US jets participate in annual NATO naval striking military exercise in the Baltics in the wake of increasing Russian aggression

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• Bombers including the KC-135 Stratotanker, the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress and B-1B Lancers took to the sky
• The US jets joined German Luftwaffe's Eurofighter Typhoons in the 45th BALTOPS military exercise in Poland 
• It comes as 12 NATO countries deployed 4,600 troops to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland in early June

US Jets have taken part in an annual NATO military exercise in the Baltics in the wake of increasing Russian aggression in the area. 

Striking pictures show German Luftwaffe's Eurofighter Typhoons joining the US's Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker during the 45th BALTOPS military exercise in Poland.

The annual Baltic Operations military exercise has taken place since the 1970s and this year's event includes more than 50 aircraft, 4,000 shipboard personnel, as well as 50 ships.

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US jets took to the skies over the Baltic as they took part in the BALTOPS military exercises with other NATO countries including the United Kingdom, France and Germany. Pictured right to left, two German Luftwaffe's Eurofighter Typhoons with US aircraft the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker and two B-1B Lancer bombers

US jets including the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress and two B-1B Lancer bombers took to the skies as they carried out mock exercises with naval forces from NATO countries including the United Kingdom, France and Germany. 

The 45th Baltic Operations Exercise is taking place from June 1 to 16 and is based at the Powidz Air Base in central Poland.

The military show comes as NATO increased their position in the Baltic to combat Russian aggression. 

On June 1, 12 NATO countries deployed around 4,600 troops to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland and the four battlegroups are due to be fully up and running within two weeks.

NATO says it's a deterrent move aimed at countering aggression by Russia, which seized Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014.

Spokesman Piers Cazalet said: 'NATO is a defensive alliance and we do not seek confrontation with Russia. 

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German Luftwaffe's Eurofighter Typhoons (pictured) took part in the annual exercises at the Powidz Air Base in central Poland. The BALTOPS exercises have been running since the 1970s and this year's event, which runs from June 1 to June 16 includes more than 50 aircraft, 4,000 shipboard personnel, as well as 50 ships

'NATO had no plan to deploy forces in the region before Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea.'

In Romania, meanwhile, another 2,000 soldiers, 1,000 assistance personnel and 500 vehicles from 11 NATO nations were training in the alliance's 'Noble Jump 2017' drill. 

Last week Russia's envoy to NATO warned that Moscow is concerned by the alliance's military deployment in the Baltic States and Poland, and will respond to the buildup, as thousands of U.S. and European troops trained on land, sea and in the air in central and eastern Europe.

'NATO is building a new military security situation that we cannot ignore, that we should address using our own military instruments,' Ambassador Alexander Grushko said in Brussels.

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Pictured, the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress (pictured), which is a US long-range subsonic jet-powered strategic bomber. The aircraft has been used by the US army since the 1950s and has been used in the Cold War, Vietnam and the Gulf War. The annual military exercise comes as NATO increased its presence in the Baltic in a show of force against Russian aggression after the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014

He declined to spell out what kind of measures Russia might take, saying only that 'NATO's movements will not be left without a response in terms of military planning.'

The increase in NATO activity comes as Vladimir Putin said a hot war between Russia and the United States would result in a nuclear holocaust. 

The Russian leader spoke to director Oliver Stone in an interview set to air on Showtime next week.  

Stone asked Putin whether the US would be 'dominant' in the event of a 'hot war' between the two nuclear powers.

'I don't think anyone would survive such a conflict,' Putin said.  

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Military refueling aircraft, the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is pictured at Powidz Air Base on June 9. At the start of June, 12 NATO countries deployed around 4,600 troops to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. In Romania another 2,000 soldiers, 1,000 assistance personnel and 500 vehicles from 11 NATO nations were training in the alliance's 'Noble Jump 2017' drill

Summary

Since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, tension with the West has been high, affecting eastern Ukraine, Syria and hot spots across the former Soviet sphere. Less overtly, Moscow has been working to protect areas vital to Russian interests by raising the stakes of U.S. operations there. This has manifested in numerous aggressive interceptions of U.S. military aircraft in flight, especially over the Black and Baltic seas. The interceptions, which are reportedly occurring more frequently, aim to dissuade Washington from operating in that airspace. 

On April 14, a Russian Su-27 fighter jet performed a barrel roll maneuver over a U.S. Air Force RC-135 spy plane flying in international airspace over the Baltic Sea. Just three days earlier, two Russian Su-24 bombers flew dangerously and repeatedly close to a U.S. destroyer, also in the Baltic Sea. The most recent intercept came less than a week before the NATO-Russia Council is set to convene for the first time since 2014. Along with the fighting in Ukraine and Afghanistan, military transparency and risk reduction — timely and relevant topics given the interception incidents — will be up for discussion at the meeting.

Not all interceptions are aggressive. In fact, the tactic is standard practice among militaries, both in the air and at sea. Around the world, aircraft and ships from a multitude of countries routinely intercept, visually inspect and escort other aircraft and maritime vessels passing through sensitive airspace or waters. Air forces, navies and coast guards worldwide regularly perform intercepts of this kind to enforce an air defense identification zone such as that in the East China Sea, to police operations such as NATO's Baltic Air Policing mission or, as necessary, to conduct ad hoc tactics. In these capacities, interceptions are almost invariably non-threatening; they are simply a means by which nations enhance their situational awareness and protect against contingencies.

But some interceptions deviate from the norm. In a deliberate ploy to deter a nation's forces from transiting a specific space, aircraft or ships may display aggressive maneuvers, harassing and intimidating targets. These interceptions resemble a high-stakes game of chicken, daring the foreign craft to continue on its route, despite the increased risk of collision, or back down.

Though the tactic carries a risk of damage to both sides, the initiator holds the advantage. Usually in aerial interceptions, a sleek, fast fighter jet targets a lumbering bomber or reconnaissance plane. The initiator of the encounter is often far less valuable — in monetary cost and in the number of flight crew aboard — than the intercepted target, raising the stakes for leaders (and crew) as they decide how to respond. As a fighter jet carries out dangerous maneuvers around it, the target is left to wonder about the interceptor's intentions and skill.

For Russia, close interceptions offer a means to deter U.S. craft without sparking outright combat. The tactic has worked for Moscow already: In July 2014, a Russian jet's aggressive flight so alarmed the crew of a U.S. RC-135 over the Baltic Sea that it accidentally fled into Swedish airspace to evade the interceptor.

But close intercepts do not always go as planned.

In the April 2001 Hainan Island incident, for example, a collision during a close intercept left a Chinese pilot dead, his J-8II interceptor destroyed and a U.S. EP-3E signals intelligence aircraft seriously damaged. A number of Cold War-era close intercepts also caused collisions, particularly between ships. This led to the 1972 U.S.-Soviet Incidents at Sea Agreement, which sought to reduce the chances of collision and manage escalation when collisions did occur. Further efforts to limit the risk of escalation produced the 2014 Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea, which included Russia and China, as well as a 2014 agreement between the United States and China to regulate incidents between the two.

But the past few years have demonstrated that the agreements are not enough to stop such dangerous close encounters, at least not between the United States and Russia. And given the substantial tension between the two countries, a midair or at-sea collision resulting from a close interception could trigger retaliatory measures, leading to an escalation that neither side wants. Even so, as long as tension persists between Russia and the United States, the interceptions are likely to continue

Haunting D-Day photos of brave Allied troops wading ashore in France and soldiers lying dead on the beach are transformed with colour on the 73rd anniversary of the Normandy landings

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• Black and white photographs of Allied troops wading ashore in France on D-Day are transformed with colour
• Pictures show exhausted soldiers being helped by medics and Royal Marines advancing on Nazi positions
• Brazilian artist Marina Amaral researched the images and used Photoshop to give them a new lease of life

A remarkable set of colourised photos has emerged on the 73rd anniversary of the D-Day landings shedding new light on the day Allied troops fought their way on to the beaches of northern France.

Black and white images of brave soldiers wading onto Omaha beach on the Normandy coast and advancing on Nazi positions have been transformed using Photoshop.

Separate pictures show exhausted servicemen being dragged ashore by medics and British, US and Canadian troops and members of a US parachute regiment preparing for the landings.

The colourised images emerged on the 73rd anniversary of Operation Overlord, which saw some 156,000 Allied troops landing in Normandy. It is thought as many as 4,400 were killed in an operation the Second World War Prime Minister Winston Churchill described as 'undoubtedly the most complicated and difficult that has ever taken place'.

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Soldiers from the 16th Infantry Regiment, U.S. 1st Infantry Division wade ashore on Omaha Beach on the morning of June 6 1944. Dramatic images from D-Day have been given a new lease of life after being colourised by a Brazilian artist

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D-Day medics From America's 5th and 6th Engineer Special Brigade help wounded soldiers as they reach Omaha Beach. In the background, survivors of sunken landing craft who reached the beach by using a life raft are helped ashore

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Clarence Ware applies war paint to Charles Plaudo in England on June 5, 1944. They were both members of the so called Filthy Thirteen section of the US 101st Airborne Division. The idea came from unit sergeant Jake McNiece, who was part Chocataw and was designed to energise the men for the danger ahead

Brazilian artist Marina Amaral painstakingly researched the images as she gave them a new lease of life with colour using Photoshop.

She told MailOnline: 'Besides the uniforms, I tried to reproduce the atmosphere of the places and get as close as possible to what these soldiers actually saw with their own eyes.

'The generation of World War II are almost all gone, so I think it is extremely important to rescue these photos through a process that interests the new generation - so maybe people will be able to better understand what happened. This is what I've been trying to do since I began colourising photos two years ago.

'I like to keep in mind that I'm working with historical facts, and it's not my job to change that story and make it look the way I want it to look. 

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British Army’s Infantry of 50th Division moving forward near St Gabriel, Normandy, between Ver-sur-Mer and Crepon. Approximately 2,700 British troops lost their lives during the D-Day offensive

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The pictures emerged on the 73rd anniversary of Operation Overlord, which saw some 156,000 Allied troops landing in Normandy

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Men of the Royal Winnipeg Rifles on the march in Normandy in July 1944. Brazilian artist Marina Amaral painstakingly researched the images as she gave them a new lease of life with colour using Photoshop

'I have to be respectful, and therefore, gather all the historical information possible in order to create images as close as possible to the reality of the scene portrayed. So I am always in touch with historians and they help me a lot to achieve this goal.

'Everything is done manually in Photoshop. I need to mask every object you can potentially see in the picture and assign to them a base colour. 

'Then I go slowly building up the atmosphere I want to reproduce, always keeping the original lighting in mind, through many different layers, exploring and using as many colors as I can.'  

Some 156,000 Allied troops landed in Normandy on June 6, 1944.

The assault was conducted in two phases: an airborne landing of 24,000 British, American, Canadian and Free French airborne troops shortly after midnight, and an amphibious landing of Allied infantry and armoured divisions on the coast of France commencing at 6.30am.

The operation was the largest amphibious invasion in world history, with over 160,000 troops landing. Some 195,700 Allied naval and merchant navy personnel in over 5,000 ships were involved.

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Royal Marine Commandos attached to 3rd Division move inland from Sword Beach on the Normandy coast on June 6, 1944. Thousands of British and US airborne troops parachuted in to Ranville and St Mère-Église in Normandy

photos show Britain's special forces campaigning in North Africa, on Greek islands and in Nazi Germany during the Second World War

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• Stunning pictures, brought to life by Paul Reynolds, show Special Air Service and Special Boat Service troops
• The images were taken shortly after the elite units were created to help defeat Axis forces during WW2
• Pictures show secret missions conducted in the Tunisian desert, Aegean Sea and even Germany itself 

The early days of Britain's elite special forces have been cast in a stunning new light after black and white pictures were injected with spectacular colour.

In the series, Special Air Service and Special Boat Service troops can be seen posing in jeeps, sharpening knives and standing in the desert during campaigns in the Second World War.

They were expertly colourised by Paul Reynolds and show the commandos shortly after their units were created. 

The SAS was established in 1941, while the SBS - first called the Special Boat Section - was created in 1940. 

In the thrilling photographs, the warriors are shown in Germany, Tunisia and on Greek islands in the Aegean Sea.   

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SBS troops are shown waiting in ambush armed with a variety of weapons, including Bren guns and a Thompson sub-machine gun, during the campaign to free the Greek islands from Axis control 

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A topless and tattooed SBS commando sits on a boat near an island in the Aegean Sea while sharpening his knife. In front of him lie a revolver and a rifle, and on his beret is the SBS emblem

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Two SAS troops are shown in a combat jeep in Germany, 1944. The elite unit supported the Allies during Operation Pegasus and Operation Archway, which were conceived to finally end Nazi rule in Europe 

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Six fierce-looking SAS troops sit in jeeps while on a mission in the North African desert. A knife can be seen in the belt of the man at the front, while machine guns can be seen mounted on the back and front of their vehicles

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The Scotsman Lt Colonel David Stirling, pictured above on a campaign, founded the SAS in 1941. He was knighted in 1990, the year of his death, for his service to the country

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Two SAS soldiers are shown on campaign driving in a jeep armed with machine guns. In 1942, Adolf Hitler issued an order stating that Allied commandos seized by the Germans should be killed immediately without trial 

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This photograph shows French SAS troops in the North African desert during the Second World War. To the left, locals in traditional clothing pose for the camera 

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An SAS commando poses behind a machine gun mounted on a jeep while campaigning in North Africa. It is estimated that around 220,000 British and Commonwealth troops were killed, captured or wounded during the battle for North Africa 

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Army Rangers are shown armed with sub-machine guns while on campaign during the Second World War 

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Two SAS troops sit in a jeep, packed with machine guns and petrol cans, in the Tunisian desert

Normandy landings onto peaceful images of same locations in modern day

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• Black and white photographs of Allied troops wading ashore in France on D-Day have been superimposed onto photos of the same locations in modern times
• The images captured tanks driving through the streets, soldiers laying flowers on new graves, and the troops running through the crashing waves and up the beach during the landing - overlaid on peaceful 2014 photos
• Collection emerged on the anniversary of Operation Overlord, which saw some 156,000 Allied troops landing in Normandy
• It is thought as many as 4,400 were killed in an operation the Second World War Prime Minister Winston Churchill described as 'undoubtedly the most complicated and difficult that has ever taken place'

A new collection of images comparing the Normandy landings then and now have been released to mark the 73rd anniversary of D-Day. 

Stunning photos capture the gnarled remains of a Nazi turret peppered in a British attack during the Second World War

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Incredibly, there is still a shell lodged in its armour almost 80 years after Adolf Hitler invaded and conquered France in 1940

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Until an Allied Forces bombardment which forced the Nazis to surrender, Hitler used the coastal town of St Malo (pictured in 1944) to defend Nazi-occupied France from attack on the Atlantic coast

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The jagged holes and fist-sized dents which pockmark the turret act as a very real reminder of the US aerial and naval bombardment

Two years after Nazi soldiers marched through the Arc de Triomphe following the surrender of Paris, Hitler ordered the construction of defensive fortresses from Norway to the French coast.

The dictator wanted his Atlantic Wall' to consist of 15,000 bombproof concrete structures guarded by 300,000 soldiers within just 14 months, according to WWII expert and writer Kathryn Lang-Slattery.

Although much of his demands lay unfinished, by June 1944 Fortress St Malo was said to be one of the best defended installations along the Atlantic coast.

It was to be undone after the US army, led by General Patton, fought their way across Normandy to final reach St Malo in August 1944.

Brutal aerial and naval bombardment of the Nazi stronghold softened its defences enough for a ground assault until Colonel von Aulock, the commander of Fortress St Malo, finally surrendered on August 17.

Today the site, on a hill called Cité d'Ale, acts as a memorial of both the attack Nazi-occupied France.

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Smoke rises above the German 'festung' - or fortress of St Malo - after it was bombed by US Air Force in August 1944

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The streets of St Malo (pictured) lay in ruins in 1944, just four years after Nazi soldiers marched through the Arc de Triomphe following the surrender of Paris

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Hitler wanted his Atlantic Wall', of which St Malo was one of the best defended, to consist of 15,000 bombproof concrete structures guarded by 300,000 soldiers within 14 months of France's surrender

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Much of Hitler's demands lay unfinished, by June 1944 Fortress St Malo was said to be one of the best defended installations along the Atlantic coast. Pictured: US infantrymen use anti-tank gun at German positions in St Malo

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St Malo was finally wrestled from the Nazis after the US army, led by General Patton, fought its way across Normandy to final reach St Malo in August 1944

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Brutal aerial and naval bombardment of the Nazi stronghold of St Malo (pictured from above) softened its defences

'The tour of the bunker these days includes only a small portion of the original complex as much of it remains dangerous for visitors,' Lang-Slattery says on her website.

The tiny subterranean rooms underneath the turret are said to give an idea of how claustrophobic it must have been to live underground as a Nazi soldier.

Each room also contained artifacts including maps, furniture, assorted military equipment and personal effects.

The impact of glancing blows can still be seen with tunnel-like trenches ripped out of the turret's imposing exterior.

Now the macabre reminder of WW2's fierce fighting is being reclaimed by nature with grass slowly edging up the firing position and out of the concrete.

It is not known how many soldiers would have died in the shelling of St Malo, but the intensity of the attack would have made survival unlikely.

Amazingly the German position was not completely destroyed in the onslaught and remains standing 73 years after the savage siege of St Malo.

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Colonel von Aulock, the commander of Fortress St Malo, finally surrendered the coastal town (pictured today) on August 17

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Today the site, on a hill called Cité d'Ale, acts as a memorial of both the attack Nazi-occupied France. Pictured: St Malo today

The emplacement sat over the harbour of the Brittany town which was almost completely flattened after D-Day.

Through a combination of aerial bombardment, American artillery and The Royal Naval the beautiful city was almost completely destroyed.

Approximately only 180 buildings remained of the 865 in the beautiful walled city after the German's surrendered.

The images captured tanks driving through the streets, soldiers laying flowers on new graves, and the troops running through the crashing waves and up the beach during the landing - which stand in stark contrast with the peaceful photos of the same locations in modern times.

They emerged on the anniversary of Operation Overlord, which saw some 156,000 Allied troops landing in Normandy. It is thought as many as 4,400 were killed in an operation the Second World War Prime Minister Winston Churchill described as 'undoubtedly the most complicated and difficult that has ever taken place'. 

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Saint Aubin sur Mer, France. June 6 1944 (the central image): The British 2nd Army: Royal Marine Commandos of Headquarters, 4th Special Service Brigade, making their way from Landing Craft Infantry Small) onto 'Nan Red' Beach, at about 9am. 2014 (the background image): A view of the sea at Nan Red Beach in the Juno beach area 

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Sainte Mere Eglise, France. 1944: A French armored column passing through the small French town of St Mere Eglise during the Allied invasion of Normandy, gets a warm welcome from the inhabitants. 2014: A view of the modern high street 

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 Weymouth Harbour, England: 1944:  Boats full of United States troops waiting to leave the harbor to take part in Operation Overlord in Normandy. 2014: A view of the quiet harbor

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Basly, France. D-Day. 1944: Three soldiers of the 23rd Field Ambulance Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps, of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division place flowers on graves. Two soldiers wear the armband for the Red Cross. In the four temporary graves are a Scottish, a Canadian and two French civilians. 2014: A view of the graveyard with the church of Saint Georges de Basly in the background on May 5, 2014 

The images include a photo of British Royal Marine Commandos, of the 4th Special Service Brigade, landing on ‘Nan Red’ Beach, at St Aubin-sur-Mer at about 9am on June 6, 1944. The Commandos can be seen running through the crashing waves, after clambering down from the Landing Craft Infantry Small boats, and heading up the beach. The picture has overlaid on top of a 2014 photo of the now empty beach.

In another, a group of 2nd Ranger Battalion soldiers gather at the base of the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc after Colonel James E. Rudder established a post there in 1944. Meanwhile, German prisoners of war are marched along the top of the cliffs past an American flag to signal the allied post. The modern picture behind it, shows tourists enjoying a walk across the now green-topped cliffs.

England also features among the pictures including a 1944 view of Moreton-in-Marsh town center, where a huge pile of supplies and ammunition has been collected, in preparation for the impending D-Day invasion of France. It's overlaid on a 2014 of the modern town center which has cars parked on either side.  

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Weymouth, England. 1944:  US troops on the Esplanade at Weymouth, Dorset, on their way to embark on ships bound for Omaha Beach for the D-Day landings. 2014: A view of the seafront littered with cafes

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Trevieres, France. 1944: The body of a German soldier belonging to the 2. Infanterie Regiment lies on the Market Square on 15th June 1944 in front of two badly damaged buildings. 2014: A view of the market square which has repaired it's buildings damaged by the war

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Bernieres-sur-Mere, France. 1944: A Canadian soldier is directing traffic outside Notre-Dame Nativity church. 2014:  A view of the empty streets outside the church

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 Saint Lo, France. 1944: A group of American soldiers march through the town which was  almost totally destroyed by Allied bombers, while a jeep drives past carrying supplied and soldiers. 2014: Today the area has been turned into a roundabout

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Vierville sur Mer, France. 1944: American troops stand by with stores on Omaha Beach after the D-day landings. 2014: The beach is more or less empty, while a tarmac road runs alongside it

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La Breche, France: British Commandos of 1st Special Service Brigade landing on 'Queen Red' Beach, at around 8.40am, 6 June. 2014: A view of the seafront and Queen Red Beach shows vast expanses of sand

Some 156,000 Allied troops landed in Normandy on June 6, 1944.

The assault was conducted in two phases: an airborne landing of 24,000 British, American, Canadian and Free French airborne troops shortly after midnight, and an amphibious landing of Allied infantry and armoured divisions on the coast of France commencing at 6.30am.

The operation was the largest amphibious invasion in world history, with over 160,000 troops landing. Some 195,700 Allied naval and merchant navy personnel in over 5,000 ships were involved.

The landings took place along a 50-mile (80 km) stretch of the Normandy coast divided into five sectors: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword. 

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Pointe du Hoc, France. 1944: A group of 2nd Ranger Battalion soldiers gather at the base of the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc after Colonel James E. Rudder established a post there in 1944. Meanwhile, German prisoners of war are marched along the top of the cliffs past an American flag to signal the allied post. 2014: Tourists enjoy a walk across the now green-topped cliffs 

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Caen, France. 1944: A couple watch a Canadian soldier with a bulldozer ripping down the ruins of a house in the rue de Bayeux on 10th July 1944 from the rubble strewn street. 2014: Today the house has been replaced, the streets are clear and cars line the road

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Bernieres-sur-Mere, France: Troops of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, carrying masses of equipment, land at Juno Beach on D-Day. 2014: The beach huts that line the sand show the area in peace time

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Colleville sur Mer, France. 1944 : Multiple styles of American craft arrived at Omaha Beach, Normandy, during the first stages of the Allied invasion. 2014: The vehicles are gone, the ships have left and today the only people on the beach are tourists 

The assault was chaotic with boats arriving at the wrong point and others getting into difficulties in the water.

Troops managed only to gain a small foothold on the beach - but they built on their initial breakthrough in the coming days and a harbour was opened at Omaha.

They met strong resistance from the German forces who were stationed at strongpoints along the coastline.

Approximately 10,000 allies were injured or killed - 6,603 American, of which 2,499 were fatal, 2,700 UK soldiers and 1,074 Canadians, of which 359 fatal.

Between 4,000 and 9,000 German troops were killed - and it proved the pivotal moment of the war, in the allied forces' favour.

The invasion had required the transport of soldiers and material from the United Kingdom by troop-laden aircraft and ships, the assault landings, air support, naval interdiction of the English Channel and naval fire-support  

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Moreton in Marsh, England. 1944: A huge pile of supplies and ammunition has been collected, in preparation for the impending D-Day invasion of France. 2014: The modern town center which has cars parked on either side 

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Saint Marie du Mont, France. 1944: A group of American soldiers stand at the village fountain on June 12 as women collect pitchers of water. 2014: A view of the old village fountain now surrounded by a tarmac 

 Bernieres sur Mer, France. 1944:  A Canadian soldier stands at the head of a group of German prisoners of war after German troops surrendered at Courseulles-sur-Mer on 6th June 1944. 2014: Juno beach today

the brutal conditions faced by US soldiers in the Pacific War against Japanese troops who fought to the death

The brutal conditions faced by US soldiers fighting in the Pacific during World War Two has been brought to life in color.

The fascinating images show men being stretchered away to hospital, captured Japanese prisoners of war crammed onto a boat and men fighting at Okinawa.

One picture shows a group of soldiers on the shores of Tarawa, whilst another shows the deceased being taken away covered by the American flag.

The images were brought to life by 54-year-old electrician Royston Leonard from Cardiff, Wales.

He said: 'The Japanese code was to not surrender and to fight to the death which was their way to die in battle with honor, almost no prisoners were taken unless they were badly injured and could no longer fight.

'I've seen a lot of photos of the European war in color but almost nothing from the Pacific War. The Japanese held every inch of every island they were on and the American soldiers had to fight for every inch that was taken as nothing was given for free.

The unexpected Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 signalled the start of the Pacific War and the USA's involvement in World War Two. There were around 36 million casualties during the Pacific War.   

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More than three million American troops were called into action during the Pacific War, and an estimated 400,000 were killed

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War began in the Pacific in 1937, when Japan invaded China, hoping to dominate the whole of Southeast Asia. In 1940 Japan joined the Axis alliance with Germany and Italy when it signed the Tripartite Pact. The following year a former army general, Hideki Tojo, became Prime Minister, and opted to launch an attack on the United States

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Guam and Wake Island fell to the Japanese in December 1941, followed in early 1942 by the Philippines, the Dutch East Indies, Hong Kong, Malaya, Singapore, and Burma. The Japanese retreat began after the US naval victory in the Battle of Midway in June 1942, which saw the Japanese fleet suffer heavy losses

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Overall there an estimated 36 million casualties of the War in Pacific, which saw Allied forces battle against Japan, Germany and Italy

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The Phillipines were liberated in late 1944 by American forces, and the US began large scale air attacks on the Japanese mainland. Burma was recaptured by British forces, with the Allies facing an enemy whose soldiers considered it an honor to die in battle and not surrender

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The images were brought to life by 54-year-old electrician Royston Leonard from Cardiff, Wales, who said that although color has been added to numerous photographs from the war in Europe, there were very few such images of the war in the Pacific

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Mr Leonard said: 'The Japanese code was to not surrender and to fight to the death which was their way to die in battle with honor, almost no prisoners were taken unless they were badly injured and could no longer fight'

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