Photos Colour and Colourised Photos of WW2 & earlier conflicts

A pilot in the Imperial German Air Service, wearing leather attire and the classic cork and leather flight helmet he also carries the oxygen “pipe stem” for high altitudes.



Germany was one of the earliest nations involved in the First World War to recognise and address the need by aviators of aircraft and dirigibles for supplemental oxygen. The great Zeppelin dirigibles, by virtue of their ability to fly at higher altitudes, were the first war craft outfitted with aircrew oxygen systems, which were at first of the conventional compressed gas type, contained in iron storage flasks.
Soon, however, the heavy storage flasks were replaced by early liquid oxygen generating systems. These systems were devised and produced by the Draeger Company, a company long associated with respiratory and resuscitation equipment for mining use. Other systems were produced by the Ahrend and Heylandt Company.
It wasn’t long before some higher flying German bombers and fighters were equipped with these small, lightweight liquid oxygen systems. Oxygen could be breathed from these small ‘personal’ liquid oxygen systems through use of a mouthpiece (frequently called a ‘pipe stem’) that could be held clenched in the mouth of an aviator. The tube providing the oxygen was attached (on the German systems) to a large rebreathing bag positioned nearer the unit than the ‘pipe stem’, so that although the oxygen flow rate
was continuous, more of the gas could be saved and reused in the process that would have otherwise been wasted.

RAAF Short Sunderland being anchored at Rose Bay, Sydney Harbour, Australia. c.1944.



A mooring compartment was situated in the nose of the Sunderland, containing anchor, winch, boat-hook and ladder. The front turret was designed to slide back, enabling the crew to secure the aircraft to a buoy, as demonstrated here.

The Short S.25 Sunderland was a British flying boat patrol bomber developed for the Royal Air Force (RAF) by Short Brothers. It took its service name from the town (latterly, city) and port of Sunderland in northeast England.

Based in part upon the S.23 Empire flying boat, the flagship of Imperial Airways, the S.25 was extensively re-engineered for military service. It was one of the most powerful and widely used flying boats throughout the Second World War, and was involved in countering the threat posed by German U-boats in the Battle of the Atlantic. RAF Sunderlands also saw service throughout the Korean War and continued in service until 1959. Sunderlands remained in service with the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) until 1967.

Sunderlands converted for civil use, known as Short Sandringhams, continued in airline operation until 1974. A single airworthy example remains on display in Florida.

Conhoon said:

Ground crew carry out a daily inspection of Supermarine Spitfire Mark XVI, RR257 '9N-Y', of No. 127 Squadron RAF in muddy working conditions at B60/Grimbergen, Belgium.

View attachment 194308

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That has to be a staged shot, there isn't a drop of mud on them all.

Fluff said:

That has to be a staged shot, there isn't a drop of mud on them all.

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It is possible that this is a posed picture - because what is the guy doing squatting next to the bomb? And how was it delivered there? Did he bring it in his pocket?

7 November 1944

Captain Nieves Fernandez, the only known Filipino female guerilla leader and formerly a school teacher, shows US Army Pvt. Andrew Lupiba (also originally from the Philippines) how she used her long knife to silently kill Japanese soldiers during the Japanese occupation of Leyte Island.



Image taken by Stanley Troutman, Mabuhay Las Piñas, Leyte Island, Philippines.

(Nieves lived until she was 91 and Andrew Lupiba died in 1985 aged 77)
Waray guerrillas under Captain Nieves Fernandez, fought the Japanese in Tacloban. Being infamously known as a crackshot, Nieves extensively trained her men in combat skills and the making of improvised weaponry. She led her men in the front and managed to take out over 200 Japanese soldiers in the war with only 110 men. The Imperial Japanese Army posted a 10,000 Pesos reward on her head in the hopes of capturing her but to no avail. The main commander of the resistance movement in Leyte however, was Ruperto Kangleon, a former Filipino soldier turned resistance fighter and leader. After the fall of the country, he successfully escaped capture by the Japanese before establishing a united guerrilla front In Leyte. He and his men, the Black Army, were successful in pushing the Japanese from the mainland province and further into the coastlands of Southern Leyte. Kangleon’s guerrillas provided intelligence for the American guerrilla leaders such as Wendell Fertig, and assisted in the subsequent Leyte Landing and the Battle of Leyte soon after. The guerrillas in Leyte were also very instrumental not only in the opposition against Japanese rule, but also in the safety and aid of the civilians living in the island.
(Colour by Doug)

Greeting of the victorious soldiers at the Belorussky Train Station in Moscow. 1945 - by Klimbim

A Gurkha soldier assisting a wounded comrade.
Arakan Campaign, Burma, January 1943 – May 1945.



The Arakan Campaign of 1942–43 was the first tentative Allied attack into Burma, following the Japanese conquest of Burma earlier in 1942, during the Second World War. The British Army and British Indian Army were not ready for offensive actions in the difficult terrain they encountered, nor had the civil government, industry and transport infrastructure of Eastern India been organised to support the Army on the frontier with Burma. Japanese defenders occupying well-prepared positions repeatedly repulsed the British and Indian forces, who were then forced to retreat when the Japanese received reinforcements and counter-attacked.

At he time, the average British and Indian soldier was not properly trained for fighting in jungle, which together with repeated defeats adversely affected morale. This was exacerbated by poor administration in the rear areas in India. Drafts of reinforcements sent to replace casualties were found in some cases to have not even completed basic training.
There were several contributing factors. At one point, 14th Indian Division HQ was controlling no less than nine infantry brigades (instead of the usual three) and a large line of communications area. It was not equipped to handle this enormous responsibility. The road used as supply routes were inadequate, and there were insufficient landing craft and small ships as an alternative.
Lieutenant General Irwin attempted to dismiss Slim from command of XV Corps, but was himself relieved of command of Eastern Army, and returned to Britain on sick leave. His replacement at Eastern Army was General George Giffard, a very different character from the abrasive Irwin. Giffard concentrated on restoring the Army's morale and improving its state of health and training. The first Chindit raid under Brigadier Orde Wingate concluded about this time, and its successes were widely publicised to counter the depressing news from the Arakan.
As part of a general shuffle of the senior appointments in the Allied, British and Indian armies about this time, Wavell became Viceroy of India and General Claude Auchinleckbecame Commander in Chief in India. The Indian Army establishment was reorganised to concentrate on fighting the Burma campaign, with success in the following two years.
Photo: Cecil Beaton from the Arakan Campaign

Gunner Cpl. Carlton Chapman (# 33527792) from Giles County, Va. poses in his M4 Sherman tank near Nancy in France on November 5, 1944. He died in combat 4 days later on November 9, 1944



He served in the 761st Tank Battalion, the first African-American tank unit to go into combat.

He was awarded the purple heart and rests in Lorraine American Cemetery, St Avold in France (Plot C, Row 23, Grave 60)

Ryan, Photographer. (NWDNS-111-SC-196106-S; National Archives Identifier: 531221); Signal Corps Photographs of American Military Activity, 1754 - 1954; Records of the Office of the Chief Signal Officer, 1860 - 1982; Record Group 111; National Archives.
(Color by Julius Jääskeläinen)

American troops of 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division on board a landing craft heading for the beaches at Oran in Algeria during 'Operation Torch', 8 November 1942.



The Regiment sailed to England and then to Scotland in August 1942 for training in preparation of the first major offensive operation of the European theatre. The 16th Infantry received their baptism of fire during 'Operation Torch', the invasion of North Africa, on 8 November 1942. The city of Oran, Algeria was the original objective of the Regiment and after 3 days of fighting it was secured. For the next 6 months, the 1st Division participated in the Allied effort to force the Axis out of North Africa, and participated in several key actions to include Kasserine Pass and the Tunisian Campaign. Due to its heroic stand at Kasserine, the 16th Infantry received the French Croix de Guerre, and also received its first Presidential Unit Citation for actions at Mateur, Tunisia.
'Operation Torch' (initially called Operation Gymnast) was the British-American invasion of French North Africa during the North African Campaign of the Second World War which started on 8 November 1942.

The Soviet Union had pressed the United States and United Kingdom to start operations in Europe and open a second front to reduce the pressure of German forces on the Soviet troops. While the American commanders favored Operation Sledgehammer, landing in Occupied Europe as soon as possible, the British commanders believed that such a course would end in disaster.

An attack on French North Africa was proposed instead, which would clear the Axis powers from North Africa, improve naval control of the Mediterranean Sea, and prepare for an invasion of Southern Europe in 1943. American President Franklin D. Roosevelt suspected the African operation would rule out an invasion of Europe in 1943 but agreed to support British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

(Colourised by Benjamin Thomas)


'Operation Torch'
US troops squeezed into their British Landing Craft Assault (LCA 449) having just boarded from the troop ship (the requisitioned passenger liner RMMV 'Reina del Pacifico') near Oran, Algeria. November 8 1942.
Operation Torch signalled the American entry into the Mediterranean War.

(Colourised by RJM)

Rare and fascinating image of a South African fighting regiment in World War 1. Here South Africans from the 4th Regiment 'South African Scottish' perform a traditional 'African Tribal War Dance' with drawn bayonets and dancing in their distinctive 'Murray of Atholl' tartan kilts.

The image was taken at the 'Bull Ring' in Etaples, France prior to the troops final deployment to trench warfare 18 June 1918.



The Bull-Ring;
A soldier who spent some time there said, “No one knows who christened that area a 'Bull-Ring' but it was a suitable name up to a point. The matadors and picadors were there, as large as life and twice as fierce, but the bulls were like lambs led to the slaughter.”
The Etaples Bull-Ring was situated on sand flats and dunes near the main part of the British army camp at Etaples. It was the main centre in France for the final training of troops before they went up to the front. “Etaples was hell”, said a soldier, “everything was done at the double and ferocious Redcaps lurked in every corner." The instructors - who wore yellow armbands - were known as 'canaries' and put their charges through two weeks of intensive training which lasted from early morning until sunset.

South African forces in the British Army;
South Africa raised a Brigade of four infantry battalions for the Western Front, in addition to 5 batteries of Heavy Artillery, a Field Ambulance, a Royal Engineers Signal Company and a General Hospital. This was a substantial undertaking, given the other demands on the Union, and the fact that these units once on active service would require 15% replacements per month.

The infantry battalions were raised with men from the four provinces of the Union: the 1st Regiment troops were from the Cape; the 2nd Regiment from Natal and the Orange Free State; the 3rd Regiment was from Transvaal and Rhodesia. The 4th Regiment was rather different: it was the South African Scottish, raised from the Transvaal Scottish and the Cape Town Highlanders, and wearing the Atholl Murray tartan. An infantry depot was established at Potchefstroom.

By the armistice, the South Africans had suffered some 15000 casualties in France, of whom one third were dead.

Two Allied Signal Corps Despatch riders, wearing gas masks and riding Douglas 2 3/4hp machines on the Salonika Front (Macedonia). November 1916.



The Salonika Force dug-in until the summer of 1916, by which time the international force had been reinforced and joined by Serbian, Russian and Italian units. The Bulgarian attempt at invasion of Greece in July was repulsed near Lake Doiran. At the beginning of Oct 1916, the British in co-operation with her allies on other parts of the front, began operations on the River Struma towards Serres. The campaign was successful with the capture of the Rupell Pass and advances to within a few miles of Serres.

New Zealand soldiers loading a 4.5-inch howitzer near Le Quesnoy, France. 29 October 1918.



(Nb. some of the gunners have 'overseas service stripes' on their right lower sleeves)

The capture of the French town of Le Quesnoy by the New Zealand Division on 4 November 1918 has special significance in New Zealand's military history. This is not merely because it was the last major action by the New Zealanders in the Great War – the armistice followed a week later – but also because of the particular way it was captured.

When the New Zealand Division attacked on 4 November, its units quickly by-passed Le Quesnoy and pushed further east on what was to be the New Zealanders' most successful day of the whole campaign on the Western Front. It advanced 10 kilometres and captured 2000 Germans and 60 field guns. The attack cost the lives of about 90 New Zealand soldiers – virtually the last of the 12,483 who fell on the Western Front between 1916 and 1918.
(nzhistory.net.nz)

(Photo source - National Library of New Zealand - H1113)
Photograph taken by Henry Armytage Sanders.

Marine combat cameraman Norman Hatch feeds a kitten he found underneath a Japanese tank on Tarawa Atoll, WWII.

A detailed photo of the nose defensive position of a Gotha G.V which was one of the most efficient heavy bombers in the Imperial German Air Service, heavier than the previous G.IV but better armed and safer.


A leather attired gunner with the classic cork and leather flight helmet, oxygen “pipe” for high altitudes and a telescopic sight equipped Parabellum MG.14/17

The Lozenge-Tarnung (lozenge camouflage) appears to be a daytime lighter variety.

An RAF sergeant shares an alfresco lunch with two Dutch women in traditional costumes at Nieuw- and St. Joosland, near Middelburg, soon after the town had been liberated by Allied forces, November 1944.

Excellent images and research @Conhoon!

Burial at sea aboard USS Hancock for those killed by Japanese special attack two days prior, off Okinawa, Japan, 9 Apr 1945


https://militaryimages.net/threads/warships-of-all-nations.8692/page-20#post-63719

A Firefly fighter-bomber warms up on the deck of HMCS Warrior - the first aircraft carrier fully crewed and operated by the Royal Canadian Navy (C. 1946-1948)

https://militaryimages.net/threads/warships-of-all-nations.8692/page-20#post-63719

Thank You @BravoZulu , but the information described next to the pictures is usually not mine but it comes from the author of the coloring.

Conhoon said:

Thank You @BravoZulu , but the information described next to the pictures is usually not mine but it comes from the author of the coloring.

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Even so friend, you take the trouble of ensuring it comes into the site, it gives the images much more meaning and depth when we know the story behind the image...great work always mate