Bombing of Vicenza in World War II
{{short description|none}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict = Bombing of Vicenza
| partof = World War II
| image = Viale Roma (Ilgiornaledivicenza).jpg
| image_size = 300px
| caption = A bomb-damaged street in Vicenza
| date = December 1943-April 1945
| combatant1 = {{flag|United States|1912}}
{{flag|United Kingdom}}
| combatant2 = {{flag|Italian Social Republic}}
}}
The bombing of Vicenza was a series of attacks by the United States Army Air Force and the Royal Air Force on the Italian city of Vicenza, Veneto, during World War II. The purpose of these raids was to disable the city's marshalling yard and airport, but the bombing also caused considerable collateral damage to the city itself.
Chronology of the main air raids
=25 December 1943=
The first air raid on Vicenza. 20 bombers of the 15th Air Force attacked the airfield, but many bombs also fell on the city, hitting the San Bortolo and San Francesco districts, causing 31 victims among the population.[https://web.archive.org/web/20140202213215/http://rcslibri.corriere.it/bombardatelitalia/bombardate1943.pdf Bombardate l’Italia: 1943][http://ilterzonano.altervista.org/ilterzonano/Guerre/XX_secolo/2GM/rif/25-dic-43.html Vicenza, bombardamento del 25 dicembre 1943]
=28 December 1943=
Raid by 17 bombers of the 15th USAAF, targeting the marshalling yard. Part of the bombs fell on the southeastern districts of the city, causing 41 victims among the population.{{Cite web |url=http://www.rcslibri.it/bombardate1944.pdf |title=Bombardate l'Italia: 1944 |access-date=2020-02-14 }}{{dead link|date=May 2020|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}[http://ilterzonano.altervista.org/ilterzonano/Guerre/XX_secolo/2GM/rif/28-dic-43.html Vicenza, bombardamento del 28 dicembre 1943]
=26 March 1944=
Raid by 78 RAF bombers, targeting the marshalling yard. Bombs also fell on the southern districts of the city, killing 14 civilians.[http://ilterzonano.altervista.org/ilterzonano/Guerre/XX_secolo/2GM/rif/26-mar-44.html Vicenza, bombardamento del 26 marzo 1944]
=2 April 1944=
Raid by fifty RAF bombers, targeting the marshalling yard. The city was hit as well (among other buildings, the psychiatric hospital suffered damage), causing the death of 26 civilians.[http://ilterzonano.altervista.org/ilterzonano/Guerre/XX_secolo/2GM/rif/2-apr-44.html Vicenza, bombardamento del 2 aprile 1944]
=14 May 1944=
Raid by 150 bombers of the 15th U.S. Air Force, which dropped 1,300 bombs, targeting the marshalling yard. Many bombs fell on the city, causing heavy damage to the cultural heritage and killing 56 civilians.[http://www.comune.vicenza.it/uffici/dipterr/infrastruttureeverdepubblico/protcivile/bombaday/notizie.php/106224 Commemorazione a 70 anni dal bombardamento del 14 maggio 1944]{{Dead link|date=July 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}[http://www.vicenzatoday.it/eventi/72-commemorazione-delle-vittime-per-il-bombardamento-del-1944-su-vicenza.html 72^ Commemorazione delle vittime per il bombardamento del 1944 su Vicenza][http://ilterzonano.altervista.org/ilterzonano/Guerre/XX_secolo/2GM/rif/14-mag-44.html Vicenza, bombardamento del 14 maggio 1944]
=17 November 1944=
=18 November 1944=
Raid by the USAAF; 304 tons of bombs were dropped, targeting the air base. This was the bloodiest raid suffered by Vicenza: deaths among the population numbered at least 317 (according to official figures), but some estimates place this number at 500.[http://ilterzonano.altervista.org/ilterzonano/Guerre/XX_secolo/2GM/rif/18-nov-44.html Vicenza, bombardamento del 18 novembre 1944][https://ladomenicadivicenza.gruppovideomedia.it/a_ITA_4689_1.html Stefani ripropone “il martirio di una città”][http://www.fabris-genealogia.it/curiosity/bombardamento.htm Bombardamento di Vicenza del 18 novembre 1944]{{Cite web |url=https://www.unive.it/media/allegato/dep/n13-14-2010/Ricerche/casi/2_Baldoli.pdf |title=I bombardamenti sull'Italia nella Seconda Guerra Mondiale. |access-date=2020-02-14 |archive-date=2020-09-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924213504/https://www.unive.it/media/allegato/dep/n13-14-2010/Ricerche/casi/2_Baldoli.pdf |url-status=dead }}
=4 January 1945=
Raid by the USAAF, targeting the marshalling yard. Two deaths among the population.{{Cite web |url=http://www.rcslibri.it/bombardate1944.pdf |title=Bombardate l'Italia: 1945 |access-date=2020-02-14 }}{{dead link|date=May 2020|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
=28 February 1945=
Raid by the 15th U.S. Air Force, targeting the marshalling yard. The city was also hit, with sixteen victims among the civilians.[http://ilterzonano.altervista.org/ilterzonano/Guerre/XX_secolo/2GM/rif/28-feb-45.html Vicenza, bombardamento del 28 febbraio 1945]
=18 March 1945=
Raid by 73 RAF bombers, targeting the marshalling yard. Bombs also fell on the city, setting fire to the roof of the Basilica Palladiana and causing five civilian deaths.[http://ilterzonano.altervista.org/ilterzonano/Guerre/XX_secolo/2GM/rif/18-mar-45.html Vicenza, bombardamento del 18 marzo 1945]
=26 and 28 April 1945=
The last two air raids on Vicenza caused thirty-four deaths among the population.[http://ilterzonano.altervista.org/ilterzonano/Guerre/XX_secolo/2GM/rif/26-apr-45.html Vicenza, 26 aprile 1945]
Damage and casualties
The raids caused heavy damage to the urban fabric of Vicenza. In addition to homes and public buildings, many landmarks suffered serious damage: among them the Cathedral, the churches of San Gaetano and Santa Corona, the Basilica Palladiana, the Arco delle Scalette, the Palazzo Valmarana and several other churches (such as the Basilica of Saints Felice and Fortunato) and historic palaces (such as the Ca’ d’Oro).[http://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/vicenza_res-14f41dbe-87e7-11dc-8e9d-0016357eee51_%28Enciclopedia-Italiana%29/ Enciclopedia Treccani] The Verdi and Eretenio theatres were destroyed and never rebuilt.
Casualties among the civilian population from the air raids numbered about one thousand victims (other sources claim that there were 2,000 deaths).[http://www.comune.vicenza.it/uffici/dipterr/infrastruttureeverdepubblico/protcivile/bombaday/notizie.php/106224 Comune di Vicenza]{{Dead link|date=July 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
References
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{{RAF WWII Strategic Bombing}}
{{WWII city bombing}}
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