Few conflicts in history were as monumental, global, and history-setting as WWII.
Lasting from 1939-1945, it was one of the bloodiest conflicts in human history. But there were moments of beauty – aesthetically speaking, at least – that could be found within.
Whether it was the perfect alignment of falling parachutes or men raising a flag to signify victory, certain photos elicit a sort of wonder in us when we see them today.
Here are some photos of WWII that some may view as sad, others as a reminder, but all of them strangely beautiful in their own special way.
1. Falling men
In 1944, the First Allied Airborne Army Paratroops dropped over Holland. A photo was taken during the drop and it almost looks fake with how many men are dropping into the field all at the same time.
2. Saluting a fallen brother
This photo was taken in 1945 and depicts two men saluting a fellow Guardsman at his grave. The crosses (and single Star of David) in the background create a moment of gravity for anyone looking closely.
3. Flying in Formation
This photo depicts F4Us and F4Fs flying in formation shortly after the Japanese surrender at the ceremonies in Tokyo, Japan. It was taken in 1945.
4. Iwo Jima
Few images are as famous as the Flag Raising at Iwo Jima. It was one of the hardest conflicts ever fought by the US and the Pacific Theatre was brutal. This photo says it all.
5. Underground Surgery
Through the bunker and in an underground room a doctor performs surgery. It was dirty, rugged, and necessary – and it was caught on camera. It’s a special kind of beautiful.
6. Battle of Britain
This image shows St. Paul’s Cathedral burning during the Battle of Britain in 1940. It involved the German air force bombing Britain for days on end.
7. On their way home
This photo depicts Jewish kids on their way to Palestine after being released from the Buchenwald Concentration Camp. The joy on their faces can be felt nearly 100 years later thanks to a simple photo.
8. Marines taking the beach
This photo shows US Marines taking the beach at Cape Gloucester in New Britain in 1943. It shows just how chaotic storming a beach really was. We don’t envy these men their task.
9. A wounded flyer
This photo shows Kenneth Bratton being lifted from the turret of a torpedo-bomber after he was wounded on a raid. He was arriving back on the USS Saratoga.
10. At home for Christmas
The photo shows a serviceman visiting his family at home for Christmas. As you can see, his wife and child really don’t want him to leave again. It was taken in 1944.
11. Flag at Guam
Similar to the Iwo Jima scene, this photo depicts two soldiers planting a flag in Guam. It was taken in 1944.
12. Launching the ships
This is the USS Robalo being launched from the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co. in Wisconsin. The Robalo is a type of submarine and the name stands for a fish that lived in the area.
13. North African beach
The photo shows American troops moving from a landing boat to storm the coast. It was taken in 1944, a bit before the Germans went into full retreat.
14. The famous kiss
I mean, who HASN’T seen this photo! It was taken in Times Square in 1945 and shows a US Navy Officer kissing a girl in celebration of the end of the war. As it turns out, they didn’t even know each other!
15. Women working in factories
This photo shows women working on the noses of A-20 bombers in a factory in Long Beach, California. It’s a cool photo made even cooler by the precedent set by women working while men were away, setting the stage for the future of women’s rights.
16. Private Paul at church
Private Paul Oglesby was captured standing at the front of a destroyed Catholic church in Italy in 1943. It’s rugged and somber, but somehow still beautiful.
17. German Surrender in Piccadilly
This photo shows an American soldier hugging an older woman in Piccadilly, London after the German surrender in 1945. Certainly a cause for celebration.
18. Guarding a beach
This photo shows Army Private First Class Angelo B. Reina as he guards the beach in Oahu, Hawaii in 1945. It was important to have lookouts after what happened at Pearl Harbor.
19. Church on a hill
If you look carefully you can see the Roman Catholic Cathedral situated on a hill in Nagasaki, Japan. This photo was taken in 194 after the atom bomb was dropped.
20. Dust storm in camp
A dust storm was captured blowing through a War Relocation Authority Center in Manzanar, California in 1942. In short, it was an Internment Camp for Japanese Americans during the war and it was not a good thing.
21. Black troops on guard
This photo shows Black soldiers standing guard in Hawaii. Despite facing segregation, Black troops showed incredible distinction during the war and received many accolades.
22. The world record typist
The battlefield isn’t the only place wars are fought. This is Cortez W. Peters, the World’s Champion Portable Typist in 1942. Here, he is shown with ten late model standard-size typewriters that he turned over to the Government in response to their drive to collect 600,000 machines for the Army and Navy.
23. Women at work again
This photo shows women working at the Savannah Quartermaster Depot in Savannah, Georgia. It’s yet another example of the various roles that women filled during the war.
24. Americans in the snow
This photo shows American infantrymen of the 29th Regt., 75th Inf. Div. in the snow around Amonines, Belgium. It was taken in January of 1945.
25. The big guns
The photo shows a Marine team of the crack 51st Defense Battalion training at Montford Point. They would then leave to see active duty overseas during the war.
While not every photo from the war is pretty, they each have a place in our conversation and understanding today. In their own way, they have earned the special status of “beautiful,” if not just for the sacrifice associated with them alone.
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