40th Infantry Division [Overseas]: official photographs.

Item Details

[Los Angeles, CA]:, 40th Infantry Division,, [ca. 1945]., Hardcover Post-binder

First Edition, VG

Oblong 4to. [120 pp (unpaginated).], with 200 silver gelatin photographs, all mounted, and numbered in lower corner w/in negative, keyed to indices inserted after the title page (occasional creasing to corners). Brick-red publisher’s cloth post-binder, two hidden nickel-plated screwposts at gutter margin, 40th Infantry Division sunburst emblem patch on front cover in gilt on blue  field (minor thumbing, edgewear, slightly shaken, occasional fraying to a couple leaves at fore-edge), still a VG copy.

First edition, thus of this 40th Infantry Division regimental souvenir album visually recording the Western National Guard “Sunshine Division’s” participation in the grueling and bloody island hopping campaign during World War II from Guadalcanal to The Philippines, often involved in heavy fighting, and credited with capturing or killing over 11,000 Japanese troops, while suffering 715 casualties. These photographs follow the 40th Division’s arrival and activities in Hawaii, followed by their movement to Guadalcanal, and arrival at Kukum Dock. Photos depict wrecked Japanese ships beached nearby, the typical bare-breasted shots of New Britain Indigenous Peoples, arrival of nurse units, and training on New Britain. As depicted in these images, the bloody Philippine Islands campaign opened with multiple regiments from the 40th Division landing at the Lingayen Gulf on Luzon in order to retake the main Philippine Island in January, 1945, including views of Tarlac, Bamban, battle damage, artillery pieces, war dogs used by segregated African-American patrols on Luzon, well-prepared Japanese positions built to repel the American forces, machine gunners, Japanese casualties, and the results of Japanese troops using grenades to commit Hari Kari.

The next phase of the campaign involved the 40th Division participating in the Panay & Guimaras Invasion, landing at Tigbauan on Panay Island, securing Iloilo City, and nearby airfields coordinating with Philippine guerrilla forces, with photos of the guerrillas, views of the landing craft, Philippine peoples and guerrillas wounded by Japanese snipers being treated by American forces, and the Division artillery. The 40th Division later came together with other forces and moved onto Negros Island from the end of March through August, 1945 pushing deep into Negros Island, capturing Bacolod and its airfield, before continuing on in the heavy surrounding jungle dislodging Japanese troops in the surrounding area. Their artillery and tank battalions proved particularly effective, and many of these photographs depict not only the movements, and equipment, but the aftermath as well. This album does not include the National Guard Division’s participation in the enforcement of the orders to round up and illegally incarcerate Japanese-Americans throughout the West into War Relocation Centers, and Internment Camps for the duration of the War. No copies in Worldcat -- this volume should not be confused with the regimental history published in Baton Rouge, LA by the Army & Navy Publishing Company -- “40th Infantry Division: the years of World War II, 7 December 1941-7 April 1946.