The Blitz brought to life:

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

Incredible colour pictures show the devastation and defiance of London as it was pounded by Nazi bombers at the height of the aerial onslaught during WWII

A series of colour photos have gone on display showing the full horror of the destruction inflicted by Nazi bombings across London during what later became known as The Blitz. The attacks, which took place between September 1940 and May 1941, killed more than 43,000 people and left some one million homeless. As well as thousands of homes being destroyed, hundreds of buildings in the heart of the ­financial district were set ablaze in what became an almost nightly pounding of the city. Luftwaffe's blitz finally dwindled after mid-1941, but the 267-day horror became a defining moment in British history, marking the stoic spirit with which countrymen and women soldiered on, despite the devastation unfolding around them. Pictured: St Paul's Cathedral stands proud among the rubble (centre), the bombed site of John Lewis on Oxford Street (top right), anti-aircraft guns being fired during the dark of the night (top right) and a female spotter from the Auxillary Territorial Service keeping watch (left).