The German town ofWesel was heavily bombed inAllied air raids duringWorld War II. Between this and the attacks in support of the crossing of the Rhine, the town was devastated.
Wesel became a target of the Allies, particularly in its strategic position with adepot and theWesel Railway Bridge over theRhine. On the 16, 17, 18 and 19 February 1945,[1] the town was attacked by the BritishRoyal Air Force with impact and air-burst weapons with it resulting in the town almost being entirely destroyed.[2]
TheRhine andLippe bridges were blown by theWehrmacht, among others, on 10 March 1945. The 1,950m long railway bridge was the last Rhine bridge remaining in German hands.[3]
On 23 March, Wesel came under the fire of over 3,000 guns when it was bombarded anew, in preparation forOperation Plunder.[4] That day 80 Lancasters fromNo. 3 Group RAF attacked Wesel.[5] Then that night of 23/24 March, 195Lancasters and 23Mosquitos ofRAF Bomber CommandNo. 5 Group aided in the softening up of the German defenders. 97% of the town was destroyed before it was finally taken by Allied troops and the population had fallen from almost 25,000 in 1939 to 1,900 in May 1945.[6]
The town was taken quickly.Field MarshalBernard Montgomery, commanding the Anglo-Canadian21st Army Group, said "the bombing of Wesel was a masterpiece, and was a decisive factor in making possible our entry into the town before midnight."[7]
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