Although the raid caused heavy damage at both factories, 60 of the 376 bombers—about 1 in 6 of those dispatched—were shot down and more than 600 Airmen were killed, missing, or captured. (Left) The first bombs hitting the Messerschmitt plant at Regensburg on August 17, 1943.

Regensburg had important Messerschmitt aircraft plants. It was decided to bomb both of these targets in mid-August 1943. The factories had anti-aircraft guns protecting them and could be covered when required by several squadrons of Luftwaffe fighters.

(German ˈreːɡənsbʊrk ) noun. a city in SE Germany, in Bavaria on the River Danube: a free Imperial city from 1245 and the leading commercial city of S Germany in the 12th and 13th centuries; the Imperial Diet was held in the town hall from 1663 to 1806.

Regensburg is famous for its UNESCO-designated Old Town, including some 1,500 heritage buildings, such as the 800-year-old Stone Bridge, 9th-century Alte Kapelle, and the roughly 900-year-old Historic Sausage Kitchen of Regensburg, one of the oldest restaurants in the world.