Bombing of Bucharest in World War II

Bucharest World War II bombings
	Part of Western Allied Campaign in Romania and Strategic bombing campaign in Europe
	; B-24 Liberator bombers of the 455th Bombardment Group over Bucharest on 4 April 1944
Date	April 4 to August 26, 1944
Location	Bucharest, Kingdom of Romania
Belligerents
Fifteenth Air Force; No. 205 Group	Royal Romanian Air Force; Luftwaffe
Commanders and leaders
Carl Spaatz; Arthur Tedder	Gheorghe Jienescu; Alfred Gerstenberg
Casualties and losses
	Civilians: 5,524 killed, 3,373 wounded

The Bucharest World War II bombings were primarily Allied bombings of railroad targets and those of the Oil Campaign of World War II, but included a bombing by Nazi Germany after the 1944 coup d'état. Bucharest stored and distributed much of Ploiești's refined oil products.^[1]^[2]

The first operation was a sequence of 17 aerial bombardments, starting with the one of April 4, 1944. The bombings were carried out over a period of about 4 months by the United States Air Force and the British Royal Air Force, with approximately 3,640 bombers of different types, accompanied by about 1,830 fighters. As collateral damage, 5,524 inhabitants were killed, 3,373 were injured, and 47,974 were left homeless.^[3] The second operation was executed by the German Luftwaffe in retaliation for Romania having changed sides (immediately after the fall of the fascist regime headed by Ion Antonescu), and took place on August 23–26, 1944.^[4]

Taking into account the large number of victims and damage caused, the aerial bombings of 1944 represent the greatest tragedy in the history of Bucharest in the twentieth century.^[5]

^ Stout 2011, p. 190.
^ Dobrovicescu, Lucian. "Aprilie 1944. Moartea vine din cer: Bombardamentele aliate asupra României" [April 1944. Death comes from the sky: Allied bombing of Romania] (in Romanian). Historia. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
^ "Bombardarea Bucureștilor în '44: mii de morți și sute de clădiri făcute praf" [The bombing of Bucharest in '44: thousands killed and hundreds of buildings destroyed]. Adevărul (in Romanian). February 22, 2011. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
^ Armă, Alexandru (2019). "24 august 1944: Avioanele germane bombardează Bucureștiul" [August 24, 1944: German planes bomb Bucharest] (in Romanian). Historia. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
^ Armă, Alexandru (2016). Rănile unui oraș: București bombardat (4 aprilie–26 august 1944) [Wounds of a city: Bucharest bombed (April 4–August 26, 1944)] (in Romanian). București: Editura Vremea. ISBN 978-9736457852. OCLC 988771379.

[FOOTNOTEStout2011190-1] Stout 2011, p. 190.

[2] Dobrovicescu, Lucian. "Aprilie 1944. Moartea vine din cer: Bombardamentele aliate asupra României" [April 1944. Death comes from the sky: Allied bombing of Romania] (in Romanian). Historia. Retrieved October 18, 2020.

[3] "Bombardarea Bucureștilor în '44: mii de morți și sute de clădiri făcute praf" [The bombing of Bucharest in '44: thousands killed and hundreds of buildings destroyed]. Adevărul (in Romanian). February 22, 2011. Retrieved October 18, 2020.

[4] Armă, Alexandru (2019). "24 august 1944: Avioanele germane bombardează Bucureștiul" [August 24, 1944: German planes bomb Bucharest] (in Romanian). Historia. Retrieved October 18, 2020.

[5] Armă, Alexandru (2016). Rănile unui oraș: București bombardat (4 aprilie–26 august 1944) [Wounds of a city: Bucharest bombed (April 4–August 26, 1944)] (in Romanian). București: Editura Vremea. ISBN 978-9736457852. OCLC 988771379.

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