Photos Colour and Colourised Photos of WW2 & earlier conflicts

Imperial German Navy, Wittelsbach Class Battleship SMS Zähringen at anchor in Ulvik.

Royal Navy catholic chaplain prepares to undertake mass onboard the Polish Navy destroyer ORP Garland, 3 May 1940

1914: French cavalry patrol composed of Dragoons and Chasseur à Cheval on a dusty road, France

Portuguese troops landing in France, during the first world war, in the year 1917.
Portugal, among other reasons, entered the conflict to honor its close relations with England, and to defend its overseas territories, especially on the African continent. The Portuguese declare war on the central powers on March 9, 1916.
However, since the beginning of the conflict, Portugal had maintained battlefronts in Africa to defend the territories of Angola and Mozambique.
With the declaration of war, from 1917 onwards more than 100 thousand soldiers from Portugal and its colonies left for the front.
At the end of the war, Portugal suffered more than 30,000 casualties, with 8145 soldiers dead and 6,000 missing, the rest of the numbers refer to wounded (mainly by gas) and cripples, these military casualties happened both in Africa and in European battlefields. .
Text Ph Lacerda.
Colorized By Henrique M

Berlín,May 3rd of 1945

Soldiers who participated in the assault on the Reichstag. In the foreground a "son of the battalion".

Learning to "balance the boat" at submarine school. Taken from a 1943 Signal magazine.

TARAKAN, BORNEO. 1945-04-30. SAPPER R.A.R. STEVENSON (1), AND LANCE-CORPORAL R.C. MACE (2), MEMBERS OF 2/13 FIELD COMPANY, ROYAL AUSTRALIAN ENGINEERS, EXHAUSTED AFTER THE INITIAL ATTEMPT TO GET ASHORE AT LINGKAS TO BLOW WIRE DEFENCES, REST IN A LANDING CRAFT VEHICLE-PERSONNEL BEFORE A LATER SUCCESSFUL ATTEMPT AT FULL TIDE.


Colourised by Benjamin Thomas.

Marine showing a katana, date and place unknown

Wing Commander Roland P. Beaumont, wing leader of No. 150 Wing, leaning against a Hawker Tempest Mk. V of No. 3 Squadron RAF at Newchurch Advanced Landing Ground, Kent. June 1944


read more: http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/beamont.htm
(Photo source - © IWM HU 92120)
Colourised by Doug

A nice air-to-air photo of P-40E Kittyhawk JZ-I (NZ3040) of No.15 Squadron operating out of RNZAF Base Whenuapai. This aircraft was eventually transferred to No.2 OTU (Operational Training Unit) at RNZAF Base Ohakea were it was re-coded FE-A.


On 23 October 1942 this aircraft was destroyed when the pilot baled out following a mid-air collision with Hawker Hind NZ1540 whose crew also successfully baled out.
Photo source: Air Force Museum of New Zealand, PR184.

Bombardment of Bethune in April 1918.
Sergeant of the British Intelligence Corps questioning a civilian in the deserted streets, 10 May 1918.


(Photo source - © IWM Q 11006)
Colourised by Doug

A cheering Luftwaffe Gefreiter poses in the cockpit of a destroyed Dutch Fokker G1 'Mercury' (reg. 302) attack aircraft as it was bombed by the Luftwaffe in the early morning of May 10th, 1940 during the German invasion of the Netherlands. Military Airfield Waalhaven, Rotterdam.


Of the eleven G-1 Mercury present at Waalhaven [ten ready to fly], eight had taken off. The 302 and 334 were destroyed on the ground for their first scramble, two were eliminated in the air battle. Of the eight G-1s that took off, six had entered the battle with good results.
They had managed to secure eleven victories and five possible. Six He-111P, 1 Ju-52, 1 Ju-87B, 1 Ju-88 [crashed in Germany, Münster], 1 Do-17Z and one Bf-109D were confirmed by multiple sources and witnesses. Three BF-109s, a Ju-52 and a He-111 may have also been shot down. It is almost certain that two Bf-109s [landed at Spijkenisse and Hoekse Waard] were shot down in the early morning and could not be attributed to a "perpetrator".
A He-111P is used by the German researcher Dr. Weiss booked that early morning as having been shot "six kilometers south of Dordrecht" while Dr. Weiss also separately recognizes the He-111P at Zevenbergschen Hoek. In addition, according to Dr. Weiss, a total of four Ju-52s were shot down by the G-1s and another four emergency landings were made by Ju-52 at Waalhaven because of the G-1 yachts.
Colourised PIECE of JAKE
Caption: https://www.grebbeberg.nl/index.php?page=een-inleiding
Source: NIMH Vliegvelden in oorlogstijd

BravoZulu said:

Marine showing a katana, date and place unknown
View attachment 385443

Click to expand...

This website claims the photo was shot during the battle of Tarawa (November 1943):

10 May 1940
Belgian girls try to give flowers to troops riding a Norton 'Big 4' motorcycle combination in Herseaux as the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) crosses the border into Belgium. (4th Northumberland Fusiliers motorcycle battalion, 50th Northumbrian Divison.)


(Photo source - © IWM F 4344)
Malindine E G (Lt)
War Office official photographer
Colourised by Doug

2nd Polish Corps on the battlefield at Monte Cassino
11 - 18 May 1944.
With victory secured by the Allies on 18 May 1944, the Battle of Monte Cassino, one of the toughest and bloodiest battles of World War II, takes a special place in Polish history.



In April 1944, the 2nd Polish Corps in Italy numbered about 48,000 soldiers and was part of the British 8th Army. After landing in the Apennine Peninsula.
Polish troops were given orders to defend the Sangro-Volturno river line, including front positions in the Mainarde Mountains. They would then fight in the fourth Battle of Monte Cassino on a patch of land fiercely defended by elite German units. Since January 1944, the Allies had unsuccessfully tried to break the Gustav Line, suffering heavy causalities. The bombing of the abbey and town of Cassino by (mainly U.S.) air forces in February and March turned them into ruins and made them hard to capture. The five-month-long Battle of Cassino was fought by soldiers from all continents: Europe, Africa, Asia, America and Oceania.
On the night of 11 May 1944, after long and difficult preparations, the decisive fourth battle began to break the Gustav Line by carrying out two operations which involved the encirclement of the monastery hill at Monte Cassino. The Polish advance was aimed at capturing the mountain massif of Monte Cassino-Monte Cairo. Despite fierce fighting and heavy causalities, the first attack on 12 May did not create the intended breakthrough, yet the operational objective was reached. The second attack began on the evening of 16 May. On 18 May at 9.45 am, a patrol of the 12th Podolski Lancers Regiment reached the ruins of the monastery at Monte Cassino. Soon after that, the Polish flag was raised there followed a little later by the British Union Jack next to it.
(https://polska.pl/.../histor.../monte-cassino-battle-poland/)
(Color by Mikołaj Kaczmarek‎)

A Hawker Hurricane Mark I flown by Flight Lieutenant J E "Ian" Scoular, commander of 'B' Flight, No. 73 Squadron RAF, being refuelled and re-armed between sorties at Reims-Champagne, France. May 1940


(Photo source - © IWM C 1546)
Colourised by Doug

A couple of minutes to write home,
redoubt, 6" gun from the USS Pennsylvania

Colorful pics of German 2cm Flak 30. The crew has taken time to paint their gun position in camo colors.

F/L Henry M "Mike" Ferriss (left) of No 111 Squadron RAF waits at readiness outside a caravan on dispersal at RAF Wick, Caithness alongside Hurricane Mk I JU-K sometime during February-May 1940.


On Saturday 18 May No.111 Squadron’s “A” Flight moved from Vitry to Lille/Marcq and was ordered off at 1525 hours in conjunction with No.253 Squadron’s “B” Flight to escort a Blenheim raid. En route to Valenciennes they encountered nine Bf 110s of ZG 26. Flying Officer ‘Mike’ Ferriss was flying in Hurricane L1822 as Yellow 1. He attacked the Bf 110s head-on with a three second burst from his guns. Ferriss later reported: “Front of e/a [enemy aircraft] collapsed and it dived out of control. A further three second burst was given in a beam quarter attack and pieces fell out of port engine. Aircraft spun down out of control. Crew baled out but as they were over enemy territory, I shot them both.”
Ferriss then attacked a second Bf 110 from astern at 300 yards range closing to 200 yards. He scored hits to the port engine and the enemy machine dived out of control with smoke pouring from its damaged engine. Ferriss engaged a third Bf 110 with a long burst of six seconds and reported that he saw pieces break away from one engine before it issued volumes of black smoke. The enemy dived into cloud and out of sight. Ferriss was not finished. He went after a fourth Bf 110 and expended the rest of his ammunition and scored hits. On the way back to Lille he was bounced by two Bf 110s, but they soon left him alone when he performed feint attacks at them.
He was awarded a DFC on 21 June for 7 recorded victories.
On 13 August he shot down a Dornier 17 and damaged another. Two days later he claimed another Dornier as probably destroyed.
At 1245 hours on 16 August, Ferriss attacked a formation of Dornier 17s in a head-on attack over Marden but he collided with one of the enemy bombers. Ferriss was killed and his Hurricane R4193 crashed on Sheephurst Farm. The Dornier he hit belonged to KG 76, which crashed at Moatlands, Benchley, Paddock Wood.
Flight Lieutenant Henry Michael Ferriss, DFC, is buried in St Mary’s churchyard, Chislehurst in Kent. He was a brave pilot who demonstrated great ability and fighting spirit in combat.
(http://intotheswarm.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/mike-ferriss.html)
(Photo source - © IWM (CH 106)
Daventry, Bertrand John Henry (Flight Lieutenant)
Royal Air Force official photographer
Colour by RJM

12 May 1940.
British troops move into Belgium.
3rd Infantry Division Bren Gun Carrier passes Belgian refugees on the Brussels-Louvain road.


During the night of 11 May, the British 3rd Infantry Division under the command of General Bernard Law Montgomery, reached its position on the Dyle river at Leuven (Louvain).
(Photo source - © IWM F 4404)
War Office official photographer - Lt. L A Puttnam
Colourised by Doug Colourising History