18 Oct 1931

Photo(s) dated 18 Oct 1931
Helmuth von Moltke (rear) and Freya Deichmann (left) on their wedding day, Köln, Germany, 18 Oct 1931; Moltke
4 Apr 1933

Germany
  • Konrad Adenauer, the future post war Chancellor of West Germany, was removed by the Nazi Party from his post as Mayor of Köln (Cologne), Germany. Penniless, he sought sanctuary in the Benedictine monastery at the Maria Laach Abbey near Andernach, Germany. ww2dbase [Köln, Köln-Aachen | AC]
25 Sep 1938

Photo(s) dated 25 Sep 1938
Joachim von Ribbentrop bidding farewell to Neville Chamberlain, Köln Airport, Germany, 25 Sep 1938Neville Chamberlain and Joachim von Ribbentrop at Köln Airport, Germany, 25 Sep 1938
2 Mar 1941

Germany
13 Mar 1942

Germany
5 Apr 1942

Germany
  • 263 British bombers (179 Wellington, 44 Hampden, 29 Stirling, and 11 Manchester aircraft) attacked the Humboldt Engineering Works Company at Kalk near Köln, Germany; most of the bombs fell far from the Humboldt factories. The British lost 5 aircraft; one of the aircraft shot down crashed in Köln, killing 16 and wounding 30. ww2dbase [Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | Köln, Köln-Aachen | CPC]
22 Apr 1942

Germany
  • 64 British Wellington bombers and 5 Stirling bombers attacked Köln (Cologne), Germany using the new Gee radio transmitter system for blind navigation and bombing. About 15 aircraft were able to bomb accurately, killing 4 civilians and wounding 8, while a few bombers released their bombs as far as 10 miles from Köln. Two Wellington bombers were lost during this raid. ww2dbase [Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | Köln, Köln-Aachen | CPC]
30 May 1942

Germany
  • By adding 367 training aircraft, British Air Marshal Harris managed to mount the first thousand-plane raid against Germany (the actual count was 1,046), Operation Millennium. Originally targeted for Hamburg, it was switched to Köln due to weather. Over 1,400 tons of explosives were dropped on that city during the night of 30-31 May 1942, killing 500, injuring 5,000, and making nearly 60,000 homeless. 40 British bombers failed to return. The German government estimated that Köln received 900 tons of high explosive and 110,000 incendiary bombs, and about 400 were killed. ww2dbase [Bombing of Hamburg, Dresden, and Other Cities | Köln, Köln-Aachen | TH]
27 Sep 1944

Germany
5 Oct 1944

Germany
14 Oct 1944

Germany
15 Oct 1944

Germany
17 Oct 1944

Germany
1 Jan 1945

Germany
6 Jan 1945

Germany
14 Jan 1945

Germany
28 Jan 1945

Germany
2 Mar 1945

Germany
4 Apr 1945

Photo(s) dated 4 Apr 1945
Corporal Luther E. Boger of US 82nd Airborne Division reading a warning sign in front of Cologne Cathedral, Köln (Cologne), Germany, 4 Apr 1945; note Thompson submachine gun and Panther tank wreck

Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, Hugh Martyr, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis




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