The town 's synagogue was burned in 1938 . In 1944 , B-17 Flying Fortresses bombed Bielefeld on September 20 ( the gas works ) and October 7 , and the RAF bombed on December 4/5 . In 1945 , B-17s bombed the nearby Paderborn marshalling yard , the " Schildesche Railway Viaduct " was bombed on January 17 , 1945 . On March 14 the Grand Slam bomb was used for the very first time against the viaduct . American troops entered the city in April 1945
burned in 1938
Kristallnacht
Bielefeld