World War II dragged the world through its darkest years. The war claimed the lives of millions and left in its tracks destruction that could never be fully repaired. There are massive collections of photographs that have been taken, but how many of them have you actually seen? How many of them have been removed history books? Now is your chance to see them for yourself.
Worthless Money
When the Allies forced the Germans to pay for the damages they caused during the First World War, the country spiraled into a depression. Money lost its value and hyperinflation tortured the population. It was at this time that Hitler found a tool to work for his propaganda campaign against the Jews and other minorities he wished to push the blame onto. These children find perhaps the only use for the heaps of bank notes that were deemed null and void.
Worthless Money
Hermann Goering’s Collection
The Nazis went into full war mode as they attacked their neighbors with a tactic called “Blitzkrieg”. As part of their conquest of Europe, the fascist group looted art galleries and museums, stealing anything that they wanted for themselves. An Allied soldier inspects some of the pieces that made up Nazi Hermann Goering’s collection of stolen art pieces.
Hermann Goerings Collection
Seeing The Truth
Many German soldiers claimed to have never been aware of the atrocities their own army was committing. But when the Allies captured these German soldiers, they made sure that they saw exactly what their comrades had done to the poor populations confined in death and labor camps. The Allies forced these soldiers to watch footage of the camps, regardless of how disturbing it might have been.
Seeing The Truth
Young Soldiers
As the city of Berlin was on the brink of total capture and conquest by the Allies, Adolf Hitler took to extreme measures. He called up the local population to fight until the final moments of the war. All the while the dictator himself secured himself in his basement while children, the elderly and women all took to the fight for him. This is 16-year-old Hans-Georg Henke, and he’s filled with despair and fear as the Allies have just captured him and his city.
Young Soldiers
Saving Civilians
The Japanese had long lived by the notion of dying with honor before surrendering. Japanese propaganda also instilled fear in the local population about American soldiers, claiming that they were rapists and murderers. This U.S. soldier helps a Japanese woman emerge with her baby from a hiding place.
Saving Civilians
Reversing The Roles
Despite the Nazis’ efforts to erase the evidence of the atrocities that they committed, the Allies saw it all. Many of the Nazis who guarded the labor and death camps around Germany and Poland tried to flee as the Allies rescued the camp survivors. This striking image shows a Jewish Holocaust survivor holding one of the guards in place while he fixes a rifle on him.
Reversing The Roles
Hungarian Mini Tanks
While you may have heard of light tanks, there’s probably a great chance you haven’t heard of “mini tanks”. The Hungarian army created these small tanks so that they could move quickly and stealthily. Unfortunately for the Hungarians, the project was a failure and it cost them dearly.
Hungarian Mini Tanks
The Japanese Surrender
The United States effectively ended World War II when they dropped the two infamous bombs, “Big Boy” and “Fat Boy”, on Hiroshima and Nagasaki respectively. Following the attacks, Japan surrendered to the Americans, and made it official on September 2nd, 1945 aboard the USS Missouri. The war may have officially ended, but the world would still suffer for generations to come.
The Japanese Surrender
Hitler’s Retreat
One of Hitler’s prized possessions was his “Eagle’s Nest” estate atop the Berchtesgaden Hills. Most people don’t know, but Adolf Hitler had a fear of using the elevator on the property, as he believed that it could be struck by lightning, but perhaps his greatest fear should have been the strikes that came from the Allies on the site near the end of the war.
Hitlers Retreat
Female Tank Commander
Aleksandra Samusenko was the only female tank commander in the 1st Guards Tank Army. She earned herself Order of the Red Star for her brave and decisive actions during the Battle of Kursk, one of the most difficult battles during World War II. Sadly Samusenko lost her life in battle not long before the war came to an end.
Female Tank Commander
Close Kamikaze Call
Even though Kamikaze pilots’ success rate was as low as 19%, they were still a frightening weapon to those on board naval vessels. This image shows a Kamikaze pilot closely missing a U.S. ship and only because those on the ship managed to shoot him down.
Close Kamikaze Call
Strange Tactics
While there are a number of beliefs behind the polar bear costume in Germany, we’ll name just one. The man in the bear costume was adopted by the public as a mascot of calm, especially during World War II. Some do believe however, that the Germans used these bear costumes as a means of scouting out the enemy.
Strange Tactics
Can’t Destroy His Spirit
The man you see in the picture is Georges Blind. He is smiling as he waits for the German firing squad to end his life. True to the French Resistance he was a part of, he defies the Nazis right until his final moment.
Cant Destroy His Spirit
Burning The Belsen Concentration Camp
When British soldiers arrived at the Bergen-Belsen camp, they were met with the head of the camp and some 50 or so other guards who didn’t flee like the rest of them. The camp was infested with typhus and as a result many of the prisoners were still dying on a daily basis after their liberation. The British ordered the guards, at gunpoint, to bury the bodies in a mass grave, forcing them to do so without protective gloves. After the burials were complete and the survivors delouse, a British general ordered his soldiers to burn the camp.
Burning The Belsen Concentration Camp
A Moment’s Silence
There weren’t many times during World War II that provided time for rest and relaxation. These U.S. Marine Corps soldiers find time to cool off and calm themselves. Even though they’re resting here, the peace and quiet didn’t ever really last.
A Moments Silence
An Odd Lighter
World War II was the catalyst for some genius technological creations, but this lighter was not one of them. Two German soldiers find an irregular way of lighting up their cigarettes, and that’s with the help of a flamethrower.
An Odd Lighter
Belgian Beer
From September 2nd, 1944, the Allies fought tirelessly to free Belgium from the grip of the Germans. It was on the 4th of February, 1945 that the Allies successfully rid the country of the Nazi forces. Canadian soldiers take a moment to enjoy cold, local beer.
Belgian Beer
Burying The Dead
Similar to the truce of Christmas during World War I, certain respects are paid even to the enemy. These American soldiers stumbled upon a grave of an American soldier who died in battle. The enemy buried him, and the Americans dedicated a “wreath” of sorts over his grave.
Burying The Dead
D-Day Scenes
As part of Operation Overlord, it took more than 1 million Allied troops to successfully pull off the D-Day landings on French beaches. The Allies killed more than 200,000 German troops and destroyed thousands of guns and tanks, but not without suffering major casualties themselves. German soldier who surrendered can be seen at the top of this photograph as American soldiers lead them away.
D Day Scenes
Feeding Polar Bears
While the Germans used the cold of the European winter to march POWs for miles, the Russians embraced the cold weather as they were quite used to it. These Soviet tank soldiers feed polar bears from their tank as temperatures reach extreme lows.
Feeding Polar Bears
Finding The Humor
According to Hitler, the superior Aryan race would rule the world. He believed that an Aryan should have the striking features of blond hair and blue eyes amongst other things. Ironically though, Hitler himself did not possess either of these two features. An American soldier humorously imitates the German leader with his black one-sided hairstyle and “mustache”.
Finding The Humor
Flight Photographers
Seeing pictures of World War II in grayscale usually removes the element of reality from them. But there were many times that photographers shot in color, and even years later did many black and white photos get colorized. Photographers pose before embarking on another aerial war photo shoot.
Flight Photographers
German POWs
While the statement goes that “all is fair in love and war”, the Geneva Convention does protest that. During World War II, prisoners of war received different treatment depending where they were. The Germans and Japanese claimed their notorious title of being ruthless with their captives. Here hundreds of German POWs stand together in Nonant-le-Pin, France, in August, 1944.
German POWs
Germany’s Railway Gun
It doesn’t even look real due to its enormous size. The Schwerer Gustav railway artillery gun was supposed to annihilate France’s strongest forts on the French Maginot Line. The massive gun weight more than 1,350 tons, fired at targets as far away as 29 miles, but could only shoot a single shell every 30 minutes.
Germanys Railway Gun
The Railway Gun Captured
American soldiers gleefully stand on top of a German railway gun that they captured after the successful landings of D-Day. Railway guns were not a new means of fighting, they were used in wars of the past too.
The Railway Gun Captured
Getting Fit
While Europe was ablaze with war, America had opted to isolate themselves from the fighting and only provided help to the Allies by means of weapons and supplies. However, the Americans understood that they might need to join the war, and that is why the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 was initiated. All men from ages 18 to 45 had register for the army draft. Before this, America had never made a compulsory draft during peacetime.
Getting Fit
Having Fun
While America was late to join World War II, they brought a certain positive spirit with them. These Naval servicemen enjoy themselves aboard a ship while they get closer to seeing the first action of the war.
Having Fun
Hitler In Paris
Hitler was ecstatic when the Germans conquered the city of Paris. He organized a tour of the city with top military officials, although that tour only lasted about three hours. He visited the Eiffel Tower, and many other places, and commented that Paris was one of the most beautiful cities he’d ever seen. But then he added that Berlin should be and would be more beautiful.
Hitler In Paris
Napping Kitten
While a war is raging around you, there’s probably no time for anything else. These servicemen proved that it is possible to do more than just fight, and this kitten was probably more thrilled than they were.
Napping Kitten
Pearl Harbor
It was on December 7th, 1941, that Japanese bombers flew over Pearl Harbor and decimated the naval base there. The attack caught America by surprise and it killed 2,335 American citizens. The attack also effectively brought the United States into World War II.
Pearl Harbor
Remote Controlled Tanks
Germany had tried its hand at many new and innovative ideas when it came to weapons. One such example were miniature tanks with the role of driving up to enemy positions, or even under enemy tanks, and explode on detonation. The tanks were remote-controlled, but they were also slow and expensive.
Remote Controlled Tanks
Rescued
Even until the final moments of World War II, the Nazis were sending prisoners to their deaths. These Jewish women with their children are overwhelmed as Allied soldiers break them out of a cargo train that was transporting them to an extermination camp.
Rescued
Safe Children
Seeing as the German Luftwaffe bombed British cities on a nightly basis, concerns that they would start dropping poisonous gas bombs became real. Authorities distributed gas masks to all citizens, and that children. In some cases there were even special masks made for animals.
Safe Children
The Australians
As part of the British Empire, soldiers from her colonies came to support the fight against the Axis Powers. Australia sent some 1 million men and women, with most of them being deployed in North Africa at the start of the war. Australians, having a unique sense of humor, create a sign on the El Alamein road.
The Australians
The Colonel
Whether you choose to believe this story or not is your call. But a military man by the name of Colonel Anthony Joseph Drexel Biddle specialized in hand-to-hand combat. It was his duty to train soldiers in this form of combat, and he did so during both World War I and World War II. The story goes that he instructed his Marines to all attack him with their bayonets, and then he disarmed them all before they could get him.
The Colonel
Time To Nap
The destruction caused from the air by the British RAF and the German Luftwaffe was basically entire obliteration of towns and cities. This RAF pilot takes a well-needed and well-deserved nap between flight missions.
Time To Nap
Unlikely Allies
When the pact between the Soviet Union and Germany fell apart on June 22nd, 1941, Russia was suddenly facing an unexpected enemy. Later when America joined the war, both Russia and the United States would become allies by default.
Unlikely Allies
War Umbrellas
Not exactly what you would expect from a war zone. But this picture is quirky and eye-opening all at the same time. Soldiers driving their tanks through a village use umbrellas to keep themselves dry from the rain.
War Umbrellas
Airborne
This photograph was snapped sometime in October 1942. The unit you’re looking at is a part of the 295th Squadron of the Royal Air Force (RAF) which was created on the 3rd of August, 1942. Their job was to drop leaflets into France during World War II.
Airborne
After Effects
The effects of the Holocaust lasted long after the prisoners were freed by the Allies. This young girl lived in a concentration camp, survived the persecution, and was brought to a home of disturbed youths. Here she is drawing her own depiction of “home”. The year is 1948.
After Effects
Another Comic
Although most Westerners believe that the war was won by the Western Allies, history actually tells a different story. Regardless, when Berlin was overrun by the Allies, American troops took a moment to make fun of the dictator who had started the mess that was World War II.
Another Comic
Approaching Omaha Beach
The five beaches that the Allies stormed on D-Day were: Omaha Beach, Gold Beach, Juno Beach, and Sword Beach. The Allies knew that they had to arise successfully over their German enemies, even if it meant the cost of life would be high, and it was high.
Approaching Omaha Beach
Arming The Planes
After the First World War ended, the Women’s Royal Navy Service was disbanded, even though it had only been active for two years. But in 1939 the unit was reopened as Britain desperately needed all the manpower they could get. These skilled women arm a plane before it heads out into the dangerous skies over Europe.
Arming The Planes
Avid Readers
British citizens quickly grew accustomed to Luftwaffe raids on their cities. When morning came firefighters and rescue workers searched through the rubble for survivors. Others went to the local library to look for their next read.
Avid Readers
Battle Of Iwo Jima
This is probably one of the most iconic photos from World War II. American soldiers on the island of Iwo Jima, erect the American flag atop Mount Suribachi. The Japanese soldiers had fortified themselves into the mountain side and fought one of the fiercest battles of the war.
Battle Of Iwo Jima
Celebrating In Moscow
When the Allies eventually toppled the Third Reich, celebrations were held worldwide. In the Russian capital of Moscow, Red Square came alive to the sound of music, dancing and fireworks.
Celebrating In Moscow
Dodging The Sniper
During World War II, German snipers were one of the Allies’ greatest worries. These soldiers were highly trained and rarely missed their targets. Soldiers run for cover as a American Sherman tank provides as much cover from a German soldier as possible.
Dodging The Sniper
Exhausted
Days went by without soldiers getting any rest. These soldiers from the U.S. Army eventually relax with a cup of coffee after having gone a few days without food or sleep.
Exhausted
Flying Over Egypt
What a beautiful sight it is to see the Pyramids of Giza from the air, but during the Second World War perhaps it was different. North Africa was the theater for some of the most intense battles of the war as German and Italian forces battled a Commonwealth coalition force.
Flying Over Egypt
Hitler’s Death
On April 30th, 1945 both Adolf Hitler and his newly married mistress, Eva Braun took their own lives. The news of his death was met with sadness at the German embassy in Sweden, prompting them to lower their flag as a sign of mourning.
Hitlers Death
Haircuts In The Desert
The Commonwealth coalition fought in North Africa on land, at sea and in the air. This Canadian pilot gets an experience he hadn’t ever expected – a haircut in the middle of the desert in Tunisia.
Haircuts In The Desert
Iconic Leader
Russia was the only country to truly be able to hold back the Nazis and their relentless “Blitzkrieg” tactic. This Russian lieutenant courageously leads his men into a battle zone that would cost both sides a heavy price.
Iconic Leader
Inflatable Tanks
Both the Allies and Axis Powers came up with some bizarre weapons as World War II raged on. The Americans came up with a “unit” that was made up of inflatable tanks, trucks with massive speakers that played the sounds of tanks driving, and fake uniforms with fake insignia. These tactics paid off and allowed the Allies to attack German positions by fooling them into thinking that they were attacking from a different place.
Inflatable Tanks
Left Behind
The Nazis slaughtered millions of Jews and other minorities, but that wasn’t all they did. The ruthless Nazis also stole all the valuable possessions of their victims, as can be seen in this picture of thousands of wedding rings that belonged to Jewish victims.
Left Behind
NYC Celebrations
At the start of the Second World War, Americans generally took the stance of isolationism. When Japan sneakily attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941, the American mindset changed. When the war eventually came to an end, Americans celebrated all throughout the country, but perhaps no celebration was as big as this one in New York City.
NYC Celebrations
Queen Elizabeth
The young Queen Elizabeth knew exactly how to make an impression on her fellow citizens. Even the royal family was no exception to the war effort as she became a mechanic and truck driver during the war.
Queen Elizabeth
“Rip” The Rescue Dog
Aside from the Queen doing her part, there were also others who did theirs. This is “Rip”, and he was a rescue and recovery dog during the war. If Rip had not been present following the air raids on London, fewer people would have been rescued.
Rip The Rescue Dog
Star Struck
Artillery has the ability to attack targets which are miles away from the guns that shoot at them. This image shows American soldiers recovering in the shell of a tent after an intense German bombardment.
Star Struck
Sweethearts
The Netherlands didn’t want to have any involvement in World War II, but that quickly changed on May 10th, 1940 when Germany invaded. These young Dutch girls happily escort Allied soldiers to a traditional dance ceremony.
Sweethearts
Taking Cover
With the German invasion of the Netherlands, Dutch citizens were overwhelmed by the excessive violence the Nazis entered with. Civilians in Amsterdam try their best to take cover while German soldiers fire bullets around them.
Taking Cover
The Eagle’s Nest
Hitler’s favorite and most impressive estate was in southern Germany, the “Eagle’s Nest”. Hitler took pleasure in hosting high-ranking Nazi officials and his mistress here, but perhaps these American soldiers are experiencing more pleasure knowing that the dictator is out of the den.
The Eagles Nest
The Protector
All Jews were forced to wear the Star of David in public wherever the Nazis ruled. A Muslim woman bravely protects a Jewish woman by covering the star that identifies her religion.
The Protector
Young Scout
When the young men were dying on the front lines, other soldiers were conscripted into the military. This young, 15-year-old Soviet teen is given the massive responsibility of scouting for the Red Army.
Young Scout
Post D-Day
Despite losing massive numbers of soldiers on the five beaches of Normandy, the Allies eventually overtook the Germans and liberated France. The horrors of that day would continue to haunt those who fought there for the rest of their lives.
Post D Day
Disbelief
The United States kept a firm isolationist stance during the first two years of World War II, only sending arms and ammunition across the Atlantic to Europe. But when Pearl Harbor was attacked, that all changed. These American sailors are shocked as they watch the massive USS Shaw burning in flames.
Disbelief
Hell On Earth
Believe it or not, the Allied beach landings at Normandy were put off by a single day because of bad weather. This eerie photograph shows what the chosen day looked like and we can honestly say that the weather looks far from suitable.
Hell On Earth
Conforming Under Pressure
The Nazis moved quicker than anyone could have thought to take over their neighbors in Europe. A Czechoslovakian woman reluctantly raises her arm in the notorious heil, shedding tears as she’s overcome with helplessness and despair.
Conforming Under Pressure
Fighting The Flames
Carpet bombing was a devastating method of fighting, but both the Germans and the British did it. These firefighters furiously fight fires that followed Luftwaffe bombings.
Fighting The Flames
Messages To The Enemies
American and Soviet soldiers found they had a mutual enemy and that worked for them until the end of the war. They sent special “gifts” to the Hitler together.
Messages To The Enemies
Crash Landing
We can’t imagine it being an easy feat landing an airplane on a moving aircraft carrier. On November 2nd, 1943, Ensign Byron M. Johnson safely escapes from the aircraft that he crash landed on the USS Enterprise.
Crash Landing
Gifts For Hitler
One of the last places any person would want to find themselves during a holiday would be on the battlefield. American soldiers find a way to bring the spirit of Easter to the grounds of World War II.
Gifts For Hitler
Homeless Women
The date is February 11th, 1943, and it happens to be the day after a severe Luftwaffe raid on Newbury in England. Two women come back to the location where their houses once were, only finding complete destruction instead.
Homeless Women
Protecting The Seas
Soldiers fighting on all fronts came in at very young ages. This American soldier poses for the camera off the coast of New Guinea, as he shows his readiness for battle.
Protecting The Seas
Desecration
It would take years to rebuild what was destroyed by the atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In this photograph you can see religious artifacts turned to debris in the streets of Japan.
Desecration
Keeping It Formal
In keeping with British proper behavior, two soldiers appropriately shake hands from the tops of each of their tanks. They’re situated in Tobruk in Libya, October 1942.
Keeping It Formal
Flying Over Romania
The photographer who managed to capture this shot of Ploiești in Romania, would be the only one of 16 photographers to survive. The picture shows the aftermath of an American air raid on the city back on August 1st, 1943.
Flying Over Romania
The Crowds Gather
The only thing more surreal than this photograph is the moment that it was taken. Crowds gather to witness the celebrations in Paris after the Nazis were fought out of France. This breathtaking view from on top of the Arc de Triomphe says it all.
The Crowds Gather
Sitting Amongst The Carnage
In what started to become an all-too-familiar scene, children sit outside the ruins of their home. This scene would not be exclusive to England, as the war raged on, it would become a common picture in Germany too.
Sitting Amongst The Carnage
Hitler Declares War On America
Honoring his agreement with Japan, Adolf Hitler declares war on the United States of America after they declared war on Japan. He stands here in the Reichstag building in Berlin on December 11th, 1941.
Hitler Declares War On America
Night In Gibraltar
With searchlights blaring in the background on the island of Gibraltar, a British military plane awaits departure back to home.
Night In Gibraltar
Fighting For Attention
Taken in 1944, this young boy clings onto the legs of his father while he makes a short visit back home for Christmas.
Fighting For Attention
Sole Survivor
This is the site of a horrifying crime that the Nazis committed. 643 French citizens were forced into a church, and then the soldiers set it ablaze. Only one boy survived this heinous massacre – a boy by the name of Roger Godfrin.
Sole Survivor
Cloud Of Death
Desperate times call for desperate measures, and the Americans were desperate to end the war. In two separate attacks, American bombers dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As they wished, these actions would lead to Japan’s surrender in August 1945.
Cloud Of Death
Celebration And Love
Following the Japanese surrender, Americans become overwhelmed with joy. The streets of filled up with people, servicemen and servicewomen, and a heaps of good cheer. New York City was alive with love and celebration.
Celebration And Love
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
Under the dwindling conditions of Nazi rule over the Warsaw ghetto in Poland, groups of Polish Jews decided to start a revolt. Between April and May 1943, using a weak armament of weapons, these Jews attempted to fight back, but to no avail. Instead many were killed, wounded and arrested.
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
Realizing Defeat
Although there were many large-scale and significant battles during World War II, the Battle of Kursk, was one of the most prominent. It was the turning point for Russia and her allies on the Eastern Front. A German soldier meets his ill-fate as he is captured by Soviet troops.
Realizing Defeat
Doing The Haka
Not a sight one would expect to see is that of Maori soldiers serving in the Second World War. These soldiers, who shipped in from New Zealand, perform a traditional tribal war cry, in the Egyptian desert, called “the haka”.
Doing The Haka
Getting The Talk
As the days to D-Day crept up, it became more and more clear how difficult the mission to take the beaches of Normandy would be. In England, American General Dwight D. Eisenhower speaks to a group of paratroopers before they head out to the mission that would change the war in the West.
Getting The Talk
Liberating France
It wasn’t the end of the war yet, but it was certainly a time for celebration in France. On August 26th, 1944, the Allies liberated France from the grip of the Nazis.
Liberating France
Frozen Submarine
While cruising through the freezing waters of the Arctic Sea, a German submarine’s crew poses for a picture in 1942. The conditions were freezing, as the frozen-over gun visually proves.
Frozen Submarine
Katyushka Barrage
A massive barrage of Soviet Katyusha rockets fire out on the Eastern Front in 1941. Artillery proved to be an effective weapon during the war.
Katyushka Barrage
Air Power
This image would be daunting for any enemy. A sky full of American planes and a sea full of American ships enter Tokyo Bay in 1945.
Air Power
Caught
This well-timed photo shows an American soldier calls to a German soldier to come out of his hiding place in September 1944.
Caught
Industry Boom
Possibly one of the best ways to get out of a recession is through war. Most industries sprang to life, creating jobs and forcing manufacture on a massive scale. This armaments factory shows this concept clearly.
Industry Boom
Overcome With Anguish
As the Nazis marched into Paris with their heads held high, the feeling of pride and happiness was not shared. This Parisian man can’t help but show his emotions as he realizes the consequences of the Nazi takeover.
Overcome With Anguish
Iconic World War Two Moment
This is perhaps one of the most iconic photographs from World War II. American soldiers erect the American flag atop Mount Suribachi in the island of Iwo Jima.
Iconic World War Two Moment