Historical Aerial Bombing Missions

Aerial reconnaissance images depicting bombing missions over various European targets during WWII, showcasing destruction and strategic impacts of air operations.

Forts Blast Nazi Airdrome -- While Consolidated B-24 Liberators Were Paying Their Lethal Respects To Friedrichshafen, Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses Of The Us 8Th Air force Were Hammering The Lechfeld Airdrome In Southwestern Germany During Saturday'S Daylight Op

Bombing Of Enemy Installations At Tutow, Germany, On 9 April 1944, By Planes Of The 2Nd Bomb Division, 8Th Air force.

Villacoublay, France-DURING: On 24 August 1943 the field looked like this from the bombing altitude of 22,000-24,000 feet. Republic P-47 cover was provided. We lost no aircraft, destroyed one, probably shot down two and damaged one.

Berlin, Germany. Clouds of smoke are rising from the Erkner ball-bearing plant while another cluster of bombs is on its way to continue the destruction.

The railroad yards at Novi Ligure, in northern Italy, are blanketed with clouds of smoke as Martin B-26 Marauders of Maj. Gen. Cannon's 1st Tactical Air Force attacked this important enemy junction point. German forces depended on this rail yard for

Blanket Of Bombs -- Bursts From Heavy Concentrations Almost Cover The Wilkerwerke, Ag Factory, The Miag (Wilhelmitor) Me-110 Components Plant And Nearby Railway Installations At Brunswick During The Attack By Us 8Th Aaf Consolidated B-24 Liberators On 19

Forts Blast Nazi Airdrome -- While Consolidated B-24 Liberators Were Paying Their Lethal Respects To Friedrichshafen, Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses Of The Us 8Th Air force Were Hammering The Lechfeld Airdrome In Southwestern Germany During Saturday'S Daylight Op

The Istres Le Tube Airdrome At Marseilles, France Is Shown After Bombs Struck Planes And Installations During A Raid By The 99Th Bomb Group, 346Th Bomb Squadron, 15Th Air Force On 17 August 1943.

9th AF bombers on 12 January 1945 cut every line of German rail hub at Euskirchen, Germany and isolated 20 engines (left).

Airfield At Bordeaux, France, Left In Smoke And Flames As A Result Of 8Th Air Force Bombing On 27 March 1944. Another Job "Well Done" By The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses Of The 452Nd Bomb Group. Photo Of Airfield Taken Through The Nose Of A "Flying For

Bombing of coastal batteries at Boulogne, France.

Rome, Italy-This scene of Ciampino airdrome north was taken by an aerial photographer just as his USAAF Martin B-26 Marauder turned away from the target today. The fragmentation bombs strung along the airplane dispersal areas and in among the hangars

Bombs Burst Squarely On Their Target, The Herman Goeringsteel Works At Linz, Austria, During A Bombing Mission On July 25, 1944 By Planes Of The 451St Bomb Group, 725Th Bomb Squardron, 15Th Air Force.

Bridge Under Cover -- Erupting Bombs Hide The Bridge At Pontaubault In Northern France, 12 June 44, As 8Th Usaaf Heavy Bombers Lauched A Heavy Attack There. Many Bomb Craters From Previous Attacks Dot The Area.

This medium bomber field was hit with 87 tons of five-hundred-pound bombs & 2,500 twenty-pound frags, dropped by 29 unescorted Boeing B-17's & 35 North American B-25's, escorted by 33 Lockheed P-38's, on 9 Oct., 1943. Six enemy planes were

Second box formation of second group spoils show, hits houses. One plane, behind formation, drops on target.

Striking for the first time in the longest mission yet flown by the Mediterranean based bombers, Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 15th AAF attacked the railroad yards at Venissieu, five miles south of Lyon, France, on 25 May 44 with reported hits

Bombing of Brux, Germany, 12 May 44.

AIR PUNISHMENT FOR THE RETREATING NAZI-The retreating Nazi in France gets no rest from the Allied air forces. Photographs shows how his convoys and vehicles are continually under the bombardment of allied airmen. Reconnaissance mosaic showing

A Consolidated B-24 Liberator Of The 389Th Bomb Group Flies Over The Target Area At Hanau, Germany Prior To Releasing Bombs On Enemy Installations. 12 Dec. 1944.

Swathes of destruction were cut across Sedes airfield (left) & nearby Megalo Mikra Field (right) with 24.2 tons of fragmentation bombs dropped from 10,000 feet by 35 North American B-25's, escorted by 35 Lockheed P38's. The landing & dispersal areas

Smoke billows from a bomb-plastered Nazi rail bridge at Langenargen near Lake Constance, after an attack by First Tactical Air Force Martin B-26 medium bombers. This bridge is 260 feet long and 15 feet wide. It crosses the Argen river and serves

Aircraft, Burma, India & Bombing,

The Germans can no longer rely on darkness to shroud their supply and troop movements since the 9th AF initiated night photographic reconnaissance missions, Employing specialized equipment, the crew of a night flying Douglas A-20 Havoc photographed

This picture made in the vicinity of St. Lo shows a section of the city in flames.

Bombs From Boeing B-29 Superfortresses Burst On Japaneseanese Storage Dumps And Railway Yards At Kuala Lumpur, Malaya.

Bombs Dropped By Usaf Planes Burst On The Target - An Enemy Instalaltion At Croisette, France - During A Raid On 14 Jan 1944.

Railroad operations stopped at Skoplje yards when 36 North American B-25s of 250-pound bombs from 10,500 feet and 20 Lockheed P-38s 2.75 tons of 500-pound bombs on 16 November, 1943.

Smoke and dust rising from the approach to the bridge as first bombs hit their mark.

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses of the U.S. Army 8th Air Force attacking the Nazis air replacement depot at Stargard Airfield, 20 miles east of Stettin, Germany on Oct 6, 1944.

Bombing At Anklam Germany 10-9-43.

Aircraft, Burma, India & Bombing,

Berlin Plant In Flames -- American Bombs Again Find Their Mark On Berlin Targets At The Berliner Mashinenvau Armament And Locomotive Works At Wernsdorf, A Suburb Of Berlin, During Wednesday'S 8 March 1944 Heavy Attack On The Berlin Area. Approx. 1/3 Of T

Fire And Explosions Result As 36 X 1000 Lb G.P. Bombs Blanket The Binthay Alcohol Distillery In The Saigon Area.

Nine directs hits on the bridge have severed it and hits were also registered on roads along the River Loire at Port Le Boulet, France.

Bombs continue to fall toward the target as others burst on installations at Letnany Airdrome, Prague, Czechoslovakia during a mission by the 464th Bombardment Group, 778th Bombardment Squadron, 15th Air Force on March 25, 1945.

Ancona'S Marshalling Yards Were Plowed Up By Day And Night Bombers Of The Allied Strategic Air Forces In Italy.

Aircraft, Burma, India & Bombing,

Two direct hits on the bow and the stern of the vessel were reported while the rest of the bombs box the target closely. Cloud cover after the formation left the target would not permit observation of results but with such hits it is believed the

Martin B-26's Bomb Airport at Alghero, Sardinia. Note bomb bursts on runways, buildings and dispersed enemy aircraft.

USAAF HITS BERLIN AGAIN-A U.S. Army 8th AF attack on the Arado aircraft works at Rathenow, 40 miles west of Berlin, destroyed 35 buildings, including 4 workshops, 23 barrack huts, and 8 unidentified buildings. Three large workshops were also

In This Night Photograph Taken Of Hamburg, Germany, On 26 Dec. 1944, Approx. 650 Goods Wagons Are Seen In The Damaged Western Section Of The Marshalling Yards And 30 More Are In Small Central Sidings. 34 Are In The Factory Siding Just South Of The Marsha

A Consolidated B-24 Liberator of the U.S. 8th Air Force disintegrates in air during one of a series of attacks on German western front traffic centers 12 Dec 44. Bombs and debris are strewed forth as the Liberator tail twists off at right angles and

Bombing Of Marshalling Yards And Dock Area At Leghorn, Italy, On 21 September 1943, By Planes Of The 2Nd Bomb Division, 8Th Air Force. Altitude 23,000 Feet.

Hit Several Times Before, The Nazi Airdrome At Dijon/Longvic In The Paris Area, Is Attacked Again By 8Th Air Force Bombers On Aug 14, 1944. Under Bursts Are All Vital Installations Of The Field; Hangars, Workshops, Dispersal Areas And Runways.

On the morning of 19 February 1945 twenty-five Consolidated B-24's of the 494th Bomb Group based on Angaur Island in the Carolines, took off for a cooperation raid on the Licanan Airdrome in the Southern part of Mindanao, Philippine Islands.

Destruction of a vital enemy rail yard at Offenburg, Germany, 10 miles east of the Rhine on the main route from Switzerland to northern Germany, by Martin B-26 Marauders of the 1st Tactical A.F. The full fury of the attack is shown with the yard

View Of An Unidentified Japanese Airfield Showing Damage Inflicted By U.S. Forces During Previous Months.

BOMBS FIRST-LEAFLETS SECOND. Looking like huge Fourth of July firecrackers, these containers, carrying propaganda leaflets, have just been released from a U.S. Air Force plane over Merseburg, Germany. On the ground can be seen the explosions of the

Fourth Biggest City And Third Largest Manufacturing Center In Japan, Nagoya Recently Produced About 35 Percent Of Japanese Aircraft Engines. On The Night Of 11 March 1945 B-29S Streaked Across The City For Two Hours, And Dropped Tons Of Incendiary Bombs. The

The great Mantua rail causeway in the Po Valley of Northern Italy, an important supply and reinforcement link for the battered Hun armies in Italy is shown here as it was attacked by North American B-25 Mitchells of the 1st Tactical Air Force. (Top)

Big Explosion Marks 5Th Af Destruction Of The Socony Fuel Storage Area At Saigon, French Indo-China, 4 May 1945. Arrow At Left Indicates The Saigon Naval Yard.

Bombs Hurtle Earthward During Air Attack By Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses Of The 91St Bomb Group, 8Th Af. St. Jean D'Angel France - 27 June 44 (Altitude 23,500 Ft).

Florida - Miami, Aerial Photograph.

Consolidated B-24s of the 453rd Bomb Group fly over the burning targets at Karsruhe, Germany, after dropping their bombs on enemy installations 5 Sept. 1944.

Three concentrations blossom on coastal batteries along the same area between Fecamp and Cap-Gris-Nes.

Incendiaries streak film and HE bursts register (center) at Laha Field, across bay from Amboina, Ambon Island, Netherland East Indies. This photo was taken in Jan 44, from a bomber, with camera lens open 4 seconds. Terrain illumination is by flash

Martin B-26 Marauder One In A Formation Enroute To Bomb Enemy Installations Over The Vatican.

The Krupp Tank And Armament Works, A Leading Producer Of Mark Iv Tanks, Has Been Attacked Numerous Times By The 8Th Air force.

These bombs have just left the bomb bays of heavy bombers of the U.S. Army 15th AF and are about to fall on one of the most important aircraft production centers in Europe, the Wiener Neustadt plant which turns out ME-109 fighter planes

At the Corme-Ecluse airfield, about 40 miles north of Bordeaux, France, concentrations of bombs from 8th USAAF heavy bombers cover the landing strips and field proper during the 19 June 44 attack.

Bombing Of Railroad Bridge Near Rubbiera, Italy, By North American B-25 "Mitchells" Of The 12Th Air Force, Sometime In 1944.

This Was The Aidrome At Neuburg, Austria Before The Attack Of March 23, 1945, By Consolidated B-24 Liberator Bombers Of The 15Th Air Force.

This picture shows the aero engine works at Basdorf, 15 miles north of the center of Berlin, on 21 June 44, a few moments before U.S. 8th AAF heavy bombers launched an attack.

Bombs hit squarely on the target area during the attack on the Portes Les Valences torpedo factory, Aug 8, 1944, by Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 15th AAF. FRANCE.

La Goulette, Tunisia-A merchant vessel capsized and burning beside the oil depot at La Goulette, after a raid by Allied bombers operating from Malta. The jetty was destroyed. 29 December 1942.

Bombing of oil refinery at Lobau, Austria 1 Nov 44. (3012-682/628-1 Nov 44-F36"-1140 19-26,000).

Rome Map Substitute, No Photo Coverage. Permissable Axes Of Attack, Desired Patter, Center Of Impact. List Of Areas That Must On No Account Be Damaged.

Bombs Are Dropped From Consolidated B-24 Liberators Of The 489Th Bomb Group On Enemy Installations At Hamburg And Harburg, Germany During A Raid On 6 Oct. 1944.

Smoke billows up from the marshalling yards at Ploesti, Rumania during a bombing raid by planes of the 2nd bomb Group, 429th Bomb Squadron on 5 May 1944.

Hiro Arsenal - After Raid Of 5 May 1945.

Reconnaissance photo of bomb damage to bridge near Kaifeng, China, 10 July 1944.

Aircraft, Burma, India & Bombing,

About 12 miles SE of Paris is the airfield at St. Cyr, France attacked by 8th USAAF heavies on 22 June 44. Two large buildings and 19 smaller ones have been partially destroyed there. Direct hits have disrupted sidings at the nearby railroad.

'On The Button', Bombs From The Marauders Of The Sardinia-Based Units Of First Tactical Air Force Smash The Double-Track Rail Bridge At Fano On The Adriatic Coast. The Air Plan Called "Operation Strangle", Designed To Choke Off All The Supply Lines That S

The Huge Floating Drydock At Singapore Lies Under Water After It Had Been Hit And Set Afire By B-29 Superfortresses. The Freighter In It Is Also Partially Submerged. Malay Peninsula.

Marshalling Yards Of Amiens-Longau, France. Photo Was Taken 20 March 1944.

Bombing of Tripoli, Tripolitania, Libya, 29 November 1942.

Maneuvering into a pursuit curve to fire on the lagging Boeing B-17 at the left rear is a probable FW-190 over Hamburg. The forward progress of the bomber is sketched in, as is the probable pursuit curve. The fighter will be out of range of all guns

The First 8Th Air force Bomb Strikes On 1 Feb 1945 Engulf The Heart Of Berlin, Germany.

Incendiaries and high explosives streak earthward to add to the previous hits on Munich rail marshalling yards during the large scale attack by U.S. 8th AF heavy bombers on Nazi supply lines 25 Feb 45. This was the seventh consecutive day of heavy

Wreckage Of A German Fockewulfe 200 Downed In Combat Somewhere In Iceland. 2Nd Service Group, 24 October 1942.

Buna Drome #4.

This Intelligence Photo Taken Apr 11 1945 By 1St Lt Miguel R. Rodriguez, North American P-51 Mustang Tactical Reconnaissance Pilot From San Marino, Ca, Shows A Large Enemy Military Supply Dump Near Kohnstein, Germany.

The start of another 13th Air Force raid on Nichols Field, Manila, was photographed by combat cameramen who made their pictures as the bombs began the screaming journey to the target. Earlier13th Air Force attacks caused the damage to runways, shops

A Liberator (Consolidated B-24) hovers over the Japanese airfield at Cape Gloucester on the northwest tip of New Britain, enemy base that is being consistently pounded by the Fifth Air Force in the Allied push northward.

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

Bombs have Consolidated B-24 Liberators of the U.S. Eighth Air Force find their mark among the hangars, dispersals and other vital buildings at Giebelstadt airfield, 25 Feb. 1945, during the height of the daylight attack. GERMANY

Tons of anti-personnel and general purpose bombs fall on anti-aircraft positions and oil installations at Balikpapan from Liberator formation following earlier North American B-24 attack at low-level. Mitchells returned shortly after this photograph

Bomb craters and smoke may be seen in the dock and warehouse area at Haiphong, French Indo China after a bombing raid by North American B-25s of the 14th Air force. 9 August 1942.

Pictured as it was attacked by Martin B-26 Marauders of the 9th Air Force, smoke can be seen rising from the target area where at least two gun positions were knocked out. This coastal Gun Battery was near Troubille, France.

Bologna M/Y'S: 124 Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortresses", 2Nd, 97Th, 99Th & 301St Bomb Groups, Dropped 367.5 Tons Of 500 Lb Bombs At 1115/1215 Hrs From 19/23,000 Ft 15 Aircraft Returned Early, 1 Was Lost To Flak, 9 Chutes Openeed. The 2Nd Bomb Group

Photo No. 2 Of Stereo Pair Showing Bomb Damage To The Campo Marte Marshalling Yards In Florence, Italy, Taken On March 23, 1944 By The 17Th Bombardment Group, 95Th Bombardment Squadron.

9th Air Force Reconnaissance pilots, in addition to providing information and photographs for the medium, light and fighter-bomber, also furnish fire adjustment and damage assessment data for the ground forces. This photograph of the defended town

NATO aerial airbase Soesterberg.

Bomb Strike By Consolidated B-24 Liberators Of 15Th Af On Oil Refinery At Blechhammer, Germany. Here A Consolidated B-24 Liberator Flies Over The Smoking Target. 27 Aug 1944.

Bomb Damage At The Otaka Oil Refineries In Japan.

BOMBING SINGQPORE's FLOATING DRYDOCK--(TOP) The floating drydock at Singapore is seen before it was sunk on Feb. 1, 1945. As this photo was made, it housed a freighter approximately 425 feet long. (CENTER) Heavy black smoke rises

Bombing results on Bengasi...

Bombs from Flying Fortresses of the U.S. Army 15th AF hurtle towards Kalamaki Airdrome, near Nazi-held Athens, Greece. Some bursts already appear on the ground. Note German planes in scattered revetments on the field.

B-29 "Superfortress" Strip Being Cut Out Of The Crub Covered Hilly Terrain At Futema On The West Side Of The Southern Half Of Okinawa, Ryukyu Retto. This Super Bomber Strip Was Constructed By The 806 Eab's On 15 June 1945. The Runway Was 7,500 Feet Long

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