First 1,000-bomber raid

The first 1,000-bomber raid took place during the night of 30–31 May 1942, and the target was Cologne, Germany’s third largest city. In fact, the full number was 1,047 aircraft. In the resulting firestorms, the intense heat reached temperatures of 1,000 degrees Centigrade. According to local records, some 3,330 buildings were destroyed, 2,090 seriously damaged and a further 7,420 lightly damaged for the loss of 39 aircraft to enemy action and two lost in a collision. 450,000 people were made homeless and 469 people died. Statistics in "local records" are cited in the book “Bomber Boys” by Patrick Bishop. Given the destructive power of modern weapons, the world is unlikely to see again the type of massed bombing raids that took place in the Second World War.