(1942) "The U.S.Army - A Guide Book - 53 Action Pictures"

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(1942) "THE U.S. ARMY - A Guide Book - 53 Action Pictures." This was a booklet for the Home Front consuption that appaled to their target audience of young people who might be influenced and later enlist when they came of age. It is easy to read and loaded with wonderful artwork showing the every day life of a soldier in the Army of the United States. Sarge Booker of Tujunga, California ([email protected]) E-mail me for free daily scans!

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"The U.S. Army - A Guide to its Men and Equipment" by Fletcher Pratt with 53 action pictures by David Pattee. (1942) Whitman Publishing Company, Racine, Wisconsin.

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[SGM (ret.)]

Hi Sarge,

 

Once again, you come through with a real winner. I have a similar book published in England that's about the German Army. It was one of those Home Front, "Know Your Enemy" kinda publications. It's so interesting because you can compare what was published for public consumption with what we now know was the "actual ground truth" at the date of publication. The difference goes to what might have been considered "classified" or details best kept from the enemy.

 

In the case of the English book, it has a very "hypothetical" artist rendition of the German Tiger I tank, but in reality, the British had already captured examples in Tunisia. So, my take is that the Brits were attempting to keep just how much they actually knew from the Germans.

 

With your book, the lack of technical detail is pretty interesting. I wonder how much was just omitted because it was assumed that the targeted readers (youngsters) wouldn't care and how much was a deliberate censorship.

 

Thanks for sharing,

Mike

[Homefrontguy]

Thanks for sharing. It appears to be the companion to two books I have, one on the US Navy and the other on Civilian Defense. Here is the US Navy book. I know Whitman Publishers did many books for kids during the war years. Most have great illustrations like these.

 

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Hi Sarge,

 

Once again, you come through with a real winner. I have a similar book published in England that's about the German Army. It was one of those Home Front, "Know Your Enemy" kinda publications. It's so interesting because you can compare what was published for public consumption with what we now know was the "actual ground truth" at the date of publication. The difference goes to what might have been considered "classified" or details best kept from the enemy.

 

In the case of the English book, it has a very "hypothetical" artist rendition of the German Tiger I tank, but in reality, the British had already captured examples in Tunisia. So, my take is that the Brits were attempting to keep just how much they actually knew from the Germans.

 

With your book, the lack of technical detail is pretty interesting. I wonder how much was just omitted because it was assumed that the targeted readers (youngsters) wouldn't care and how much was a deliberate censorship.

 

Thanks for sharing,

Mike

 

MIKE: "Greetings & Salutations!" Omissions of detail might have been deliberate because it was civilian publishers printing and distributing those booklets and they had them in distribution before December 8th, 1941 when F.D.R. and the Congress declared war on Germany. It was possible for anyone to buy those booklet6 even in the British West Indies and in Central and South America. I have one in Spanish I got from Argentina. Even in the military most people who did not have a need to kinow did not know a lot about their own equipment. Instruments on a bomber might have been known to the person dropping the bombs and not the pilot and crew. (Page 21 shown below). Sarge Booker of Tujunga, California ([email protected]) I have more like this to post here.

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Thanks for sharing. It appears to be the companion to two books I have, one on the U.S. Navy and the other on Civilian Defense. Here is the U.S. Navy book. I know Whitman Publishers did many books for kids during the war years. Most have great illustrations like these.

 

 

HOME FRONT GUY: "Greetings!" Have several varities of the naval booklet, had most of the Whitman Publishers booklets. And have Civil Defense and the First Aid for the military by Whitman, but please post what you have here also so we can expand the "Home Front" and share with others. (Page 20 attached below). Sarge Booker. I put these all on CD disks, wish some of the recipients would duplicate them and get them out to friends or even sell them, but I do not want the profits, okay for others as they can use the spare change for their collections. I am fortunate in that I do not have to work Monday through Friday 8 or more hours a day to exist! Some folks on the East Coast have high fuel bills to heat their abode and travel long distances to work and school or the soccor game. I encourage others to download what I have presented and make CDs and do whatever they wish with them, gets out reference material that gets harder to acquire to researchers and collectors.

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