Despite the photographic evidence and the testimony of those who lived through it, it can still be difficult to fully comprehend.

But these pictures show the damage inflicted on Cardiff during German air raids that saw 2,100 bombs dropped and 355 people killed.

The first bombs fell in July 1940 and the city was hit several times until the final air raid took place in 1944.

At the time, Cardiff was still the biggest coal-exporting port in the UK, but the bombs fell across the city and were not limited to its industrial heart. The tragic time saw chaos and heartache across the city, including in more residential areas such as Cathays , Llandaff and Grangetown .

And following a raid on January 2, 1941 the nave of Llandaff Cathedral was completely shattered and much of the peaceful building was left in ruins.

Llandaff Cathedral
Inside the cathedral following a raid
A recent view of Llandaff Cathedral from Western Avenue

The raid which hit the cathedral was part of a wider blitz on the city which left 167 people dead in one night. The German Luftwaffe dropped around 100 bombs and 350 homes were destroyed. The raid began just after 6.30pm and lasted 10 hours. No one was killed at the site itself, unlike elsewhere in Cardiff.

In Grangetown, on the corner of Corporation Road and Stockland Street, the Hollyman Brothers Bakery was the scene of particular tragedy.

The cellar was being used as a bunker but took a direct hit - the bomb ending up on the floor of the cellar. The 32 people in the shelter, including members of the Hollyman family, were killed. The premises continued as a bakery for about a decade before it became a hardware shop.

Shoe business AG Meek was also hit. Founded in 1912 by Albert George Meek, the family business still operates in Cardiff today.

AG Meek on Albany Road, Roath, pictured in the 1940s
The former shop is now a Sainsbury's Local on Albany road, Cardiff
The aftermath on Albany Road

One of the city's best-known buildings, Howells, also sustained damage.

The image captured during the war shows the corner of Wharton and Trinity Streets.

As you can see, the building has changed drastically over the past few decades.

Houses and businesses were left severely damaged
The area is now home to House of Fraser

But it wasn't just major buildings and businesses that were struck by bomb raids. People's houses were also blown to pieces.

De Burgh Street, in Riverside , was one area that was hit badly following a German air raid on January, 2 1941.

The streets were full of wood and rubble - some images even show people trying to dig through the collapsed remains to access what was once their homes.

De Burgh Street, Riverside, following a raid
De Burgh Street now

De Burgh Street wasn't the only residential area to suffer as a consequence of the war - other parts of the city were also damaged.

Bombs caused fires as well as damage, and one of the buildings to be engulfed in flames was the cold storage building on Adam Street.  

Other photographs from the time show devastating scenes of roofs collapsed, bricks scattered through the streets and houses completely blown apart.

A fire blazes at the Cold Storage building, Adam Street
A house on Western Avenue is destroyed
People survey the wreckage and rubble caused by the air raid bombs

While the new pictures of the city show just how far Cardiff has come over the many years, the old ones act as reminders of just what people had to go through.

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