The National Archives holds millions of World War II aerial photographs. Within these are aerial photographs related to bombing. These photographs can be found in numerous different branches, record groups and series.

Still Picture Branch

The Still Picture Branch holds a large amount of aerial photography related to World War II bombing.

Record Group 77: Records of the Office of the Chief of Engineers, 1789 - 1999, series Photographic Report of Major Noland Varley on the Physical Effects of the Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima, 1945 (77-VH), includes pre- and post-bombing aerial photographs of Hiroshima.

Record Group 208: Records of the Office of War Information, 1926 - 1951 includes aerial photography of bombing in the series Photographs of the Allies and Axis, 1942 - 1945 (208-AA), Photographs of American Military Operations, 1942 - 1945, Photographs of Military and Civilian Activities, 1939 - 1945 (208-AMC) and Selected Photographs of Military and Civilian Activities Sent to OWI Outposts, 1942 - 1943 (208-MCP).

Record Group 342: Records of U.S. Air Force Commands, Activities, and Organizations, 1900 - 2003 also holds series that have aerial photographs of bombing. The series Photographs of Activities, Facilities and Personnel, ca. 1940 - ca. 1983 is a good starting point for locating aerial photographs related to bombing in WWII.

Bombing Of Orleans, France, 11 June 1944. 2Nd Bomb Division, 8Th Af. (U.S. Air Force Number 62537AC)

Bombing Of Orleans, France, 11 June 1944. 2Nd Bomb Division, 8Th Af. (U.S. Air Force Number 62537AC)

Aerial View Of The Bombing Of Cassino, Italy On 15 March 1944 By The 340Th Bomb Group. (U.S. Air Force Number 68262AC)

Aerial View Of The Bombing Of Cassino, Italy On 15 March 1944 By The 340Th Bomb Group. (U.S. Air Force Number 68262AC)

Color Photographs of U.S. Air Force Activities, Facilities, and Personnel, Domestic and Foreign, ca. 1940 - ca. 1980 includes Army Air Corps color photographs that include bombing related aerial photography.

Other aerial photographs of bombing damage to Hiroshima and Nagasaki can be found in Record Group 434: General Records of the Department of Energy, 1915 - 2007, series Photographs of Construction, Facilities, and Community Life at Oak Ridge and Other Manhattan Project Sites, 1943 - 1946 (434-OR).

Record Group 337: Records of Headquarters Army Ground Forces, 1916 - 1956, series Photographs Documenting the Allied Air Support for the Invasion of Europe, ca. 1944 - ca. 1945 (337-AV) has after action aerial photographs of bombing in France, Belgium and Germany.

Aerial photography held in the Still Picture Branch can be searched by Record Group here. If you are interested in accessing these photographs, the Still Picture Branch can be reached at stillpix@nara.gov.

Cartographic Branch

The Cartographic Branch holds the majority of aerial photography at NARA. Most of this is general reconnaissance photography, but other photography related specifically to bombing can also be found in Cartographic as well.

Record Group 18: Records of the Army Air Forces, ca. 1902 - 1964 also includes aerial photographs related to bombing. The series Air Objective Folders, 1942 - 1945 and Strategic Aerial Photographs and Charts, 1941 - 1947 both cover these photographs.

Photographs in Record Group 239: Records of the American Commission for the Protection and Salvage of Artistic and Historic Monuments in War Areas, 1942 - 1946, series Aerial Photography of Historic Monuments in War Areas, 1943 - 1946 consist of aerial photographs which were used to identify monuments that were potential targets of bombing.

Record Group 242: National Archives Collection of Foreign Records Seized, 1675 - 1958 includes target dossiers that are arranged into series by country in the series listed here. The dossiers include aerial photographs of German identified bombing targets.

Target Dossier for Andover, Hampshire, England

Target Dossier for Andover, Hampshire, England

Aerial photography related to bombing targets can also be found in the series Record Group 243: Aerial Photography of Bombing Targets in Japan and Korea, 1944 - 1945. This series consists of photography specifically covering bombing targets in Japan and Korea.

Bombing target #18, Aerial Photography of Bombing Targets in Japan and Korea, 1944 - 1945

Bombing target #18, Aerial Photography of Bombing Targets in Japan and Korea, 1944 - 1945

The series German Flown Aerial Photographs, 1939 - 1945, from Record Group 373: Records of the Defense Intelligence Agency, 1920 - 2006, is one of the largest series of aerial photographs in the Cartographic Branch. The series consists of aerial photographs from War War II taken by Germany. Included are photographs related to bombing activity and targets. More information on these photographs can be found here.

Information for researching general aerial photographs in Cartographic can be found on NARA's aerial photography web page and in the previous History Hub blog post Researching USAF Foreign Aerial Photography.

The Cartographic Branch can be reached at carto@nara.gov.

Textual Records Branch

Some World War II aerial photography of bombing can be found with textual records. Descriptions for these series can be found in the NARA Catalog here. The Textual Branch can be reached at archives2reference@nara.gov.

Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library

Collections including aerial photography of World War II bombing at the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library are Lewis H. Brereton Papers: Photographs, 1918 - 1966, Courtney Hicks Hodges Papers: Photographs, 1909 - 1965 and John J. Walsh Papers: Photographs, 1943 - 1945. The Eisenhower Library can be reached at eisenhower.library@nara.gov.

Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library

The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library has World War II aerial bombing photography in the collection Franklin D. Roosevelt Library Photographs, 1870 - 2004, series Photographs from the Depression and World War II, 1870 - 2004.

Related photographs can also be found in the collection Map Room Papers (Roosevelt Administration), 1942 - 1945, series Military Files, 1942 - 1945. Photographs of targets in Germany are included in this series.

Bombing of Hong Kong by the 14th Air Force. 53-112(4)

Bombing of Hong Kong by the 14th Air Force. 53-112(4)

Additional resources for researching aerial photography can be found on NARA's Aerial Photography webpage.