World War II was a defining moment in human history, and the photographs taken during this time capture the heroism, tragedy, and triumph of the era.
From the rubble of Stalingrad to the beaches of Normandy, these images have become iconic symbols of the sacrifices made by soldiers and civilians alike.
Let’s take a journey through some of the most iconic photos of World War II.
Wilhelm Keitel signs Germany’s surrender, 1945.Chinese child soldierRaising a flag over the ReichstagThe Blitz, London, 1940. Photo by William Vandivert.A woman cries in the rubble after the bombing of Dessau. Germany, 7 March 1945. Photo by Henri Cartier-Bresson.A US Marine gives a cigarette to a Japanese soldier, Iwo Jima, 1945.A Soviet village during the German advance, October 28, 1941.17-year-old Paul Newman enlisted in the US Navy.Marines landing at Iwo JimaA B-24 Liberator during Operation Tidal Wave, August 1, 1943.A Sicilian welcomes two US soldiers wine, July, 1943.Burial at sea on the USS Intrepid, November 26, 1944Japanese soldiers in Burma pose in front of a giant statue of Buddha, 1942.Soviet soldier with a bicycle during the Battle of Budapest, 1945German tanks during the Battle of Kursk, 1943.Prisoners of Auschwitz after their liberation by the Red Army, 1945.An American soldier wears a replica crown of the Holy Roman Empire, Siegen, Germany, 1945.NYC protest, July 7, 1941Heinrich Himmler and his family picking flowers, 1941. On June 21, 1944, French Resistance fighters in Paris shaved the heads of women accused of collaborating with the Nazis.The crematory ovens at Buchenwald, April, 1945.Canadian soldiers land on D-DayUS soldiers approach Omaha Beach during D-Day, June 6, 1944.Celebrating Germany’s surrender, Paris, FranceA Russian prisoner of Dachau after its liberation by US forces, April 29, 1945.Italian POW after the Allied landing in Sicily, July 1943US Marines, Iwo Jima, February 1945A B-24 crewman poses with his plane, 1944 – 1945Veronica Lake, a Hollywood actress, demonstrates the potential dangers for women working in factories during WWII, as her hair becomes caught in a drill press, November 9, 1943.A Russian conscript says goodbye to his family before being sent to the front lines, Karachev, Bryansk, Russia, 1943.Soldiers of the Red Army march through the main street of Kiev, Ukraine, after the city is liberated from German forces in 1943.SAS Soldiers in North Africa, 1943A family of Japanese-Americans is forcibly relocated to an internment camp, 1942. Tehran Conference, Iran, November 28, 1943.A photograph showing 2nd Lieutenant William Robertson of the United States and Lieutenant Alexander Sylvashko of the Soviet Union standing in front of a sign commemorating the meeting of their respective armies in Torgau, Germany, on April 25, 1945.The Japanese Surrender aboard USS Missouri, 1945. The ruins of the Warsaw Ghetto, which was destroyed by the German SS, are shown. The Ghetto only existed for a brief period, during which approximately 300,000 Polish Jews perished.Unpacking Mona Lisa at the end of World War ll, 1945.A crowd gathers in Times Square, New York City, to celebrate the surrender of Germany, May 7, 1945.
Excellent photographic report, very illustrative and moving. Thanks
WAR is stupid.