Rare World War II colour photos released by Britain's Imperial War Museum

A Royal Air Force Lockheed Hudson Mk VI (AE626) of the Middle East Communications Flight flying over the pyramids. Photo / Imperial War Museum

Britain's Imperial War Museum has released a selection of rarely seen original colour photographs from the archives.

The images will feature in a new book titled The Second World War in Colour.

During World War II most images of the war were produced in black and white due to the price of colour printing and the difficulty of acquiring the film.

Scroll through to admire these amazing photos.

An Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) spotter with binoculars at an anti-aircraft command post. Photo / Imperial War Museum

Two soldiers of the Royal Military Police in occupied Austria with Anna, a four-year-old Austrian girl. Photo / Imperial War Museum

Men of the Airborne Division alongside an Armstrong Whitworth Whitley 'PX-G'. Photo / Imperial War Museum

Men of the Royal Navy play cards on board the submarine HMS Tribune. Photo / Imperial War Museum

Winston Churchill with his chiefs of staff in the garden of No. 10 Downing Street on the day Germany surrendered to the Allies. Photo / Imperial War Museum

Sergeant R Gregory photographs Driver A Hardman during a tour of the Acropolis in Athens. Photo / Imperial War Museum

An officer and a rating launch a dinghy from HMS Forth on Holy Loch, Scotland. Photo / Imperial War Museum

Private T Henderson practises a fixed-bayonet assault during training. Photo / Imperial War Museum

Armourers of the Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS) rearm a Hawker Hurricane aircraft. Photo / Imperial War Museum

Churchill tanks of A and B Squadrons, 43rd Battalion, Royal Tank Regiment, 33rd Brigade negotiating obstacles. Photo / Imperial War Museum

WRNS office are shown the sights of Quebec by a member of the Canadian Mounted Police Force after the first Quebec Conference. Photo / Imperial War Museum

A signaller operates an Aldis lamp on board a British warship, 1942. Photo / Imperial War Museum

HMS Howe passes through the Suez Canal on her way to join the British Pacific Fleet. Photo / Imperial War Museum

Members of the ATS operate the height and range finder at an anti-aircraft gun site. Photo / Imperial War Museum

A view of bomb damage in the area around St Paul's Cathedral. Photo / Imperial War Museum

RAF cadets watching a Zulu war dance, Johannesburg. Photo / Imperial War Museum

Wives and sweethearts visit on board the SS Empire Faith before the ship heads out to sea again. Photo / Imperial War Museum

Soldiers of the Eighth Army in Tunisia fire a 4.5-inch gun four miles from enemy lines. Photo / Imperial War Museum

A naval rating collects bread for his mess from the battleship's bakery. Photo / Imperial War Museum

Two men of the Royal Observer Corps on a clifftop near Dover. Photo / Imperial War Museum