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First Daylight Raid on Berlin, 1944

First Daylight Raid on Berlin, 1944

Newsreel film of American bombers striking Berlin in daylight and returning to England damaged, alongside the arrival of released prisoners of war in New York.

Modern History (1800 – now) · US Office of War Information

Daylight bombing over Berlin was possible only once escort fighters could reach the target and back. The same reel covers the Gripsholm docking in New York with men released from German prison camps. Operations on this scale depended on knowing where enemy formations were, which is where the codebreaking effort mattered most. Read the full story in our article on Wartime Codes and Enigma: Alan Turing’s Cryptographic Breakthrough at Bletchley Park.

Public domain — source (US National Archives (via YouTube)). Free to reuse under the stated licence.

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