Photographs

Wrecked PZL P.23B Karas Polish aircraft, 1939

polish pzl23 karas aircraft ww2

A wrecked PZL P.23B aircraft, sometime in 1939. The PZL.23 Karas was a Polish light bomber and reconnaissance aircraft, designed in the early 1930s. It first flew in 1934, and entered service in 1936. The 23B variant (pictured here) was equipped with a superior Pegasus VIII engine. The PZL.23 was …

USS Nevada firing during Utah beach landings on D-Day, 1944

uss nevada firing

USS Nevada (BB-36) battleship firing its 14″/45 guns towards shore during the Utah Beach landings on June 6th, 1944. The “unsinkable” USS Nevada BB-36 was the lead ship of the two Nevada class battleships. It was launched in 1914 and served in both World Wars. Among other feats, it survivied …

U-Boat U-550 crew abandon ship and await rescue, April 16th, 1944

u-boat u-550 world war two

Crew of German U-550 U-Boat abandon ship and await rescue on the deck. April 16th, 1944. The German submarine torpedoed and sunk the massive Pan Pennsylvania tanker, which was trailing behind its convoy south of Nantucket Island. Expecting a counterattack from the US convoy CU 21, captain Klaus Hanert decided, …

Wehrmacht soldiers surrender to Soviet Troops, Tula, 1941

wehrmacht soldiers surrender

Wehrmacht soldiers surrender to Soviet troops in the district of Tula, late 1941. The Soviet soldier is carrying a SVT-40 semi automatic rifle. The SVT-40 was used intensively at the start of the war and was supposed to be the new standard rifle of the Red Army, but the German …

Love during World War Two #2

love world war two 2

1) Sweethearts embracing and kissing at the Conneticut train station in 1945, as an older couple smiles in the background. 2) French girl holding an American G.I., maybe her boyfriend, on a date sometime during the 1940s. Image might be taken somewhere around Cote d’azur (note the palm trees). 3) …

British sentry guarding injured German officer, Egypt, 1942

british sentry german officer ww2

A British sentry guarding an injured German officer, while waiting for backup, during the first two days of a British offensive in the Egyptian desert. North African campaign, November 13th, 1942. Book suggestion ⤵️ 📖 Desert War: The North African Campaign 1940-43 (Alan Moorehead, 1965)

African-American Women’s Army Corps Unit in WW2, 1945

black women world war two

Major Charity Adams, 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion of the Women’s Army Corps commander, and Captain Abbie Noel Campbell, 6888th CPD executive officer, inspect the first soldiers from the unit to arrive in England. February 15th, 1945. The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion was the only all African-American Women’s Army …

Austrian woman dancing with a Soviet officer in Vienna, 1945

austrian women soviet officer dancing vienna

An Austrian woman and a Soviet officer are dancing in the streets of Vienna after the fall of Nazi Germany in May 1945. There were many similar images of celebration in Vienna as the war in Europe came to an end, and people were hopeful for a happier future. Book …

Periscope view from a German U-Boat, 1942

periscope view u-boat

Periscope view from a German U-Boat as it hit and sunk an enemy vessel with a torpedo, 1942. Other details are unknown. Book suggestions ⤵️ 📖 Iron Coffins: A Personal Account of the German U-boat Battles of World War II (Herbert A. Werner, 1968) . 📖 U-Boat War (Lothar Gunther …