Air raids on Wiener Neustadt

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The air raids on Wiener Neustadt caused such severe damage to the city between 1943 and 1945 that, along with Tokyo , Hiroshima , Nagasaki , Dresden , Düren , Paderborn and Coventry, it was one of the cities that suffered the greatest destruction in the air war during the Second World War . After two years of bombing, only 18 of a total of 4,178 objects showed no damage at the end of the war. Around 900 people died as a result of the bombs, while around 400 American crew members and more than 80 German pilots lost their lives in the aerial battles.

Despite the great destruction, it must be noted that Wiener Neustadt was not the victim of a moral-bombing strategy , but simply had to pay tribute to the then limited possibilities for precision attacks.

The importance of Wiener Neustadt as a target for the Allied bomber fleets

This replica of a Bf 109 with original parts from the Wiener Neustädter Flugzeugwerke is now in the Aviaticum Aviation Museum .
Parts of a crashed Fighter Wing 54 machine were also used for the replica .
Tenders of the type 2'2'T30 were produced in the Rax works.

The importance of Wiener Neustadt as an air destination was due on the one hand to industrial facilities, which played an important role in German air armament, and on the other hand to its function as the largest field airport of the German Air Force and the resulting strategic role for the war in Southeast Europe.

With regard to armaments, the Wiener Neustädter Flugzeugwerke should be mentioned first, in which the standard fighter of the Luftwaffe, the Messerschmitt Bf 109 , was produced in large quantities. Of the 2,673 Bf 109 fighters produced in 1942, 1,400, i.e. more than 50 percent, came from Wiener Neustadt.

Another important industrial company in the city was the Raxwerke , which developed into Germany's largest tender factory in the course of the war . The standard locomotives of the series 42 and 52 drove mostly with the tenders from Wiener Neustadt and formed the logistical basis for the troop supply of the German armed forces . In addition, unnoticed by the Allies, parts of the Aggregate 4 program were produced in the production facilities of the plants from the early summer of 1943 .

In and around Wiener Neustadt there were also several large companies that manufactured ammunition and artillery shells. Despite these armaments components, which are important for German warfare, such operations were seldom or not at all on the priority list of the American bomber units.

In the further course of the war, however, the Wiener Neustädter Luftpark was an important strategic goal, consisting of the air bases Wiener Neustadt West and Wiener Neustadt Ost , the former industrial airport of the Wiener Neustädter Flugzeugwerke, as well as an air yard. Both served as a hub for the air war in the south and south-east of Europe and repeatedly housed larger combat units of the Air Force. A large part of Luftflotte 4 set out from Wiener Neustadt on April 6 and 7, 1941, to destroy Belgrade from the air. At the beginning of the Balkan campaign , the first air raid took place, which was flown by a single Bristol Blenheim bomber of the Yugoslav Air Force. The enemy aircraft was so damaged by the flak forces at Wiener Neustädter Airport that it had to make an emergency landing at Markt Allhau .

The air raids on Wiener Neustadt

In the aerial warfare of the Second World War , the "Ostmark" and thus Wiener Neustadt as well were regarded as the "Reichs Luftschutzkeller " until autumn 1943 , because while areas in the west and north of the German Reich had been systematically bombed since the end of 1942, the targets in eastern Austria were out of reach American and English bombers. After the failed campaign in Tunisia by the German Africa Corps (DAK), however, the strategic situation changed suddenly with the surrender of the DAK and its allies on May 13, 1943. The Allied bomber squadrons now threatened the southern flank of the German Reich from their bases in Tunisia and Libya . The threat increased further when, after landing on the Italian mainland, the Allies began operating large airfields around the city of Foggia for their bomber fleet from the end of September 1943. In October they joined forces in the 15th Air Force , which was responsible for the strategic air war in the south and east of Europe until the end of the war.

First attack on the Wiener Neustädter Flugzeugwerke on August 13, 1943

The smashing of the German air defense industry was at the top of the Allied priority list from mid-1943 to mid-1944. For Wiener Neustädter Flugzeugwerke, this meant that they were the target for the attack of originally 101 Consolidated B-24 bombers as part of Operation Juggler on August 13, 1943 . Many of these bombers had been repaired but only barely, after they have been in a few days attacks on oil production facilities of Ploiesti had sustained serious damage. In total, only 65 machines managed to reach their destination and dropped 120 tons of high-explosive bombs at the plant. The Americans met with a completely surprised air defense, which had felt too safe in the Reich air raid shelter. The attack killed 134 people on the ground, including 26 French slave laborers . 128 were seriously injured, 806 were slightly wounded, and 1,500 were homeless. The Allied bomber squadrons lost three machines on the way back, with ten crew members being captured. One of the few German fighter planes that had tried to repel the attack crashed near Szombathely , whereby the pilot survived. The bombs had destroyed 30 brand-new Bf 109s on the ground, and a further 81 had to be repaired before being delivered to the Air Force. Overall, the monthly production of the Wiener Neustädter Flugzeugwerke sank from 280 to 180 machines.

Second attack on the Wiener Neustädter Flugzeugwerke on October 1, 1943

This B-24 crashed on October 1, 1943 near Naintsch , only one crew member got away with his life.

In the course of the Allied air offensive against German air armaments, aircraft factories in southern Germany were again on the list of targets for heavy American bomber groups on October 1st. While the attack on the Messerschmitt works in Augsburg had to be canceled due to the weather and instead Feldkirch was bombed as an alternative target , the attack on the Wiener Neustädter Flugzeugwerke went as planned. A total of 90 B-24 bombers managed to drop 182 tons of high-explosive bombs on Wiener Neustadt, whereby the aircraft factories but also the Rax factories and parts of the city were hit due to the imprecise American targeting method. Unlike the first attack, this time the German side was prepared. The flak forces had been increased considerably and the Luftwaffe had also moved a battle-tested unit with the I. Group of Jagdgeschwader 27 to the Ostmark, which promptly inflicted heavy losses on the bombers already on their way back. On the ground there were 52 dead in the industrial plants and 51 others in Wiener Neustadt and the surrounding area. The American attackers lost 56 casualties and 49 other crew members who were taken prisoners of war. The German fighter pilots lost four aircraft, with one pilot having a fatal crash landing. The attack resulted in a 40 percent loss of production in the aircraft factories.

Failed attack on Wiener Neustädter Flugzeugwerke on October 24, 1943

The B-17 was next to the B-24 the second type of bomber that the 15th Air Force bomber groups flew.

On August 24th, the American Air Force wanted to attack the Wiener Neustädter Flugzeugwerke again. 175 bombers were to be used, but due to the bad weather, numerous B-17 and B-24 had to turn back prematurely. The rest did not find the primary target or, in some cases, unknowingly bombed the wrong targets. Wiener Neustadt was spared, but a total of 29 people lost their lives in Neunkirchen and Ebenfurth . The remarkable thing about this attack was that it was the first time that the bombers were protected by their own escort fighters as far as Lake Balaton .

Third attack on the Wiener Neustädter Flugzeugwerke on November 2, 1943

After the attack that failed on October 24, the next attack on Wiener Neustädter Flugzeugwerke took place on November 2. The American bombers performed this for the first time as part of the 15th Air Force, which had been formed the day before under the command of James Harold Doolittle . Of the 139 B-17 and B-24 launched, 112 reached the Wiener Neustadt area. While residential areas and factories that were not the actual target were also hit in this attack, there were a number of hits in the aircraft factory, which hit aircraft production to the core. In addition to important assembly facilities, 115 prefabricated and 5 finished Bf 109s and 80 engines were totally destroyed. By December, monthly production had dropped from 213 to 37 machines, so that Defense Minister Albert Speer was forced to order the decentralization of aircraft production in Wiener Neustadt.

The attack also resulted in high human casualties with 102 dead. These included members of the air base, which was also badly damaged. The attackers lost eleven machines, with 69 crew members being killed and 40 being captured by Germany. For the German command this result was nevertheless not satisfactory, because about 100 fighters from different fighter squadrons ( 3 , 27, 27 , 51 and 53 ) were available to repel the attack . The air force also had to mourn the loss of twelve machines and the deaths of three pilots. Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring was so angry about the performance of his fighter pilots that he summoned the commanders of the participating fighter groups to Salzburg for a report .

Failed attack on the Wiener Neustädter aircraft factory on January 7, 1944

The 82nd Fighter Group, armed with the P-38 Lightning, scored the most kills of any five fighter groups in the 15th Air Force.

The next attack on the aircraft works was planned for January 7th. 113 four-engine bombers were scheduled to fly this airstrike, but weather forced them to bomb replacement targets in Italy and Yugoslavia instead. For the first time, the American fighter groups managed to position 24 of their own fighters over the target, where they were supposed to wait for the bombers to arrive. Since these did not come, the Lockheed P-38 returned to Italy. They were attacked by numerous German fighter planes and Group II of Jagdgeschwader 53 succeeded in shooting down eight American fighters.

Fourth attack on the Wiener Neustädter aircraft factory on April 12, 1944

The 325th Fighter Group was one of three fighter groups of the 15th Air Force that was equipped with the P-51 Mustang.

Before this attack, there had been remarkable changes on both sides of the front. The Wiener Neustädter Flugzeugwerke and their relocating companies were able to ramp up their production to 400 machines a month by March. In contrast, there was a massive reinforcement of the 15th Air Force, which had been operating for several months from field airfields around Foggia , Italy . After the air fleet only had six bomber groups in the autumn, there were already 19 with over 1000 aircraft at the beginning of April. The fighter groups had not only been increased in numbers, but some of the squadrons now had the best fighter aircraft of the war, the North American P-51 Mustang.

The April 12 attack was originally flown with 150 bombers, 136 of which made it to the target. The American fighters had in the meantime been retrofitted with additional fuel tanks, so that 90 of the 118 fighters launched could accompany the bombers to Wiener Neustadt. There they managed to repel most of the attacks by German fighters on the bombers, so that American losses were limited. On that day, the Americans lost six aircraft from units approaching Wiener Neustadt. Seven other machines were lost in units that attacked other targets in eastern Austria. The German Air Force paid for its success in shooting down with the loss of 15 of its own aircraft.

The Wiener Neustädter Flugzeugwerke were hit, but the loss of production was limited to around 20 percent. The bomb hits by the Allies were again widely scattered this time due to the imprecise aiming method. They hit residential areas, the air base and caused a 100 percent loss of production in a factory that produced artillery shells. 81 people were killed on the ground, the Americans lost 11 dead and 22 prisoners of war crew members, and the German air force had to cope with 14 dead pilots.

Fifth attack on the Wiener Neustädter aircraft factory on April 23, 1944

The next attack took place on April 23 with 203 of the originally 259 bombers, which were accompanied by 178 fighters, of which 154 made it to the target. Other American units attacked Bad Vöslau and Schwechat . Nine of the 20 aircraft shot down that day belonged to the units that had Wiener Neustadt in their sights. The German side lost 13 machines and eight pilots.

The American bombs not only fell on the aircraft factory, but also caused damage to other industrial facilities and residential areas, killing 48 people.

Sixth attack on the Wiener Neustädter aircraft factory on May 10, 1944

Original part of a B-17 that was shot down on May 10, 1944 over Riedlingsdorf .

Since the American aerial reconnaissance had shown after the last attack that the aircraft factories were still producing and that almost 100 brand-new Bf 109s had been made ready for handover to the Air Force at Wiener Neustadt Ost airport, the 15th Air Force decided on that day all of their efforts Use air forces against Wiener Neustadt. The massive force that set in motion on the morning of May 10th consisted of 755 bombers and nearly 300 fighters. Due to the bad weather, the last third of the bomber armada turned back prematurely, so that in the end almost 400 bombers carried out the attack. The German hunters who opposed this attack consisted of about two hundred machines. In the air battle that followed, 34 American and 17 German aircraft fell victim. The attackers lost 102 dead and 166 prisoners of war, on the German side 14 pilots were killed. In the urban area of ​​Wiener Neustadt, this attack surprisingly resulted in only 18 deaths, while there were numerous deaths in villages along the approach path. The various industrial companies were hit hard again, with the loss of production at the aircraft factories, which were already largely decentralized, kept within limits.

First attack on Wiener Neustädter Luftpark on May 24, 1944

Since the production facilities of the aircraft factory in Wiener Neustadt had been destroyed, the air park became the focus of the Allies' interest. The next attack on the city was aimed at him, which was carried out by 226 bombers (of the original 420), which were protected by around 140 escort fighters. The number of German defenses was roughly the same as that of American fighters. The attackers lost 16 machines in the aerial battles, 40 crew members were killed and 99 were taken prisoner of war. On the German side, the losses amounted to 14 aircraft and 9 dead pilots.

On the ground, the industrial facilities that had already been hit many times were plowed up again. The damage in the air park was limited, but there were again numerous hits in the residential areas. 29 people were killed in Wiener Neustadt and at least as many in the surrounding area.

Second attack on Wiener Neustädter Luftpark on May 29, 1944

The Bf 110 was hopelessly inferior to the American escort fighters and could only be used successfully as a night fighter towards the end of the war .

The American air reconnaissance had not escaped the bad impact on the air park during the last attack. She was also able to determine that parts of the production process had been relocated from the heavily destroyed aircraft factories to the shipyards of the aircraft park. The next attack was therefore ordered for May 29, which was ultimately carried out by 408 bombers, which were escorted by 210 escort fighters. 115 German Bf 109s and 25 Messerschmitt Bf 110s of destroyer squadron 1 faced them . The outdated destroyers in particular were hopelessly inferior to the American escort fighters and had losses of more than 50 percent. At the end of the day, the German air force had lost 24 machines with 31 crew members, only eleven were able to save themselves by parachute. American casualties were also high, with 23 planes shot down, 42 dead and 63 prisoners of war crew members high.

The damage on the ground was enormous, the air park was hit decisively this time and many important facilities were destroyed. The number of deaths was relatively low at 30 in view of the great damage. However, a total of 152 people lost their lives in communities in the surrounding area and other target areas.

Attack on the relocation operations of the Wiener Neustädter Flugzeugwerke on May 30, 1944

The very next day, more than 500 American bombers flew attacks on important relocating operations of the Wiener Neustädter Flugzeugwerke in Pottendorf , Ebreichsdorf , Neudörfl and Neunkirchen, which had been identified by the excellent American aerial reconnaissance. These goals were hit hard, so that the German arms industry was forced to further decentralize aircraft production to finally 39 locations.

Allied target change, withdrawal of anti-aircraft forces, armament of the 15th Air Force

After the smashing of German air armaments, the oil industry moved into the focus of the Allied planning. For Wiener Neustadt, this meant an end to the large air raids and the withdrawal of significant anti-aircraft forces that had been gathered around the city in the past twelve months.

The enemy bombers did not return until the end of 1944, when the Allies began to bomb traffic hubs all over Germany. Since Wiener Neustadt was an important hub in the Deutsche Reichsbahn network , it reappeared on the target lists of American bombers.

In the air the balance of power had changed dramatically in the past few months. While the German Air Force was bleeding more and more, the 15th Air Force swelled to a formation with 1,500 bombers and 700 fighters. Since the German fighters no longer posed a serious threat in the last months of the war, the American escort fighters switched to carrying out low-level attacks on less important targets.

Allied air raids on Wiener Neustadt train station

Between December 1944 and March 1945 there were a total of twelve air raids on the station. Wiener Neustadt was mostly declared as an alternative or secondary destination, i.e. H. the planes only attacked when the actual target of the day could not be bombed due to bad weather. The risk for the attackers to be shot down had fallen sharply compared to before, because there were virtually no German fighters left that could have taken on the American superior force. On the ground, the air defense had to be weakened in recent months because the guns were needed at other hot spots. For the city, these attacks meant the final death blow, because due to the imprecise targeting method of the American attackers, areas that had been spared until now were also increasingly bombed. The hit effect in residential areas was particularly devastating when the bomber crews had no direct view of the bomb target due to bad weather and instead had to use the H2S radar system for the target approach.

Smaller attacks with a few machines usually only caused minor property damage and usually did not cause any loss of life. Such attacks took place on the following days:

  • December 27, 1944: attack with seven bombers
  • February 21, 1945: attack with six bombers; six dead
  • March 12th: attack with eleven bombers
  • March 20: attack with twelve bombers
  • March 23rd: attack by a bomber
  • March 30th: attack by six bombers and four fighters

However, some of the attacks were comparable to the mass attacks of 1943 and 1944.

February 15, 1945

On that day, the 15th Air Force bombed railway facilities in Vienna and throughout Lower Austria from Gloggnitz to Zwettl . Some of the escort fighters attacked trains and railway systems along the routes at low altitude. More than 100 American bombers were planned for the attack on Wiener Neustadt. They caused massive destruction in the train station and the surrounding areas. 37 people paid with their lives for this attack, 170 were left homeless. 22 of the dead were rescued from an air raid shelter near the Capuchin Church, which had received a direct hit. The American attackers suffered no losses.

March 4, 1945

Again, more than 100 Allied bombers attacked the station in Wiener Neustadt and destroyed part of the railway facilities. As other railway systems in eastern Lower Austria and western Hungary were damaged, supplies for the armed forces fighting east collapsed for a few days. In Wiener Neustadt, the residential area south of the water tower was also hit, but the human losses remained relatively low with nine deaths.

March 14, 1945

On this day, 300 bombers of the 15th Air Force were to attack the train station in Bruck an der Mur . The bomber crews had the order to drop their bombs on the railway systems of the primary target only when visibility was good, so that the bomb load really caused maximum damage to the targeted target. In the event that this requirement was not met, the bombers should fly further north and attack alternative destinations such as the Wiener Neustadt train station. According to the weather forecast, the crews would find optimal visibility further north. The tragedy for Wiener Neustadt was that there was a closed cloud cover both over the primary destination Bruck and over Wiener Neustadt. Because of the poor visibility, the American bombers avoided bombing the primary target as ordered, but since this order did not apply to the secondary target, they carried out the bombing on Wiener Neustadt with the help of the radar equipment installed on board the lead machines. The consequences for the population were devastating because these bombs, thrown almost blindly by 300 American bombers, hit widely scattered throughout the city and killed 123 people. 131 houses were destroyed, 186 severely and 164 moderately damaged, causing 1,500 people to lose their homes.

March 15, 1945

The attack went very differently a day later when 100 bombers attacked the station again. This time the visibility was so good that many bombs actually hit the target. Serious destruction on the station premises was the result. Private houses around the Bahnhofsviertel were also affected, but in the meantime many residents of Wiener Neustadt had already left this endangered area. Compared to the previous day there was only one dead and 350 homeless this time.

March 16, 1945

For the third day in a row, the 15th Air Force attacked Wiener Neustadt. This time the armed force comprised 150 bombers, which had to drop their bombs partly on sight, but partly also with the radar. As a result, many private houses were destroyed or badly damaged on that day, so that 1200 people no longer had a place to stay. The human losses with 20 dead were far less than on March 14th.

March 26, 1945

The last major attack on the station before the end of the war was carried out by 200 bombers, which this time too did not have optimal visibility. The result was again numerous false throws in the city, especially the city center suffered from this attack. The attack claimed 33 lives, and 800 people no longer had a home.

American low-flying and Red Army attacks

In addition to the attacks on the train station, there were also attacks by American low-flying planes. These alternated in the last days of March with attacks by the Red Army air force . These announced the approach of the front, because the Soviets were at the gates of Wiener Neustadt in early April 1945 as part of their Vienna operation . The very last air attack by American low-flying aircraft on April 2 killed 27 German soldiers when a bomb fell in the middle of a column of trucks in front of the Theresian Military Academy . During the day the Red Army captured the city.

Balance sheet

Overview of allied forces deployed and their losses

In the period between August 1943 and April 1945, Allied bombers carried out over thirty attacks on Wiener Neustadt. Almost 3,000 aircraft dumped their bomb load over the city. 101 bombers and 50 escort fighters were shot down by German flak and aviation forces, with almost 400 crew members killed and nearly 500 taken prisoners by Germany.

date unit Planes about goal losses KIA POW
0April 6, 1941 Yugosl. air force 1/0 1/0 1/0 3
August 13, 1943 09th Air Force 101/0 65/0 3/0 10
0October 1, 1943 12th Air Force 124/0 90/0 15/0 56 49
October 24, 1943 12th Air Force 175/88 3/0 20th
0November 2, 1943 15th Air Force 139/76 112/0 11/0 69 40
0January 7, 1944 15th Air Force 92/113 0/24 0/8 2 3
April 12, 1944 15th Air Force 150/118 136/90 4/1 11 22nd
April 23, 1944 15th Air Force 259/178 203/154 4/5 18th 25th
May 10, 1944 15th Air Force 755/284 406/261 30/4 102 166
May 24, 1944 15th Air Force 420/154 226/137 14/2 40 91
May 29, 1944 15th Air Force 420/242 408/210 12/11 42 63
December 27, 1944 15th Air Force 13/0 7/0
February 15, 1945 15th Air Force 110/62 108/60 0/1 1
February 21, 1945 15th Air Force 0/0 6/0
February 25, 1945 15th Air Force 0/28 0/28
0March 4, 1945 15th Air Force 128/51 103/44
March 12, 1945 15th Air Force 11/0 11/0
March 14, 1945 15th Air Force 285/92 282/88 1/0 1 9
March 15, 1945 15th Air Force 111/0 104/0 1/0
March 16, 1945 15th Air Force 151/35 144/32 2/4 14th 2
March 18, 1945 15th Air Force 0/39 0/39 0/3 1 2
March 20, 1945 15th Air Force 12/0 12/0
March 23, 1945 15th Air Force 1/0 1/0
March 26, 1945 15th Air Force 245/39 190/37 0/4 3 1
March 29, 1945 Red Army 25/0 25/0
March 30, 1945 15th Air Force 6/0 4/0
March 30, 1945 Red Army 15/0 15/0
March 31, 1945 15th Air Force 245/39 190/38 0/5 3 1
March 31, 1945 Red Army 13/0 13/0
0April 1, 1945 Red Army 0/103 0/103 1
0April 1, 1945 Red Army 15/0 15/0
0April 2, 1945 Red Army 29/72 29/72
0April 2, 1945 15th Air Force 0/34 0/34 0/1
Total: 4051/1847 2940/1417 101/50 383 478

Meaning of the table columns:

  • Date : date of the attack
  • Unit : Responsible High Command
  • Aircraft : number of bombers / escorts that took off for the attack
  • Above target : number of bombers / escort fighters who made it to the Wiener Neustadt target or accompanied the bombers to there
  • Loss : Number of aircraft that were shot down or otherwise lost.
  • KIA (Killed in Action) : crew members killed
  • POW (Prisoner of War) : crew members who have become prisoners of war

Overview of the German losses

In the aerial battles around Wiener Neustadt, a little more than 100 German aircraft crashed, killing 83 crew members. The Allied bombings cost the lives of more than 800 civilians, members of the Wehrmacht and forced laborers. More than 1,500 people were injured, 400 of them seriously, and nearly 10,000 people lost their homes.

date Aircraft losses Dead pilots dead Slightly injured Seriously injured homeless people
August 13, 1943 1 134 806 128 1500
0October 1, 1943 4th 1 96 60 26th 350
October 24, 1943 1 29 7th 10 150
0November 2, 1943 12 3 102 79 57 450
0January 7, 1944 2 3
April 12, 1944 15th 14th 81 19th 61 178
April 23, 1944 13 8th 48 24 23 400
May 10, 1944 17th 14th 18th 14th 2 1200
May 24, 1944 14th 9 29 21st 25th 800
May 29, 1944 24 31 30th 34 17th 600
December 27, 1944
February 15, 1945 37 21st 7th 170
February 21, 1945 6th 10
February 25, 1945
0March 4, 1945 9 9 3 40
March 12, 1945
March 14, 1945 123 40 29 1500
March 15, 1945 1 350
March 16, 1945 20th 1200
March 18, 1945
March 20, 1945
March 23, 1945
March 26, 1945 33 11 15th 800
March 29, 1945
March 30, 1945
March 30, 1945
March 31, 1945
March 31, 1945
0April 1, 1945
0April 1, 1945
0April 2, 1945
0April 2, 1945 27
Total: 103 83 823 1145 403 9698

consequences

When the Red Army captured Wiener Neustadt on April 2, they found only a few civilians in the city, as many residents had fled the American air raids and the approaching Soviet ground troops. Around 250 German and 550 Soviet soldiers were killed in the fighting in the urban area.

The city's infrastructure was badly damaged by the Allied bombing raids. Of a total of 4,178 objects, 40 percent were destroyed, 50 percent severely to lightly and 10 percent slightly damaged. Only 18 objects were considered completely undamaged.

The civilian population returned to the destroyed city after the end of the war. By September 1946 she had managed to clear about a third of the estimated 660,000 cubic meters of rubble from the city. Starting in 1947, the municipal council outsourced the remaining clean-up work to Wiener Neustädter construction companies, but the local population also continued to help clear the rubble on their own.

Bibliography

  • Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Reich. 3rd revised edition, Kral-Verlag 2014, ISBN 978-3-99024-237-7 .
  • Leopold Banny: Dröhnender Himmel - Brennendes Land - The deployment of air force helpers in Austria 1943–1945 , Österreichischer Bundesverlag Gesellschaft mbH, Vienna 1988, ISBN 978-3-215-06272-8 .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b c Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Reich. 3rd revised edition, p. 4, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  2. ^ A b c Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Reich. 3rd revised edition, p. 275 ff, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  3. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, p. 29, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  4. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, pp. 42 and 43, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  5. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, pp. 45 and 51, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  6. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, pp. 52 and 56, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  7. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, pp. 58 and 59, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  8. ^ Air raids by the Yugoslav Air Force on April 6 and 7, 1941 , website regiowiki.at, accessed on January 29, 2015.
  9. ^ Emergency landing of a Bristol Blenheim near Markt Allhau in March 1941 , website regiowiki.at, accessed on January 29, 2015.
  10. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, p. 157, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  11. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, pp. 280 to 285, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  12. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, p. 298, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  13. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, p. 312, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  14. ^ A b Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, p. 1194, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  15. ^ A b Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, p. 1206, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  16. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, pp. 307 and 308, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  17. ^ Crash of a B-17 near Naintsch on October 1, 1943 , website regiowiki.at, accessed on January 30, 2015.
  18. ^ Air raid on Feldkirch on October 1, 1943 , website regiowiki.at, accessed on January 29, 1944.
  19. ^ Air raid on Wiener Neustadt on October 1, 1943 , website regiowiki.at, accessed on January 29, 1944.
  20. ^ Losses of the 44th bomber group in the air raid on Wiener Neustadt on October 1, 1943 , website regiowiki.at, accessed on January 29, 1944.
  21. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, p. 373, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  22. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, pp. 389 and 396, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  23. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, pp. 398 and 402, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  24. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, pp. 443 and 446, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  25. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, pp. 1195 and 1196, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  26. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, pp. 1206 and 1207, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  27. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, p. 442, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  28. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, pp. 482 to 489, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  29. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, pp. 523 to 524, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  30. ^ A b Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, pp. 1196 to 1197, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  31. ^ A b Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, pp. 1207 to 1208, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  32. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, pp. 542 to 545, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  33. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, pp. 569 to 571, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  34. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, pp. 1197 to 1198, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  35. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, p. 1208, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  36. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, pp. 590 to 601, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  37. ↑ A B-17 shot down over Riedlingsdorf in 1944 , website regiowiki.at, accessed on January 30, 2015.
  38. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, pp. 646 to 651, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  39. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, pp. 1198 to 1199, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  40. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, p. 1209, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  41. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, pp. 666 to 670, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  42. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, pp. 711 and 720, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  43. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, pp. 1199 to 1200, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  44. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, pp. 1209 to 1210, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  45. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, pp. 729 to 730, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  46. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, pp. 743, 744, 777 and 790, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  47. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, pp. 792 to 794, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  48. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, pp. 1210 to 1211, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  49. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, pp. 1201 to 1202, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  50. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, pp. 810 to 814, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  51. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, pp. 828 to 830, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  52. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, pp. 850 to 860, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  53. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, p. 900, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  54. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, pp. 951 to 953, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  55. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, pp. 904 to 908, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  56. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, pp. 937 to 941, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  57. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, pp. 972 to 973, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  58. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, p. 1030, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  59. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, p. 1035, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  60. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, p. 1074, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  61. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, pp. 926 to 930, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  62. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, pp. 961 to 965, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  63. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, pp. 975 to 985, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  64. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, pp. 1000 to 1002, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  65. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, pp. 1010 to 1017, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  66. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, pp. 1050 to 1054, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  67. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, p. 1100 ff, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  68. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, p. 1193, Kral-Verlag 2014.
  69. ↑ Markus Reisner: Bombs on Wiener Neustadt - The destruction of one of the most important armaments centers of the German Empire. 3rd revised edition, p. 1146, Kral-Verlag 2014.