TL Colours

Next up on my Normandy colourisation series:

Using the hood of a jeep as an altar, a Roman Catholic chaplain saying mass at the inauguration of an American cemetery, Omaha Beach, Normandy.

The original was taken by famed US war photographer Robert Capa, on 10 June 1944.

Next in my Normandy series.

Omaha Beach, one of the landing zones during the D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944, witnessed a harrowing and costly battle. The beach, assigned to the American forces, specifically the U.S. 29th and 1st Infantry Divisions, faced formidable German defenses, with bunkers, obstacles, and a well-prepared enemy. The casualties sustained during the assault on Omaha Beach were significant.

The initial assault on Omaha Beach was marked by a series of challenges, including strong tidal currents, rough seas, and navigational errors that caused many landing craft to miss their designated landing points. As a result, troops were deposited on the beach at various locations, often far from their intended objectives.

The first waves of American troops faced withering German fire from fortified positions on the bluffs overlooking the beach. The combination of well-emplaced machine gun nests, artillery fire, and obstacles in the water caused heavy casualties and confusion. Many landing craft were destroyed or immobilized, and soldiers faced a daunting challenge in crossing the beach while under intense enemy fire.

In total, Omaha beach had 2,400 casualties, but 34,000 troops had landed by nightfall.

In this photo,colourised by me, a dead U.S. soldier lies on Omaha beach on D-Day, June 6, 1944. Crossed rifles in the sand are a comrade's tribute.

Next in my D-Day series.

During the D-Day invasion and the days that followed, a series of critical glider missions took place as part of Operation Neptune, the airborne component of the Allied assault on Normandy.

Unpowered, gliders were towed in the air by military cargo planes or bombers. Once released from the tow craft, they were to land on any open terrain close to the target, hopefully with as little damage to the cargo and crew as possible. The one-way nature of the missions meant that they were treated as semi-expendable leading to construction from inexpensive materials such as wood.

The photo I've colourised shows 8 dead U.S. troops beside their destroyed Horsa glider in a Normandy pasture on 7 June 1944. The glider, LJ135, was assigned to 437th Tactical Supply Group of the 8th US Army Air Force.

LJ135 was a part of a formation to resupply troops and was released at a low altitude of between 90-60 m (300-200 ft). At this extremely low height, glider pilots only some 800 m (1/2 mi) - approximately 30 seconds - to identify a good location for landing, make the turn and get the glider configured for landing.

Horsa LJ135 was released between St. Marie du Mont and the hamlet of le Holdy. The field that they selected was approximately 200m in length and 160m in width: three sides of the field were surrounded by tall trees, the other a stream.

The most probable theory for LJ135 crashing upon landing is the low altitude from which it was released. Once committed to their chosen field, the pilots may not have had enough altitude to clear the trees that surrounded the field and hit them; however, the reported ground fire over the LZ may also have been a factor.

During the catastrophic landing, the Horsa flipped. The crash killed 15 of the 31 aboard, including one of the pilots. Of the 16 injured, 2 subsequently succumbed to their injuries.

"There are two kinds of people who are staying on this beach: those who are dead and those who are going to die. Now let’s get the hell out of here." Colonel George Arthur Taylor, regimental commander, 16th Inf. Regiment, 1st Division, June 6, 1944.

Photo #4 in my D-Day Colourisation series is an iconic photo. Taken at 7:40am on June 6, 1944, it shows soldiers of E Company of the 16th Infantry Regiment wading into the waters to attack the "Easy Red" sector of Omaha Beach.

Although now known as "Taxis to Hell – and Back – Into the Jaws of Death", the photo was originally captioned, "American invaders spring from the ramp of a Coast Guard-manned landing barge to wade those last perilous yards to the beach of Normandy. Enemy fire will cut some of them down. Their 'taxi' will pull itself off the sands and dash back to a Coast Guard manned transport for more passengers."

The 16th was one of the first to land at Omaha. Despite navigating through falling shells and sea obstacles, the landing was challenging. A strong current caused most boats to land half a mile or more east of their intended positions, disorienting the well-trained soldiers. Officers and non-commissioned officers leading their men were quickly targeted by enemy fire, resulting in disorganization, isolation, and confusion among the units.

Although they eventually met objectives, it came at a cost for the 16th Inf Reg. Of an opening strength of 3,660 officers and enlisted, by June 8, they had suffered 790 casualties. Two Medals of Honor were awarded that day for actions by soldiers of the 16th. Both posthumously.

For Easy Company, 219 officers and men went into battle; two days later, only 90 were present for duty.

The landing craft depicted here departed from the USS Samuel Chase, who had 6 of landing craft destroyed that day. The photographer, Chief Photographer's Mate Robert F. Sargent of the USCG, survived the war, passing, aged 88, in 2012.

Here is the 3nd photo in my colourised D-Day series:

Members of the US 4th Infantry Division, and some of the 327th Glider Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne, crowd aboard an LCT on the way to Tare Green Sector, Utah Beach.

Located in the Cotentin Peninsula of Normandy, the beach codenamed Utah was the second American Beach on D-Day. At the time only the beach codenamed Omaha was planned, but this beach was too far away from Cherbourg and the Allies needed a harbour in deep water as quickly as possible to deploy their logistics. The division's objectives included securing the beachhead, capturing key areas, and linking up with other Allied units to establish a foothold in Normandy.

Five thousand troops from the 4th Infantry Division composed of the 8th Infantry Regiment, 12th Infantry Regiment, 22nd Infantry Regiment landed its troops on Utah Beach on D-Day in two sectors: “Tare Green” and “Uncle Red” after a 3-hour journey in rough seas to their landing sites. The first troops landed at 6:30am.

US forces at Utah faced relatively light opposition in comparison to other beach landings. German units composed of a high number of conscripts and unlike neighboring Omaha, the preliminary aerial bombardment was highly effective.

Utah Beach resulted in relatively low casualties compared to some of the other D-Day landing sites and achieved their primary objectives relatively quickly. This allowed them to push inland and establish a secure beachhead. The division played a vital role in the success of the overall D-Day operation and the eventual liberation of Western Europe from N**i occupation.

At Utah Beach, the 4th Inf Div suffered197 casualties and a further 700 were lost in engineering units, tank units and in landing crafts. German losses are unknown.

Here is the 2nd photo in my D-Day series:

On June 5, 1944, the 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions executed parachute drops as part of the Allied D-Day invasion of Normandy during World War II. The 101st Airborne's drop zones were near Carentan, and the 82nd Airborne's drop zones were west near Sainte-Mère-Église. Their missions were to block access to Utah Beach, secure causeway exits from the beaches, and create river crossings at Carentan to aid the U.S. V Corps in uniting the American beachheads. The troops were transported by C-47 Skytrains with each plane carrying 15-18 men.

Unlike some other allied aircraft, the C-47s were equipped with non-sealed fuel tanks, which made them vulnerable to damage from enemy fire. These non-sealed tanks posed a significant risk during combat operations, as they were more susceptible to fuel leaks and fires if the aircraft sustained damage. Approximately 800 C-47s took off during the parachute assault, with 21 lost.

Due to cloud and fog, inexperienced navigation (only 40% of aircraft had a navigator) and intensity of air defences, meant only 15-20% of paratroopers landed at their drop zones, with some being 16 km (10 mi) off target. Members of the 507th were dropped into flooded fields, with many drowning under the weight of their gear.

In the image below that I've colourised, U.S. paratroopers fix their static lines before a jump before dawn over Normandy on D-Day June 6, 1944.

I recently took my eldest to Normandy to tour the beaches of D-Day. Beyond poignant, it was so difficult to imagine what those went through on the first few days of the liberation of Europe. Over the next few days, I will be posting 10 pictures I've colourised from those days in early June 1944, starting with the paratroopers.

In the below colourised image, a heavily burdened paratrooper, armed with a Thompson M1 submachine gun, climbs into a transport plane bound for France on June 5, 1944. US Paratroopers, equipped for 3 days of fighting, on average carried 45 kg (100lb) of gear in addition to their body weight.

Due to the danger, U.S. paratroopers were an all volunteer unit, earning an extra $50 month salary (double what a US army private would earn). Training to be a paratrooper was excessive, lasting several months. At the end, it required the troopers to perform six successful jumps to get their wings and qualify as a paratrooper.

Approximately 13,100 American paratroopers from the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions were to jump into the Cotentin Peninsula to support US forces landing on Utah beach. D-Day casualties for the airborne divisions were calculated in August 1944 as 1,240 for the 101st Airborne Division (182 killed, 557 wounded, and 501 missing) and 1,259 for the 82nd Airborne (156 killed, 347 wounded, and 756 missing).

So, due to work and travel, I haven't been able to post any colourisations in months. Given I had a few mins downtime this arvo, here is one I completed back in February but have only just got around to posting.

Taken on September 17, 1944, six American paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division, a part of the First Allied Airborne Army, receive a final briefing from their commanding officer before emplaning as part of Operation Market Garden. Market Garden was a two-prong large-scale Allied military operation during World War II, primarily conducted by British, American, and Polish airborne forces (Operation Market) along with ground support from the British # # # Corps (Garden). The operation took place in September 1944 and was designed to secure a series of bridges in the Netherlands to facilitate a rapid advance into Germany and potentially shorten the war. Market would be the largest airborne operation in history, delivering over 34,600 men of the 101st, 82nd and 1st Airborne Divisions and the Polish Brigade.

While the operation initially made significant progress, it ultimately failed in its main objective of creating a swift route into Germany. The British # # # Corps was unable to reach and reinforce the airborne troops at Arnhem, hindered by much heavier German forces than anticipated, and leading to the withdrawal of the British 1st Airborne Division.

The combined operation, from 17-26 September resulted in significant casualties on both sides. The allied forces suffered over 15,000 casualties, including 8,000 the First Airborne Army. A further 500 Dutch civilians were killed in German counter attacks. German forces incurred anywhere from 6,000-9000 casualties.

The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot was an air engagement 1944. A part of the Battle of the Philippine Sea, the combat featured the last battle between American and Japanese carriers. This was the largest carrier-to-carrier battle in history, involving 24 aircraft carriers, deploying roughly 1,350 carrier-based aircraft.

The security of the Marianas Islands, in the western Pacific, were vital to Japan, which had air bases on Saipan, Tinian, and Guam. U.S. troops were already battling the Japanese on Saipan, having landed there on the 15th. Any further intrusion would leave the Philippine Islands, and Japan itself, vulnerable to U.S. attack. The U.S. Fifth Fleet, commanded by Admiral Raymond Spruance, was on its way west from the Marshall Islands as backup for the invasion of Saipan and the rest of the Marianas.

On June 19, Japanese Admiral Ozawa Jisaburo decided to challenge the American fleet, ordering 430 of his planes, launched from aircraft carriers, to attack. U.S. fleet defence, spearheaded by the Grumman F6F Hellcats, conducted a near-perfect defense, repelling four Japanese raids.

In the space of several crowded hours, U.S. carrier pilots claimed 380 kills (368 by F6Fs), dwarfing any other one-day score in American history.

The outcome is generally attributed to a wealth of highly trained American pilots with superior tactics and numerical superiority, and new anti-aircraft ship defensive technology (including the top-secret anti-aircraft proximity fuze), vs. the Japanese use of replacement pilots with not enough flight hours in training and little or no combat experience.

below, men from the USS Birmingham watch aircraft trails above Task Force 58 during the Battle of the Philippine Sea, 19 June 1944.

The Dunkirk evacuation, codenamed Operation Dynamo, was the evacuation of more than 338,000 Allied soldiers during the Second World War from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, in the north of France, between 26 May and 4 June 1940. The operation commenced after large numbers of Belgian, British, and French troops were cut off and surrounded by German troops during the six-week Battle of France.

On the first day, only 7,669 Allied soldiers were evacuated, but by the end of the eighth day, 338,226 had been rescued by a hastily assembled fleet of over 800 vessels. Many troops were able to embark from the harbour's protective mole onto British, Canadian and French Navy destroyers, and a variety of civilian merchant ships. Others had to wade out from the beaches, waiting for hours in shoulder-deep water. Some were ferried to the larger ships by what became known as the Little Ships of Dunkirk, a flotilla of hundreds of merchant marine boats, fishing boats, pleasure craft, yachts, and lifeboats called into service from Britain.

The BEF lost 68,000 soldiers during the French campaign and had to abandon nearly all of its tanks, vehicles, and equipment; however, 198,000 BEF plus another 140,000 French and Belgian troops were saved.

by me, wounded British soldiers evacuated from make their way up the gangplank from a destroyer Dover, 31 May 1940

For , a from the Vietnam War.

A trooper of the 101st Airborne Division attempts to save the life of a buddy at D**g Ap Bia Mountain, near South Vietnam’s A Shau Valley on May 19, 1969. The man was seriously wounded in the last of repeated attempts by U.S. forces to capture enemy positions there.

1940, the same day German forces invaded the Low Countries, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain resigned his position, which he had held since May 28, 1937.

His premiership was dominated by the question of policy towards an increasingly aggressive Germany, and his actions at Munich Conference in 1938, where an accord with Hi**er led Chamberlain to proclaim "peace for our time", were widely, if fleetingly, popular. In response to Hi**er's continued aggression, Chamberlain pledged the United Kingdom to defend Poland's independence if the latter were attacked, an alliance that brought his country into war after the German invasion of Poland in September 1939.

The failure of Allied forces to prevent the German invasion of Norway caused the House of Commons to hold the historic Norway Debate over May 7-9 1940. Chamberlain's conduct of the war was heavily criticised by members of all parties and, in a vote of confidence, his government's majority was greatly reduced. Accepting that a national government supported by all the main parties was essential, Chamberlain resigned the premiership because the Labour and Liberal parties would not serve under his leadership. Although he still led the Conservative Party, he was succeeded as prime minister by his colleague Winston Churchill.

His resignation speech included a warning that Britain would face a trying future. "For the hour has now come when we are to be put to the test, as the innocent people of Holland, Belgium, and France are being tested already. And you and I must rally behind our new leader, and with our united strength, and with unshakable courage fight, and work until this wild beast, which has sprung out of his lair upon us, has been finally disarmed and overthrown."

Chamberlain remained in government, as the Lord President of the Council, the presiding officer of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom. Once robust, he fell ill in July 1940 where his doctors discovered he had terminal bowel cancer—which they hid from him. He worked until pain made this impossible, resigning on September 22. The Prime Minister asked if Chamberlain would accept the highest order of British chivalry, the Order of the Garter, of which his brother had been a member. Chamberlain refused, saying he would "prefer to die plain 'Mr Chamberlain' like my father before me, unadorned by any title."

He died, aged 71, November 9, 1940.

Above, by me, is Chamberlain at Heston Aerodrome on 30 September 1938, after his triumphant return from the Munich Conference.

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Claretta Petacci, one of Italian's fascist leader, Benito Mussolini's, mistresses, with whom she was executed 1945, aged 33.

Born February 28, 1912 in Rome to a privileged family, Claretta, or Clara as she was often called, grew up in a household that supported fascism. After Mussolini's National Fascist Party took power in 1922, this devotion switched to a cult of personality where Clara soon began to idolise the dictator.

Meeting by chance in April 1932, the pair were soon lovers, and continued, notwithstanding Mussolini's 28-year seniority, his marriage since 1915, and her own marriage in 1934. Despite being one of numerous mistresses, Clara was recorded as being extremely jealous of others; Mussolini, for his part, did seem to be reciprocal of his need for Clara as he would call her multiple times a day.

As Italy's war fortunes soured, the relationship between the pair became less intense, and by his ouster of government in July 1943, he had frequented her less; however, she was arrested by the new government and held for 6 weeks. This arrest made their relationship public and
this, as well as the excess and corruption now in view of the dictator to his mistress and others, reduced his popularity.

Their relationship rekindled clandestinely only after the Germans had rescued Mussolini and installed him as the puppet leader of Italian Socialist Republic in the north in late 1943. There, Clara stayed by Mussolini’s side until the very end. On 18 April 1945, Clara followed him to Milan, and but were captured by partisans captured on 27 April. They spent their last night together at the De Maria farmhouse before being shot the next day by communist partisans.

The bodies were transported to Piazzale Loreto in Milan where they were subjected to abuse and mutilation by the crowd before being hung upside down on a metal trellis of a petrol station.

Below is my phot of Clara Petracci, reading Mussolini’s book Story of a Year: The Time of Stick and Carrot, in 1944.

One more for Day, and this is of an iconic photo of an unknown Australian trooper, taking during the First World War. The photograph was probably taken in Australia, pre-embarkation, sometime between 1915 and 1918.

The original photo was featured in the Australian War Memorial's 2008 exhibition "Icon and Archive".

Back home it's Day, a day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand to commemorate those "who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations" as well as the "the contribution and suffering of all those who have served".

Today's is of an unknown Australian of the Royal Australian Regiment with his M60 machine gun.

Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War began with a small commitment of 30 military advisors in 1962, and increased over the following decade to a peak of 7,672 Australian personnel following the Menzies Government's April 1965 decision to upgrade its military commitment to South Vietnam's security. By the time the last Australian personnel were withdrawn in 1972, the Vietnam War had become Australia's longest war, with approximately 60,000 Australians served in the war: 521 were killed and more than 3,000 were wounded.

Oh My! Happy Birthday to George Takei, who turns 87 years old .

Born in Los Angeles as Hosato Takei, his father soon renamed him "George" after King George VI who was coronation took place the following month. As Japanese-Americans, George and his parents were both interned for the duration of WW2. At the end of the war, his family were left without any bank accounts, home or family business; this left them unable to find any housing, so they lived on Skid Row, Los Angeles for 5 years.

George's first roles in Hollywood were dubbing into English Japanese monster films, including Godzilla Raids Again, performed whilst he was still at UCLA. He appeared in minor roles, including Perry Mason and Twilight Zone, until he was cast in his most prominent role, helmsman of the USS Enterprise, Hikaru Sulu, on Star Trek. As Sulu, he appeared in 52 episodes in The Original Series, 22 episodes of The Animated Series, and all original 6 Star Trek movies.

Outside of acting, Takei has been a prominent advocate for LGBT rights and has spoken openly about his own sexuality, having been in a relationship with his partner Brad Altman for over 20 years before being wed--becoming the first same-sex couple to apply for a marriage licence in West Hollywood--in 2008. . He has also been involved in political activism, including serving on the board of the Japanese American National Museum.

by me below, is George Takei as Sulu in an undated promotional still, taken between 1966-69 for Star Trek.

Haven't posted in a while as work has been crazy! Here's my latest effort.

In 1938, Donald Bradman led the Australian Cricket Team in a Tour of England to retain the Ashes. The test series was played between June and August, with the first two tests being drawn, the third being a wash-out without a ball bowled, and with Australia and England both winning one of the last two test matches. With the series tied, Australia retained the Ashes and would continue to do so until the English reclaimed them after the 1954-55 series in Australia.

During the test series, Bradman played 6 innings, amassing 434 runs at an average of 72, with centuries in the First Test (144 not out), Second Test (102), and Fourth Test (103). In the Fifth Test, in an effort to give his bowlers a break during Len Hutton's then world record of 364 (scored over 13 hours, with 847 balls faced), took on bowling duties and subsequently fractured his ankle during his third over. He did not not bat in either Australian innings in that Test, which England won by the largest margin in Test cricket -- a whopping innings and 579 runs.

In addition to the Test, Bradman played other first class matches in England. On the tour before becoming hurt, Bradman played a total 26 innings, scored 2,429 runs, including 13 centuries, all at an average of 115. His consistency allowed for him to score a total of 21 first-class centuries in 34 innings, from the beginning of the 1938 tour of England (including preliminary games in Australia) until early 1939.

by me below is a photo of Bradman with his wife Jessie (left) and Mrs Robins at the Robins' house near Maidenhead, England, whilst on tour in 1938.

March 4, 1943 and Australian war cameraman, Damien Parer, wins Australia's Oscar for "Kokoda Front Line!" which was one of the four winners in a tie for Best Documentary at the 15th Academy Awards.

Parer was born at Malvern in Melbourne on 1 Aug 1912 and began a lifelong fascination with photography at an early age. In the mid 30s he worked as both a photographer and cameraman, gaining valuable experience. By World War II, Parer was experienced at photography and motion pictures, and was appointed as official movie photographer to the Australian Imperial Force.

His first war footage was taken on HMAS Sydney after it had sunk the Italian cruiser Bartolomeo Colleoni. Soon afterwards, he was aboard HMS Ladybird while it was bombarding the sea port of Bardia in Libya. Parer filmed in Greece and in Syria, covering the action from aircraft, the deck of a ship and on the ground with the infantry. After Syria he travelled to Tobruk in Aug '41 before covering the fighting in the Western Desert. By mid-1942 Parer was in New Guinea ready to cover the fighting against the Japanese.

Against Department of Information orders, Parer went to the Kokoda Track with the first units of the Australian army. It was a bitter campaign fought under the harshest of conditions where the enemy melted into the jungle. Damien returned to Sydney with 800 feet of film, footage that became Kokoda Front Line!

Damien returned to New Guinea to shoot what he regarded as his finest film, Assault on Salamaua. As he recorded in his diary, he set out to portray the horror of war in the jungle through the gestures, faces, the eyes and the everyday incidents of self-sacrifice of the diggers under combat conditions. Parer then joined Paramount News to join the American forces to cover the campaigns in the northern Pacific.

On 17 September 1944, he was killed by a sniper while covering a tank advance on the island of Peleliu. His footage during the earlier Battle of Guam won him a posthumous Headliner Award from the American Journalists' Association

He left behind his widow of 6 months, Elizabeth, who was pregnant with their child, a son Damien, who was born in March 1944.

With the Wests Tigers starting their 2023 campaign in the , I've done a throwback to May 2, 1970 for my latest colourisation. Queen Elizabeth II, walks down the line of meeting the players of Balmain Tigers, the then reigning premiers. Elizabeth is introduced by Balmain's captain, Keith "Chica" Outten. Outten, who played four seasons with Balmain between 1968 and 1971, and another in 1975.

Played in front of a packed Sydney Cricket Ground, the game was played between Balmain and Souths, a replay of the 1969 Grand Final, which the Tigers won 11-2. Souths won on this day however, 14-5. Her Majesty was touring Australia as part of the bicentennial of Captain James Cook's sailing up the east coast of Australia.