In living, and dying, color.

Posted on 6 June 2012 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Someone sent a link to rare color photos from World War II.

Here is one:

And another:

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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19 Comments

  1. Legisperitus says:
    6 June 2012 at 10:18 AM

    Hate to borrow a phrase from Limbaugh, but it looks like “the way things ought to be.” At least, if there has to be a war.

  2. keithp says:
    6 June 2012 at 10:21 AM

    Thank you Father for these photo’s.
    I make a point of showing these to my sons and reminding them that their Faith is with them always — even (most especially) in extraordiary events of their lives.
    I also remind them that they are living out 2000 years of Church and Western Civilization.

  4. robtbrown says:
    6 June 2012 at 11:07 AM

    Legisperitus says:

    Hate to borrow a phrase from Limbaugh, but it looks like “the way things ought to be.” At least, if there has to be a war.

    Only the dead have seen the end of war.

  5. FrJLP says:
    6 June 2012 at 11:40 AM

    Beautiful! It is tragic to have to be there at all, but beautiful to be able to bring the grace and consolation of the Sacraments of Holy Church…. What a fitting remembrance for this D-day anniversary.

  6. Suburbanbanshee says:
    6 June 2012 at 12:20 PM

    It’s always strange, how normal people look in color, versus how glamorous they look in B&W.

  7. Bob B. says:
    6 June 2012 at 12:25 PM

    Obama Not Scheduled to Commemorate D-Day

    by Keith Koffler on June 6, 2012, 10:10 am, White House Dossier

    It’s D-Day and President Obama is hitting the beaches – of sunny California!

    Instead of scheduling a brief event to mark the 68th anniversary of America’s brutal landing on the shores of Normandy, Obama is already on his way to San Francisco, where he will hold two fundraisers before moving on to Beverly Hills to stage two more.

    Obama failed to mark D-Day with either a speech or a written proclamation both last year or the year before. He did give a speech in 2009, the 65th anniversary of the event.

    First Lady Michelle Obama, who has made much of her “Joining Forces” campaign to support military families, also has nothing planned for D-Day. She’ll be in New York City for a fundraiser and then in Philadelphia to meet with campaign volunteers.

    Obama’s failure to mark D-Day in any significant way is both a shame and a political mistake.
    According to the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, two critical swing states – Florida and Pennsylvania, are among the top five states in terms of veterans’ population. Within the top twelve are four others – Michigan, Ohio, Virginia and North Carolina – all states Obama desperately needs to carry.

    These are two links that are very much worth noting about our military.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70Ikj1hZDnw&feature=youtube_gdata_player
    http://www.vincentcapodanno.org/

  8. irishgirl says:
    6 June 2012 at 12:27 PM

    Amazing photos! Thank you, Father Z, for posting them on this anniversary of D-Day!
    I’m so used to seeing photos of that period in black-and-white; I have to remind myself that things AND people were ‘in color’ back then. It’s just so bizarre to know that there was color photography during that time, though rare.
    In my Rosary this morning, I offered it especially for all who died, were wounded, and were missing on this day in 1944: Americans, British, Canadians, French [both military and civilian], and even German (the ‘ordinary’ soldier was only ‘following orders’).
    May those who gave their lives rest in peace!

  9. irishgirl says:
    6 June 2012 at 12:32 PM

    @ Jon: thank you for the link of the Reagan speech he gave in Normandy in 1984.
    My eyes filled with tears as I listened to his eloquent words.
    What a speaker ‘Ronnie’ was! God bless him!

  10. Long-Skirts says:
    6 June 2012 at 12:45 PM

    My father, a marine, was wounded in World War II at the battle of Peleliu…

    TO
    THE
    ISLE
    OF
    PELELIU

    In the Fall
    Of forty-four
    Our country battled
    In a war.

    A young boy went –
    The proud the few
    To the isle
    Of Peleliu.

    On his right
    His buddies killed
    On his left
    More blood was spilled.

    A young boy went –
    The proud the few
    To the isle
    Of Peleliu.

    His mind he steadied
    Not to cry
    Then metal shrapnel
    Sliced his eye.

    A young boy went –
    The proud the few
    To the isle
    Of Peleliu.

    Writhing in pain
    His eye red-hot
    A smiling medic
    Then he was shot.

    A young boy went –
    The proud the few
    To the isle
    Of Peleliu.

    Under his back
    Only the earth
    In front to his sides
    Souls of great worth.

    A young boy went –
    The proud the few
    To the isle
    Of Peleliu.

    The boy was wounded
    Left eye blind
    Back to the states
    To paint and remind…

    Yesterday killed
    The proud the few –
    May all souls rest
    On Peleliu.

    ….and BTW EVERY Catholic should go see the most wonderful movie FOR GREATER GLORY out now in movie theatres. The faith of these men and women and Mexico was MAGNIFICENT!! Their love for Our Lord and His True Church beyond belief…please, don’t walk, RUN to see this very Catholic Film. VIVA CRISTO REY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  11. Spaniard says:
    6 June 2012 at 1:12 PM

    Here is one from the spanish civil war:
    http://rayosycentellas.net/guerracivil/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/misacampana.jpg
    Communists used to say there weren’t any chances before a battalion that had just received Communion
    And a priest just before he is shot (Blessed Martin Martinez)
    http://www.1936-1939.com/?p=3280

  12. Gaetano says:
    6 June 2012 at 1:15 PM

    In photo #20 of the series, you can see a priest in cassock & saturno riding a bicycle.

    http://life.time.com/history/d-day-rare-color-photos/?iid=lb-gal-viewagn#20

  13. John Fannon says:
    6 June 2012 at 2:25 PM

    Father
    I am helping with the history of our parish in Weymouth and discovered this short video of US Soldiers hearing Mass on Weymouth harbour 3 days before D day. then they embark on the LSLs and sail off to join the Assault force.

    Mass on Weymouth pier

    In March of that year, the US soldiers were offered a Retreat at St Joseph’s Church. here is the notice put out by the Military Chaplain:

    SOLDIER:

    Do you wear a “C” on your dog-tag?

    If you DO, then you’ll be interested to know (or will you?) that a Retreat will soon begin at St. Joseph’s Church, in Weymouth. Three Nights of it: March 20th, 21st and 22nd.

    May be you don’t know the kind of Retreat that we have in mind…

    Well, you know what the boys do when they close up the PX for inventory – they GO BACK, they CHECK UP, and MAKE NECESSARY ADJUSTMENTS. That’s just what we’re going to do – in the SPIRITUAL sense.

    On the nights of March 20th, 21st, and 22nd, we’re going to GO BACK and CHECK UP….. to see whether our lives have squared with what that C on our dog-tags STANDS FOR.

    Of course, if you’ve been a SAINT then you can dispense with the Retreat. But if you’ve leaned the OTHER way, then you CANNOT AFFORD to dismiss this matter lightly – especially in view of the fact that, in a couple of months or so, you MIGHT be asked by your Creator to stand the inspection that will determine your ETERNAL fate.

    You can throw this into the coal bucket and forget all about it……

    Or, you can take manly heed of this message and make it your business to be present at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Weymouth on Monday, March 20th, on Tuesday, March 21st, and on Wednesday, March 22nd, at 6-30 each evening.

    It’s entirely UP TO YOU, Brother!
    Take it or leave it!

    Only don’t make excuses to your God some day that you weren’t told, that you weren’t warned.

    JOHN P. ADAMOWSKI
    Catholic Chaplain, 18th Inf.

    I would have liked to have met Fr Adamowski

  14. Johnno says:
    6 June 2012 at 2:49 PM

    Seeing actual colour images from that era feels really surreal… I always tend to think of the past in black and white and far removed from me. It’s funny that… :P

  15. The Egyptian says:
    6 June 2012 at 3:49 PM

    what a pity, all in latin, they didn’t get a thing out of it, so sad,
    sarcasm off
    beautiful, if we could only get that spirit back

  16. Suburbanbanshee says:
    6 June 2012 at 6:38 PM

    Long Skirts — That was good stuff. And thank you for telling us about your father’s service.

  17. madmatt says:
    7 June 2012 at 12:56 AM

    It’s amazing how real it becomes when you see the photos in color. Black and white photos are quite striking but they leave me with the sense that WWII happened eons ago. These photos really seem to bring the events to the present day. Thanks for sharing.

  18. irishgirl says:
    7 June 2012 at 9:04 AM

    @ Johnno: That was my thought, too!
    I tend to think of that time as being B&W, because most of the photos and films were that way!

  19. Clinton says:
    7 June 2012 at 11:05 AM

    As I understand it, this president opposes legislation that would protect military chaplains
    like these from dismissal or demotion for refusing to perform same-sex ‘marriages’ at
    military facilities.

    O tempora! O mores!

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