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1939–1945

World War II

World War II (1939–1945) was the largest war in history, fought across Europe, Africa, Asia and the Pacific. The Allies, including the United States, Britain, the Soviet Union and Canada, defeated Nazi Germany, Italy and Japan. The war included the Holocaust, in which six million Jews were murdered, and ended with the atomic bombs on Japan and the creation of the United Nations.

Why artists painted it

The US Army and Navy sent artists to the front lines to record the war. These paintings and drawings, which belong to the American people, show soldiers, sailors and the home front.

The Beach Area, Holland The Beach Area, Holland · Alex Colville, 1945

15 artworks about this moment

The Beach Area, Holland The Beach Area, Holland Alex Colville · 1945 👁️ Painted at the time Trucks and landing craft sit on a muddy beach in the Netherlands in 1945, painted by the Canadian war artist Alex Colville. The Nijmegen Bridge, Holland The Nijmegen Bridge, Holland Alex Colville · 1944 👁️ Painted at the time The great steel bridge at Nijmegen, which the Allies captured in September 1944 in the failed Operation Market Garden, arches across the river. Convoy in Yorkshire, No. 2 Convoy in Yorkshire, No. 2 Alex Colville · 1944 👁️ Painted at the time Army trucks roll along a road in the green hills of Yorkshire, England, where Canadian soldiers trained in 1944 before D-Day. Landing Craft Assault off Southern France Landing Craft Assault off Southern France Alex Colville · 1944 👁️ Painted at the time Landing craft head toward the coast in the Allied invasion of southern France in August 1944, in a painting by the Canadian war artist Alex Colville. Canadian Armour Passing through Ortona Canadian Armour Passing through Ortona Charles Comfort · 1944 👁️ Painted at the time A Canadian tank rolls through the shattered streets of Ortona, Italy, where Canadian troops fought a fierce street battle in December 1943. Night Air Attack before the Hitler Line Night Air Attack before the Hitler Line Lawren P. Harris · 1945 👁️ Painted at the time Flares and searchlights light up the sky over the Italian hills before an attack on the Hitler Line in 1944. Tank Convoy Tank Convoy Bruno Bobak · 1944 👁️ Painted at the time A line of Canadian tanks rolls over a green landscape in 1944. Canadian Women's Army Corps Brass Band Canadian Women's Army Corps Brass Band Molly Bobak · 1945 👁️ Painted at the time Women of the Canadian Women's Army Corps play in a brass band in 1945. London Blackout London Blackout Molly Bobak · 1944 👁️ Painted at the time A dark London street during the wartime blackout, when all lights were turned off so that bombers could not find the city. An LVT Comes Ashore, Saipan An LVT Comes Ashore, Saipan William Franklin Draper · 1944 👁️ Painted at the time An LVT, a tracked amphibious vehicle, drives up a beach on Saipan in June 1944 during the fighting in the Pacific. Utah Beach Utah Beach Joseph Gary Sheahan · 1944 👁️ Painted at the time Landing boats, soldiers and equipment fill Utah Beach in Normandy after the D-Day landings of June 6, 1944. Formal Japan Surrender aboard the U.S.S. Missouri Formal Japan Surrender aboard the U.S.S. Missouri Sidney Simon · 1945 👁️ Painted at the time On September 2, 1945, aboard the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, Japanese officials signed the surrender that ended World War II. Loading of the Vultee Vengeance Planes Loading of the Vultee Vengeance Planes Julien Binford · 1944 👁️ Painted at the time Ground crews load Vultee Vengeance dive-bombers in a busy scene from the war. Assault Groups Taking Cover Assault Groups Taking Cover Aaron Bohrod · 1943 👁️ Painted at the time American soldiers crouch among tropical trees during an assault in the Pacific in 1943. Gun Crew Loading a 5-inch 38 Caliber Gun Gun Crew Loading a 5-inch 38 Caliber Gun McClelland Barclay · 1940 👁️ Painted at the time A sailor strains to load a big gun aboard a navy ship in 1940 in a powerful, poster-like painting.