WWI Photo – Super Rare 3rd Air Park Patch Photo in Vichy France

October 26, 2011October 28, 2011 / portraitsofwar / 1 Comment

Sometimes an obscure patch shot slips through the cracks of the myriad listings on ebay. In this case, I picked up a VERY rare shot of two members of the 255th Aero Squadron, 3rd Air Park of the 2nd Pursuit Group posing in a Vichy, France studio. I’ve only seen two or three photographic examples of the 3rd Air Park shoulder patch insignia (SSI, remember?) in wear before. This is a spectacular example, save for a minor fold and a small tear to the corner. For future reference, the 3rd Air Park patch resembles #3 billiards ball on an underlain circular patch.

3rd Air Park Patch

95th Division Mine Sweepers in Action – Metal Detecting in WWII

October 6, 2011 / portraitsofwar / 2 Comments

WWII Combat Photography of the 87th Division in Germany – 347th Infantry Regiment

October 4, 2011October 4, 2011 / portraitsofwar / 23 Comments

Casual followers of this blog will know that the majority of my slides and photos are mainly portraits and posed scenes, although a few capture moments of combat, the vast majority of WWII snapshots floating around the web were taken at leisure during down-time after combat. A recent set of photos to come into my possession show an uncommon view of front line fighting. This is my third set of photos of this type, the other two being from the 99th and 42nd Divisions. This set comes from a veteran of the 347th Infantry Regiment of the 87th “Golden Acorn” Division.

Russian Slave Laborers Looting

Tanks and Infantry Advance in Schietz

Dead German in Street

Sherman Tanks in Plauen Germany

Captured German Police Helmet

Captured German Belt

Unit Crest of the 347th

The Runner up for Unit Crest Design

Many more to come!

A Canadian in Holland During WWII: Photographic Journal of Captain William J. Klyn – 1945

September 30, 2011September 30, 2011 / portraitsofwar / 4 Comments

For those interested in views of Holland during WWII I present the following set of unwatermarked images. Please enjoy, and if you plan on using these for publication, please contact me first. I assume most were taken in Amsterdam, but some may have been snapped in other places in the Netherlands and possibly Germany.

Want more? I have over 200 images taken in Holland during WWII. Add a comment asking for specific topics and I should be able to help you out!

Original Never-Before-Seen WWII D-Day Landing Photos on Omaha Beach – LCT-535

September 22, 2011September 22, 2011 / portraitsofwar / 27 Comments

Preparing the 535

Half the fun of winning a new group of WWII photos on eBay lies in the research and presentation of the material. After recently having placed the winning bid on a set of 50

or so WWII photos of what appeared to be some sort of beach landing, I quickly realized that I had something more important in my possession.

After asking the gracious seller a little bit of info about the provenience of the lot, I soon found out that the photos came from the estate of a deceased WWII veteran from Santa Rosa, CA. Al Pellegrini was the skipper of the LCT-535 during the D-Day invasion at Omaha Beach, and either snapped, or was given these photos as a memento of his time aboard the 535.

According to a 1994 article by Gaye LeBaron of the Press Democrat,

“Ensign Albert J. Pellegrini of Santa Rosa, California, came early to the invasion of Normandy. He landed his LCT 535 about 10 minutes ahead of H-Hour on the sands of Omaha Beach, earning the distinction of being the skipper of the first American vessel to land on the French coast on June 6th, 1944.”

Wow! What did I stumble across with this innocuous looking eBay listing? I hope to present these photos to show the world the faces of the first men to land on Omaha Beach on that fateful day nearly 70 years ago.

3rd Trip on June 6th - Dropping off Field Hospital

Many more photos to come!

June 1946 Operation Crossroads ORIGINAL Newsletter – 509th Composite Group – 58th Wing – Atomic Blast

September 20, 2011October 3, 2011 / portraitsofwar / Leave a comment

42nd Rainbow Division Rolls Through Bavaria – 222nd Infantry Regiment Photo Post

September 11, 2011 / portraitsofwar / 19 Comments

222nd Anti-Tank Company

A member of the 222nd Anti-Tank Company of the 42nd Division snaps a photo while a convoy of trucks rolls through a small Bavarian town. One of a series of nearly 800 negatives from the 222nd that I acquired last year; this photo encompasses the fast moving blitz through Germany and Bavaria that the 42nd took on during the last parts of the war.

The WWII Nose Art of Hal Olsen – U.S. Navy Mechanic on Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateers

September 9, 2011 / portraitsofwar / 10 Comments

I recently had the esteemed pleasure of acquiring two nose art photos of PB4Y-2 airplanes. Using the power of the internet, I was able to look up the two planes, the Green Cherries, and the Lady Luck II. With a bit of luck I tracked down the name of the original artist. Hal Olsen painted over 100 nose art pin-up ladies on various planes in the PTO. He charged $50 per painting and eventually used the money to enter formal art school and travel with his wife. Having tracked him down, I wrote him a nice letter asking for his autograph and promising that I would send along some copies of my photos. They go out in the mail tomorrow! For now, check out the shots and the nice card he sent me.

Thanks Hal!