Fighting for freedom: Extremely rare colour photographs show D-Day (and the resulting celebration) in a whole new light


A new batch of incredibly rare colour photographs has been released by LIFE magazine in honour of D-Day, showing masterfully coloured images both before and after the assault of World War II's dramatic turning point.



Captured by photographer Frank Scherschel, the pictures from before and after the Normandy invasion depict the operation in a whole new light.

Mr Scherschel manages to capture nearly idyllic images after the invasion, including reactions in small French towns and the rolling countryside and civilians coming together in Paris to celebrate their freedom.



On parade in Paris: Men carted large painted British and American flags for use in parade the day after the liberation of Paris by Allied troops

Band of brothers: An American tank crew (one in a top hat) rested on the way through the town of Avaranches in the weeks following the successful invasion of Normandy

No rest for the weary: Two days after D-Day, a soldier drives a past a P38 fighter getting ready to fly a mission as the pilot arrives in a captured German vehicle shortly after the liberation of Paris by Allied troops

Many of the images captures will remain, ostensibly, some sort of a my stery. LIFE magazine note s that the photographer simply did not have time to properly annotate and caption each photograph.



The magazine identified people and places as best they could, but many of Mr Scherschel’s works must be taken at face value.

The new photos depict soldiers transporting from the French countryside to the urban areas in and around Paris – one soldier is pictured using a German vehicle to drive to his plane.

Others show the civilian response, of Americans, and Britons alike walking down Paris streets with flags to celebrate the liberation.

A day to celebrate: Sign carrying civilians march in parade the day after the liberation of Paris by Allied troops

Under the arch: Allied forces drive tanks in Paris during French liberation celebration. Paris, France August 16, 1944 following the successful invasion

Soldiers and civilians: On August 26, 1944, American Army trucks paraded down the Champs Elysees the day after the liberation of Paris by Allied troops - and one cyclist decided to use the march to hitch a ride

Last year, other rare and striking photos of the days leading up to and after the historic D-Day invasion have been put on display, nearly 70 years after World War II's dramatic turning point.

The full-colour images display anxious American soldiers as they prepared for Operation Overlord, the code name for the Battle of Normandy. The photos also capture the celebratory tone upon the June 6 invasion’s success.

American troops dine on boxes of artillery in one picture, while the stoic faces of German prisoners captured during the invasion in another.

The vivid snaps also demonstrate preparation for the historic battle – with GIs stacking cans of gasoline and soldiers marching in formation.

Some shots show crowds of French citizens lining the streets to greet the American soldiers after German troops were forced from the region and cities like Paris were liberated by Allied forces.



Thousands of Allied soldiers, mostly from the United States, Britain and Canada, landed in Normandy to begin the drive to break the German occupation of Europe.

Dining out: American troops eat a meal set on top of boxes of ammunition amid preparation for the D-Day invasion of France

Prisoners: American troops stand guard behind German soldiers captured near the town of Le Gast during the Normandy invasion

Ruins: A bombed-out Palais de Justice is shown in front of a heavily damaged fire engine in the town of St Lo, France, shortly after the D-Day offensive

The soldiers charged the shores of five beaches on France's northern coast, facing German land mines, machine guns and heavy artillery.



The invasion, a victory for the allies, is known as the key turning point of World War II.

Some 215,000 Allied soldiers, and roughly as many Germans, were killed or wounded during D-Day and the ensuing three months before the Allies captured Normandy, opening a path toward Paris that eventually took them to Germany and victory over the Nazis.

