A new magazine marking the 80th anniversary of VE Day has been released, offering a poignant visual homage to the era of the Second World War. The Mirror has commissioned World War Two: A History in 50 Photographs, providing a plethora of images that narrate the tales of the conflict and the courageous soldiers and civilians who endured throughout WWII, reports the Mirror.
The harshness of war is foreign to many, and this stems largely from the sacrifices made by those who fought for our future and liberties. Although time may diminish recollections of wartime existence, enduring photographs remain as vital tokens of its grim past. Head of Mirror Archives, John Mead, shared how the team meticulously sifted through 25,000 photos over the course of weeks to build this special edition.
Mead remarked: “We were looking for pictures that told the stories of the war and also the people involved in the war… and the photographers who took the pictures and were on the frontline.”
Pictures that hold significant weight, such as the atomic bomb’s mushroom cloud above Hiroshima, convey a powerful message—John stated: “They show why we should never use those weapons again.”
Selected with care from the Mirror repository, the 50 striking photos included within this publication encapsulate the sorrow, terror, optimism, and eventual victory encapsulated within the narrative of World War II.
To secure your copy of the commemorative magazine, scan the QR code below.
Picture editor Ivor Game remarked: “You go for the truth, for what really matters and what picture could represent four or five different things.
“We have the evacuees and the gas masks, and for the Blitz we chose to go underground. You can imagine what is going on above ground. There is a photograph of a bomber going over Germany so we also see the war from above, and a British medic at the D-Day landings giving out food.”
Charting the rise of Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich, the narrative captures the war’s outbreak and the Blitzkrieg invasions.
The visual journey includes poignant images that reflect the stark realities faced by many during the war — with scenes of young children being evacuated, Land Girls working tirelessly to feed the nation, and a couple in an emotional embrace amidst the chaos of conflict.
From the terrors of Auschwitz to the crimson-stained shores of Normandy, the tale moves inexorably towards the eventual surrender, leading to the exultant celebrations of VE Day and, subsequently, to VJ Day, marking the conflict’s end.
Featuring rare snapshots from a rich archive, the magazine stands as a solemn yet inspiring homage to those who fought, endured, and contributed to rebuilding the Britain we know today.