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GIs at the Pyramids


askari
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Besides US militaria, my other major interest is Egypt (history, politics, militaria, etc.) This mini-collection combines both interests.

 

Here we see US troops in Egypt during WWII... visiting the Pyramids and Sphinx... all posing in the same place, taken by the same photographer. Believe it or not, it wasn't too hard to build this collection; took me less than a year of casual searching, and for little money.

 

This was a popular spot for tourists apparently, I've also seen photos of British soldiers in WWII and post-war civilian tourists posing at the same place.

 

First up, two corporals on camels....

 

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A change of animal and of service... Here's a Navy officer on a horse. Written on the back of the photo: "Lt. J.J. Laffy, USNR, Jan 28 1944"post-111034-0-17863000-1382999741.jpeg

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A related photo: Lt. Laffy, now on a camel (left), with what look like two Merchant Mariners, a Navy enlisted man, and a Navy officer. Written on the back: "Cairo, Egypt, Jan. 28, 1944; Roosevelt & Churchill staying at Mina House - half mile east of here - before meeting with Stalin on the Black Sea. Seems that half the British Army is in the area now."

 

post-111034-0-41532000-1382999979.jpeg

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Now the turn of the Army Air Forces. Written on the back: "Lt. Col. Kempston, Falls, Idaho; Lt. R.R. Blades, Kentwood La.; F/O W.E. Jones, Montgomery Ala.; me."

 

 

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Was there during Bright Star 85', don't think I had the same photographer though. Thanks for the pics.

 

 

CD

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My wife to be and I visited there around 1981 or 82. One of the things they warned you about was not to let the camel owner walk you too far out into the desert. Apparently some of them made some extra cash by taking tourists out, and then asking for extra money to take you back. If you said no, they dumped you off the camel and rode back, leaving you to walk the rest of the way! We didn't have that problem, and it made for some great photos.

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I have some nice period Kodachrome color taken in 44-45 of GIs at the site. Yours are the only other images I have seen. Very nice!

 

Mike

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Interesting how the area in front and under the Sphinx's head has changed since WW2 as shown by the newer photo posted. Appears to be steps or a platform in front of and underneath the head in the WW2 vintage photo

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Interesting how the area in front and under the Sphinx's head has changed since WW2 as shown by the newer photo posted. Appears to be steps or a platform in front of and underneath the head in the WW2 vintage photo

The Sphinx is under constant care, continually being dug up, tidied up etc etc, has been even back in the Ancient Greeks days, and before :D

 

Check out the Google Sphinx 1880s photo page, you all know how it works, click on the image you desire and it redirects to the site the image originated.

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=sphinx&bav=on.2,or.&bvm=bv.55617003,d.cWc,pv.xjs.s.en_US.2UGjtckCHYg.O&biw=1280&bih=628&dpr=1&wrapid=tlif138309870886811&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=VWlwUu3dJNfKsQTxpoHQAw#hl=en&q=sphinx+in+1880s&tbm=isch&um=1

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:D

 

General Patton on Malta during his unemployment after the slapping incidents in Sicliy.

 

 

"Well Codman, let's get on down to Egypt and see if the pyramids are still standing!"

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Interesting how the area in front and under the Sphinx's head has changed since WW2 as shown by the newer photo posted. Appears to be steps or a platform in front of and underneath the head in the WW2 vintage photo

 

It was sandbagged below the chin to protect it during WW2.

 

 

 

 

W

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It was sandbagged below the chin to protect it during WW2.

 

 

 

 

W

I've been seeing that too, but here is a much better photo of the Sphinx in WWII, don't looked sandbagged to me.

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On this site where the below photo is from, on the British Army's 51st Infantry Division,The Highland Division, states that only it's head was supported by Sandbags, as we see in both photos, this would seem to be the case. Don't know why it's head had to be supported, perhaps it was time for a little maintenance again, and this so happened during the war, a coincidence

 

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You all have some sharp eyes! Thanks for the additional photos, Patches.

 

At the risk of going off-topic, the stone support under the Sphinx's chin dates from 1931. A few years before parts of the head and crown were falling off, and this was part of a repair/reconstruction effort. It was removed by the early 1950s.

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Why would this be off topic? the Sphinx is really the subject in question, no Sphinx, no GIs possing in front of it.

 

in any event, so it will be stones rather than sandbags? do you have the page on this, a site? wiki dose have someting but it doesn't say much at all.

 

"In 1931 engineers of the Egyptian government repaired the head of the Sphinx when part of its headdress fell off in 1926 due to erosion that had also cut deeply into its neck"

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They placed sandbags under the chin for support to prevent bomb damage, just in case.

Just in case those bad Germans and Italians got their bomb sites off kilter :lol:

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thought I would add some color to the great images you posted to start this thread. These are all Kodachrome slides from the same soldier.

 

Mike

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