Bombing of Hildesheim in World War II
The 1,100 year-old German town of Hildesheim was ravaged by an Allied air raid in the last days of World War II.
The raid
On March 22, 1945, in clear weather, 280 Avro Lancasters and 8 Mosquito bombers destroyed the town in 17 minutes, flying low and starting fires with incendiary bombs. The strike may have been called for by US ground forces in support of their advance into the region. During the raid, 438.8 tons of high explosive and 624 tons of incendiary bombs were employed, and 263 acres of the town (70%) were destroyed.
Civilian deaths totalled 1645. including 204 women and 170 children. A total of 277 bodies could not be identified. Fifty orphans were found.
Besides the loss of 6934 houses and 20781 flats, 85% of shops, 66% of trading property, 50% of industries and 80% of public places were also gone. The town's main cathedral suffered almost total collapse.
Those targets destroyed were militarily insignificant, while many war-supporting factories on the outskirts were left untouched.[citation needed]
During the raid, four Lancasters were shot down.
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