Bombing of Braunschweig in World War II

During World War II Braunschweig (known as Brunswick in English) was attacked by Allied aircraft in 42 bombing raids.

The attack on the night of 14/15 October 1944 by No. 5 Group Royal Air Force (RAF) marked the high point of the destruction of Henry the Lion's city in the Second World War (WW2). The air raid, part of Operation Hurricane to demonstrate the Allied bombing campaign's capabilities, caused a large fire or conflagration, that may have developed into a firestorm, which resulted in Braunschweig burning continuously for two and a half days from 15 October to the 17th. Moreover, the attack destroyed Braunschweig's mediaeval city centre (more than 90% of it) thereby changing the city's appearance right down to the present day.

The RAF first bombed Braunschweig on 17 August 1940, killing 7 people, and the 94th BG earned a Distinguished Service Cross for an 11 January 1944 mission against the MIAG bomber components factory. As part of the Combined Bomber Offensive, Braunschweig was a regular target for RAF (nighttime raids) and American bombers (daylight), including two "Big Week" attacks on 20 and 21 February 1944.

The first major British raid against Braunschweig was on 14/15 January 1944 when nearly 500 Lancasters attacked but faced a strong defence by German fighters. As a relatively small target, most of the bombing missed the city.

In an experimental raid on to see if bombing by radar alone (without target marking) was effective, nearly 400 heavy bombers were sent on 12/13 August 1944. There was no effective concentration of the bombs and nearby towns were bombed by mistake.

Between these dates there were occasions when fast Mosquito bombers were sent on nuisance raids and diversions against Braunschweig.

On October 14, 1944, No. 106 Squadron RAF bombed Brunswick, and one of the last attacks was an attack on chemical plant in March 1945 as part of the campaign against synthetic oil production.

...
Wikipedia