Bomb damage in Hamburg, May 1945

Photograph by Major Wilfred Herbert James Sale, MC, 3rd/4th County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters), World War Two, North West Europe, 1945.

German civilians pass the remains of damaged buildings. A vital port and industrial centre, Hamburg was repeatedly bombed by the Allies during the war, leaving most of the city in ruins. In July 1943, the Royal Air Force bombed the city in mass raids for seven nights in a row, the sixth of which created a firestorm that killed thousands. Altogether, the week long operation led to around 40,000 deaths in the city.

From an album containing 198 photographs and captions compiled by Major W H J Sale, MC, 3rd/4th County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters), 1944-1945.