Pescara bombing - Allied air raid on Pescara in Italy during World War II with the aim of destroying the railway station . The city was bombed on August 31, September 14, 17 and 20, 1943. Killed 3,000 people (according to other sources about 6,000 dead). 80% of buildings were affected. Serious damage was caused to 1335 buildings, light - 2150, 1265 buildings were destroyed to the ground. The areas north of the river, which at that time surrounded the railway station and the railway line and port, were wiped off the face of the earth. The bombing provoked the mass exodus of civilians to other regions of Abruzzo . The most severe attacks were on September 17 and 20, after which the city was virtually depopulated. Many refugees took refuge in Chieti , who declared himself an open city, and in a camp near Pianella .
| Pescara bombing | |||
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| Main Conflict: World War II Italian campaign | |||
 B-24 bomber | |||
| date of | August 31, September 14, September 17, September 20, 1943 | ||
| A place | Pescara , Italy | ||
| Total | Victory of the Anti-Hitler Coalition | ||
| Adversaries | |||
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| Commanders | |||
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| Losses | |||
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Content
- 1 Historical context
- 2 City bombing
- 3 Literature
- 4 References
Historical Context
Allied forces were on the Adriatic coast near Termoli. The command hoped to enter Pescara before December 25 in order to gain control of the Vij Tiburtina Valerii road leading to Rome from the north. But between Termoli and Pescara was the Gustav line, an impressive Nazi defensive system under the direct command of General Albert Kesselring.
The order to bomb the railway station in Pescara was issued by General Bernard Low Montgomery, who thus attempted to inflict decisive damage on the supply line of the Nazi army. Despite the terrifying consequences of the bombing and the active actions of the partisan brigade of Majell, the military potential of the Gustav line did not decrease. Only in June 1944, after long battles, were the Allies able to break through the Nazi defenses.
City Bombing
At 13:20 local time, when the city beach was crowded with vacationers, B-24 bombers from the 376th US Air Force squadron approached Pescara from the sea and dropped bombs on the city center. The consequences of the airstrike were devastating. The area between the streets of Florence and Nikola Fabrizi was completely destroyed, the building of the town hall was destroyed (the city hall was forced to move to a military garrison). Buildings were damaged in areas adjacent to the station, while the railway station itself was untouched. About 1600-1900 people died and were injured (the first civilian casualties).
The second air raid took place on September 14th. A group of 37 heavy bombers of the 376th and 98th squadrons of the US Air Force dropped 341 HE shells on the city, completely destroying warehouses and cargo terminals. It was a real massacre because bombs were dropped on a station crowded with people fleeing Pescara. Killed from 600 to 2000 people. The bombing completely destroyed the station, the railway line and areas in the north of the city, especially the area between the streets of Florence and Corso Vittorio Emanuele.
Subsequent attacks concerned only areas in the north of the city. There were almost no casualties among the civilian population, because the inhabitants left the city, whose northern part was wiped off the face of the earth. Pescara became a ghost town. The Nazi command issued an order to evacuate civilians and imposed curfew day and night.
In memory of the suffering and courage of the inhabitants of Pescara during the bombing of 1943, on February 8, 2001, Italian President Carlo Ciampi awarded the city with a Gold Medal for civil service.
Literature
- Raffaele Colapietra. Pescara, 1860-1960 = Pescara, 1860-1960. - Pescara: Costantini, 1980 .-- 710 p. (ital.)
Links
- Paola Aurisicchio. Pioggia di bombe su Pescara . Il centro gelocal. - Rain from the bombs over Pescara. (ital.)
- I bombardamenti su Pescara e provincia (1943-44) . Numistoria Altervista. - The bombing of Pescara and the province of Pescara in 1943-1944. (ital.)