Bombing of Vienna in World War II


The city of Vienna in Austria was bombed 52 times during World War II, and 37,000 houses of the city were lost. Only 41 civilian vehicles survived the raids, more than 3,000 bomb craters were counted. and the Schwarzenberg Palace was bombed but later rebuilt.

History

After a lone Soviet air raid conducted on 4 September 1942, Vienna was reached by western Allied bombers in 1944, when the Allied invasion of Italy allowed them to establish an air base at Foggia. Following the Normandy Invasion the greater part of the German Air Force was transferred to the West. Remaining Luftwaffe shot down one-tenth of 550 bombers in June 1944.
The air defences of Vienna were aided by a ring of anti-aircraft batteries set up around the city and three pairs of Flak towers. These were large anti-aircraft gun blockhouses built in the city. Due to the increasing lack of fuel, by autumn 1944, artillery on the ground was the only defence against air raids. It typically took some 5,000 small-calibre and 3,400 large-calibre shells to bring down one bomber. During the day, one out of 125 planes was shot down on average. During the night, this dropped to only one out of 145. However, roughly one-third of the bombers and escorts suffered heavy damage.
Some Vienna factories were moved to bomb-proof sites such as caves or hidden in other ways. The military industry even boosted its production, also by use of forced labour of concentration camp inmates and POWs. Bypasses for traffic junctions had been established before the bombings and traffic did not come to a halt until the very last days of the war.
By early 1945 Vienna had already faced 1,800 bombs. In February and March 1945, 80,000 tons of bombs were dropped by US and British aircraft, destroying more than 12,000 buildings, and 270,000 people were left homeless.
DateTarget/Topic
First air raid on Vienna during World War II Petlyakov Pe-8 bombers flew a 2,000 mile round trip also reaching Budapest, Königsberg and Breslau
FloridsdorfThe first American air raid on Vienna targeted the Floridsdorf refinery and mined the Danube.
Floridsdorf B-17s bombed the oil refinery On this date the 464 BG bombed an oil-blending plant at Vienna.
Kagran B-17s bombed the oil refinery
Lobau B-24s bombed the Lobau oil refinery.
Schwechat B-24s bombed the oil refinery at Schwechat in Vienna.
Winterhafen B-24s bombed the Winterhafen oil depot. An underground storage installation was just west of Mainz.
Floridsdorf The Floridsdorf oil refinery and marshalling yard were bombed.
Korneuburg The 461 BG bombed "a refinery in the open country near the small town of Korneuburg".
MoosbierbaumThe 455th BG received a 2nd Distinguished Unit Citation for bombing the Moosbierbaum oil refinery.
Lobau
Schwechat The Heinkel firm's Heinkel-Süd Schwechat aircraft factory, and Schwechat oil refinery were bombed.
Winterhafen Winterhafen oil refinery bombed.
Floridsdorf The 464 and 465th Bombardment Groups earned Distinguished Unit Citations.
Floridsdorf & Zwolfaxing The 464 BG and 465 BG earned Distinguished Unit Citations, as the Heinkel-Süd plant in Floridsdorf was hit, destroying the third prototype of the He 177B four engined bomber, and possibly damaging the incomplete fourth prototype He 177B airframe.
The 32 BS bombed a Vienna oil refinery.
The 484 BG received its second DUC for bombing an underground oil storage installation at Vienna.
Korneuburg B-24s bombed the oil refinery at Korneuburg. The 485 BG bombed the " Oil Storage".
Lobau B-24s bombed the oil refinery at Lobau. The 461 BG bombed the underground oil storage at the refinery.
Vösendorf 472 B-24s and B-17s supported by P-51s and P-38s bombed the South industrial area of Vienna, including the Vösendorf oil refinery.
Moosbierbaum B-17s hit Moosbierbaum oil refinery and adjacent chemical works.
344 B-17s and B-24s bomb 5 ordnance depots and the SE industrial area in Vienna and 2 oil refineries in the area.
Schwechat The 32 BS bombed the Schwechat oil refinery.
LobauThe Lobau oil refinery was bombed. On this date, the 741st Bombardment Squadron flew over Vienna to hit an oil refinery.
Schwechat
Winterhafen The 485 BG bombed the "Winterhafen Oil Storage".
Floridsdorf
Floridsdorf
The industrial area of Vienna was bombed.
FloridsdorfThe 32 BS bombed.
Floridsdorf The 485 BG bombed the oil refinery.
MoosbierbaumThe 32 BS bombed the Moosbierbaum oil refinery.
US intelligence reported in February 1945 that the Vienna area had no fuel since November 15.
The 32 BS bombed a Vienna oil refinery.
WinterhafenThe 32 BS bombed the "Winterhafen" oil storage.
Floridsdorf
Moosbierbaum
Moosbierbaum
Floridsdorf
Vösendorf
The Lipizzan horses of the Spanish Riding School were evacuated.
Moosbierbaum In a blind attack, 670+ B-24s and B-17s bombed the Moosbierbaum oil refinery.
Moosbierbaum A visual attack by 300+ B-17s and B-24s bombed the oil refinery.
680 B-17s and B-24s bombed oil refineries at Moosbierbaum, Schwechat, Floridsdorf, Korneuburg, and Kagran refineries in the Vienna, Austria area.
Floridsdorf oil refinery
Kagran The Kagran oil refinery was bombed "in the Vienna, Austria area".
Korneuburg The Korneuburg oil refinery was bombed "in the Vienna, Austria area".
LobauThe 32 BS bombed the Lobau oil refinery.
Moosbierbaum oil refinery
Schwechat oil refinery
Moosbierbaum 49 bombers hit the Moosbierbaum oil refinery.
Floridsdorf
Lobau
Moosbierbaum 500+ B-24s, B-17s and P-38s bombed the Moosbierbaum oil refinery.
Schwechat
Korneuburg
Schwechat
Lobau The Lobau oil refinery and the Floridsdorf marshalling yard at Vienna were bombed. "The attack was outstandingly successful, resulting in severe damage to the boiler house, virtual destruction of the distillation unit pump house, the fractionating tower probably hit, and serious damage to tankage and rail sidings.
Moosbierbaum 22 P-38s bomb the Moosbierbaum refinery.
Floridsdorf B-24s and B-17s bombed the Floridsdorf oil refinery. The 747 bombers and 229 fighter planes caused heavy damage to the city centre and the Vienna State Opera and the Burgtheater burnt, and the Albertina, the Heinrichshof and the Messepalast were heavily damaged. The Philipphof collapsed, burying some 200 people who had sought shelter from the raid in its cellars. Most of the victims have never been unearthed and the Mahnmal gegen Krieg und Faschismus has been erected there.
During the briefing for bombing the Vienna oil refinery, the briefing officer told crews to avoid the St. Stephen's Cathedral, the Vienna State Opera, the Schönbrunn Palace and other historic buildings and schools. Due to weather, the alternate target was bombed.
109 B-17s bomb the oil refinery at Ruhland. 103 others bomb the alternate target, the refinery at Kolín, Czechoslovakia. 470+ other bombers attack targets in Austria, including Moosbierbaum, Schwechat, and Vienna/Floridsdorf oil refineries.
Floridsdorf
Korneuburg
Moosbierbaum
300 bombs were dropped on the Tiergarten Schönbrunn, the world's oldest zoo. 2,000 animals out of 3,500 died including a bull rhino, a favourite of the zoo-keepers.
Schwechat
In Austria, 760+ B-17s and B-24s, with fighter escort, hit the Korneuburg and Kagran oil refineries.
3 oil refineries and a goods depot bombed at Vienna.
FloridsdorfThe 32 BS bombed.
2 Vienna oil refineries were bombed.
Vienna oil refinery bombed. On April 2, Soviet troops began the Vienna Offensive.
After having burned from a fire looters set to local shops on April 11, St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna was hit by 22-ton bombs which shattered on the floor of the church.
"The advances of our ground forces have brought to a close the strategic air war waged by the United States Strategic Air Forces and the Royal Air Force Bomber Command.".