TIME Behind the Photos

Colorized Photos of WWII Refugees Offer New Perspective on the Migrant Crisis

TIME commissioned Sanna Dullaway to colorize iconic images of WWII refugees

As Europe struggles with the historic influx of migrants and refugees in recent years, comparisons have been made with World War II when more than 60 million Europeans were forced to leave their homes as they fled persecution.

The images we have seen of Syrian, Iraqi and Afghan refugees, among many others nationalities, walking from Greece to Serbia, Croatia, Hungary and Germany are reminiscent of the searing photographs of refugees made during and after World War II.

TIME commissioned freelance photo editor Sanna Dullaway to colorize some of these iconic images.

Sanna Dullaway is a photo editor based in Sweden and the host of a monthly column on TIME LightBox on colorized photography. See more of her work here.

Bridge Escape Bridge Escape Post WWII Germany Displaced Persons Post WWII Germany Displaced Persons German Camp German Camp Survivors Survivors A homeless refugee German woman sits with all of her possessions on the side of a muddy street in Cologne amid ruins caused by massive Allied air raids, March 1945. A homeless refugee German woman sits with all of her possessions on the side of a muddy street in Cologne amid ruins caused by massive Allied air raids, March 1945. WWII Belgium Refugees WWII Belgium Refugees WWII France WWII France Parisian Refugees A large group of refugees fleeing Paris in anticipation of the German invasion, 1940. (Photo by FPG/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) A woman reads a magazine in an emergency accommodation for refugees, around 1945. A woman reads a magazine in an emergency accommodation for refugees, around 1945. Belgian Refugees Belgian Refugees The Road To France The Road To France Refugees In Lichtenstein 1945 LIECHTENSTEIN - MAY 18:  A Crowd Of Refugees Stood Behind Barbed Wire On May 18, 1945, While Waiting To Cross The Border Into The Neutral State Of Lichstenstein. A Thorough Check By The Customs Office Had To Be Performed For Each Of These Displaced Persons.  (Photo by Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images) Pram Pulling 7th August 1944:  A man pulling a refugee's pram, attached by a cord to his bike, up a hill in Roncey, France.  (Photo by Fred Ramage/Keystone/Getty Images) WWII Refugees WWII Refugees

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