King Tiger from Schwere Panzer Abteilung 507 that defended the woods around Padeborn 1945

During World War II, Paderborn was bombed by Allied aircraft in 1944 and 1945, resulting in 85% destruction, including many of the historic buildings. It was seized by the US 3rd Armored Division after a pitched battle 31 March - 1 April 1945, in which tanks and flamethrowers were used during combined mechanized-infantry assaults against the city's southwestern, southern and southeastern approaches

A P-51D Mustang fighter taking off from Iwo Jima. 1945

Flamethrower Operators Move Back Up The Line After Refilling Their Tanks With Fuel, Iwo Jima, 1945

Flamethrower Operators Move Back Up The Line After Refilling Their Tanks With Fuel, Iwo Jima, 1945

U.S. Third Army troops crossing the Rhine March 1945

Crouching Low In A DUKW For Concealment And Protection, Men Of The 89th Division, U.S. Third Army, Cross the Rhine River at Oberwesel, Germany. March 26, 1945

German Troops Enjoying Their Fire - Ardennes Forest 44/45

Deep in the Ardennes forest a Panther crew and some German infantry enjoy the warmth of their fire during "Operation Watch on the Rhine" - Hitler's last gamble to halt the Allies in the west, hoping to force them to the negotiating table.

Despite early successes, the battle of the bulge failed in almost all of its objectives.  Running out of fuel a kilometer before the largest fuel dump in Europe, not being able to dislodge the US troops at Bastogne - all of these small failures compounded and ended up costing the German's deeply, by the time the bulge was squeezed out many precious tanks and vehicles had been abandoned, countless lives had been wasted and nothing had been gained.

Abandoned Flak 41 inspected by American soldier at Magdeburg - 1945

The Flak 41 was a Rheinmetall improvement on the famous Krupp "eighty-eight", resulting in a more powerful version than any of the previous ones.  Only very few numbers were produced, but this prompted Krupp to respond with another prototype which ended up becoming the feared Pak 43 & KWK 43 - mounted on the Elefant, Jagdpanther and the Tiger II.