Archive of 80 WWII Photographs in the Pacific Theater: Philippines and New Guinea

Item Details

1944-1945

This is an assortment of original photographs taken by an American military photographer while stationed in the Pacific during WWII, including many aerial photos. One photo shows a banner for the "2^nd Photo Charting Squadron" hanging between 2 trees. This squadron was involved with mapping and photographic reconnaissance and served with the 311 Photographic (later Reconnaissance) Wing of the Far East Air Forces between October 1944 and February 1946. They were based first in Hollandia, New Guinea, Morotai (Indonesia), and Palawan (the Philippines) during this period, which included the Battle of Manila, when Philippine and American forces took the islands back from the Japanese. For more on this squadron, see https://www.usafunithistory.com/PDF/1-4/2%20TROOP%20CARRIER%20SQ.pdf

Included in the archive are 80 original photographs of various types and a wide variety of subjects, 33 large and 47 small, as well as one large folding map of Manila, courtesy of the American Red Cross Service Bureau. The large ones include different airplanes flying, a hut village in the water, several of a military ceremony including male and female Filipinos, people holding pet monkeys, indigenous people of New Guinea, and one disturbing image of two women at the Culion leper colony in the Philippines.

The smaller images include men working around military airplanes on the ground (usually shirtless), in a bar, aerial views of various bases and ships, airplanes flying the destruction of buildings in Manila due to bombing, soldiers with airplanes and boats, and also a series of photographs of men around tropical huts or barracks, likely their living quarters.

All in all, a historic archive of activities on the ground and in the air in WWII Pacific. See the many photos provided.

Photos are generally in good condition, with some curl, and a few with light staining. Some of the aerial images in particular are lightly exposed.