| “Original caption: “Cologne, Germany – Cpl. Luther E. [“Bobo”] Boger [(August 21, 1923 – October 2, 2009)], Concord, North Carolina, skytrooper, reads a warning sign in the street. This street leads to the Rhine River and is under observation of the Germans who occupy a stronghold there. Cpl. Boger is with the Eight-Second Airborne Infantry Division. The German tank is burnt out and the torsion-bars have been destroyed by the immense heat of the fire.” Allied troops captured the western part of Cologne on March 6-7 1945. The German army still held the eastern shore of the Rhine and attacked the Allies with artillery. The rest of Cologne was captured April 12-15, 1945. Until April 16, a strip of about 500 meters (550 yards) along the shore had been declared as a restricted area and the cathedral was just within this zone. The Heer “(Nazu German Army”) Panther Panzerkampfwagen Mark 5 tank was famously destroyed by a United States Army 3rd Armored Division T26 Pershing tank, in an engagement that was caught on film. See https://worldwar2database.com/t26e3-pershing-tank-ofthird-armored-division-in-cologne/” Photographed by Private 1st Class Frank P. Smaluch (April 18, 1914 – May 27, 2002), of the 198th Signal Photo Company. He later was assigned to Korea in November 1945. | |
| Image Filename | wwii1839.jpg |
| Image Size | 654.95 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2119 x 1649 |
| Photographer | Frank Smaluch |
| Photographer Title | United States Army Signal Corps |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | April 4, 1945 |
| Location | |
| City | Cologne |
| State or Province | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| Country | Germany |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | ETO-FQ-45-30714 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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