The Hollywood Canteen

The Hollywood Canteen operated at 1451 Cahuenga Boulevard in Hollywod, California between October 3, 1942, and November 22, 1945, as a club offering food, dancing and entertainment for servicemen, usually on their way overseas. Even though the majority of visitors were U.S servicemen, the canteen was open to servicemen of allied countries as well as women in all branches of service. A serviceman's ticket for admission was his uniform and everything at the canteen was free of charge.

A Hollywood Canteen ID card

A postcard from the Hollywood Canteen

Canadian Spitfire Pilot

A Canadian Spitfire pilot in North Africa.

Training for a Gas Attack

Soldiers laying field wire during a simulated gas attack while on maneuvers.

Tarawa Island

United States Marines on Tarawa Island.  Colorization credit to John Winner.

House to House Fighting

German soldiers engaged in house to house fighting at Stalingrad, September, 1942.  Colorized photo by Doug Banks who does awesome work in that regard.

Captured Flags

U.S. Marines with captured Japanese flags tied to their M-1 Carbines. The photo was probably taken in the Marianas.

Cleaning His Rifle

A Wehrmacht soldier cleans his rifle, Eastern Front, Summer 1941.

Change Over to a Victory Job

An Australian World War II poster.

Forward Observer

A Wehrmacht forward observer on the Eastern Front, Winter, 1943.

Prepping the Bomber

RAF crewmen prepping a Lancaster.

On the Front Lines

A German machine gunner on the front lines at Stalingrad, Russia, October, 1942.

German Draftees

Draftees marching to their local district headquarters for their medical examinations.

The Crossing of the Garigliano

The Crossing of the Garigliano River by the Fifth Army, Lauro, Italy, 19 January 1944 Royal Engineers in assault boats embark for the opposite bank to repair the last two sections of the pontoon bridge knocked out by enemy fire.

Fusilier J W Roberts, 8th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers, wearing a Mae West life jacket which was issued to all troops before crossing the river, lights a cigarette.

One of the first German prisoners taken after the attack being questioned by an NCO of the Intelligence Section.

Lincoln, Nebraska

Color photos of Lincoln, Nebraska during World War II.  Taken in 1942 and 1943.

Ruins

An American officer standing in the ruins of Manila’s legislature building, 1945.

Awaiting Orders

American gun crew in camouflaged emplacement awaiting orders to fire during the desert fighting between German and American forces in the El Guettar Valley, Tunisia, 1943.

Die Medaille Winterschlacht

Die Medaille Winterschlacht Im Osten 1941/42 (Ostmedaille) Eastern Front Medal; Awarded to all German military personnel who participated in the first winter of Operation Barbarossa (the invasion of the Soviet Union). In this photo, it appears with with Issue Packet and Ribbon Bar.

Destroyed Airfield

American soldiers inspect a destroyed German airfield. 

German Mortar Crew

In this undated photo, a German mortar crew prepares to fire the 81 mm mortar Granatwerfer 34.

Acropolis

Wehrmacht soldiers raising the Nazi flag at the Acropolis.  This is a colorized photo.

German armor rolling towards the Acropolis

Sherman Tank

A Sherman tank of the Canadian Sherbrooke Fusiliers advancing into Caen, France, July 10, 1944.  Colorization credit to Mike Gepp.

Radio Communications

A Ford GPW radio communications Jeep in operation.

Japanese Skull Regiment

Japanese soldiers of a elite combat regiment named The Skull regiment in Manchuria, China. 

Video: Battle of Peleliu

Unedited color video from the Battle of Peleliu.

Marines on alert in Peleliu

Crossing the English Channel

Allied ships in the English Channel on their way to Normandy, June 6, 1944.

Zundapp KS 750

The Zundapp KS 750 motorcycle with sidecar was one of the workhorses of light motorized German infantry throughout WW2. This particular museum specimen is powered by the classic BMW Boxer motor that is still in production today. The side car rider had the option of mounting a machine gun on the front of the car for added firepower. These motorcycles carried three grenadiers and their use aimed at deploying well-armed troops at maximum speed and surprise.

Enlist Now!

Nazi poster from France, circa 1943.

U.S. Army Sniper

U.S. Army sniper Edward J. Foley of Methuen, Massachusetts - Italy, 1944.  Colorization credit to Za Rodinu.

Refugees

Belgian residents of a northern Ardennes hamlet flee the fighting during the Battle of the Bulge, 1944.

Gustav Gun

The "Gustav Gun" was built in Essen, Germany in 1941. The strategic weapon of its day, the Gustav Gun was built at the direct order of Adolf Hitler for the express purpose of crushing Maginot Line forts protecting the French frontier. To accomplish this, Krupp designed a giant railway gun weighing 1344 tons with a bore diameter of 800 mm (31.5") and served by a 500 man crew commanded by a major-general.

Here's some video of the Gustav gun.

B-25 Bomber

October 1942. "Another B-25 bomber rolls off the final assembly line to join other ships in the outdoor assembly area. North American Aviation Inc. Inglewood, California.

Wreckage

A Luftwaffe pilot stands next to a Messerschmitt 109 that was shot down.

Swedish Infantry

Swedish infantry troops training in preparation for participation in World War II.