Aerial Military Attacks

Dramatic images of World War II aerial assaults, showcasing bombings, paratrooper descents, and explosions, conveying a sense of chaos and intensity in wartime operations.

Daylight Attacks On Cologne Power Station - The power station at knapsack photographed from a Blenheim aircraft as it banked to run up to the target in the daylight on August 12th.Flying at times less than 100 ft.. from the ground, a strong force of Blenheim aircraft of the R.A.F. Bomber command delivered a daylight attack upon the two great power station near Cologne on August 12th. 1941.One of the targets was knapsack power station, and this photograph shows how the pilots flew their aircraft almost at ground level to press home the attack. November 11, 1941. (Photo by British Official Photograph).

A preview of the ultimate doomsday at Dagua is this 5th AF minimum altitude attack on a Japanese air strip eight miles west of Wewak on 3 February 1944. The leading North American B-25 (left) unloads parafrags on three Tonys, while other parafrags pepper

IN FULL PANORAMIC DETAIL, this picture shows the attack on Nadzab at its height, with one battalion of paratroops descending from Douglas C-47s in the foreground, while in the distance (left) another battalion descends against a smokescreen and

Training course, Rohatyn Large flame-thrower in action; Rohatyn, Galicia; photographer: Deutsche Südarmee.

5th AF smoke bombs hit Cape Gloucester Area, New Britain.

Explosion on hill ...

Burning Nazi Airdrome -- At The Rotenburg Aircraft Depot In Germany, Consolidated B-24 Liberators Of The Us 8Th Aaf Set The Stage For This Picture With Their Concentrated Attack On 30 May 44. Many Large Workshops Were Set Afire.

Daylight Attacks On Cologne Power Station - The power station at knapsack photographed from a Blenheim aircraft as it banked to run up to the target in the daylight on August 12th.Flying at times less than 100 ft.. from the ground, a strong force of Blenheim aircraft of the R.A.F. Bomber command delivered a daylight attack upon the two great power station near Cologne on August 12th. 1941.One of the targets was knapsack power station, and this photograph shows how the pilots flew their aircraft almost at ground level to press home the attack. November 11, 1941. (Photo by British Official Photograph).

U.S. Bombers Raid Palermo -- Taken during a recent heavy raid by American-manned bonders, this photograph shows a great column of smoke rising as result of a terrific explosion in the dock area at Palermo, Sicily.Reconnaissance photographs taken later revealed that all ships in the vicinity of this tremendous explosion were sunk and a large portion of the centre quay was blown away, two other ships were flung bodily on top of the lower quay. June 03, 1943. (Photo by Department of Air).

The Dutch army is practicing in La Courtine. Pay attention! The above description is a generic series description based on the information stated by the army film and photo service. In the long term, this global description will be specified.

R.A.F. Bostons Attack Steel Works At Denain, France -- A Boston (bottom centre) emerged from the smoke and skims the roof-tops after adding its contribution to the destruction in the target area. Note the church (right centre) framed by smoke and bomb bursts but apparently unharmed. On reconnaissance photographs, no damage to this church is visible. This photograph, taken during an attack by Bostons of R.A.F. Fighter Command on 16.8.43., provides remarkable evidence of the precision with which

Superforts Strike At Night -- Flames Spread Throughout The Japanese Industrial City Of Okayama During A Recent Night Attack By B-29's Of The 20Th Air Force, Okayama, With A Population Of 164,000,Is Located On The Home Island Of Honshu, About 100 Miles Wes

How the Royal Navy Cleared the Scheldt To Antwerp. 20 To 30 November 1944, on Board Byms 2189. the Royal Navy Sweeping the Scheldt Channel Clear of Mines To Allow Access To Antwerp. Close up near shore a mine explodes (at Zeebrugge, not Scheldt).

Anefo photo collection. Mijnenschool in Amersfoort. December 15, 1948. Amersfoort

An aerial closeup of waterfront section of Rabaul, major enemy base in the Southwest Pacific. An aerial closeup of waterfront section of Rabaul, major enemy base in the Southwest Pacific, burning after the devastating attack by General Kenney's North

Vintage Photograph. Volunteers fighting fire.

Aircraft, Burma, India & Bombing,

Dunkirk 26-29 May 1940 Burning oil tanks at Dunkirk.

Aircraft, Burma, India & Bombing,

Burning vehicle Operation Barbarossa - German Invasion of Russia, 1941 - 15th Infantary Division of the Thuringia-Kurhessen Division

Victoria Bay, New Guinea, Bombing. 27 September 1943.

Martin B-26s blast marshalling yards at Viterbo, Italy.

Smoke and explosions across the airfield and throughout the revetment area provide an indication of the widespread damage caused by an Allied air attack on Vunakanau, one of the major airdromes at Rabaul. (FIFTH AIR FORCE PHOTO).

Oil storage tanks and various installations were destroyed or damaged.-Vienna, Austria.

Geiser Theodore (mons) Collection German troops advancing under fire on Embermesnil.

This is the scene Liberator units of the Far Eastern Air Force left after a recent attack on Ambon on the island of Ceram in the Netherland Indies. Smoke from numerous fires rose to a height of 10,000 feet. Enemy shore installations and shipping in

Jap Dump at Langor Goes up in Smoke -- The Jap ammunition dump on Langor Island, gurrding the mouth of Ponape Harbor, goes up in smoke, bombed by 7th AAF Liberators. Foreground of Island is heavily damaged seaplane ramp; behind are burned out machine shops. March 19, 1944. (Photo by AP Wirephoto).

The factory buildings at the Oberfaffenhofen A/C Factory were well covered with bombs, causing a large amount of fresh damage, Munich, Germany.

Fire fighting soldiers at a P-38 Lightning base in Belgium battle flames which resulted when a fighter-bomber skidded during its landing and set ablaze gasoline trucks parked on the field. Photo is from Maj. Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg's 9th Air force.

Criminals - Nuremberg Trails - Germany War File. July 9, 1945. (Photo by The Associated Press Ltd.).

***** above on the heavy cruiser USS Los Angeles ***** in readiness towards ***** gun ***** Monsan. Hanging in the air the smoke from the five and sight inch guns that pounded Wonsan for more than eight continuous hours the previous day. October 23, 1951. (Photo by Official U.S. Navy Photograph)

One hundred-ofrty-three Consolidated B-24 Liberators hit the oil refinery with excellent results.-Vienna, Austria.

Another View Of The Fires Burning Within The Empire Docks At Singapore, Malay Peninsula.

Exploding artillery shell during the First World War. From The Illustrated War News published 1915

American Troops in Belgium - American Troops. February 5, 1945.

A violent explosion occurs as a burning Jap torpedo plane dives into the sea. This action occurred December 4 when Pacific Fleet carriers raided the Marshall Islands causing much damage and shooting down 72 enemy planes. Above the geyser of fire and water can be seen another enemy plane. January 03, 1944. (Photo by Official U.S. Navy Photo)

Smoke Billows Above Fifth Air Force Bomb Targets In Sendai Town In Southwest Kyushu In This Picture Taken During A Low-Level Air Attack Just Before The Japanese Capitulation. Devastated Areas In Foreground Were Previously Burned Out.

B-29's BOMB YAWATA AGAIN-Yawata the "Pittsburgh of Japan", burns and smokes under the 3rd attack by Boeing B-29 Superfortresses

German trenches shelled by British forces in World war One

THE DEVASTATING HOLLANDIA ATTACK. These continued attacks ran the total score up to 288 enemy planes destroyed. Huge clouds of smoke and more bombs falling mark the destruction of the Japaneseanese airbase.

Nazi ammunition stores, workshops, and barracks buildings at Kaiserlautern, important enemy industrial and communication center, are covered by black and whie explosive clouds of demolition and incendiary bombs-including phosphorous bombs-from First

This Boeing B-17 Flying ofrtress of the U.S. Army 8th Air force, returning from a mission over Rouen with its brake system completely shot out, crashed into another B-17 which was parked near the end of the runway. Fire immediately broke out and

Mushroom cloud formation from first atomic artillery shell

Incendiary Bombs (#2 Of Two Pictures). Venturas Attached To The 13Th Aaf Fighter Command Dropped Napalm 165-Gallon Belly Tank Fire-Bombs On Brunei Town, Borneo, And Little But Ashes Remained Of Japaneseanese Structures.

Anefo photo collection. Recovery: Atlantikwal. Between Zandvoort and IJmuiden people are cleaned up the Atlantikwall. Cannons are dismantled, bunkers are blown up and mines were cleared. Explosion of the bunker. June 1945. IJmuiden, Noord-Holland, Zandvoort

Bucharest, Rumania. Dense smoke is seen billowing high in the sky over Bucharest as fires started by bombs destroy locomotive roundhouses, rolling stock and storage areas in the Rumanian capital.

Photo collection Service for army contacts Indonesia. DLC Fire; Brigade equipment park 2nd inf. Brig. Poerwakarta. Poerwakarta. In the night of 2 on 3 July, terrorist gangs fired a storage location of the brigade equipment park, whereby O.M. a batch of rejected clothing, a number of car tires and five vessels were lost. The burning mess in the early morning. Soldiers engaged in extinguishing and storage work .. July 3, 1948. Indonesia, Java, Dutch East Indies, Purwakarta

Great German flamethrower from the storm course.

***** Oil refinery on Borneo ***** of the 7th Australian ***** move through the Royal ***** Dutch Shell Oil refinery near Balikpapan, Borneo, in Mop-up operations against the Japs. Smoke from burning oil can be seen in the Background. July 14, 1945. (Photo by Associated Press Photo).

Aircraft, Burma, India & Bombing,

Dunkirk and the Retreat From France 1940 French troops and sailors on the deck of a destroyer during the evacuation from France, June 1940.

Aerial Photograph of the Landing Operation on the French Coast Showing Three LSTs Stuck in Shallow Water off Shore. Aerial Photograph of the Landing Operation on the French Coast Showing Three LSTs Stuck in Shallow Water off Shore. Aerial view of the landing operation on the French Coast shows three LST's stuck in shallow water a couple of hundred yards off shore. A line of tanks and vehicles scuttles through the heady surf. Soldiers jam beaches as others swim ashore.. 1940 - 1983.

Jap Gas Center Destroyed in Burma -- A single shot from the 75 MM Cannon of a U.S. 10th Air Force B-25 Bower set fire to this half-million gallon gas tank which the Japanese used to supply their forces in the Sittang River of Burma.May 01, 1944. (Photo by Associated Press Photo).

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.

Quaere at Levico. Main exercise of the storm battalion.

Fire Rages Throughout The Rest Camp For Nazi Officers In Northern Italy As The Aerial Camera In A Republic P-47 Thunderbolt Of The 12Th Af Records The Damaged Caused By The Fighter-Bomber Attack. The Black Smoke Rises Hundreds Of Feet As The Conflagratio

Aerial photograph showing the destruction of the former naval base on Heligoland, Germany, on 18th April 1947. Heligoland had been a stronghold for German military forces during both World Wars and was destroyed by the British Armed forces, using 6700 tons of high explosive, as part of the post-war reconstruction of Germany. The great cloud of smoke shown in this picture was red with disintegrated sandstone and rose to an estimated height of 10,000 feet. Date: 1947

Fast Takeoff -- An F-84 Thunderjet rises sharply from a special launching platform and throws a cloud of dust behind it in this photo released in Washington by the air force, February 01. The launching platform is the same used normally in firing guided missiles. The F-84 was modified so that booster bottles could be attached beneath the tail. This test was made at Edwards Air Force base, Calif. February 01, 1955. (Photo by AP Wirephoto).

After Making A Crash Landing At An Airbase Somewhere In Europe, This Consolidated B-24 Liberator Of The 15Th Air Force Went Up In A Column Of Black Smoke. Photographed By The 1St Combat Camera Unit. 21 April 1944.

Amazing Picture of the Bombing on Madrid - This amazing picture is the first to be received of the bombing of Madrid by Anti-Red planes. They were actually taken from one of the bombing planes, and the smoke can be seen from the bursting bombs, as they drop on the town. November 08, 1936. (Photo by Keystone).

09/30/1914. Sad Funerals. German Soldiers Burning the Corpses of Their Comrades in Arms Found on the Battlefield. Photo: News -Approximate date.

Royal Air Force- Italy, the Balkans and South-east Europe, 1942-1945. Vertical aerial photograph taken from a Martin Baltimore of the Desert Air Force during an attack by Baltimores and Curtiss Kittyhawks on the airfield at Rieti, north of Rome, showing bombs exploding on the hangars and landing areas.

Smoke Pall Over Pearl Harbor During Jap Raid -- Smoke roils over Pearl Harbor and the officer's quarters at Hickam field during the Japanese attack December *****. December 16, 1941. (Photo by ACME).

Aircraft, Burma, India & Bombing,

One of the many small oil installations in the Ploesti region is here seen receiving its share of the devastating attack.

A row of anti-aricraft artillery firing into the night sky

Tripoli, Tripolitiana, Libya-U.S. Air Force bombers land direct hits on their objective, a Spanish mole or pierhead, at Tripoli Harbor.

Whaling in the Ross sea, 1924, Southern Ocean, by Captain George Samuel Hooper.

Anefo photo collection. Ned. Troops liberate Netherlands, sleep German-built Bunkers / Kingdom Dutch Princess Irene Brigade, weapon (flames). February 1945. Nieuwland

Raf Coastal Command'S Beaufighters And Mosquitoes Kept German Shipping Almost At A Standstill In North Sea And Norwegian Waters. Note This Nose-Camera Photo.

German Island Garrison near St. Malo is hit by Consolidated B-24 Liberators. The B-24's attack in bright midday sun. From thousands of feet above the island stronghold looks like one huge billowing mass of smoke and flames as the 2000 pound bombs

Death of Graf Spee -- The German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee twenty-four hours after The first explosion was heard when the ship was blown up by her own crew on Dec. 17th. This photo shows the super structure still above water as the ship rested on the bottom of the channel off Montevideo. Heavy smoke continued to pour from the smouldering ship. December 26, 1939. (Photo by Wide World Photos, Inc.).

Marines evacuate a wounded soldier for medical treatment during Operation Union II in Vietnam on May 29, 1967. Nearby, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron-542's Phantou Jets bomb an enemy treeline position, producing smoke. The photograph was taken by Sgt. G. Thomas. (Image ID: 4-149-67, Defense Dept, Marine Corps)

Five German Barracks And A Dozen Storage Buildings Near Strasbourg, Germany During An Attack By First Tacaf B-26S.

Photograph of British heavy gun in action during the Battle of the Somme.

Photograph of four men seated on the ground watching an oil well burning. Dated 1902

Fire Fighting Along Texas City Waterfront. This image depicts the Coast Guard Cutter Iris fighting dock fires in Texas City, Texas. The Iris and other available Coast Guard facilities rushed to the scene of the Texas City disaster on April 16, 1947.

This is an aerial attack on the harbor of Leghorn, Italy, by B-25 Mitchell bombers of the First Tactical Air Force, Leghorn is on the west coast of Italy. Heavy damage was inflicted by the USAAF raiders. The photo shows hits on shipping, warehouses

Photo collection Government information service. Bombardment Rotterdam. Burning oil tanks in Pernis. May 1940. Pernis, Rotterdam

A scenic shot over Warsaw. The Polish captial was largely damaged and destroyed, after German forces invaded the country in 1939.

Sailors surrounded by wrecked planes at the Ford Island Naval Air Station watch as the USS Shaw explodes Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, USA December 7, 1941

Schabs, Sturmübungsplatz: Sturmkursübung. .

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941

U.S. Bombers Score Direct Hits On Leipzig Rail Station Columns of black smoke rise from the main railroad station of Leipzig in the heart of Germany, 100 miles (160 kilometers) southwest of Berlin, after direct hits U.S. Eighth Aray Air Force heavy bombers on July 7, 1944. Moe than 1,100 heavy bombers of the U.S. Eight Air Force, accompanied by a swarm of fighters, on that mission also attacked such high priority targets as synthetic oil plats and aircraft factories at 11 localities in the Leipzig area. Similar blows on German rail lines have disrupted enemy efforts to supply and reinforce its hard-pressed force on the French, Italian and Russian fronts. August 18, 1944.

North American B-25 Mitchell bombing Simpson Harbor, Rabaul, New Britain.

Douglas C-47 just completing paratroop dropping pass and entering pattern for the next drop. Smoke is from the naval shelling of the San Jose area, where amphibious landing was made. 1944.

Sabotage In Denmark: Latest Pictures -- A Sabotage fire, the shipyard of Nordjerg and Weddell in the free port, Copenhagen. In times of peace, racing yachts were built here but since the German occupation the entire plant had been converted to the production of German motor Torpedo boats.Latest reports reaching London indicate that as a result of the "Intensive Occupation" of Copenhagen by 50,000 German Troops, The Whole Country is setting with anger and is now more in the mood for revolt than ever before. The Nazis marched in as a threat to ***** kers and Saboteurs, but the strikes are ***** rapidly and acts of Sabotage are ***** increasing. December 29, 1943. (Photo by Associated Press Photo).

SARONG WITHOUT LAMOUR. This U.S. Army 5th Air Force North American B-25 Billy Mitchell bomber literally caught the Japaneses in the act of building revetments for anti-aircraft batteries, barracks, storage facilities, and other installations at Sarong

Second World War. Front pictures. Russia, Oblast Tver. Air raid

Fire Raging on Black Tom Island, Black Tom Explosion, July 30, 1916, Jersey City, NJ

Boeing B-29A-45-BN Superfortress 44-61784 6 Bombardment Group G 24 BS - Incendiary Journey June 1,1945 mission to Osaka,Japan.

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