Photographs

Lt. Robert L. Hite carried by Japanese captors

Robert L. Hite

U.S. Army Air Force Lieutenant Robert L. Hite is carried from a Japanese transport plane after he was flown from China to Tokyo along with seven other captured US airmen. Lt. Robert L. Hite was co-pilot of crew 16 (B-25B s/n 40-2268 Bat out of Hell, 34th Bomb Squadron) of …

Italian Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 Sparviero in flight

Savoia Marchetti SM 79 Sparviero

The Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 “Sparviero” (Sparrowhawk) was an Italian medium-bomber with three engines, developed in 1934 and employed in service of the Regia Aeronautica during the entire duration of World War II. The “Sparviero” had various uses, being employed as a transport aircraft, a medium bomber and a torpedo bomber. There …

Stuka squadron flying over Poland

stuka squadron flying over poland

Ju-87 “Stuka” squadron flying a mission over Poland sometime in September 1939 during the German invasion. The famous “Stuka” dive bomber, officially known as Junkers Ju 87, was one of the most successful aircrafts of World War II – although it became vulnerable by the time Germany lost air superiority, …

Moroccan Goumier soldier in Italy, 1944

moroccan goumier soldier

Moroccan Goumier soldier photographed while sharpening his bayonet sometime during 1944 in the Italian hills. Goumiers were indigenous Moroccan soldiers recruited from various tribes in the Atlas Mountains, and serving as an extension to the French Army of Africa between 1908 and 1956 (although officially they were under the rule …

US and Soviet troops meet for the first time, 1945

us and soviet troops meet for the first time

US and Soviet troops meet for the first time during World War II at the Elbe river near Torgau, a town in Saxony, Eastern Germany. The historic meeting took place on April 25th 1945, a date which came to be known as “Elbe Day”. Book suggestions: ⤵️ 📖 The Last …

Finnish soldier with his dog, undated

finnish soldier dog ww2

Finnish soldier from the Dog Corps photographed in the snow together with a beautiful and vigilant German Sheperd. The image, while reportedly taken during World War Two, is not specifically dated. We can see that it’s not just the soldier who is wearing protection from the Finnish blizzard, but the …

Douglas SBD Dauntless bomber on the Pacific seabed

douglas dauntless ww2 sunk seabed

A sunken Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber of the US Air Force is lying on the Pacific Ocean seabed with another Allied aircraft behind it, which appears to be a Douglas SBD Dauntless as well. The pictured bombers are just two of many US aircrafts which were intentionally dumped in …

Italian troops pictured in Addis Ababa, 1936

second_italian_ethiopian_war

Italian troops pictured in Addis Ababa during the Second Italo-Ethiopian War, image taken in May 1936. The Second Italo-Ethiopian war was a conflict predating World War II, lasting from October 1935 until February 1937. The war started on the 3rd of October 1935, when Italian troops attacked Ethiopia from Eritrea …

24th Panzer division advancing towards Stalingrad

24th panzer division stalingrad

The 24th German Panzer Division advancing towards Stalingrad sometime during August 1942. After initially serving in Northern France, the division moved to the Eastern Front in June 1942, where it was part of the Fourth Panzer Army in Army Group South. The 24th division was encircled and destroyed outside Stalingrad …

German tanks in Kasserine, Tunisia, 1943

german tanks kasserine ww2

German tanks advance in Kasserine, Tunisia, February 1943. This was the first major battle between US and Axis forces in World War II in Africa. The Germans initially ran over the inexperienced American battalions, but, eventually, with reinforcements and British help, the Americans were able to recapture their positions and …