The cathedral played a role in the bombardments, in that its twin spires were an easy navigational touchstone for Allied bombers. Just days later, American tanks rolled into the city. The exodus from Cologne continued with the bombings until only about 20,000 residents remained, surviving in ruins and in basements until the last of the raids occurred on March 2, 1945. Nearly a quarter of the city’s 770,000 residents fled following this first devastating raid. Only 60 years after the completion of the cathedral, Cologne was pounded by the first of 262 Allied air raids with the RAF bombardment. Work began on the Gothic masterpiece cathedral in 1298, but the cathedral would not be finished for another 600 years until it was completed in 1880. The National WWII Museum, Gift of Nancy and Julie Leary, 2013.221.091.Īmazingly, the cathedral survived the battle and the previous years of Allied bombardment. Starting with photo number two, all the images are interactive-click on them to see a transition from 'then' to 'now,' and see the difference 70 years can make.Cologne Cathedral rising above ruins of the city. Getty photographer Peter Macdiarmid and Reuters photographer Chris Helgren gathered archival pictures from the 1944 invasion, tracked down the locations, and photographed them as they appear today. Two photographers recently traveled to France, seeking to re-photograph images captured back then. Some 156,000 troops landed on the French beaches, 24,000 by air and the rest by sea, where they met stiff resistance from well-defended German positions across 50 miles of French coastline. Nearly 200,000 Allied troops boarded 7,000 ships and more than 3,000 aircraft and headed toward Normandy. Seven decades ago, the largest amphibious invasion in history took place, changing the course of the war. Tomorrow, June 6, 2014, will be the 70th anniversary of the D-Day Allied invasion of Europe in World War II.
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