In 1939, the Schempp-Hirth aerodrome was commandeered by the Luftwaffe as a military airfield. It was relatively small, however, and therefore not used by the air force. At the end of the Second World War, Dettingen was hit hard, 20 April 1945 was its fateful day. Days before German troops had sought and found refuge in Dettingen during their retreat to the Swabian Jura. The barns and cellars were full of German soldiers when, around 4 pm, Allied fighter-bombers began a systematic bombardment of the village. Explosive and incendiary bombs were dropped, quickly burning down 69 houses and setting 39 barns ablaze. The church, the town hall, the Schlössle, the old school, the kindergarten and fire station were destroyed by fire, the cattle burned in their cowsheds. Ten local residents and 13 soldiers died. One day later, the Americans invaded and occupied the village.