The bombing of Königsberg was a series of attacks made on the city of

Königsberg Königsberg (; ; ; ; ; ; , ) is the historic Germany, German and Prussian name of the city now called Kaliningrad, Russia. The city was founded in 1255 on the site of the small Old Prussians, Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teuton ...

East Prussia East Prussia was a Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1772 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 1871); following World War I it formed part of the Weimar Republic's ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The Soviet Air Force had made several raids on the city since 1941. Extensive attacks carried out by RAF Bomber Command destroyed most of the city's historic quarters in the summer of 1944. Königsberg was also heavily bombed during the Battle of Königsberg, in the final weeks of the war. With the aim of retaliation for German airstrikes on the capital of the USSR, Moscow in 1941, Joseph Stalin ordered the Soviet Air Force to bomb Königsberg. Eleven Pe-8 bombers attacked the city on 1 September 1941. The Soviets did not lose a single bomber in the raid. The Soviet Air Force bombed the city again on 26 July 1942, 27 August 1942 and 15 July 1943. On the night of 28 April 1943, a bomber dropped an 11,000-pounder on the city's area, the largest bomb in the Soviet inventory. No. 5 Group carried out the first RAF attack on Königsberg on the night of 26/27 August 1944, using 174 Avro Lancasters. The target, which was at the extreme range for the planes, demanded a round trip of from bases in England. Planes from RAF Skellingthorpe (Lincs) could not return to base and diverted to RAF Tain in northern Scotland after 10 hours and 35 minutes' flying time (cf. 11 hours and 20 minutes' return to base three days later.) Despite losing only four aircraft, the first attack was not particularly successful because most bombs fell on the eastern side of Königsberg, missing the city centre. The next RAF raid occurred three days later on the 29/30 August. This time No. 5 Group dropped 480 tons of high explosive and incendiaries on the centre of the city. RAF Bomber Command estimated that 20% of industry and 41% of all the housing in Königsberg was destroyed. Out of a force of 189 Lancasters, German

night fighter A night fighter (later known as all-weather fighter or all-weather interceptor post-Second World War) is a largely historical term for a fighter aircraft, fighter or interceptor aircraft adapted or designed for effective use at night, during pe ...

s shot down 15 RAF bombers. The historic city centre suffered severe damage and the districts of Altstadt, Löbenicht, and Kneiphof were nearly destroyed. The city's 14th-century

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

was reduced to a shell. Extensive damage was also done to the

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

, all churches in the old city, the

university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

, and the old shipping quarter. In 1945, the prolonged battle of Königsberg inflicted further damage. When the Soviets occupied the city in April 1945, more than 90% of the city was already destroyed. Under Soviet occupation, the surviving, much reduced German population was forcibly expelled from the city. It was then rebuilt as the Russian city of Kaliningrad.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bombing Of Konigsberg In World War Ii Konigsberg Königsberg in World War II Conflicts in 1944 1944 in Germany Germany–United Kingdom military relations