#1: Rotterdam Bombing 14th May 1940 Author: Pete, Location: Nijmegen, NetherlandsPosted: Thu May 14, 2015 10:53 pm — 75 Years ago, on the 14th of May 1940 the city of Rotterdam was bombed. This bombing and consequent all consuming fire and devastation eventually led to the capitulation of The Netherlands to Nazi Germany on the 15th of May. The bombing is commemorated annually but that is not the point of this post. I just wanted to share a unique 180 degree panorama photo of the destruction that I just saw for the first time and to compare it with a more well known photo that has come to represent the devastation.
Panorama photo Classic devastation photo
Of course, the classic image was taken months after the actual bombing. The rubble has been cleared and the ruined buildings demolished but comparing with the panoramo photo it becomes clear that the damage may not have been as complete as generally believed. Some buildings could have been salvaged after all. However, the city of Rotterdam seized the moment to 'redo' the complete historic inner city and draw a completely new city center.
The wiki page states an interesting fact: the bombing led the RAF to abandon their policy of not bombing German civilian industrial targets.
#2: Re: Rotterdam Bombing 14th May 1940 Author: sod98, Posted: Sat May 16, 2015 3:55 am — A great panorama of the destruction if that can be said - cheers.
