When was Lechfeld captured?

[Richard T. Eger]

Dear Egbert,

At the bottom of your post you give 28.4.45. However, going to the link, the only mention of Lechfeld that I can find is:

'"However, the Landsbergs were not spared". In September 1943, air raids took place for the first time over the city, where airplanes also crashed. Both the Fliegerhorst Lechfeld and the nearby airport in Penzing were attacked in 1944/45. In July 1944 and March 1945, a man and a nine-year-old girl fell victim to a deep-sea attack with a gun-gun attack on Landsberg. " Construction sites of the organization Todt (OT) and Dynamit A.G. (Powder factory in the Frauenwald) were shot at.'

What am I missing?

Regards,
Richard

[egbert]

........und die Amerikaner durch die Sprengung der Lechbrücken erst einen Tag später, am 28. April vom Süden her, über die Staustufe 15, die Stadt – „für die sich niemand fand, der sie ihnen förmlich übergab“ – einnehmen konnten, war der Krieg für die Landsberger damit zu Ende. Allerdings „kamen in den letzten Tagen des Krieges in und um Landsberg noch eine beträchtliche Zahl von Menschen ums Leben“. Und es begann mit Hausbesetzungen, Plünderungen und Verhaftungen „eine Zeit der Unsicherheit und Gesetzlosigkeit, der Not und der Angst, die von den Betroffenen nicht als Befreiung erlebt wurde“........

[Richard T. Eger]

Dear Egbert,

Here's the Bing translation:

"Even though this was not entirely despite "White flags and scarves" and the Lech bridge the Americans by blowing up a day later, on April 28 from the South, through the barrage of 15, the city - "for which no one found himself, who formally handed her over to them" – could take, was the war for the Landsberger to end. But "a considerable number of people came in the final days of the war in and around Landsberg". And it started with squatting, looting and arrests "a time of insecurity and lawlessness, the hardship and the fear that was experienced by those affected as a liberation."

How close was the Lech bridge to Lechfeld? It's also unclear why the Americans would blow up the bridge.

Regards,
Richard

[RolandF]

Reading only the english bing "translation" I would have understood nothing.

The bridges over the river Lech had been blown up by the SS on April 27th, of course. So the US troops had to cross the river from east to west using the barrage which lies some 2000 meters south from the centre of Landsberg and thus took the city from the south.
This means the US troops were coming down the east bank of the river, but passing Lechfeld, which lies on the west bank of the Lech (Lechfeld some 12-13 km north from Landsberg).
In case Lechfeld had also to be taken from the south this would have been AFTER the 28th. Otoh there are numerous river barrages between Augsburg and Landsberg to easen a river crossing from east towards west. In case an other US detachment came down the east bank of the Lech, the date of being taken might have occured EARLIER than the 28th. I think that´s the reason for those uncertain dates.

https://geoportal.bayern.de/bayernat...talogNodes=122

Lechfeld = Lagerlechfeld

Regards
RolandF

P.S.: Augsburg was taken April 28th 1945. I think the US were swift enough to take Augsburg-Haunstetten (Mtt) and Lechfeld on the same day, given the fact Landsberg was taken - with difficulties - on the 28th, too.

[egbert]

Dear Richard,

just forget Bing translations, they are inaccurate.
I see that Roland translated/interpreted it correctly.

The distance from the bridges to Lagerlechfeld boundaries is only a mere 2km. You may judge by yourself whether the US Army ignored the undefended high value airfield or was hot on the military assets there before the French looting forces showed up.

[Richard T. Eger]

Dear Roland and Egbert,

Well, I learned a new word: barrage, a dam. I can see that the Bing translation was quite confusing, but the Google translation was even worse. Steve Muth pointed me to the capture of Augsburg, which was during the night of 28/29 April 1945. Lechfeld was 20 km away. Reference: Karl Baur's biography, as produced by his wife Isolde.

Does anyone have the last word on this?

Regards,
Richard

[Andrew Arthy]

Dear Richard,

From the history of the 70th Tank Battalion (via Google Books): "On 27 April, Company A advanced through several towns and by dark bivouacked at Lechfeld Airport, while Company B moved on to the town of Willishausen." Here's a link to the relevant page.

Cheers,
Andrew A.
Air War Publications - www.airwarpublications.com/earticles

[Richard T. Eger]

Dear Andrew,

That looks like it clinches it. Lechfeld was captured on Friday, April 27th, 1945. It is possible that folks, realizing that the Allies were about to take over, stayed home on Saturday, April 28th, and, according to Karl Baur's book, apparently Augsburg fell over the night of April 28-29. It all fits reasonably well. Thank you all for your inputs.

Regards,
Richard

[RolandF]

Glad to help you, Richard.
Just to give you a picture in addition to your newly-acquired vocabulary ;-), here´s the riverbarrage No 15 in question (Lechstaustufe 15 - Landsberg), where the US troops crossed the river Lech, without the barrages an untamed and dangerous alpine river - especially in spring:

https://www.strassenkatalog.de/panor...,51226337.html

Regards
Roland

[Richard T. Eger]

Dear Roland,

Thank you for the link to the photo of the barrage at Landsberg. Do you know anything more about why the service Panoramio is going to close?

Regards,
Richard