Crowds: Servicemen and B-17s at the End of WWII

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These two images of crowds come in the same remarkable issue of The Illustrated London News for 4 August 1945—the war in Europe  was over, and the war in the Pacific, for all intents and purposes, would be over in two days.

The first image shows  passengers on board the "Queen Elizabeth"—a contingent of 14,000 American soldiers beginning their journey home following the defeat of Hitler.  It is a raucous, joyful image, with nearly everyone waving, happy to have arms to wave, happy to be alive to wave their arms, happy to be going home.  

The second, “Not a Display of Toys”, shows only one section of a large airfield “in Europe” (actually in U.S.-administered Munich).  There’s about 300 B-17’s (e?) parked wingtip to wingtip, off duty now from the fight in Europe, but (as the caption says) prepared for a fight in Japan. I don’t think anyone in high command had any doubt that these planes had seen their last action.  The atom bomb worked, and would work again (and again, and more so if necessary), and the fear that these planes would make their way East was not a real concern. This photo represents about 7% of the highest number of B-17's in service in Europe at any given time. 

Comments

[Jeff]

Neat effect scrolling through the plane photo with my mouse-wheel.