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In the morning
of June 6th, American bombers had already carried out several
missions over Caen, attempting unsuccessfully to destroy the bridges
over the Orne.
At 1.30 pm,
six squadrons of B-24 Liberators belonging to the US Air Force launched
a fresh assault. However, their bombs missed their targets and tore out
the heart of the city, between the river and the castle, wiping out the
entire Saint Jean district and killing more than 400 people. This was to
be Caen’s most deadly bombardment, though certainly not the last.
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A
department store on fire after the first bombardments on June 6th |
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Another one
took place mid-afternoon, while in the night of June 6th-7th,
it was the RAF’s turn to pound the city for three-quarters of an hour,
reducing it to ruins and increasing the death toll. |
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Caen in flames during the night
of June 6th-7th |
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The final
large-scale aerial bombardment of the capital of Lower Normandy occurred
in the evening of July 7th, a prelude to the final attack on
the city launched by the British and Canadians. This time, it hit the
northern districts, destroying the university and killing a further 250
people.
In all, nearly 2,000 of the city’s residents perished during the summer
of 1944.
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The
Saint Jean district, with the parish church in the background |
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