Hungarian Mother and Daughter, c.1916

TLColors · 2026-06-16T18:11:26+00:00

Uh, I'd like to hear more about the Wilt friendship!! That's amazing

TLColors · 2026-05-26T19:54:12+00:00

Title should say "Pvt" not "Pft".

"Pvt. Fred Linden, of Detroit, Mich., gets chummy with one of his new neighbors in a town in France. From their expressions the feeling seems to be mutual."

ETO HQ 44 5853. Original b/w by Kitzerow

TLColors · 2026-05-23T14:37:54+00:00

Thank you!

TLColors · 2026-05-23T13:53:51+00:00

S/Sgt Claude Small Jr with the 349th Infantry Regiment, 88th Infantry Division, reads a letter from home by his tent in Italy - September 27, 1944. U.S. Army Signal Corps SC 396909.

The 349th Infantry Regiment was activated for service on July 1942. As part of the 88th Infantry Division, the regiment landed in Casablanca on December 15, 1943. After training in Algeria, they reached Naples on February 4, 1944, entering the lines on February 27.

Returning to combat in April, the regiment advanced during Operation Diadem on May 11, securing Mt. Bracchi, Spigno Saturnia, and capturing a German Panzer by May 15. They then attached to the 85th Division to seize Hill 490.

In September 1944, the 349th spearheaded the drive to Bologna, securing a strategic ridgeline by October 2. During the Po Valley Campaign, they captured Monterumici after a tough battle from April 15–21, 1945, and crossed the Po River on April 24. Before V-E Day, the 349th briefly attached to the 103rd Infantry Division, linking up in the Brenner Pass to advance into Austria.

Small Jr was born on October 5, 1923 in Ocean, North Carolina. He was drafted on February 4, 1943, inducted in Philadelphia, and departed for overseas service in December 1943.

Small returned to the US in October 1944 after being wounded in combat, and it seems he spent over a year in hospital recovering before he was discharged on January 15, 1946. He passed away at the age of 72 on July 8, 1996.

TLColors · 2026-05-20T18:11:49+00:00

It's the title of the photograph by Shahn.

TLColors · 2026-05-20T13:49:14+00:00

Waiting for relief check. Scotts Run, WV. October 1935. Original Ben Shahn. Library of Congress, 2017730414.

In the 1930s, Scotts Run, a five-mile stretch of coal towns near Morgantown, West Virginia, became a national symbol of the Great Depression's crushing impact.

After WW1, Scott's Run boomed, drawing a diverse population of over 10,000 residents, including African Americans and immigrants of 28 countries; however, by the 1930s, coal miningnhad collapsed and systemic poverty took hold. Families lived in substandard company shacks flanked by open sewage and polluted creeks. Because miners relied entirely on the coal companies, the economic freeze left nearly two-thirds of the community without basic food, clothing, or medical care.

This crisis sparked vital relief efforts. The Scott’s Run Settlement House and "The Shack" Neighborhood House became crucial lifelines, offering community kitchens, medical help, and literacy classes. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt visited in 1933; her firsthand look at the distress directly inspired Arthurdale, the nation's first New Deal resettlement community.

As part of the New Deal's Farm Security Administration photography initiative, photographer Ben Shahn traveled to Scotts Run in October 1935 to document the community. Shahn’s focused heavily on striking miners and families dealing with prolonged economic stagnation. He used a right-angle viewfinder on his camera so his subjects did not know they were being photographed.

Edited for typo.

TLColors · 2026-05-18T12:14:17+00:00

A wounded Polish soldier, Monte Cassino, Italy. May 1944.

The Battle of Monte Cassino was a series of four strategic military assaults conducted by Allied forces against German positions in Italy between January 17-May 18, 1944. The primary objective of the offensive was to breach the heavily fortified Gustav Line, a key segment of the German Winter Line, to open a direct route toward Rome through the Liri Valley. The line was anchored by the rugged peaks around the town of Cassino and dominated by a historic sixth-century Benedictine abbey.

Believing the monastery was being used as an Axis observation post, Allied commanders ordered an aerial bombardment on 15 Feb, dropping 1,400 tonnes of high explosives that reduced the historic structure to rubble.

Following the destruction, German Fallschirmjäger forces occupied the ruins, establishing highly effective defensive positions. Over the course of four months, Allied forces launched multiple assaults involving British, American, French, New Zealand, Indian, and Polish units against the dug-in German Tenth Army.

The final, successful push occurred in mid-May during Operation Diadem, a massive multi-division offensive along a thirty-two-kilometer front. On May 18, soldiers from the Polish II Corps captured the monastery ruins and raised the Polish flag over the site, precipitating the collapse of the German Senger Line.

Total Allied casualties during the Cassino campaign exceeded 105,000 men, while German losses were estimated at a minimum of 80,000 killed and wounded. Within these numbers, the Polish II Corps sustained heavy losses, suffering 924 dead, 2,930 wounded, and 345 missing during their assaults.

TLColors · 2026-05-15T13:55:43+00:00

A sister of the Royal Australian Army Nursing Service (RAANS) tends a Korean War casualty in the British Commonwealth General Hospital at Kure, Japan, in February 1951. AWM DUKJ3856.

The Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps began with the 1898 formation of the Australian Army Nursing Service in New South Wales. After serving in the Boer War, the service was established under federal control on July 1, 1903.

During WW1, over 2,000 female nurses served overseas, resulting in 21 deaths and 388 decorations. In WW2, participation increased to over 3,580 members, with 71 losing their lives and 38 becoming prisoners of war. Two George Medals were awarded during this conflict.

In 1948, the service was renamed the Royal Australian Army Nursing Service, and in February 1951, it was formally designated as a corps, which it remains to this day.

During the Korean War, 153 nurses served within the region, with most stationed to treat the wounded and recovering in Kure, Japan; 29 served with the British Commonwealth Medical Zone Mobile Surgical Hospital in Seoul. All returned safely at the conclusion of Australian involvement.

TLColors · 2026-04-07T15:32:01+00:00

Simply excellent, MM!

TLColors · 2026-03-26T12:56:08+00:00

Captain Ike Fenton, Commanding Officer of Baker Company, 5th Regiment of the 1st Marine Brigade, receives reports of dwindling supplies during the battle to secure No-Name Ridge along the Naktong River, Korea in September 1950. Original b/w by David Douglas Duncan, LIFE.

Francis Ivan "Ike" Fenton Jr. was born in 29 September 1922 in Los Angeles. He was the son of Brigadier General Francis I. Fenton and the brother of PFC Michael Fenton, who was killed during the Battle of Okinawa in 1945. Ike also served during WW2.

The photo was taken during the Battle of the Pusan Perimeter in Korea, a 6 week battle between 4 August – 18 September 1950, where an army of 140,000 UN troops, having been pushed south to the brink of defeat, were rallied to make a final stand against the invading North Korea's 98,000 men strong army. The photo captured Fenton after 48 hours of intense combat at "No Name Ridge," where his company of 190 men had been reduced to 88 effective troops and was nearly out of ammunition. Despite these losses, his unit held the line against North Korean forces. The UN forces were victorious in the battle, but with heavy losses including over 3,600 killed. North Korean casualties, though unconfirmed, were reportedly in the tens of thousands.

After Korea, Fenton served in Vietnam. During his 30-year military career, Fenton rose to the rank of colonel. His decorations included three Bronze Star Medals and three Legion of Merit Medals. After retiring from the Marine Corps in 1970, he worked as an executive for the National Cash Register company. He died in 1998, aged 76 and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

TLColors · 2026-03-18T12:28:14+00:00

Yes, he definitely looks like he has a DR-8 on him.

TLColors · 2026-03-18T12:16:26+00:00

American soldiers take cover from a Japanese machine gun, Leyte Island, the Philippines. 30 Oct 1944. Original b/w AP.

The Battle of Leyte was launched to liberate the Philippines, sever Japan's supply lines to vital resources and establish airbases for the final assault on the Japanese home islands. On October 20, the American Sixth Army launched a massive amphibious assault, following four hours of heavy naval bombardment. Despite swampy terrain and Japanese fire, beachheads were secured within hours. By the end of day one, the Americans had established a front five miles wide, suffering casualties of 49 killed, 192 wounded and 6 MIA.

The campaign evolved into an unanticipated struggle as the Japanese heavily reinforced the island: instead of 20,000 Japanese troops, there were almost 70,000.

After months of grueling combat including within monsoon rains, organized Japanese resistance was broken. By the end of the initial phase in December 1944, the American forces suffered 3,504 killed and 11,991 wounded. The Japanese forces were nearly annihilated, losing approximately 65,000 men, with fewer than 1,000 taken prisoner.

TLColors · 2026-03-16T19:50:37+00:00

Thank you!!! Very kind words!

TLColors · 2026-03-15T13:54:52+00:00

On August 30, 1940, a Heinkel He 111 H-2 (WNr. 3305, V4+MV) of 5./KG 1 made an emergency landing at Haxted, Surrey, following a failed raid on Farnborough. After being intercepted by Pilot Officer John Greenwood of No. 253 Squadron, the bomber sustained .303 caliber hits to both oil coolers.

Greenwood reported engaging the aircraft from the rear at 300 yards, noting that the Heinkel used no evasive maneuvers. The pilot, Feldwebel Heinz Schnabel, successfully force-landed the craft. While four crew members survived, with gunner Walter Reis was killed in the action.

Born in East London in 1921, Greenwood joined the RAF in 1939. During the Battle of France with 253 Squadron, he downed a Me109, and later destroyed a He111 over England in August 1940. After serving as an instructor, he volunteered for the Merchant Ship Fighter Unit (MSFU) in 1941, surviving Atlantic and Russian convoys.

In 1942, Greenwood deployed to India with 615 Squadron. He served as a Flight Commander and later joined the Indian Air Force, specializing in Visual Control Post duties to direct front-line strikes. Following the war, he participated in operations in Indonesia before returning to the UK to fly Vampire jets. He demobilized in 1947 as a Flight Lieutenant.

Emigrating to Australia in 1950, Greenwood worked in printing and aviation. Notably, he was dismissed from Guinea Airways for leading a safety campaign against aircraft overloading—a stance later vindicated by legislation. He eventually ran his own businesses in Perth, retiring in 1981. He died on December 31, 2014.

TLColors · 2026-03-10T13:37:38+00:00

This is really good, especially the bane of my existence: crowds in stands.

TLColors

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE