The well known rescue of a 422 RCAF Sunderland crew which took palce in Sept. 43 in Biscay. A friend gave me a book a few days ago "Shot Down in The Drink" published by the National Archives - I hoped that this crew would be mentioned in it. The photos are from this book. No mean fete to put down on the open sea and to get off again. The 228 crew which preformed the rescue crashed in jan 44 on the Bluestack Mountains in Donegal - they had been diverted to castle Archdale - same base from which the crew they had rescued had departed from a few months earlier. They hit high ground there , several crew members being killed. This report tells something of the story behind the photos , which lok perhaps unremarkable , no shot or shell but a dangerous position to be in , certainly not one without risk , getting of safely was not by any manner assured or to be taken for granted. The report I culled from 422's ORB several years ago. Some parts of DW110 - whioch I think was the same aircraft which picked the 422 crew up , where they came to rest on the Bluestacks in Jan 44.
More Camoflage uniforms and a rather nice looking fighting knife strapped to a chaps right leg in the foreground Looks like a Kabar, Military Fighting Knives/Collection My mum brought me a modern one back from the States years ago... not too sure she'd have got that in her hand luggage these days . Just watching a repeat of the superb BBC series 'The Genius of Photography' - the episode relating to WW2, D-Day, and the holocaust - quite incredible how these guys can press the shutter no matter what horror's unfolding in front of them. Kind of complex morally but I for one am glad they did/do. One remarkable 'amateur' chap 'Cpl. Tony vaccarao' of the US 83rd Division on there who processed films in foxholes using helmets as baths and chermicals found in a bombed chemist - took a remarkable shot of a GI's moment of death that I'm surprised isn't more familiar in the WW2 photographic canon. c.2:40 on here: YouTube - The Genius of Photography ep3 pt2 Tony Vaccaro - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia akg-images.co.uk | Collections | Tony Vaccaro
Adam, I always tend to find that in the main the 'Combat shot' or 'Death shot' tend to be quite frequent in all the Pacific documentaries filming the USMC attacking Japanese positions more so than the European footage.
There's mention in the programme of many shots featuring dead or dying GIs being destroyed on the spot by the censors.
In the Pacific the shots always tend to be of dead Japanese....I was watching one today on Sky and there was some rather graphic after shots on clearing bunkers with flame-throwers. I don't think the links working Adam
Lovely shot of the Third Div men in action, looks like a mortar burst to me. But why only one Sgt with the uniform insignia? Unless the others are wearing denims? Oddly enough it is very easy to tell the genuine shots from the staged ones...Specially when you see the faces of the men involved! IT was common practice to take staged photos. The officers were asked to assist Sapper
Looks like the gunner in charge with the elevation on the right seat went out for a pint and the gun captain is shouting for one for him as well while he's at it!
If you look at the harness lines that lead upto where the parachute would be its not possible for him to hit the ground head first. I never did P Company or a Jumps course but did think about it once or twice and looking at the picture I'm still convinced he's rolling over his shoulder. Remember that the original is from a film clip and therefore have the option to take any stills from that clip. Would be interesting to see what some of the 'Airborne' types think Cheers Andy Completely agree with you Andy. I've taken the liberty of "playing" with the picture a bit to better explain. I hope I haven't infringed any copyright and please don't think I'm trying to teach anyone to suck eggs but I find that a picture is worth a thousand words (or something like that!) All the best.............. PS Keep the photos coming they're very interesting indeed. PPS I wish I'd landed as well as this on my one and only parachute jump
You have to hand it to the cameramen, many gave their lives to portray the soldiers efforts during the war. Regards Tom
...but a definite 'In Action' sequence. Stills from the well known Cologne Panther/Pershing footage: Sgt. Jim Bates - Cologne Panther Sequence