Seldom heard stories and pictures of WWII

[pipedreams]

A soldier with a pack Reindeer, on slippery ice, near the tiny village of Nautsi, in northern Lapland, Finland, on October 26, 1941.

 

 

Propeller-driven snowmobile near Haapasaari, Finland. The swastika was used as the official national marking of the

Finnish Air Force and Tank Corps between 1918 and 1945.

 

 

62-year-old Finnish-American volunteer soldier Hyvönen going to the front, in Mikkeli, Finland, on September 4, 1941.

[pipedreams]

Nurmoila village, shortly after Russian bombers attacked.

 

 

A parked bicycle, camouflaged. Ontrosenvaara, August 17, 1941.

 

 

Finnish motorcycle and tank.

[pipedreams]

For most of Finland’s history, the country had lived on the periphery of world events, but for a few weeks during the winter of 1939-40, Finland stood at the center of the world stage. Finland’s stand against Soviet aggression aroused the world’s admiration. The Winter War, however, proved to be only a curtain- raiser for Finland’s growing entanglement in World War II.

The underlying cause of the Winter War was Soviet concern about Nazi Germany’s expansionism. With a population of only 3.5 million, Finland itself was not a threat to the Soviet Union, but its territory, located strategically near Leningrad, could be used as a base by the Germans. The Soviets initiated negotiations with Finland that ran intermittently from the spring of 1938 to the summer of 1939, but nothing was achieved.

The Finnish defenders were worn down by the continual attacks, the artillery, and the aerial bombardments, the cold, and the lack of relief and of replacements. On February 11, 1940, the Soviets achieved a breakthrough in the Mannerheim Line that led to a series of Finnish retreats.

By early March, the Finnish army was on the verge of total collapse. Finland was saved only by agreeing quickly to Soviet terms, which were encompassed in the Peace of Moscow, signed on March 13, 1940.

 

Evacuation of civilians, on July 1, 1941.

[Batesmotel]

My mother in law is a Finn. The modern Finnish language as we know it today was basically invented from older regional languages. It was designed to be so contrived with strange rules of grammar and spelling so no invaders could easily take over because of communication problems and language barriers. 

[pipedreams]

Captured Soviet soldier dressed in SN-42 body armor. Karelia, 1944.

Portrait of a young Soviet prisoner of war in a steel breastplate SN-42, made of 2mm steel (.08″) and weighing 3.5 kg (7.7 lbs), captured by Finnish troops during the Finnish-Soviet Continuation War. A testament to the breastplate’s effectiveness, the young soldier had been shot three times in the chest and left unharmed. Image taken near Syskyjärvi, Karelia, Finland (now, Syuskyuyarvi, Republic of Karelia, Russia), July 15, 1944.

[pipedreams]

An experiment in troop transportation in cold weather.

[pipedreams]

At the Hämeenlinna war dog school.

 

[pipedreams]

Huge numbers of German tanks concentrate for a new attack on Soviet fortifications on July 28, 1943, during the Battle of Kursk.

[pipedreams]

Sniper Anastasya Stepanov during the battle of Stalingrad. 1942.

[Mrs.Cicero]

44 minutes ago, pipedreams said:

Captured Soviet soldier dressed in SN-42 body armor. Karelia, 1944.

Portrait of a young Soviet prisoner of war in a steel breastplate SN-42, made of 2mm steel (.08″) and weighing 3.5 kg (7.7 lbs), captured by Finnish troops during the Finnish-Soviet Continuation War. A testament to the breastplate’s effectiveness, the young soldier had been shot three times in the chest and left unharmed. Image taken near Syskyjärvi, Karelia, Finland (now, Syuskyuyarvi, Republic of Karelia, Russia), July 15, 1944.

Is it just me, or does his skull look strangely swollen?

[NPTim]

1 hour ago, Mrs.Cicero said:

Is it just me, or does his skull look strangely swollen?

Kind of reminds me of:

 

[pipedreams]

A Papua New Guinean Native “Fuzzy Wuzzy Angel”, guiding an injured Australian soldier home, Christmas Day, 1942.

An Australian soldier, George “Dick” Whittington, is aided by Papuan orderly Raphael Oimbari, at the Battle of Buna-Gona. Whittington died in February 1943 from the effects of bush typhus, this little-known killer of many Allied and Japanese soldiers in the Pacific.

During the war in Papua New Guinea, the local population who were sympathetic to the Australian troops would assist where they could. Notably, they would help in transporting stores and equipment over the rough terrain. Teams carried seriously wounded and sick Australian soldiers all the way back to their bases.

[pipedreams]

Their compassion and care of the casualties earned them admiration and respect from the Australians, who dubbed these men their fuzzy wuzzy angels. The Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels were named for both their frizzy curly hair and helpful role.

 

Stretcher-bearers carry wounded soldiers to a dressing station near Buna.

[pipedreams]

This Japanese-American fighting unit was one of WWII's most decorated, 1943-1945

Soldiers of the 442nd salute the flag at Camp Shelby, Mississippi. June, 1943.

 

Members of the 442nd on the march in the Chambois Sector, France. 1944.

[pipedreams]

Evgeny Stepanovich Kobytev

A soldier's face after four years of war, 1941-1945

 

Evgeny Stepanovich Kobytev in 1960s.

[aomagrat]

Battleship USS Oregon (BB-3) served in the Spanish-American war, WWI and as an ammunition barge in WW2, shown here anchored at Guam.

 

[MO Fugga]

41 minutes ago, pipedreams said:

Evgeny Stepanovich Kobytev

A soldier's face after four years of war, 1941-1945

 

Evgeny Stepanovich Kobytev in 1960s.

I've seen meth do that to people in just a few weeks.

[pipedreams]

Winter War, Finland, 1940.

The Soviets began massing approximately one million men along the Finnish border. At the time, the entire population of Finland numbered around three million, while the Soviet Union was nearer to 171 million. The Finns knew they were out-manned at about one hundred to one, and therefore opted for a defensive, guerrilla-style strategy.

The weather during the War was the coldest Finnish winter ever registered. The cold caused considerable losses. The number of Red Army troops who froze to death is unknown. In one case during preparations for battle, the number of soldiers evacuated due to frostbite injuries was close to 10,000.

The Finns did also suffer a high number of frostbite cases. The most common reason for frostbite, on the Finnish side, was footwear. They were either poor civilian boots or, most often, military boots that were too small. The situation improved as proper boots were sent from the Home Front and the troops started to use captured Russian felt boots.

[Historian]

The first WWII war crime trial....Kharkov, Russia, 1943.  The man on the left was a Russian volunteer for the German army.

[pipedreams]

[Historian]

General Vaslov, Russian, fighting on behalf of the Germans.  Hanged as a traitor to Russia.

[pipedreams]

British soldiers manning anti-aircraft guns in women's clothes, 1940

British troops rehearsing in drag for their Christmas charity performance which also was another way to keep themselves entertained.

 

British soldiers were seen performing on stage in bonnets, dresses, and black stockings.

 

 

With no time to change back into their uniforms, soldiers had no choice but to return to their battle stations in drag.

 

Drag shows and pantomimes were popular in the army as a way to relieve stress by letting the soldiers enjoy themselves in their downtime. The wartime government banned these images because it could undermine morale by giving the impression that British soldiers were not quite as manly as the public might want.

 

[Historian]

Oh, the shame of being shot down by the guys in drag. 

[pipedreams]

Entering their fourth year of war against Japan, Chinese military forces were strengthening their air force, producing their own armaments, and training their officers in the methods of modern war. Here, Chinese cadets in full battle dress, they favor the German type of steel helmet, on parade somewhere in China, on July 11, 1940.

[pipedreams]

British Infantrymen in position in a shallow trench near Bardia, a Libyan Port, which had been occupied by Italian forces, and fell to the Allies on January 5, 1941, after a 20-day siege.