Bombing of Frankfurt am Main in World War II

Bomb damage near Frankfurt Cathedral included 2 bridges (May 1945).

The old City of Frankfurt in 1942 before its destruction

Bombing of Frankfurt am Main by the Allies of World War II killed about 5,500 residents and destroyed the largest half-timbered historical city centre in Germany. The Eighth Air Force dropped 12,197 tons of explosives on the city.

In the 1939–45 period the Royal Air Force (RAF) dropped 15,696 long tons (15,948 t) of bombs on Frankfurt.^[1]

Post-war reconstruction generally used modern architecture, and a few landmark buildings were rebuilt in a simple historical style. The first building to be rebuilt was the 1789 Paulskirche (St. Paul's Church).^{[citation needed]}

Chronology

Date	Event
1942-12-02	Frankfurt was unsuccessfully bombed when bad weather prevented crews from hearing Sqn Ldr S. P. Daniels' on the standard-frequency radio equipment in the 1st Master Bomber mission (proposed by Air-Vice Marshal Don Bennett on 22 December 1942—preceding the Operation Chastise MB by 6 months.)[2]
1943-10-04/05	155 Boeing B-17 from the 1st Bombardment Wing targeted the Vereinigte Deutsche Metallwerke (United German Metalworks) in Heddernheim Frankfurt is bombed by 402 British bombers – 162 Avro Lancaster, 170 Handley Page Halifax as well as 70 Short Stirling – and 3 USAAF B-17 participated.[3]
1944-01-29	Mission 24 daylight bombing of Frankfurt[4] killed Princess Marie Alexandra of Baden.
1944-02-04	The 303 BG bombed the Frankfurt city area using PFF.[5][6]
1944-02-11	The 303 BG attacked Frankfurt[7]
1944-03-02	The 303 BG targeted Frankfurt's V.K.F. (Vereinigte Kugellagerfabriken) ball bearing plant, followed by the Berlin Erkner ball bearing works on 03-03 and 03-08.[5]
1944-03-22	A night raid destroyed the old part of Frankfurt and killed over 1000 inhabitants, and the east port suffered major damage. The Municipal Library was hit during the air raid, destroying its Cairo Genizah document collection and lists of the collection.[8][9]
1944-09-12	RAF Bomber Command dropped 400,000 incendiary bombs on the industrial areas of Frankfurt, Germany. .
1944-12-22/23 1945-01-08/09	De Havilland Mosquitos raided Frankfurt during the Battle of Berlin (air).

See also

• Post-war reconstruction of Frankfurt

References

1. "Is the Bomber Obsolescent?". Flight Global. 9 August 1945. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
2. "2.12.1942: Frankfurt am Main: Angriff mit Masterbomber". GESCHICHTE IN CHRONOLOGIE (in German). 7 May 2007. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
3. "Royal Air Force Bomber Command, Campaign Diary October 1943". Official RAF Website. 6 April 2005. Archived from the original on 10 May 2005. Retrieved 18 December 2013.
4. Mission 24: Frankfurt, Germany, January 29, 1944, "Forts Blast Frankfurt; Kassel Hit" – Retrieved 9 May 2008
5. Miller, Edgar "Ed" C. "...My Combat Missions..." Sirinet.net/~lgarris. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 27 July 2011.
6. "303rd BG Combat Missions and Reports".
7. "Devil's Ball: B-17G-10-BO 42-31238: 351st Bomb Group, 511th Bomb Squadron". USAAF. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
8. Goitein, S.D. (2000). Economic Foundations. A Mediterranean Society: The Jewish Communities of the Arab World as Portrayed in the Documents of the Cairo Geniza. Vol. I. University of California Press. p. 5.
9. "Universitätsbibliothek JCS Frankfurt". Looted Cultural Assets (in German). 25 September 2025. Retrieved 25 September 2025.

Further reading

• Cooper, M. (1981). The German Air Force 1933–1945: An Anatomy of Failure. London: Jane's. ISBN 07106-0071-2.
• Middlebrook, Martin; Everitt, Chris (1985). The Bomber Command Diaries: An Operational Reference Book, 1939–1945 (1st ed.). New York: Viking. ISBN 978-185780-033-3.
• Tooze, Adam (2006). The Wages of Destruction: The Making and Breaking of the Nazi Economy. London: Allen Lane. ISBN 978-0-7139-9566-4.
• Webster, C. K.; Frankland, Noble (1961). Butler, J. R. M. (ed.). The Strategic Air Offensive Against Germany: 1939–1945. History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series. Vol. II. London: HMSO. OCLC 163349860.
• Webster, C.; Frankland, N. (2006) [1961]. Butler, James (ed.). The Strategic Air Offensive against Germany 1939–1945: Annexes and Appendices. History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series. Vol. IV (facs. pbk. repr. Naval & Military Press, Uckfield ed.). London: HMSO. ISBN 978-1-84574-350-5.

External links