80 anni fa, la città portuale di Le Havre in Normandia fu sottoposta a pesanti bombardamenti da parte del comando bombardieri britannico. Questo bombardamento durò 3 giorni, uccise 2000 civili e distrusse l’85% del centro città, senza causare danni alla guarnigione nazista.

These bombings happened when the British and Canadian forces encircled the city in september 1944. Allied Commander Crocker proposed a surrender to the German commander Wildermuth, which he refused. Wildermuth proposed a 2 day cease-fire to evacuate civilians, which Crocker refused. Crocker then requested a bombing of the city to force the germans to surrender, which the Bomber Command translated as “carpet bomb the city”. Which they did. Between the 6th and 9th of september, 10 000 tons of explosive bombs, and 175 tons of incendiary bombs were dropped on the city center, which according to British historian Andrew Knapp, was devoid of military targets. The bombings killed around 2000 french civilians and made 80 000 homeless, by destroying 85% of the city center, without any damage to the german garrison or their morale.

Following this bombing, on the 10th and 11th, the British bombed the heights of the city, where the Germans had their defensive positions, in preparation for a ground assault. On the 12th the Allies launched their assault, Operation Astonia, and liberated the city the same day. The local newspaper titled “We were waiting for you with joy, we welcome you with grief”.

Le Havre was a crucial objective for the Allied logistics as it was the main deep water port in northen France. The city’s bombing and rush to liberate it might be explained by this factor. Though it is still a crime that the British, knowingly bombed residential areas, knowing full well there were no military targets and refused to evacuate civilians.

The city’s reconstruction would begin in 1945 and officialy end in the mid 1960’s. The rebuilt city center was added as a UNESCO world heritage site in 2005.

Yikes.