In memory of the victims of the 1943 and 1948 explosions

Internal and external experts were summoned to investigate the causes of the disaster. One suspicion was that an “act of sabotage” triggered the explosion. The Nazi regime kept the explosion a secret and never offered any explanation to the public. 

In 1943, no official statement was made to the public regarding the victims of the explosion – this matter, too, was subject to the wartime secrecy imposed by the “Third Reich.” The site newspaper listed only an incomplete list of names of the victims, without giving a cause of death. This list did not disclose that forced laborers were also among the victims

What could we know today as to why tank car “Mainz 514 442” burst on July 29, 1943? Sources reveal that it was filled 15 percent over its maximum capacity.

Some 64 people lost their lives on July 29, 1943. A further 526 people were injured during the accident on the site premises of I.G. Farbenindustrie AG. To this day, it is still not possible to conclusively identify three of the foreign victims who lost their lives.

In commemoration under different circumstances: Today, an updated memorial plaque commemorates all 64 lives claimed by the 1943 explosion.

207 people died on July 28, 1948. Even though the names of the victims were all known, it was not possible to conclusively identify all those who lost their lives. A further 3,818 people were injured – some of whom seriously. [Source: City Archives Ludwigshafen am Rhein; photographer: Hans Roden, Presse-Berichterstattung, Mannheim]

For a second time, the culprit was a tank car filled with an explosive gas mixture. Why did it burst? What was the chain of events during the gas cloud explosion?

Although we can reliably trace the cause today, the accident prompted all manner of speculation back in 1948 when the world was on the cusp of the Cold War. [Source: BASF Corporate History; photographer: unknown]

There was an overwhelming wave of public support, with many different groups and organizations aiding to try and save as many lives as possible. Soldiers from the American and French occupying forces were among the first responders to arrive at the site of the disaster. [Source: City Archives Ludwigshafen am Rhein; photographer: Hans Wagner, Haardt]

The shock waves in the press were just as strong. Naturally, the explosion in Ludwigshafen am Rhein was covered by the regional media. However, it also made international headlines. [Source: City Archives Ludwigshafen am Rhein]

On the 75^th anniversary of the disaster, BASF and the City of Ludwigshafen am Rhein commemorate the victims of the explosion.