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Aerial Reconnaissance of Bombing Damage

Historic aerial images depicting the aftermath of heavy bombing raids on various military and industrial targets in Germany and surrounding regions. The images showcase destruction and battlefield con

Photo reconnaissance of Politz, Germany after the U.S. heavy bomber attack.

Photo reconnaissance of Politz, Germany after the U.S. heavy bomber attack.

HITS REGISTER--Bomb burst on the Messerschmitt experimental center and assembly plant at Augsburg as the first wave of 8th AAF Fortresses dropped their loads on 13 April 44. Heavy concentration struck all areas of the field and plant. Intense flak

Romano Americano Refinery at Ploesti, Rumania was attacked on 15 July 44 by heavy bombers. This damage photo shows good concentration of hits despite fact that target was completely invisible, with stabilization plant (1) damaged storage tanks

Aircraft, Burma, India & Bombing,

SIX DAYS THAT SHOOK GERMANY-When the six days ended, every one of the factories attacked had been seriously injured, and some of the most important ones had been all but obliterated. The smoke cleared away, and a USAAF reconnaissance plane gets this

La Braye, France-before bombing by Flying ofrtresses and Liberators on 24 December 1943.

First and second waves of Consolidated B-24's cover plant area of Bernburg, Germany, JU 88 Assembly.

Exposure #138 - Destruction In Hiroshima, Japan, After Dropping Of The First Atomic Bomb, August 6, 1945. Note The Position Of Vehicle In Center Of Photo, In Comparison With Photos Exp. #136 & #137. Taken 11 August 1945.

Synthetic oil plant of Braunkohle-Benzin A.G. at Magdeburg, Germany. Smoke screen at time of attack by 8th Air Force 20 June 44.

Bombing Of Orleans, France, 11 June 1944. 2Nd Bomb Division, 8Th Af.

PINEAPPLES OVER BOLOGNA---A cluster of bombs can be seen hurtling down towards the Bologna railroad yards in the long-range U.S.A.A.F. B-17 Flying Fortress aid on the northern Italian city on September 2, 1943. The puffs of bomb burst from explosives

In Sunday's attack by a record force of 8th AAF heavy bombers on enemy aircraft factories at Leipzig. Brunswick and Bernburg and military targets at Gotha, Tutow, Oschersleben and other points in Northern and Central Germany, major damage was

Ciampino Airfield, southeast of Rome, was attacked by 144 North American B-25 airplanes & 105 Martin B-26 airplanes of the Northwest African Strategic A.F., escorted by 169 Lockheed P-38 airplanes. The bulk of enemy fighter opposition was expected

HIGHWAY, from Battipaglia to Eboli, scene of some of the bitterest fighting in the battle of Salerno, is well covered with bombs, including a concentration on the junction. This was 14 Sept. when almost every bomber made two sorties.

Another airdrome hit by Strategic AF bombers on 31 Jan. in their hunt for the Luftwaffe, was Aviano in Northern Italy at the head of the Adriatic. The Aiming Point was the administration hangar area of the airdrome. The first bombs are beginning to

Fallersleben, Germany-Fallersleben Works as it looked after the 5 August 1944 mission when 8th Air Force heavy bombers dropped tons of bombs. It is estimated that six football games could be played simultaneously in the damaged area. Fallersleben

Bombing of Belfort Railyards, France by 8th Air Force bombers on August 11, 1944.

Wewak Airdrome, Northeast...

15th Air force mission to Bad Voslau on 23 April 1944. Bursts from Plane A (Symbol for 1st squadron) begin to hit edge of target.

Bombing Of Cancello, Italy, On 21 August 1943. 2Nd Bomb Division, 8Th Af.

Area 12 Italy R *** Grottaglie - Marcelio Arlotta Airdrome N 4031 E 1724-6-4-43 Restricted

Evidence of the Clarity with which U.S. Army airmen could spot landmarks of Berlin during their 6 March 44 raid on the German capital is this photo in which the famous Berlin sports arena stands out vividly.

Aerial View Of Dijon Airfield, France, March 23, 1945. 42Nd Wing.

Focsani Airfield, an important Luftwaffe base in Rumania near the Russian front, is plastered with more than 200 tons of bombs by a task force of U.S. bombers operating from bases in Russia, June 11, 1944.

Diering Railyards, Shown In This 9Th Af Tactical Reconnaissance Photo, Has Been Damaged At Least 30 Direct Hits. A Repeated Target For 9Th Af Martin B-26 Marauders And Republic P-47 Thunderbolts Fighter Bombers, This Yard Contains Some 200 Railroad Cars,

DEVASTATION AT FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, GERMANY. Flying Fortresses of the U.S. Army 8th AF created this damage to important Nazi war plants. Key: 10-Three direct hits and four near misses on assembly shop. 11 and 12-Small unidentified buildings

The first bombs find their mark on the airdrome at Tripoli, Tripolitania, Libya. Smoke billows from a hangar and other structures (1) as a result of direct hits. Enemy fighters and bombers are scattered over the field.

Koriyama Chemical Company, Hodogaya, North Of Tokyo - Before Raid - 12 April 1945.

Bombing of the Hamburg Marshalling Yard.

War Theatre #11

A favorite target of Republic P-47 pilots, like the pilots of the First Brazilian Fighter Squadron is a power house serving the Hun. This one at Domegliara, Italy, got a direct hit.

Aircraft, Burma, India & Bombing,

This Photograph Shows Damage Suffered At Amiens-Longau, France. This Photo Was Taken From 21,000 Feet With A 36' Lens On 20 March 44.

This picture, taken at the height of the attack by B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 15th AAF on the Rome/Littorio railroad yards 3 March, shows strings of high-explosive bomb bursts across the target. Much of the rolling stock present was destroyed or

Bomb damage in Manila, Philippine Islands, Feb. 1945.

Martin B-26 Damaged, USAAF Attack on Lille-Vendeville. The tail assembly and part of the fuselage of a B-26 Martin Marauder medium bomber of the U.S. Army Air Forces fails earthward after being severed from the rest of the plane by enemy fire while

An outstanding example of high altitude, daylight precision bombing, is this raid on the important marshalling yards of Verona, Italy, by Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 15th AAF on 28 January.

This is a PRU shot of Freidrichshaven, Germany "before" the attack of April 25th, 1944.

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses Of The 15Th Aaf Attacked The Budapest-Tokal Airdrome In Hungary On July 30, 1944, Leaving This Pock Marked Pattern Over The Airdrome And Installations.

Picture Of The Recaptured Garrison Area On Corregidor In The Philippines Is Taken By A Cameraman Aboard A Fightin' 13Th Aaf Consolidated B-24 Liberator Bomber. Bomb-Gutted Buildings And Craters Testify To The Effectiveness Of The Air Strikes.

Bombs dropped by planes of the Mediterranean Allied Air Force explodes on the target at Palestrina, Italy. 1 June 1944.

Atom Bomb Damage On Nagasaki, Japan.

Republic P-47 Thunderbolt Fighter-Bombers Of The 12Th Af Attacked This Railyard At Parma, Italy, Starting Several Fires. Most Of The Smoke Is Coming From A Burning Railroad Car Loaded With Grain Set Afire During This Strafing Attack. 1?2Th Af Bombers

Attacked June 14, 1944 by heavy bombers of the U.S. 8th AF the Nazi airdrome at Lille/Vendeville has six aircraft shelters damaged and dispersal areas pock-marked by bomb craters. The gutted hangars and workshops were previously damaged in an earlier

Nazi Airdrome in France-Three large hangars two smaller ones and a large workshop have serious roof damage at the Etampus 1 Mondesis Airfield in Northern France after the attack on 14 June 44 by U.S. 8th AF heavy bombers. Over 100 craters can be

Zeppelin Works at Friedrichshafen, Germany after bombing by the 15th Air Force which handed a decided setback to the enemy's production of jet-propelled aircraft and parts for others. Final score: every major installation and 75 percent of all minor

Ferryville, Tunisia-Bombs from Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortresses" dropping over Ferryville Harbor, 4 April 1943.

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses which dropped 500-pound bombs left this crater-marked beach area at Arromanches, France on the Normandy invasion coast. Coastal gun sites and an observation post, all under construction along with the beach ahead of

Before And After -- Bombs Strike The Center Of A Marshalling Yard, The Hub Of Four Railroad Spokes, At A Railroad Junction At Rosenheim, Germany, West Of Munich. Enemy Oppostion To Us 8Th Air force Bombers Was Slight With No Flak Being Thrown Up In Defense Of T

Atomic Bomb Damage In Nagasaki, Japan.

Milo Airdrome, Sicily-Bombs from a force of Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortresses" of the Northwest African Air Forces blanket the Milo airdrome in Sicily in the highly-successful raid of April 5. There were 70-80 planes on the airdrome. Thirty of them

4 June 44, Bourges Airdrome was severely damaged.

The Bomb pattern grows as Signa Bridge is covered by a raid by the Martin B-26 Marauders of First Tactical Air Force.

B-29 Superfortress of the U.S. Army 20th Air force attacked Japanesean's island bastion of formosa during October, inflicting heavy damage on airfield, aircraft factory, supply depot, and shipping targets.

Wrecked Planes, Bomb Craters And A Blasted Runway Testify To The Havoc Caused By Bombs Dropped On This German Base For Jet Planes Near Nauhoff, Germany. May 1945.

A load of bombs from a B-29 Superfortress formation of Maj. Gen. Curtis E. LeMay's 20th Bomber Command is seen bursting in the Bansue Marshalling Yard at Bangkok, Thailand. Considerable damage was done to shops, trackage and rolling stock.

Bombs Falling Toward Hwayuan, China.

After -- Damage Assessment Of Kawanishi Aircraft Co., Naruo Plant, Osaka, Japan. 9 June 1945.

Three U.S. Army Tanks Move Up Towards A Camouflaged Gun Position, On The Way Inland, After The Allied Landings On The Coast Of Nazi Held France. In The Right Hand Lower Corner, The First Of The Tanks Has Almost Reached The Area That Hides The Hidden Gun

Bomb Damage In Tokyo, Japan.

Another type of defense position is this battery of four heavy and two light anti-aircraft guns on concrete towers behind a dike at Emden, Germany. Towers appear 40-50 feet high.

Hit By Anti-Aircraft Fire, While On Bombing Run Over The Herman Goering Tank Works At Linz, Austria, 25 July 1944, A Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" Went Down To Destruction. In The Top Picture The 'Fortress' Was Upside With The Right Inboard Engine Afire.

FRANCE-Battle activities during battle for Falaise Gap on 20 August 44 when Argentan was taken by the British, Falaise by the Canadians and Trun by the Poles. Picture shows destruction wrought by Air support of the 2d and 9th Tactical Air Forces and

Serious Damage May Be Seen At The Borgward Afv And Motor Transport Plant At Bremen, Germany After The Us 8Th Air force Bomber Attack Of 26 Sept. 44. Main Machine Shop, Assembly Plant, Foundry And Finishing Works All Have Suffered Direct Hits.

Twelve roads converge in the Italian town of Pontecorvo, between the 5th Army Front and the point of the Allied landings south of Rome. Traffic on these roads must cross the bridge on the edge of the town.

The temporary bridge is of little use. Both approaches have been badly cratered.-Cecina, Italy.

Porto Ferrato, Elba, after bombing by Mediterranean Allied Air Force's planes.

Martin B-26S Of The 386Th Bomb Group, Fly Away From The Target Leaving Their Bombs Bursting On Installations At Bryas-Sud, France. 17 August 1943.

Aerial View Of Stalag Luft Iii, German Prisoner Of War Camp For Air Force Personnel, At Sagen, Germany. Thousands Of American Air Force Prisoners Were Imprisoned Here. In Addition, The Camp Held British And Other Allied Air Force Personnel Who Were Captur

NO NEW EXPERIMENT--The Messerschmitt experimental center at Augsburg was treated to an old experiment Friday when U.S. 8th Air Force heavy bombers scored direct hits or blast damage on at least half of the installations during a large-scale mission

The Borgward Tank and Truck Plant in Bremen, Germany after tons of bombs had been dropped on it by 8th Air Force heavy bombers on 26 Sept 44. The main machine shop, assembly plant, foundry and finishing works all have suffered direct hits. This plant

Martin B-26 Marauders of the Franco-American 1st Tactical AF bomb enemy ammunition stores area in Germany near Ramsbach, 10 miles northeast of Offenburg, which supplied German forces opposing both the American 7th and French 1st Armies. The

Sprawled freight cars, disrupted tracks and damaged building from direct hit are revealed at Angeuleme rail marshalling yard, 70 miles north of Bordeaux, France after attack by 8th USAAF bombers.

Railroad Bridge. Martin B-26 airplanes hit the Montalto De Castro railway bridge with one-thousand-pound bombs on 10/20/43.

To keep Nazi troop movements down to a minimum during the first few days of the invasion, key road junctions, some in small towns, were pelted with high explosives. At St. Lo, about 35 miles southwest of Caen Consolidated B-24 Liberators approached

Aircraft, Burma, India & Bombing,

Barracks area at Licanan Airfield (near Davao) Mindanao Island, Philippine Islands before the 1st September 1944 attack by the 13th Air Force Consolidated B-24 Liberators.

Results of 21 March 44 bombing of Arezzo Viaduct, West of Arezzo, Italy show (1) smaller bridge cut through and approaches hit, (2) main viaduct useless, (3) tracks and roadbed destroyed, (4) cut filled in and highway overpass buried and destroyed

The Forced Ventilation Of These Installation Buildings At The Budapest Duna Aircraft Factory, Hungary, Was Made By Well Placed Bombss That Were Dropped From Consolidated B-24 Liberators Of The 15Th Aaf On 30 July 44. This Reconnaissance Photo Taken After

Bomb Damage In Hamamatsu, Japan.

This bridge, mantled by smoke from direct hits of bombs released by Capt. William E. Smith (now a Maj.) of 385 Central Ave., Hapeville, Ga., was an important route for the movement of supplies and reinforcements to enemy fighting positions.

Direct hits partially gutted four large hangars, two workshops and other miscellaneous installations at the Anklam airbase, about 90 miles north of Berlin, during the attack by U.S. 8th AF bombers 25 August 44. Some of the units are still burning

Bombs From Martin B-26 Marauders Of The 12Th Air Force, Fall On Railroad Yards At Florence, Italy, On 24 October 1944.

Atomic Bomb Damage In Nagasaki, Japan.

B-29's Erase Japanese War Plants

Vital supply link for the Japaneses in occupied China as it looked just before it was turned into an inferno by American bombers and fighters 18 Dec 44 in the heaviest air strike thus far in China's War. 29 of the 20th Air force smashed the docks

Nagasaki, Japan After Atomic Bombing.

Smoke Markers Led Bombs To The Target, A Glider Assembly Plant At Leipheim, Germany, On 9 April 1945, As Planes Of The 44Th Bomb Group Carried Out A Mission.

Bombs Dropped By Consolidated B-24 Liberators Of The 458Th Bomb Group Explode On Enemy Installations At Regensburg, Germany. 11 April 1945.

New Port Lock, La Pallice, 7/4/43.

Aircraft, Burma, India & Bombing,

Incendiaries spread havoc at the large ordnance depot in the Hamburg/Clinde area, 6 October 1944, as U.S. 8th Air Force heavies struck at vital installations there. Smoke from the target reached thousands of feet into the air.

Aerial View ,. Photographs of the First Naval District

At the German airdrome at Reims in occupied France, six large hangars were partially destroyed; three workshops and two warehouses completely destroyed and 15 other buildings damaged by the 20 May 1944 attack of U.S. 8th AAF heavies. Many bomb

Bombs Burst On The Target At Schweinfurt, Germany, As The Smoke Markers Still Reach Up Into The Sky. 13 April 1944.

Bombs dropped by North American B-25 Mitchells of the 340th Bomb Group, 12th Air Force, explode on road and railroad bridges near Ponte Di Piave, Italy, during attack on 29 July 1944.

Bombing Of Kiuzum Airfield At Ota, Japan.

Leipzig-Heiterblick, Germany-During bombing, get its share of bombs. 305th Bomb Group. 20 February 1944.

Pacific Air Command, U.S. Army, 3 August 1946 - An Aerial View Of Nagasaki Japan One Year After The Dropping Of The Devastating Atomic Bomb Shows The Complete Ruin Of One Of Japan's War Factories.

The Wels/Traun Marshalling Yards In Austria Suffer From Hits As Bombs Continue To Fall Toward Their Target During A Bombing Raid By Planes Of The 461St Bombardment Group, 766Th Bombardment Squadron, 15Th Air Force On March 20, 1945.

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