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The bombing of Wieluń refers to the indiscriminate bombing of the Polish town of Wieluń by the German Luftwaffe on 1 September 1939, five minutes before the shelling of Westerplatte, which has traditionally been considered the beginning of World War II. The bombing of Wielun is considered as one of the first terror bombings in history and first in this war. German carpet bombing killed an estimated 1300 civilians, injured hundreds more and destroyed 75% per of the town centre. It is widely acknowledged that there were no targets of any importance in the area such as military installations or industrial facilities. The casualty rate was more than twice as high as Guernica.
Events
Journalists Sylwia Słomińska and Joachim Trenkner state that there were no military or industrial targets of note in the area, except for a small sugar factory in the outskirts of the town. German bombers destroyed 90% of the town center (including the historical gothic church) and killed approximately 1,200 civilians, about 8% of the town's population of 15,000. Approximately 75% of all the buildings in Wieluń were destroyed. According to German documents the town was burning at 6 a.m. - "Wielun brennt" - Wieluń is burning. Among the first targets bombed by the Germans was the hospital (despite a huge Red Cross sign painted on the roof). The town of was captured by the German Army on day one.
Other version of the events
According to Poeppel, Hans and Prinz von Preußen, German reconnaissance reported a Polish cavalry brigade division near Wielun. The German bombing started at 04:40, 5 minutes before German shelling of Westerplatte. At 13:00 I./StG 2 led by Major Oskar Dinort from Nieder-Ellguth, were directed against this unit, followed a few hours later by Schwarzkopff with sixty Stukas of I./Sturzkampfgeschwader 77 Due to the low level fog both attacks in the morning and at noon missed the targets. Weather conditions were unfavourable during the day, with a visibility of only one kilometre and a practically closed layer of fog at 50 metres altitude. Fog, mist and poor visibility thwarted many of the Luftwaffe's sorties planned for the morning of the first day of the invasion. The dive bombers, facing intense anti aircraft fire, inflicted heavy losses on the Polish cavalry, and the advance was turned into a rout by 90 Stukas. On their return home, four of the German Junkers Ju 87 bombers were shot down by the Polish 36 Academic Legion Infantry Regiment stationed nearby. Three waves of attacks were carried out during the day. Deputy General Inspector of the Bundeswehr, Johannes Poeppel, who attended Nazi school and served in the Wehrmacht during World War II as an artillery captain and British aviation historian Peter C. Smith, describe the bombing as collateral damage from bombs that missed their targets during ground support of the Wehrmacht operations. Polish historian Jerzy B. Cynk, author of The Polish Air Force at War. The official history 1939-1943, wrote about the events: "Numerous direct support missions were also flown, with the heaviest attacks directed against the Polish cavalry and troop concentrations at Wielun."
Notes
- ^ Portal Gminy Wieluń
- We must not forget the real causes of the war, Norman Davies, The Independent, 29 August 2009
- Trenkner, Joachim (2008-08-29), Wieluń, czwarta czterdzieści (in Polish)
- Template:Pl icon Wieluń, 1 września 1939 r.
- ^ Smith, 2007. p. 23
- ^ Poeppel, Hans and Prinz von Preußen, 2000. p. 248.
- ^ Smith, 2007. p. 20
- Cynk, p. 74
References
- Poeppel, Hans and Prinz von Preußen, Wilhelm-Karl and von Hase, Karl-Günther. (2000) Die Soldaten der Wehrmacht. Herbig Verlag. ISBN 978-3776620573
- Smith, C. Peter. (2007). Ju 87 Stuka Volume One: Luftwaffe Ju 87 Dive-bomber Units 1939-1941. Classic Publications. ISBN 978-1903223697
Further reading
- Bekker, Cajus. (1994). The Luftwaffe War Diaries. pp. 31–3. OCLC 30353222
- Bojarska B., Zniszczenie miasta Wielunia w dniu 1 września 1939 r., „Przegląd Zachodni” 1962, nr 2.
- Kulesza W., Pierwszy był Wieluń, „Rzeczpospolita” 1999, nr 211, 9 IX 1999.
- Olejnik T., Wieluń – na pięć minut przed Westerplatte. Pierwsi zginęli cywile, „Tygodnik Powszechny” nr 35, 31 VIII 2003 r.
- Olejnik T., Wieluń. Zniszczenie miasta 1 IX 1939 r., Kępno 1979.
- Olejnik T., Wieluń – polska Guernica, das polnische Guernica, Wieluń 2004.
- Pięciak W., Wieluń 1 września 1939 r., „Tygodnik Powszechny” nr 2, 12 I 2003.
External links
- Template:Pl icon Sylwia Słomińska, September the 1st,(mirror1, mirror2)
- Template:De icon Summary of a German TV report making the case for the bombing of Wielun as a war crime
- Reports of Luftwaffe pilots during September 1, including the attacks against WIELÚN
- Agence France-Presse article on the bombing, entitled "World War II: Where did combat start?", of August 18, 2009, by Jonathan Fowler