Designed by Ludwig Schwanthaler in 1850, the Bavaria statue is one of Munich’s most prominent landmarks. During the Nazi era, the Theresienwiese in front of it regularly served as a venue for NSDAP mass rallies. On 29 April 1945, units of the US 7th Army — led by the legendary 42nd Infantry Division (“Rainbow”) and the 45th Infantry Division (“Thunderbird”) — reached Munich’s city center. The former Nazi “Capital of the Movement” was taken with almost no resistance. The image shows the symbolically charged site after the arrival of US forces.