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Ruhr
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(11)
1923
January
11
The occupation of the Ruhr
On 11 January 1923 French and Belgian troops marched into the Ruhr to force Germany to pay reparations. Berlin responded with passive resistance.
June
14
Hyperinflation in Germany
On 14 June 1923 the dollar in Berlin passed 100,000 marks for the first time. By autumn it cost trillions, and German savings had been wiped out.
1924
August
18
The French withdrawal begins
On 18 August 1924, two days after the London Conference, the French left Offenburg and Appenweier in Baden. They evacuated the Ruhr gradually, by August 1925.
1940
May
15
The RAF begins bombing the Ruhr
On 15 May 1940, the day after the destruction of Rotterdam, the British War Cabinet authorised raids on the Ruhr. That night 99 RAF bombers flew there.
1942
March
13
Gee raids on the Ruhr
In March 1942 Bomber Command began flying over Germany with the Gee radio-navigation system. Smog shrouded Essen, but on 13/14 March bombs hit Cologne.
June
02
The thousand-bomber raid on Essen
On the night of 1–2 June 1942 the RAF sent 956 bombers to Essen. Haze and cloud scattered the raid, Krupp's works survived and bombs fell on neighbouring towns.
1943
March
05
The Battle of the Ruhr begins
During the night of 5–6 March 1943 the RAF bombed Essen, opening the Battle of the Ruhr. On 8–9 and 9–10 March bombers struck Nuremberg and Munich.
May
16
Operation Chastise
On the night of 16–17 May 1943 Lancasters of No. 617 Squadron breached the Möhne and Eder dams with “bouncing bombs”. The flood killed some 1,600 people.
29
The raid on Wuppertal
On the night of 29–30 May 1943 over 700 RAF bombers attacked Wuppertal. Fire consumed Barmen and killed some 3,400 people – the most in any single raid so far.
June
24
The raid on Elberfeld and the evacuation of the Ruhr
On the night of 24–25 June 1943 the RAF destroyed Elberfeld, western Wuppertal, killing about 1,900. Women and children were moved out of Ruhr cities.
1945
April
02
The encirclement of the Ruhr
On 1 April 1945 the US First and Ninth Armies met at Lippstadt. Model's Army Group B – 320,000–370,000 men – was trapped in the Ruhr Pocket.