WWII in Focus: Daily Photos from the Frontlines
Soviet Submarine M-171 Ready to Fire Its Gun — Arctic Ocean, 1943
July 2, 2025 Reading time: 2 minutes
Soviet submarine M-171 prepares to fire its bow gun in a salute after sinking another enemy ship during the Battle for the Arctic, 1943. A powerful moment of victory from the Northern Fleet. Read more
Preparation of the Il-2 Sturmovik for a Combat Mission — Southwestern Front, August 1942
July 2, 2025 Reading time: 2 minutes
A Soviet Il-2 Sturmovik is prepped for a dangerous mission on the Southwestern Front during World War II, with bombs carefully mounted by ground crew. A snapshot of wartime determination in August 1942. Read more
Soviet Tank Crew Rescues Wounded Comrade from a "General Lee" Tank – Battle of Gzhatsk, August 1942
July 2, 2025 Reading time: 3 minutes
Soviet soldiers rescue a wounded crew member from a damaged Lend-Lease "General Lee" tank during fierce fighting near Gzhatsk in 1942. Read more
Fedor Shikunov: Soviet Fighter Ace of the P-39 Airacobra
July 2, 2025 Reading time: 3 minutes
Soviet ace pilot Fedor Shikunov flew the P-39 Airacobra, completed 206 missions, and shot down 25 enemy planes before falling in 1945. Posthumously awarded Hero of the Russian Federation. Read more
Elbe Day: The Historic Handshake Between the Red Army and U.S. Forces in Defeated Germany
July 2, 2025 Reading time: 4 minutes
Captured at Lviv: German POWs March into Uncertain Fate in Western Ukraine
July 1, 2025 Reading time: 3 minutes
German POWs march in a long column near Lviv in July 1944. Behind them, Soviet sappers stand with shovels — a chilling symbol of the Red Army's unrelenting push westward. Read more
A Wartime Reunion: Lt. Col. Mirlin and His Wife Near Lviv
June 30, 2025 Reading time: 4 minutes
Against all odds, Soviet officer Gilel Mirlin was reunited with his wife Elena near the front in Lviv, 1944. She brought news of his scientific success — and nine months later, a daughter was born. Read more