One of the most iconic photographs of the Pacific War shows the final lowering of the Japanese naval ensign aboard the aircraft carrier Zuikaku ("Lucky Crane") shortly before the ship disappeared beneath the sea during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. Read more
A pre-war propaganda photograph showing six Soviet Polikarpov I-16 Type 5 fighters of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet Air Force lined up on a field airfield as their engines are started simultaneously. Read more
A Polish MG 08 heavy machine gun crew occupies a trench on the defensive line around Warsaw during the German invasion of Poland in September 1939. Read more
A Junkers Ju 87B-2 Stuka dive bomber lies upside down on a German airfield after an apparent takeoff accident. The aircraft still carries bombs on all external hardpoints, indicating that the accident most likely occurred before the mission had properly begun. Read more
An aerial view of Wesel, Germany, after massive Allied bombing raids in February 1945. Approximately 97 percent of the city's buildings were destroyed, leaving behind a landscape resembling a vast field of ruins. Read more
B-17F Flying Fortress bombers of the 390th Bombardment Group, Eighth Air Force, fly in formation during a strategic bombing mission over Germany. High above the clouds, the photograph also captures the condensation trails of Allied escort fighters protecting the bomber formation. Read more
A damaged B-17F Flying Fortress of the 95th Bomb Group flies over the Atlantic while returning to Great Britain after a bombing mission over occupied Norway. A thin trail of white smoke streams from one of the aircraft's engines, evidence of damage sustained during the mission. Read more