La Segunda Guerra Mundial en Color

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The Hindenberg over lower Manhattan, 1937.

LZ 129 Hindenburg (Luftschiff Zeppelin #129; Registration: D-LZ 129) was a large German commercial passenger-carrying rigid airship, the lead ship of the Hindenburg class, the longest class of flying machine and the largest airship by envelope volume.[1] It was designed and built by the Zeppelin Company (Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH) on the shores of LakeConstance in Friedrichshafen and was operated by the German Zeppelin Airline Company (Deutsche Zeppelin-Reederei). The airship flew from March 1936 until it was destroyed by fire 14 months later on May 6, 1937, at the end of the first North American transatlantic journey of its second season of service. Thirty-six people died in the accident, which occurred while landing at Lakehurst Naval Air Station in Manchester Township, New Jersey, United States

 

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US Marines with an Alberto Vargas pin-up girl picture in a landing craft, during the Battle of Tarawa, 21st Nov 1943 - D+1

Operation Galvanic
The Battle of Tarawa was a battle in the Pacific Theatre of World War II, fought from November 20 to November 23, 1943. It took place at the Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands, located in what is now the nation of Kiribati. Nearly 6,400 Japanese, Koreans, and Americans died in the fighting, mostly on and around the small island of Betio.

The Battle of Tarawa was the first American offensive in the critical central Pacific region. It was also the first time in the war that the United States faced serious Japanese opposition to an amphibious landing. Previous landings met little or no initial resistance, but this time the 4,500 Japanese defenders were well-supplied and well-prepared, and they fought almost to the last man, exacting a heavy toll on the United States Marine Corps. The US had suffered similar casualties in other campaigns, for example over the six months of the Guadalcanal Campaign, but in this case the losses were incurred within the space of 76 hours.

 

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LCT Utah
Members of the 101st Airborne Infantry Division and the 4th Infantry Division crowd aboard an LCT on the way to Utah Beach, June 6, 1944.

 

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671st Bomb Squadron A-20J A/C Serial# 43-10129 Fuselage Code 5C-I
Crew: 1st Lt. Robert E. Stockwell (Pilot), 2nd Lt. Albert Jedinak (B/N),
S/Sgts Hollis A. Foster and Egon W. Rust (Gunners)
A/C received direct hit from flak under bomb bay.
2 crew KIA not sure which, but I would imagine it was the gunners.

The Douglas A-20 Havoc (company designation DB-7) was an American attack, light bomber, intruder and night fighter aircraft of World War II. It served with several Allied air forces, principally the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), the Soviet Air Forces (VVS), Soviet Naval Aviation (AVMF) and the Royal Air Force (RAF) of the United Kingdom. Soviet units received more than one in three (2,908 aircraft) of the DB-7s ultimately built. It was also used by the air forces of Australia, South Africa, France, and the Netherlands during the war, and by Brazil afterwards.

In British Commonwealth air forces, bomber/attack variants of the DB-7 were usually known by the service name Boston, while night fighter and intruder variants were usually known as Havoc. An exception to this was the Royal Australian Air Force, which referred to all variants of the DB-7 by the name Boston. The USAAF referred to night fighter variants as P-70.

 

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C47 Skytrain over Egypt 1944, from Air Transport Command (ATC) North African Division delivering urgent supplies during WWII.

Air Transport Command (ATC) is an United States Air Force unit that was created during World War II as the strategic airlift component of the United States Army Air Forces, now know as Air Mobility Command.

By the end of World War II, Air Transport Command had developed into a huge military air carrier with a worldwide route pattern. From an organization of approximately 37,000 personnel (6,500 of them overseas) in December 1942, it numbered nearly 210,000 in August 1945, the bulk stationed overseas (150,000). By the end of the war the command had 3,090 major transports assigned. The C-47 remained the workhorse transport of ATC throughout the conflict, never exceeded in total by any other type. Its numbers remained steady throughout 1942 and 1943, but increased dramatically in the last 18 months of the war, rising to a total of 1,341.

 

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A soldier from No. 3 Commando armed with a Thompson submachine gun and wearing a balaclava, training in Largs, Scotland, 2 May 1942.

On 18th October 1942 Hitler issued his notorious ‘Commando Order’

"For some time our enemies have been using in their warfare methods which are outside the international Geneva Conventions. Especially brutal and treacherous is the behaviour of the so-called commandos, who, as is established, are partially recruited even from freed criminals in enemy countries.

From captured orders it is divulged that they are directed not only to shackle prisoners, but also to kill defenceless prisoners on the spot at the moment in which they believe that the latter, as prisoners, represent a burden in the further pursuit of their purpose or could otherwise be a hindrance. Finally, orders have been found in which the killing of prisoners has been demanded in principle.

…

I therefore order: From now on all enemies on so-called commando missions in Europe or Africa, challenged by German troops, even if they are to all appearances soldiers in uniform or demolition troops, whether armed or unarmed, in battle or in flight, are to be slaughtered to the last man.

It does not make any difference whether they are landed from ships and airplanes for their actions, or whether they are dropped by parachute. Even if these individuals, when found, should apparently be prepared to give themselves up, no pardon is to be granted them on principle."

 

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RAF Hawker Typhoon (Tiffy) firing it's RP-3 rockets.

On 10 July at Mortain, Normandy, flying in support of the US 30th Infantry Division against a German counter-attack, Typhoons flew 294 sorties in the afternoon of that day, firing 2,088 rockets and dropping 80 short tons (73 t) of bombs. They engaged the German formations while the US 9th Air Force prevented German fighters from intervening.

"The chief credit in smashing the enemy's spearhead, however, must go to the rocket-firing Typhoon aircraft of the Second Tactical Air Force... The result of the strafing was that the enemy attack was effectively brought to a halt, and a threat was turned into a great victory." Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander

 

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US Soldier of the 391st Infantry stands guard on a beach, Oahu, Hawaii 1945

 

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Anzio Beach Head Hospital, WWII.
This hospital tent was hit by mortar shrapnel killing five men inside.

 

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B-25 aircraft of 345th Bombardment Group, US 500th Bombardment Squadron attacking Japanese Sub Chaser CH-39 off Three Island Harbour, New Hanover, New Ireland, Papua New Guinea, 16th Feb 1944.
In the background is a sinking supply ship that the sub-chaser was escorting, it was in the act of re-supplying a Japanese sub when the B-25's attacked, the sub managed to dive and escape.

That sub-chaser badly damaged, eventually grounded on a reef and was sunk by the US Navy the next day.

 

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Heinkel He 111 B-2 from Flugzeugführerschule C 12 (FFS C 12).
This training flight ended badly.

 

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Operation Plunder
89th Infantry taking cover in an assault boat during the Rhine Crossing March 1945.
The S/Sgt with the stripes showing is S/Sgt C.W. Johnson

 

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A Coast Guard-manned LCVP from the USS Samuel Chase 6th June 1944 D-Day.

The men of E Company, 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry, 1st Division - "The Big Red One" many of them veterans of the landings in North Africa and Sicily and battles such... as Kessarine Pass, Le Senia Airfield and Gela were chosen to land early because of their battle experience.

Some 11 miles of the coast of France June 6th 1944 the USS Samuel Chase drops her anchor into the channel at 3:15 am.
All was quiet on the Samuel Chase when the order was given to "lower away" at 5:30 am. All that could be heard was the squeaking of the davits and the quiet whispers of the soldiers as they loaded into the LCVPs.
The landing craft were lowered into the swells and headed towards France. Here too, as at Utah, they were well away from the coast and subjected to the unsheltered waters of the Channel. All of the Chase's boats got away without incident but seasickness soon overtook most of the soldiers. They had to go through 11 miles of rough seas, strong currents, and minefields. They soon passed the battleships on their journey in and the soldiers winced as the 14-inch guns fired over their heads.

Landing on 'Easy Red' Omaha Beach at 06:45 in the face of murderous fire, two-thirds of E Company were immediate casualties (100 KIA out of 183 landing), but those remaining kept wading right into everything the enemy had and took their objective, which provided the only exit from the beach that the entire Fifth Corps had for 48 hours.

 

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December 7, 1941. Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
A small boat rescues a seaman from the 31,800-ton USS West Virginia. Note the two men in the superstructure. The USS Tennessee is inboard.

USS West Virginia (BB-48), a Colorado-class battleship, was the second ship of the United States Navy named in honor of the 35th state.

Shortly before 0800, Japanese planes, flying from a six-carrier task force, commenced a well-planned attack on Pearl Harbor. Seven 18 inches aerial torpedoes struck the port side of West Virginia. One or possibly two torpedoes entered the ship through holes made by the first torpedoes while the ship was listing and exploded on the armored second deck. She was also hit by two Type-99 #80 Mk5 bombs made from 16 in armor-piercing naval shells fitted with fins.

Prompt counter-flooding by the four damage control parties under the command of LCDR J.S. Harper, First Lieutenant together with the early closure of all water doors and hatches ordered by Harper's assistant Ensign Archie P. Kelley prevented the ship from capsizing.

With a patch over the damaged area of her hull, the battleship was pumped out and ultimately re-floated on May 17th, 1942, and docked in Dry-dock #1 on the 9th June.
During the ensuing repairs, workers located 66 bodies of West Virginia sailors who had been trapped below when the ship sank. Three bodies were found in a storeroom compartment, where the sailors had lived on emergency rations and fresh water from a battle station. A calendar found with them indicated they had lived through to December 23. The task confronting the nucleus crew and shipyard workers was a monumental one, so great was the damage on the battleship's port side.
Ultimately, however, West Virginia departed Pearl Harbor on May 7th, 1943, for the west coast and a complete rebuilding at the Puget Sound Navy Yard at Bremerton, Washington

 

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King George VI and Queen Elizabeth with a young Elizabeth (future Queen) visiting the British 6th Airborne Division on 19th May 1944.

The aircraft in the background is a Halifax ready to tow a Hamilcar glider (out of shot) and the other is a Short Sterling with a Horsa glider in tow (out of shot).

These Paratroopers are standing in front of a Albermarle transport plane. (out of shot).

 

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F-Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th PIR, 101st Airborne Division underway to Normandy aboard there C-47 #12. At 01.20 hours D-Day they jumped over DZ "C" (Hiesville).
L to R: William G. Olanie
Frank D. Griffin
Robert J "Bob" Noody,
Lester T. Hegland.

Robert "Bob" Noody second from right with the Bazooka.

"Bob landed behind the mayor’s house at Ste-Mere-Eglise. In the ensuing days, Noody utilized his bazooka to destroy a German tank that threatened his unit outside of Carentan."

Later in the war he made the Operation Market Garden jump and fought with Fox Company from Eindhoven to the Rhine. His unit was rushed to stem the German breakthrough at Bastogne. They held the line in woods next to Easy Company. He was wounded by friendly fire, and re-joined his unit at Hagenau."

He was only 20yrs old on D-Day.

 

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Lance Corporals A Burton and L Barnett, Corps of Military Police, British 6th Airborne Divisional Provost Company, guarding a road junction near Ranville, Normandy on the 9th of June 1944.
Horsa gliders can be seen in the field behind.

 

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A jeep manned by Sergeant A Schofield and Trooper O Jeavons of 1 SAS near Geilenkirchen in Germany Nov 1944. The jeep is armed with three Vickers 'K' guns (2 double and 1 single mount), and fitted with armoured glass shields in place of a windscreen. The SAS were involved at this time in clearing snipers in the 43rd Wessex Division area.

No 5 Army Film & Photographic Unit
Hewitt (Sgt)
IWM

 

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An SAS jeep in the Gabes-Tozeur area of Tunisia, 1943. The vehicle is heavily loaded with jerricans of fuel and water, and personal kit. The 'gunner' is manning the .50 inch Browning heavy machine gun, while the driver has a single Vickers 'K' gun in front, and a twin mounting behind.
No 2 Army Film & Photographic Unit
Currey (Sgt)

 

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OPERATION 'MARKET GARDEN' - THE BATTLE FOR ARNHEM, SEPTEMBER 1944

Paratroops landing at Wolfheze. Sections of gliders lie on the landing field.

Army Film and Photographic Unit
Smith D M (Sgt)
IWM