Photos Colour and Colourised Photos of WW2 & earlier conflicts
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Pvt. Michael J. O`Rourke (right), 7th Canadian Infantry Battalion, was awarded the Victoria Cross for his sustained life-saving efforts and courage while under fire serving as a stretcher-bearer from August 15th to 17th, 1917 during the fighting for Hill 70, near Lens.
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Today 75 years ago,
Red Army soldiers opened the gates of Auschwitz I, a German concentration camp in occupied Poland, January 27th, 1945*
* (This picture was taken in March-April 1945, for the propaganda purpose - to film inmates cheering at the gate of Auschwitz. Inmates were hospitalized, treated etc., and then asked to film the liberation footage again. In January 1945 there was strong winter and well below zero degrees. It is just a little known fact, I don't wan't to diminish the role of Soviet troops and doctors in liberating the camp and treating the inmates. )
As the Red Army approached Auschwitz in January 1945, toward the end of the war, the Nazi’s sent most of the camp's population west on a death march to other camps inside Germany and Austria. Soviet troops entered the camp on 27 January 1945, a day commemorated since 2005 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
In the decades after the war, survivors wrote memoirs of their experiences in Auschwitz, and the camp became a dominant symbol of the Holocaust.
In 1947 Poland founded the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum on the site of Auschwitz I and II, and in 1979 it was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Info from: colourisation Author and Jakub Żak
Red Army soldiers opened the gates of Auschwitz I, a German concentration camp in occupied Poland, January 27th, 1945*
* (This picture was taken in March-April 1945, for the propaganda purpose - to film inmates cheering at the gate of Auschwitz. Inmates were hospitalized, treated etc., and then asked to film the liberation footage again. In January 1945 there was strong winter and well below zero degrees. It is just a little known fact, I don't wan't to diminish the role of Soviet troops and doctors in liberating the camp and treating the inmates. )
As the Red Army approached Auschwitz in January 1945, toward the end of the war, the Nazi’s sent most of the camp's population west on a death march to other camps inside Germany and Austria. Soviet troops entered the camp on 27 January 1945, a day commemorated since 2005 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
In the decades after the war, survivors wrote memoirs of their experiences in Auschwitz, and the camp became a dominant symbol of the Holocaust.
In 1947 Poland founded the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum on the site of Auschwitz I and II, and in 1979 it was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Info from: colourisation Author and Jakub Żak
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'Operation Shingle’
Anzio, Italy, 25 January 1944.
Sherman tanks of the 46th (Liverpool Welsh) Royal Tank Regiment provide fire support for men of the 1st Battalion, Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire).
Operation Shingle’ was finally launched on 22 January 1944, four days after a new US Fifth Army attack on the Garigliano and Rapido rivers near Cassino. British 1st Infantry Division under Major General Ronald Penney, supported by 46th Royal Tank Regiment and commandos of 2nd Special Service Brigade, landed north of Anzio. The US 3rd Infantry Division under Major General Lucian Truscott, supported by a tank battalion, three battalions of Rangers and an Airborne battalion, landed south of the port. Tactical surprise had been achieved and the landings were virtually unopposed. A handful of Luftwaffe aircraft got through the Allied fighter umbrella to strafe the ships, but the Allies lost only 13 men killed and 97 wounded. Anzio itself had been abandoned by the Germans and its civilian population moved out. Many German units had been deployed further south to counter US Fifth Army’s attack on the Garigliano. By the end of the day 36,000 troops and 3,200 vehicles had been delivered ashore. A US reconnaissance jeep patrol found the way open to Rome, and a bolder commander might well have taken advantage. But Major General John Lucas threw away the initiative, choosing instead to dig in and await the Germans.
(Ian Carter - IWM)
(Photo source -© IWM NA 11412)
Sgt. Menzies - No. 2 Army Film & Photographic Unit
(Colourised by Nikos Hatzitsirou from Greece)
Anzio, Italy, 25 January 1944.
Sherman tanks of the 46th (Liverpool Welsh) Royal Tank Regiment provide fire support for men of the 1st Battalion, Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire).
Operation Shingle’ was finally launched on 22 January 1944, four days after a new US Fifth Army attack on the Garigliano and Rapido rivers near Cassino. British 1st Infantry Division under Major General Ronald Penney, supported by 46th Royal Tank Regiment and commandos of 2nd Special Service Brigade, landed north of Anzio. The US 3rd Infantry Division under Major General Lucian Truscott, supported by a tank battalion, three battalions of Rangers and an Airborne battalion, landed south of the port. Tactical surprise had been achieved and the landings were virtually unopposed. A handful of Luftwaffe aircraft got through the Allied fighter umbrella to strafe the ships, but the Allies lost only 13 men killed and 97 wounded. Anzio itself had been abandoned by the Germans and its civilian population moved out. Many German units had been deployed further south to counter US Fifth Army’s attack on the Garigliano. By the end of the day 36,000 troops and 3,200 vehicles had been delivered ashore. A US reconnaissance jeep patrol found the way open to Rome, and a bolder commander might well have taken advantage. But Major General John Lucas threw away the initiative, choosing instead to dig in and await the Germans.
(Ian Carter - IWM)
(Photo source -© IWM NA 11412)
Sgt. Menzies - No. 2 Army Film & Photographic Unit
(Colourised by Nikos Hatzitsirou from Greece)
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A Tiger 1 Ausf E (early production) #121,of Schwere Panzer Abteilung 501 in Tunisia,January 1943.
This Tiger was commanded by Lt. Vermehren.It was damaged by a mine in the battle of Hunt's Gap,but survived almost to the end of the Tunisian campaign.The tank was named 'Alwin'.
The s.Pz.Abt. 501 and s.Pz.Abt. 504, assigned to the 10th Panzerdivision,were sent in Tunisia in late 1942.Only three
Tiger Es from the Abteilung 501 arrived in Bizerte in November 1942.They were sent to Kampfgruppe Lueder,which operated near Dedjeida,and by December,participated in the assault of Tebourba.Their appearance created a shock among the Allies.The battalion full strength was attained thereafter,and in January 1943,some took part separately in operation “Eilbote” with the 334th Infantry Division,while others were attached to the 756th Gebirgsjager division or were sent to reinforce the 2nd Battalion of the 69th Panzergrenadier Regiment.They proved highly valuable against the US 1st Armored Division,but took heavy losses in March 1943,with only one Tiger left.Although reinforced by eleven other Tigers afterwards,the 501st was later transferred to the newly arrived 504 s.Pz.Abt on 17 March 1943.By April,this unit was separated between the 8th Panzer Regiment and Hermann Goring Division.At the time of the battle of Tunis,there were six Tigers attached to the 5thPanzerarmee,and seven to the remnants of the Afrikakorps.Only four survived the battle,but the battalion claimed more than 100 US and British tanks. ( Tanks Encyclopedia)
Photographer: Helmuth Pirath
Photo source: Bundesarchiv (101I-554-0872-35)
This Tiger was commanded by Lt. Vermehren.It was damaged by a mine in the battle of Hunt's Gap,but survived almost to the end of the Tunisian campaign.The tank was named 'Alwin'.
The s.Pz.Abt. 501 and s.Pz.Abt. 504, assigned to the 10th Panzerdivision,were sent in Tunisia in late 1942.Only three
Tiger Es from the Abteilung 501 arrived in Bizerte in November 1942.They were sent to Kampfgruppe Lueder,which operated near Dedjeida,and by December,participated in the assault of Tebourba.Their appearance created a shock among the Allies.The battalion full strength was attained thereafter,and in January 1943,some took part separately in operation “Eilbote” with the 334th Infantry Division,while others were attached to the 756th Gebirgsjager division or were sent to reinforce the 2nd Battalion of the 69th Panzergrenadier Regiment.They proved highly valuable against the US 1st Armored Division,but took heavy losses in March 1943,with only one Tiger left.Although reinforced by eleven other Tigers afterwards,the 501st was later transferred to the newly arrived 504 s.Pz.Abt on 17 March 1943.By April,this unit was separated between the 8th Panzer Regiment and Hermann Goring Division.At the time of the battle of Tunis,there were six Tigers attached to the 5thPanzerarmee,and seven to the remnants of the Afrikakorps.Only four survived the battle,but the battalion claimed more than 100 US and British tanks. ( Tanks Encyclopedia)
Photographer: Helmuth Pirath
Photo source: Bundesarchiv (101I-554-0872-35)
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A company of IS-2 heavy tanks moves in East Prussia,during The First East Prussian Offensive,also known as Gumbinnen operation,November 1944.
The First East Prussian Offensive,was a Soviet offensive on the Eastern Front,started October 1944,in which forces of the 3rd Belorussian Front attempted to penetrate the borders of East Prussia.The territory there,intersected by many rivers,woods and waterways,made the fighting extremely difficult.The harsh and marshy terrain was not friendly to heavy tanks,which had to deal with a well prepared,deep defensive perimeter.East Prussia was the first area of German soil captured by the Red Amy.Intence fighting continued all along the Baltic in November and December 1944,while the Soviet units in Poland were re-equipping for the final offensive against Berlin,planned for January 1945.
Photo source unknown.
The First East Prussian Offensive,was a Soviet offensive on the Eastern Front,started October 1944,in which forces of the 3rd Belorussian Front attempted to penetrate the borders of East Prussia.The territory there,intersected by many rivers,woods and waterways,made the fighting extremely difficult.The harsh and marshy terrain was not friendly to heavy tanks,which had to deal with a well prepared,deep defensive perimeter.East Prussia was the first area of German soil captured by the Red Amy.Intence fighting continued all along the Baltic in November and December 1944,while the Soviet units in Poland were re-equipping for the final offensive against Berlin,planned for January 1945.
Photo source unknown.
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An Australian Soldier wading through the mud in the Trenches of France - December 1916
A British soldier from the Machine Gun Corps in a sheepskin coat kisses a French farm girl under some mistletoe, Hesdin, France, December 1917
https://militaryimages.net/threads/ww1-british-commonwealth-us-forces.8965/
A British soldier from the Machine Gun Corps in a sheepskin coat kisses a French farm girl under some mistletoe, Hesdin, France, December 1917
https://militaryimages.net/threads/ww1-british-commonwealth-us-forces.8965/
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Elsenborn Ridge
His skin burned by the snow and smudged by gunpowder, this soldier, said to be from Co K, 393rd Infantry, US 99th Infantry Division, removes a makeshift cover – the empty packet of a ration K ‘Dinner’ - from the muzzle of his M1 Garand. Elsenborn Ridge, northern sector of the ‘Bulge’ salient, Ardennes, December/January 1945.
Freshly arrived on the continent, in November of 1944, the US 99th “Checkerboard” Infantry Division - nicknamed the “Battle Babies” by a war-correspondent because it had never seen combat - was sent to a quiet sector of the front between Monschau and Losheim in the Ardennes. Close by in the line, the veteran 2nd Inf Div was supposed to help the newcomers gain some battle experience before the expected spring drive into Germany, but as it happened, the Germans had other plans.
The German ‘Wacht Am Rhein’ offensive of December of 1944 came as a surprise to the Allies, and the northern sector of the salient was no exception. The exception was that, unlike allied units in the other sectors, the inexperienced 99th, together with the 2nd and later the veteran 1st and 9th Inf Divisions, managed to hold the line against the repeated attacks of the German 1st SS-Panzerkorps led by the 12th SS-Panzerdivision and the 277 and 12. Volks-Grenadier-Divisions, whose mission was to open ‘Rollbahn C’, the German offensive’s northern route of advance.
Supported by accurate and well coordinated artillery fire, the stubborn allied resistance in the Elsenborn Ridge sector, between December 16 and the 18, gave the First US Army time to recover and reorganize the defense. During the remainder of December and January the front stabilized and the cold weather set in, making life miserable for both sides.
Original US Army
His skin burned by the snow and smudged by gunpowder, this soldier, said to be from Co K, 393rd Infantry, US 99th Infantry Division, removes a makeshift cover – the empty packet of a ration K ‘Dinner’ - from the muzzle of his M1 Garand. Elsenborn Ridge, northern sector of the ‘Bulge’ salient, Ardennes, December/January 1945.
Freshly arrived on the continent, in November of 1944, the US 99th “Checkerboard” Infantry Division - nicknamed the “Battle Babies” by a war-correspondent because it had never seen combat - was sent to a quiet sector of the front between Monschau and Losheim in the Ardennes. Close by in the line, the veteran 2nd Inf Div was supposed to help the newcomers gain some battle experience before the expected spring drive into Germany, but as it happened, the Germans had other plans.
The German ‘Wacht Am Rhein’ offensive of December of 1944 came as a surprise to the Allies, and the northern sector of the salient was no exception. The exception was that, unlike allied units in the other sectors, the inexperienced 99th, together with the 2nd and later the veteran 1st and 9th Inf Divisions, managed to hold the line against the repeated attacks of the German 1st SS-Panzerkorps led by the 12th SS-Panzerdivision and the 277 and 12. Volks-Grenadier-Divisions, whose mission was to open ‘Rollbahn C’, the German offensive’s northern route of advance.
Supported by accurate and well coordinated artillery fire, the stubborn allied resistance in the Elsenborn Ridge sector, between December 16 and the 18, gave the First US Army time to recover and reorganize the defense. During the remainder of December and January the front stabilized and the cold weather set in, making life miserable for both sides.
Original US Army
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King George V at the largest CWGC cemetery in the world – Tyne Cot in 1922.
Left to right are… Major WB Binnie (IWGC Deputy Director of Works); Captain John Truelove (IWGC Architect); Major-General Sir Fabian Ware (founder of IWGC) Colonel Clive Wigram (King George’s private secretary); Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig; Colonel H T Goodland; King George V and T Elvidge (Head Gardener Tyne Cot).
Major General Sir Fabian Arthur Goulstone Ware KCVO KBE CB CMG (17 June 1869 – 29 April 1949) was the founder of the Imperial War Graves Commission, now the Commonwealth War Graves Commission
(Photo source - Commonwealth War Graves Commission)
Left to right are… Major WB Binnie (IWGC Deputy Director of Works); Captain John Truelove (IWGC Architect); Major-General Sir Fabian Ware (founder of IWGC) Colonel Clive Wigram (King George’s private secretary); Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig; Colonel H T Goodland; King George V and T Elvidge (Head Gardener Tyne Cot).
Major General Sir Fabian Arthur Goulstone Ware KCVO KBE CB CMG (17 June 1869 – 29 April 1949) was the founder of the Imperial War Graves Commission, now the Commonwealth War Graves Commission
(Photo source - Commonwealth War Graves Commission)
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Fighting communist guerrillas who were instrumental in expelling German occupation forces from Greece.
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A T-34,1943 Model,of the 30th Guards Tank Brigade enters Krasnoye Selo on the Leningrad Front,January 1944.On the turret side is marked with the Order of the Red Banner,followed by the vehicle tactical number and is named "Leningradets".
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Soviet tank commander Lt. Mikhael Sisoevich Kitiya from Sukhumi in the Georgian SSR rests with his crew by his camouflaged T-34/76 tank of the 206th Tank Battalion, 90th Armored Brigade near Stalingrad. ca. September/October 1942
On October 22 1942 he destroyed 10 enemy tanks and three days later, on October 25th 1942 he was killed in action during the Battle of Stalingrad
The first version of the T-34/76 came as a nasty surprise for the overconfident German troops in the fall of 1941, when it was first committed en masse. Not only were they able to cope with the mud and snow with their large tracks, but they came with a perfect combination of thick and highly sloped armor, efficient gun, good speed and autonomy and, above all, extreme sturdiness, reliability, ease of manufacturing and maintenance. A perfect winner for an industrial war and a significant leap in tank design.
Colour: Jecinci
On October 22 1942 he destroyed 10 enemy tanks and three days later, on October 25th 1942 he was killed in action during the Battle of Stalingrad
The first version of the T-34/76 came as a nasty surprise for the overconfident German troops in the fall of 1941, when it was first committed en masse. Not only were they able to cope with the mud and snow with their large tracks, but they came with a perfect combination of thick and highly sloped armor, efficient gun, good speed and autonomy and, above all, extreme sturdiness, reliability, ease of manufacturing and maintenance. A perfect winner for an industrial war and a significant leap in tank design.
Colour: Jecinci
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An aerial photo of USS Indiana (BB-58) in the Pacific on January 27, 1944, wearing Measure 32 Design 11D. Indiana is part of a task force en route to bombard the island of Maleolap. This photo was taken by an aircraft from USS Enterprise (CV-6).
Photo source: NARA 80-G-222923.
Colour: Alex Colors Studio
Photo source: NARA 80-G-222923.
Colour: Alex Colors Studio
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Desolate German POW's pull a wounded comrade in a cart near Korrenzig, Germany in the U.S. Ninth Army Sector", 24 February, 1945.
Colour: Colourised PIECE of JAKE
Source: U.S. National Archives and Records Administration
Colour: Colourised PIECE of JAKE
Source: U.S. National Archives and Records Administration
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