View of Smoke From Artillery Fire Coming From the Russian Redoubts of Mamelon and Malakoff During the Siege of Sevastopol Taken From Allied Lines (1855)

View of smoke from artillery fire coming from the Russian redoubts of Mamelon and Malakoff during the Siege of Sevastopol taken from Allied lines, 1855. Possibly the first combat photograph ever taken. By Roger Fenton.

Source.

A Japanese Mine Exploding Under the Defenses of a Russian-held Fort on East Kikwan Hill During the Siege of Port Arthur (1904)

Photograph of a Japanese mine exploding under the defenses of a Russian-held fort on East Kikwan Hill during the Siege of Port Arthur, 1904. Probably the first photograph of a mine explosion during a conflict. The second photograph is of Japanese infantry assaulting the same Russian fort and was probably taken soon after the mine exploded.

MFA version of first image.

Source of second image.

French Soldiers Awaiting a German Assault?

French soldiers in trenches near Compiègne said to be awaiting a German attack but probably taken during training. The lack of any ground torn up by shell holes and the exposed position of the cameraman are good indications that this was taken during training. The closest that stereoscopic cameras seemed to have really come to photographing combat in World War I was capturing artillery shells exploding. Animated stereoview.