Southern Hiroshima After Atomic Bomb

Image size: 1600 x 1067 pixel. 485 KB
Date: Wednesday, 5 September 1945
Place: Hiroshima, State Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan
Photographer: Max Desfor

View looking south at Miyajima Island between Tenma and Ota Rivers, with the Hiroden streetcar line in the direction toward Eba Station. Municipal Fukuromachi Elementary School is visible next to the train tracks. Some 160 students and faculty were killed in the initial attack. Because of the condition of the school, it became a relief hospital. The relief station remained in operation after October 5, 1945 when most relief stations closed. The school reopened in 1946. Many people came here to post written messages about their missing loved ones on the school's chalkboards. A section of one chalkboard, still written with names, was discovered in 1993. Hiroshima's 70 streetcars were all in operation at the time of the attack. Only three were fit for service after the explosion. On August 9, 1945, using the undamaged Hatsukaichi transformer for power, one section of the line between Koi Station and the Tenma-cho stop 4600 feet long (1.4 kilometers) began running, driven by 16-year-old Maso Yamasaki. Many citizens, still digging out their dead and cremating them in maskeshift open pits, saw the streetcar as a sign that the city would survive. 

Source:

http://www.worldwar2database.com/gallery3/index.php/wwii1095

Rivers of Hiroshima After Atomic Bombing

Image size: 1600 x 1265 pixel. 595 KB
Date: Wednesday, 5 September 1945
Place: Hiroshima, State Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan
Photographer: Unknown

The (top to bottom) Koi, Tsukishima, and Tenma tributaries of the Ota River (Japanese: "Ota Gama") frame the devastation of Hiroshima looking West to Koi Station. The city is located on the broad fan-shaped delta of the Ota River, whose seven mouths (today six) divide the city into six islands which project fingerlike into Hiroshima Bay of the Inland Sea. These mouths of the river furnished excellent firebreaks in a city that is otherwise flat and only slightly above sea level. A highly developed bridge system, with 81 major bridges, joined the islands. A single kidney shaped hill in the eastern part of the city, about one-half mile long and rising to an elevation of 221 feet, offered some blast protection to structures on the eastern side opposite the point of fall of the bomb. Otherwise, the city was uniformly exposed to the spreading energy from the bomb. Because of the flat terrain and circular shape of the city, Hiroshima was uniformly and extensively devastated. Practically the entire densely or moderately built-up portion of the city was leveled by blast and swept by fire. A firestorm developed in Hiroshima: fires springing up almost simultaneously over the wide flat area around the center of the city drew in air from all directions. The inrush of air easily overcame the natural ground wind, which had a velocity of only about 5 miles per hour. The "fire-wind" attained a maximum velocity of 30 to 40 miles per hour for hours. The "fire-wind" and the symmetry of the built-up center of the city gave a roughly circular shape to the 4.4 square miles which were almost completely burned out. The surprise of the attack, the collapse of many buildings, and the conflagration contributed to an unprecedented casualty rate. Seventy to eighty thousand people were killed, or missing and presumed dead, and an equal number were injured. The magnitude of casualties is set in relief by a comparison with the Tokyo fire raid of 9-10 March 1945, in which, though nearly 16 square miles were destroyed, the number killed was no larger, and fewer people were injured. 

Source:

http://www.worldwar2database.com/gallery3/index.php/wwii1090

Panoramic View of the Battle of Vyazma

Image size: 1600 x 981 pixel. 286 KB
Date: Thursday, 2 October 1941
Place: Vyazma, Smolensk Oblast, Soviet Union
Photographer: Helmut Ritgen

A distant but fascinating photograph of the fighting of 2 October 1941, which repays close study. In the right foreground is a Soviet freight train overrun on the tracks - note two locomotives, one facing forward, the other to the rear. In the background several buildings are on fire, and the sky is black with smoke from an oil dump. In the left and centre background, Panzerkampfwagen 35(t) tanks in company strength may be seen advancing under fire. Following the Battle of the Ukraine, the German High Command was ready to resume the offensive against Moscow. General Hopner's Panzer Gruppe had been sent from Leningrad and General Hoth and General Guderian's Panzer armies were ready to challenge the last of the USSR's great armies: the Thirty-Second and Third. The Panzers had no trouble breaking through. Guderian took Orel in the first week of October and Hoepner forced Konev's Western Front into the path of the infantry of Generals Kluge and Strauss. In the north of this sector Hoth broke through to the south and took Vyazma. This meant that there were two pockets and 650,000 men were trapped. After some fierce fighting the Soviet Third Army at Vyazma surrendered on the 14 October and the Thirty-Second at Bryansk surrendered on the 20 October.

Source:

Helmut Ritgen photo collection
Book "The 6th Panzer Division: 1937-45" by Oberst a.D. Helmut Ritgen

http://www.warhistory.ie/world-war-2/battle-of-vyazma-bryansk.htm

Devastation Of Nürnberg, Germany

Image size: 1178 x 1600 pixel. 417 KB
Date: Friday, 20 April 1945
Place: Nürnberg, Bavaria, Germany
Photographer: Unknown

The city was severely damaged in Allied strategic bombing from 1943-1945. On January 2, 1945, the medieval city centre was systematically bombed by the Royal Air Force and the U.S. Air Force and about ninety percent of it was destroyed in only one hour, with 1800 residents killed and roughly 100,000 displaced. In February 1945, additional attacks followed. In total, about 6000 Nuremberg residents are estimated to have been killed in air raids. Despite this, the city was rebuilt after the war and was to some extent, restored to its pre-war appearance including the reconstruction of some of its medieval buildings. In this view overlooking the Pegnitz River, upper right you can see the Frauenkirche (Our Lady's Church) on the edge of the Adolf-Hitler-Platz. Water intakes, choked with debris, fed the needs of factories. This view was taken after the city's capture by the US Army's 45th Infantry Division and the 3rd Armored Division. 

Source:

http://www.worldwar2database.com/gallery3/index.php/wwii1006

Devastation of Cologne, Germany

Image size: 1600 x 1277 pixel. 742 KB
Date: Tuesday, 24 April 1945
Place: Cologne (Köln), Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
Photographer: Jack Clemmer

Camera location: 50° 55′ 54.16″ N, 6° 57′ 4.52″ E: The Kölner Dom (Cologne Cathedral) stands seemingly undamaged (although having been directly hit several times and damaged severely) while entire area surrounding it is completely devastated. The Hauptbahnhof (Köln Central Station) and Hohenzollern Bridge lie damaged to the north and east of the cathedral. Germany, 24 April 1945. Cologne endured exactly 262 air raids by the Western Allies, which caused approximately 20,000 civilian casualties and completely wiped out the centre of the city. During the night of May 31, 1942, Cologne was the site of "Operation Millennium", the first 1,000 bomber raid by the Royal Air Force in World War II. 1,046 heavy bombers attacked their target with 1,455 tons of explosive. This raid lasted about 75 minutes, destroyed 600 acres of built-up area, killed 486 civilians and made 59,000 people homeless. By the end of the war, the population of Cologne was reduced by 95%. This loss was mainly caused by a massive evacuation of the people to more rural areas. The same happened in many other German cities in the last two years of war. At the end of 1945, the population had already risen to about 500,000 again. 

Source:

http://www.archives.gov/research/arc/ ARC Identifier: 531287

U.S. Defense Visual Information Center photo HD-SN-99-02996

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Koeln_1945_rework.jpg

http://www.worldwar2database.com/gallery3/index.php/wwii1002

Devastation of Heilbronn, Germany

Image size: 1600 x 1317 pixel. 656 KB
Date: Sunday, 15 April 1945
Place: Heilbronn, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Photographer: Harold W. Clover

Heilbronn is a city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany. In 1940 allied air raids started and the city and its surrounding area were hit about 20 times with minor damage. On September 10, 1944 a raid by the allies targeted the city and, specifically, the Böckingen train transfer station. 281 residents died as a result of 1,168 bombs dropped that day. The city was carpet-bombed from the southern quarter all the way to the Kilianskirche in the centre of town. The church burnt out. The catastrophe for Heilbronn was the bombing raid on December 4, 1944. During that raid the centre of town was completely destroyed and the surrounding boroughs were heavily damaged. Within one half hour 6,500 residents perished. Of those, 5,000 were later buried in mass graves in the Ehrenfriedhof (cemetery of honor) in the valley of the Köpfer creek close to the city. To this day, a memorial is held annually in memory of those that died that day. As a result of the war Heilbronn's population shrank to 46,350. After a ten-day battle with the advancing allies over the strategically important Neckar crossings, World War II ended for the destroyed city on April 12, 1945 with occupation by US troops. Richard Drauz was the Heilbronn district NSDAP leader since 1932. Drauz took time for numerous court-martials while on the run from the allies and was hanged on December 4, 1946 in Landsberg because he ordered executions of American prisoners of war in March of 1945. 

Source:

NARA (National Archives)  559236

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Heilbronn_ca._April_1945.jpg

http://www.worldwar2database.com/gallery3/index.php/wwii1001

Panorama of Hiroshima's Kami-Nagarekawa-cho District

Image size: 1600 x 162 pixel. 322 KB
Date: Friday, 5 October 1945
Place: Kami-Nagarekawa-cho District, Hiroshima, Chūgoku-chihō, Japan
Photographer: Shigeo Hayashi

Panorama of devastation from the roof of Chugoku Shimbun (Newspaper) Building in Kami-Nagarekawa-cho District, 950 yards (870 meters) from the hypocenter. A commission from the Japan Science Council was sent to study the effects of the bomb in October 1945. Filmmakers and photographers from the Nihon Eigusa Studio were recruited. Shigeo Hayashi, an Imperial Japanese Army veteran of Manchuria and a former reporter for FRONT Magazine, was selected. The team arrived at Hiroshima on October 1, 1945 and began at the hypocenter at Shima Hospital. When the weather cleared, he climbed several buildings and made these panaramas. He later wrote, "Every few steps I saw the remains of another makeshift crematoria. Wherever I aimed the camera, voices from the hell of two months earlier flooded toward me." 1.) Nagarekawa Methodist Church of Christ. Reverend Kiyoshi Tanimoto, Minister, famously administered first aid to Hiroshima's massive number of casualties for days. 2.) On the right, the Old Fukuya Department Store. 3.) On the left stands the New Fukuya Department Store (now, Fukuya Department Store). The new building was completed in 1938 with eight stories above ground and two below. During the war, the army, control corporations, and other government agencies took over most of its retail space. The atomic bombing completely gutted the interior and killed dozens of occupants. 4.) Odamasa, a kimono fabric store, made military uniforms as well. The steel structure survived the blast but caved in soon after. 5.) Higushi Police Station, Shimo-yanagi-cho District. Relief Efforts began around these stations and moved out to the city. 6.) Hirataya-cho District's Kirin Beer Hall and Shimomura Jewelers, also known as Hondori Clock Tower. It lacked internal support and shifted. The financial district is behind these buildings. 7.) Chimney of Chugoku Shimbun Building where photo was taken. All of Hayashi's work was confiscated by Supreme Command Allied Powers (SCAP) run by US General of the Army Douglas MacArthur. 540 35mm photos and 174 4x6 photos were donated to the Hiroshima Peace Museum after their return in 1973. Hayashi later became head of the Anti-Nuclear Photography Movement. Chugoku Shimbun Building, rebuilt in 1949, was torn down in 1970. The Mitsukoshi Department Store stands on the spot today. 

Source:

Hiroshima Peace Museum 

http://www.worldwar2database.com/gallery3/index.php/wwii2003

Panorama of Hiroshima's Motomachi District

Image size: 1600 x 162 pixel. 322 KB
Date: Friday, 5 October 1945
Place: Motomachi District, Hiroshima, Chūgoku-chihō, Japan
Photographer: Shigeo Hayashi

Panorama of devastation from the roof of the Hiroshima Prefectural Commerce Association in Motomachi District, 285 yards (260 meters) from the hypocenter. A commission from the Japan Science Council was sent to study the effects of the bomb in October 1945. Filmmakers and photographers from the Nihon Eigusa Studio were recruited. Shigeo Hayashi, an Imperial Japanese Army veteran of Manchuria and a former reporter for FRONT Magazine, was selected. The team arrived at Hiroshima on October 1, 1945 and began at the hypocenter at Shima Hospital. When the weather cleared, he climbed several buildings and made these panoramas. He later wrote, "Every few steps I saw the remains of another makeshift crematoria. Wherever I aimed the camera, voices from the hell of two months earlier flooded toward me." Locations include 1.) Air-burst hypocenter over Shima Hospital. 2.) Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall; "Atomc Bomb Dome" and Peace Museum today. 3.) Motoyasu Bridge. 4.) Hiroshima Chapter, Red Cross Society. 5.) Aioi Bridge, the aiming point for Enola Gay's bombardier. The bridge built in 1932 took on a "T" shape two years later when it extended an arm to the "nose" of Jisenji Temple on the north tip of Nakajima-hon-machi. It was because of this unusual shape that it was chosen as the target of the atomic bombing. Immediately after the bombing, the bridge was strewn with debris and human and animal corpses. The floating corpses were enough to choke the river. 6.) Honkawa National School, which was used as a hospital after the bombing. Many schoolchildren were killed as they were outside constructing defenses. All of Hayashi's work was confiscated by Supreme Command Allied Powers (SCAP) run by US General of the Army Douglas MacArthur. 540 35mm photos and 174 4x6 photos were donated to the Hiroshima Peace Museum after their return in 1973. Hayashi later became head of the Anti-Nuclear Photography Movement. 

Source:

Hiroshima Peace Museum 

http://www.worldwar2database.com/gallery3/index.php/wwii2002

Ruins of Cologne and Cologne Cathedral

Image size: 1159 x 1600 pixel. 903 KB
Date: Tuesday, 1 May 1945
Place: Cologne, Nordrhine-Westphalen, Germany
Photographer: Unknown

View of the ruins of Cologne, from the Zeppelinstrasse shopping district to the Hohe Domkirche Saint Peter und Maria, commonly known as the Kolner Dom (Cologne Cathedral) built between 1248 and 1880. The ruins of the Hohenzollern Bridge at at the extreme upper right. Cologne was the subject of 262 raids, including thirty major ones, during World War II. On the night of May 30/31, 1942, Royal Air Force Bomber Command Air Marshal Sir Arthur Harris approached Winston Churchill with the idea of launching 1000-plane raids on German industrial targets. Cologne was selected, officially because of its railroad hub, but unofficially because of the prospect of good weather over the target. Denied the use of bombers from Coastal Command, Harris pulled crews and aircraft in training, gathering a force of 1,047 two- and four-engined bombers. 1 Group sent 156 Vickers Wellingtons; 3 Group, 134 Wellingtons and 88 Short Stirlings; 4 Group sent 131 Handley Page Halifaxes, nine Wellingtons and seven Armstrong Whitworth Whitleys; 5 Group sent seventy-three Avro Lancasters, forty-six Avro Manchesters and 34 Handley Page Hampdens; 91 Group, an operational training unit (OTU), contributed 236 Wellingtons and twenty-one Whitleys; 92 OTU Group flew off sixty-three Wellingtons and forty-five Hampdens; and finally, Flying Training Command sent four Wellingtons. Aircraft totaled 602 Wellingtons, 131 Halifaxes, 88 Stirlings, 79 Hampdens, seventy-three Lancasters, forty-six Manchesters, and twenty-eight Whitleys. 868 aircraft bombed the main target with fifteen aircraft bombing other targets. 43 aircraft were shot down or crashed returning to base, including two that collided over the target. Additionally, Fighter Command sent aircraft against airfields, and Coastal Command performed Air-Sea Rescue for the stricken crews. 1,455 tons, mostly incendiaries, stuck the target within an hour, starting 1,700 fires, but did not combine into a firestorm. 3,300 commercial or military structures were destroyed, along with 13,000 homes and apartments, and a further 40,000 structures damaged. Less than 500 civilians and military personnel were killed, but 150,000 civilians evacuated after the raid. By the end of World War II, 90 percent of Cologne was damaged or destroyed. Since the Cathedral was a favored initial point for bomb runs, it was struck by errant bombs fourteen times. Repairs to the Kolner Dom were completed in 1954. On August 25, 2007, the south transept was replaced with a new stained glass window, designed by computer, to replace the plain glass installed after the original was destroyed during the bombing. 

Source:

http://www.worldwar2database.com/gallery3/index.php/wwii0028

Waal Bridge, Nijmegen, Netherlands After Operation Market-Garden

Image size: 1600 x 1328 pixel. 511 KB
Date: Thursday, 28 September 1944
Place: Nijmegen, Gelderland, Netherland

Photographer: Unknown

A panoramic view of the city of Nijmegen, Holland, and the Nijmegen Bridge over the Waal (Rhine) River in the background, 28 September 1944. In 1940, the Netherlands were invaded by Germany with Nijmegen being the first Dutch city to fall into German hands. On February 22, 1944, Nijmegen was heavily bombed by American planes, causing great damage to the city centre. The American pilots may have thought they were bombing the German city of Kleve, which was clearly not the case. Alleged to have been a deliberate act by the Allies, the NIOD announced in January 2005 that its study of the incident confirmed that it was an accident caused by poor communications and chaos in the airspace. Over 750 people died in the incident. During 1944, the city saw heavy fighting during Operation Market Garden. The objective in Nijmegen in September 1944 was mainly to prevent the Germans from destroying the bridge. Capturing the bridge allowed the British Army XXX Corps to attempt to reach the British airborne troops in Arnhem. At one time, the bridge held close to 20 25lb anti-tank guns and two anti-aircraft guns. The Germans made repeated attacks on the bridge using bombs attached to driftwood, midget submarines and later resorted to shelling the bridge with 88mm barrages. Troops were positioned on the bridge giving an excellent arc of fire in case of attack. Troops that couldn't fit onto the bridge were positioned in a bombed out house slightly upstream of the bridge. During the shelling, the house was hit, killing 6 soldiers and wounding 1 more. Nijmegen was liberated from German captivity by the First Canadian Army in November of 1944 for the last time. This city would later be used as a springboard for Operation Veritable, the invasion across the Rhine River by Allied Troops.

Source:

http://www.worldwar2database.com/gallery3/index.php/wwii0010