VJ Day 70th anniversary: Old soldiers never die, they just fade away

HAUNTING photos that combine contemporary images with eyewitness photos have revealed moments of history and the present day, 70 years after WWII ended.

WHEN news had come through of the end of war in Europe in May 1945, many Australians kept a tight lid on their feelings, knowing that the war was not over yet.

With the Japanese yet to be defeated in the Pacific, celebrations of Germany’s defeat were less joyful than they could have been.

The Allies struggled on against the crumbling “Empire of the Rising Sun’’ and, though victory was near, no one could say when our troops would come home.

Ahead of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, we present a series of images showing the scenes from the conflict and the same places in 2015.

Originally published as VJ Day 70th anniversary: Old soldiers never die, they just fade away