Picked up a couple of "Yard Long" photos today

[Brian Dentino]

Got 2 of these today at an estate sale. The first one has an ID that is a little hard for me to decipher. Any help on the unit pictured would be much appreciated! :thumbsup: The odd thing that I noticed about this is that there are several different Infantry Division patches on the left shoulders of the guys in the front row. You can clearly make out a 2nd ID, one or two 29th ID, and a few others. This leads me to believe that this is a mustering out unit picture as it is dated November, 1945? One of the officers in the front row is a paratrooper. Check out the pics and tell me what you can.....I googled the Camp and see that it is still an active NG base.

[Brian Dentino]

Notice the different Divisions represented...... :think:

[Brian Dentino]

The para-officer..... :thumbsup:

[Brian Dentino]

A BAD picture of most of the photograph....... :pinch:

[Brian Dentino]

And finally the guide-on.....

[Brian Dentino]

This second one I have no clue about other than it is of a Medical Co. I believe. No ID or writing anywhere on this one that I can find? :think:

[Brian Dentino]

Anyone know who/what the guys are in the white suits behind the officers?

[Brian Dentino]

And the last is an 8x10 from Sampson AFB, but can anyone tell me what the FLT. and the BMTS stands for on the placard?

[gpw_42]

And the last is an 8x10 from Sampson AFB, but can anyone tell me what the FLT. and the BMTS stands for on the placard?

 

FLT = Flight, the Air Force equivalent of a company in the Army and Marines.

BMTS stands for, I THINK, Basic Military Training Squadron.

 

Neat pics - I like that B/101 picture. I'd bet that unit was filled with guys outprocessing the Army, but that's just speculation. Neat scores!

 

Steve

[erctut1]

And the last is an 8x10 from Sampson AFB, but can anyone tell me what the FLT. and the BMTS stands for on the placard?

BMTS- basic military training school

Flight is the same as a platoon

[gpw_42]

Isn't an AF Flight commanded by a Captain? Or is the platoon equivalency based on headcount? Or are BOTH true?

 

Thanks,

Steve

[APO472]

The guys in white are cooks/bakers

[Brian Dentino]

The guys in white are cooks/bakers

 

Thats what I thought as well.....thanks to all thus far on the comments. Interesting that they are in their whites with all the other Med.Corps guys in their dress greens! Talk about hard to hide!!!!

[craig_pickrall]

That was a nice find. Congratulations!

 

Interesting mix of uniforms in those pics. it seems there were more 4 pocket coats than Ike jackets. Most men were wearing low quarter shoes but some had 2 buckle boots and bloused trousers.

 

In the first photo is that one lone cook in the center of the 2nd row or is he in khakis?

 

I bet the poor cooks in the 2nd pic were probably in the mess hall working and someone told them to get their butts over to the parade field to have their photo taken. Funny that they were in the middle of the photo rather than stuck over in a back corner.

[Brian Dentino]

That was a nice find. Congratulations!

 

Interesting mix of uniforms in those pics. it seems there were more 4 pocket coats than Ike jackets. Most men were wearing low quarter shoes but some had 2 buckle boots and bloused trousers.

 

In the first photo is that one lone cook in the center of the 2nd row or is he in khakis?

 

I bet the poor cooks in the 2nd pic were probably in the mess hall working and someone told them to get their butts over to the parade field to have their photo taken. Funny that they were in the middle of the photo rather than stuck over in a back corner.

 

Thanks Craig. I will double check, but think that it is a lone cook......bet he was busy! :w00t: One thing that I cannot figure out about the first pic is the diversity of sleeve ID's, no visible ruptured ducks, and the fact that most/all do appear to still be wearing the 4 pocket jackets and not Ikes? I will have to take a better look at this when I get home today......but I think that it is very unique and quite the mystery to me as to what this unit was, who it was made up from, etc....... :think:

[Dave]

The RTC stands for Replacement Training Center. Here's some info:

 

With the start of World War II, the post took on a new role as a replacement training center. Initially, there were two centers, one for basic training and the other for medics. In 1944, the two were combined into the Infantry Replacement Training Center.

 

In addition to its role in training soldiers, Camp Robinson also housed a large German prisoner of war facility, with a capacity of 4,000 prisoners.

 

The post was Arkansas’s second largest city, with an average daily population of about 50,000. An estimated 750,000 soldiers had trained at Camp Robinson when training ended in 1946 and control of the camp, which had grown to 32,000 acres, reverted to the State of Arkansas.

 

From: http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/ency...px?entryID=2262

[Brian Dentino]

The RTC stands for Replacement Training Center. Here's some info:

 

With the start of World War II, the post took on a new role as a replacement training center. Initially, there were two centers, one for basic training and the other for medics. In 1944, the two were combined into the Infantry Replacement Training Center.

 

In addition to its role in training soldiers, Camp Robinson also housed a large German prisoner of war facility, with a capacity of 4,000 prisoners.

 

The post was Arkansas’s second largest city, with an average daily population of about 50,000. An estimated 750,000 soldiers had trained at Camp Robinson when training ended in 1946 and control of the camp, which had grown to 32,000 acres, reverted to the State of Arkansas.

 

From: http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/ency...px?entryID=2262

 

Thanks Dave, but why would these men all have different shoulder insignia? Could this be a picture of cadre? I would think that if they were being trained as replacements then they would not know what Divisions they were going to yet......or would they? I know that many that go into the service now do, but thought that back in 1945 they sent you to whoever needed you when you were ready to go?

[Dave]

Thanks Dave, but why would these men all have different shoulder insignia? Could this be a picture of cadre? I would think that if they were being trained as replacements then they would not know what Divisions they were going to yet......or would they? I know that many that go into the service now do, but thought that back in 1945 they sent you to whoever needed you when you were ready to go?

 

I'd be willing to bet that these guys from different divisions were all cadre. I'm surprised they aren't wearing whatever the local command patch was, but maybe due to their combat involvement, they might have been wearing them to show the "kids" they had been around the block during the War. Maybe...who knows...

 

Dave

[Allan H.]

Thanks Dave, but why would these men all have different shoulder insignia? Could this be a picture of cadre? I would think that if they were being trained as replacements then they would not know what Divisions they were going to yet......or would they? I know that many that go into the service now do, but thought that back in 1945 they sent you to whoever needed you when you were ready to go?

 

As dave told you, the RTC was for the Replacement Training Center. As these guys are all still in uniform and many appear to have a sufficient number of points to have already been discharged by November 1945, we can probably assume that these men have all volunteered to remain on Active Duty rather than to muster out. I am certain that the fact that these men are wearing a variety of patches on their shoulders is a much bigger deal to us as collectors than it was to the cadre at the RTC. Want to tell the Lt in the 82nd to take off his 82nd patch and jump boots and to switch to low quarters and sew on a Replacement and Schools Command SSI?

The other possibility is that many of these men are going to return to their former units after their training is completed, thus they are TDY and not required to change patches on their uniforms as this is a temorary assignment and not their permenant unit.

 

Finally, I know that collectors tend to look for Ike jackets in the post war era, but the four pocket blouse was still authorized for wear and if serviceable, would have still been worn. The army made a bit of an effort to supply soldiers mustering out of service with a new dress uniform which was characterized by the Ike jacket, but it wasn't a rule that every man separating from the army had to be issued an Ike jacket as they left the service. Many PTO veterans never saw Ike jackets in their units, even after returning to the states after the war was over.

 

Allan

[Jeeper704]

101st ITB = Infantry Training Battalion.

81st Regiment.

 

I had a booklet called "I am a Doughboy" which had the same designation written on it together with some names.

It had "Company A, 129 ITB", and "81st Regt" written in it.

Also "Camp Robinson, Ark".

Belonged to a Pvt. Waino Livka and dated December 6 1944.

 

I believe that stood for 129th Infantry Training Battalion.

 

Erwin

[Brian Dentino]

Thanks to everyone for the clarification help..... :thumbsup: