Company | Avignon: the city under the bombs
78 years ago, to the day, the city of Avignon experienced one of the most tragic moments in its history.
We are in May 1944, in the heart of the Second World War, as the Allied forces prepare to land in Normandy and liberate France occupied by Nazi Germany.
In order to limit the movements of the German troops, the American XVth Air Force planned to carry out a whole series of air raids against the railway network and the bridges in the south of the country. This large-scale operation notably provided for the strategic bombardment of Avignon, an important railway hub in the Rhône valley.
37 air raids and 600 dead
Thus, on May 27, 1944, nearly 80 American bombers took off from Italy with the aim of the Avignon railway infrastructure, including the viaduct over the Rhône. Despite the sirens that held back the city, the inhabitants, hitherto spared from the bombardments, watched with curiosity and amazement as these flying fortresses dropped their 350 tons of bombs.
In forty-five minutes, the neighborhoods surrounding the Rotondes SNCF were pulverized by the very inaccurate high-altitude American bombardment. Most of the objectives are missed but there are 525 civilians killed that the Vichy propaganda will hasten to use to denounce the murderous Anglo-Saxon raids. This bombardment will only be the first of a long series of raids which will last until August 15, 1944.
In 80 days, the city of the popes will thus undergo nearly thirty-seven bombardments targeting the railway installations, the German occupation troops and the bridges over the Rhône. Very imprecise, they will cause the destruction of many neighborhoods and cause the death of more than 600 civilians.