Author: portraitsofwar

WWII Bellerose, Long Island B-18 Bomber Crash in Neighborhood Backyard

/ portraitsofwar / 20 Comments

Occasionally I revisit my WWII photo collection to cull through material I’ve overlooked.  In this instance, I found a real gem that I somehow never took the time to research.  I remember buying this photo at a local flea market with the intention of doing some research on the crash incident, but never got around to it.  I assumed that the wreckage in the image was from a B-17 or C-47, but it turns out to be from two B-18 bombers that collided mid-air over Bellerose, Long Island on June 17th, 1940.  Eleven men died in the crash, and one Bellerose citizen died of burns following the event.  Scanning the internet, I was able to find an advertisement for asbestos siding from 1940 that makes reference to the event.  This photo is an incredibly close up shot of the event.  A fireman’s hat and jacket can be seen on the wing of the B-18 in the backyard of the burned home.  Incredible.

I was able to find an article written by one of the local survivors of the crash:

http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2009/june-online-only/survivingaplanecrash.html

Also, a minor league baseball played died in the fiery inferno.  Here’s an excerpt from the Baseball in Wartime website:

“On Sunday, June 16, 1940, Bedient sent his parents a telegram stating that he was spending the day with his wife at Great Neck. At around 9:00 A.M. on Monday, June 17, two twin-engined Douglas B-18 Bolo bombers, escorted by two fighter planes, left Mitchel Field on a routine training flight. The two bombers carried a crew of 11, including Second Lieutenant Bedient. Just 15 miles from Mitchel Field, above the densely populated area of Bellerose Manor on the eastern edge of Queens, New York, the two bombers were executing a maneuver at 2,500 feet. One plane had to pass under the other and there was not enough clearance. The two planes collided and crashed in flames. One landed within a block of a school and the second smashed into a one-story residence that instantly went up in flames. All 11 crewmen — two of whom unsuccessfully attempted to escape by parachute — perished in the wreckage.”

http://www.baseballinwartime.com/in_memoriam/bedient_hugh.htm

UPDATE 

An author who is writing a book on the B-18 emailed me with the following technical info on the two planes that crashed.

Douglas B-18A – AAC 37-576 Accepted 17 May 1939 and immediately assigned to Langley Field, VA. To Mitchel Field, NY 10 November 1939. Accident 17 June 1940 at Bellerose, Long Island, NY 1LT P. Burlingame, collided with B-18A 37-583 (q.v.), w/o. Coded 9B45 and 9B43 at the time, order uncertain.

Douglas B-18A – AAC 37-583 Accepted 9 June 1939. Assigned to Langley Field, VA 10 June 1939. To Mitchel Field, NY 12 November 1939. Accident 17 June 1940 at Bellerose, LI, NY, 2LT R. M. Bylander, collided with B-18A 37-576 (q.v.), w/o.

Thanks!

Actual WWII Combat Snapshot – 99th Division, 395th Infantry Regiment in the Ruhr Pocket April 1945

/ portraitsofwar / 4 Comments

Amateur combat snapshots are nearly impossible to find.  I only have a handful in my personal collection, and have only seen them for sale on rare occasions. In this photo, a veteran named Earl Reese snaps a photo while his squad is attacking through a forest on April 13th, 1945 while in the “Ruhr Pocket”.  I have a collection of Reese’s photos and personal memoirs that were saved from the trash bin at an estate sale in California.  Imagine images like these rotting away in a landfill?

 

Is that a ricochet dent on the M1 helmet?

 

 

WWI Photo Collection – 31st Railway Engineers in France

/ portraitsofwar / 32 Comments

I love collecting WWI albums and named photo groupings.  They are much harder to come by compared with the relatively plentiful single photo purchases.  In this case, I was able to come across a wonderful grouping of photos from the grandson of a WWI 31st Engineer veteran.  I promised to post the photos on the site to help raise interest in this obscure unit and help bring this man’s photos to the digital world.  Digital preservation allows thousands of viewers to enjoy images that would otherwise be relegated to the corner of a dusty upstairs closet.  I will do my best to describe what I can about the unit and share a few biographical vignettes.

Pvt. Herbert Conner posed in France

Pvt. Conner

 

“My grandfather was born in 1892 in Fordsville, Kentucky later the family moved to Amity Oregon and later to St Helens, Oregon. As a young man he was a prizefighter(that what they called them in those days). He was a logger for awhile later he went to work in Portland, Oregon for the railroad before the war  and after the war he continued with the railroad for over forty years as a fireman and an engineer. He never owned a car and the station was about two blocks from his house and Kelly’s Bar and the grocery store were across the street from work  so I guess he felt he didn’t need one. He passed away in 1968.

Grandpa was very proud to have served in World War 1. I do not believe he was in combat. The 31st engineers provided supplies and transported troops. The only story I can remember when he was on guard duty in France and a soldier had gone awol for the night, apparently celebrating and didn’t know the password or had forgotten it and Grandpa felt sorry for him and let him back in the camp. It has been such a long time ago there were probably other things that happened that I can’t remember right now. He must have spent some time at the French Riviera and Monte Carlo because there was a lot of postcards from that area and one postcard to his brother had him on the Italian Riviera for awhile.”

Some Guys from A Company

SS Manchuria in Port (Not the return ship for the 31st)

Hospital Train

German Prisoners

Check back for updates…………….

WWII in Color – Color Kodachrome Slides – 1944 SBD Dauntless Marine Dive Bombers VMSB-332 w/ Aircraft

/ portraitsofwar / Leave a comment

The color of WWII is something lost on our generation; WWII has been a war fought in black and white for everyone but actual WWII veterans who witnessed it firsthand.  One of my goals here at PortraitsofWar is to collect color slides from WWII and make them accessible to those who don’t know it exists.  Yes, color film was shot in 35mm(and sometimes larger format) and was used on a somewhat regular basis by shutterbug soldiers during WWII. My collection is roughly 500:1, black and white : color.    To find a complete collection of color slides is like hitting the WWII photography jackpot.  In this case, I was able to pick up a small selection of color slides from a Marine dive bomber.  Although I was only able to snag 7 from a grouping of nearly 200, I am still happy to pass along the images to interested parties.

 

 

From the collection of Walter Huff.

Please enjoy the colors of WWII as they were meant to be seen! 

WWI Photo – 89th Division Soldiers Pose w/ Mascot Dog France

/ portraitsofwar / 2 Comments

Following up on one of my favorite common threads seen throughout WWI photography – I present yet another example of the unit mascot.  Normally seen at the compnay level or below, the idea of having a small pet (normally a dog) as a mascot is very common throughout various nations during WWI.  I’ve literally seen examples from the US, England, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and even Australia. I probably have 15-20 examples in my own collection, ranging from small children as mascots, to dogs, pigeons and even goats.  My favorite are the small dogs. Here’s an example from the 89th Division. The collection of 8 photos came from a member of the 356th Infantry.  Unnamed, but we know he was wounded at least once during the war due to the wound chevron on his right cuff.

WWI 2nd Cavalry Postal Cover Letter – Fort Ethan Allen Vermont Letter January 1918 – Good Details!

/ portraitsofwar / 2 Comments

Followers of PortraitsofWar will know that I was lucky enough to acquire a great letter written by a member of the 2nd Cav while the unit was stationed at Fort Ethan Allen in my current hometown of Colchester, Vermont.  Obviously anything related to Fort Ethan Allen will be of interest to me and, by association, PortraitsofWar.  The letter was written by a Mr. Everett Hall from Connecticut, and includes some good cavalry related details as well as some tongue-in-cheek Vermont humor.  Alright!

Fort Ethan Allen,

January 18th, 1919

Dear Marion,

Your welcome letter received.  Also the postal.

Tell Kermit I thank him very much for the wash cloth.  It is a dandy and will be fine when we get over accross(sic). And the way things look now we may be over anytime.

We are having fine weather now.  Lots of snow, nearly three feet, weather is war.  About zero. {YES!  Awesome line}

I am getting so I can stick pretty good bareback. We get fifty munutes every other day monkey drill now.

Just got my last two test papers back.  I got a 98 on first aid and a 91 on guard duty. We have school every day on military matters.  And a test about three times a week.

Just like going to school again only that its different studies.   Have to use algebra too.  We have to study everything first aid for both men and horses.  And the best way of defeating an enemy.  Learn someting new every day.

There’s lots of Manchester fellows in now.  That man you spoke about, Thrall, is here. I heard his name called the other day.  I haven’t seen him to know him yet. Funny how you meet people you used to know.

I see both of A.L. Brown’s boys are going and Allen Balch.  I went to school with Marion Brown.

Well there’s not much news so I guess I’ll have to stop and get fixed up for inspection tomorrow.

We have all kinds of inspections now that we are getting ready for leaving.

With lots of love,

Everett

Post-WWII Photo Negative – 82nd Division Paratroopers in Downtown Fayetteville, NC

/ portraitsofwar / 3 Comments

A series of post-WWII negatives from the 82nd Airborne Division is keeping me busy at the V700 Scanner!  Nearly 200 superb images of life in and around Fort Bragg in the years between 1943 and 1948 keep me clicking the SCAN button.  These photos were taken in a downtown Fayetteville diner in 1947.  Love the stereotypical activity in the background. Check out the prices on the sandwiches – Twenty cents?   WHAT?  Also, apparently everyone drank coffee upside down in the 1940s……………….

/ portraitsofwar / Leave a comment

portraitsofwar's avatarPortraits of War

Lee Marvin is hands down one of the greatest action movie stars of the post-WWII generation.  Starring in such films as Attack, The Killers, The Professionals, The Dirty Dozen, Hell in the Pacific, The Professionals, The Iceman Cometh, and The Delta Force, Lee Marvin was a true action star.

The attached photograph was purchased directly from the son of a 4th Marine veteran who served with Marvin during WWII.  Lee was a combat sniper with I Company, 24th Marines, 4th Marine Division and was wounded in action on Saipan.  He received the Purple Heart for his wounds.  References say that he was one of only 9 survivors of a Japanese attack on his unit http://www.jodavidsmeyer.com/combat/military/lee_marvin.htm.  Outside of personal photographs, this is one of less than a handful (literally 3) wartime photographs of Marvin available for view on the internet.

I hope you enjoy.  This is one of…

View original post 51 more words