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The German town of Wesel was heavily bombed in Allied air raids during World 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 as a depot with bridges on the Rhine. On the 16, 17, 18 and 19 February 1945,〔(RAF campaign diary February 1945 )〕 the town was attacked by the Royal Air Force with impact and air-burst weapons and almost entirely destroyed.〔(Bombing of Wesel - WW2 People's War ) BBC〕 The Rhine and Lippe bridges were blown by the Wehrmacht; among others, on 10 March 1945. The 1,950m long railway bridge was the last Rhine bridge remaining in German hands.〔(Lexikon der Wehrmacht ) - see Standort Wesel〕 On 23 March, Wesel came under the fire of over 3,000 guns when it was bombarded anew, in preparation for Operation Plunder.〔(Chronology of World War II ) Ken Polsson〕 That day 80 Lancasters from No. 3 Group RAF attacked Wesel〔(RAF campaign diary March 1945 )〕 Then that night of 23/24 March, 195 Lancasters and 23 Mosquitos of RAF Bomber Command No. 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.〔(Lexikon der Wehrmacht )〕 The town was taken quickly with 36 civilian casualties. Field-Marshal Montgomery said "the bombing of Wesel was a masterpiece, and was a decisive factor in making possible our entry into the town before midnight."〔http://www.raf.mod.uk/bombercommand/h57.html〕 ==See also== * Wesel Railway Bridge 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Bombing of Wesel in World War II」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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