First British Thousand-Bomber Raid on Cologne

In 1942, RAF Bomber Command intensified strategic air attacks on Germany's industrial cities.

In 1942, RAF Bomber Command intensified strategic air attacks on Germany's industrial cities.

On the night of 30–31 May, a mass raid on Cologne was carried out with more than one thousand British bombers participating.

The operation demonstrated the scale of Britain's air power, but mass bombing of cities also caused civilian deaths.

The raid became a landmark episode in the prolonged Allied air campaign against Germany; the consequences and legitimacy of particular bombing methods remain subjects of historical study.

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