page_title: Bombing of Hanover in World War II
hierarchical_section_title: Bombing of Hanover in World War II
caption_attribution_description: English: Hannover inner city Deutsch: Hannover Innenstadt 1945. In der Bildmitte die Marktkirche, links Kröpcke und Opernhaus, hinten der Aegidientorplatz, rechts am Bildrand der Landtag, vorne mittig die Kreuzkirche.
context_page_description: The Bombing of Hannover was a series of eighty-eight air raids by RAF Bomber Command and the United States Army Air Forces on the German city of Hanover during World War II. 4,748 residents and 2,034 others were killed. Around 1,000 aerial mines, 34,000 high explosive bombs, 900,000 incendiary bombs and 50,000 fire bombs were dropped. The heaviest raid was that by the RAF on the night of 8/9 October 1943, killing 1,245 people. This was an example of the carpet bombing of suburban and residential civilian targets laid out in the 14 February 1942 Area Bombing Directive.
  At the end of the war 90% of the city centre was destroyed, with 52% of buildings heavily damaged or completely destroyed. A total of 7.5 million cubic metres of rubble had to be removed. Of the 147,222 dwellings recorded at the end of 1939, 51.2% were heavily damaged or totally destroyed, 43.6% lightly or moderately damaged and only 7,489 dwellings completely undamaged. The Aegidienkirche and Nikolaikapelle were both destroyed but it was decided to leave them in ruins after the war as a war memorial
context_section_description: The Bombing of Hannover was a series of eighty-eight air raids by RAF Bomber Command and the United States Army Air Forces on the German city of Hanover during World War II. 4,748 residents and 2,034 others were killed. Around 1,000 aerial mines, 34,000 high explosive bombs, 900,000 incendiary bombs and 50,000 fire bombs were dropped. The heaviest raid was that by the RAF on the night of 8/9 October 1943, killing 1,245 people. This was an example of the carpet bombing of suburban and residential civilian targets laid out in the 14 February 1942 Area Bombing Directive.
  At the end of the war 90% of the city centre was destroyed, with 52% of buildings heavily damaged or completely destroyed. A total of 7.5 million cubic metres of rubble had to be removed. Of the 147,222 dwellings recorded at the end of 1939, 51.2% were heavily damaged or totally destroyed, 43.6% lightly or moderately damaged and only 7,489 dwellings (5.2%) completely undamaged. The Aegidienkirche and Nikolaikapelle were both destroyed but it was decided to leave them in ruins after the war as a war memorial
caption: Hannover city centre, 1945 – a photograph by  Margaret Bourke-White, who was then travelling through Germany with the USAAF and general Patton.
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