As has been said time and time again, it is of the utmost importance that we look to the past to ensure that we learn from our mistakes, to ensure that our future is better than our history, and to ensure that the most horrific and evil elements of history do not repeat themselves. These humbling photos of bravery, terror, and resilience during World War II will hopefully stand as a sobering and timeless reminder of what humanity is capable of.

20 Prisoners As Targets

Prior to the outbreak of World War II, several international laws prohibiting the mistreatment of prisoners of war (POWs) already existed. However, these laws were frequently either “bent” or completely ignored as the war raged on. Here, Sikh prisoners await an untimely death at the hands of their Japanese captors. Although all participating nations broke the rules to some extent when it came to POW treatment, most historians agree that the Japanese were the worst offenders.

19 Glimpse Of Humanity

Even during history’s darkest hours, there are glimmers of decency and humanity. And although many prisoners and casualties of war were treated horrifically or left to die, some were given a rare second chance at the hands of their enemies. Such “luck” befell this infant, whom a US soldier is carrying to safety after the Battle of Saipan.

18 D-Day

Perhaps the most famous event of World War II, the Invasion of Normandy, which was nicknamed “Operation Overlord” and carried out by the Allies as the largest amphibious assault in history, was launched on the northern coast of France on June 6, 1944. The landing, although ultimately a success, came at the cost of over 209,000 Allied casualties. Many soldiers died before even reaching the beach.

17 Easy Way Out

Of course, a large majority of deaths during World War II took place in the midst of battle or in concentration camps, but there were other ways to die as well. As the war began to reach its inevitable conclusion, and it became clear that the Allies would be victorious, many German administrators, such as Ernst Lisso (pictured above), chose to kill themselves rather than face almost certain execution at the hands of the Allies for crimes committed during the war.

16 Guadalcanal

The legendary Battle of Guadalcanal (code-named “Operation Watchtower”) was fought on the island of Guadalcanal in the Pacific between August 1942 and February 1943 and marked the first major offensive against the Japanese by the Allies. Until then, the Allies had employed a “Europe First” strategy, since it was imperative to stop the surprisingly swift expansion of German-held territory. However, it soon became clear that complete Japanese control of the Pacific would be almost equally problematic, and it was only after the Allied victories in both Guadalcanal and New Guinea that the Japanese began to lose their momentum.

15 Constant Fear

With seemingly endless bombing campaigns reducing cities to rubble, those lucky enough to not be directly engaged in combat still often lived in constant fear of death. Pictured above are British schoolchildren during an air raid drill. It is unlikely that either their wooden desks or their hand placement would have provided much protection had they suffered a direct hit from a German bomb.

14 Seeking Shelter

While most schoolchildren cowered under desks during bombing raids, adults who were out and about when terror struck often had to flee to the nearest underground Tube station to minimize their chances of being killed, such as these Londoners pictured during a German air raid. While the Tube offered a relatively high level of protection, those sheltered there could still find themselves confined to their new tubular home for days, with bombs occasionally penetrating the shallower parts of the stations.

13 An Unexpected Ditch

Due to the indiscriminate and constant nature of much of the bombing that took place during World War II, even those who did their best to reach shelter at the beginning of a raid often failed to act quickly enough. Such was the case for the passengers aboard this London bus.

12 Tides Turn For Japan

During the Battle of Midway, Japanese dominance of the Pacific was finally called into question. From June 3 to June 7, 1942—only six months after the Japanese had devastated the US fleet at Pearl Harbor—the US dealt Japan a decisive and crippling blow in the Pacific, leaving four carriers, one heavy cruiser, and 248 Japanese aircraft destroyed in the aftermath. Roughly 3,057 Japanese were killed during the campaign, as opposed to only 307 Americans.

11 Collision

Although many troops during the war sought the prestige of air combat over the grueling realities of fighting on the ground, pilots were also forced to endure an almost endless array of terrors in the sky. Technical difficulties leading to engine failures were not uncommon, and those lucky enough to avoid being shot down in a firefight were also vulnerable to midair collisions, as was the case for this unfortunate airman.

10 Bombing For Revenge

For a large part of the war, the Germans reigned supreme when it came to aviation. Their illustrious and feared Luftwaffe, led by Hermann Goering, was by far the largest and most powerful air force during World War II. They devastated London in the Battle of Britain. Here, however, the British take at least a small amount of revenge, as they bomb the German-occupied Abbeville Aerodrome in France.

9 Battle Of Kursk

Terror presented itself in all forms during World War II, and sometimes, it was terrifying even to be in the company of your own brethren. Here, a Russian soldier hopes that the dirt around his trench does not give way to the massive Russian T-34 tank that is trying to gain a better position during the Battle of Kursk, which took place between German and Soviet forces in July and August 1943.

8 Compassion

War is Hell. It can turn men who would otherwise be kind and loving into barbarous monsters capable of untold destruction, torture, and inhumanity. Sometimes, however, humanity prevails, as was the case for this German soldier, who chose to relinquish some of his food rations to a starving Russian POW and her daughter.

7 Things Are Not What They Seem

Although it looks as though Georges Blind, the man facing a line of German rifles in this photo, is about to be executed, it was all a lie. The Germans were only attempting to extract information from Blind, a member of the French Resistance movement. When Blind refused to divulge what the Germans were after, the guns were lowered, and he was instead sent to a concentration camp, where he died almost immediately.

6 Strange Beauty

During bombing raids of any kind, it was not uncommon for cities to undergo “blackouts,” wherein all houses were ordered to eliminate all light, which would theoretically make it harder for enemy aircraft to find targets. Occasionally, however, such light was unavoidable, especially when antiaircraft fire such as that pictured here above Algiers lit up the sky in its entirety.

5 Resolute

In this iconic photo, British POW Horace Greasley stares down one of the top figures of the Nazi Establishment: Heinrich Himmler. Seen here touring one of the many German POW camps in operation, Himmler was the leader of the dreaded Nazi SS and was the primary overseer of the concentration camps that systematically slaughtered millions of people.

4 Defeat

As part of the Allies’ quest to rid the Pacific of Japanese control, a strategy of “island hopping” was implemented, which led the Allies to systematically gain control of several prominent Japanese-held islands. One such island was Okinawa. Although the Allies were ultimately victorious, the victory was hard-won, and the Japanese insistence on fighting to the end during this engagement was one of the reasons the atomic bomb was ultimately deemed necessary.

3 Endgame

Although World War II brought untold devastation in a variety of forms, the devastation of the atomic bomb (nicknamed “Little Boy”) that was dropped over Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, was the most severe. US officials deliberated whether or not to use the bomb. They finally justified its use on the grounds of it being a “necessary evil” as well as the fact that if they didn’t drop such a devastating device, the Japanese would continue to fight until the last man—ultimately leading to more death and destruction.

2 Devastation

After the bomb was dropped, roughly 12.2 square kilometers (4.7 mi²) of the city of Hiroshima had been destroyed, with buildings reduced to irreparable rubble. The intensity of the blast also immediately began a series of powerful fires, which quickly burned down any homes that had been lucky enough to remain standing.

1 Second Strike

Only three days after Little Boy was dropped on Hiroshima, another atomic bomb (this time nicknamed “Fat Man”) was dropped over the city of Nagasaki. Although Fat Man was a more powerful bomb, Nagasaki’s numerous hillsides and narrow valleys helped to reduce some of the fallout and damage. While most historians agree that dropping the first atomic bomb was justified, many question whether or not President Truman should have dropped the second bomb—as opposed to waiting for a potential Japanese surrender.

Although the physical terrain of Nagasaki helped to reduce the devastation to some extent, this was of course relative to the unprecedented impact of the first type of bomb in history to harness the power of the atom and produce energy comparable to roughly 20,000 tons of dynamite. One can take a small degree of solace, however, in the fact that this bomb officially ended the most devastating war in human history.

+ Shell-Shocked

Although World War I was technically the first major war to take place during the industrialized age, World War II brought a wide array of far more powerful weaponry. These modern guns, tanks, and explosives were deafening to both the user and recipient, and many soldiers suffered permanent hearing loss as a result.

We all like to get away from time to time. To visit the places we have never seen before or to return multiple times to our own favorite locations. Whether for rest, exploration, or just to immerse oneself in another culture, traveling to different places undoubtedly enriches a person’s life.

However, for some, there is a whole other type of getaway, one that might see a person on the edge of a warzone or at the scene of a recent disaster. Dark Tourism has been around for a long time and still looks set to continue well in the future.

Related: 10 Macabre Tourist Attractions

10 It’s Been Going On for Over a Hundred Years (at Least!)

While it might be tempting to think that dark tourism is a recent fad, the fact is it has been going on for over 100 years. In the book Dark Folklore, Mark and Tracey Norman document this point. They detail wealthy people taking trips in the late 1800s to such areas as Whitechapel in the East End of London, the location of the Jack the Ripper murders. This was largely to observe how the masses lived in poverty. Similar tours also took place in the Manhattan areas of New York around the same time.

As we will explore over our next few points, there are many off-branches of dark tourism that cater to an individual’s desires. The underlying detail, though, is no matter what type of destination you wish to go to and why, there will be a way to go there. And it also shows there has been a long-held desire, at least among some in the wealthy community, to visit locations of the darker kind.^[1]

9 Locations Of Battles and War

Perhaps some of the first examples of war tourism can be dated to the early 1860s. During that time, many wealthy citizens would buy tickets to picnic within sight of the battlefields of the American Civil War. What is even more intriguing—several of these wealthy citizens came together to buy the land on which several of the battles took place. They planned to then sell tours of the battlefields once the war was over—which many of them did.

The previously mentioned Mark and Tracey Norman documented even earlier cases of war tourism. Many of noble standing happily paid “good prices” as far back as 1815, for example, in order to sit and dine while observing the Battle of Waterloo unfold.

Perhaps most bizarre of all—at least from a modern perspective—are the tours offered by Thomas Cook. For a price, they would offer to take people to the battlefields of the Second Boer War. Interestingly, the same company also offered what we would call “bus trips” to public hangings around the same time.^[2]

8 A Discreet Tour of the Slums

There are, of course, many modern examples of what is known as slum tourism that took place in the late 1800s and early 1900. Gaining underground popularity during the 1990s and 2000s, many people would travel to poverty-hit areas in Brazil, India, and South Africa.

What is particularly ironic about the South African slum holidays is their origins lie in an official program. This program was designed to educate white Africans on how the black population lived. As the 1990s unfolded, many people from other countries around the world also wanted to take part in these tours. And while this was largely for educational purposes, an increasingly distasteful element crept in. More and more people were appearing to take such tours for no other reason than spectacle.

As the twenty-first century has gone on, many cities around the world that have notorious poorer areas have experienced this slum tourism. However, there is a particular part of dark tourism that appears to be increasing in popularity. And it is there where we will turn our attention next.^[3]

7 Fascination with Scenes of Disasters

If there is one other niche location within dark tourism, it is the desire, by some, to visit areas recently hit by a disaster of one sort or another. Although they are perfectly legal, we might look at the tours of Pripyat in the decades since the Chernobyl disaster as a good example.

More recently, in the years following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, many companies offered to take tourists around the flood-hit areas. What made these particular tours even worse (the moral aspect aside) is that many claimed these tours were actually getting in the way of recovery efforts and programs.

The fact is, wherever a disaster hits—be it natural or man-made (such as the Exxon Valdez oil spill)—many will pay good money to see the devastation for themselves. And with floods, wildfires, and even volcanic eruptions happening (relatively speaking) all the time, these destinations will likely continue to increase in number.^[4]

6 People Do It Without Realizing It

In many ways, it could be argued that many people take part in dark tourism without even realizing they are doing so. Perhaps the most obvious way to demonstrate this would be to highlight the many millions of people who visit Auschwitz in Poland or the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam in Holland. Both are locations that have experienced significant horror and distress. And while both are important visits from an educational experience, each could very much be described as dark tourism locations.

Perhaps another good example would be the many locations of the former Soviet Union, particularly sites with a direct connection to the Cold War, such as abandoned military facilities. Some would even argue that trips to Venice in Italy are a form of dark tourism known as doom tourism. This is primarily because it is a certainty that Venice will sink into the sea one day in the future.

These tourist trips, it could be said, have an educational purpose to them. Perhaps, then, some good comes out of dark tourism. We will return to this notion a little later on our list. Next, though, we will examine one of the most popular dark tourist sites of recent times.^[5]

5 The Golan Heights Tourists

Perhaps one of the best examples of dark tourism can be found in the organized trips that venture to Golan Heights on the Israeli-Syrian border. And these tourists arrive there “armed with binoculars and cameras, eager for a glimpse of smoke and even carnage.”

One of the people who take these tourists on such grim journeys is retired Israel Defense Forces colonel Kobi Marom. He would claim in an interview with The Atlantic in 2014 that these tourists “gaze down on Syrian’s bloodletting.” He would even state that during one particularly bloody battle when rebels captured a United Nations checkpoint, many there that day were eager to see the event unfold and “gaped down at the action below…safe beyond the buffer zone.”

These tours to the brink of the battle zones are identical in nature to those of the 1860s on the sidelines of the American Civil War. And Golam Heights is far from the only example in our modern world of dark locations, as our next point examines.^[6]

4 It’s Still Happening Today–In Many Ways!

As we know from some of our previous points, dark tourism is very much alive and well in the twenty-first century. What’s more, while we have examined some of the examples of dark tourism above, as the 2000s unwind, there appear to be more and more grisly locations that people are willing to spend good money to see.

Many people, for example, often travel to see locations where cults have been based. Or to buildings where serial killers might have lived while committing their crimes. Even places such as abandoned medical facilities that still have medical jars with all manner of remains inside on site.

In short, if there is a dark edge to it, you can guarantee that at least some people would wish to see it close-up. And for those who are willing to take people there, there is, and will continue to be, a lot of money to be made.^[7]

3 A Future of Many Dark Locations Available

With our last point in mind, we might think that the future for such an industry will be a grim one, and well, it might be. With various tragedies and disasters unfolding around the world at any given time, there is certainly no shortage of locations to choose from. Indeed, might we see such tourist trips to Afghanistan in the near future? Or to Ukraine after the conflict ends there? The chances are, we would.

In short, locations of genocide, mass murder, areas of great conflict, and both man-made and natural disasters are many. And all are locations that some people might wish to visit. And with the world ultimately becoming increasingly smaller as technology develops, the ways in which these somber vacations can be delivered will also increase and diversify.

Before we move on to where dark tourism might go as the 2020s unfold, we will return to a point we made earlier—that there could be a good side to these morose holidays.^[8]

2 A Bizarre Need For It?

Might it be that not only can some good come out of dark tourism but also that there is a need to have people visit these locations? The previously mentioned Auschwitz camp and Anne Frank House are great examples of this. After all, most would agree that the horrors of the Second World War, particularly the Holocaust, must not be forgotten. To see such locations first-hand certainly plays a part in this.

There are, though, many other locations around the world that could serve in an educational way. For example, such places that have suffered environmental disasters would only show the potential consequences of our collective actions. Visits to the Chernobyl plant and its surrounding areas could serve in a similar capacity.

If dark tourism does continue, for good or bad, there is one area where it will undoubtedly grow, and it is there we will turn our attention for our final point.^[9]

1 Virtual Dark Tourism

It is perhaps no surprise that in the modern age in which we live that one could take part in dark tourism without actually leaving their living room. Virtual tourism, rightly or wrongly, is likely to increase over the years. In 2017, Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg, intentionally or not, made this idea a reality. He would go on a virtual tour of recently flood-hit Puerto Rico. This tour was live-streamed, leading to much criticism. This was mainly due to an apparent lack of empathy on the Facebook founder’s part.

An argument, though, could be made that such virtual tours to areas hit by tragedies could be used for good. They might be a good way to raise funds if people can see the distress for themselves, for example. And, once more, they would also perhaps serve as an educational tool.

Whether we can expect to see such virtual tours being offered anytime soon, though, remains to be seen.^[10]