Photos From Korea to the Falkland Islands - colourised images of conflicts after World War II.

5/1479 Private L. J. Best of Sniper Section, Brigade Headquarters, 3rd Battalion the Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR), displaying the Sniperscope which is attached to a .30 calibre United States Carbine. The scope is battery operated and the battery is carried in the pack on his back. Kapyong Valley, Korea. 15/4/1952

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The soldiers of 3RAR were mostly Second World War veterans and all had volunteered for service in Korea. In October 1950 3RAR, operating as an integral battalion within the British Commonwealth 27th Brigade took part in the pursuit of the broken North Korean army after the Pusan breakout. Hard fighting followed as 3RAR along with all other UN forces contended with the Chinese intervention. In July 1951 the 1st Commonwealth Division was formed to which the Australian Army contributed two infantry battalions as part of the 27th Brigade which was later redesignated the 28th Brigade. The Korean War was above all an infantryman’s war which the Australian battalions, composed as they were of veteran soldiers, engaged in with consistent competence. Even though Australians were offered few opportunities for higher operational command the Australian Army did provide the most senior leadership positions of the British Commonwealth forces in Korea with Lt. General Sir Horace Robertson being the first of four Australian Lt. Generals to fill that role. During the three years of the Korean War the Australian Army deployed 10,657 soldiers. Of these 276 were killed in action, 16 died from other causes, 1210 were wounded in action and 23 became prisoners of war. One died while a prisoner. (korean-war.commemoration.gov.au)

(Source - Australian War Memorial 147849)
good idea for modiflied sniper rifle
 
This is the M3 carbine - an M2 with an active infrared night vision scope system "Sniperscope".

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Operation "Castor", started on November 20, 1953, is a military operation of the French army entrusted to General Gilles, whose goal was to take over the Dien Bien Phu region.

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This photograph shows two US Marines, Sergeant Richard E. Cly and an unidentified Marine rifleman displaying a captured North Korean flag after the fierce fighting at Chosin Reservoir in November and December 1950.

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Sgt. Cly, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, served with the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines in Korea.

Capturing an enemy flag is often considered one of the greatest of battlefield achievements and flags are highly prized as both war trophies and souvenirs.

During the Battle of Chosin Reservoir Captain William Barber earned the Medal of Honor for his actions as commander of Fox 2/7. F/2/7 held a position known as "Fox Hill" against vastly superior numbers of Chinese infantry, holding the Toktong Pass open and keeping the 5th Marine Regiment and the 7th Marine Regiment from getting cut off at Yudam-ni. His company's actions to keep the pass open, allowed these two regiments to withdrawal from Yudam-ni and consolidate with the rest of the 1st Marine Division at Hagaru-ri. The mission to relieve F/2/7 on top of Fox Hill also led to LtCol Raymond Davis, then commanding officer of 1st Battalion 7th Marines, receiving the Medal of Honor.
In addition to Chosin, the Battalion participated in the Inchon Landing, the recapture of Seoul and operations along both the Eastern and Western Fronts.

(Source - NARA FILE# : 127-GK-234A-A4692)

(Colourised by Doug)
 
A column of troops and armor of the 1st Marine Division move through communist Chinese lines during their successful breakout from the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea, December 1950.

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While not a victory in the classic sense, the withdrawal from the Chosin Reservoir is revered as a high point in the history of the US Marine Corps. In the fighting, the Marines and other UN troops effectively destroyed or crippled seven Chinese divisions which attempted to block their progress. Marine losses in the campaign numbered 836 killed and 12,000 wounded. Most of the latter were frostbite injuries inflicted by the severe cold and winter weather. US Army losses numbered around 2,000 killed and 1,000 wounded. Precise casualties for the Chinese are not known but are estimated at 35,000 killed. Upon reaching Hungnam, the veterans of Chosin Reservoir were evacuated as part of the large amphibious operation to rescue UN troops from northeastern Korea.

(Photo by Corporal Peter McDonald USMC)

(Colourised by Royston Leonard UK)
 
'Lieutenant Colonel 'H' Jones, VC, OBE'

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Lieutenant Colonel Herbert Jones, VC, OBE (14 May 1940 – 28 May 1982), known as H. Jones, was a British Army officer and posthumous recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC). He was awarded the VC after being killed in action during the Battle of Goose Green for his actions as commanding officer of the 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment during the Falklands War.

VC citation
On 28th May 1982 Lieutenant Colonel Jones was commanding 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment on operations on the Falkland Islands. The Battalion was ordered to attack enemy positions in and around the settlements of Darwin and Goose Green. During the attack against an enemy who was well dug in with mutually supporting positions sited in depth, the Battalion was held up just South of Darwin by a particularly well-prepared and resilient enemy position of at least eleven trenches on an important ridge. A number of casualties were received. In order to read the battle fully and to ensure that the momentum of his attack was not lost, Colonel Jones took forward his reconnaissance party to the foot of a re-entrant which a section of his Battalion had just secured. Despite persistent, heavy and accurate fire the reconnaissance party gained the top of the re-entrant, at approximately the same height as the enemy positions. From here Colonel Jones encouraged the direction of his Battalion mortar fire, in an effort to neutralise the enemy positions. However, these had been well prepared and continued to pour effective fire onto the Battalion advance, which, by now held up for over an hour and under increasingly heavy artillery fire, was in danger of faltering. In his effort to gain a good viewpoint, Colonel Jones was now at the very front of his Battalion. It was clear to him that desperate measures were needed in order to overcome the enemy position and rekindle the attack, and that unless these measures were taken promptly the Battalion would sustain increasing casualties and the attack perhaps even fail. It was time for personal leadership and action. Colonel Jones immediately seized a sub-machine gun, and, calling on those around him and with total disregard for his own safety, charged the nearest enemy position. This action exposed him to fire from a number of trenches. As he charged up a short slope at the enemy position he was seen to fall and roll backward downhill. He immediately picked himself up, and again charged the enemy trench, firing his sub-machine gun and seemingly oblivious to the intense fire directed at him. He was hit by fire from another trench which he outflanked, and fell dying only a few feet from the enemy he had assaulted. A short time later a company of the Battalion attacked the enemy, who quickly surrendered. The display of courage by Colonel Jones had completely undermined their will to fight further.

Thereafter the momentum of the attack was rapidly regained, Darwin and Goose Green were liberated, and the Battalion released the local inhabitants unharmed and forced the surrender of some 1,200 of the enemy.

The achievements of 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment at Darwin and Goose Green set the tone for the subsequent land victory on the Falklands. The British achieved such a moral superiority over the enemy in this first battle that, despite the advantages of numbers and selection of battle-ground, the Argentinian troops never thereafter doubted neither the superior fighting qualities of the British troops, nor their own inevitable defeat.

This was an action of the utmost gallantry by a Commanding Officer whose dashing leadership and courage throughout the battle were an inspiration to all about him.

His Victoria Cross is displayed at the National Army Museum in Chelsea, London.

Cleaned up & Colourised by Paul Reynolds
 
Baseball great Theodore 'Ted' Samuel Williams in his F4U Corsair, early in the Korean War. Later in the war he would give up the propeller Corsairs to fly the F2H Banshee.

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Williams played the 1942 season with a III-A selective service deferment because he was the sole support for his divorced mother, but following the season he enlisted in the naval aviation program. His choice of service was not surprising since he grew up in a "Navy town," and aviator Charles Lindbergh was one of his childhood heroes. Williams later noted that he first became interested in flying after watching the Navy's majestic lighter-than-air ship "Shenandoah" (ZR-1) in the sunny skies over San Diego as a lad.

Williams learned about tactics and weapons as he practiced advanced navigation, aerial combat maneuvering and formation flying. His athletic ability, steady hand and excellent eyesight made him a very good pilot. In fact, he was good enough to set the Marine gunnery record at Jacksonville, Fla. Williams once again was having an outstanding "rookie" season.

In mid-1944, Marine aviation in the Pacific was in the doldrums. Japanese fighters had been swept out of the air, and the only enemy targets within range of American land-based aircraft were isolated islands left to wither on the vine as the Marines island-hopped across the Central Pacific toward Japan. Marine bombers flew daily "milk runs" to hit those bypassed bases, but the days of dogfighting fighters crisscrossing the skies over the "Solomons Slot" were gone.

With fighter pilots no longer in high demand, the most promising student aviators were made flight instructors, and that is what happened to 2dLt Williams. He finally received orders for the combat zone in the summer of 1945 and was in San Francisco when the war ended. Although the fighting was over, Williams still went to Hawaii, where he played service ball and fished the Hawaiian waters while waiting to muster out.

As the Korean War heated up, the Marines desperately needed pilots-and Williams was one of the best. He returned to active duty six games into the 1952 season. After hitting a home run in his last at bat, he hung up his spikes to don flying boots to patrol the skies of Korea instead of Fenway Park's outfield. Although initially bitter at being called up, Williams later remarked, "The guys I met in the Marine Corps were the greatest ... guys I ever met. " Like them, he reluctantly accepted that going to Korea was the right thing to do.

Williams joined the "Willing Lovers" (a nom de guerre taken from the squadron's "WU tail letters) of VMF-311 at Pohang on Korea's eastern coast in early 1953. Captain Williams flew 39 combat missions, his plane was hit by enemy gunfire on at least three occasions, and he was awarded three Air Medals before being sent home with a severe ear infection and recurring viruses in June. Williams was formally discharged from active duty on 28 July 1953, the day after a cease-fire in Korea went into effect.

Once again he picked up where he left off. He returned to the playing field in August 1953, hitting a home run on his second at bat. He wound up the year hitting .407 in 37 games. He played six more seasons, had the highest batting average twice (1957 and 1958) and played in seven All-Star games after returning from Korea despite impaired hearing as a result of his Korean service.

After leaving baseball, Williams became a well-known outdoorsman and was often seen duck hunting or fishing. The Splendid Splinter succumbed to cardiac arrest at Crystal River, Fla., on 5 July 2002. He was 83 years old.

(Colorised by Chris Whitehouse)
 
Capt. Philip K. Whitehouse USMCR, in his McDonnell F2H-2P Banshee, Photo Recon Aircraft at Pohang, Sth Korea, August 1953

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"My dad trained in Corsairs at the end of WWII, and was delighted with the ending of the Pacific war because he was certain that he would have been in on the invasion of the Japanese home islands.
After the war he got his degree in civil engineering at Northwestern while he remained in the reserves.
With two children and one on the way he was called back to Korea. He was not at all happy about this, having seen his sister, with a child and one on the way, lose her husband in 1944. He was quite upset that the same could well happen to his wife.
Based in Pohang, he flew reconnaissance over North Korea. He spoke of harrowing flights when he rode up the coast at low altitude shooting sideways into the land and seeing men scrambling to call ahead to their anti-aircraft guns.
Another time he was chased for quite a ways by Chinese MIGs, with nothing to defend himself but cameras. The Air Force boys in their F-86s came to his aid and chased them off. Decades later he spoke of this time and gave thanks to those men while standing in front of an F-86 at the Wright Patterson museum in Dayton.
But even with this, he was always grateful not to be pounding the ground with the other Marines!"

(Colorised and written by his son Chris Whitehouse)
 
A U.S. Navy Grumman F9F-2 Panther (BuNo 123469, nicknamed "Papasan") attached to fighter squadron VF-71, Carrier Air Group Seven (CVG-7), on the USS Bon Homme Richard (CV-31) flies over Task Force 77 engaged operations against North Korean targets on 1 August 1952.
The carriers were USS Bon Homme Richard (CV-31), USS Essex (CV-9) (right) and the USS Princeton (CV-37).

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"Papasan," 101/L, was usually flown by LCDR J. M. Hill, commander of VF-71 off the USS Bon Homme Richard.

(Source - U.S. www.defenseimagery.mil photo no. HN-SN-98-07207; NARA file no. 80-G-480645)

(Colorised by Doug)
 
F-86 Pilot Captain Lonnie R. Moore of 335th FIS 4th FIW in Korea, 1953.

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Lonnie R. Moore (13 July 1920 - 10 January 1956) was a U.S. pilot who flew 54 combat missions in Martin B-26 Marauders during World War II, and whom became a double jet ace during the Korean War, downing ten MiG-15s and one probable while flying North American F-86 Sabres.
He was killed in a flying accident involving a new fighter, F-101A-15-MC Voodoo at Eglin AFB, Florida, 10 January 1956 aged 35.

(Nb. this photo could have been taken to mark his 5th 'Kill' on 18 June 1953 in the F-86F Sabre -15 'Billie' 51-12972.
This airplane was lost due to a mid air collision with another Sabre on 11 July 1953, but Lonnie Moore was not the pilot on that day.

On 30 April 1953, Moore was forced to bail out of a disabled F-86F-2, 51-2803, due to an engine stall following cannon-firing, 20 miles Nth of Ch'o Do Island, coming down in the Yellow Sea.
He was plucked from the water as soon as he got out of his parachute harness by a YH-19 helicopter of the 3d Air Rescue Squadron that had monitored his descent.

(Colorized by Tom Thounaojam from India)
 
US 72nd Heavy Tank Battalion, 2nd (Indian head) Division commander fires the 50cal. machine gun from his M4A3E8 Sherman (Easy Eight) tank . Battle of Kapyong , Korea. April 1951.

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Despite heavy losses, the tankers halted a massive North Korean offensive carried out largely by the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army.

On April 24 and 25, 1951, North Korean forces broke through the allied main line near Kapyong, not far from Mount Seorak and the 38th Parallel.

Fighting alongside South Korean, Canadian and Australian service members, 1-72, in particular, showed valor. The unit’s forward elements became completely surrounded by enemy troops and received their supplies by airlift.

The battalion’s Alpha Company received a presidential unit citation for their action. (www.stripes.com)

(Colorised by Benoit Vienne from France)
 
A pair of M-40 155mm GMCs of Battery B, 937th Field Artillery Battalion, providing fire support to U.S. Army 25th Infantry Division, Munema, Korea, 26 November 1951.

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The M40 155mm Gun Motor Carriage was a self propelled gun based on a modified M4A3 Sherman chassis. It arrived too late to see significant service during the Second World War, but was used in large numbers during the Korean War.

The 937th Field Artillery Battalion was mobilized on the same day as the 936th and moved to Fort Hood, TX for training. It arrived in Korea on the same ship as the 936th and fired its first combat mission April 3, 1951.
The battalion went in to line with the I Corps on April 30 near Uijongbu, Korea. During the Chinese Spring Drive the battalion fell back to Seoul and was moved to IX Corps. Battery A continued with X Corps and was attached to the 1st Marine Division. On May 17, 1952 the Battalion was attached to 2nd Division, IX Corps.
For the action with 2nd Division, Battery C and Headquarters Battery received the Distinguished Unit Citation.
The battalion continued in general support to IX Corps from July 28, 1953 until October 9, 1954. The 937th fired 223,400 combat rounds in Korea and suffered 13 killed in action and 156 wounded in action.

(Colourised by Royston Leonard from the UK)
 
'Lieutenant Colonel 'H' Jones, VC, OBE'

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Lieutenant Colonel Herbert Jones, VC, OBE (14 May 1940 – 28 May 1982), known as H. Jones, was a British Army officer and posthumous recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC). He was awarded the VC after being killed in action during the Battle of Goose Green for his actions as commanding officer of the 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment during the Falklands War.

VC citation
On 28th May 1982 Lieutenant Colonel Jones was commanding 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment on operations on the Falkland Islands. The Battalion was ordered to attack enemy positions in and around the settlements of Darwin and Goose Green. During the attack against an enemy who was well dug in with mutually supporting positions sited in depth, the Battalion was held up just South of Darwin by a particularly well-prepared and resilient enemy position of at least eleven trenches on an important ridge. A number of casualties were received. In order to read the battle fully and to ensure that the momentum of his attack was not lost, Colonel Jones took forward his reconnaissance party to the foot of a re-entrant which a section of his Battalion had just secured. Despite persistent, heavy and accurate fire the reconnaissance party gained the top of the re-entrant, at approximately the same height as the enemy positions. From here Colonel Jones encouraged the direction of his Battalion mortar fire, in an effort to neutralise the enemy positions. However, these had been well prepared and continued to pour effective fire onto the Battalion advance, which, by now held up for over an hour and under increasingly heavy artillery fire, was in danger of faltering. In his effort to gain a good viewpoint, Colonel Jones was now at the very front of his Battalion. It was clear to him that desperate measures were needed in order to overcome the enemy position and rekindle the attack, and that unless these measures were taken promptly the Battalion would sustain increasing casualties and the attack perhaps even fail. It was time for personal leadership and action. Colonel Jones immediately seized a sub-machine gun, and, calling on those around him and with total disregard for his own safety, charged the nearest enemy position. This action exposed him to fire from a number of trenches. As he charged up a short slope at the enemy position he was seen to fall and roll backward downhill. He immediately picked himself up, and again charged the enemy trench, firing his sub-machine gun and seemingly oblivious to the intense fire directed at him. He was hit by fire from another trench which he outflanked, and fell dying only a few feet from the enemy he had assaulted. A short time later a company of the Battalion attacked the enemy, who quickly surrendered. The display of courage by Colonel Jones had completely undermined their will to fight further.

Thereafter the momentum of the attack was rapidly regained, Darwin and Goose Green were liberated, and the Battalion released the local inhabitants unharmed and forced the surrender of some 1,200 of the enemy.

The achievements of 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment at Darwin and Goose Green set the tone for the subsequent land victory on the Falklands. The British achieved such a moral superiority over the enemy in this first battle that, despite the advantages of numbers and selection of battle-ground, the Argentinian troops never thereafter doubted neither the superior fighting qualities of the British troops, nor their own inevitable defeat.

This was an action of the utmost gallantry by a Commanding Officer whose dashing leadership and courage throughout the battle were an inspiration to all about him.

His Victoria Cross is displayed at the National Army Museum in Chelsea, London.

Cleaned up & Colourised by Paul Reynolds

Looked at this for ages wondering what was bugging me. Its a minor thing but Para Reg rank badges have a pale blue edging to them.

see the below for what I mean...


Otherwise some great stuff @Conhoon - keep them coming!
 
MEN WITH GREEN FACES" 1969 U.S. NAVY SEALS DOCUMENTARY VIETNAM WAR


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Gloster Meteor F8 RAAF No.77 Squadron undergoing maintenance at Kimpo, South Korea.

The contribution made by 77 Squadron during the three years of the Korean War is totally out of proportion to its size. During the war the Squadron flew a total of 18,872 sorties, comprising of 3,872 Mustang sorties and 15,000 Meteor sorties. The effect this had on the enemy was devastating; 3,700 buildings, 1,500 vehicles, 16 bridges, 20 locomotives and 65 railway carriages destroyed. The outstanding results achieved by 77 Squadron, evidently much higher than usual for a single squadron, would not have been possible without the support of 391 (Base) and 491 (Maintenance) Squadrons. The level of technical support was outstanding, resulting in close to 100% serviceability for the Mustangs and Meteors. To achieve this, maintenance crews often worked up to sixteen hours per day under extremely harsh, and often wet, conditions.

It must not be forgotten though, that 38 personnel lost their lives and seven pilots were captured serving their country.

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Korean KP decorates Christmas tree set up in front of serving counter of HQs & HQs Co, 19th Inf Regt, 24th US Inf Div, as Christmas Day dinner is readied for men of the Co. Korea. 25 December 1951.

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Battle weary Marines seek consolation with God. A painting depicting Christ, 'The Prince of Peace', consoling a battle-weary Marine, provides an appropriate background in the Korean tent, where a Protestant navy chaplain, Lt. Karl Ernst, from McLean, Texas leads First Division Marines in prayer. December 15, 1952

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The painting was created by 29 year old fellow Marine, Master Sergeant Russell G. Vickers from Paris, Texas.

(Source - AP Photo/FW)

(Colourised by Royston Leonard from the UK)
 

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