In 1939 Schweinfurt (50000 population) produced most of Germany's ball-bearings, and factories such as the Kugellagerwerke became a target of Allied strategic bombing to cripple tank and aircraft production. Schweinfurt was bombed 22 times, and in Operation Pointblank by 2285 aircraft.
The Schweinfurt-Regensburg mission caused an immediate 34% loss of productionand all plants but the largest were devastated by fire. Efforts to disperse the surviving machinery began immediately and the Luftwaffe deployed large numbers of interceptors along the corridor to Schweinfurt. Bombing also included the Second Raid on Schweinfurt on 14 October 1943, called Black Thursday because of the enormous loss of aircraft (60) and lives (600+).
Although losses of production bearings and machinery were high and much of the industrial and residential areas of the city were destroyed, killing more than a thousand civilians, the factories were restored to production and the industry dispersed. Although German planners initially thought it essential to purchase the entire output of the Swedish ball-bearing industry, losses in the production of bearings were actually made up from surpluses found within Germany in the aftermath of the first raid. The decentralized industry was able to restore output to 85% of its pre-bombing level. Hitler made restoration of ball-bearing production a high priority and massive efforts were undertaken to repair and rebuild the factories, partly in bomb-proof underground facilities. (wikipedia) |