Cseh Valentin szerk.: „70 éve alakult a MAORT” – tanulmányok egy bányavállalat történetéből (2009)

Valentin Cseh: Allied Air-strikes against MAORT's Facilities in 1944

Annex no. 3. K-126. Nagykanizsa, August 1,1944 N1AORT Plants in the use of the Hungarian Roval Treasury, Air-defence Commander. 193. Air-defence report. On the air-strike conducted during the morning hours of Julv 30, 1944. The events of the attack: Some 120 four-engined enemy bombers attacked our District no. 3. (Kerettye) in four waves, from an altitude of approximately 4400-4700 m, on July 30, 1944 (Sunday). The type of the attack: carpet bombing. The aircraft approached Nagykanizsa from N-NE, then turned to head towards Kerettye once they reached the town's Une. It was in this straight direction that they passed over the compound and dropped their bombs. The bombing lasted 28 minutes, from 10h27' to 10h55', including the pauses between waves. We have not as vet been able to accurately establish the number of bombs that were dropped, the number of attacking aircraft and the gauge of dropped bombs, however, does provide a starting point. According to what we have determined so far, approximately 49% of bombs that fell were 500 kg, 49% were 220 kg, and 2% were around 2 kg ones. Some of the bombs exploded 10-30' after being dropped. No incendiary bombs were released. The bomb-disposal crews that went to the site found 18 duds, and their neutralisation is in progress. Sustained damage: Fires broke out at the gasoline compound, and tank station BT-4. The plant's fire brigade, and other fire crews rushing to their assistance managed to extinguish these in 2 hours. The plant sustained quite serious damage, whose assessment is in progress. The gasoline compound is unusable for a time that cannot be predicted, propane-butane production cannot be continued until it is restored. Oil production will be resumed in a few days time. The quantity of escaped oil has not been determined vet, but it probably is not significant. Our plant warehouse and grocery repository took direct hits, along with 4 residential buildings in the plant's possession. The gasoline compound took around 18 hits. The village of Kerettye - wedged into the grounds of the plant - also became a victim of the bombing; of its 28 houses, 15 were completely ruined, half of the remaining houses are uninhabitable, and the rest also sustained serious damage. Cost in human life included 1 official, 1 worker, and 1 child relative were killed; 6 workers, 4 relatives were seriously wounded (of the 4 relatives, 2 have died in the meantime); 12 workers, and 14 relatives sustained minor injuries. 3 people from guard company 1II/2. were killed and 6 wounded; 7 people from the village of Kerettye died, and 6 were injured. The wounded were given first-aid, and transported to the hospital in Zalaegerszeg as required. Reconstruction of damage: Reconstruction was started immediately after bombing stopped. The speed of repairing damaged operational equipment, and the resuming of production (especially that of propanebutane) depends on how quickly the necessary materials are made available to us. Source: MOIM Arch. PS 47. d. 2. t.