Sutton Middle High School Library: World War II

This is the full still of one of the most infamous photos of World War II. Taken from a captured German newsreel, it shows soldiers from the 1st SS Panzer Division "Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler", specifically as a part of Kampfgruppe Hansen, smoking captured American cigarettes acquired from trucks disabled during an ambush. The soldier on the left, has only recently been identified as Hans Tragarsky by historians after decades of heated dispute. He was his squad's machine gunner, and in his hands is a captured Browning Hi-Power, designated the P640(b) by the Germans. Image courtesy of the NARA (public domain).

A Tiger II Ausf. H operated by Schwere SS-Panzer Abteilung 501 passes by captured US Soldiers being marched to the rear lines by German troops during the Battle of the Bulge, December 1944. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

An American woman working at Vega Aircraft Corporation, in Burbank, California in order to aid in the war effort, 1942. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

A still from a captured German newsreel depicting an SS-Panzergrenadier squad bolting across a dirt road during an ambush of an American supply convoy during the beginning of the Battle of the Bulge, December 16th, 1944. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

A poster published by the War Manpower Commission encouraging supervisors of military manufacturing plants to treat all of their workers fairly regardless of their backgrounds, circa 1942. This was especially important as plenty of plants in the South employed hundreds of African-Americans, who were discriminated against at the time. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

A magpie is perched on the head of an Airman in the Royal Air Force as he stands on a troopship transporting him to England from France. Circa 1940 or 1944. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

A Finnish Army soldier with a reindeer raised by the Saami in the Lappland region, May 4th 1944. During the Continuation War, the Saami provided the Finnish Army with reindeers to help transport supplies to the front. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

A Japanese-American World War I veteran named Hikotaro Yamada arrives at an assembly center for Japanese-American internees, April 1942. After being processed at the assembly center, the internees would be transferred to internment camps for the duration of the war. Such camps were promoted by then-Governor Earl Warren of California, with Senator Robert Taft of Ohio being the only national figure of note to publicly come against them. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

A medic from the US Army, assisted by a German Red Cross nurse, treats a wounded German soldier's leg, during the Battle of Unna, April 11th, 1945. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

An M4 Sherman in the Pacific with a composite hull field modified with additional armor to the front of the tank to cover the cast portion of the hull, armor to the side to protect the tracks, and spare tracks being mounted to the turret to provide around 30mm of additional protection. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons (public domain),

Australian soldiers from the 9th Infantry Division guard captured men who served in the Luftwaffe, as a part of the Afrika Korps, Tobruk, Libya, 1942. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

Soviet artillerymen bombard German positions during the Battle of Stalingrad, using a 76mm F-22 USV M1939 divisional gun, September 5th, 1942. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

War correspondents from the Royal Hungarian Army interview three female Soviet soldiers captured by Hungarian troops, circa 1942, likely around Stalingrad. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

Soviet troops advance during the Siege of Budapest, January or February 1945. Courtesey of Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

US Marines Davis Hargraves and Gabriel Chavarria engage Japanese troops defending the island of Okinawa, May 1945. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

Governor Thomas E. Dewey of New York was the 1944 Republican Presidential nominee, facing incumbent Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was seeking a fourth term in the midst of World War II. He lost the election in a landslide, however he performed well enough to justify running again in 1948, when he infamously and unexpectedly lost once again to Harry Truman. This photo was taken while he was campaigning for the 1940 Republican nomination, in 1939. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

This is the full still of one of the most infamous photos of World War II. Taken from a captured German newsreel, it shows soldiers from the 1st SS Panzer Division "Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler", specifically as a part of Kampfgruppe Hansen, smoking captured American cigarettes acquired from trucks disabled during an ambush. The soldier on the left, has only recently been identified as Hans Tragarsky by historians after decades of heated dispute. He was his squad's machine gunner, and in his hands is a captured Browning Hi-Power, designated the P640(b) by the Germans. Image courtesy of the NARA (public domain).

The world in 1938, after the Anschluss and seizure of the Sudetenland. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

The world in 1930. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

The world in 1935. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

The world in 1937. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

The world in 1938, before the Anschluss and seizure of the Sudetenland. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

The world in 1938, after the Anschluss and seizure of the Sudetenland. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Mrs. Sam Crawford, wearing a Women's Land Army uniform, helps with tobacco harvesting on her husband's farm in Maryland, October 8th, 1943. Photographer unknown. Courtesy of NARA (public domain).

Jacksonville, Florida, April 1942. He’s still going strong at 72. George Cardy gave up what he considered a soft job, a watchman on a yacht, to take up his old work of servicing marine engines. “One is as young as he feels,” says Mrs. Cardy, who is grandfather and has a son in the Marines. Office of War Information/Office of Emergency Management Photograph. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Three American soldiers, returned wounded or battle-weary to the U.S. from the far-flung battlefields of the United Nations, watch a skilled teacher of the American Red Cross Recreation Unit demonstrate pottery making in the recreation room of an Eastern U.S. military hospital. Teachers in this unit of the American Red Cross are professional artists and craftsmen who donate a few hours of their time each week in hospitals all over the U.S. Office of War Information Photograph. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Brig. Gen. Robert N. Young, Commanding General of the Military District of Washington, assists Melba Rose, aged 2, daughter of Mrs. Rosie L. Madison, in viewing the Silver Star posthumously awarded her father 1st Lt. John W. Madison, of the 92nd Infantry Division, who was killed in action in Italy. Image courtesy of the NARA (public domain).

Marlene Dietrich, motion picture actress, autographs the cast on the leg of Tec 4 Earl E. McFarland at a United States hospital in Belgium, where she has been entertaining the GIs. Tuttle, November 24, 1944. Image courtesy of the National Archives (public domain).

Secretaries, housewives, waitresses, women from all over central Florida are getting into vocational schools to learn war work. Typical are these in the Daytona Beach branch of the Volusia county vocational school. Howard R. Hollem, April 1942. Courtesy of the National Archives (public domain).

Mrs. Sam Crawford, wearing a Women's Land Army uniform, helps with tobacco harvesting on her husband's farm in Maryland, October 8th, 1943. Photographer unknown. Courtesy of NARA (public domain).

A woman who is in the Lotta Svärd performing routine domestic chores in Heinola, February 1940. The Lotta Svärd was a voluntary auxiliary paramilitary organisation for women subordinated to the Finnish Civil Guard. By 1944, 242,000 women were serving in the Lotta Svärd, making it the largest womens' auxiliary group, even beating out the American ones. Women in the Lotta Svärd could have 200 different jobs, such as being nurses, caterers, radio operators, etc. In the case of the woman in this photo, it's likely she's in the catering branch. The photographer and the woman's identity is unknown. Photo courtesy of SA-Kuva (public domain).

Assorted photos taken during the Second World War of young German women serving in the Reich Labor Service. During the war, it was made mandatory for women to serve in the service for at least a year, however later in the war the service period became indefinite. Women mainly did agricultural work, however some would find themselves assisting in hospitals and factories as the war grew older. Asides from work , the service also provided a source of indoctrinating women into Nazi ideology and imposing strict gender roles as they were often trained in childcare and made to perform traditional feminine tasks. All photos are in the public domain, however the photographers are sadly unknown.

German hospitals in World War II didn't always necessarily exclusively serve patients, but oftentimes they'd feed or entertain passing units of troops to get their spirits up and get them ready for the rough time ahead. In this particular case, this German Red Cross Helferin is serving four men, clearly none of them wounded against what you might've expected previously, all of them being members of the Heer, the German Army. Photographer unknown, in the public domain.

Another additional service that the German Red Cross performed occasionally asides from feeding troops was running Feldpost stands. The Feldpost was what transported letters and packages to and from soldiers in the field. Soldiers were able to send and receive mail for free, unlike civilians, who had to pay for stamps. Each division had it's Feldpost, however it due to certain battlefield circumstances it wasn't always guaranteed a soldier could access their unit's Feldpost, so the Red Cross would sometimes run stands where soldiers would be able to approach to mail letters or seek assistance from a nurse to write a letter to send home. Photo taken on May 18th, 1944, in Cottbus, Germany, by a stand ran for the Panzergrenadier-Division "Großdeutschland". Unknown photographer (public domain).

As the war's end drew nearer, the what was until then the home front for the Germans became the frontlines. When this began, the Nazi Party's leadership began to immediately panic, ordering the mobilization of all men and boys fit enough to carry a Karabiner 98k, or a Panzerfaust 60. This included many youths in the Hitler Youth, and veterans from the First World War. In most cases, they didn't perform well in combat, if they saw combat at all, as there's multiple instances where the veterans tried convincing the youths to go home. However, there are a few recorded instances where sufficiently motivated and well led Volkssturm troops performed exemplarily in combat. This image shows an older gentleman being trained on a Panzerfaust 60. Photographer unkown (public domain).

Ilona Edelsheim-Gyulai (the woman in the center) was the wife of István Horthy, the son of Miklós Horthy, the leader of Hungary during the war, whom was slated to become his successor when the time arose. He was a fighter pilot in the Royal Hungarian Air Force during the war, and was killed after crashing his plane during routine maneuvers while stationed in Ukraine. After his death, his widow, Edelsheim-Gyulai joined the Royal Hungarian Red Cross as a nurse, and served until the end of the war, and participated in the Siege of Budapest in 1945. By all accounts she was a kind and gentle towards her patients. Photographer unknown (public domain).

A woman who is in the Lotta Svärd performing routine domestic chores in Heinola, February 1940. The Lotta Svärd was a voluntary auxiliary paramilitary organisation for women subordinated to the Finnish Civil Guard. By 1944, 242,000 women were serving in the Lotta Svärd, making it the largest womens' auxiliary group, even beating out the American ones. Women in the Lotta Svärd could have 200 different jobs, such as being nurses, caterers, radio operators, etc. In the case of the woman in this photo, it's likely she's in the catering branch. The photographer and the woman's identity is unknown. Photo courtesy of SA-Kuva (public domain).

In 1942, like many Korean Americans, the three Ahn siblings, Ralph, Philip, and Susan, children from California's first Korean immigrant family, enlisted in the U.S. military. The Ahn sister, Susan Ahn Cuddy, was the first Korean American woman in the U.S. military and the first female Navy gunnery officer. For her service in the WAVES, she reached the rank of Lieutenant. Image courtesy of the U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command (public domain).

Cologne, Germany - Cpl. Luther E. Boger, Concord, N.C., skytrooper, reads a warning sign in the street. This street leads to the Rhine River and is under observation of the Germans who occupy a stronghold there. Cpl. Boger is with the 82nd Airborne Division. 4 April 1945. The German tank is burnt out and the torsion-bars have been destroyed by the immense heat of the fire. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Junior Lieutenant Aleksey Gordeevich Yermenko, a political commissar in the Red Army, acting as Company Commander, as the official one was wounded in battle, raises his TT-33 pistol in the air, ordering his men to attack enemy positions during the Battle of Voroshilovgrad (modern day Luhansk, Ukraine) on July 12th 1942. Just moments after this photograph was captured Yermenko was killed in action by the enemy. Photo captured by Max Alpert (public domain).

A Soviet soldier riding on an American produced lend-lease M3A1 Stuart light tank aims a PPSh-41 as his unit advances on German positions during the Battle of Stalingrad, summer or autumn of 1942. The Stuart was not a popular tank in the Soviet arsenal, due to it being in their opinion it under-gunned, under-armored, likely to catch fire, and too sensitive to fuel quality. It was to the extent that Stalin himself, in a letter to FDR, warned him: "I consider it my duty to warn you that, according to our experts at the front, U.S. tanks catch fire very easily when hit from behind or from the side by anti-tank rifle bullets. The reason is that the high-grade gasoline used forms inside the tank a thick layer of highly inflammable fumes." Photographer unknown (public domain).

Major Patton RAMC, of London, assisted by Private A Haggard, of Aberdeen, removes a foreign body from a soldier's eye at No. 1 Mobile Ophthalmic Unit (MOU) in Italy, 17 March 1944. The men working in these units keep and supply forward units with spectacles as well as giving eye treatment. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

Men of the 2nd Battalion, Sherwood Foresters Regiment firing a captured German MG42 machine gun, Tunisia, 27 April 1943. The 2nd Battalion was part of the 1st Infantry Division by 1939, joining the British Expeditionary Force to France. After being evacuated at Dunkirk, it saw no action until it was sent to North Africa where it became part of the British First Army and took part in the final stages of the Tunisian Campaign. In 1944, it was one of the battalions that disembarked at Anzio, suffering extremely heavy casualties. In 1945, the unit was sent to Palestine, where it did not carry any major action until the end of the war. Image courtesy of Cassowary Colorizations (CC 2.0).

In 1942, like many Korean Americans, the three Ahn siblings, Ralph, Philip, and Susan, children from California's first Korean immigrant family, enlisted in the U.S. military. The Ahn sister, Susan Ahn Cuddy, was the first Korean American woman in the U.S. military and the first female Navy gunnery officer. For her service in the WAVES, she reached the rank of Lieutenant. Image courtesy of the U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command (public domain).

The Panzerkampfwagen VIII "Maus" was the heaviest tank ever created, weighing in at 188 tonnes. By the time the Soviets approached it's testing grounds, two prototypes were built. The Germans destroyed both vehicles before fleeing in order to prevent them from being examined by their captors, however, unfortunately for the Germans, the Soviets found a way to make it work. It so happened that one of the hulls only sustained minor damage, and the turret of the other tank also only sustained minor damage, so they were fused together to make one complete vehicle. This vehicle still exists today, and is currently on display at Kubinka Tank Museum in Russia. Photographer unknown (public domain).

Colorization of German soldiers on Spitzbergen in 1944 as part of Operation Haudegen. The mission was to control the Norwegian island of Spitzbergen for valuable weather information. Courtesy of Johannes Dornn on Wikimedia Commons (CC 4.0).

5 Soldiers of the 369th Croatian Reinforced infantry regiment in 1942. Note the soldier in the middle with his MP40 and the other soldiers with Splittertarn M31 Zeltbahnen. Courtesy of Johannes Dornn on Wikimedia Commons (CC 4.0).

The Wehrmacht in World War II when it came to the matter of transportation was unique. In the later stages of the war, it still was an avid user of horses, even having a well equipped veterinary corps with a battalion of them assigned to each division. While the use of horses to transport troops and supplies was fairly common across the major powers around the time this photo was taken, in 1940 during Fall Gelb, but by 1944, each major power had almost entirely fully mechanized, except Germany, which is ironically known for it's vast mechanized designs. Photographer unknown (public domain).

The Wehrmacht, primarily the Heer, were prolific users of captured vehicles, especially tanks. More up to date ones, such as the Soviet T-34, were used in combat as found by their new owners, though repainted with large insignia to avoid friendly fire. Other more outdated ones were mostly used for training. In some cases, they were converted into Self Propelled Guns and Tank Destroyers, such as with the Marder program. In the particular case of the vehicles in this photo, they were used to fight poorly equipped partisans, or resistance fighters. This photo was taken in Yugoslavia, and these tanks are FT-17s, of World War I vintage, captured either from the French, whom used them as reserve vehicles or the Yugoslavs. Image courtesy of Grieptoo52 on Wikimedia Commons (CC 4.0).

A Panzer IV Ausf J.'s crew, members of the 9th SS Panzer Division "Hohenstaufen" rest on the side of the road and eat after a long day fighting in tight conditions during the hot summer in September 1944, during Operation Market Garden, when Hohenstaufen and it's sister division, the 10th SS Panzer Division "Frundsberg", while refitting after heavy losses in Normandy, famously trapped British paratroopers and destroyed them, which became the plot of the movie "A Bridge Too Far". Photographer unknown (public domain).

The Panzerkampfwagen VIII "Maus" was the heaviest tank ever created, weighing in at 188 tonnes. By the time the Soviets approached it's testing grounds, two prototypes were built. The Germans destroyed both vehicles before fleeing in order to prevent them from being examined by their captors, however, unfortunately for the Germans, the Soviets found a way to make it work. It so happened that one of the hulls only sustained minor damage, and the turret of the other tank also only sustained minor damage, so they were fused together to make one complete vehicle. This vehicle still exists today, and is currently on display at Kubinka Tank Museum in Russia. Photographer unknown (public domain).