According to the Internet project of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation "Cultural Values \u200b\u200b- Victims of War", over 160 museums were damaged on the territory of the Russian Federation during the Great Patriotic War. The exact number of cultural values \u200b\u200blost by Russia has not yet been determined. At the moment, the list includes 1,177,291 storage units, including museum items, rare books and manuscripts.
the Amber Room
The Amber Room from the Catherine Palace Museum in Pushkin is one of the most famous lost cultural treasures. This work of art, made by German craftsmen, was donated to Peter I by the Prussian king Friedrich Wilhelm I. Since 1755, the room was located in the Golden Suite of the ceremonial halls of the Catherine Palace. On the walls clad with amber with a total area of \u200b\u200bover 30 sq. m. about 130 panels of different sizes were placed. One of the most significant collections of amber items of the 17th-18th centuries in Europe was kept in glazed showcases. German, Polish and St. Petersburg masters. In 1941, the German occupation forces dismantled and removed the amber panels and all the decoration of the room to Königsberg, the further fate of this masterpiece is unknown. In 1983-2003. work was underway to recreate the room, and in May 2003 the opening ceremony took place. In 1997, the "Smell and Touch" mosaic and a chest of drawers with amber inlay were discovered in Germany; in 2000 they were transferred to Russia.
Sophia Cathedral
St. Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod, built in 1045-1050, was one of the oldest monuments of Russian architecture. The cathedral was badly damaged during the bombing in 1941, in particular, the image of the Almighty Savior (painting in 1109) on the central dome of the cathedral was lost, the frescoes of the 11th-12th centuries were almost completely lost. In 1941-1944. during the occupation of the city by German troops, its interior was plundered, including icons of the 12th – 17th centuries. and chandeliers (hanging candlestick or chandelier for a large number of candles). The chandelier of the greatest artistic value was made in honor of Boris Godunov. Consisting of almost a thousand parts, it was 4.5 m high and 3.5 m in the lower tier. This piece of art has been broken down into small pieces. Together with the copper sheets, the gilding of the domes was stripped off, books were stolen from the library of the cathedral. Restoration work in the cathedral began in 1945. In 1947 Germany returned the main iconostasis to Novgorod, after restoration it was installed in 1968-1970. In 1971, restorers revived the Godunov chandelier.
New Jerusalem Monastery
The New Jerusalem Monastery in the city of Istra was founded in 1656 by Patriarch Nikon in order to recreate the complex of the holy places of Palestine near Moscow.
In November-December 1941, Istra was occupied by German troops. During the retreat, they blew up all the high-rise monastery buildings, including the main attraction of the ensemble - the Resurrection Cathedral, in which all the icons of the main iconostasis perished. The seven-tiered (73 m) bell tower was completely destroyed, only three of its 15 bells survived. The facts concerning the destruction of the monastery appeared in the indictment at the Nuremberg Trials. In 1957, the USSR Academy of Sciences expressed the opinion that it was impossible to restore the complex due to "irrecoverable losses", nevertheless, work began. By 1980, the complex was partially recreated. In 2014, the bell tower was restored with new bells.
Cathedral
Cathedral in Kaliningrad (until 1946 Koenigsberg; Prussia, Germany), built in the XIV century. in the brick Gothic style, was the main church of the city. The grave of Immanuel Kant is located near the walls of the cathedral. In 1944, during the bombing of the city by the allied forces, the cathedral was practically destroyed, its rich decoration was irretrievably lost. In 1992-2005. it has been recreated, however the appearance is slightly different from the original.
Warsaw
Warsaw is one of the hardest hit cities. One of the most famous landmarks of the Polish capital is the bronze monument to Frederic Chopin. The sculptor Vaclav Szymanowski depicted the composer sitting under a stylized willow tree. The monument, erected in 1926 in the city center in the Лазazienki park, was blown up by the Nazis in May 1940 and cut into small pieces. The scrap was used as raw material for smelting in German factories. After the war, under the ruins of Shimanovsky's house, a copy of the monument was found, according to which it was restored. It was reopened in 1958.
In August-October 1944, the Nazis systematically destroyed the historic center of Warsaw (Old Town). Such architectural monuments as the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist was built at the beginning of the XIV century. and the Royal Castle of the XIII-XVI centuries. After the war, the Old Town was rebuilt in its original form. In 1980 it entered the UNESCO World Heritage List as "an exceptional example of the almost complete restoration of the historical period between the 13th and 20th centuries."
Montecassino monastery
Montecassino Monastery, located near the city of Cassino in Italy, was founded in 529 by Benedict of Nursia. This is one of the oldest and largest monasteries in Europe, its architectural ensemble has been formed over the centuries. During the Second World War, the cultural values \u200b\u200bkept in the monastery were evacuated. At the end of 1943, the vicinity of Cassino became a key position of the German defensive line protecting the approaches to Rome. On February 15, 1944, the allied forces began bombarding the area for a subsequent attack, as a result of which the monastery was destroyed. After the war, the monastery was restored and in 1964 it was consecrated again.
Holy Trinity Bridge
The six-span Santa Trinita Bridge (Bridge of the Holy Trinity) over the Arno River in Florence is by its location the most significant bridge in the city. It is believed that it was originally conceived not only as an engineering structure, but also as a work of art. Erected for the first time in 1258, it was rebuilt in 1333 and 1557. Presumably the last version of the bridge was designed by Michelangelo. The bridge is decorated with oval arches and sculptures. In 1944 it was blown up by the Germans during their retreat. In 1957 it was restored to its original form.
Dresden
The city of Dresden in Germany, often referred to as "Florence on the Elbe", was subjected to large-scale Allied bombing on 13-14 February 1945, leaving its center, famous for its many historical and architectural monuments, to ruins. The Zwinger palace and park complex and the Semper Opera were destroyed, as well as the Frauenkirche (Church of the Virgin), one of the most famous churches in the country. It was built in 1726-1743. in the Baroque style, its height reached 95 m, the diameter of the dome exceeded 23 m. The GDR authorities, with a lack of financial resources, decided to leave the ruins as a reminder to the descendants of the tragedies of the war. Restoration work began only in 1996, after the unification of Germany. The grand opening of the new Frauenkirche took place in 2005. The restoration of the entire city center took almost forty years.
St. Peter's Church
St. Peter's Church in Riga, erected in 1209, is one of the main attractions of the city. In 1473, a 123 m high bell tower was built, after which the church became the tallest building in Riga. Over the centuries, the wooden spire of the bell tower collapsed several times, burned, was damaged by lightning, but was always restored. In June 1941, during the shelling, the temple was destroyed, after the war it remained in ruins for a long time. It was restored only in 1973. The new spire of the bell tower was made of steel.
Lubeck
The city of Lubeck in Germany was bombed by Allied forces on March 28-29, 1942, as a result of which one fifth of the old city was destroyed. Restoration work began in 1949. In 1987, the reconstructed historic part of Lübeck was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. One of the most famous restored buildings is the so-called Buddenbrook House, from which only the facade and basement remained in 1942. The famous writers Heinrich and Thomas Mann were born in this house built in 1758. Since 1893, the house has been owned by the city authorities, in 1922 it got its name from one of the most famous novels by Thomas Mann. Today it is Lübeck's main museum.
Coventry
The city of Coventry in Great Britain was practically destroyed in 1940-1942. as a result of bombing by German aircraft. In 1940, the medieval Cathedral of St. Michael was destroyed - the only English cathedral that was damaged during the Second World War. Only the outer walls and the spire survived from it (at that time the third highest in Britain). The decision to rebuild was taken the day after the bombing. The new cathedral was opened in 1962. Next to it are the ruins of the old building, on which the inscription is made: "Built in the fifteenth century, destroyed in the twentieth".
Many cities were practically wiped out by the Second World War. They lost their historical centers and traditional buildings (not to mention the loss of life). In some cases, the pre-war layout of the city was guessed by the lines of the ruins of the old streets, visible from the plane.
Officials and architects who made decisions on the restoration of cities in the post-war years faced an important task. In fact, they had to "rebuild" the face of the city - this is similar to the work of a plastic surgeon, who recreates the face of a patient after an extremely serious injury.
Urban Projects wrote a post about four different approaches to rebuilding war-torn cities. Next word to the author:
The Second World War changed the face of many cities. Where destruction was especially severe, cities had to be completely rebuilt.
We have selected 4 exemplary approaches to rebuilding cities. Each of them is different from each other and each led to different results - from the preservation of the historical city to a complete reorganization.
Warsaw
The city was destroyed by 84 percent.
Almost all historical buildings suffered: the Warsaw Castle was destroyed; Sigismund's Column; on the main streets that make up the Royal Route, not a single building remains intact.
The restoration of the city seemed overwhelming, but in order to preserve and assert its own identity, on February 3, 1945, a resolution was adopted on the reconstruction of the city, and on February 14, the "Bureau of Capital Restoration" was created.
Market Square
Collage: thinglink.com
The reconstruction plan of Warsaw was very different from other similar ones in Europe, according to which only individual historical buildings were restored. Here the task was to restore the entire historical building of the city. 
It was decided to look for and use the wreckage of former historical buildings. If they did not survive, then the details were made anew using the surviving old drawings and diagrams. Interestingly, 22 paintings of the Italian artist Bernardo Bellotto with views of Warsaw played an important role in the reconstruction of these details.
Bernardo Bellotto, "Warsaw, Medovaya Street", 1777
Of course, it was impossible to fully embody the views from the paintings due to the optical features of the paintings, but the details turned out to be as similar as possible to the original.
House of attorney Alexander John before the war, in the painting by Bellotto and after restoration
Collage: 99percentinvisible.org
Where restoration was impossible, development was carried out in the spirit of the old city. For example, as part of the major construction of the East-West highway (Trasa W-Z) in 1949, the Marienshtat microdistrict was rebuilt, the buildings of which were stylized as merchant stone houses of the 17th century.
Marienshtat, view from the Castle Square
Photo: Wikipedia
There were, of course, differences between the old and the new city. The new Warsaw has more space and light, in contrast to the narrow courtyards and alleys of the old city. In this regard, the approach was quite consistent with the post-war communist urban planning with its wide streets and avenues. Plus, in 1945, the so-called Bierut decree came into force, according to which all the land within the pre-war borders of Warsaw was nationalized, and some of the surviving buildings were nevertheless demolished. Instead, buildings were erected that seemed more acceptable for the new communist regime. 
Collage: oobject.com
This approach was, of course, long-term, and the restoration of different parts of the city continued almost until the 70s, when the Warsaw Castle was reconstructed. Now the old city of Warsaw is quite consistent with the pre-war, it is clear that the work of the reenactors was titanic. It is difficult to imagine what would have happened to the center of Warsaw today if the restoration plan had not been adopted initially.
Dresden
Photo: The LIFE Picture Collection
One of the largest cultural centers in Europe was massively bombed by Anglo-American aviation in February 1945. Destroyed 23 percent of industrial buildings, 56 percent of non-residential and non-industrial buildings (those that were of the highest cultural value) and about 50 percent of the residential area. 
A photo: visualhistory
Unlike the leadership of Poland and Warsaw, the authorities of the GDR did not have any systematic plan for the reconstruction of the city. Nevertheless, the surviving fragments of historical buildings were found and taken out for storage outside the city, and the structures that remained from the previous buildings were left intact. 
A photo: visualhistory
Thus, the city center was mostly empty space. New buildings were erected pointwise and stylistically corresponded to the ideas of the architecture of the new political regime rather than the spirit of the old city. 
Collage: The Independent
Some old buildings were selectively restored. So, in 1964, the Zwinger complex was restored.
The Zwinger 1946 and Now
Collage: The Independent
A full-scale reconstruction of the city began only after the unification of Germany. The reconstruction of the Frauenkirche church, which began in 1990 and was completed only in 2005, became a symbol of the city's restoration.
Frauenkirche before and after restoration:
Collage: goodnewsnetwork.org
The surviving fragments of the church were used during the reconstruction, the rest was recreated using the original material - sandstone. 
Photo: frauenkirche-dresden.de
After the success with the church, the city authorities began to think about restoring the historical buildings, but we must admit that the work here was not carried out so scrupulously. The task was rather to recreate a certain style of building, albeit corresponding to the photographs and paintings of the old city. For this, some buildings of the GDR times are even demolished, which interfere with the restoration of the spirit of the old city. 
Collage: The Independent
The restoration of Dresden continues to this day. Its participants do not pretend to truly recreate the old city, but try to return the almost lost general appearance and spirit.
Minsk
Schemes: news.tut.by
Minsk lost 89 percent of all pre-war buildings as a result of the war. At the time of the capture of the city by Soviet troops, only 70 undestroyed buildings remained in the central districts of Minsk.
The first post-war general plan of Minsk was drawn up by "Belgosproekt" at the end of 1945 and implied the demolition of most of the old buildings and the complete reconstruction of the city.
Collage: news.tut.by
Some old buildings were rebuilt only if this did not interfere with adherence to the general plan and did not require a thorough reconstruction. So, in 1950, the church of St. Thomas Aquinas, previously recognized as an architectural monument.
Church of St. Thomas Aquinas before demolition
A photo: ruiny_v_upor
The layout of the historic center was completely rethought by completely transforming it into a radial-circular one, expanding the main highways, arranging two through mutually perpendicular urban diameters.
Freedom Square
Collage: news.tut.by
According to the general plan, the territory of Minsk expanded from 7.7 thousand to 13 thousand hectares, industrial and communal institutions were located in the new territories. The expansion of the city was carried out mainly in the southeast direction.
Freedom Square
Collage: news.tut.by
According to the plan, it was decided to build up the central part of the city with 4-5-storey buildings, no more than 6 floors. Simultaneously with them, wooden houses and barracks were built for builders and residents of the city. 
Collage: realt.onliner.by
The vast majority of buildings in the new city were made in the style of Stalinist neoclassicism. Such restoration projects were quite typical for the USSR. Volgograd and Tver were almost rebuilt in the same way. Thus, the historical appearance of Minsk was practically lost in the typical layout of the Soviet city.
Kaliningrad
Photo: on-walking.com
By the end of the war, more than 90 percent of industrial, residential and administrative buildings on the territory of what is now the Kaliningrad Region were destroyed.
Avaider Alley, now the Alley of the Brave
A photo: sergey_larenkov
Unlike Minsk, the restoration of the former Königsberg was not systemic - moreover, all the restoration activities were as chaotic and incoherent as possible. This happened for a variety of reasons, the main ones being the settling of the surviving buildings by immigrants from the "mainland" and the loss of most of the German documentation, diagrams and drawings.
In 1947, attempts to change this began, the search and translation of German urban planning instructions began, and the city's chief architect appeared. Many German buildings have been restored, some of the city's architectural monuments have been preserved (stock exchange, churches, the Luisen Park complex, a new university building, etc.). Attempts to demolish the ruins of the Royal Castle were stopped.
Ruins of the Royal Castle
However, since 1953, the city's rebuilding policy has changed dramatically. Kaliningrad no longer had a chief architect, the political leadership decided to demolish many old German buildings and their remains. The royal castle lasted until 1967, when its ruins were still blown up.
A ten-story building against the backdrop of a Lutheran temple
Photo: on-walking.com
A plan was adopted to de-compact the central part of the city, to create protective zones between industrial enterprises, residential and cultural buildings. During the restoration of buildings, the facades, architectural forms, and the layout of premises were changed - the German architectural heritage was transformed into the previously mentioned Stalinist neoclassicism. However, in contrast to Minsk, in Kaliningrad it was decided to keep the old structure of the city.
Collage: sergey_larenkov
Such randomness and lack of system in the restoration of the city is clearly visible even now. Kaliningrad is a mixture of preserved German buildings, often reconstructed in an artisanal way, and typical Soviet buildings of that time.
Outcome
Of course, one cannot say that any of the approaches is unambiguously correct or incorrect. The rebuilding of cities was carried out in different circumstances; different tasks were set for city planners. However, the Warsaw and, to some extent, Dresden version is more suitable for the concept of "restoration". They are very long-term and require a lot of effort. But so the city does not lose its identity, as happened with Minsk. Minsk is now a typical Soviet city of its time, not much different from other restored cities on the territory of the former USSR. Kaliningrad, on the other hand, suffered at first from the inaction of the authorities and chaotic restoration, and then from the same typical development. This combination also led to the loss of the memory of the pre-war city.
It is now known for certain that during World War II, Anglo-American aircraft deliberately bombed peaceful German cities. The statistics of the consequences of the “air war” provide the following data: in all age groups, losses among women exceed those among men by about 40%, the number of children killed is also very high - 20% of all losses, losses among older age groups are 22%. Of course, these figures do not mean that only the Germans were the victims of the war. The world remembers Auschwitz, Majdanek, Buchenwald, Mauthausen and 1,650 more concentration camps and ghettos, the world remembers Khatyn and Babi Yar ... It's about something else. How did the Anglo-American methods of waging war differ from the German ones, if they also led to the mass death of civilians?
Churchill's go-ahead
If we compare the images of the lunar landscape with photographs of the space that remained from the German city of Wesel after the bombing of 1945, it will be difficult to distinguish them. The mountains of heaving earth, interspersed with thousands of huge bomb craters, closely resemble lunar craters. It is impossible to believe that people lived here. Wesel became one of 80 German target cities subjected to total bombing by Anglo-American aircraft between 1940 and 1945. How did this "air" war begin - in fact, a war with the population?
Let us turn to the previous documents and separate “programmatic” statements of the top officials of the states that participated in the Second World War.
At the time of the German invasion of Poland - September 1, 1939 - the entire world community knew the document "Rules of War", developed by the participants of the Washington Conference on the Limitation of Arms in 1922. It literally states: “Aerial bombardment for the purpose of terrorizing civilians, or destroying and damaging private property of a non-military nature, or causing harm to persons not taking part in hostilities, is prohibited” (Article 22, Part II).
Moreover, on September 2, 1939, the British, French and German governments announced that the bombing would be "strictly military targets in the narrowest sense of the word."
Six months after the outbreak of the war, speaking in the House of Commons on February 15, 1940, the British Prime Minister Chamberlain confirmed the earlier statement: “No matter what others do, our government will never despicably attack women and other civilians just to to terrorize them. "
As a result, the humane concept of the British leadership existed only until May 10, 1940 - the day Winston Churchill came to the post of Prime Minister after Chamberlain's death. The next day, on his signal, British pilots began to bomb Freiburg. JM Speight, Assistant Secretary of the Air, commented on the event as follows: “We (the British) began bombing targets in Germany before the Germans began bombing targets in the British Isles. This is a historical fact that has been publicly acknowledged ... But since we doubted the psychological impact that the propaganda distortion of the truth that it was we who launched a strategic offensive could have, we did not have the courage to publicize our great decision made in May 1940. We should have made it public, but of course we made a mistake. This is a great solution. " According to the famous British historian and military theorist John Fuller, then "it was at the hands of Mr. Churchill that the detonator went off, which caused an explosion - a war of devastation and terror unprecedented since the Seljuk invasion."
After eight British raids on German cities, the Luftwaffe bombed London in September 1940, and Coventry on November 14. According to the author of the book "Air War in Germany", Major General Hans Rumpf, it is this raid on the center of the British aircraft engine industry that is considered to be the beginning of an all-out air war. Then, in addition to the plant, half of the city buildings were destroyed to the ground, several hundred civilians died. Official German propaganda called this raid "a gigantic aerial bombardment", which greatly helped the official British propaganda, which accused the Luftwaffe of "barbarism". After that, the German bombing stopped somewhat, and the British until the beginning of 1942 were engaged in the so-called "precision" bombing, carried out mainly at night. The impact of these raids on the German economy was extremely small - the production of weapons not only did not decline, but also steadily increased.
British bomber aviation was in a clear crisis. In August 1941, Cabinet Secretary D. Butt presented a report that proved the absolute ineffectiveness of the bombing raids that year. In November, Churchill was even forced to order bomber commander Sir Richard Percy to limit the number of raids as much as possible until the concept of using heavy bombers was worked out.
Obsessed debut
That all changed on February 21, 1942, when Air Marshal Arthur Harris became the new RAF Bomber Commander. A lover of figurative expressions, he immediately promised to "knock out" Germany from the war. Harris proposed abandoning the practice of destroying specific targets and bombing city squares. In his opinion, the destruction of cities should undoubtedly undermine the spirit of the civilian population, and above all the workers of industrial enterprises.
Thus, there was a complete revolution in the use of bombers. Now they have become an independent instrument of war, which does not need to interact with anyone. Harris, with all his indomitable energy, began to transform bomber aircraft into a huge machine of destruction. He quickly established an iron discipline and demanded the unquestioning and prompt execution of all his orders. Few people liked “tightening the screws,” but that worried Harris least of all - he felt the strong support of Prime Minister Churchill. The new commander categorically demanded that the government provide him with 4,000 heavy four-engine bombers and 1,000 high-speed Mosquito-type fighter-bombers. This would enable him to keep up to 1,000 aircraft over Germany every night. The ministers of the "economic" bloc with great difficulty managed to prove to the frantic marshal the absurdity of his demands. The British industry simply could not cope with their implementation in the foreseeable future, if only because of the lack of raw materials.
So in the first "raid of a thousand bombers", which took place on the night of May 30-31, 1942, Harris sent everything that he had: not only a few Lancaster, but also Halifaxes, Stirlings, Blenheims , Wellingtons, Hempdens and Whitley. In total, the diverse armada consisted of 1,047 vehicles. At the end of the raid, 41 aircraft (3.9% of the total number) did not return to the bases. This level of losses then alerted many, but not Harris. Subsequently, among the British Air Force, bomber losses were always the greatest.
The first "thousandth raids" did not lead to noticeable practical results, and this was not required. The raids were of a "combat training" nature: according to Marshal Harris, it was necessary to create the necessary theoretical basis for bombing and back it up with flight practice.
The whole year 1942 passed in such "practical" lessons. In addition to German cities, the British bombed several times the industrial facilities of the Ruhr, the targets in Italy - Milan, Turin and La Spezia, as well as the bases of German submarines in France.
Winston Churchill assessed this period of time as follows: "Although we gradually achieved the much-needed precision of hitting in the night conditions, Germany's military industry and the moral strength of its civilian resistance were not broken by the bombing of 1942."
As for the public and political resonance in England regarding the first bombings, for example, Lord Salisbury and Bishop George Bell of Chichester have repeatedly condemned such a strategy. They expressed their opinions in the House of Lords and in the press, focusing the attention of the military leadership and society in general on the fact that strategic bombing of cities cannot be justified from a moral point of view or according to the laws of war. But such departures nevertheless continued.
In the same year, the first formations of American heavy bombers Boeing B-17 and Flying Fortress arrived in England. At that time, these were the best strategic bombers in the world, both in speed and altitude, and in armament. The 12 large-caliber Browning machine guns gave the Fortress crew a good chance to fight off German fighters. Unlike the British, the American command relied on targeted bombing in daylight. It was assumed that the powerful barrage of hundreds of "B-17" flying in close formation, no one could break through. The reality turned out to be different. Already in the first "training" raids on France, the Fortresses squadrons suffered significant losses. It became clear that no result could be achieved without strong fighter cover. But the Allies could not yet produce long-range fighters in sufficient numbers, so the crews of the bombers had to rely mainly on themselves. In this way, aviation operated until January 1943, when the Allied conference was held in Casablanca, where the main points of strategic interaction were determined: to military resistance ".
On June 2, speaking in the House of Commons, Churchill said: "I can report that this year the German cities, harbors and centers of the war industry will be subjected to such a huge, continuous and brutal test that no country has experienced." The commander of the British bomber aviation was instructed: "To begin the most intensive bombing of industrial facilities in Germany." Subsequently, Harris wrote about it this way: "In fact, I got the freedom to bomb any German city with a population of 100 thousand people or more." Without putting the matter on the back burner, the British marshal planned a joint air operation with the Americans against Hamburg, Germany's second most populous city. This operation was called "Gomorrah". Her goal was the complete destruction of the city and turning it to dust.
Monuments to barbarism
In late July - early August 1943, 4 night and 3 day massive raids were carried out on Hamburg. In total, about 3 thousand Allied heavy bombers took part in them. During the first raid on 27 July, from 1 am on densely populated areas of the city, 10,000 tons of explosives, mainly incendiary and high-explosive bombs, were dropped. A fire storm raged in Hamburg for several days, and the plume of smoke reached a height of 4 km. Even the pilots felt the smoke of the burning city; it penetrated the cockpits of the aircraft. According to eyewitnesses, asphalt and sugar stored in warehouses boiled in the city, glass melted in trams. Civilians burned alive, turning to ash, or suffocated from poisonous gases in the basements of their homes, trying to hide from the bombing. Or they were buried under the ruins. In the diary of the German Friedrich Reck, who was sent to Dachau by the Nazis, there are stories about people who fled from Hamburg in nothing but pajamas, lost their memory or became distraught with horror.
The city was half destroyed, more than 50 thousand of its inhabitants died, over 200 thousand were injured, burned and maimed.
To his old nickname "bomber" Harris added another - "Nelson Air". So he was now called in the English press. But nothing pleased the marshal - the destruction of Hamburg could not bring the final defeat of the enemy decisively closer. Harris estimated that at least six of the largest German cities needed to be destroyed simultaneously. And for this there was not enough strength. Justifying his "slow victories", he said: "I can no longer hope that we will be able to inflict an air defeat on the largest industrial power in Europe, if only 600-700 heavy bombers are at my disposal for this."
British industry could not make up for the losses of such aircraft as quickly as Harris desired. Indeed, in each raid, the British lost an average of 3.5% of the total number of bombers involved. At first glance, it looks like a little, but after all, each crew had to make 30 sorties! If this number is multiplied by the average percentage of losses, then you get already 105% of losses. Truly killer math for pilots, bombers, navigators and gunners. Few of them survived the fall of 1943
And here is the other side of the barricades. The famous German fighter pilot Hans Philippe described his feelings in battle as follows: “It was a joy to fight with two dozen Russian fighters or with English Spitfires. And no one thought about the meaning of life. But when seventy huge "Flying Fortresses" fly at you, all your previous sins arise before your eyes. And even if the lead pilot was able to gather his courage, then how much pain and nerves it took to make every pilot in the squadron, down to the very newcomers, cope with him. " In October 1943, during one of these attacks, Hans Philippe was shot down and killed. His lot was shared by many.
Meanwhile, the Americans focused their main efforts on the destruction of important industrial facilities of the Third Reich. On August 17, 1943, 363 heavy bombers attempted to destroy the ball bearing factories in the Schweinfurt area. But since there were no escort fighters, the losses during the operation were very serious - 60 "Fortresses". Further bombing of the area was postponed by 4 months, during which the Germans were able to rebuild their factories. Such raids finally convinced the American command that it was no longer possible to send bombers without cover.
And three months after the allies' failures - November 18, 1943 - Arthur Harris began the "Battle of Berlin". On this occasion, he said: "I want to incinerate this nightmare city from end to end." The battle continued until March 1944. 16 massive raids were carried out on the capital of the Third Reich, during which 50 thousand tons of bombs were dropped. Almost half of the city turned into ruins, tens of thousands of Berliners died. “For fifty, one hundred, and perhaps more years, the destroyed cities of Germany will stand as monuments to the barbarism of its victors,” wrote Major General John Fuller.
One German fighter pilot recalled: “I once saw a night raid from the ground. I stood in a crowd of other people in an underground metro station, the ground shook with every bomb explosion, women and children screamed, clouds of smoke and dust penetrated through the mines. Anyone who did not experience fear and horror should have had a heart of stone. " At that time, there was a popular anecdote: who can be considered a coward? Answer: a Berliner who volunteered for the front
But still it was not possible to completely destroy the city, and the "Nelson Air" was born with a proposal: "We can completely demolish Berlin if the American Air Force takes part. It will cost us 400-500 aircraft. The Germans will pay with defeat in the war. " However, the American colleagues did not share Harris's optimism.
In the meantime, dissatisfaction with the bomber commander was growing in the British leadership. Harris's appetites increased so much that in March 1944, Minister of War J. Grigg, presenting the draft budget of the army to parliament, said: “I take the liberty of saying that the production of heavy bombers alone employs as many workers as the implementation of the plan of the entire army ". At that time, 40-50% of British military production worked for one aircraft, and to satisfy the ever-growing demands of the main bombardier meant to bleed the land forces and the navy. Because of this, the admirals and generals, to put it mildly, did not treat Harris very well, but he was still obsessed with the idea of \u200b\u200b"knocking out" Germany from the war. But with this just nothing worked. In addition, in terms of losses, the spring of 1944 was the most difficult period for British bomber aviation: on average, losses per flight reached 6%. On March 30, 1944, during a raid on Nuremberg, German night fighters and anti-aircraft gunners shot down 96 of 786 aircraft. It was a truly black night for the RAF.
The raids of the British could not break the spirit of resistance of the population, and the raids of the Americans - decisively reduce the output of German military products. All sorts of businesses were dispersed, and strategically important factories were hidden underground. In February 1944, within a few days, half of the German aircraft factories were subjected to air raids. Some were destroyed to the ground, but very quickly the production was restored, and the factory equipment was moved to other areas. Aircraft production increased continuously and reached its maximum in the summer of 1944.
In this regard, it is worth noting that in the post-war report of the American Office for the Study of the Results of Strategic Bombings there is an amazing fact: it turns out that in Germany there was only one plant for the production of dibromoethane - for ethyl liquid. The fact is that without this component, which is necessary for the production of aviation gasoline, not a single German aircraft would fly. But, oddly enough, this plant has never been bombed, just no one thought about it. But destroy it, the German aircraft factories could not have been touched at all. They could produce thousands of planes that could only be rolled on the ground. Here is how John Fuller wrote about this: "If in our technical age, soldiers and pilots do not think technically, they do more harm than good."
The curtain
In early 1944, the main problem of the Allied Air Force was resolved: Fortresses and Liberators defended the excellent Thunderbolt and Mustang fighters in large numbers. From that time on, the losses of the Reich air defense fighter squadrons began to increase. There were fewer and fewer Ases, and there was no one to replace them - the level of training of young pilots compared to the beginning of the war was depressingly low. This fact could not but reassure the allies. And nevertheless, it became increasingly difficult for them to prove the expediency of their "strategic" bombing: in 1944, the gross industrial output in Germany was steadily increasing. A new approach was needed. And he was found: the commander of the US Strategic Air Force, General Karl Spaats, suggested focusing on the destruction of synthetic fuel factories, and the Chief Marshal of the British Air Force, Tedder, insisted on the destruction of German railways. He argued that the bombing of a transport is the most real opportunity to quickly disorganize the enemy.
As a result, it was decided to bomb the transport system first and the fuel factories second. From April 1944, the Allied bombing did indeed briefly become strategic. And against their background, the tragedy in the small town of Essen, located in East Frisia, passed unnoticed. On the last day of September 1944, due to bad weather, American aircraft were unable to reach one military plant. On the way back through a gap in the clouds, the pilots saw a small city and, in order not to return home with a full load, they decided to free themselves from it. The bombs hit the school, burying 120 children under the rubble. It was half of the children in the city. A small episode of the great air war ... By the end of 1944, the railway transport in Germany was practically paralyzed. Synthetic fuel production fell from 316 thousand tons in May 1944 to 17 thousand tons in September. As a result, there was not enough fuel for either the aircraft or the tank divisions. The desperate German counter-offensive in the Ardennes in December of that year collapsed largely due to the fact that they failed to seize the fuel reserves of the Allies. The German tanks just stopped.
Slaughter from friends in arms
In the fall of 1944, the Allies faced an unexpected problem: there were so many heavy bombers and cover fighters that there was not enough industrial targets for them: not to sit idle. And to the complete satisfaction of Arthur Harris, not only the British, but also the Americans began to consistently destroy German cities. Berlin, Stuttgart, Darmstadt, Freiburg, Heilbronn were subjected to the strongest raids. The apogee of the massacre was the destruction of Dresden in mid-February 1945. At this time, the city was literally flooded with tens of thousands of refugees from the eastern regions of Germany. The massacre began with 800 British bombers on the night of 13-14 February. 650 thousand incendiary and high-explosive bombs were dropped on the city center. During the day, Dresden was bombed by 1,350 American bombers, the next day - by 1,100. The city center was literally razed to the ground. In total, 27 thousand residential and 7 thousand public buildings were destroyed.
How many citizens and refugees died is still unknown. Immediately after the war, the US State Department reported 250,000 deaths. Now the generally accepted figure is ten times less - 25 thousand, although there are other figures - 60 and 100 thousand people. In any case, Dresden and Hamburg can be put on a par with Hiroshima and Nagasaki: “When the fire from burning buildings burst through the roofs, a column of hot air about six kilometers high and three kilometers in diameter rose above them ... Soon the air was heated to the limit, and all that could ignite, was engulfed in fire. Everything burned to the ground, that is, there were no traces of combustible materials, only two days later the temperature of the conflagration dropped so much that one could at least get closer to the burnt area, ”an eyewitness testifies.
After Dresden, the British managed to bomb Würzburg, Bayreuth, Zoest, Ulm and Rothenburg - cities that have survived from the late Middle Ages. Only in one town of Pforzheim with a population of 60 thousand people during one air raid on February 22, 1945, a third of its inhabitants died. Klein Festung recalled that, being imprisoned in the Theresienstadt concentration camp, he saw the reflections of the Pforzheim fire from the window of his cell - 70 kilometers away. Chaos settled on the streets of ruined German cities. The Germans, who love order and cleanliness, lived like cave dwellers, hiding in ruins. Disgusting rats scurried about and fat flies circled.
In early March, Churchill urged Harris to end the "area" bombing. He literally said the following: “It seems to me that we need to stop bombing German cities. Otherwise, we will take control of an absolutely destroyed country. " The Marshal was forced to obey.
Peace "guarantee"
In addition to eyewitness accounts, the catastrophic consequences of such raids are confirmed by many documents, including the conclusion of a special commission of the victorious powers, which immediately after the surrender of Germany examined the results of the bombing on the spot. With industrial and military facilities, everything was clear - no one expected another outcome. But the fate of German cities and villages shocked the members of the commission. Then, almost immediately after the end of the war, the results of the "area" bombing could not be hidden from the "general public." In England, a real wave of indignation has risen against the recent "hero-bombers", the protesters have repeatedly demanded to bring them to justice. In the United States, they reacted quite calmly to everything. And such information did not reach the broad masses of the Soviet Union, and it is unlikely that it would have become timely and understandable. There were so many ruins of their own and their own grief that before the alien, before the "fascist" - "so that they all were empty there!" - there was neither strength nor time.
How merciless this time ... Literally a few months after the war, its victims were of no use to anyone. In any case, the top officials of the powers that defeated fascism were so concerned about the division of the victory banner that, for example, Sir Winston Churchill hastened to officially disown responsibility for the same Dresden, for dozens of other German cities wiped out from the face of the earth. As if nothing had happened and it was not he who personally made the decisions about the bombing. As if, when choosing the next victim city at the end of the war, the Anglo-American command was not guided by the criteria of "absence of military facilities" - "lack of air defense systems." The generals of the allied armies took care of their pilots and planes: why send them where there is a ring of air defense.
As for the war hero, and later the disgraced Marshal Arthur Harris, he immediately after the military battle began to write the book "Strategic bombing". It came out already in 1947 and sold in a fairly large print run. Many were wondering how the "main scorer" would be justified. The author did not do this. On the contrary, he made it clear that he would not allow the entire responsibility to be passed on. He did not regret anything and did not regret anything. This is how he understood his main task as commander of bomber aviation: “The main objects of the military industry were to be found where they are in any country in the world, that is, in the cities themselves. It should be especially emphasized that, except in Essen, we have never targeted any particular plant. We have always considered the destroyed enterprise in the city as an additional luck. Our main goal has always been the city center. All the old German cities are most densely built up towards the center, and their outskirts are always more or less free of buildings. Therefore, the central part of cities is especially sensitive to incendiary bombs. "
Air Force General Frederick Anderson explained the concept of all-out raids: “Memories of the destruction of Germany will be passed on from father to son, from son to grandson. This is the best guarantee that Germany will never again unleash new wars. " There have been many such statements, and they all seem even more cynical after reading the official American Strategic Bombing Report of September 30, 1945. This document, based on research conducted at the time, states that the citizens of German cities have lost their faith in future victory, in their leaders, in the promises and propaganda to which they were subjected. Most of all, they wanted the war to end.
They increasingly resorted to listening to "black radio", to discussing rumors, and in fact found themselves in opposition to the regime. As a result of this situation, the dissident movement began to grow in the cities: in 1944, one in every thousand Germans was arrested for political crimes. If German citizens had freedom of choice, they would have stopped participating in the war long ago. However, under the conditions of a tough police regime, any manifestation of discontent meant: prison or death. Nevertheless, a study of official records and individual opinions shows that during the last period of the war, absenteeism increased and production declined, although large enterprises continued to work. Thus, as much as the people of Germany were dissatisfied with the war, "they did not have the opportunity to openly express it," the American report emphasizes.
Thus, the massive bombing raids on Germany were generally not strategic. They were so only a few times. The military industry of the Third Reich was paralyzed only at the end of 1944, when the Americans bombed 12 factories that produced synthetic fuel and disabled the road network. By this time, almost all major German cities had been aimlessly destroyed. According to Hans Rumpf, they bore the brunt of the air raids and thus defended industrial enterprises until the very end of the war. “The strategic bombing was aimed mainly at destroying women, children and the elderly,” the Major General emphasizes. Of the total of 955,044 thousand bombs dropped by the British on Germany, 430,747 tons fell on cities.
As for Churchill's decision on the moral terror of the German population, it was truly fatal: such raids not only did not contribute to victory, but also pushed it back.
However, for a long time after the war, many well-known participants continued to justify their actions. So, already in 1964, retired US Air Force Lieutenant General Ira Iker expressed the following: “I find it difficult to understand the British or Americans who weep over the killed civilians and did not shed a tear over our valiant soldiers who died in battles with a cruel enemy. I deeply regret that the bomber aircraft of Great Britain and the United States killed 135 thousand inhabitants of Dresden in the raid, but I do not forget who started the war, and I am even more sorry that more than 5 million lives were sacrificed by the Anglo-American armed forces in a bitter struggle for complete destruction of fascism ".
British Air Marshal Robert Sondby was not so categorical: “No one will deny that the bombing of Dresden was a great tragedy. It was a terrible misfortune that sometimes happens in wartime, caused by a cruel coincidence. Those who sanctioned this raid did not act out of malice, not out of cruelty, although it is likely that they were too far from the harsh reality of hostilities to fully comprehend the monstrous destructive power of the spring 1945 aerial bombardment. ” Was the British Air Marshal so naive as to justify the total destruction of German cities. After all, it is "cities, not heaps of ruins, that are the basis of civilization," wrote the English historian John Fuller after the war.
Better about the bombing, perhaps, and you can not say.
The origin of the doctrine
The very use of the aircraft as a means of warfare was at the beginning of the 20th century a truly revolutionary step. The first bombers were clumsy and fragile-looking structures, and it was not an easy task for pilots to fly to their targets even with a minimum bomb load. There was no need to talk about the accuracy of hits. In the First World War, bombers did not gain much fame, unlike fighters or from ground-based "wonder weapons" - tanks. Nevertheless, the "heavy" aviation had supporters and even apologists. Between the two world wars, perhaps the most famous of these was the Italian general Giulio Douai.
In his writings, Douhet tirelessly argued that the war can be won by one aircraft. The ground forces and the navy must play a subordinate role in relation to it. The army holds the front line and the navy defends the coast while the air force gains victory. Bombing should be primarily cities, not factories and military facilities, which are relatively easy to relocate. Moreover, it is advisable to destroy the cities in one raid so that the civilian population does not have time to take out material values \u200b\u200band hide. It is necessary not so much to destroy as many people as possible, but to sow panic among them, to break them morally. Under these conditions, enemy soldiers at the front will not think about victory, but about the fate of their loved ones, which will undoubtedly affect their morale. To do this, it is necessary to develop precisely bomber aviation, and not fighter, naval or any other. Well-armed bombers themselves are able to fend off enemy aircraft and deliver a decisive blow. Whoever has more powerful aviation will win.
Very few shared the "radical" views of the Italian theoretician. Most military experts believed that General Douay overdid it, making the role of military aviation absolute. And calls for the destruction of the civilian population in the 20s of the last century were considered frank bad manners. But, be that as it may, it was Giulio Douet who was among the first to understand that aviation gave war a third dimension. With his "light hand", the idea of \u200b\u200bunlimited air war has firmly settled in the minds of some politicians and military leaders.
Losses in numbers
In Germany, bombing killed, according to various estimates, from 300 thousand to 1.5 million civilians. In France - 59 thousand killed and wounded, mainly from Allied raids, in England - 60.5 thousand, including casualties from the actions of rockets "Fau".
The list of cities in which the area of \u200b\u200bdestruction was 50% or more of the total area of \u200b\u200bbuildings (oddly enough, Dresden accounted for only 40%):
50% Ludwigshafen, Worms
51% - Bremen, Hannover, Nuremberg, Remscheid, Bochum
52% - Essen, Darmstadt
53% - Cochem
54% - Hamburg, Mainz
55% Neckarsulm, Zoest
56% - Aachen, Muenster, Heilbronn
60% - Erkelenz
63% Wilhelmshaven, Koblenz
64% Bingerbrück, Cologne, Pforzheim
65% - Dortmund
66% Crailsheim
67% - Giessen
68% - Hanau, Kassel
69% Duren
70% Altenkirchen, Bruchsal
72% Geilenkirchen
74% Donauworth
75% Remagen, Würzburg
78% - Emden
80% Prum, Wesel
85% - Xanten, Zulpich
91% - Emmerich
97% - Julich
The total volume of the ruins was 400 million cubic meters. 495 architectural monuments were completely destroyed, 620 were damaged so that their restoration was either impossible or doubtful.
War is hell on earth. The 21st century has just begun, and the world is shuddering with news from the fields of modern battles in different parts of the world. The world remains unstable and unpredictable, and people cannot stop in their thirst for power and profit. Therefore, it is not surprising that here and there memorials are being created to remind of the terrible price that everyone pays for unleashed military conflicts.
Everyone knows about the Russian city and its fate during the Second World War. At that time it was called Stalingrad. It was under Nazi siege, with some of the bloodiest battles in human history taking place on its streets. In five months, about 2 million people were injured, killed or taken prisoner. The city was almost razed to the ground. An exception was the building of the steam mill, "Grudinin's Mill", built in 1903. It was the only surviving building in the city, although the word "surviving" is debatable. The dilapidated building still stands in the same place. The roof, walls and ceilings between the floors are destroyed. The fact that the building survived is simply a miracle or the merit of the engineers and builders of tsarist Russia. At the end of World War II, it was decided to leave the building unrestored as a monument in honor of the victory of Soviet soldiers. Today it is part of the city's panorama dedicated to the Battle of Stalingrad.
At 8:15 am on August 6, 1945, a strategic bomber began bombing Hiroshima, dropping an atomic bomb on the city. 70,000 people died in one moment. Another 70,000 died from injuries, burns and radiation. The tragedy in Hiroshima was the most massive destruction of people as a result of an attack during the Second World War. Although all the buildings were reduced to ashes, the exhibition hall building miraculously remained standing. Miraculously, since it was at the epicenter of the blow. The bomb exploded 160 meters away. All the people inside the building were immediately killed. The walls were half destroyed. When the ash cleared away, it turned out that the house was standing. Today, this building is a Peace Memorial and is recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
In 1999, the Balkan War broke out between Serbia and the province of Kosovo. The war was caused by genocide and the response from the war in Bosnia, when NATO troops joined the conflict resolution through massive air attacks. For two months Serbia was bombed. The capital, Belgrade, was badly damaged. The destroyed buildings still stand as a reminder of the tragedy. Their ruins are not turned into memorials or museums, they just tower over the peaceful city and bustling streets, casting ominous shadows on passers-by. The government, despite the attempts of ordinary people to turn these buildings into monuments, is inactive. Therefore, the whole city looks like a memorial park for the victims of the war.
After the destroyed houses of Belgrade, it is worth remembering that Serbia also became the epicenter of military conflicts several times in the 90s. In 1991, the Civil War took place in Croatia, which is today remembered as one of the most tragic in the history of modern Europe. Located on the border of conflicts, the Croatian city of Karlovac has suffered the most. During the War of Independence, he was rounded up by Serbian troops. Almost everything around was destroyed. Bullet and missile holes still remain in the walls of buildings. But, unlike Belgrade, here people still created a memorial: the Museum of Weapons was opened. During the war, the building of today's museum was hit by bullets and shells. Moreover, this museum is a reminder of the tragic victims of the civilian population of Yugoslavia, no matter what ethnic group they belonged to.
The history of Murambi College is the most controversial, but also the darkest of all presented here. In 1994, Rwanda experienced the bloodiest ethnic conflict in history, when Hutu extremists massacred Tutsi tribesmen. About 400 people died every hour for 100 days. The mayor and Murambi officials suggested using the college building as a refuge for local Tutsis. In it, as in a trap, between 20,000 and 70,000 people died as a result of the Hutu shelling. No one survived this carnage. 21 years later, a memorial was opened in the building of the technical school. The classrooms store the bones of the dead, left as they were during the brutal attack. The sight is not for the faint of heart. Everyone who visits here will think about it.
During the long 15 years of the Civil War, Lebanon suffered greatly. About 120,000 people died and about 1 million people left the country. Today, 4.5 million people live in Lebanon. In the center of Beirut is the Yellow Building. It was built in 1924 as a symbol of the recognition of other cultures. Then came the Civil War. Located directly on the demarcation line that separates Christians and Muslims, the building has become the epicenter of fierce battles. Fire was constantly being fired at and from the building. Since 2008, the house has been turned into a museum. The ground floor, where the snipers lived, became a memorial to the brutal war. This reminder is necessary for everyone who directly took part in the war and for future generations.
There are also affected cities in Germany. During the bombing, for example, more than 60,000 tons of bombs were dropped on Berlin. During such a large-scale conflict, it is impossible to imagine that some country did not suffer. This theory is supported by the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. The former Protestant church was badly damaged during air raids. Today it has become a memorial dedicated to those who died during the war, and this applies not only to the fallen Germans, but to all the victims of that period. Inside the church are items damaged during the bombings in English Coventry and Stalingrad. There is also a memorial plaque with the names of the Germans who died at the hands of the Nazis. This memorial demonstrates to everyone that it is better to forgive if we cannot forget.
At 9:02 am on April 19, 1995, a huge explosion shocked Oklahoma City. A Ryder truck loaded with explosives detonated under the federal Alfred P. Marr building. Then 168 people died and 500 were injured. The culprit, Timothy McVeigh, was an ultra-rightist. He deliberately parked the truck in the city center ahead of time. This was the most tragic event along with the September 2001 terrorist attack in New York. Until now, the ruins of the building remind of this event so that people around the world know the consequences of the brutal actions of some against others. Only one of the walls of the building survived then. Today it is the center of the memorial, where the names of 600 people who died and suffered from the terrorist attack are written. The wall is called the "Surviving Wall", it calls people to tolerance and peace.
It is hard to believe today that this peaceful building façade was once the starting point for thousands of people. During World War II, Anhalt Station was one of three in Berlin, from the platforms of which Jews were deported to contract and death camps. About 10,000 Jews went through it during the Holocaust, most of whom never returned. These tragic events justified the joy of many when the station building was destroyed during the bombing. In 1943, the communication lines were damaged, and after two bombings in 1945, the station was practically destroyed. Later, part of the facade was restored. Now it stands as a symbol of two tragic eras: the existence of the GDR and Stazi, as well as the tragedy of the Jews.
Most of the memorials call to remember the deaths and horrors of wars and terrorist attacks, which lead to senseless victims. This is simply necessary for future generations. But not all memorials carry such ideas. St. Dustan's Church in the East End of London calls for peace not by a list of the dead, not by walls destroyed by the bombing, but simply by its own calmness and serenity. It was completely burned down after the bombing during the Second World War, which killed 40,000 Londoners. Immediately after the war, the remains of the walls of the church were a kind of monument to those events. The local authorities allocated money to build a beautiful park instead of the ruins. Today there are many trees, flower beds, green grass.
I decided to summarize the statistics on the scale of the destruction of Soviet cities during the Great Patriotic War. The names are in alphabetical order.
I ask readers to make additions and clarifications that will be needed for a large post with illustrations.
Belgorod
During the German bombing in March 1943 and the second liberation of the city on August 5, 1943, Belgorod suffered severe destruction. Out of 3 420 residential buildings, not a single one remained intact, that is, received at least some damage.
"Of the existing in the city - 3.420 residential and public buildings - 50% are impossible to restore, 35% require major repairs and 15% - current repairs" (From the memorandum of the Belgorod Regional Committee of the CPSU (b) for 1943 [GANIBO. F.2 , OP.1, D.52, L.2])
Bryansk
Out of 7 thousand buildings, 4,100 were destroyed, the city lost 70% of its living space.
Velikie Luki
During the Great Patriotic War, this city, which became known as "Small Stalingrad", was almost completely destroyed. Of the 3,391 houses, 3,083 were destroyed or burned down.
Vinintsa
1881 residential buildings were destroyed (out of the pre-war 6 thousand residential buildings).
Vitebsk
According to some sources, the city was destroyed by 90%, according to others - by 98%.
Volgograd (Stalingrad)
90% of the housing stock was destroyed.
According to other information, “no more than 20% of the housing stock has survived”.
Voronezh
In the summer of 1942, German troops managed to approach Voronezh and capture its right-bank part. For six months, the front line divided the city into two parts. According to a special commission, 92% of all residential buildings were destroyed in Voronezh (18 220 houses out of 20 000)
Vyborg
Destroyed 60% of the housing stock.
Vyazma
Destroyed 94% of buildings.
Gomel
80% of buildings destroyed.
Zhytomyr
During the fighting, almost all historical buildings and 40% of the housing stock were destroyed.
Kaluga
During the occupation and fighting in the city, 495 buildings of cultural and welfare institutions, 445 residential buildings were destroyed.
Kerch
During the battles in the city, more than 85% of buildings were destroyed.
Kiev
In total, during the occupation, 940 administrative and public buildings, 1742 communal buildings and 3.6 thousand private ones were destroyed.
Kursk
90% of buildings destroyed.
Minsk
89% of buildings were destroyed.
After the war, no more than 20% of the entire capital development of Minsk remained
At the time of the capture of the city by the Soviet army on July 3, 1944, only 70 buildings remained in the central districts of Minsk.
Murmansk
792 air raids and 185 thousand bombs were dropped on Murmansk. In terms of the total number of bombs dropped on the city, it is second only to Stalingrad.
More than 1,500 houses were destroyed or burned down (76% of the housing stock),
Narva
Destroyed 98% of buildings.
Novgorod
The city is destroyed by 98%
Of the 2346 residential buildings in the city, only 40 survived
Novorossiysk
The State Commission determined that the city was destroyed by 96.5% - only a few buildings survived in it.
Eagle
More than 2,200 residential buildings were destroyed. The city is almost completely destroyed.
Petrozavodsk
More than half of the housing stock was destroyed.
Pskov
About 60% of the housing stock was completely or partially destroyed
Anatoly Filimonov in his book "Raised from the Ruins" cites data that out of 3 thousand pre-war buildings in Pskov during the liberation in July 1944, 1380 were completely destroyed, and another 435 - half.
Rzhev
More than 90% of buildings were destroyed.
Of the 5443 buildings, 495 more or less preserved houses remain. According to other sources, only 300 buildings survived.
Rostov-on-Don
85% of buildings were destroyed.
Sevastopol
The city is almost 100% destroyed
7 large dilapidated buildings and 180 damaged small houses - that's all that remains of 6402 pre-war residential buildings.
Smolensk
According to various estimates, 85-90% of all buildings in the city were destroyed.
According to some reports, even more than 90% of buildings. Out of 8 thousand houses with a usable area of \u200b\u200bmore than 650 thousand square meters. m destroyed and burned 7,300 houses.
Staraya Russa
The city was almost completely destroyed. Of the 2960 residential buildings, only three remained intact (according to other sources, 4 houses survived).
Tver (Kalinin)
7,714 buildings were destroyed, accounting for 56% of the city's housing stock.
Chernihiv
Chernigov was almost completely destroyed and became one of the ten most destroyed cities of the Soviet Union during the Great Patriotic War.
P. S... It should be borne in mind that the destruction of buildings is assessed in this case from a communal and household, and not from an architectural and historical point of view. "Completely destroyed" was considered a building, at which, at least, the ceilings were burnt out or collapsed; it became completely unusable without major repairs.
