Between 1939 and 1945, the world was divided in the greatest war ever seen on Earth. Casualties climbed into the millions while cities were bombed out of recognition. Rare color photographs have started to emerge from World War II, and now you can see them yourself. World War II has never looked more real than this.
Pearl Harbor
On December 7th, 1941, Japanese bomber planes attacked the U.S. Naval base at Pearl Harbor. The surprise attack caught the Americans off-guard, as they didn’t suspect an attack while holding an isolationist stance during the first years of the war. The attack would ultimately drag the United States into the war.
Pearl Harbor
Storm In The Desert
An American soldier from the 7th Armor Division poses from his open hatch while a photographer captures his exhausted and dusty face.
Storm In The Desert
This Is France
American soldiers perform foot patrols through a town in France during the middle years of World War II. By looking at this photograph, you wouldn’t believe for a second that this was indeed in France.
This Is France
Everyone Contributes
Back home in Fort Worth, Texas, this lathe operator works on parts that will ultimately find themselves on a transport aircraft. The war essentially brought the United States out of a financial slump as the mass industries were quickly operating at full speed.
Everyone Contributes
Patrolling The Beaches Of L.A.
This is not quite the scene on the beaches of Los Angeles today. American soldiers, along with their dogs, patrol the beaches for an Japanese ships that might be approaching the American West coast.
Patrolling The Beaches Of L.A.
Just Kids
In what seems like a moment of calm, young U.S. Army Rangers await their departure on board a water assault vessel in England. The date is June 6th, 1944, and not long after the soldier to the far left, First Sergeant Sandy Martin, would be killed in the famous D-Day landings at Normandy.
Just Kids
The Battle Of Midway
Don’t be fooled by the gorgeous blue waters of the Pacific Ocean. American planes fly strategically over the North Pacific on the way to fight the Japanese. The Battle of Midway took place only six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The battle, which took place between 1942 and 1943, brought America a decisive victory against Japan.
The Battle Of Midway
Raising Their Spirits
Music to their ears. Italian actress, Marlene Dietrich, sings songs to the wounded soldiers of an evacuation hospital as she sits atop a piano. Some celebrities brought life, laughter and encouragement to the soldiers on the front line, and to those who had returned wounded from it.
Raising Their Spirits
Sons Of Bitche
A local French girl secretly made this American flag and gave it Captain Thomas Garahan of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion. When he and his soldiers liberated this part of France in 1945, they were dubbed the “Sons of Bitche”.
Sons Of Bitche
Scorched Earth
A German soldier systematically puts his flamethrower to decimating use. These weapons would later become a staple in the Vietnam War during the 1960’s and 1970’s.
Scorched Earth
Russian Advance
Although the Germans managed to push themselves to a distance of only a few kilometers from Moscow, the Russians eventually managed to hold the Nazi Blitzkrieg off. This German soldier surrenders as he realizes his fate at the hands of the relentless Red Army.
Russian Advance
Happy In The Heat
British artillery soldiers find the best solution for the heat of battle. The British soldiers’ spirit was almost always at a high, even during the darkest days of World War II.
Happy In The Heat
D-Day Landing
Seeing this picture in color is enough to taste the nerves in this water-to-land assault vessel. A massive strength of 156,000 Allied soldiers breached the beaches of Normandy on June 6th, 1944 and successfully overran the Nazis. They didn’t do so without mass casualties, though.
D-Day Landing
Calling For Reinforcements
An American soldier in camouflage gear uses his walkie-talkie to radio request reinforcements. This color World War II picture looks nothing like what we imagine when we think of a war fought in the 1940’s.
Calling For Reinforcements
The Spotters Of World War II
Female British “spotters’ scan the sky for incoming German Luftwaffe. During World War II, German and British bombers obliterated each-other’s cities.
