WWII Pilot ID Portrait Photos – Boring? or Riveting?

Remember having your second grade yearbook photo? Yeah, I don’t either….. The same is true for WWII veterans who had their snapshots taken in front of numbered placards and blinding flashbulbs. Generally, these type of shots were taken of Army Air Corps and Marine Corps officers, but I’ve seen a few Navy portraits pop up on eBay on occasion. In the case of tonight’s post, I’m specifically presenting US Air Corps officer ID photo which were compiled by an enterprising veteran(sadly unnamed) who collected shots of his friends and colleagues who trained with him as pilots in the early years of WWII.

General scan of type of photos in the collection: Scan 1

Each photo is unique and captures the airman with his guard down; a true snapshot portrait, these men and women had no idea that these photographs would be preserved for posterity. Each one of these photographs has a story behind it…and each is worthy of an individual blog post. Sadly, I don’t have the time or capacity to identify them all, and I look to the general public to track down shots of their ancestors. I will do my best to post the surnames of the officers in this post, but I need help…

Scan 2

Scan 3

Scan 4

Scan 5

GIF of 40 US Army Air Corps Pilot Photos Identification Photos

3 thoughts on “WWII Pilot ID Portrait Photos – Boring? or Riveting?”

They all deserve to be remembered!! Not every country even has freedom of the internet, but these men helped to ensure our freedoms and I don’t believe they will ever get the proper credit.

My dad was with the 8th Air Force. Had a few pictures of his service time. My hat goes of to those who served during that period. I love the history behind the wars that the US was involved in. I am a Viet Nam vet and can relate to some of the stories that were told. All who serve this great country deserve more credit than we have gotten (my feelings).