On 16 March 1945 — only weeks before the end of the war — the people of Würzburg suffered a devastating air raid.
A force of 225 Lancaster and 11 Mosquito aircraft attacked the city. The raid involved some 250 high-explosive bombs and 397,000 incendiaries, creating a vast area of fire and destruction.
The British raid destroyed about 85 per cent of the historic city in only 20 minutes, as devastating fires swept through Würzburg. The cathedral’s art treasures were also destroyed.
U.S. documentary with German commentary
The city had no large reinforced-concrete bunker. People moved through interconnected basement passages, often finding every possible exit blocked by fire. The bombing pattern was designed to overwhelm firefighting efforts.
The underground corridors became so crowded that children and elderly people were trampled to death.
5,000 dead
Detailed report on the destruction in the journal of the Diocese of Würzburg:
