The World at War

Australian soldiers target Japanese positions during the Battle of Balikpapan, Indonesia - July 1945

US soldiers find time to take a break and drink a Coca Cola - exact date and location unknown. An estimated 5 billion bottles were consumed during WW2

Cpl James Gregory (left) and T/5 (Technician fifth grade) Omer Taylor of HQ Co, 36th Armoured Infantry Reg, 9th Infantry Div of the US First Army take cover behind an M4 Sherman tank on 11th Dec 1944 in Geich near Duren in the North Rhine-Westphalia region of Germany. 

Soviet soldiers surrender to German troops during the opening weeks of Operation Barbarossa - July 1941

German Army Group B captures Rouen - France, 9th June 1940. After routing the French 10th Army on the Somme and reaching the river Aisne at Soissons, Army Group B captured Rouen. The remnants of the 10th Army retreated to the Channel coast creating a breach in the French lines which in turn opened the way for the advance on Paris.

A German lookout keeps watch over the Atlantic from La Corbiere, St Brelade, Jersey during the occupation of the Channel Islands 20th June 1940 to 9th May 1945

A jeep and other vehicles from the British 3rd Infantry Division in La Brèche d'Hermanville as they move inland from Sword Beach - Normandy, 6th June 1944. Photo : IWM

The assembly line at the Chrysler factory in Michigan changes over from M3 to M4 model Shermans while the line continues moving - USA, date unknown

German front line ‘spotters’ keep a look out for enemy positions - Poland, Sept 1939

Universal carriers and infantry of the British 10th Battalion, Royal Berkshire Regiment advance 'under fire' during training near Sudbury in Suffolk, 10th June 1942. Creator: Puttnam, Len A. (Captain), War Office official photographer. Source: © IWM (H 20536)

A German Panzer III tank crew waits for their comrades to catch up - Eastern Front during the early stages of Operation Barbarossa - July 1941

Canadian soldiers of the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa keep watch as medics treat a comrade - Caen, Normandy, France, 1944

US soldiers, enroute to the beaches of Normandy as D-day gets underway - 6th June 1944

British soldiers from The King's Own Scottish Borderers take a moment to rest as they await further orders - Normandy, France 1944. Colour by DB Color