Polish Flying Ace Jan Zumbach and Fellow Fighters from 303rd Polish Squadron

From left to right: Polish flying ace and Squadron Leader Jan Zumbach (13 kills), Wing Commander Stefan Witorzeńć (5 kills) and Flight Lieutenant Zygmunt Bieńkowski (1 kill). They're from 303rd Polish Fighter Squadron of Royal Air Force (Polish Fighter Squadron badge on the left, white circle with red stripes). During the Battle of Britain, September to October 1940, this squadron is famous for claiming the highest number of enemy (German Luftwaffe) kills of all fighter squadrons then in operation! The squadron was disbanded in December 1946. While servicing in the 303rd, Zumbach used three Supermarine Spitfires Mk.Vb with the Donald Duck art, and all of them were coded with RF-D but had different serials: The Spitfire Mk.Vb EN951, BM144 and EP594. The picture itself was taken in Northolt Airfield, September 1942, and showing a Spitfire Mk.Vb BM144 RF D of S/Ldr Jan Zumbach

Source:

http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/polish-flying-ace-jan-zumbach-of-the-303-kosciuszko-polish-news-photo/79155636

Luftwaffe Pilot Ready to Fly

This picture was first published in "Die Wehrmacht" magazine Nr.11, 27 may 1942 edition and showing an unknown Luftwaffe pilot sits atop of his Messerschmitt Bf 109 while preparing himself for action against the enemy, May 1942. He is wearing one of the few different sets of uniforms and combat flying suits used by the German fighter pilots during the war. Looks like a light windbreaker, which are very rare nowadays but apparently popular during the first half of the war on the Eastern front. Sometimes they also wore Privately purchased leather jackets. These are the famous 'Eastman' or 'Hartmann' jackets. Some were off the rack, some were specifically tailored. Photographs of several pilots wearing similar jackets may give the impression that these were issued-they were not, at least officially. They simply conformed to the same basic design principles, those of a civilian cycling, or flight jacket

Source:
Book "Luftwaffe at War: Luftwaffe Aces of the Western Front" by Robert Michulec
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?58845-A-short-guide-to-Luftwaffe-flight-jackets

Luftwaffe Ace Hans-Joachim Marseille

Oberleutnant Hans-Joachim Marseille, Staffelkapitän 3.Staffel / I.Gruppe / Jagdgeschwader 27 (JG 27) "Afrika", posed for the studio camera of Heinrich Hoffmann Firm in the day he received the coveted Schwerter zum Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub #12 (Swords for the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves) from Adolf Hitler, 28 June 1942 (Marseille already received the telegram from 18 June 1942). On 3 June he achieved his 75th victory, and on 17 June his 101st victory, which made him the most efficient fighter pilot of the Western Front and brought him the Eichenlaub in 6 June 1942 and Schwertern in 18 June, only a couple of days later! There is no doubt that he is the best German ace at this time. Moreover, he was also the most famous and popular German pilot who achieved enormous successes against the Britsih flyers. Marseille was described by Adolf Galland, the most senior German ace, with these words : "He was the unrivaled virtuoso among the fighter pilots of World War II. His achievements were previously considered impossible."

Source:
Book "Luftwaffe at War: Luftwaffe Aces of the Western Front" by Robert Michulec

American Warships at Ulithi Atoll

Vast array of American warships just offshore of naval base on Mogmog Island in the Ulithi Atoll, part of the Caroline Islands, 1 January 1945. Ulithi Atoll itself are home to the 3rd Fleet in late 1944. The land in the foreground is one of several depot islands surrounding the anchorage. After World War II many battleships were intentionally sunk rather than taken elsewhere to disassemble. These iron bohemoths lie at the bottom of the Atoll and as they rust their iron content leaks into the seawater changing the very chemistry of the nutrient-poor tropical waters. The occupation of Ulithi by US Naval Fleets during the war changed the Islanders’ way of life dramatically. Entire islands were razed to the ground to make room for Allied Troops. Imported food, culture and language changed the traditional ways of these remote islands. After the war a surplus of boats, fuel, and new technologies like spear-guns radically altered the effectiveness of the Islanders’ fishing techniques.

Source:
http://ulithimarineconservation.ucsc.edu/?page_id=435

Göring Family in Nürnberg at the Time of the Trial

Edda Göring and her mother, Emmy Göring, receive a handwritten letter from Hermann Göring in his death cell at Nürnberg. An illustration from David Irving book "Nuremberg, the Last Battle". Edda is the only daughter of Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring and Emmy Göring. Before married, Emmy (birth name Emma Johanna Henny Sonnemann) had been an actress. After marrying Göring in 10 April 1935, she became Germany’s first lady, since Hitler had no wife at the time. Emmy Göring was a genuinely gracious woman with a naive charm. Edda was born in 2 June 1938 and grew up in Berlin. This photograph of Edda and Emmy (and Mr. postman!) was taken in Nürnberg on 26 September 1946, during the war crimes trial. Nineteen days later, Hermann Göring took his own life a day before his scheduled execution. At that time Edda was eight years old.

Source:
http://fpp.co.uk/shop/Wuest/Taufbecher_Eddas/index.html
http://home.earthlink.net/~earthmath17/top_children.htm

Luftwaffe Motorcyclist with Fw 189 in the Backgorund

This photo, which looks prepared, is probably made for the german war propaganda. A Luftwaffe motorcyclist in front of Zündapp Ks 600 with sidecar reads a letter from home as a Focke-Wulf Fw 189 Uhu ("Eagle Owl") roars into the skies. The aircraft is a German twin-engine, twin-boom, three-seat tactical reconnaissance and army cooperation aircraft. Compared to contemporary aircraft, the Fw 189 looked a little odd. Only after very successful flights tests and trials was the Fw 189 reluctantly ordered in small quantities to serve as a standard reconnaissance aircraft. Its existence was unknown to the Allies until 1941 even though several different prototypes had flown well before the war. Called the "Flying Eye" of the German army, the Fw 189 succeeded on the Eastern Front beyond the most optimistic predictions. Its superb handling and agility made it a very difficult and elusive target for enemy fighters. Its phenomenal toughness was demonstrated by Fw 189s returning to bases safely with one tail shot or torn off by Soviet ramming attacks. Attempts were made to build special attack variants with small strong nacelles, but they were unsatisfactory. Ten Fw 189B trainers were specially manufactured and had a conventional nacelle with side-by-side dual controls in a normal cockpit, and above the trailing edge there was an observer. The Fw 189A-3 also had dual-controls but the normal "glasshouse" housing the crew. Gradually only the French factories with assembly at Bordeaux–Mérignac (the Dassault Mirage plant today) were producing the Fw 189, and they stopped as the Allies closed in during 1944. Many different models and a number of developments with more powerful engines were built, but only the basic types of A-1, A-2 (more armament) and A-3 appeared in substantial numbers. The production total of all versions numbered 846

Source:
http://forums.ubi.com/showthread.php/478670-An-Old-Owl-s-Story-Forums

Theodor Weissenberger Showing Off His Kills

Petsamo airfield (Finland), August 1943. Oberleutnant Theodor "Theo" Weissenberger (Staffelkapitän 7.Staffel / III.Gruppe / Jagdgeschwader 5 "Eismeer") points to his Eichenlaub zum Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes award for staggering accomplishments in the air (so far 112th confirmed aerial victories!). The abschußbalken (victory bars) with the awards is painted on the rudder of his personal aircraft, a Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-2 (Werknummer 13912). A Hanhart Luftwaffe Fighter Pilot Chronograph Wristwatch is clearly visible in his pointing hand. Weissenberger flew more than 500 combat missions claiming 208 enemy aircraft shot down. 175 of his victories were in the East and 33 in the Western Front (with 25 victories over the Normandy front, including some 7 heavy bombers, and 8 victories while flying the Me 262). Among his best days are five victories on 7 June, 1944; all five P-47's one at Breteuil, and two SW of Montdidier, and two in the Beauvais area. A triple victory, all 3 P-47's on 12 June, 1944, one at Vernon, one at Gasny and one at Gisors. A double victory on 7 July, 1944; both P-47's at Rosieres-Santerre. As a former Messerschmitt Bf 110 fighter-bomber pilot, he was also credited with fifteen locomotives, two flak installations, and numerous ground targets destroyed! Despite his excellent talents as a fighter pilot, Weissenberger's casual often "non-military" attitude and demeanour meant he often got into trouble with his superiors regarding discipline. He became a motor racing driver after the war and was killed at the infamous Nürburgring circuit on 10 June 1950, when his BMW-powered single seater crashed on the first lap of the XV Eifelrennen motor race

Source:

Book "Luftwaffe Officer Career Summaries Section S-Z" by y: Henry L. deZeng IV and Douglas G. Stankey 

http://www.aircrewremembered.com/KrackerDatabase/?q=weissenberger

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodor_Weissenberger
http://historypreservation.com/hpassociates/pilot.php

Painting Victory Bars

Reputedly identified as Oberfeldwebel Franz Dietrich Fadenau is showing painting "kill marks" on the tail of his Messerschmitt Bf 109F-2. This photo was taken at the Eastern front in 1942. So far 12 abschußbalken visible: 8 on the Eastern Front (note the red star), while the rest were English or French aircraft. Later Fadenau got shot down as he was on the way home from a mission. His body was never found. Abschußbalken, or victory bars, usually painted on the rudders (of Bf 109s and Bf 110s alike). Also common was the custom of painting the propeller spinners in Staffel-specific colours. Bright-coloured rudders and engine cowlings, in turn, helped to quickly distinguish friend from foe in the heat of an air battle. The image presented here are from the book "Fliegende Front" by Hauptmann Walter Eberhard Freiherr von Medem and published in 1942 by Verlag "Die Wehrmacht" KG. in Berlin. The book must be regarded as typical propaganda material to show the German population how well the war was progressing. "Die Wehmacht" itself published a series of other propaganda books during the war. They also released sets of photo postcards from the war

Source:
http://www.asisbiz.com/Battles/camouflage.html
http://www.letletlet-warplanes.com/2013/04/25/luftwaffe-colour-propaganda-photos/nggallery/page/1
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/4222193375219323/

German Mortar Training

A German mortar crew prepares to fire the 8cm schwere Granatwerfer 34 during training. After 1942 German Mortars and range chart were attached to the middle of the tube below the collar. This enabled them to correctly - not only tell the number of charge Increments on the round to use - but also the elevation for the tube (the US Troops in Iraq used the white line down the centre of the tube as did the Germans). This was for accurate laying of the mortar . Most German mortar Crews carried shovels to dig in the baseplate . They were trained bed in the baseplate quickly . Mortars caused more casualties in Normandy than any other weapon . The main reason why was that their is no incoming sound, so no warning to take cover

Source:
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=28557
http://thirdreichcolorpictures.blogspot.com/2010/07/german-mortars-in-color.html

Messerschmitt Me 323 Parked at Airfield

Messerschmitt Me 323D "Gigant" (Giant) heavy transport at rest in an unknown airfield in 1943. Aircraft in the background appeared to be Heinkel He 111 medium bombers. The first unit equipped with the Me 323 and formed during November 1942 was I./KG.zbV (I.Gruppe / Kampfgeschwader zur besonderen Verwendung) that had nine aircraft, and became operational in the Middle East, where a second unit II./KG.zbV 323 was formed in March 1943. These units operated between North Afrika and Trapani, Sicily, supplying Erwin Rommel's Afrikakorps. On April 22, 1943 there was a disastruos loss when 21 Me 323's were shot down by Allied aircraft!

Source:
https://www.pinterest.com/judah55/wwii-me-323-gigant-transport/

Canadian Anti-Aircraft Gun Crew in Normandy

Photograph of four soldiers from 3rd Canadian Infantry Division Sergeant Traplin, Bombardier Heldon, Bombardier Blank and Sergent Kennedy with their Swedish-made 40mm/L60 Bofors Anti-Aircraft Gun after shooting down a Luftwaffe aircraft over the beachhead near their emplacement at Bernières-sur-Mer near Juno Beach (Normandy), 6 June 1944. At the time of the photo German Luftwaffe war planes were still active in the area. 30,000 Canadians had been landed, and 340 lost their live in the battles for the beachhead. The person to the rear of the position facing left is using the British-designed Stiffkey Sight, a mechanical computer that moved the gunners sights to account for leading a fast moving target. The Bofors gun in mobile form was commonly towed by either a GMC or Dodge 6x6 truck, and had a total crew of 8 including truck crew to include truck driver, gunner, two loaders, direction setting, elevation setter, radio operator and the gun commander

Source:
http://www.akg-images.co.uk/C.aspx?VP3=SearchResult&VBID=2UMESQJWAX3D0
http://www.stolly.org.uk/ETO/index34.html

Canadian Anti-Aircraft Gun Crew at Normandy

 Photograph of four soldiers from 3rd Canadian Infantry Division Sergeant Traplin, Bombardier Heldon, Bombardier Blank and Sergent Kennedy with their Swedish-made 40mm/L60 Bofors Anti-Aircraft Gun after shooting down a Luftwaffe aircraft over the beachhead near their emplacement at Bernières-sur-Mer near Juno Beach (Normandy), 6 June 1944. At the time of the photo German Luftwaffe war planes were still active in the area. 30,000 Canadians had been landed, and 340 lost their live in the battles for the beachhead. The person to the rear of the position facing left is using the British-designed Stiffkey Sight, a mechanical computer that moved the gunners sights to account for leading a fast moving target. The Bofors gun in mobile form was commonly towed by either a GMC or Dodge 6x6 truck, and had a total crew of 8 including truck crew to include truck driver, gunner, two loaders, direction setting, elevation setter, radio operator and the gun commander

Source:
http://www.akg-images.co.uk/C.aspx?VP3=SearchResult&VBID=2UMESQJWAX3D0
http://www.stolly.org.uk/ETO/colourphotoofcanadian40mmboforsaagunandcrew2.html

Woman Worker in the Douglas Aircraft Company Plant

Woman worker in the Douglas Aircraft Company plant, October 1942. This girl in a glass house is putting finishing touches on the bombardier nose section of a B-17F navy bomber, Long Beach, California. Notice the headscarf to stick her hair up which was a common thing to do amongst these girls and even a bit fashionable within the factories. She's one of many capable women workers in the Douglas Aircraft Company plant. Better known as the "Flying Fortress," the B-17F is a later model of the B-17 which distinguished itself in action in the South Pacific, over Germany and elsewhere. It is a long range, high altitude heavy bomber, with a crew of seven to nine men, and with armament sufficient to defend itself on daylight missions.

Source:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Woman_worker_in_the_Douglas_Aircraft_Company_plant1942.jpg

General Hermann-Meyer Rabingen with his US-Made Staff Car

Generalleutnant Hermann-Meyer Rabingen standing in a beautiful US-made Buick Special serie 60 (1938) model 66C 4-passenger Convertible Coupe staff car with the license plate WH (Wehrmacht Heer) 707165, while his driver posed beside him. In World War II, the Wehrmacht used every vehicle available, whatever the country of origin, to fill in their transport/staff car needs. Virtually any of US origin cars or trucks from 1935-1941 could be found in the German vehicle inventory in one theatre of war or another. In the non combat zones, vehicles could be found in their original colour or oversprayed with military paint that was available, while for the tyres/tires, most of the high line cars had white wall tyres that were over-painted with what ever colour the unit that took over the vehicle had available.

Source:
Photo collection Akira Takiguchi
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=170587
http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/showpost.php?p=6701687&postcount=1712

Tiger from sPz.Abt.506 in Russia

Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger (8,8 cm L/56) Ausf. E (Sd.Kfz. 181) of schwere Panzer Abteilung 506 in Russia, 1944. Note that both the MG 34 machine gun is coated in the red clothing to keep the dust out of it (and the 8.8cm KwK 36 L/56 main gun is covered also). An awful lot of dust in Summer on Russian roads! This heavy tank has all steel road wheels that were not used in 1943 (before January 1944 rubber rimmed wheels were used). It advance with all the hatches open - and 4 out of 5 crew (except the driver) got out of the armored, probably to cool off. This photograph has been retouched: look at the shadow of the gun and the "fork" at the end of it!

Source:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10203017921397594&set=gm.754770067892690&type=1

Erwin Rommel and his Italian Allies

General Erwin Rommel speaking with his Italian allies. In the middle is Sonderführer Dr. Ernst Franz, Rommel's interpreter. Franz recalls how, after an elite Bersaglieri position was overrun, their commander tearfully pleaded with Rommel: “Believe me, my men are not cowards.” And Rommel replied, “Who said anything about cowards? It’s your superiors in Rome who are to blame! Sending you into action with such miserable weapons.” (Some units in the Axis defence line were equipped with artillery captured from the Austrians in the First World War: quite useless against modern armor!)

Source:
Book "The Trail of the Fox: Life of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel" by David Irving
Photo collection Akira Takiguchi
http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/showpost.php?p=6703856&postcount=1715

Luftwaffe Officer Playing Cards and Smoking in the Desert

This picture was first published in the 1943 book "Balkenkreuz Über Wüstensand: Falbbirderwerk des Deutschen Afrikakorps" (The Balkan Cross over Desert Sand: A Color Picture Book of the German Africa Corps) by Gerhard Stalling. It shows a Luftwaffe officer with the rank of Oberleutnant playing cards in the North African desert with cigarette in his mouth. Pretty sloppy don't you think, when we know that he is actually a medical officer (note the serpent-entwined rod in his schulterklappen!). The equivalent rank for the Oberleutnant (First Lieutenant) in the medical service is Oberarzt. Looks like he had seen action for some time, based from the Eisernes Kreuz II.Klasse ribbon in his uniform. He also wears a Luftwaffe version of "knautschmütze" (crusher cap) which, basically a crushed schirmmütze (visor cap)

Source:
Book "Balkenkreuz Über Wüstensand: Falbbirderwerk des Deutschen Afrikakorps" by Gerhard Stalling
http://lescolverts.forumactif.org/t135p45-la-luftwaffe-en-couleurs

German Officers on the Drive to Stalingrad

Small briefing in the Kalmuck/Kalmyk Steppe of a German Army company commander (Kompaniechef) with the rank of Oberleutnant (left) and his platoon commander (Zugführer) with the rank of Leutnant on their drive to Stalingrad, Russia, 21 June 1942. The 6. Armee began its involvement in the Russian Campaign as the spearhead of Heeresgruppe Süd (Army Group South). Shortly after being promoted to Field Marshal, Walther von Reichenau (Oberbefehlshaber 6. Armee) died in an aircraft accident while being transported to a hospital after a heart attack in January 1942. He was succeeded by his former chief of staff, General der Panzertruppe Friedrich Paulus. Paulus led the 6. Armee to a major victory at the Second Battle of Kharkov during the spring of 1942. This victory also sealed the 6. Armee's destiny because it was selected by the OKH for the attack on Stalingrad. On 28 June 1942, Heeresgruppe Süd began Operation Blau; the German Army's summer offensive into southern Russia. The goals of the operation were to secure both the oil fields at Baku, Azerbaijan, and the city of Stalingrad on the river Volga to protect the forces advancing into the Caucasus. After two months, the 6. Armee reached the outskirts of Stalingrad on 23 August 1942. On the same day, over 1,000 aircraft of the Luftwaffe's Luftflotte 4 bombed the city, turning it into a massive inferno. Destroyed in a matter of hours, Stalingrad was now a charnel house; defended by the weak Soviet 62nd Army under the command of General Vasily Chuikov. Despite having the initiative, the 6. Armee failed to obtain a quick victory. The Red Army put up determined resistance, taking the fight to the rubble-clogged city streets. Though having almost complete air superiority over Stalingrad, and with more artillery pieces than the Soviets, progress was reduced to no more than several meters a day. Soviet casualties in the ghastly urban fighting were horrendous, while German casualties were just as appalling. Eventually, by mid November, the 62nd Army had been pushed to the banks of the Volga; holding only three small bridgeheads along the riverfront. However, despite continued fighting, the 6. Armee was unable to eliminate the remaining Soviet troops holding out in Stalingrad.

Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/6th_Army_%28Wehrmacht%29

Major Gerhard Barkhorn

Major Gerhard Barkhorn (20 March 1919 - 11 January 1983) posed with the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern (vorschlag nummer 52) which he received in 2 March 1944 as a Hauptmann and Gruppenkommandeur of II.Gruppe / Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52) / VIII.Fliegerkorps / Luftflotte 4, after achieved his 250th aerial victory on 12 February 1944, the second to do so after Walter Nowotny. Despite being the second highest scoring pilot in aviation history, Barkhorn was not awarded the Brillanten to his Ritterkreuz after achieving his 300th victory on 5 January 1945. Barkhorn flew 1,104 combat sorties and was credited with 301 victories on the Eastern Front against the Soviet Red Air Force piloting the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Focke-Wulf Fw 190D-9. He flew with the famed Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52—Fighter Wing 52), alongside fellow aces Hartmann and Günther Rall, and Jagdgeschwader 2 (JG 2). Less than two weeks later he left JG 52 on the Eastern Front and joined Jagdgeschwader 3 (JG 3), defending Germany from Western Allied air attack

Source:
http://www.historicalwarmilitariaforum.com/index.php?app=core&module=search&do=search&fromMainBar=1

B-17 Bombers Flying Back to Base after Mission

A rare and candid original color photograph showing an American bombardier in his B-17 Flying Fortress, flying back to the base following a mission with other B-17 bombers of the 96th Bombardment Group seen ahead (1943). He is looking over his shoulder talking to the navigator whose desk is located out of the picture to the left. Photo most likely taken by the cheek gunner At the start of the bombing campaign against Germany, B-17's flew unaccompanied. Later in the war they would have "little friends" as fighter escorts - such as P-51 Mustang fighters - on their bombing missions. This was very effective, cutting bomber losses substantially. The fighters didn't just stay with the bombers; on many missions they would fly ahead of the bombers, attacking German fighters before they were able to take-off to attack the bombers.

Source:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=757028997723030&set=gm.343565852495511&type=1
https://www.flickr.com/photos/konabish/sets/72157629764383634/detail/

Benito Mussolini and Wilhelm Keitel

Il Duce Benito Mussolini speaking with Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Keitel (Chef des Oberkommando der Wehrmacht) at Feltre airfield (Northern Italy) before Keitel leaves for Berlin. The picture was made by Walter Frentz in the evening of 19 July 1943. Only a couple of days later (24 July 1943), the Italian dictator would be defeated in the vote at the Grand Council of Fascism, and the King Victor Emmanuel had him arrested the following day. On 12 September 1943, Mussolini was rescued from prison in the Gran Sasso raid by German special forces led by the daring Otto Skorzeny. In late April 1945, with total defeat looming, Mussolini attempted to escape north, only to be quickly captured and summarily executed near Lake Como by Italian partisans. His body was then taken to Milan where it was hung upside down at a service station for public viewing and to provide confirmation of his demise. In this picture Keitel holding his Interimstab (baton), while in his uniform we can see his Italian Grand Cross of the Military Order of Savoy, awarded to him by King Victor Emmanuel on 24 April 1942, along with Großadmiral Erich Raeder

Source:
https://www.ullsteinbild.de/ullstein-webshop/workbench.html?queryWord=walter+frentz&newTitle=ullstein+bild+|+Search%3A+walter+frentz&qwAction=searchQueryWord&viewMode=tile

Eduard Dietl During Operation Silver Fox

General der Gebirgstruppe Eduard Dietl (Kommandierender General Gebirgskorps Norwegen) with German and Finnish officers in the northern Russian tundra, July 1941. In 29 June 1941, Dietl was placed in command of Operation Silver Fox (Unternehmen Silberfuchs), a joint German–Finnish military operation plan during World War II, though it was mainly operated and engaged by Germans. Its main goal was the capture of the key Soviet port at Murmansk through attacks from Finnish and Norwegian territory. The operation had three stages. Operation Reindeer (Rentier) was the initial attack by German forces from Norway to secure the area around Petsamo. The follow-up operations, Operation Platinum Fox (Platinfuchs) from the north by Army Norway (AOK Norwegen) and Operation Arctic Fox (Polarfuchs) by XXXVI Mountain Corps together with units from the Finnish III Corps, aimed to capture the vital port of Murmansk afterwards. The operation was unsuccessful and Murmansk continued to operate throughout the war.

Source:
http://www.historicalwarmilitariaforum.com/topic/6937-ritterkreuztr%C3%A4ger-photos-in-color-thread/page-45#entry39196

Eduard Dietl with German and Finnish Officers

General der Gebirgstruppe Eduard Dietl (Kommandierender General Gebirgskorps Norwegen) with German and Finnish officers in the northern Russian tundra, July 1941. In 29 June 1941, Dietl was placed in command of Operation Silver Fox (Unternehmen Silberfuchs) which targeted Russian ports and railroads east of Finland. The operation saw initial success, but the invasion forces very quickly became burdened by the harsh and unfamiliar terrain, and became stagnant by September 1941

Source:
http://www.historicalwarmilitariaforum.com/topic/6937-ritterkreuztr%C3%A4ger-photos-in-color-thread/page-45#entry39196

Generaloberst Eduard Dietl in a Studio Portrait

Generaloberst Eduard Dietl (21 July 1890 - 23 June 1944) in a studio portrait made in 1943 by Walter Frentz. He was a son of a finance professional, and also a World War I veteran. As a Leutnant (Second Lieutenant) and a company commander, he distinguished himself in leadership and bravery. During the interwar years, he became a member of the Nazi party, and was a key figure of the Nazi party in Münich. As the war broke out in Europe, Dietl led the 3. Gebirgs-Division during the invasion of Poland, then led the same unit in the invasion of Norway. For his achievements in Poland and Norway, Dietl became the first man to be awarded Eichenlaub zum Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes (Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross) on 19 Jul 1940. On the same date, he was also promoted to the rank of General der Gebirgstruppe. Dietl was well-liked by his men, who affectionally nicknamed him "Buffel", or "Buffalo", for his tough personality. In June 1941, he was placed in command of Operation Silver Fox which targeted Russian ports and railroads east of Finland. The operation saw initial success, but the invasion forces very quickly became burdened by the harsh and unfamiliar terrain, and became stagnant by September 1941. He was named the commander of all German forces in the Finland theater in Januari 1942. Dietl died in a plane crash in Slovenia in June 1944.

Source:
http://www.historicalwarmilitariaforum.com/index.php?app=core&module=search&do=search&fromMainBar=1
https://www.ullsteinbild.de/ullstein-webshop/workbench.html?queryWord=eduard+dietl&newTitle=ullstein+bild+|+Search%3A+eduard+dietl&qwAction=searchQueryWord&viewMode=tile
http://ww2db.com/person_bio.php?person_id=135

Generaloberst Eduard Dietl

Generaloberst Eduard Dietl (21 July 1890 - 23 June 1944) in a studio portrait made in 1943 by Walter Frentz. He was a son of a finance professional, and also a World War I veteran. As a Leutnant (Second Lieutenant) and a company commander, he distinguished himself in leadership and bravery. During the interwar years, he became a member of the Nazi party, and was a key figure of the Nazi party in Münich. As the war broke out in Europe, Dietl led the 3. Gebirgs-Division during the invasion of Poland, then led the same unit in the invasion of Norway. For his achievements in Poland and Norway, Dietl became the first man to be awarded Eichenlaub zum Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes (Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross) on 19 Jul 1940. On the same date, he was also promoted to the rank of General der Gebirgstruppe. Dietl was well-liked by his men, who affectionally nicknamed him "Buffel", or "Buffalo", for his tough personality. In June 1941, he was placed in command of Operation Silver Fox which targeted Russian ports and railroads east of Finland. The operation saw initial success, but the invasion forces very quickly became burdened by the harsh and unfamiliar terrain, and became stagnant by September 1941. He was named the commander of all German forces in the Finland theater in Januari 1942. Dietl died in a plane crash in Slovenia in June 1944.

Source:
http://www.historicalwarmilitariaforum.com/index.php?app=core&module=search&do=search&fromMainBar=1
https://www.ullsteinbild.de/ullstein-webshop/workbench.html?queryWord=eduard+dietl&newTitle=ullstein+bild+|+Search%3A+eduard+dietl&qwAction=searchQueryWord&viewMode=tile
http://ww2db.com/person_bio.php?person_id=135

US Rangers Aboard their Landing Craft Before Normandy

U.S. Rangers from E Company, Fifth Ranger Battalion, aboard their landing craft on Weymouth Harbor, Dorset (England), waiting for the signal to sail to the coast of Normandy, 3 June 1944. In the foreground, they are, clockwise from far left, First Sergeant Sandy Martin, Technician Fifth Grade Joseph Markovich, Corporal John Loshiavo and Private First Class Frank Lockwood, with their Bazooka, Garand rifle, 60-mm mortar and Lucky Strikes. Before they boarded their vessel, these Rangers — four of perhaps 160,000 soldiers who would cross the English Channel — were penned up, away from public view, in camps policed by British officers in machine-gun towers. As they waited for their signal, soldiers of Operation Overlord hurled Army knives at playing cards nailed onto trees, played softball and, ducking into an entertainment tent, watched “Girl Crazy,” starring Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland. But their nerves were strained; sometimes they fought one another with fists. They knew the lethal odds that faced them on the Normandy beaches. Then Martin, Markovich, Loshiavo and Lockwood were in their landing craft. One soldier insisted that these boats were designed to induce “a sense of physical discomfort, seasickness and physical degradation” so that the men would “land in such an angry condition as to bring destruction, devastation and death upon any person or thing in sight or hearing.” About 2,500 Americans were killed in the D-Day effort to make the world safe for freedom. One of them was Sandy Martin, who lies buried in the American cemetery on the bluff that looks down on Omaha Beach

Source:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/15/upshot/seventy-years-ago-next-month-came-fury-and-death-on-d-day.html?_r=0&abt=0002&abg=0
http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2011/10/world-war-ii-the-allied-invasion-of-europe/100160/

An American Soldier Sleeps on a Pile of Rocks During the Drive Towards Rome

Casualties of war: An American soldier sleeps on a pile of rocks during the drive towards Rome in May 1944. In his lap is a Carbine .30 M1 rifle. The Italian Campaign was long a bloody and saw the deaths of tens of thousands of soldiers on both sides, as well as many thousands of civilian casualties. The picture was made by LIFE photographer Carl Mydans

Source:
http://life.time.com/history/world-war-ii-in-color-photos-italian-campaign/#5