World War I: US Army Photo Archive of 42nd Div Action in France
Photo Archive
Archive of photographs of US soldiers in action from World War One, produced by the U.S. Army Signal Corps. 76 black and white photos, each measure 8.5" x 6.5." The Photographic Section of the Signal Corps was established in June 1917, and it was responsible for the U.S. Army’s official ground and aerial photography of World War I. Most photos have detailed captions that give valuable context. One such photo's caption reads "Sgt. JJ Holliday rendering last rites over body of Pvt. Dyer J. Bird Co. D 168 Inf from Broadway Ohio, first American soldier of 42nd Div. killed in action. This soldier was killed in a listening post... hurtling two grenades in their midst he turned to warn his comrades when he received the fatal bullet." Another photo shows the marking of the grave of 1st Lieutenant Quentin Roosevelt, son of former President Teddy Roosevelt. Quentin was KIA in July 1918, when his plane was shot down in France. The photographs in this series are mainly set in locations around France, showing military installations such as trenches, foxholes, barracks, troop formations, barricades, makeshift camps, and also several combat shots. One photo sees American snipers from the 166th Regt. Inf. in a nest, in this case a building that took an artillery strike, picking off Germans on the outer edge of Villers, France on July 30, 1918. Another photo, of a more haunting nature, shows two soldiers in dugouts who were killed only five minutes after it was taken. Because this was official photography from the U.S. signal corps, these photos are high quality and present a cohesive representation of a GI's experience in WWI. These photos mostly present the American soldiers in the final days of the war, when they were in a position of strength and rooting out the last of the Central Powers forces from France. Photos have a five digit number at the bottom left corner and often have the Signal Corps U.S.A. and/or U.S. Official badge at bottom edge. In very good condition overall.Item #18497
Price: $2,500.00
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