:: PHOTOGRAPH GALLERY ::

~ THE FALL OF THE REICH ~

I

American aviators receiving instructions
The commander of the 535th Fighter Squadron of the USAAF imparts the last instructions to the pilots prior to a mission over Germany.

German bombed city
Desolated appearance of a German city after one of the terrible Allied bombings. To counteract this new aerial threat, the Luftwaffe developed with particular effectiveness a new speciality: the night fight.

City of Koln after Allied bombings
The German city of Koln after being devastated by numerous Allied bombings. From May 1942 and until the end of the war Koln was a prime target for the Allied aviation, which bombed 264 times the Gothic cathedral and the surrounding area.

City of Koln after Allied bombings
The towers of the cathedral of Koln, miraculously undamaged after the aerial bombings. Along with Lubeck, Koln was one of the "experimental cities" of the British Bomber Command.

Bombed railway station
Simultaneously with the landing operations in Normandy, the Allies triggered a very hard aerial offensive against Germany. The most sought targets were, naturally, the railroads.

British heavy bombers Short Stirling
Three Short Stirling heavy bombers of the Royal Air Force, photographed during the last stages of the war.

British heavy bomber Short Stirling
The crewmen of a British heavy bomber Short Stirling enjoy the last moments on land while the ground personnel loads bombs on the aircraft.

American artillerymen in the Western Front
The gunners of an American 155-millimeter howitzer, cleverly camouflaged, get prepared to open fire upon the fortifications of the Siegfried Line.

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