War the Destroyer

Mighty machines of destruction are razing homes, churches, schools, factories and other buildings of Europe's warring nations, converting the struggle into a contest of civilian stamina, rather than a meeting of armed forces. Air armadas, heavily laden with bombs, attack the enemy's principal cities, sometimes in raids lasting virtually around the clock, and leave horrible trails of desolation; yet the civilian population rises from the ruins and begins a never-ending task of clearing away the debris and repairing the damage even before the roar of departing raiding planes vanishes. And so the battle for air supremacy goes on. Above, a home "somewhere in England'9 with bathroom caved in by bomb explosion. An air-raid officer removes articles from the home and hands them to the girls standing on debris. Right, wheeling up a torpedo to be fixed in rack beneath a British bombing plane that will take off to strike in retaliation at some German city. Below, concussion from a bursting bomb hurled this huge bus against a building in London. Its occupants had time to seek shelter before the bus was upset. Here air-raid workers are lowering the vehicle to the street. Scenes like this have been common in raided cities