Gelsenkirchen lay at the heart of the Ruhr industrial region and contained coal mines, coking plants and other major industrial facilities. It therefore became a frequent target of Allied air raids.
The most serious raids included:
But, similarly to the other industrial cities of the Ruhr area, in addition to the destruction of the industrial facilities, the annihilation of the inner cities and the mass destruction and demoralization of the population were among the main goals of the raids.
As in other Ruhr cities, attacks struck not only industrial installations but also the city centre and densely populated residential districts.
About half of Gelsenkirchen was destroyed.
The number of civilian deaths is given here as approximately 3,000.
About 50 per cent of Gelsenkirchen was destroyed.
184 air strikes killed 3,038 people.
