London after a German air raid, 1940

The building in the center of the picture is the Old Bailey, one of the courts of London, and the statue at the top is The Lady of Justice. These iconic buildings, including St Paul's Cathedral, where this photo was taken, are a testament to the incredible work done by London firemen in saving them.

There is a monument dedicated to him outside St. Paul. On 29–30 December 1940, the Germans deliberately targeted London with incendiary bombs on the Thames during a period of low tide, so firefighters had to work all night in deep mud to extract water to save the city. The result was called the Second Great Fire of London. 29 bombs fell around the cathedral, and one actually hit the dome and fell.

During the Blitz, the Old Bailey was bombed and severely damaged, but subsequent reconstruction work restored it in the early 1950s. In 1952, the renovated interior of the Grand Hall of the Central Criminal Court was once again open.

The interior of the Great Hall (below the dome) is decorated with paintings commemorating the Blitz, as well as semi-historic scenes of St. Paul's Cathedral with nobles outside.

On 7 September 1940, the Luftwaffe launched a ruthless bombing campaign against London and major cities in Britain. However, instead of breaking morale, the raid only reinforced the will of the British for the rest of the war.

Barring one night, when the weather was bad, the bombing continued for the next 76 nights, with raids conducted during the day. Liverpool, Manchester, Swansea, Cardiff, Bristol, Southampton were also targeted. More than a million homes were destroyed or damaged in London, and over 40,000 civilians were killed, almost half of whom were in London.