Air raids on the Leuna Works

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During the Second World War , the US Army Air Forces (USAAF) and the Royal Air Force (RAF) carried out 22 heavy air raids on the Merseburg / Leuna area . The main goal was the Leuna works of IG Farben near Merseburg, one of the most important locations for the chemical industry in the German Empire . One of his main focuses was "coal liquefaction", the production of synthetic gasoline from lignite in hydrogenation plants . From May 12, 1944 to April 4, 1945, in 22 attacks, a total of 6,552 four-engine bombers dropped almost 18,000 tons of bombs (equivalent to around 83,000 bombs) over the greater Leuna / Merseburg / Lützkendorf / Schkopau area, around 10% of which hit the Leunawerk itself. In this “Battle for Leuna” the plant and its surroundings were severely damaged, which was repeatedly repaired makeshiftly at great expense between the attacks. In the workforce (around 27,000 people, including 16,500 foreigners) there were 341 dead and 703 injured. With the subsequent failure of 90% of German gasoline production, the war was, according to Albert Speer , "lost in terms of production technology" for the German Reich .

The air strikes on the German fuel industry

In the period from May 1944 to April 1945, the USAAF and the Royal Air Force dropped a total of 216,322 tons of bombs in 206 air raids on 24 hydrogenation and synthesis plants in the German Reich.

The “oil offensive” of the Western Allies was initiated on May 12, 1944 by 935 strategic bombers with hundreds of escort fighters from three Air Divisions of the 8th Air Force . From Great Britain , they attacked the five hydrogenation plants in Leuna , Lützkendorf , Böhlen , Zeitz-Tröglitz and Brüx / Oberleutensdorf at the same time and hit a vital nerve of the German war and civil economy.

The attacks on the Leuna works

American B-17 "Flying Fortress"
American B-24 "Liberator"
Avro Lancaster of the RAF Bomber Command
8.8 cm anti-aircraft gun (1943)
Eleven soldiers killed in flak position Zöschen in 1944

Before 1944, the Leunawerke were only affected twice by light attacks by the RAF: on the nights of 17/18. August and 19./20. August 1940.

In the 22 air raids from May 12, 1944 to April 4, 1945 on the "Ammoniakwerk Merseburg GmbH - Leuna", 6,552 four-engine bombers were involved. The USAAF deployed B-17 “Flying Fortress” and B-24 “Liberator” in daytime attacks , the Royal Air Force deployed Avro Lancasters and Mosquitos in night attacks, and the Americans were each accompanied by hundreds of fighter planes. 123 bombers were lost, mainly due to the anti-aircraft defense . A total of 17,979 tons of bombs were dropped on the Leuna / Merseburg area. According to another source, it was 18,100 tons, including RAF 5,400 and USAAF 12,700 tons. Rehmann gives 19,463 tons of high explosive bombs (calculated: 85,300 bombs). These were mostly high- explosive bombs weighing 50 to 500 kg, with a strong fragmentation effect, but also mine bombs in the calibers 1,000 and 1,800 kg, as well as incendiary bombs , thanks to the RAF . 7,229 high-explosive bombs exploded in the Leuna works themselves, and numerous duds were recovered. The Americans flew daytime attacks by sight, the British night attacks using the H2X radar. Despite intensive reconstruction efforts between the attacks by a workforce of 27,000 people (16,500 of whom were foreigners: Italian military internees , prisoners of war and foreign workers ), production fell by at least 50% in 1944 compared to 1943. In 1945 this decline was even stronger, until the almost complete destruction of the Leuna Works on April 4, 1945.

  • May 12, 1944: Air alarm at 1:27 p.m. 217 B-17s of the 1st Bombardment Division of the 8th Air Force attacked the Leuna works and the Lützkendorf mineral oil works from 1:48 p.m. to 2:08 p.m. in clear weather . According to another source, there were 224 B-17s on Leuna alone. 460 tons of bombs were thrown on Leuna, mostly high-explosive bombs. The surprising major attack had serious consequences. He claimed 125 (or 117 or 140) dead (67 of them German) and over 300 injured (88 of them seriously) and caused catastrophic damage in the chemical plant. It was completely silent after the attack, also because steam, electricity and water had failed. Partial commissioning with the production of aviation fuel took place again by May 25th . Total production was reduced by 60%. A bomber was lost.
  • May 28, 1944: Another attack by the USAAF , the 2nd Bombardment Division of the 8th Air Force dropped at 2:56 to 2:58 p.m. from 59 strategic B-24 bombers from a height of about 7,000 meters, 133 tons of GP bombs ( 1,650 pieces) to the Leunawerke and the surrounding area. No loss of bombers.
  • July 7, 1944: 45 B-17, 9:50 a.m. to 10:06 a.m., 93 tons of GP bombs (1,400 pieces), according to sight. Two machines were lost.
  • July 20, 1944: 148 B-17, 11:20 a.m. to 11:36 a.m., 360 tons of GP bombs (2,300 pieces), according to sight. Two machines were lost.
  • July 28, 1944: 645 B-17, 9:33 a.m. to 10:06 a.m., 1,500 tons of GP bombs (6,330 units), Pathfinder mission. Twelve machines were lost.
  • July 29, 1944: 554 B-17, 9:55 a.m. to 7:39 p.m., 1,360 tons of GP bombs (10,900 units), according to sight and Pathfinder. Nine machines lost.
  • August 24, 1944: 191 B-17, 12:00 p.m. to 12:50 p.m., 450 tons of GP bombs (2,830 units), according to sight. Eleven machines lost.
  • September 11, 1944: 96 B-17, 11:54 a.m. to 12:13 p.m., 240 t GP bombs (957 pieces), Pathfinder. Ten machines lost.
  • September 13, 1944: 133 B-17, 11:22 a.m. to 11:37 a.m., 330 t GP bombs (1,040 units), according to sight. Six machines lost.
  • September 28, 1944: 303 B-17, 1:00 p.m. to 1:12 p.m., 725 t GP bombs (1,955 bombs), Pathfinder.
  • October 7, 1944: 114 B-17 and B-24 bombers, 12:25 to 12:38 p.m., 278 t bombs (1,112 units), Pathfinder. Two machines lost.
  • November 2, 1944: 574 B-17, 12:20 to 12:45 p.m., 1,324 t GP bombs (8,000 units), Pathfinder. 27 machines lost.
  • November 8, 1944: 190 B-17s, 500 t GP bombs (1,990 units), Pathfinder. Two machines lost.
  • November 21, 1944: 210 B-17, 11:35 a.m. to 11:52 a.m., 500 t GP bombs (2,270 units), Pathfinder. Eight machines lost.
  • November 25, 1944: 672 B-17, 11:50 a.m. to 12:16 p.m., 1,750 t GP bombs (7,000 units), Pathfinder. Seven machines lost.
  • November 30, 1944: 250 B-17, 1:17 p.m. to 1:34 p.m., 600 t GP bombs (4,760 units). By sight, Pathfinder. 14 machine loss.
  • December 6, 1944: "Double Blow" by the USAAF during the day and the British RAF the following night. This tactic was particularly devastating, as the second attack unexpectedly hit the rescue, fire-fighting and repair forces working in large numbers. At the same time, these attacks hit the city ​​of Merseburg as the main target very hard. US attack: 472 B-17, 11:55 a.m. to 12:25 p.m., 1,050 t bombs (8,300 units). Pathfinder guided tour. Four machines lost. RAF attack: In addition to the previously only used high- explosive bombs, the RAF also threw mine bombs , phosphor bombs and a large number of stick bombs . The total bomb load was 2,242 tons, dropped by 475 Lancasters and 14 Mosquitos.
  • December 12, 1944: 348 B-17s, 11:46 a.m. to 11:55 a.m., 985 t bombs (3,950 units). Pathfinder guided tour. Two machines lost.
  • 14./15. January 1945: Another "double blow": USAAF am Tag and No. 5 RAF bomber group from 7:55 p.m. and from 11:20 p.m. the following night. RAF: 2,463 tons of bombs (6,100 pieces, including 491 mine bombs of 4,000 pounds each). 573 Lancasters and 14 Mosquitos were involved. Guided tour through Pathfinder and Target Indicator. Ten Lancasters were shot down.
  • 4th / 5th April 1945: nocturnal (10:50 p.m. to 11:04 p.m.) heavy attack by No. 5 bomber group of the RAF, which led to the almost complete destruction of the partially poorly rebuilt plant and to the extensive cessation of its production. 327 Lancasters and 14 Mosquitos dropped 1,113 (1,406) tons of bombs (2,544 pieces) on the Leunawerke and its surroundings. Guided tour through Pathfinder and Target Indicator. Two bombers were shot down.

Material damage

The Leunawerke, with its numerous buildings and heavily branched pipe systems, was a sensitive target of the Allied bombings. The elaborations by Herbert Rost and Martin Pabst give a good overview in detail. The production of jet fuel , gasoline , diesel fuel , isobutyl oil , methanol and ammonia decreased by at least 50% in 1944 compared to 1943. The systems were repeatedly set up makeshift, safely with the ruthless effort of the employees. "The construction and repair work to resume production in the damaged facilities assumed unusual proportions." The American magazine “Popular Science” wrote in November 1945: “This facility in Leuna is a huge monument to German chemical magic. To fight it down was to kill a cat. It had to happen nine times to make it final ... It was a human work with a series of interchangeable hearts ... Leuna had been fiercely defended ... "Quoted from

Casualty numbers

The first major attack on the Leunawerke on May 12, 1944 left 125 dead and over 300 seriously and slightly injured. The other attacks in 1944 killed 175 people. Between May 12 and April 4, 1945, there were a total of 341 dead and 703 injured, including many foreign workers. Other source: a total of 156 German and 145 foreign dead. Further information: 140 dead (including 16 D-train passengers) alone on May 12, 1944, of which 20 were unknown. These figures do not include the victims in the surrounding villages and the fallen flak and air force soldiers. It is not known how many of the approximately 1,100 crew members of the 123 American and British bombers that were shot down were able to save themselves.

Employees in the Leuna Works

The Leunawerke had 15,800 employees in 1935, 23,500 in 1940 and 27,000 at the end of 1944. In 1944, 16,500 of these were foreigners: “foreign workers”, prisoners of war and prisoners. Information on nationality is available for 10,500 foreign workers in November 1944: Russian Eastern workers 2,200, French 2,400, Italians 2,000, 450 Czechs , 430 Flemings , 515 other nationalities. Sauckel had advertised on posters: "Europe works in Germany". There were also 1,600 French prisoners of war and 1,600 camp inmates from “labor education camps ” in the area. It is estimated that 2/3 of the foreign employees were obliged to do forced labor in the Leuna works.

Air defense, air defense

As a particularly endangered area, Halle (Saale) , Merseburg and the Leunawerke (after the first British bombing raids on Berlin in August 1940) were included in the bunker construction program in October 1940 as first priority . In the factory area there was a command bunker with 7-storey cellars, raised bunkers, pointed bunkers, 500 one-man bunkers and bomb-proof shelters under the ash funnels in the lowest part of the 16 chimneys. 18,000 people found shelter in these bunkers, and 5,000 more in the bunkers in Leuna-Stadt.

Immediately after the shock of the successful air raids on the German fuel works, anti-aircraft protection was massively strengthened in the central German industrial region. In November 1944 492 guns of calibers 8.8 cm, 10.5 cm and 12.8 cm were set up or installed as railway flak, plus hundreds of light anti-aircraft guns. US pilots spoke of the "flak hell of Merseburg". Most of the 123 heavy bombers that were shot down were victims of the anti-aircraft defense and less of the anti-fighter defense. The new, rocket-propelled Messerschmitt Me 163 "Komet" interceptors were also used in the newly established Fighter Wing 400 .

The protection of the Leunawerke by fogging systems and the construction of sham systems to distract the bombers was intensified.

The plant fire brigade - supported by external fighters - was challenged to a degree that could not have been imagined. Roads were blocked, water pipes torn (Saale water had to be pumped up via temporary pipes), fire stations and emergency vehicles destroyed. The rescue and extinguishing work was hindered by low-flying aircraft.

Damage in the region

In addition to the air raids on the Leunawerke as a "primary target", there was also serious damage to residential buildings and other buildings in the directly neighboring town of Leuna (was always affected), in the not far away Merseburg , Großkorbetha , Spergau , Bad Dürrenberg , Krumpa , Lützkendorf , Schkopau and other places. In Merseburg there were several targeted attacks on the city itself as a primary target ( air raids on Merseburg ).

Burial places

Around 200 bomb victims from the Leunawerke and the city of Leuna were buried in the Kötzschener Strasse city cemetery (including 54 Germans), around 90 at the Keckermühle cemetery for foreigners (including four Germans). After 1945, French, Belgian and Italian victims were transferred to their home countries.

literature

  • Roger A. Freeman: Mighty Eighth War Diary . Jane's, London / New York / Sydney 1981, ISBN 0-7106-0038-0 .
  • Olaf Groehler : bombing war against Germany . Akademie-Verlag, Berlin 1990, ISBN 3-05-000612-9 .
  • Rainer Karlsch : Leuna. 100 years of chemistry . Edited by InfraLeuna GmbH, Leuna. Verlag Janos Stekovics, 2016, ISBN 978-3-89923-355-1 .
  • Martin Pabst: The air raids on Leuna and Merseburg at the end of the Second World War. A documentation . Self-published, Cuxhaven 1995. (Authorized reprint Merseburg / Leuna, 2009)
  • Heinz Rehmann: The Anglo-American bomb attacks during the Second World War on targets in the Merseburg area and the German defensive measures . In: Förderverein "Sachzeugen der chemical Industrie eV" (Ed.): Merseburg contributions to the history of the chemical industry of Central Germany. Volume 7, No. 21, Merseburg 2002, pp. 5-58.
  • Herbert Rost: The Anglo-American air raids on the Leuna works and their effects . (= Facts and figures on the company's history . Issue 28). Ed. District management of the SED of the VEB Leuna-Werke “Walter Ulbricht”, Commission of operational history. Leuna 1983.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Adelbert Reif : Albert Speer. Controversies about a German phenomenon. Bernard & Graefe, Munich 1978, p. 73.
    Percy Ernst Schramm : Hitler as a military leader. Findings and experiences from the war diary of the High Command of the Wehrmacht. Athenaeum, Frankfurt am Main 1965, p. 36.
    Battle for fuel . In: Der Spiegel . 14/1964, April 1, 1964, p. 61.
  2. ^ Olaf Groehler: Bomb war against Germany . Berlin 1990, p. 449.
  3. ↑ Martin Pabst: The air raids on Leuna and Merseburg at the end of the Second World War . Self-published, Cuxhaven 1995. (Authorized new edition: Leuna 2009)
  4. ^ Olaf Groehler: Bomb war against Germany . Berlin 1990, p. 226.
  5. ^ Herbert Rost: The Anglo-American air raids on the Leuna works and their effects . Leuna 1983.
  6. ↑ Martin Pabst: The air raids on Leuna and Merseburg at the end of the Second World War . 1995/2009, pp. 36-41.
  7. ^ Rainer Karlsch: Leuna. 100 years of chemistry . Leuna 2016, p. 64.
  8. ↑ deutsches-chemie-museum.de
  9. ^ Rainer Karlsch: Leuna. 100 years of chemistry . Leuna 2016, p. 65.
  10. ^ Herbert Rost: The Anglo-American air raids on the Leuna works and their effects . Leuna 1983, p. 4, p. 6.
  11. ↑ Heinz Rehmann: The Anglo-American bomb attacks during the Second World War . 2002, p. 25.
  12. ^ Martin Pabst: The air raids on Leuna and Merseburg at the end of the Second World War . 1995/2009, p. 35.
  13. ↑ Martin Pabst: The air raids on Leuna and Merseburg at the end of the Second World War . 1995, 2009, p. 7.
  14. ↑ Martin Pabst: The air raids on Leuna and Merseburg at the end of the Second World War. A documentation . Cuxhaven 1995. (Authorized new edition: Leuna 2009)
  15. ^ Herbert Rost: The Anglo-American air raids on the Leuna works and their effects . Leuna 1983, p. 7.