Photojournalism uses pictures laid out sequentially to tell the story of soldiers in battle, civilian casualties, and other aspects of war. Accompanying captions and articles also guide interpretation of the photographs and influence the public's moral and political understanding of military conflict.

In the late 1920s, new small-format cameras that used 35mm roll film enabled photographers to extend the subject matter of war by taking candid shots in numerous settings including the battlefield. In the 1930s technological innovations in printing and communications enabled faster transmission of photographs and the development of picture magazines such as Life and Look. During World War II, Americans were able to follow the progress of the war through pictures taken by hundred of photojournalists in battlefronts all over the world.

Life, the premier picture magazine from 1936 to 1972, gained tremendous popularity during World War II because of its extensive visual record of the war...