Photos Colour and Colourised Photos of WW2 & earlier conflicts

[Conhoon]

Men of the 4th Battalion,Gordon Highlanders (51st Division) feeding a French refugee child in their improvised trench near Locon, 10 April
1918.

Photosource-© IWM (Q 7855)
Photographer-Brooke,John Warwick (Lieutenant)
Colourised by Doug Banks

 

[BravoZulu]

Did was "Pappy Boyington" a Squad Leader of the Flying Tigers in China???

He flew for the tigers in China and was a squadron leader in the Pacific, VMF-214 with Corsairs

 

[santana]

He flew for the tigers in China and was a squadron leader in the Pacific, VMF-214 with Corsairs

yeah I know, the Famous USMC Black Sheep Squadron. the thing is that Pappy Boyington had conflicts with the Commander of the Flying Tigers.
As soon the War started for the US, after the Pearl Harbour by the japanese, he quit the Flying Tigers and went to the VMF-214

 

[santana]

Gregory "Pappy" Boyington (December 4, 1912 – January 11, 1988) was an American combat pilot who was a United States Marine Corps fighter ace during the World War II in the Pacific. He received the Medal of Honor and the Navy Cross.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pappy_Boyington

 

[santana]

I remember by the end of the 70s and the begining of the 80s a TV Series Called Baa Baa Black Sheeps, was an American television series that aired on NBC from September 23, 1976, until April 6, 1978. It was part period military drama, part comedy (like McHale's Navy and Hogan's Heroes). In the final seven episodes, the character list was revamped, dropping some squadron pilots, adding a 16-year-old pilot and four nurses.

Its original premise was based on the experiences of United States Marine Corps aviator Greg Boyington and his World War II "Black Sheep Squadron". The series was created and produced by Stephen J. Cannell. The opening credits read: "In World War II, Marine Corps Major Greg 'Pappy' Boyington commanded a squadron of fighter pilots. They were a collection of misfits and screwballs who became the terrors of the South Pacific. They were known as the Black Sheep."




Pappy’s homecoming.


Pappy briefing his men ahead of the October 17, 1943 attack on Kahili airdrome.



Pappy with Chris Magee and Bill Case at a bar at San Francisco’s St. Francis Hotel, late 1945


Colonel Gregory ‘Pappy’ Boyington.


Pappy Boyington after release from Japan. Craig Kelsay


Pappy and Bill Case.


Espiritu Santo VMF-214 Turtle Bay VF Strip November, 1943.

All pictures from Craig Kelsay

 

[uktabber]

WOW, great pictures of a historical figure....

 

[BravoZulu]

Royal Navy sailors relaxing on the wing of a Fleet Air Arm Hellcat.

 

[Conhoon]

ORP Błyskawica (Lightning) is a Grom-class destroyer which served in the Polish Navy during World War II. It is the only Polish Navy ship to have been decorated with the Virtuti Militari, Poland's highest military order for gallantry, and in 2012 was given the Pro Memoria Medal.
Błyskawica is preserved as a museum ship in Gdynia and is the oldest preserved destroyer in the world. Błyskawica is moored next to the Dar Pomorza.

Colour by Mateusz Prociak from Poland

 

[Conhoon]

On 19th August 1917, General Erich Ludendroff visited the aerodrome at Markebeke. Richthofen's all red Albatros D.V (2059/17) is prominently displayed in the background.

Image colourised for Iron Cross Magazine and can be seen in the latest issue, a Red Barron special (in black and white)
Colour by RJM

 

[Conhoon]

Battle of Hazebrouck. British wounded coming back near Merris, 13 April 1918.

(Photo source - © IWM Q 10293)
McLellan, David (Second Lieutenant) (Photographer)

 

[Conhoon]

RNZAF No. 18 Squadron Corsairs in flight over the Guadalcanal coast on a photo mission, 1944

 

[Conhoon]

War weathered Spitfire Mk Vs of RAF 253 and 32 Squadron, being serviced in Italy 1944.

These are Yugoslav partisans learning to maintain Supermarine Spitfire Mark Vc fighters under the supervision of RAF ground crew members at Cannae, Italy. The aircraft, (front to rear) are : EF553 of No. 32 Squadron RAF; JK226 of No. 253 Squadron RAF, and JK868 also of 32 Squadron.

 

[Conhoon]

Our photographer, Bill Barfoot was born in Newcastle upon Tyne. On joining the Air Force, he trained as a wireless operator but remustered as aircrew. He trained as a navigator in South Africa. He flew operations with 296 Squadron supplying the French and Norwegian Resistance, towing troop gliders to Normandy, Arnham and the Rhine.

"The other thing was our other function on Special Operations was towing of gliders for D-Day. It was obvious there was going to be a big glider operations and they needed these Crews trained. The trouble with the Halifax, with towing gliders is A. Your speed drops, you get down to Anson speeds and secondly you can’t manoeuvre because you have a glider full of Troops behind you. So when we went on, and we did the first one D-Day. When you went on these Operations you had a very hairy Fighter Escort trying fly close. You needed it because you were very vulnerable, but funnily enough we didn’t lose many because by then we had complete Air Superiority, and you didn’t get too much interference. We did two other glider operations, one was at Arnhem in Holland and that was a disaster. Not from the air point of view we dropped them all in the right place at the right time. The thing was the Intelligence had not discovered there was a German Armoured Division in Holland and of course our Troops who were Airborne Troops were comparatively lightly armed of course they suffered very heavy casualties. The other was the Rhine crossing!"
This shot was taken on D-Day, and shows Halifax A. V U9-T of LL321 of 644 RAF out of Tarrant Rushton towing a Hamilcar full of troops and supplies heading out across the British countryside, and out over the Channel.
Photographer: Navigator Bill Barfoot.
Credit: IBCC Digital Archive Ref: PBarfootW1643.
Image Repair & Colourisation - Nathan Howland

 

[Conhoon]

RNZAF No. 14 Kittyhawk Squadron pilots with a Dodge weapons carrier, grouped together after a patrol. Guadalcanal. 1943

Labeled photo to follow in comments with corresponding numbers on it
1. J. "Bags" Baragwanath (Adjutant), 2. Noel Hanna, 3. Ron C. C. Nairn, 4. Rex Weber, 5. Doug. Robertson, 6. Paul Green, 7. Allan Sievers, 8. Jack Meharry, 9. "Sandy" Eaton, 10. Harry Wigley, 11. G. B. Fisken, 12. Frank Ferrier, 13. Don Clow (supplied names), 14. "Snow" Renolds, 15. Brian Stringer (Administration), 16. Mort. Bullen, 17. Arthur "Zoot" Stanley, 18. Warwick Blundell (Intelligence Officer), 19. John Polson.
Air Force Museum of NZ official photo
Colour: Daniel Rarity

 

[Conhoon]

Stefania Cecylia Wojtulanis-Karpińska , aka "Barbara" (born on November 22, 1912 in Warsaw , died on February 12, 2005 in Los Angeles - captain pilot of the Polish Air Force.

composition of the Staff Squadron of the General Aviation Commander General Józef Zając , performing liaison tasks on the RWD-8 aircraft. After the Soviet invasion of September 17, 1939, she evacuated to Romania with the Polish air force . Until December 1939, she served there as a courier, traveling around the country and assisting in escapes and providing money and documents to interned Polish airmen fleeing to France. Then she made her way to France, where she was promoted to lieutenant and worked in the aviation staff. After the fall of France, he managed to get to Great Britain. 1st of January1941 she was appointed as the first foreigner (along with Anna Leska ) to the British ATA ( Air Transport Auxiliary ), which provides airplanes from factories to the airports of individual units and damaged machines to repair factories or scrap yards. It received the RAF service number P-8523. This service was onerous, flights were carried out without radio communication, navigation maps, often in bad weather, and it also required learning about the piloting of various types of aircraft supplied, including twin-engine bombers like Vickers Wellington . She was the first Polish woman to fly 1000 hours on combat aircraft. She was promoted to a degree during the warlieutenant pilot of war time and then to the rank of captain of a war pilot . She married then aviation colonel Stanisław Karpiński .

 

[Conhoon]

Carlist militiaman Benito Martinez Albero in the streets of Bilbao, Spain 19 june 1937.

Martinez Albero was married and had two children and also two brothers who were in the requeté (red berets), name of the Carlists militia. Albero died in Pamplona on September 17, 1973 and is buried in the Cemetery where he carried out the modest work as a gravedigger for many years. The conquest of Bilbao was a big morale booster for Carlism due to its symbolism of not being conquered despite being besieged for many times during all 19th century by their forefathers.
Carlism is a Traditionalist and monarchist political movement in Spain aimed at establishing an alternative branch of the Bourbon dynasty– one descended from Don Carlos Maria Isidro, Count of Molina (1788–1855) – on the Spanish throne. The movement was founded in consequence of a dispute over the succession laws and widespread dissatisfaction with the Isabeline /Alfonsine line of the House of Bourbon. It was at its strongest during most part of the 19th Century but experienced a revival following Spain's defeat in the Spanish–American War in 1898, when Spain lost its last remaining significant overseas territories of Cuba, Guam, the Philippines, and Puerto Rico to the United States, it's revanchism and disdain for the so call "Liberal Monarchy'' was passed through generations by the veterans of the three previous Carlist Wars.
The Carlist militia, the Requeté, had been receiving military training during the Second Spanish Republic, to prepare them to defend churches and political rallies as a result of the unrest that was spreading in Spain. With the July 1936 revolt and the ensuing Spanish Civil War, the Carlists fell naturally if uneasily on the side of the Nationalist rebels. Although being in the Victor's side the movement slowly died as a result of being merged with Falange and other right wing parties into a single unified one.

 

[Conhoon]

Tram conductor in Seattle not allowing passengers aboard without a mask, during the “Spanish Flu” Influenza Pandemic in 1918

260,000 of these masks were made by the Seattle Chapter of the Red Cross which consisted of 120 workers in only three days.
The pandemic lasted for three years, from January 1918 to December 1920. About 500 million people were infected across the world. It killed 50 million to 100 million people — three to five percent of the world's population at the time. This means it was one of the deadliest natural disasters in human history.
To maintain morale, wartime censors reduced reports of illness and mortality in Germany, Britain, France, and the United States; but papers could report the epidemic's effects in neutral Spain (such as the grave illness of King Alfonso XIII). This situation created the false impression of Spain being especially hard-hit. It thus resulted in the nickname Spanish flu. (from Wikipedia)

 

[Conhoon]

On the 11th of April 1917, Australians of the 4th Division launched an attack on the German defences of the Hindenburg Line that, whilst successful, ultimately failed to achieve any meaningful strategic outcome. Despite managing to break the German line, the Australians received no support from the British and were forced to retreat.

To assist the Arras operations, an attack was launched on Bullecourt on 11 April 1917 by the 4th Australian and 62nd British Divisions. The attack was hastily planned and mounted and resulted in disaster. Tanks which were supposed to support the attacking Australian infantry either broke down or were quickly destroyed. Nevertheless, the infantry managed to break into the German defences.
Due to uncertainty as to how far they had advanced, supporting artillery fire was withheld. The next day, the Australian troops were subjected to withering machine-gun fire, and nearly a third were killed or wounded.
They broke through the German line but at terrible cost, and they fought ferociously until – as suspected – they were hemmed in and forced to retreat.
The two brigades of the 4th Division that carried out the attack, the 4th and 12th, suffered over 3,300 casualties; 1,170 Australians were taken prisoner - the largest number captured in a single engagement during the war. It was a terrible waste of Australian lives.
Less than a month later, in the Second Battle of Bullecourt, the Australians and British fought alongside each other again. This time, they achieved better results, successfully taking the German trenches, despite counter-attacks and artillery bombardment. Check back on the 3rd of May to read more about the Second Battle of Bullecourt.

 

[Conhoon]

Soldier of the British Army training with an M1928 Thompson sub-machine gun in a gas mask during World War II, UK, June 1941.

The Thompson was used in World War II in the hands of Allied troops as a weapon for scouts, non-commissioned officers (corporal, sergeant, and higher), and patrol leaders, as well as commissioned officers, tank crewmen, and soldiers performing raids on German positions. In the European theatre, the gun was widely utilized in British and Canadian commando units, as well as in the U.S. Army paratrooper and Ranger battalions, where it was issued more frequently than inline infantry units because of its high rate of fire and its stopping power, which made it very effective in the kinds of close combat these special operations troops were expected to undertake.
Military Police were fond of it, as were paratroopers, who "borrowed" Thompsons from members of mortar squads for use on patrols behind enemy lines. The gun was prized by those lucky enough to get one and proved itself in the close street fighting that was encountered frequently during the invasion of France. Through the Lend-Lease act, the Soviet Union also received the Thompson, but due to a shortage of appropriate ammunition, its use was not widespread.

 

[Conhoon]

Wounded Fallschirmjäger soldier. Italy 1943