On July 28, 1935, the port was opened in a canal off the Neckar, and 1936 saw the Autobahn between Heilbronn and Stuttgart completed. Economy and infrastructure were booming in Württemberg, and Heilbronn was at the logistic centre of it all. The previously independent communities of Böckingen, Sontheim, and Neckargartach were annexed, and with 72,000 residents Heilbronn then was the second largest city in Württemberg. The port turned into an important transfer station on the Neckar and one of the ten largest interior ports in the country.
The largest air-raid occurred on December 4, 1944, but Heilbronn was targeted several times before and after until the end of World War II. Altogether, an estimated 7,000 inhabitants of the city lost their lives during bombings.
On 12 April 1945, the U.S. military took control of the city after a ten-day battle, ending bombings of the city. In 2015, Heilbronn had a population of 123,000.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombings_of_Heilbronn_in_World_War_II#December_Raid
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombings_of_Heilbronn_in_World_War_II#/media/File:Heilbronn_19450331.jpg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heilbronn#1900%E2%80%931945
(14 Dec 1944) Film of the RAF attack on Heilbronn which took place on the 4th December. The town was an important communications centre 40 miles east of Karlsruhe, which was attacked in the same operation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhtKLyHxSSs
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