The US was the only country to equip its troops with an auto-loading rifle as the standard infantry weapon of WW2. C. 1944. THE BRUTAL reality of World War Two has been brought to life in a series of stunning yet emotional colourised images from one of the world???s most devastating conflicts. Striking shots show Sgt Jake McNiece of the 101st Airborne Division, ready to drop into Normandy, a Marine comforting a brother who broke down after witnessing the death of a friend and American troops walk down a war ravaged street, Messina, Sicily. Other vivid colour pictures show U.S Army military policemen toasting bread over molten lava from Mt Vesuvius after its eruption, Guardsmen of 3rd Irish Guards in a Lloyd carrier, wrapped up against the clouds of dust, during Operation ???Goodwood???, and the crew of the B-17 Flying Fortress "Memphis Belle" is shown at an air base in England after completing 25 missions over enemy territory. The original black and white photographs were painstakingly colourised by design engineer Paul Reynolds (48), from Birmingham, UK. Paul Reynolds / mediadrumworld.com