P-38 attacks the San Giorgio di Nogaro railway bridge

P-38 attacks the San Giorgio di Nogaro railway bridge

A dual truss railway bridge has been attacked by a P-38 fighter flying at near-ground altitude. The metal structures are engulfed in flames while debris is falling all around. A collapsed telegraph pole is visible in the bottom left corner. Five more P-38s are visible at the top of the picture, four flying towards the right whilst the fifth is pointing towards the bridges. A bomb is visible below it.

Label reads “279”; signed by the author; caption reads “26 APRILE 1945. Locheed [Lockheed] P.38 attaccano con le bombe “HC” erano chiamate “block-busters (spiana isolati) per il loro immenso potere distruttivo, simili a grandi caldaie cilindriche, privi di pinne direzionali; il ponte della ferrovia sul fiume Corno, a S. Giorgio di NOGARO UD.”

Caption translates as: “26 April 1045. Lockheed P-38 fighter aircraft attack using high-capacity bombs, known as Blockbusters. These bombs were used because of their great destructive force. They looked like big, cylindrical boilers, lacking directional fins. Portrayed here is the railway bridge on the Corno river in San Giorgio di Nogaro (Udine province).”

One tempera on paper, pasted on mount board

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