Photographs

Ruined Warsaw buildings in 1945, rebuilt and photographed in 2016. Warsaw was effectively flattened by German forces by late 1944, with more than 80% of buildings reported to have been destroyed, but the Polish Capital was rebuilt by the 1970s with the remarkable effort of its people. Book suggestion ⤵️ …

Köln Dome Plateau, 1945 vs 2011. In the historical photograph, taken on April 4th, 1945, we can see a US corporal standing besides an US Army announcement and a wrecked German Panther tank. The announcement reads “Sight seers keep out! Beyond this point you draw fire on our fighting men. …

Danish Jews on a boat to Sweden in September – October 1943. Picture taken by one of the refugees. Due to the commendable collective efforts of Danish citizens, over 99% of Denmark’s Jewish population survived the war. The Danish resistance movement managed to evacuate no less than 7220 out of …

Danish soldiers manning an anti-aircraft gun during training, sometime in 1940. Note the distinctive shape of the M/23 helmet, used by the Royal Danish Army during World War II. Denmark was invaded by Germany on April 9th, 1940, and surrendered just two hours after the start of the invasion, as …

Yugoslav partisans and a New Zealand tank crew in Trieste, Italy, circa May 1945. The 2nd New Zealand Division and units from Josip Tito’s National Liberation Army linked up in the city on May 1st 1945, just one day before German forces in Italy capitulated. The Germans chose to surrender …

Soviet workers assemble tank engines for the Red Army at the Kirov Factory in Leningrad, 1943. Book suggestion ⤵️ 📖 Soviet Tanks And Combat Vehicles Of World War Two (Steven Zaloga, 1984)

A US convoy rider gives a lift to a loaded Chinese boy on his motorcycle in the Tengchun Cutoff, China. Date unknown. Book recommendation ⤵️ 📖 Forgotten Ally: China’s World War II, 1937-1945 (Rana Mitter, 2013) Photo source: US National Archives and Records

Sophie Scholl with brother Hans and Christoph Probst in 1942, members of the White Rose group. The White Rose was a student led resistance movement which used leaflets, pamphlets and graffiti to oppose the National Socialist regime between June 1942 and February 1943, when its core members were arrested by …

Rare World war II eastern front map showing the German Eastern front on May 10th, 1943. Notice the hash marked line indicating the frontline. In the previous months Germany had lost the battle of Stalingrad along with a number of subsequent battles, and their armies had been pushed far back, …

Aachen, Germany, 1944 vs modern days. #ThenAndNow The battle of Aachen was fought between Germany and USA during 2-21 October 1944. Aachen was part of Germany’s line of defence in the West (Siegfried line) and it was eventually captured by US forces after a grueling urban battle which destroyed the …