Bombing of Zadar in World War II

Bombing of Zadar
Part of Strategic bombing during World War II
Zadar during the bombing raid
Date November 1943 – October 1944 Location Zadar Result 80% of the city's buildings destroyed; Extensive casualties
Belligerents
Royal Air Force US Army Air Forces	Italian Social Republic  Nazi Germany
Casualties and losses
0	1,000-4,000 deaths

The bombing of Zadar during the Second World War by the Allies lasted from November 1943 to October 1944. Although other large cities in Italy were also bombed, the bombing of Zadar stands out because of the number of attacks and the number of fatalities. Reports vary greatly; the Allies documented 30 bombing raids, while contemporary Italian accounts claim 54. Fatalities recorded range from under 1,000 to as many as 4,000 of the city's 20,000 inhabitants.

Over the course of the bombing, 80% of the city's buildings were destroyed. Zadar has been called the "Dresden of the Adriatic" because of perceived similarities to the Allied bombing of that city.^[1] In both cases, Allied bombs devastated a city rich in artistic and historical treasures but with little apparent industrial or military significance to the war.

It is the most significant historical event in Zadar after the siege of Zadar in 1202 by forces of the Fourth Crusade.