Photos WW2 British & Commonwealth Forces

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Spitfires being assembled at Castle Bromwich, largest aircraft factory in Britain during the Second World War.

 

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Searchlights in the night sky during an air-raid practice on Gibraltar, November 20, 1942.

 

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WWII. Salisbury Plain, UK. 30 October 1940. No pressure. Private Alfred Braysher of the 2/1st Machine Gun Battalion, 6th Division (kneeling), conducts a field test by demonstrating how to dismantle a Vickers machine gun blindfolded. He is being carefully watched by his Commanding Officer (wearing slouch hat) and King George VI. [AWM P04216.001]

 

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The River Garigliano was one of Italy's many substantial water obstacles and one which Feldmarschal Kesselring incorporated into his formidable Gustav Line defences.
Essentially, the Allies had to force a crossing in order to continue their northward advance.
This they achieved between January 17th -18th 1944.
Pontoon bridges were erected and a bridgehead established in the face of fierce German counter-attacks.
Here, a British litter-Jeep bearing a casualty has made it across.
Note the chains on the rear wheels and the large red cross flag....and also the white engineer tape marking the mine-free lanes.
(LIFE / Rodger)

 

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A fish out of water?
This Royal Navy rating appears to be happy with his work...but is a long way from the sea!
He was part of a special Royal Navy Road Maintenance Unit sent ashore in Italy to help maintain roads and bridges in order to keep military traffic moving freely to the front, circa 1945.
He wears a brown leather jerkin over his RN work uniform and his sailor's hat typically perched on the back of his head.
I believe his machine is a Caterpillar D4, one of the smaller dozers, which he has christened "Nottingham Lill", though he himself is identified as one Stoker H. D. Daws of Ilkeston, Derbyshire, England.
(IWM)

 

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HMS Derwent firing a practice torpedo , Nov 25, 1942.

HMS Ark Royal with HMS Argus astern, seen from battleship HMS Malaya, probably 1942

 

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Sherman Firefly Vc T2102203 "Chaser" "C" squadron of the Sherbrooke Fusiliers (27th Canadian Armoured Regiment) outside Authie. Inspected by SS officer the day after the battle on June 8 1944. The crew is believed to have survived

 

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Bf-109G2-Trop 7 captured from the "Jagdgeschwader 53" (7.JG53) by the RAF in North Africa.

 

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Personal photos from a steward who served in HMS Victorious in 1941-42

H.M.S Victorious in 1941-1942

H.M.S Victorious

H.M.S Indomitable during a Malta convoy under air attack

H.M.S Indomitable on fire during the Malta convoy

 

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Tel el Eisa, Egypt. 21 August 1942. Lieutenant General Montgomery, Commander British Eighth Army (wearing slouch hat), with Lieutenant General Morshead, Commander Australian 9th Division (on his right), consulting with officers of the Australian Division on visiting the forward area.

 

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Troops of the West Yorkshire Regiment warily search Japanese dugouts in Meiktila, Burma, 28 February 1945.

 

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Royal Australian Air Force de Havilland Express (D.H.86) being used to evacuate Allied Wounded in North Africa - August 1942
LIFE Magazine Archives - Bob Landry Photographer

 

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Initially, the Axis enjoyed temporary air-superiority in the skies over Tunisia in the early days of the campaign whilst the Allies sought to establish their forward airfields as they advanced...which they subsequently did and then regained air-superiority.
Here we see the aftermath of a successful attack by Stukas on a British vehicle convoy on the Gabes road, east of El Hamma.
Two trucks at the head of the convoy are ablaze after being hit, but further back the Grant tank on its transporter was unscathed.
April 1st, 1943.
(IWM)

 

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WWII. UK. c 10 July - 31 October 1940. British Army Anti-Aircraft Command guns during the Battle of Britain.

 

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Infantrymen of the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders crossing the Orne River on a Bailey bridge built by the Royal Canadian Engineers (R.C.E.) en route to Caen, France, 18 July 1944.
https://amzn.to/38P7H7o

 

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1st Canadian infantry division during battle of Ortona in Italy 1943.
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Italian 90mm Cannone da 90/53 with a burst barrel on a burnt out Lancia 3Ro truck is inspected by curious British/Commonwealth personnel in North Africa - August 1942
LIFE Magazine Archives - Bob Landry Photographer

 

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In the Royal Navy, all ratings were trained in the art of tying nautical knots...of which there were many...some straightforward, some quite complicated.
Thus, practising how to tie them was essential, which is what these two ratings are concentrating on doing here!
(IWM)

 

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The Bent Wing Bastard from Connecticut.
All landings on Fleet Air Arm carriers were dangerous and many aircraft and pilots were lost to accidents even experienced ones, as a result of trying to land one of the most challenging aircraft (Chance Vought F4U Corsair ) on a short and narrow steel island that was moving away from you.
Not to mention the many many young pilots who lost their lives during training accidents, or in mock battle practice above land, or sea with the fleet.
This has been driven home by reading Norman Hanson's account in - Carrier Pilot - it follows his story of leaving the civil service and joining the FAA, his subsequent training in the US and his service in Egypt and then aboard HMS ILLUSTRIOUS with 1833 squadron in the far East.
You had to have your Witt's about you at all times, death was lurking waiting to pounce on any misjudgments and lack of concentration.
The following tragic account (one of many) highlights this very point.....
(January 44 Illustrious part of a task force is heading east)
After conducting a "defence" against simulated attacks by Beaufighters off Mersa Matruh earlier.... later off Alexandria a German Recon Ju 88 flew very high and fast over the fleet.
He was already overhead when the standby Corsair flight was scrambled, tragically too quickly for young Monteith. In his rush to become airborne, he failed to lock his wings properly in the spread position, with tragic results that, when he retracted his undercarriage as he passed over the destroyer screen, his wings folded and the aircraft plunged into the sea. He was 20 and was just engaged.....RIP.
Photos of Corsairs operating from Illustrious have detailed captions.



Corsairs and Barracudas aboard the flight deck of HMS Unicorn as she sails for Trincomalee in January 1944 with HMS Illustrious and battleship HMS Queen Elizabeth to her rear. The nearest Fairey Barracuda on the far left, P9886, went on to serve aboard HMS Illustrious, being lost in a non-fatal takeoff accident on 11 June 1944 with SLt D.B. Hayter at the controls. William Johnson photo – via Richard Mallory Allnutt collection

A Fleet Air Arm Corsair launches from the deck of HMS Illustrious in the Southeast Asia theatre. We can tell this because the Royal Navy roundel has no centre red circle and carries the bars common to the US Navy.

A FAA Corsair dropping down to catch perhaps the second or third of the arrestor wires.
Photo via Pawson Family Album

A Royal Navy Corsair seems to be torque-stalling in an attempt to put max power on for a go around. This could not have ended happily. This photograph was taken on Illustrious after she had made her way to the Southeast Asian theatre of operations, as this doomed Corsair sports the SEAC Roundels – sans red centre circle. Photo: Imperial War Museum A 29271, Lt. C.H. Parnell, RN FAA

Here rescue crews and fire crews in asbestos suits attempt to extract the pilot from this overturned Corsair on the deck of Illustrious in 1943.
Photo: Imperial War Museum A 20999, Lt. C.H. Parnell, RN FAA

 

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An early(ish) production M7 "Priest" 105mm self-propelled gun of the 11th R.H.A. / Eighth Army, negotiates some undulating ground in Sicily, July 1943.
This M7 has a three-piece transmission housing and the early M3 medium tank VVS bogies, fitted with T48 rubber-chevron tracks.
Strung across its front are the crew's packs and bedrollls.