15 Astonishing World War 2 Photos That Bomb Your Senses

April 11th, 2009



As the saying goes “A picture is worth a thousand words” – I think I’d have to disagree. I think it tells you more than that. Maybe I am too much of a WW2 fanatic, but every time I look at those images, my mind starts to analyze every tiny detail in the picture.
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Enjoy the pictures! They come with the official NARA (National Archives and Records Administration) descriptions. There are 15 in total. (Click pictures to zoom in.)
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#1 - Over the Pyramids, Egypt

An Air Transport Command plane flies over the pyramids in Egypt.Loaded with urgent war supplies and materials, this plane is one of a fleet flying shipments from the U.S. across the Atlantic and the continent of Africa to strategic battle zones. 1943. Exact Date Shot Unknown.  (Army)
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#2 Arriving in France on D-Day

Landing on the coast of France under heavy Nazi machine gun fire are these American soldiers, shown just as they left the ramp of a Coast Guard landing boat, June 6, 1944. CPhoM. Robert F. Sargent. (Coast Guard). The effect between clouds and dunes is extremely nice.
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#3 Shell After Shell

American howitzers shell German forces retreating near Carentan, France. July 11, 1944. Franklin. (Army)
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#4 Paratroopers Over Holland

Parachutes open overhead as waves of paratroops land in Holland during operations by the 1st Allied Airborne Army. September 1944. Exact Date Shot Unknown (Army)
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#5 Noisy Mortar

“Getting across the Rhine wasn’t all there was to it. There was the little matter of establishing a beachhead. We threw our mortars at them and everything else we had untill they finally gave away.” 1945. Army. Exact Date Shot Unknown (OWI)
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#6 Stay Low!

“I drew an assault boat to cross in - just my luck. We all tried to crawl under each other because the lead was flying around like hail.” Crossing the Rhine under enemy fire at St. Goar, March 1945. Army. Exact Date Shot Unknown (OWI)
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#7 Air Bombing

“The first big raid by the 8th Air Force was on a Focke Wulf plant at Marienburg. Coming back, the Germans were up in full force and we lost at least 80 ships - 800 men, many of them pals.” 1943. Army Air Forces. Exact Date Shot Unknown (OWI)
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#8 Running Into Uncertainty

Soldiers of the 55th Armored Infantry Battalion and tank of the 22nd Tank Battalion, move through smoke filled street. Wernberg, Germany. April 22, 1945. Pvt. Joseph Scrippens.  (Army)
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#9 Spotting

Observer who spotted a machine gun nest finds its location on a map so they can send the information to artillery or mortars to wipe out the position.  Iwo Jima, February 1945.  Dreyfuss. Exact Date Shot Unknown (Marine Corps)
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#10 Raising the Flag

Flag raising on Iwo Jima. February 23, 1945. Joe Rosenthal, Associated Press. (Navy) From the crest of Mount Suribachi, the Stars and Stripes wave in triumph over Iwo Jima after U.S. Marines had fought their way inch by inch up its steep lava-encrusted slopes.  Ca.  February 1945.
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#11 Rockets

Corsair fighter looses its load of rocket projectiles on a run against a Jap stronghold on Okinawa. In the lower background is the smoke of battle as Marine units move in to follow up with a Sunday punch. Ca. June 1945. Lt. David D. Duncan. Exact Date Shot Unknown (Marine Corps)
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#12 Dashing For His Life

A Marine dashes through Japanese machine gun fire while crossing a draw, called Death Valley by the men fighting there. Marines sustained more than 125 casualties in eight hours crossing this valley. Okinawa, May 10, 1945. Pvt. Bob Bailey.  (Marine Corps)
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#13 Anti-aircraft Fire

Japanese night raiders are greeted with a lacework of anti-aircraft fire by the Marine defenders of Yontan airfield, on Okinawa.  In the foreground are Marine Corsair fighter planes of the “Hell’s Belles’ squadron. 1945. T.Sgt. Chorlest. Exact Date Shot Unknown (Marine Corps)
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#14 Air Raid

USS ESSEX based TBMs and SB2Cs dropping bombs on Hokadate, Japan. July 1945. Exact Date Shot Unknown (Navy)
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#15 Hundreds of Shells

Task Force 58 raid on Japan. 40mm guns firing aboard USS HORNET on 16 February 1945, as the carrier’s planes were raiding Tokyo. Note expended shells and ready-service ammunition at right. February 1945. Lt. Comdr. Charles Kerlee. (Navy) - Note the shells on ground.

Thank you for viewing. More photos at WW2 in Color.


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Comments

  1. Charles Said on April 12th, 2009 at 8:47 pm:

    #14 would be bombing Hakodate, not Hokadate.

  2. RoNnY Said on April 13th, 2009 at 1:33 am:

    Nice collection of pictures.. i saved all of them.. thanks :)

  3. Mihailo Kotarac Said on April 13th, 2009 at 6:18 am:

    Wow!

  4. Rich Dansereau Said on April 13th, 2009 at 8:21 am:

    Simply amazing photos.

  5. susie Said on April 13th, 2009 at 9:20 am:

    Ominous - is the word that comes to mind, imagining what these men had felt at those exact moments. Great tribute to many of those that are forgotten on a daily basis.

  6. Nelwyn Said on April 13th, 2009 at 9:32 am:

    WOW!! Made me think of my Daddy, who fought in Europe, so of course I sat here and cried!! Such brave men!!

  7. Tokyo Said on April 13th, 2009 at 9:46 am:

    Fantastic pics indeed! A correction though for the NARA description of the second last pic, the place is HAKODATE not HOKADATE.

  8. Tom Said on April 13th, 2009 at 10:17 am:

    pretty amazing photos.

  9. Ben Said on April 13th, 2009 at 1:41 pm:

    Amazing photos!!!! I really appreciate seeing these in hi-res, as I’m a Marine veteran. Brings war closer to people, you know?

  10. Ariel Voskov Said on April 13th, 2009 at 2:15 pm:

    awesome photos

  11. ROBERT ESTEVA Said on April 13th, 2009 at 2:52 pm:

    Just a small glimpse of why they were called “The Greatest Generation”

    I wish our country today believed in what they did!

    God Bless Our Fighting Men and Women.

  12. tom Said on April 13th, 2009 at 5:20 pm:

    Great collection of WW2 photos…

    However, I notice a derogatory remark in picture 11.

    “…Jap stronghold on Okinawa.”

    It’d be nice to change Jap to Japanese.

  13. Japanese Man Said on April 13th, 2009 at 5:37 pm:

    “Jap stronghold” - really?

  14. Ismael Said on April 13th, 2009 at 8:57 pm:

    Wonderful photos. They do a very good job of catching some of what being in the war must have been like. Would greatly appreciate some more!

  15. abhishek Said on April 14th, 2009 at 12:00 am:

    excellent and amazing photos!!! gr8 collection!

  16. Whoa Said on April 14th, 2009 at 6:37 am:

    Id have to say my favorite is #13, that’s a lot of bullets filling the air. I can tell that those are the smoke trails but man that’s still alot.

  17. Steve Said on April 14th, 2009 at 11:06 am:

    When the pictures are from a time period with such atrocities, many of which were carried out by the Japanese, Jap works just fine.

  18. John Biggers Said on April 14th, 2009 at 11:56 am:

    We don’t have to be apologetic about calling Japanese who straved and tortured our men,then they were Japs.

  19. Jon Kolbe Said on April 14th, 2009 at 12:20 pm:

    #8 Running Into Uncertainty - WOW. Terrifying.

  20. David Said on April 14th, 2009 at 1:57 pm:

    I think historical accuracy should trump sensitivity in this case. “Jap” is what the defenders of America called the enemy. Were they bad people for doing so? If not, you should leave it alone.

  21. Ed Betts Said on April 14th, 2009 at 8:30 pm:

    It was “a Jap stronghold on Okinawa” not a Japanese Tea party of welcome. Times have changed but the tears still come for those we can never forget.

  22. JACK Said on April 14th, 2009 at 8:55 pm:

    I AM FULL OF “G O O S E B U M P S”

  23. Harold Thornton Said on April 16th, 2009 at 4:38 pm:

    Tom, when that photo was made they were JAPS;. They didn’t become Japanese until the PC police arrived in the late 60’s.

  24. Jessie Said on April 17th, 2009 at 10:05 am:

    Black and White is very appropriate. WWII Soldiers had a lucent path to a righteous end. An enemy nation(s) with distinct boarders and unique millitary insignia using traditional tactics attacked us and were clearly defeated to unequivocal surrender. Very few Americans knew any Germans or Japanese people. Nothing is that black and white anymore.

  25. ian handley Said on April 19th, 2009 at 9:01 am:

    I have about 30 world war 2 original photos where would i get them valued at ?

  26. JAFFA Said on April 19th, 2009 at 5:05 pm:

    Nice pics - but surely these are ALL US-centric? ‘American’ should be added to the list title ….

  27. Benjamin Button Said on April 19th, 2009 at 7:41 pm:

    These are true americans

  28. Beefy Said on April 19th, 2009 at 8:41 pm:

    Excellent pictures. Very interesting.

  29. Ray Said on April 19th, 2009 at 10:28 pm:

    Yes they were America’s greatest generation. They were tested more than any other and they met the test.

  30. luc Said on April 19th, 2009 at 11:24 pm:

    picture 6 looks so high def for a wwII picture, nice ones though

  31. John Said on April 20th, 2009 at 1:29 am:

    Keep in mind that the Japanese nearly “required” the US to apologize for the usage of nuclear weapons which ended the war in its entirety; while the Japanese have never thought of apologizing for anything they have bestowed to the Americans, ie. The Bataan Death March.

  32. Stephen Said on April 20th, 2009 at 5:48 am:

    Picture #4:

    If it’s really the 1st Airborn Division then the date of the picture must be September 17th 1944. That was the day Operation Market Garden started and the 1st where parachuted over Holland…

  33. FreddyF Said on April 20th, 2009 at 7:31 am:

    Don’t change the remark in picture 11, they were called japs back then and the picture is from that era, no need to be politically correct now.

  34. Capt. Said on April 20th, 2009 at 9:13 am:

    Amazing…I had 7 uncles fight in this war, it still amazes me the scale of the fighting and the incredible courage it took for these men to muster…

  35. Dimmy Said on April 20th, 2009 at 2:24 pm:

    I will be 80 in June 2009. I was 10 years old when Hitler invaded Poland.I remember many of these incidents. Great Photograpy.

  36. Roger, UK Said on April 20th, 2009 at 3:02 pm:

    American servicemen did a wonderfull job, they were not alone however…

  37. Cindy Said on April 20th, 2009 at 4:08 pm:

    Great photos-will be forwarding them to some friends with parents that served in WW II

  38. henry randall Said on April 20th, 2009 at 9:17 pm:

    Awesome men! I aspire to their courage and determination. I thank them for a job well done.

  39. Faelan Said on April 20th, 2009 at 10:25 pm:

    Beautiful. I appreciate everything these men and others have done for us.

  40. heitz13 Said on April 20th, 2009 at 11:28 pm:

    If you would like to be technical about it, it was called “nippon” before we entered the scene.

  41. bigAL Said on April 21st, 2009 at 1:12 am:

    We’re such horrible creatures.

  42. Tracy Said on April 21st, 2009 at 1:53 am:

    These are heart breaking but amazing! My Grandpa was a soldier and I know he would appreciate these photos being displayed for our generation to see. Thank You for sharing these with everyone.

  43. Chris Negado Said on April 21st, 2009 at 7:39 am:

    Today Japan is one of our staunchest allies and strongest trading partners.

    These pics are posted in the here and now not in 1940’s America.

    For over 50 years Japan has been faithful to a constitution written by an American (Doug MacArthur).

    They were our enemy but today deserve our respect.

  44. Ken Said on April 21st, 2009 at 9:54 am:

    why does one of the guys in number 3 look like tom hanks?

  45. James Coberly Said on April 21st, 2009 at 11:13 am:

    These are absolutely awesome! I’ve never seen most of them before. VERY COOL!

  46. penfold Said on April 21st, 2009 at 4:48 pm:

    #12 is a sublime photo, really special, thanks for the hookup.

    (incidentally, in Japan westerners are still called Gaijin - outsiders. When I was there it bothered me, language and perception are very close brothers. It’s not 1945 anymore, I understand the reasons for using the word ‘Jap’ but there are those it will offend and there is no good reason to do so, Japanese would be kinder.)

  47. James K Said on April 22nd, 2009 at 9:43 am:

    My father was on Iwo…doesn’t talk about that one or Guadalcanal much….everything else he’s told many, many times, like Saipan, etc… Not those two battles, though.

  48. Nathan Barley Said on April 22nd, 2009 at 10:18 am:

    Nice pics, the list really should include ‘American’ though as the US did not actually enter the war until December 1941 and the images are entirely US-centric. I was slightly dissapointed there was nothing that included Britain but is, in a way, nice to see a totally different angle from what I am used to.

    ‘Jap’ or ‘Japanese’, everyone relax and enjoy the pics as it’s not really important. I really like #2, I can’t begin to imagine what they must’ve been thinking.

  49. Pirate Pete Said on April 22nd, 2009 at 10:56 pm:

    If you’re going to call the Japanese “Japs”, you should also call the Americans “Yanks” to even it up.

    “History is only written by the victors”

  50. Mahmood Malik Said on April 23rd, 2009 at 4:01 pm:

    Wonderful work of brave photographers with brave soldiers.

  51. Mark Lopiccola Said on April 24th, 2009 at 9:36 pm:

    Great Stuff! I use your photos for many of my plastic model builds.

    Thanks
    Mark L.

  52. Scott Said on April 25th, 2009 at 4:49 pm:

    Simply amazing images…war brings out the best and worst in humanity.

  53. Henry Said on April 25th, 2009 at 6:47 pm:

    Astonishing photos! Especially the ones from Omaha Beach and Okinawa.

    It’s really fantastic to hear that the people from this era has been labeled “the great generation”. There are many things I like about the US (such as your inventions, music, movies, cities, etc), but what I adore the most is the tremendous respect you show your servicemen (ie. Chance Phelps, Randall Shughart, Gary Gordon, Alvin York, Frank Luke, Audie Murphy, Lafayette Pool, Richard Winters, etc).

    RIP to all of the dead from the 2nd world war. Especially all the soldiers from the allied nations.

    “When you get home, tell them of us and say; for their tomorrow, we gave our today” (from the Kohima Memorial, India).

    Best wishes from Norway.

  54. Adaid SEO Said on April 25th, 2009 at 7:25 pm:

    Are these photoshopped at all? If not, that is remarkable.++

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