Although the photographer didn’t quite have a concept of sharpening his focus, I’m still happy to have acquired these Korean War colored slides from an unnamed Maine veteran. Some interesting content of an 8th Army bridge in Korea!
photography
WWI 89th Division Patch Variant RPPC Doughboy Photo
Great shot of a pair of 89th Division soldiers posing in a German studio. Note the 89th Division patch variant with the cornflower center.
WWI Panoramic Photo Yardlong – 36th Division, 131st Machine Gun Battalion in French Street – Check the Detail!
Click for Larger View
The large format of WWI panoramic photos is not an easy scan, but after scanning this yardlong photo in seven sections, I was able to seamlessly splice the photo together using Photoshop. The results are an eye pleasing display of WWI doughboys sitting in a French street. One could spent hours looking at each battle wizened face, or the citizens and scenery in the background.
131st Machine Gun Battalion – 36th Division
Using the magical power of GoogleEarth, I was able to track down the exact street corner in this photo. Not much has changed in 100 years!
Saint Aubin Des Coudrais, Sarthe France
WWI 28th Division Mascot Dog Photo – Jack Russell Terrier Wearing a Vest and OS Chevrons!
A recent eBay purchase will add yet another mascot dog photo to my collection. The 28th Division keystone is clearly visible on the mascot’s vest, as well as two overseas chevrons. Very cool.
WWI 12th Veterinarian Hospital RPPC Photo Pair in Treves Germany
Members of the 12th Veterinarian Hospital
Straight from the bowels of a poorly listed eBay auction comes this tantalizing pair of WWI photographs. At first glance the images seem to contain little information to help aide in their historical dissection, but upon further sleuthing I found some clues to their identification. After scanning the first image on my super-duper Epson V700 scanner (awesome BTW), I zoomed in on the wagon using Photoshop. The name VET HOSP 12 can be faintly seen between the wagon wheels. A quick google search yielded a website dedicated to the 12th Veterinarian Hospital, which dealt with the care of horses during the Occupation period. I looks like the hospital was started in late December of 1918, and continued to service 3rd Army horses for the bulk of the Occupation.
The obverse of the second RPPC shows a date and location of January 1st 1919 in Treves Germany made out to a Mr.Arthur Fessler (hard to make out the last letter) in Philadelphia, PA. The card is a German postcard paper, and the style of chair is one I see almost exclusively used in German portrait studios of the period. The young doughboy is not wearing a shoulder sleeve insignia (aka Patch) but I assume he soon received one, as the first photo shows the patch in wear.
Interested in learning more about the 12th Veterinarian Hospital? Check out this site:
Or check out the U.S. Army Veterinarian Corps Historical Preservation Group Facebook page:
Posing in a German Studio
Original Private Snapshot of Ernie Pyle – June 7th, 1944 Aboard an LST!
A recent eBay discovery yielded this little gem for my collection. Original snapshots of Ernie Pyle are not uncommon, but this one can be tied down to a specific date. Ernie landed on June 7th, 1944 on D-Day +1. Enjoy this rare original photo!
Ernie Pyle June 7th, 1944
Photo Reverse
WWII Refrigeration Truck Unit Photos – “The Penguin Fleet”
One aspect of war that is not normally discussed is the transportation of temperature sensitive material. Blood, meat, and some chemicals needed to be kept cool for use in the field and needed special trucks to deliver the goods. Here is a set of photos showing the trucks of the unit! Try finding these anywhere else! Scanned from original negatives.
The Korean War in Color
This will be a constantly updated theme here at Portraits of War so please check back often.
Today’s posts are from the 89th Medium Tank Battalion taken in 1952 during the middle of the Korean War.
The 89th Medium Tank Battalion was with the 25th Division (insignia seen in the slide below) from between 1951 through the armistice.
WWII B-25 Crew w/ Wrecked Bomber in Scotland! Land Rover in Background
Great shot of a wrecked B-25 with Scottish and American soldiers posing. Note the Land Rover in the background! I wonder what the story is behind this shot………………..
Portraits of War 