Target folder, operation number GH. 586, Leipzig, 1941-1944

Target information folder prepared by the Air Ministry Target Section giving details of the railway marshalling yards in Leipzig..

Leipzig was an important industrial and transport hub, with the Erla-Maschinenwerk producing about a third of all Messerschmitt Bf 109s. Due to its distance from the United Kingdom, the city was not heavily bombed until 1943, when Bomber Command had access to large numbers of four-engined bombers. The first major raid by Bomber Command took place on the night of October 20/21 1943, when 358 aircraft were sent to attack Leipzig. However, poor weather conditions caused the bombing to be widely scattered. Bomber Command would launch three more large-scale attacks on the city, which was also targeted by the 8th United States Army Air Force.