Rare photographs through World War II raids and brutal retribution, 1942

 

The events of 1942 were crucial in the way World War II played out. The first Americans arrived in England in January - 'overpaid, oversexed -' and Field Marshal Erwin Rommel's Africa Corps in North Africa launched its counter-offensive, capturing Tobruk in June.

The Blitz intensified in both England and Germany, with the first thousand-bomber airstrikes on Cologne and the German bombing of British cathedral cities.

In the Pacific, the Japanese continued their expansion into Borneo, Java and Sumatra. The 'impregnable' British fort of Singapore fell sharply in February, taking some 25,000 prisoners, many of whom would die in Japanese camps for years to come.

But June saw the peak of Japanese expansion. The Battle of Midway, in which American sea-based aircraft destroyed four Japanese carriers and one cruiser, marked the turning point in the Pacific War.

The second half of the year also saw a reversal of German fortunes. British forces under Montgomery took the initiative in North Africa at El Alamein, and Russian forces counterattacked at Stalingrad.

The news of the mass killings of Jewish people by the Nazis reached the Allies and America resolved to avenge these crimes. In this article, you will find a wonderful and rare photo collection of World War II raids.