Show your WWII Soldiers Photographs

[CNY Militaria]

F/O Aubrey D. Laurence, CBI Service Pilot

[bigredone]

Governments may come and go, but invading armies always have cash.

 

One of the Legion founding members, one of the guys at the 1919 Paris caucus, was an artillery officer in WW1. He came home with a circa 1900 Prussian parade dress eagle helmet.

 

I can see everyone in Germany who has troops nearby digging through their closets for kewl old army stuff to sell for food & cash.

 

He later worked at Seagrams. I don't know if he introduced the idea of selling distinctive whiskey decanturs at legion conventions but he retired a wealthy man.

 

John

 

Here's a really neat image of a combat weary GI posing in his helmet & jacket. The helmet has some type of finish to it that might be a real basic form of cammo. It could be that or just some dirt. Image is printed on German Agfa postcard paper. You really don't see many of these type images around.

[Custermen]

Since the thread began using the key word "studio photo", I thought I would post this one.

This is a studio portrait of Private Cleaston A. Patterson, Co. K, 339th 'Polar Bear' Infantry Regiment, 85th Infantry Division, who went missing in action the first week of combat in Italy and was not cleared as KIA until 11 months later when the war ended. The photo was colorized and he is wearing the DUI of the Polar Bear Regiment.

This is a photo of Pvt Patterson taken with his mother just before leaving to go overseas.

I selected this photo to show because the 339th Infantry Regiment just held their final Reunion earlier this month. Since there were less than 25 members in attendance, the Polar Bear Association of WW2 was disbanded.

Steve

 

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[Custermen]

Another colorized studio photo of Staff Sergeant Sidney Ayres, 747th Bombardment Squadron, 456th Bombardment Group (H)
15th Army Air Force. Sgt Ayres was a tail gunner on a B-24 that flew out of Cerignola, Italy.


Another Photo taken during training at Tonapah, NV, before combat in Italy. Sid is wearing his wool-lined "bomber" jacket.


Sid Ayres is a relative of mine and still lives in north Mississippi where he helps his son-in-law farm.

Steve

 

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[Custermen]

A studio photo of my uncle Private Clyde V. Hill, Company C, 119th Regiment, 30th 'Ole Hickory' Division. Pvt Hill was a replacement troop for the 30th Division and in just a few months he had been trained, shipped overseas, critically wounded and sent back home.

In March 1945, outside of Essens, Germany, he was advancing down a river bank in an area where a German machine gun crew lay in ambush. After some of the squad had already passed by out of danger, the German machine gun waited until Private Hill's group were really close and opened fire. The machine gun fire hit him and others in his group. The German gunner would have finished them off except that the gun was on an overhead railroad bridge and could not depress the barrel low enough to hit them. Private Hill was wounded in his head, upper left back, left arm and wrist, right hip to knee, right calf, and right ankle.

He survived the war and is now suffering from alzheimer's disease.

Steve

 

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[Custermen]

I thought I should include a photo of my own Father somewhere on this forum.

Staff Sergeant Newton F. Cole Jr. was a member of Battery B, 328thField Artillery Battalion, 85th Infantry Division. He was part of the original cadre to arrive at Camp Shelby after earning his college diploma(actually they released him a couple of months early and mailed his diploma to him). He served in a forward observation party and attained the highest rank within the unit without having to transfer.

This photo was taken in a studio in Italy soon after the war ended and he said he was a little sick. He is wearing a Bronze Star Medal ribbon that he earned at the GOTHIC Line. As he told it, he ordered artillery down on his own position to keep Germans from over-running it. Something that either gets you a medal or a court-martial.


The best photos of him were ones taken with his buddies.

Here is one of a group of Sergeants with Sgt Cole on the far Right.
This was taken in December 1944, probably at Lucca, Italy. The 328FA and other units were sent to reinforce the 92nd Infantry Division that had one of its regiments over-run by a German reconnainse in force on 16 December 1944. This is the subject of the new movie that comes out this month "Miracle of St. Anna".

Preparing to go on a patrol. Sgt. Cole on the left.


Steve Cole
www.custermen.com

 

 

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[R Michael]

Great set of photos Steve! and the additional information really adds to it.

 

thanks again, Mike

[Hawk914]

 

 

I dont know if you can make out what is written on the front of this pic, it says
"movie star" and on the reverse it says... cadet buddy Joe Marcoux, played in "God is my co-pilot" then he wrote UGH! Hot Pilot
Oh, by the way all these are copies of photos from a grouping I have from Capt. Dale A. Wesenberg B-17 pilot 15th AAF, 2nd BG, 49th Sq.

Charlie... I'm not totally sure, but I think the same fella from your photo is shown, second from the right, in this photo that I recently picked up. This was taken during filming of 'God is My Co-Pilot'...


Dunno if this was taken during filming of the movie or not, but there are a couple of the movie birds in the background, and I think our hero is also in this photo...

All photos: Project 914 Archives (S.Donacik collection)


I've posted these images along with a couple others taken during filming of 'God is My Co-Pilot' in the P-40 photo thread in the aviation section of the forum...


Fade to Black...

[Greg Sebring]

"Sarge says we move out in an hour,...come on, that's time for game"

I always thought this was a neat photo. It's from my dad's collection and I have another on taken during the Bulge that also has a game in progress. Dad talks about playing lots of poker during the war.

 

These soldiers were in my dad's outfit - 82nd ABN, 319th Glider Field Artillery, A Battery.

 

Greg

[ROCKET]

Here's a cool pic of S/SG Robert F. Davis who flew as a ball turret gunner with the 388th Bomb Group, 562nd Bomb Squadron. I love the saying on the side of his ball turret!

John

[ROCKET]

Here's a pic of "yours truly" with some captured weapons during the 1991 Gulf War.

John

[memphismeister]

These are the few pictures that I have of my Grandfather who was in the 276th 276th Armored Field Artillery Battalion

[Johndanger]

Donald Langford ( with cap on right ) B CO. 511th, 11th Airbone

[airborne1968]

Here are my grandfathers. My grandpa Coffman was in the 6th Infantry division 20th infantry regiment Co G. He was a Tech Sgt. He was wounded Feb 5th 1945 in Luzon and survived.

My grandpa Oravik was in the navy aboard the destroyer Uss Forrest and the assault transport Uss Lanier. I don't know all that much about his service except that he was a gunners mate. I guess he had a bad experience and that's why he didn't talk about it. My grandma told me that for a long time after the war he would have nightmares and wake up screaming. I know the Forrest was hit by a kamikaze so maybe it had something to do with that.

 

-Matt.

Matt,

My Grandfather was a medic with the 20th INF REG, 6th ID. I never found out which unit he supported directly but I do know he received a BSM for gallantry (aside from those that were awarded to CIB and CMB awardees after the war). If your relative is still alive please ask him if he knew John Tobako and find out if if knew what unit (company) he was attached to? Thanks,

Tom

[airborne1968]

Hi Ricardo,

 

Thanks! Yes, my father and his brothers racked up a pretty good service record for 1st generation Americans from Russian immigrant parents. After my Uncle John was killed at Tarawa, my dads oldest brother Rueben tried enlisting in the Marines for some payback, but he had an essential war effort job, was married with two children and had a slight hearing loss in one ear, so his enlistment was rejected. It upset him immensely that he didn't get into the war. It came close to my grandmother having a 5 star window banner.

 

I now have to scan photos of my uncles from my mom's side of the family. They all served during WWII too! Her oldest brother with 96th ID at Leyte and Okinawa during WWII and then enlisting in the Navy for the Korean War aboard USS Yorktown. Her younger brother was a Gunner's Mate aboard an LST in the Pacific.

 

Gary

 

P.S. Nothing at this end from Brasil yet. Was it mailed awhile ago?

 

It's always great to hear about families that had many brothers serving during the same conflict. My paternal Grandfather and four of his brothers served in WWII (3 in the PTO, 1 in the ETO and 1 in the US; all Army). They were followed by 2 more brothers serving in the Korean War, 1 during the post Korean time and the last during Vietnam. By that time the next generation (both my mom and dad) were serving in the Navy during the Vietnam War. Even during the 1991 war in Iraq my brother, sister, and I served (though I was the only one to deploy to Iraq). Now with the current conflicts, my wife and I have both served in Iraq and Afghanistan. That's a lot of stars for one family! Having done further research I have found 55 family members that have served in the US military from WW1 to present with most serving during times of conflict.

 

Tom

[wayne15071965]

Here is my father, Sgt. Raymond Mohrlang, shortly before promotion to S/Sgt. He was squad leader for 3rd Squad, 3rd Platoon of Capt. Joe Dawson's Company G, 16th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division. These photos were taken in Bridport, England in late winter or very early spring 1944, before they made the trip across the Channel and Omaha Beach. With the exception of two men, all of 3rd squad were veterans of Africa and Sicily campaigns.

 

Also, other shots of him and members of his squad.

 

Gary

 

Gary

 

I had the honour this year 2008 of recreating some of those photographs. I do hope you like. It was a great honour for us to be able to walk in the footsteps of giants. See Link Below

http://www.geocities.com/eco16thinf/PHOTOA...08WALDITCH.html

[disneydave]

My friend Walter Kundis.

 

Walter enlisted in the Navy at age 18. He served aboard PT 524 in Ron 36 as a Gunner's Mate 1/C. After WW II he switched over to the Air Force. He later served in Vietnam and in one of the many stories he related how he had received a letter from his old PT Skipper James Wolf:

 

"In 1968, I was in Vietnam. I received a letter dated January 3rd from my former Skipper, James Wolf, who was now practicing law...Wolf wrote, 'Dear Walt. I see by your very attractive Christmas card that you are overseas, probably in the Orient. I can still recall your unbelievable valor and your great liking for action; however, I hope that you have arrived at a time in your life and a status in the service that does not require you to be on the firing line with the ‘kids.’ Instead, I hope you have a ‘fat’ position at a good base.' I read that letter for the first time at Camrahn Bay, Vietnam, in a bunker by flashlight. We were under rocket attack during the Tet Offensive. My laughter didn’t seem appropriate to the “kids” I was sharing the bunker with."

 

Walter finished his career as a BATMAN in the Inter Continental Ballistic Missile program. This photo was taken at his retirement party. I love the so-called "fruit salad" he wears on his uniform!

 

[Championhilz]

Here's a neat picture I picked up recently of a Naval officer from WW II. Unfortunately it is not identified:

 

[Old Marine]

That's great photo. I am not an expert on Naval things but I believe that the Lt. in the photo may be a US Coast Guard Officer judging by his cap insignia.

 

Dennis

[Old Marine]

 

Here is an Ordnance officer assigned to the Tank Destroyers. This was a flea market find and it is unidentified.

[Old Marine]

 

Here is a smaller photo of the same TD officer. This appears to be a later ID photo

[seanmc1114]

My friend Walter Kundis.

 

Walter enlisted in the Navy at age 18. He served aboard PT 524 in Ron 36 as a Gunner's Mate 1/C. After WW II he switched over to the Air Force. He later served in Vietnam and in one of the many stories he related how he had received a letter from his old PT Skipper James Wolf:

 

"In 1968, I was in Vietnam. I received a letter dated January 3rd from my former Skipper, James Wolf, who was now practicing law...Wolf wrote, 'Dear Walt. I see by your very attractive Christmas card that you are overseas, probably in the Orient. I can still recall your unbelievable valor and your great liking for action; however, I hope that you have arrived at a time in your life and a status in the service that does not require you to be on the firing line with the ‘kids.’ Instead, I hope you have a ‘fat’ position at a good base.' I read that letter for the first time at Camrahn Bay, Vietnam, in a bunker by flashlight. We were under rocket attack during the Tet Offensive. My laughter didn’t seem appropriate to the “kids” I was sharing the bunker with."

 

Walter finished his career as a BATMAN in the Inter Continental Ballistic Missile program. This photo was taken at his retirement party. I love the so-called "fruit salad" he wears on his uniform!

 

I love the fact that he has the Air Force, Army and Navy Good Conduct Medals.

[dvl]

This may not seem like "my" photograph, after all it's from the cover of a book currently in print, but an original print hangs on our wall. My father-in-law, Lt. Bob Bales is at the extreme right. This stick of pathfinders suffered only two KIA during the invasion. Lt. Bales wrote on the back the names and a couple of other notes. I'll scan the original and his notes and post them shortly.

[Greg Sebring]

dvl,

 

As a side note, I have met this author and if you don't have his book, he would gladly autograph it and send you a dedication if you asked for it. He likes to have 82nd vets sign the inside front page before selling it. My dad did a few at the Reading PA airshow a few years back. He is a real nice guy and really knows the 82nd ABN. He is standing to the extreme right. My dad is signing and that is an actual LW pilot next to dad selling his own book and prints.

 

His e-mail address is: philnordyke@allamerican82nd,com

 

His web site is: www.allamerican82nd.com

 

Greg

[dvl]

Greg, thanks for the info. I got a detail wrong about the names included with the photo. Lt. Bales didn't write them on the back of the 3½ x 4½ print, he provided them on a separate sheet. I'm sorry to say that I never met my father-in-law, as he passed away before I met my wife. I would have loved to have talked to him.

Notice the rush-job on the invasion stripes and the careful taping of the door hinges.
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