Photographs

Italian battleships Vittorio Veneto (left, foreground) and Littorio (right, background) firing their main batteries in the Mediterranean during World War Two, sometime between 1940 and 1943. Vittorio Venetto and Littorio were sister battleships, and both saw extensive service during the war – particularly Vittorio Venetto. Both ships were surrendered to …

Japanese infantrymen preceded by an artillery barrage, advancing over defensive lines in China, Peking sector, on August 19th, 1937, during the Second Sino-Japanese War. The Second Sino-Japanese War started in the Summer of 1937, predating the official start of WWII by two years (but being very much a part of …

An old Russian lady sobbing among ruins during the siege of Leningrad. The blockade and encirclement of Leningrad was one of the longest and most horrific sieges in history, lasting 872 days between September 8th 1941 and January 27th 1944, when the weakened Axis forces were expelled by the Soviet …

The Katyusha rockets were dreaded by German soldiers, which nicknamed them “Stalin’s organs”, due to the appearance of their launch pad and the terrifying sound they made. They were mentioned in many memoirs by German soldiers on the Eastern Front. The Katyusha Multiple Rocket Launcher was so effective that it’s …

Wehrmacht soldiers overseeing a transport of Jewish people to a workplace. Warsaw Ghetto, 1941. The Warsaw ghetto was established in late Autumn 1940 by German authorities in order to separate Jewish people from the rest of the population. Jewish people would then be deported to work and concentration camps. The …

Canadian soldier immortalized with a beaten German prisoner of war (Panzergrenadier member of the SS 12 Hitler Youth Panzer Division). Caen, France, August 9th 1944. Book suggestion ⤵️ 📖 Escape from Canada! The Untold Story of German POWs in Canada, 1939-1945 (John Melady, 1981)

Dejected Japanese prisoner of war sits with his fellow apprehended soldiers behind barbed wire in US captivity. Okinawa, June 1945. Around 307 Japanese soldiers were captured within the last 24 hours of the famous Battle for Okinawa by the US Sixth Marine Division. Book suggestions ⤵️ 📖 The Battle of …

Drancy internment camp in the suburbs of Paris, France, in August 1941. In the image we see the inner courtyard and the horse shoe shape of the housing blocks. The camp was under the command of Adolf Eichmann’s assistant, Alois Brunner. Drancy was operational between 20 August 1941 and 17 …

The 1945 photo was taken by British forces during the Battle of Weeze, which was part of the Allied operation “Veritable”. The Weeze Town Square, seen in the images, was 87% destroyed during the War. Book suggestion ⤵️ 📖 The Rhineland 1945: The Last Killing Ground in the West (Ken …

Brazilian soldiers are greeted by Italian civilians as they arrive in the city of Massarosa, September 1944. Brazil was the only South American country to send troops abroad in World War II. The Brazilian Expeditionary Force consisted of 25.900 men who fought for the Allied Cause in the Mediterranean Theatre. …