During World War II, the Allies and the Axis powers alike dropped hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of bombs. While the goal was to destroy enemy positions, far too often, these bombs were dropped in civilian areas and caused untold amounts of financial and physical damage. With this in mind, we can look at some of the damage caused by Allied bombing during the liberation of Rome.
Allied Railyard Bombing
In this photo, Allied bombers dropped enough munition to obliterate multiple trains the Germans were using to transport troops and supplies. In some cases, these bombings took place months before Allied troops could fight their way into the cities.
Unable to Make Repairs
As Allied troops look upon the devastation, it’s clear that German troops would have been unable to make any repairs. Trains were simply everywhere, and if the Germans had tried to make repairs, it would have simply brought on more Allied bombings.
Railyard Bombing Interior
When you look inside the railyards, the scope of the Allied bombing campaign comes to life. It further amplifies what repairs by Germany would have been necessary and why the Germans considered these positions a loss.
Transport Train Damage
These once-covered transport train cars are now almost destroyed. It’s a safe bet that anything that could have been inside these cars at the time of Allied bombing was destroyed. This damage likely crippled Germany’s ability to move any supplies out of the area.
Supply Depot Roofs
One final look at the Allied bombing of the train depots shows what the roofs look like. It’s clear that with the roofs destroyed and only steel frames still standing, anything inside these positions would have been destroyed by additional Allied bombing campaigns.
Colosseum Liberation
In this image of the Colosseum, one of the most important sites in Italy and the world, Italian and Roman citizens are shown welcoming Allied troops near the Colosseum. It’s an incredible picture, and, fortunately, this monument of antiquity wasn’t further damaged by any Allied or Axis bombing campaigns.
Victor Emmanuel II National Monument
Like the Colosseum, it’s terrific luck that no bombing campaigns damaged the Victor Emmanuel II National Monument. This picture again shows Allied troops being welcomed in front of one of Rome’s most famous monuments and tourist attractions.
A Warm Welcome
It couldn’t be clearer from this picture that the smiles of Italian citizens living in Rome indicated a very warm welcome upon the arrival of American and Allied troops. The greetings were loud, and the cheers continued for days as Rome was finally freed from the tyranny of the Third Reich.
General Clark
In this image, General Mark Clark, the commanding general of the 5th Army in Italy, drives through throngs of Italian citizens welcoming the Allied troops. Something of a pseudo-parade, General Clark was hailed as a hero of Rome and Italy, as was his French counterpart, who also took part in driving the German army out of the area.
His Holiness
With nearly half a million people packing St. Basilica Square, Pope Pius XII thanked God for spareing Rome many war horrors. The Pope also added that Italians and people all over the world should show gratitude by doing works of charity to thank God for his favor of Rome and for avoiding the bombings that befell thousands of other cities in Italy and all around Europe.
Watch the Full Video
Watch the full video showing the Allied liberation of Rome to see more images like this one and hear the full story. It’s a miracle that more damage didn’t befall many of Rome’s most important historical sites, some dating back thousands of years.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Ivan Cholakov/Shutterstock.com.
