Jump to content

WWII Airborne portrait with Distinguished Service Cross


shrapneldude
 Share

Recommended Posts

shrapneldude

post-1424-1337832859.jpg

post-1424-1337832866.jpg

post-1424-1337832871.jpg

 

Picked this up today in a trade deal, and I was wondering if anyone could tell me how it was made - watercolor or paint or just a colorized photograph or what. It's a pretty neat image though - WWII era Airborne EM wearing a Distinguished Service Cross medal.

 

My un-educated guess is that the soldier was Killed in Action, and his family had this photo made of him with the DSC he was awarded posthumously? Otherwise, he'd have had all his service ribbons and possibly jump wings on as well, right?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

shrapneldude

post-1424-1337833035.jpg

post-1424-1337833040.jpg

post-1424-1337833061.jpg

 

The backing on it is just great - wartime newspaper with articles about a bombing run in Germany and such.

I look forward to any and all comments on this piece as it is WAY outside my realm of expertise.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I can't tell you much about the photographic process, but that is one sweet image. Not easy to find these days....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jack's Son

Shrap,

Chalk comes to mind. You are holding it, is there any residue on the glass?

I'm looking at the smoothing in the shadow areas of the face and neck as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dude you are so right.....good observation cause I agree! He was KIA and I would bet the farm on that. The picture looks pretty much like a standard portrait that i've seen many times. I believe it was a photograph that is colorized. The photo was probably taken before he ever went overseas and before he earned his jump wings. They had the jump cap badge and the DSC added probably after the war. Wonder why they didn't adde the jump wings?

Darby

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The number of airborne DSC recipients was actually a fairly small number (unless you take into account the number of Ike jackets you see so adorned on eBay) and by looking for the town where the newspaper was printed on the back of the frame, you ought to be able to narrow down your search and identify the soldier. This one is begging for a name!

Allan

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It looks to me that they took a standard civilian headshot and drew in the uniform- this would explain the lack of detail etc. Should be a neat research piece-hopefully the newspaper is from a smaller town/ city. Good Luck

Link to comment
Share on other sites

shrapneldude

On the name...I think there may be something written on the backside, but it would require tearing off the newspaper. Worth it?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jack's Son
On the name...I think there may be something written on the backside, but it would require tearing off the newspaper. Worth it?

NO......Try Allan's plan first! :thumbsup:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Old Marine

That is a hand painted photograph. My grandmother had one of my uncle who was KIA in the war. The technique and framing of my uncle's portrait was very similar to your photo, including the beveled glass. The technique they used was to simply paint or draw right over the photo, and the quality varied from person to person. Some were done using tansparent dyes or watercolors to simply tint the photos and preserve the photo details. Some were done with more opaque media oils, tempra, chalk or pastels. The more opaque materials would really blot out the details in the photos and the details would then have to be hand drawn back in over the color, a lot of the time they just skipped the details. In your photo you can see where the more color they applied the more photo detail they lost and then had to drawn back in. The DSC is really quickly drawn on top with what looks like oil pastels or chalk. There is very little detail in the medal. I think Ronnie is right this may have been created from a standard boot camp photo that the family supplied with the DSC and ABN cap badge added.

 

On yours you can see there they painted the buttons and obscured all the eagle detail and then just left it blank. Also whoever did this didn't bother to color the cap piping or draw the parachute on the cap patch. In this portrait the important thing to the family was the face, all the military details were minor.

 

My uncle was a gunner on A20 and was shot down by ground fire. I remember trying to ID his ribbons and never could. Who ever painted his photo simply painted his ribbons red white and blue and yellow and made it look nice. The ribbons were not even close to the color they should have been. Back then they either didn't know what the correct colors of the ribbons were or just didn't care.

 

That's a nice portrait and my hunch is he was KIA too. Good luck with your research.

 

Dennis

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Danny

I would try seeing if the newspaper held any clues to a name of a town or store(in a town-city) etc that could be traced to a listed DSC winner.If you could match it that way??

Link to comment
Share on other sites

manayunkman

Very cool. I agree to try and trace back where the photo originally came from and check the newspaper.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

shrapneldude

Great suggestions everyone - thank you! It was actually a cross-referencing of the newspaper ads that helped me narrow it down. They didn't list zip codes and cities on their advertisements back then, so it was street names and one neighborhood reference. Looks like the newspaper on the back of the frame came from an area called Mahoningtown in New Castle, Pennsylvania.

 

Not much of a lead, but a start and I thank you all for your input there.

Will keep you posted on any further developments.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

shrapneldude

Have one pretty solid possibility - PFC. Joseph M. Koss, KIA, posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, 504th PIR, 82nd Airborne, from Mckeesport, PA.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

locobuster

The newspaper is page 16 from the Monday, December 29, 1941 issue of the New Castle News, New Castle, PA.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

shrapneldude
The newspaper is page 16 from the Monday, December 29, 1941 issue of the New Castle News, New Castle, PA.

Incredible.

That's amazing man -- that is the exact page from the newspaper alright! You are awesome! Thank you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

manayunkman
The newspaper is page 16 from the Monday, December 29, 1941 issue of the New Castle News, New Castle, PA.

 

 

They must have used an old paper. Thats only 21 days after Pearl.

 

Shouldn't be hard to find out what was happening to the boys from New Castle. I am sure some one at the Library or Historical Society could help you out. They might have a book that honors those who fell. This type of book is very common in Pa towns. The state of Pa also put out a book listing everyone ( that they could find ) from the state who served during the war.

 

I'm sure your answer is just around the corner.

 

M

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jack's Son
The newspaper is page 16 from the Monday, December 29, 1941 issue of the New Castle News, New Castle, PA.

People on this forum, NEVER surprise me! :thumbsup: GOOD JOB.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

teufelhund
Have one pretty solid possibility - PFC. Joseph M. Koss, KIA, posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, 504th PIR, 82nd Airborne, from Mckeesport, PA.

Citation: Joseph M. Koss, 13056883, Private First Class, Infantry, United States Army. For extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy on 28 September 1944 in the vicinity of Wercheren, Holland. During a fierce enemy attack supported by tanks against his company's defensive positions, Private First Class Koss, acting as an assistant rifle squad leader, directed the movement of his squad's light machine gun from its position of cover to an exposed position affording a better field of fire against the onrushing infantry. After an approximate belt and a half of ammunition had been fired with effective results, an enemy tank not less than 100 yards distant shelled the position with point blank fire, and with the third round wounded both Private First Class Koss and his gunner and put the gun temporarily out of action. Although painfully wounded, Private First Class Koss fired upon the enemy with his Thompson submachine gun with telling effects while his gunner corrected the stoppage. Despite the continued point blank fire from the tank Private First Class Koss continued to fire for at least 15 minutes after being wounded until he fell mortally wounded from one of the tank shells. His utter fearlessness and unselfish conduct in the face of overwhelming odds and certain death so inspired all his comrades that a superior enemy force was driven from the battlefield with heavy losses. His extraordinary heroism and tenacity at the cost of his life were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Army. Entered military service from McKeesport, Pennsylvania.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Garandomatic

http://www.ww2-airborne.us/units/504/504_honor_kl.html

 

I tried looking at this site to cross ref that picture, as there are a few troopers' pictures there, but to no avail. If you do prove that to be Koss, you might want to give the site a copy of the picture for posterity. I was able to give them two or three men's pictures from my county's WWII book that has a picture of almost all of the 265 that were killed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

everforward

That is a great picture for sure.

As far as the technique or style used in making the photo, it is something that had been popular for years even as photography got better--I've seen plenty of VN vets who have hand-tinted formal photos similar to the one above.

Here is my hand-tinted WW1 photo of Sgt. Howard Madsen, DSC, 115th Rgt., 29th Div. AEF.....made after he was discharged....probably 1919-1920.

post-22-0-53804500-1401661650.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

shrapneldude

"Everforward" - any idea where that photo was done? "Old Marine" mentions one and I notice he is from Pennsylvania as well. Perhaps there was a particular studio in Pennsylvania that specialized in this sort of thing? Or maybe it was just more common than I'd realized.

 

Given the limited amount of information I have, the only closest match, being Airborne, KIA, Distinguished Service Cross Recipient from Western Pennsylvania and an enlisted man, PFC. Koss is my best semi-educated guess for the time being.

 

I still want to know what's under this newspaper though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

everforward
"Everforward" - any idea where that photo was done? "Old Marine" mentions one and I notice he is from Pennsylvania as well. Perhaps there was a particular studio in Pennsylvania that specialized in this sort of thing? Or maybe it was just more common than I'd realized.

 

It's a really good bet that the portrait I have was probably done in Baltimore, for that's where the Vet lived all of his life.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

shrapneldude

post-1424-1338358093.jpg

post-1424-1338358071.jpg

post-1424-1338358078.jpg

 

I'm not any closer to getting an ID for this soldier, but still definitely leaning towards PFC. Koss as the most likely candidate. Here are some better photos and closeups of the DSC and such.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...
shrapneldude

Ok... a few more questions for the community on this.

 

I've been trying to sell this, as I've put a lot of effort into trying to research the photo and come up empty at most every turn, and been met with some less than enthusiastic, in some cases downright rude responses. It's not USMC, so keeping it in the collection isn't really an option.

 

Was my initial idea on this portrait all wrong? I was told that there isn't any reason to think this guy was Airborne. Did any other units wear big round patches on their caps like this? Is it possibly a fake? Can't tell what to make of it now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...