Editing Duisburg (section)

=== World War II ===
{{Main|Bombing of Duisburg in World War II}}
A major logistical center in the Ruhr and location of chemical, steel and iron industries, Duisburg was a primary target of [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] [[bomber]]s. As such, it is considered by some historians{{who|date=October 2018}} to be the single most heavily bombed German city by the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]] during [[World War II]], with industrial areas and residential blocks targeted by Allied [[Incendiary device|incendiary bombs]].

On the night of 12–13 June 1941, British bombers dropped a total of 445 tons of bombs in and around Duisburg. As part of the [[Battle of the Ruhr]], another British raid of 577 bombers destroyed the old city between 12 and 13 May 1943 with 1,599 tons of bombs. During the [[Strategic bombing|bombing raids]], 96,000 people were made homeless with countless lives lost.

In 1944 the city was again badly damaged as a total of 2,000 tons of bombs were dropped on 22 May. On 14 October, the tonnage was repeated with 2,018 tons when [[Handley Page Halifax|Halifax]], [[Avro Lancaster|Lancaster]], and [[De Havilland Mosquito|Mosquito]] bombers appeared over Duisburg as part of [[Operation Hurricane (1944)|Operation Hurricane]]. This daylight raid was followed by a night attack; over 24 hours about 9,000 tons of HE and incendiaries had been dropped on Duisburg. Numerous similar attacks followed until the end of 1944.

The Allied ground advance into Germany reached Duisburg in April 1945. The US [[17th Airborne Division (United States)|17th Airborne Division]], acting as regular infantry and not in a parachute role, met only scattered resistance in the vicinity and captured the city on 12 April 1945.<ref>Stanton, Shelby, ''World War II Order of Battle: An Encyclopedic Reference to U.S. Army Ground Forces from Battalion through Division, 1939–1946'' (revised ed., 2006), Stackpole Books, p. 97.</ref>

On 8 May 1945 the [[ADSEC]] Engineer Group A, led by Col. [[Helmer Swenholt]], [[commanding officer]] of the [[332nd Engineer General Service Regiment (United States)|332nd Engineer General Service Regiment]], constructed a [[Duisburg-Hochfeld rail bridge|railway bridge between Duisburg and Rheinhausen]] across the Rhine. It was {{convert|860|m}} long, and constructed in six days, fifteen hours and twenty minutes, a record time. It was named the "Victory Bridge".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Peacock |first1=Jim |first2=Tom |last2=Peacock |url=http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Bunker/7676/duisberg.html |title=Duisberg |publisher=Yahoo |work=Geocities |access-date=5 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091024003735/http://geocities.com/Pentagon/Bunker/7676/duisberg.html |archive-date=24 October 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref>