Vertical reconnaissance photograph of bomb damage to Peenemunde airfield, August 1943

Post-raid aerial reconnaissance photograph of the Rocket Research Establishment at Peenemunde following the attack by Bomber Command on 17/18 August 1943. This view shows the concentration of bomb craters on the airfield and damage to technical buildings of the Luftwaffe Test Facility, Peenemunde West.

Peenemünde, on Germany’s Baltic coast, was the development and testing centre for V-1 and V-2 missiles. On the night of 17–18 August 1943, 597 RAF aircraft attacked this important site using innovative techniques. A ‘Master of Ceremonies’ was used for the first time in a main force raid, directing aircraft via radio to multiple aiming points. Unusually, the raid was conducted under full moonlight and, while this aided navigation and target selection, it also helped Luftwaffe night fighters to destroy the majority of the 40 RAF bombers lost that night.