Memorial commemorating the bombardment on the evening of May 7, 1944.
On the evening of Sunday, May 7, 1944, a day of solemn communion, the town of Bruz underwent a aerial bombardment by the Royal Air Force of formidable effectiveness; the town was razed to the ground, the toll 183 dead, 300 wounded and 600 stricken. That's 38% of the population killed in 20 minutes
From Rennes, we heard two successive violent bombardments, initially suggesting a bombardment of the airfield. Secours national, the Red Cross and the Rennes fire department intervened in the following hours32. It should be noted that the witnesses did not mention any fog at the scene, contrary to the mentions in the RAF reports.
On May 10, the funerals of the Bruz victims took place in the Chartres-de-Bretagne church, in the presence of the Rennes authorities. The service was presided over by Mgr Clément Roques, Archbishop of Rennes, and the Mass of the Dead was sung by the Cathedral choir. The bodies were buried in trenches dug in a meadow behind the church. On May 18, the same ceremony was repeated for twenty victims.
The event was reported in the local press, and in Rennes a pro-German propaganda poster appeared, aimed at the people of Rennes.
Reports on a failed bombing raid
The Avro Lancaster B IIs were assigned two targets: the Rennes - Saint-Jacques airfield and an ammunition depot, located in the Bois des Ormeaux
The RAF report is laconic:
Bomber Command. RAF Campaign Diary May 1944
Summary.
1. Forces of 50-100 aircraft attacked ammunition dumps at Salbris and Rennes, airfields at Tours, Rennes and Nantes and an artillery battery at Saint-Valéry. All the fire was precise and concentrated under clear, full-moon skies. Every target was severely damaged, with the exception of the Rennes ammunition depot. Forces bombing Salbris and Tours encountered strong fighter resistance and 9 of the 391 aircraft engaged were shot down [...]
11. The Rennes airfield and ammunition depot were to be attacked separately by aircraft from the same group.
At the airfield, the center of the hangars was to be marked at H-hour by red lights. A main air force was to attack targets on visual identification. Other aircraft were to bomb the marking lights. In the depot, targets to the west and east were to be marked with a yellow marker reinforced with red lights. Where these were not visible, yellow markers were to be used. The main force was to aim at the center of the markers of each objective unless otherwise ordered by the leader."
In 12 and 13, the report states that the sortie took place at 0:15 a.m. and that 49 Lancasters out of 50 arrived in the area on a full-moon, cloudless night with a light mist on the ground. He then describes the operation:
"14. Airfield - The first marker fell near the central objective and fires broke out in the hangars, including a spectacular one in the fuel storage area. On the northern objective, two large explosions were thought to be the result of hits on ammunition islands. Latecomers found the markers obscured by smoke, and the fires could be seen from the French coast.
15. Ammunition depot - The marker planes had difficulty locating the objective because of the fog and the attack started late. The first bombs fell slightly to the west of the objective but the leader" corrected the shot and later the markers (on the ground) and bombs were better placed. Clouds of smoke hampered the bombing of objectives to the east and a few fires and explosions were recorded, the results were not spectacular."
Daytime reconnaissance ("reconnaissance day" in the text)
"16. The village south of the ammunition depot bore the brunt of this attack and only roof damage was caused to the objective's facilities. An unidentified industrial plant to the south of the target was badly hit. The airfield also suffered heavy damage. The main concentration of fire fell to the south-west on the dispersal area, severely damaging 11 aircraft hangars. Six of the 18 hangars were destroyed and a further 6 damaged. Ten barracks, 6 other buildings and 2 workshops were damaged or destroyed. 43 bomb craters were made on the runways and 2 aircraft were damaged on the ground. "
The crews of the Lancasters, after bombing the airfield and its south-western sector (the airfield covered 600 hectares at the time), continued to fly due south for three kilometers towards the ammunition depot but were misinformed by the leader's markers, who probably corrected his fire wrongly, the first bombs having fallen close to the depot (damaged roofs). The changes made to the markers delayed the drops and a few seconds later represent, beyond the Bois des Ormeaux, 1,400 meters of flight further south: the very town of Bruz.
The commune was decorated with the Croix de Guerre 1939-1945 with vermeil star by decree on November 11, 1948. It received the following citation:
"Despite fourteen bombardments, killing or wounding half the population, destroying almost all its buildings, Bruz continued unwavering in its resistance to the enemy, thus giving a magnificent example of faith in the destinies of France."
Source Wikipedia
Memorial commemorating the bombardment on the evening of May 7, 1944.On the evening of Sunday, May 7, 1944, a day of solemn communion, the town of Bruz underwent a aerial bombardment by the Royal Air Force of formidable effectiveness; the town was razed to the ground, the toll 183 dead, 300 wounded and 600 stricken. That's 38% of the population killed in 20 minutesFrom Rennes, we heard two successive violent bombardments, initially suggesting a bombardment of the airfield. Secours national, the Red Cross and the Rennes fire department intervened in the following hours32. It should be noted that the witnesses did not mention any fog at the scene, contrary to the mentions in the RAF reports.On May 10, the funerals of the Bruz victims took place in the Chartres-de-Bretagne church, in the presence of the Rennes authorities. The service was presided over by Mgr Clément Roques, Archbishop of Rennes, and the Mass of the Dead was sung by the Cathedral choir. The bodies were buried in trenches dug in a meadow behind the church. On May 18, the same ceremony was repeated for twenty victims.The event was reported in the local press, and in Rennes a pro-German propaganda poster appeared, aimed at the people of Rennes.Reports on a failed bombing raidThe Avro Lancaster B IIs were assigned two targets: the Rennes - Saint-Jacques airfield and an ammunition depot, located in the Bois des Ormeaux The RAF report is laconic:Bomber Command. RAF Campaign Diary May 1944Summary.1. Forces of 50-100 aircraft attacked ammunition dumps at Salbris and Rennes, airfields at Tours, Rennes and Nantes and an artillery battery at Saint-Valéry. All the fire was precise and concentrated under clear, full-moon skies. Every target was severely damaged, with the exception of the Rennes ammunition depot. Forces bombing Salbris and Tours encountered strong fighter resistance and 9 of the 391 aircraft engaged were shot down [...]11. The Rennes airfield and ammunition depot were to be attacked separately by aircraft from the same group.At the airfield, the center of the hangars was to be marked at H-hour by red lights. A main air force was to attack targets on visual identification. Other aircraft were to bomb the marking lights. In the depot, targets to the west and east were to be marked with a yellow marker reinforced with red lights. Where these were not visible, yellow markers were to be used. The main force was to aim at the center of the markers of each objective unless otherwise ordered by the leader.In 12 and 13, the report states that the sortie took place at 0:15 a.m. and that 49 Lancasters out of 50 arrived in the area on a full-moon, cloudless night with a light mist on the ground. He then describes the operation:14. Airfield - The first marker fell near the central objective and fires broke out in the hangars, including a spectacular one in the fuel storage area. On the northern objective, two large explosions were thought to be the result of hits on ammunition islands. Latecomers found the markers obscured by smoke, and the fires could be seen from the French coast.15. Ammunition depot - The marker planes had difficulty locating the objective because of the fog and the attack started late. The first bombs fell slightly to the west of the objective but the leader corrected the shot and later the markers (on the ground) and bombs were better placed. Clouds of smoke hampered the bombing of objectives to the east and a few fires and explosions were recorded, the results were not spectacular.Daytime reconnaissance (reconnaissance day in the text)16. The village south of the ammunition depot bore the brunt of this attack and only roof damage was caused to the objective's facilities. An unidentified industrial plant to the south of the target was badly hit. The airfield also suffered heavy damage. The main concentration of fire fell to the south-west on the dispersal area, severely damaging 11 aircraft hangars. Six of the 18 hangars were destroyed and a further 6 damaged. Ten barracks, 6 other buildings and 2 workshops were damaged or destroyed. 43 bomb craters were made on the runways and 2 aircraft were damaged on the ground. The crews of the Lancasters, after bombing the airfield and its south-western sector (the airfield covered 600 hectares at the time), continued to fly due south for three kilometers towards the ammunition depot but were misinformed by the leader's markers, who probably corrected his fire wrongly, the first bombs having fallen close to the depot (damaged roofs). The changes made to the markers delayed the drops and a few seconds later represent, beyond the Bois des Ormeaux, 1,400 meters of flight further south: the very town of Bruz.The commune was decorated with the Croix de Guerre 1939-1945 with vermeil star by decree on November 11, 1948. It received the following citation:Despite fourteen bombardments, killing or wounding half the population, destroying almost all its buildings, Bruz continued unwavering in its resistance to the enemy, thus giving a magnificent example of faith in the destinies of France.Source Wikipedia
