Photos WW2 US Forces

18th May, 1945. USS Missouri moored in Apra Harbor, Guam, Mariana Islands, 18 May 1945. Note hospital ship USS Hope behind Missouri and two Casablanca-class escort carriers at right.


Battleship USS Idaho in Hvalfjord, Iceland, October 1941


USS San Francisco (CA-38) off Mare Island Navy Yard, 14 Dec 1942, after being damaged in action off Guadalcanal. Circles mark enemy hits.

USS San Francisco (CA-38) firing her main guns at Wake Island during a USN raid, October 1943


USS Jack C. Robinson (APD-72) at Orange, Texas, 2 February 1945 (Commissioning day) wearing camouflage measure 31/20l.


USS Jack C. Robinson (APD-72), ex-DE-671, was a United States Navy high-speed transport in commission from 1945 to 1946.

USS Alabama, March 1943 in the Atlantic. National Archives photo # N-3257 courtesy of Pieter Bakels.
Photo i.d. courtesy of David C. Nilsen, CTR USA, TRADOC.


Task Group 38.3 enters Ulithi anchorage in column, 12 December 1944, while returning from strikes on targets in the Philippines. Ships are (from front): Langley (CVL-27); Ticonderoga (CV-14); Washington (BB-56); North Carolina (BB-55); South Dakota (BB-57); Santa Fe (CL-60); Biloxi (CL-80); Mobile (CL-63) and Oakland (CL-95). National Archives Catalog 80-G-301351.


Sailors sleep at their quad 40mm gun position on the USS New Jersey (BB-62). Dec 1944

Sailors bow their heads as they follow the prayers of a chaplain on the deck of a warship somewhere at sea on Christmas, 1943. While his shipmates pray, one man on duty (lower left) keeps his ears alert. Date: December 25th, 1943


Columns of smoke rise from USS Bunker Hill (CV-17) after being hit by two kamikaze planes, as seen from USS Essex (CV-9), 11 May 1945. Destroyer alongside is USS Charles S. Sperry (DD-697).


An LCVP (Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel) dispenses a smoke screen to conceal the USS LST-826 at anchor in the background before landing; Okinawa, 1945


USS Washington running post-overhaul trial Puget Sound, Washington, on 10 September 1945.

US Army Air Force bombers over Germany under heavy flak fire.

In addition to torpedoes and the deck gun, the Balao-class submarine USS Blenny (SS-324) used a shotgun to sink Japanese vessels during WWII. Armed with a 12 gauge, the sub's boarding party sank several enemy junks by blasting holes in the bottom of the boats. #SubSunday

Lined up in a snow-covered field, near St. Vith, Belgium are these M-4 Sherman tanks of the 40th Tank Bn.
NARA ID 16730735


The wreckage in St. Vith, Belgium, after units of the 7th Armored Division, took the town.
NARA ID 16730732


This dug-in mortar emplacement near St. Vith, Belgium is manned by, left to right, Pvt. R.W. Fierde, Wyahoga Falls, Ohio; S/Sgt. Adam J. Celinca, Windsor, Conn., and T/Sgt. W.O. Thomas, Chicago. 24 Jan. 1945.
NARA ID 16730734


Snowsuited soldiers walk through the snow-covered streets of St. Vith, Belgium. These men are with Co. C, 48th Bn., 7th Armored Div. 24 Jan. 1945
NARA ID 16730733


Yanks trudge through snow from Hunnange, Belgium to St. Vith. Soldiers are with Co. C., 23rd Armored Bn., of the 7th Armored Division.
NARA ID 16730736

USN Sailors inspect the “No 19” Japanese Type A Kō-hyōteki-class mini submarine on display in Hawaii that was used during the Dec 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor - early 1942
The No 19" mini submarine was piloted by Kazuo Sakamaki and grounded on the east side of Oahu
Later in 1942 the submarine was taken to the USA for War Bond tours, and is now on display at the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg, Texas
LIFE Magazine Archives - Bob Landry Photographer

USS Swanson DD-443 during a convoy to Casablanca in early 1943
A Gleaves-class destroyer, she was built in Charleston Navy Yard and commissioned on May 29, 1941
Participating in the Operation Torch Landings, she provided fire support for the landings at Fedhala Morocco
During the Battle of Casablanca she engaged several French destroyers and assisted in the sinking of U-173 with USS Woolsey and USS Quick
During the Sicily landings Swanson collided with USS Roe and suffered severe damage, retiring to Malta for temporary repairs and then Brooklyn Navy Yard
After repairs Swanson escorted Atlantic convoys until being sent to the Pacific in January 1944 where she participated in the Battle for Leyte
From October 1944 until the Japanese surrender Swanson participated in air-sea rescue of downed fliers, antisubmarine patrol, and radar picket patrols between Iwo Jima and Saipan
USS Swanson earned Eight Battle Stars for her WW2 service, decomissioned in December 1945, she was in reserve at Charleston SC until being sold for scrap in 1972
LIFE Magazine Archives - Dmitri Kessel Photographer

USAAF 57th Fighter Group mechanics work on the merlin engine in a P-40F at an airfield in El Djem Tunisia - April 1943
LIFE Magazine Archives - Bob Landry Photographer

"Sergeant" Vincenzo Biscardo...again....assigned to perfom some traffic control duties in Firenze, September '44.
He's even armed with a service revolver!

PFC. C.A. Trattles of Michigan USA and Rifleman Jitbahadur Limbu (2/3 Gurkha Regiment) of Dhankutat, East Nepal....again!
PFC Trattles is evidently very interested in Rifleman Limbu's kukri!
US 5th Army with 10th Indian Division, Western Valley, March '45.

USAAF Pilots Lt George Welch and Lt Kenneth Taylor are each presented with the Distinguished Service Cross for their actions during the Dec 7, 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the medal ceremony was at Wheeler Army Airfield on Jan 9, 1942
The night of Dec 6, 1941, Welch & Taylor attended a Christmas dinner and dance party at a rooftop hotel in Waikiki, that ended in an all-night poker game, they did not go to sleep until 6:30am the morning of Dec 7th. Both were awakened less than an hour and a half later at 7:55am by the sound of low-flying planes, machine-gun fire, and explosions.
Both were still wearing their tuxedos from the previous night, without orders Welch telephoned the auxiliary Haleiwa Fighter Strip on Oahu's North Shore to have two Curtiss P-40B Tomahawk fighters prepared for takeoff. Taylor drove them in his Buick at high speed to the airfield. While climbing into their P-40s, the crew chiefs informed them that they should park & disperse their planes. "To hell with that", Welch said.
Taking off with only .30-cal ammunition in the wing guns, they attacked a group of Aichi D3A “Val” dive bombers downing some of them. When both pilots ran out of ammunition, they headed for Wheeler Field to reload with .50-cal ammunition, since Haleiwa did not have any, as they landed around 8:40am, they had to avoid friendly anti-aircraft fire.
Once on the ground, several officers told Taylor & Welch to leave the airplanes, but the two pilots were able to convince the officers into allowing them to keep fighting.
Welch's P-40 was reloaded first, and as he started to taxi Japanese Dive Bombers begun staffing the airfield, the ground crew who were loading Taylor's plane left the ammunition boxes on the wings as they scattered to get away from the bombers. Taylor quickly accelerated with the ammunition boxes falling off of his wings. Both pilots realized that if they took off away from the incoming aircraft they would become targets once they were airborne, so both headed directly towards the dive bombers, at take-off they immediately started firing on the Japanese aircraft.
After running out of ammunition they landed at Haleiwa and began driving back to Wheeler, Taylor and Welch passed by their squadron commander, Major Gordon H. Austin, who noticed that they were wearing their tuxedo attire. Unaware of their earlier exploits, he shouted at the two men "Get back to Haleiwa! You know there's a war on?" The two pilots explained what they had done, and the Major thanked them.
Army Air Corps records credit Welch with four Japanese planes downed and Taylor with two planes downed during the Pearl Harbor Attack
LIFE Magazine Archives - Bob Landry Photographer

USAAF Personnel with a “WE WILL KEEP EM FLYING” sign at the entrance to a damaged hanger at Wheeler Army Airfield on Oahu Hawaii - January 9, 1942
Wheeler Airfield was a primary target during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941
LIFE Magazine Archives - Bob Landry Photographer

USS McCall DD-400 during the USN Marshalls–Gilberts Islands raid in February 1942, note her hull number has been partially obscured by censor markings
McCall was one of four Gridley-class destroyers built for the USN in the mid 1930’s, named after Captain Edward McCall, an officer in the US Navy during the War of 1812
Serving in the Pacific throughout WW2, McCall earned 9 Battle Stars for her WW2 service, scrapped in 1948
One notable operation for McCall was the July 10, 1944 rescue of George Ray Tweed USN, who had been in hiding on Guam since the Japanese invasion in December 1941
Tweed was able to signal the passing USS McCall with a mirror, and a whaleboat was dispatched and rescued Tweed, despite being in range of Japanese shore gun batteries on Guam
LIFE Magazine Archives - Bob Landry Photographer

USAAF aviators were a valuable asset and no expense was spared in providing them with the best survival equipment available.
Here, at a US 8th Air Force base somewhere in England, May 1944, visiting US Secretary of State Edward R Stettinius Jr., is being shown a C-2 pnuematic survival raft, complete with occupant.
Mr. Stettinius served as United States Secretary of State under both Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman from 1944 to 1945.
The C2 raft was carried in all fighter aircraft which flew over water.
It was tightly folded into a manageable pack and, if / when a plane ditched it was easily accessible and was self-inflating.
The pack contained a range of accessories deemed necessary for the aviator's survival. Canned fresh water...dye-markers...fishing gear...signal flares...emergency rations...an emergency radio etc.
There was also a small triangular sail supported by a telescopic aluminium pole, which has been erected here for the sake of the demonstration. Instructions on how to deploy it were printed on the sail (see surviving example below)
(LIFE / Landry)

These two shots show the USS Cleveland (CL 55) in dry dock at Espiritu Santo, January 13, 1944. This was the largest of all the dry docks and was in Pallikulo Bay between Saraoutou and Aese Island.
In the background of the shot taken of the stern of the ship, you can see the dry dock base on Aese.
The third colour shot shows where the dry dock 'base' was actually located on Aese. You can still see the old jetty and a section of one of the dry docks under the water. To the right you can see the flattened trees from Cyclone Harold back in April of this year. Photos, US Archives.

any WW2 American GIs had Italian roots.
Here, Private Perry Antonello lights up a cigarette for Vincenzo, a young Italian boy he befriended in Firenze, September 1944.
Vincenzo has also been give a US helmet liner, tanker jacket with MP brassard, and a British issue webbing belt w/ holster.

USS Bainbridge DD-246 arrives in Casablanca Harbor - Early 1943
USS Bainbridge was a Clemson-class destroyer named for Commodore William Bainbridge, who served in the War of 1812 and the First and Second Barbary Wars
Commissioned in February 1921, USS Bainbridge served as a convoy escort between December 1941 and her decommissioning in July 1945, Sold November 1945
LIFE Magazine Archives - J R Eyerman Photographe