[rabenson]

World War II is the story of the 20th Century. The war officially lasted from 1939 until 1945, but the causes of the conflict and its horrible aftermath reverberated for decades in either direction. While feats of bravery and technological breakthroughs still inspire awe today, the majority of the war was dominated by unimaginable misery and destruction. In the late 1930s, the world's population was approximately 2 billion. In less than a decade, the war between the nations of the Axis Powers and the Allies resulted in some 80 million deaths -- killing off about 4 percent of the whole world.

This series of entries will last from June 19 until October 30, 2011, running every Sunday morning for 20 weeks. In these photo essays, I hope to explore the events of the war, the people involved at the front and back home, and the effects the war had on everyday lives. The entries will follow a roughly chronological sequence, with some broader themes (such as "The Home Front") interspersed throughout. These images will give us glimpses into the real-life experiences of our parents, grandparents and great grandparents, moments that shaped the world as it is today. I hope to be able to do justice to this important story in this large-photo narrative format and invite you to join me for the next 20 Sundays.

Pictures come from
http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/ww2.html

[rabenson]

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[Faline]

Great thread and many pictures, thanks

[rabenson]

Some more

[rabenson]

The post prior is the battle of midway.
This is the North African campaign.

[Lee]

[kellyhound]

luv those moment of explosion/impact b/w pics.
Also some death pics in here
It's like taking a trip back in time.

[medicineman360]

Wow! Great post!!

I know I'm a little late to the game on this one, but I had a question 2 questions:

Near the top (#64 I think), are those Japanese soldiers? While the helmets and uniform tunics are unmistakably German, there doesn't seem to be any typical Wehrmacht insignia on the uniforms. I know there were Asians in the Wehrmacht (OstBattalion-43, for example), but I've never seen a pic.

Also the post on here you called Midway... are the pics in the second half of that from the Aleutian Island campaign? Don't recall Midway having snow. ;)

[Bastet]

This thread is a treasure chest for any war pic fan Again, I respect rabenson's effort in bringing some brilliant content here.

[rabenson]

Originally Posted by medicineman360 ↗

Wow! Great post!!

I know I'm a little late to the game on this one, but I had a question 2 questions:

Near the top (#64 I think), are those Japanese soldiers? While the helmets and uniform tunics are unmistakably German, there doesn't seem to be any typical Wehrmacht insignia on the uniforms. I know there were Asians in the Wehrmacht (OstBattalion-43, for example), but I've never seen a pic.

Also the post on here you called Midway... are the pics in the second half of that from the Aleutian Island campaign? Don't recall Midway having snow. ;)

Hey thanks
Here is the information I found

Entering their fourth year of war against Japan, Chinese military forces were strengthening their air force, producing their own armaments, and training their officers in the methods of modern war. Here, Chinese cadets in full battle dress, they favor the German type of steel helmet, on parade somewhere in China, on July 11, 1940.

And the second question you are correct. The pictures from the second half of the post are from the Aleutian Island campaign