Blitz Britain: Amazing colour pictures of London under siege from Nazi bombers during World War II

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Clearing up: Workers remove rubble from a building decimated in a heavy German air raid during the Blitz. Wallpaper inside the shattered bedrooms can even be seen in the gap left in the row of houses


For many, photographs from the World War II have only been seen in grainy black and white.

But now, new colour images have emerged that show the full horror of the destruction inflicted by Nazi bombings across London.

The powerful images were released to mark the 70th anniversary of the launch of Winston Churchill's 'V for Victory' campaign on July 19, 1941.


Standing tall: The spire of the Central Criminal Court - better known as the Old Bailey - rises defiantly while all around it buildings have become jagged shells in a landscape scarred by the relentless German bombings


The sheer power of the explosives used is demonstrated here by the depth of the crater which has swallowed up this bus. The tiny figures of passers-by further heighten its size


In this extraordinary picture, a double-decker bus is still visible amid crumbling tarmac and bent girders left in an enormous crater caused by a bomb which landed in the middle of a London high street



Ablaze: Firemen battle to control flames raging through a town house ravaged by a direct hit in 1940, while right, this eerie image shows a London road deserted and covered in rubble after an air raid


Preparing for battle: A noticeably young ground crewmen prepare a Spitfire in a field outside of London during the height of the Battle of Britain. In the foreground a group of pilots pause to discuss tactics


Stiff upper lip: A man determined to keep a sense of normality reads a book on a park bench as a moored barrage balloon, designed to scupper air attacks, floats in the background and a second, right, soars above


The random nature of the bombing is clearly demonstrated here as a church, right, remains untouched while a vast swathe of buildings close by were reduced to rubble


Wreckage: Workers wielding pick-axes and shovels are tasked with clearing away the remains of bombed building that would have once stood next to this Central London church



A symbol of resilience: The Houses of Parliament with part of them covered in scaffolding are seen across the River Thames on a sunny day in 1941


source: dailymail