Apparatus (100, 200, 300, 400) for bonding a layer comprising short fibers with a layer comprising long fibers to form a non-woven web, having a first circulating belt on which the layer comprising long fibers can be placed and moved in a direction of production, having a circulating depositing belt onto which the short fibers can be deposited with a headbox to form the layer and which has a delivery strand, having a circulating transfer belt with a receiving strand, by means of which the layer comprising short fibers can be transferred at a transfer point (Ü) to the layer comprising long fibers, and having a device that is operatively connected to the delivery strand or preferably to the receiving strand, by means of which the delivery strand and the receiving strand can be moved between a transfer position, in which at least a substantial proportion of the fibers are transferred from the delivery strand to the receiving strand and conveyed onward by the transfer belt, and a rest position, in which the delivery strand and the receiving strand are spaced apart and at least a substantial proportion of the fibers is not transferred to the receiving strand but is conveyed onward by the depositing belt, characterized in that the apparatus (100, 200, 300, 400) comprises a pre-bonding unit which has two compacting devices (10, 10') spaced apart from one another in the direction of production which act on the transfer belt in one region and form a lower strand 20 of the transfer belt between them, and having a bonding device arranged between the two compacting devices (10, 10') in the production direction, by means of which the two layers (5, 13) can be bonded to one another by intermingling the long and short fibers (4, 12), the compacting devices (10, 10') and the bonding device being operatively connected to one another in such a way that they are both always in an operating state or in a resting state. having a first circulating belt on which the layer comprising long fibers can be placed and moved in a direction of production, having a circulating depositing belt onto which the short fibers can be deposited with a headbox to form the layer and which has a delivery strand, having a circulating transfer belt with a receiving strand, by means of which the layer comprising short fibers can be transferred at a transfer point (Ü) to the layer comprising long fibers, and having a device that is operatively connected to the delivery strand or preferably to the receiving strand, by means of which the delivery strand and the receiving strand can be moved between a transfer position, in which at least a substantial proportion of the fibers are transferred from the delivery strand to the receiving strand and conveyed onward by the transfer belt, and a rest position, in which the delivery strand and the receiving strand are spaced apart and at least a substantial proportion of the fibers is not transferred to the receiving strand but is conveyed onward by the depositing belt, characterized in that the apparatus (100, 200, 300, 400) comprises a pre-bonding unit which has two compacting devices (10, 10') spaced apart from one another in the direction of production which act on the transfer belt in one region and form a lower strand 20 of the transfer belt between them, and having a bonding device arranged between the two compacting devices (10, 10') in the production direction, by means of which the two layers (5, 13) can be bonded to one another by intermingling the long and short fibers (4, 12), the compacting devices (10, 10') and the bonding device being operatively connected to one another in such a way that they are both always in an operating state or in a resting state.