"Night bombing raid on Cologne" by W.Krogman, Date unknown

Catalogue ref: INF 3/1603

An impressive scene of a mass night bombing raid on Cologne, depicting Lancaster bombers in formation, with a fire-red sky lit by explosions. Cologne was repeatedly bombed by the RAF in the Second World War, its location at the intersection of the Rhine, where it was one of the major trade routes between Eastern and Western Europe, making it an important target. The cathedral which stands proudly in the centre of the city withstood the repeated allied air assaults despite the whole area around it being devastated, much like St Paul's in London.