Historical Aerial Bombing Images

Aerial photographs showing destruction from bombing campaigns during WWII, capturing damaged infrastructure and military installations across various locations.

(for main caption see print 24863 A.C.)

(for main caption see print 24863 A.C.)

The Eleusis Airdrome at Athens, Greece is seen on 17 November 1943 before bombs dropped by the 97th Bomb Group, 340th Bomb Squadron destroyed installations there.

Direct and explosions almost completely gutted the three main large ordnance building plus severe damage to others. A dispersal storage area for accumulated guns and vehicles also received many hits. Photo was taken 7 Oct 44 the day following the

Bombing of the Chalonnes M/Y.

Bombing of Almasfuzito oil refinery in Hungary, 10/21/44.

After - Damage Assessment Of Tachikawa Aircraft Factory At Tokyo, Japan. 29 April 1945.

Direct hits from 8th USAAF heavy bombers have damaged all the hangars visible in this picture of the Focke-Wulf assembly plant at Hanover, 40 miles west of Brunswick. This plant is believed to be making the new FW-154 which greatly resembles the

Bombing of Hopstein A/F, Germany.

Railroad marshalling yards at Treuchtlingen, Germany under attack by the 8th AF on 23 Feb. 1945.

Bombs Burst On Siegfried Line Defenses Near Zweibrucken, Germany During A Bombing Mission By Planes Of The 17Th Bombardment Group, 95Th Bombardment Squadron. This Mission Was Carried Out On March 15, 1945 To Make Way For Advancing Troops. Dragon Teeth A

Strike Photo - Kushira, Japan.

LIBERATORS APPROACH BERLIN--Passing over the outskirts of Berlin, Consolidated B-24s of the U.S. 8th A.F. head for the heart of the Nazi capital on 29 April 44 where they scored hits on the Air Ministry buildings, Templehof railway marshalling yards

Bombing Of Airfield At St. Trond, Belgium, 9 May 1944. 2Nd Bomb Division, 8Th Air Force. 44Th Bomb Group.

Boeing B-17s of the Northwest African Strategic Air Force, which dropped 25,619 fragmentation bombs from 20,400 to 23,000 feet on Istres/LeTube Field, shown here, 68 planes were destroyed and 20 damaged out of 195 present, while the damage

Forming a compact target, the engineering plant of the vast Hermann Goering Works at Hallendorf , just south of Brunswick, Germany, is shown a moment before it was hit by bombs from Consolidated B-24 Liberators of the U.S. 8th Air Force, 14 Jan 45.

Usaaf Attack On Rouen / Sotteville Marshalling Yards 28.3.43.

U.S.A.A.F. Aerial photograph of harbor facilities at Cherbourg, France.

During -- Strike Photo Of The Hiro Naval Aircraft Factory, Kure, Japan. 5 May 1945.

Direct hits have partially damaged one end of the bridge at Cinqmars, France during the attack by U.S. 8th AAF heavy bombers on 15 June 1944. Hits have also severed the railway in two places.

Thousands of fragmentation bombs were loosed during this raid on Aviano Airdrome in Italy, a base for large bombers and Nazi dive bombers. This successful raid was carried out by B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 15th AAF on 28 Jan.

Bombs Dropped By Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses Of 401St Bomb Group Explode On The Target Of The Day - An Airfield Near Hopsten, Germany, 27 April 1945.

Bombing of airdrome at Otopeni, Rumania by Consolidated B-24 Liberators of the 15th Air Force on 26 August 1944.

3,800-MILE ATTACK ON KUALA LUMPUR--B-29s of Brig. Gen. Roger M. Ramey's 20th Bomber Command attack without loss, Kuala Lumpur, Malaya, in one of the longest flights of the war--a round trip of approximately 3,800-miles from base to target.

Strike Photo - Konoya, Japan.

Believed to be a ferry base for planes from German factories, the airdrome at Reggio Emilia, northwest of Florence, Italy, was attacked by Consolidated B-24 Liberators of the 15th AAF on May 14, 1944. Smoke and dust rising from the target area give

Bombing Of Marshalling Yards At Foggia, Italy, 19 August 1943, By Planes Of The 2Nd Bomb Division, 8Th Air Force. Altitude 24,000 Feet.

Kure Naval Arsenal Was 70 Per Cent

Yen Ly Bridge, French Indo China-Three is no doubt about destruction of this bridge which was hit from 20 feet on 16 Feb 44.

Right On The Target - A Salvo Of Bombs Dropped By Boeing B-29 "Superfortresses"' Of The 462Nd Bomb Group Bursts On The Kiangnan Dock And Engineering Works On The Water Front Of Japaneseanese Occupied Shanghai, China. December 1944.

Three hangars have received additional damage and both runways are dotted with over 130 bomb craters at the Bretigny Airfield in France, attacked by heavy bombers of the U.S. Eighth AAF on 14 June 44. Gutted hangers are the result of an attack on 4

PODGORICA, YUGOSLAVIA-During the attack. Bomb bursts of the first Consolidated B-24 Liberators over the target smother the aiming point in a compact pattern.

Frag bombs from Flying Fortresses cover the Eleusis airfield at Athens, Greece, which was raided on December 8. Aircraft, hangars, workshops, and revetments were covered by the bomb bursts.

Orly Airfield, near Paris, France. Bomb plot for 20 May 1944 mission shows two direct hits on each airship hangar, fire burning (circle) in smaller hangar. 306th Bombardment Group.

Bombs from B-17s and B-24s, part of a force of 1300 U.S. 8th Air Force heavy bombers, explode on the jet plane airfield at Schwabisch-Hall, Germany during a raid on 22 March 1945. Note the long runway extended to the lower right of the photo.

Bombing of Japanese oil refineries at Balikpapan, Borneo, N.E.I., 10/10/44.

Villacoublay, France-AFTER: Comparison with target areas in the "before" picture reveals bombing accuracy. Barracks, an assembly and sheet working shop, hangars and FW-190 repair shops were all destroyed or damaged.

Initial bombs from Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses of the U.S. 8th Air Force head for the heart of Berlin, Germany during the Feb. 3, 1945 daylight assault on Hitler's capital. Upper right is Tempelhof airdrome and the Tempelhof rail yards.

Three large component workshops and a sub-assembly shop at the Focke-Wulf aircraft plant in Krzesinki, near Posen, Poland, were partially destroyed by the 8th USAAF attack on 20 May 44. The office buildings were virtually destroyed and many smaller

Stuttgart Ball Bearing Works, Stuttgart, Germany. During bombing-Smoke bomb is no longer visible as one-hundred-pound incendiaries send up plumes of their own. Fifty heavies made the attack on 25 Feb 44, hit machine shop, finishing shop, and office

Two hours after being hit by planes of the U.S. Army Air Forces, the rail center of Nis, Yugoslavia, presented this appearance. The hits on the locomotive shed caused terrific damage inside the structure. The row of buildings immediately above the

Bombing Of Marshalling Yards At Brod, Yugoslavia, By Consolidated B-24 "Liberators" Of The 15Th Air Froce, On 27 June 1944.

Clearly Shown Here Are Enemy Fortifications Near St. Lo, France, On D-Day. This Picture Was Made In The Early Morning Hours By Use Of An Electric Flash Bulb Developed By Engineers Of Air Technical Service Command, Wright Field, Ohio, And The General Elec

From Ukraine Bases and return, Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 15th AF with P-51 cover, on 11 June 1944 struck at the Focsani, Rumania airdrome. Weight of the attack hit the workshop and barracks area NW of the airdrome itself.

May 1945 -- A Bombed Out Railroad Marshalling Yard Near Eleinberg, Germany. Picture Made From A 9Th Af Plane.

Koriyama Chemical Company - After Raid North Of Tokyo - 11 April 1945.

Usaaf Attack On Rouen / Sotteville Marshalling Yards 28.3.43.

Bombs Bursting In The Heart Of Takao, Formosa, Destroying 206 Buildings And Damaging Many Others.

Aircraft, Burma, India & Bombing,

Bombs Burst On The Railroad Bridge At Neckarelz, Germany During A Bombing Mission By Planes Of The 320Th Bombardment Group, 443 Bomb. Squadron On March 23 1945.

Albrecht attacked. Estimated annual production before 20 June 44; 30,000 tons.

Bombing of the Albrecht Works at Harburg, Germany.

GERMANY-In direct support of ground forces probing Siegfried line, French-based Martin B-26 Marauders of the 9th U.S. AF struck a heavy daylight blow at Bitburg, 15 miles north of Trier, on a barracks area composed of 18 large buildings used to

A close-up view of the airfield, of which the runway is clearly visible, with some bomb puffs showing in the distance. The heavier smoke covers the factory area.

Directly in the center of the extensive aircraft works of the Nagoya plant of Mitsubishi, spread from one side of this picture to the other, bombs from Saipan-based Superfortresses break through buildings, tear up one of Japan's most vital plane

Dispersal Area Development at one of five airfields at Langgoer, Noehoe Efroean Island, Netherland East Indies was caught by a series of shots like this in August, 1943 showing growth.

Bombing of Caudron, Paris, France.

Here is the rail marshalling yards at Euskirchen, Germany, moments before U.S. 8th Air Force heavy bombers unloaded their bombs on it 27 Dec 44. The heavily laden rail center received several concentrations.

Area Near Hingham, Massachusetts. 1939 - 1947.

About 20 miles south of Augsburg is located the Nazi fighter and bomber operational base at Landsberg, Undisturbed now, it was attacked minutes later by Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses of U.S. 8th AAF. Heavy concentrations covered the landing field and

Bombs Fall On Enemy Installations At Paris, France. 2Nd Bomb Division, 8Th Air Force.

.Bombs From 12Th A.F. Republic P-47 Thunderbolts Burst In The Railroad Yards, At Piacenza, Italy, Continuing The 'Preventative' Treetment Which Stops German Use Of Rail Communications By Nazi Ground Forces. Wrecked Roling Stock, Torn Tracks And Other Dama

Bombing Of Schwechat, Austria, 24 May 44.

Bomb Bursts Blanket Installations And Airstrips At The Nancy / Essey Airfield, France During A Mission By Planes Of The 8Th Air Force'S 44Th Bombardment Group On 18 August 1944.

Smoke from bomb bursts covers the target after planes of the 465th Bomb Group, 15th Air Force, have left the Oil Refinery at Dziedzice, Poland on 20 August 1944.

One of the attacking Consolidated B-24 Liberators of the U.S. 8th AF roars over the Friedrichsfelde district of central Berlin 21 June 44 as initial bursts erupt on the rail marshalling yards there. Bombardment Group.

Bombs exploding on target on Nantes, France.

Consolidated B-24 Liberators of the 15th AAF hit the main marshalling yards at Bologna, Italy on May 13th. This photo shows hits on the Roundhouse, Railroad Cars, Tracks, and Highway Bridge.

BOMBING

Landing Fields - Philippines - Nichols Field, Aerial Photograph.

Flying In Cooperation With The Fifth Army, North American B-25 Mitchells Of The Tactical Air Force Hit Troop Concentratiotns And A German Command Post North Of Pisa, Italy, Which Is Poart Of The Strong Axis Gothic Line In Italy. 12Th Air Force.

Aircraft, Burma, India & Bombing,

This Photo Shows Accuracy Of 21St Bomber Command Boeing B-29 Superfortress Strikes Against Japanese Industry As Bombs Demolish The Kawanishi Aircraft Plant At Himeji, Japan, Where The Japs Made A New Navy Fighter Plane. Attacck On June 22, 1945.

Peltre, France After Low-Level Strike By The 405 Th Fighter Group Xix Tac On 8 Nov 1944. The Fighters Came In So Low On Their Targets They Had To Pull Up Violently To Avoid Hitting Rooftops. (1) 17Th Ss Divisions G-2 Section (2) Officer'S Mess And Comma

Bomb Bursts From Martin B-26 Marauders Cut Main Rail Lines, Destroyed Freight Cars And Hit Half The Length Of The Loading Platform And Main Station Building At The Railroad Yard In Marburg, Germany, Shown Here Under Attack Feb. 22 1945. A Few Minutes Aft

CRIPPLING NAZI RAILROAD COMMUNICATIONS-Liberators and Flying Fortresses of the U.S. Army 8th AF continue to hammer away at Nazi rail centers, this time hitting the heart of the rail marshalling yards at Metz, France.

Terraced Hillsides Surrounding Nagasaki Did Little To Lessen The Destructiveness Of The Second Atom Bomb Dropped 9 August 1945.

The 30 May 1944 attack on Lungling, China was made by North American B-25 Mitchells. four storage buildings were destroyed, four more severly damaged, and numerous other buildings shattered. Old bomb damage is represented by white circles

B-29's HIT SHINCHIKU, formosa-A burst of bombs from B-29 Superfortresses of Brig. Gen. Roger M. Ramey's XXth Bomber Command creates havoc among the hangars and other buildings at the Shinchiku on formosa. Scores of bomb craters left by

Bomb plot; dots indicate well-defined bursts while diagonal lines show areas of heavy concentrations. Letters refer to (a) hangars and repair shops, (B,C) dispersal, (D) ammunition.

Bombing Of Railroad Link By North American B-25 "Mitchells" Of The 12Th Air Force, Somewhere In Southern France.

Target below and bombs away, looking through the gaping maw of the bomb bay of an 8th A.F. heavy bomber in the big attack on Berlin, 29 April 44. This is the sight that was seen as the lethal load of bombs from the Boeing B-17s and Consolidated B-24s

Area Near Hingham, MA ,. Photographs of the First Naval District

Bombing of Pacy-Sur-Armancon oil storage depot. (S.E. of Paris) 18 Aug 44.

Smoke rises from the dock and warehouse area at Haiphong, French Indo China after a raid by North American B-25s of the 14th Air force. 9 August 1942.

Smoke Rises High Over The Rakos Marshalling Yards In Budapest, Hungary During A Mission By Planes Of The 97Th Bomb Group, 340Th Bomb Squadron On 17Th September 1944.

Aerial View Of Photographic Laboratory, Motor Pool, Shops And Hangar #1 Of The 381St Bomb Group At 8Th Air Force Station 167, Ridgewell, Essex County, England.

The fertile fields of Normandy rolling peacefully from Baycux to the sea, end abruptly in a steep cliff overlooking the water. Atop this cliff, at Longues, France, the enemy anchored a series of 88 mm guns beneath solid concrete roofs. USAAF bombs

Bombs Burst On Loiwing Airdrome, China During A Mission By Planes Of The 7Th Bomb Group, 436Th Bomb Squadron On 3 March 1944.

U.S. Bombers avoid leaning tower of Pisa. Smoke is from hits made by U.S. bombers of the Northwest African Air Force on the railway marshalling yards at Pisa, Italy, on the Arno River, near the coast of the Gulf of Genoa, 165 miles northwest of Rome.

Detachment 101, an enigmatic Allied intelligence and special operations unit during World War II, played a pivotal role in the Burmese theater. Operating deep in the jungles of Burma, their mission was multi-faceted, encompassing guerrilla warfare, espionage, and sabotage against Japanese forces. Comprising a diverse group of individuals, from OSS agents to indigenous fighters, they effectively disrupted Japanese supply lines, gathered critical intelligence, and supported resistance movements.

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses en route to bomb Merkwiller, Germany on 3 August 1944.

As B-29s approach, little harbor boat throws up futile smoke screen, vessel in dry-dock gets up steam, throws her lines off.

Aerial View Of A Flak Battery Somewhere In Germany. 10 May 1945.

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 15th AAF attacked the railyards at Ferrara, north of Florence, on May 14, 1944. The tracks leading to Coparro were hit and cut, while warehouses and rolling stock in the southwest section of the yards were

Bombs Bursts Cover Installations At Budapest Tokol Airdrome, Hungary, On August 9, 1944, After Planes Of The 464Th Bombardment Group, 776Th Bombardment Squadron, 15Th Air Force, Dropped Their Lethal Loads Of Bombs.

Douglas A-20'S Of The 410Th Bomb Group Leaves A Smoking Target Somewhere In Europe.

At a U.S. Medium bomber station, (England), sticks of bombs are smashing into a dispersal area during the Oct. 22 raid by B-26 Marauders on the Nazi fighter airdrome at Evreux-Fauville, 35 miles west of Paris. Old bomb craters which can be seen in

The hangars on Clark Field as seen from the air after bombing by U.S. Forces. Luzon Island, Philippine Islands, 1945.

B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 15th AAF blasted harbor installations in the important naval and shipping port of Pola, 40 miles southwest of Fiume in Italy, on 9 Jan. 1944, and here are some of the fort bombs overhanging the water front. The harbor

This railway junction South of Rome is one of the most important links in the enemy's transportation system carrying supplies to his troops on the front. A few seconds after this picture was taken, the junction was entirely covered by bombs from

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