'Near perfect' area bombing

2nd January 1945: Nuremberg falls victim to the culmination of RAF Bomber Command's growth and the development of bombing techniques

A veteran Lancaster bomber prepares for another night raid into Germany.

The RAF had begun the war with just light and medium bombers with limited range and poor defences - and most bombs fell miles from the target. Halfway through the war, with virtually no other means of hitting back at Germany, the expansion of RAF Bomber Command had been made a prio…