularly affected . Hospital, mountain school, a machine factory were hit, 200 apartments destroyed. There were 800 homeless and 44 dead.
  • October 7, 1944: 12 flying fortresses dropped 27 tons of explosive bombs on Gera as a "target of opportunity". Serious damage occurred in the Südbahnhof district. 200 homes were destroyed, 1,100 homeless and 62 dead.
  • November 30, 1944: 21 bombers dropped 52 tons of high explosive bombs on Gera as a "target of opportunity". The Südbahnhof district, industrial and railway facilities from Zwötzen to the main train station were particularly affected . The Reussian Theater was also hit. 120 apartments were destroyed, 13 people died.
  • February 6, 1945: Gera was the "target of opportunity" for 30 heavy bombers, dropping 34 tons of high explosive bombs. Tinz was particularly hit. 30 apartments were destroyed and 90 people died.
  • February 23, 1945: Gera was the primary target of 46 B-24 bombers of the 2nd Air Division of the 8th Air Force with 107.8 tons of bombs during Operation Clarion . Heavy damage occurred on both sides of the track from Zwötzen to the Hofwiesen, to industrial plants and in residential areas. 150 homes were destroyed, 800 homeless and 36 dead.
  • April 6, 1945: on this “Black Friday” Gera was the target of a heavy US air raid. 109 B-17 flying fortresses of the 3rd Air Division, accompanied by around 100 Mustang fighter planes, dropped 311.4 tons of bombs over Gera from 10.18 a.m. to 10.32 a.m.: mainly high-explosive bombs , but also 15,840 stick incendiary bombs . It was a concentrated attack from a height of around 4,500 m in a carpet throw. Serious damage occurred particularly in the city center, in Untermhaus and in Debschwitz. 1,000 apartments were destroyed, 8,000 people were made homeless, 160 Geraers died. The Osterstein Castle and other cultural buildings, the city museum, department stores, hotels (Alte Post, Goldene Sonne, Crown Prince), schools, homes, many other public buildings, banks, utilities (slaughterhouse, power station, freight yard) and factory facilities were hit. Much of the city center was on fire. The Gera barracks remained intact. After the bombing raid, low-flying aircraft deployed over the city area. The air protection officers at Gera registered the "relatively few dead" in relation to the considerable damage to the building as a success of their protective measures.
  • April 7, 1945: An RAF bomber dropped a 4,000-pound air mine and 9 high-explosive bombs over the city center, which was still burning. The city museum with its collections was hit again, as on the day before. There were three dead.
  • April 11 and 12, 1945: 11 people died in artillery fire and low-level aircraft with gunfire.
  • April 14, 1945: US troops enter Gera without resistance.

Fatalities and material damage

The total civilian death toll was 550 (including artillery fire and low-flying operations). The number of injuries was significantly greater. 1,800 homes were destroyed and 11,450 people were left homeless. Numerous commercial and utility companies, public buildings and cultural buildings fell victim to the attacks.

Loss of and damage to cultural buildings

This information is based on the standard work Eckardt Götz (ed.): Fates of German Architectural Monuments in the Second World War , 1978, in Volume 2: Rudolf Zießler: Gera (Stadtkreis Gera) . Also consulted: Günter Sagan: East Thuringia in the bombing war 1939–1945 .

  • Osterstein Castle : the former residential castle of Reuss younger line was hit badly by bombs on April 6, 1945 and burned down completely, including its furnishings (tapestry hall, marble hall), and the castle church was also affected. The neglected ruins of the castle were blown up in 1962, only the keep and the remains of farm buildings and the castle courtyard have been preserved. Relocated pieces of equipment were also destroyed, such as the tapestries in Schleiz Castle .
  • The former baroque orangery was badly damaged by bombs on April 6, 1945, especially in its south wing. The kitchen garden park was also bombed.
  • The Princely Reussian Theater was hit in a bomb attack on November 30, 1944, and the theater's set house was destroyed on April 6, 1945.
  • The Gera City Museum , the former breeding and orphanage, was badly damaged on April 6, 1945 and burned down along with its collections, then it was destroyed by a mine bomb on April 7.
  • The “Alte Post” was destroyed by bombs on April 6, 1945, with the exception of the street front, and the figure portal was damaged.
  • The “Näglersche Haus” (Burgstrasse 6) was destroyed by bombs on April 6, 1945, the ruins were removed in 1946 and the damaged portal was salvaged.
  • The “Kutschenbachsche Haus” (Johannisplatz 3) burned down during the bombing raid on April 6, 1945, the ruins were removed after 1954, and the baroque portal was incorporated into a new building. The house at Markt 6, which is connected to Kutschenbachschen, burned down on April 6, 1945.
  • The hotels “Goldene Sonne” and “Kronprinz” burned down on April 6th.
  • The baroque building at Markt 6 was destroyed.
  • Numerous individual buildings suffered minor damage, such as the Trinitatiskirche and the Gera town hall . Historical tombs next to the Trinity Church were lost.

Burial and memorial sites

Bomb victims 1944/45 in the east cemetery in Gera (partial view)
142 bomb victims from 1944/45 on grave field in the east cemetery in Gera

In the East Gera cemetery there is a large grave field with stone grave crosses in the style of the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge and a plaque with the inscription: “142 victims of the bombing of the Second World War on the city of Gera rest on this field”. The dates of death begin in May 1944 and end in April 1945. A little further away is a second, smaller cemetery with bomb victims. Numerous refugees from Silesia, including deaconesses, were buried there.

literature

  • Olaf Groehler : bombing war against Germany . Akademie-Verlag, Berlin 1990. ISBN 3-05-000612-9 .
  • Günter Sagan: East Thuringia in the bombing war 1939-1945 . Michael Imhof Verlag, Petersberg 2012. ISBN 978 3865686367 .
  • Rudolf Zießler : Gera . In: Eckardt Götz (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 . Henschel-Verlag, Berlin 1978. Volume 2. pp. 507-511.
  • Seven waves of bombers over Gera . Ostthüringer Zeitung (Gera), April 6, 2010.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Günter Sagan: East Thuringia in the bombing war 1939-1945 . 2012. p. 166
  2. ^ Günter Sagan: East Thuringia in the bombing war 1939-1945 . 2012. pp. 18-20.
  3. ^ Günter Sagan: East Thuringia in the bombing war 1939-1945 . 2012. p. 13.
  4. ^ Günter Sagan: East Thuringia in the bombing war 1939-1945 . 2012. p. 28.
  5. ^ Olaf Groehler: Bomb war against Germany . 1990, p. 35.
  6. ^ Günter Sagan: East Thuringia in the bombing war 1939-1945 . 2012. p. 26 ff.
  7. ^ Olaf Groehler: Bomb war against Germany . 1990. p. 385.
  8. ^ Günter Sagan: East Thuringia in the bombing war 1939-1945 . 2012. p. 39.
  9. ^ Günter Sagan: East Thuringia in the bombing war 1939-1945 . 2012. pp. 178/179.
  10. ^ Günter Sagan: East Thuringia in the bombing war 1939-1945 . 2012. pp. 40-41.
  11. ↑ Chronology of the history of Gera [1]
  12. ↑ Wikipedia Liebschwitz .
  13. ^ Günter Sagan: East Thuringia in the bombing war 1939-1945 . Imhoff 2012. p. 179.
  14. ^ Günter Sagan: East Thuringia in the bombing war 1939-1945 . 2012. p. 46.
  15. ^ Günter Sagan: East Thuringia in the bombing war 1939-1945 . 2012. p. 63.
  16. ^ Günter Sagan: East Thuringia in the bombing war 1939-1945 . 2012. pp. 126-142.
  17. ^ Günter Sagan: East Thuringia in the bombing war 1939-1945 . 2012. pp. 178-179.

Web links

Commons : Air raids on Gera  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files
  • Bomber over Gera on April 6, 1945 [2] 2010
  • Gera Chronicle [3]