German air raid on Rennes (1940)

German air raid on Rennes (1940)
	Part of the Battle of France and World War II
	; View of Rennes marshalling yards after the attack
Date	17 June 1940
Location	Rennes, France48°06′26″N 01°38′15″W / 48.10722°N 1.63750°W
Result	German victory
Belligerents
Germany	France; United Kingdom
Commanders and leaders
Alois Lindmayr	Camille Bazoche; Antoine Béthouart; J. B. H. Doyle
Units involved
7KG/76	212th artillery regiment; 203rd artillery regiment; 222nd artillery regiment; 64th artillery regiment; Royal Engineers
Casualties and losses
1 bomber damaged	Official account: 805 killed 591 French soldiers; 175 British soldiers; 39 civilians; ; Other sources: 1,500 to 2,000 killed;

On 17 June 1940, during the later stages of the Battle of France, the Luftwaffe launched an air raid on Rennes. The attack was against the Rennes marshalling yards, congested at the time by troop-trains and others carrying refugees from northern France. The explosion of two trains loaded with ammunition and high explosives unleashed havoc throughout the railway station and the city, killing between 800 and 2,000 people among civilians and Allied military personnel.