The city of Ulm, in the German state of

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...

, was heavily bombed during the closing months of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The first and heaviest raid, on 17 December 1944, left 707 people dead, 613 injured, and 25,000 homeless. Two large

truck A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construction ...

factories,

Magirus-Deutz Magirus GmbH is a truck manufacturer based in Ulm, Germany, founded by Conrad Dietrich Magirus (1824–1895). It was formerly known as Klöckner Humboldt Deutz AG, maker of the Deutz engines, so the brand commonly used was Magirus Deutz, and for ...

and Kässbohrer, were the primary targets. There were several other important industries and some

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...

barracks and depots. During the 25-minute raid, 317

Avro Lancaster The Avro Lancaster is a British Second World War heavy bomber. It was designed and manufactured by Avro as a contemporary of the Handley Page Halifax, both bombers having been developed to the same specification, as well as the Short Stirlin ...

bombers and 13

de Havilland Mosquito The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito is a British twin-engined, shoulder-winged, multirole combat aircraft, introduced during the Second World War. Unusual in that its frame was constructed mostly of wood, it was nicknamed the "Wooden Wonder", or ...

light bombers dropped a total of 1,449

ton Ton is the name of any one of several units of measure. It has a long history and has acquired several meanings and uses. Mainly it describes units of weight. Confusion can arise because ''ton'' can mean * the long ton, which is 2,240 pounds ...

s of bombs, starting in the city centre (Münsterplatz) and then creeping back to the west across the industrial and railway areas. The Gallwitz Barracks and several military hospitals were among 14 establishments destroyed. The city's historic

Ulm Minster Ulm Minster (german: Ulmer Münster) is a Lutheran church located in Ulm, State of Baden-Württemberg (Germany). It is currently the tallest church in the world. The church is the fifth-tallest structure built before the 20th century, with a ...

church suffered only minor damage. Two Lancasters were lost. Subsequent raids on March 1 and April 19, 1945, by British and American aircraft, left a total of 632 dead.Night of 100,000 Bombs
/ref> By the end of the war, 80 percent of the city center was destroyed. Only 1,763 out of 12,756 buildings remained intact.

References

Ulm 20th century in Baden-Württemberg Ulm Ulm Ulm Germany–United Kingdom military relations {{WWII-battle-stub