Photos Colour and Colourised Photos of WW2 & earlier conflicts
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Flying Officer J B Burnside, the flight engineer on board an Avro Lancaster B Mark III of No. 619 Squadron RAF based at Coningsby, Lincolnshire, checks settings on the control panel from his seat in the cockpit. February 1944
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"Operation Tidal Wave"
Tha Famous Ploesti, Rumanian oil refinery bombing mission. August 1st 1943 (U.S. Air Force photo)
This aircraft is "The Sandman" of the 345th Bomb Squadron, 98th Bomb Group "The Pyramiders", 9th Air Force. She was a 'Liberator' B-24D-55-CO S/N 42-40402, later lost on a mission to Augsburg,Germany on December 19th 1943.
Crew of "The Sandman" when this photo was taken:
1st Lt. Robert W. Sternfels - Pilot
2nd Lt. Barney Jackson - CoPilot
2nd Lt. Anthony W. Flesch - Navigator
2nd Lt. David A. Polaschek - Bombadier
T/Sgt. William W. Stout - Flight Engineer/Gunner
T/Sgt. Frank Just - Radio Operator/Gunner
Sgt. Raymond E. Stewart - Gunner
Sgt. Harry Rifkin - Waist Gunner
Sgt. Merle B. Bowen - Waist Gunner
S/Sgt. John T. Weston - Ball Turret Tail Gunner (WIA - 2nd degree burns on lower right leg)
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A Finnish soldier holding a shashka, Lehmivaara, Finland 9 August 1944.
"Had the russkies planned for a parade in Joensuu?'' The men were wondering as they found Russian swords from the forest motti of Lehmivaara. War booty saber in an expert's hands.
Photograph taken by A.Viitasalo and was provided by Sa-kuva. Photo number: 156612.
"Had the russkies planned for a parade in Joensuu?'' The men were wondering as they found Russian swords from the forest motti of Lehmivaara. War booty saber in an expert's hands.
Photograph taken by A.Viitasalo and was provided by Sa-kuva. Photo number: 156612.
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A New Zealand nurse and orderly wear masks against infection outside the diphtheria ward at the New Zealand Stationary Hospital in Wisques, France during World War I. They are standing outside a large tent. Nearby, is a jug, bowl and towel on a table for handwashing. A duckboard walk leads away from the tent.
Photograph taken 16 August 1918 by Henry Armytage Sanders.
Colourised by Royston Leonard
Photograph taken 16 August 1918 by Henry Armytage Sanders.
Colourised by Royston Leonard
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An Italian Alpino poses with Carcano Mod.91 rifle.
The Alpini were the mountain troops of the Italian Army. Formed on October 15, 1872, the Alpini proper were among the oldest active mountain infantry corps in the world, originally created to protect the northern mountain borders of Italy with France, the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Switzerland.
They distinguished themselves during the First World War, when they were used in the fighting on the north-eastern border with Austria-Hungary, where for three years they had to confront the Austrian and German regular and mountain troops, respectively Kaiserschützen and Alpenkorps, along the whole of the Italian front.
The Alpini were the mountain troops of the Italian Army. Formed on October 15, 1872, the Alpini proper were among the oldest active mountain infantry corps in the world, originally created to protect the northern mountain borders of Italy with France, the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Switzerland.
They distinguished themselves during the First World War, when they were used in the fighting on the north-eastern border with Austria-Hungary, where for three years they had to confront the Austrian and German regular and mountain troops, respectively Kaiserschützen and Alpenkorps, along the whole of the Italian front.
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RAF ground crew unload 500-lb GP bombs from trolleys in front of a Hawker Hurricane Mark IIC of No. 221 Group RAF, which is undergoing re-arming of its four 20mm cannon at Palel, Manipur.
Colour by Tom Thounaojam (maybe @tomthounaojam from this forum ?
)
Colour by Tom Thounaojam (maybe @tomthounaojam from this forum ?
)
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Operation Fall Gelb. A Junkers Ju-52 transport aircraft ended up next to the highway (likely) between Rotterdam and Delft. Curious citizens took out their motorbikes to witness the 'crash' site. The Netherlands, early May 1940.
Due to 'shot up' and crashed Ju52's on the runway at Airfield Ypenburg the Luftwaffe transport planes weren't able to land there anymore and chose the nearby Highway A13 as the next best option to land on.
Many of the planes got heavily damaged and were lost.
The Luftwaffe lost 330 aircraft of the 1,000 engaged with the highest price being paid by the slow Ju 52s with 220 out of 430 being lost. More than 50% of their strength.
Due to 'shot up' and crashed Ju52's on the runway at Airfield Ypenburg the Luftwaffe transport planes weren't able to land there anymore and chose the nearby Highway A13 as the next best option to land on.
Many of the planes got heavily damaged and were lost.
The Luftwaffe lost 330 aircraft of the 1,000 engaged with the highest price being paid by the slow Ju 52s with 220 out of 430 being lost. More than 50% of their strength.
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Yeah that is meRAF ground crew unload 500-lb GP bombs from trolleys in front of a Hawker Hurricane Mark IIC of No. 221 Group RAF, which is undergoing re-arming of its four 20mm cannon at Palel, Manipur.
View attachment 305812
Colour by Tom Thounaojam (maybe @tomthounaojam from this forum ?
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Great work, mate !
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Troops of the 1/10th Battalion, King's Regiment (Liverpool Scottish) in the Q3 Trench at St. Eloi (Sint-Elooi), about 5 km south of Ypres in the Flemish province of West-Vlaanderen in Belgium. April-May 1915.
Photo taken by Private Frederick Fyfe, serving with Z Company with the 1/10th Battalion.
Fyfe was taking a risk beyond the obvious risk of battle, as two months previously there had been the imposition by the military authorities of an official ban on the use of cameras.
However Fyfe, a former newspaper photographer, had no action taken against him, despite the pictures appearing in various publications, and was subsequently commissioned, winning the Military Cross in 1916.
(Photo source - © IWM Q 49836)
Photo taken by Private Frederick Fyfe, serving with Z Company with the 1/10th Battalion.
Fyfe was taking a risk beyond the obvious risk of battle, as two months previously there had been the imposition by the military authorities of an official ban on the use of cameras.
However Fyfe, a former newspaper photographer, had no action taken against him, despite the pictures appearing in various publications, and was subsequently commissioned, winning the Military Cross in 1916.
(Photo source - © IWM Q 49836)
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Surrender of the German submarine U-889 to the Royal Canadian Navy near Shelburne, Nova Scotia, 13 May 1945
On 8 May Kapitänleutnant Friedrich Braeucker was ordered by U-boat Headquarters (Admiral Donitz), to surrender, and appears to have
complied promptly with the instruction to surface, proceed to the nearest Allied port with a black flag of surrender flying. Two days later, on the 10th of May 1945 a Royal Canadian Air Force plane came upon U-889 motoring on the surface at 10 knots with a black flag flying.
A Canadian escort force, W-6, was nearby and sped to intercept U-889 within an hour. At first Braeucker and his men were ordered to Newfoundland (Bay Bulls), however the following day the sub was assigned to HMCS Inch Arran and HMCS Buckingham. These frigates escorted U-889 into Shelburne Harbor, Nova Scotia. There Braeucker formally surrendered and the Royal Canadian Navy boarded the submarine and took possession of her on 13 May (Wikipedia).
Transferred to the US Navy on 10 Jan 1946, arriving at Portsmouth Navy Yard, NH on 12 Jan 1946. Sunk on 20 Nov 1947 off Cape Cod by US submarine USS Flying Fish.
(Colour by Mark)
On 8 May Kapitänleutnant Friedrich Braeucker was ordered by U-boat Headquarters (Admiral Donitz), to surrender, and appears to have
complied promptly with the instruction to surface, proceed to the nearest Allied port with a black flag of surrender flying. Two days later, on the 10th of May 1945 a Royal Canadian Air Force plane came upon U-889 motoring on the surface at 10 knots with a black flag flying.
A Canadian escort force, W-6, was nearby and sped to intercept U-889 within an hour. At first Braeucker and his men were ordered to Newfoundland (Bay Bulls), however the following day the sub was assigned to HMCS Inch Arran and HMCS Buckingham. These frigates escorted U-889 into Shelburne Harbor, Nova Scotia. There Braeucker formally surrendered and the Royal Canadian Navy boarded the submarine and took possession of her on 13 May (Wikipedia).
Transferred to the US Navy on 10 Jan 1946, arriving at Portsmouth Navy Yard, NH on 12 Jan 1946. Sunk on 20 Nov 1947 off Cape Cod by US submarine USS Flying Fish.
(Colour by Mark)
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This photo, taken in August 1944, in Normandy, shows Lance Sergeant Earl H. McAllister (Hamilton, Ontario), a Canadian hero who single-handedly captured dozens of German soldiers at St. Lambert-sur-Dives, France.
Earl McAllister of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada inspects a captured P08 Luger pistol on a knocked out German battery near Abbeville, France.
Just before going overseas, he told his parents: "Either I come back a hero or I won't come back at all". During the Battle of Normandy, Earl displayed outstanding courage and became a legend when he captured dozens of German soldiers by himself.
Two months later, on October 20, 1944, Earl was fighting in Belgium when one of his comrades was wounded by enemy fire. Without hesitation, he rushed to his aid, but as he approached, he was shot and killed by a German sniper.
Shortly before his death, Earl started writing a letter which was found in his pocket.
This letter said:
"The worst thing we have to contend with is the infernal darkness when we're on patrol and can't see our hand in front of our face, let alone where we are walking".
McAllister is now resting in peace at the Bergen-op-Zoom Canadian War Cemetery in the Netherlands.
Earl McAllister of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada inspects a captured P08 Luger pistol on a knocked out German battery near Abbeville, France.
Just before going overseas, he told his parents: "Either I come back a hero or I won't come back at all". During the Battle of Normandy, Earl displayed outstanding courage and became a legend when he captured dozens of German soldiers by himself.
Two months later, on October 20, 1944, Earl was fighting in Belgium when one of his comrades was wounded by enemy fire. Without hesitation, he rushed to his aid, but as he approached, he was shot and killed by a German sniper.
Shortly before his death, Earl started writing a letter which was found in his pocket.
This letter said:
"The worst thing we have to contend with is the infernal darkness when we're on patrol and can't see our hand in front of our face, let alone where we are walking".
McAllister is now resting in peace at the Bergen-op-Zoom Canadian War Cemetery in the Netherlands.
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Pfc. Thomas W. Kilgore, of Macon Georgia, 121st Infantry (Georgia National Guard) near Hürtgen on December 7, 1944.
This photo of Macon’s Thomas Kilgore was used in numerous publications in 1944 because it symbolized the loneliness and fatigue of war. Kilgore returned to Georgia and worked as an electrician in the maintenance department for the Bibb County Board of Education. He never married and lived in the same house where he grew up in the Peach Orchard neighborhood of south Macon. Thomas passed away on February 25, 1982 at the age of 68.
This photo of Macon’s Thomas Kilgore was used in numerous publications in 1944 because it symbolized the loneliness and fatigue of war. Kilgore returned to Georgia and worked as an electrician in the maintenance department for the Bibb County Board of Education. He never married and lived in the same house where he grew up in the Peach Orchard neighborhood of south Macon. Thomas passed away on February 25, 1982 at the age of 68.
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