Photos WW2 US Forces

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• Feb 16, 2021

• #721

Major David Schilling was a P-47 fighter ace with the US 8th Air Force's 56th Fighter Group...the legendary "Zemke's Wolf- pack", named after their commander, Colonel Hub Zemke.
USAAF fighter pilots routinely carried .45 autos as their personal firearm.
Major Schilling took things a step further and created a one off "machine pistol" based upon an M1911.
As can be seen here it had an added front grip and an extended magazine.
How effective / controllable it was is a matter of speculation, but the basic Colt .45 was not known for its accuracy at the best of times!
One thing we can be sure of...it was obviously no Skorpion Vz. 61 or Mac 10...but an interesting experiment nevertheless.
This would have made an ideal subject for one of Ian McCollum's "Forgotten Weapons" videos!

 

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• Feb 16, 2021

• #722

In 1944, the US Navy worked with Hollywood to produce a propaganda movie entitled 'The Fighting Seabees'. It stared some of the biggest stars in Hollywood, namely John Wayne, Susan Hayward and Dennis O'Keefe. While the movie was set in the South Pacific, it was entirely filmed at military camps in California - for obvious reasons.
The first shot is of construction shacks for civilian workers on the set of "The Fighting Seabees" at Camp Pendleton. Whilst the second shot shows Susan Hayward, Dennis O'Keefe and John Wayne on the set of "The Fighting Seabees". Photos, Seabee Museum.

 

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• Feb 16, 2021

• #723

USN/USMC PBJ-1H in 1944
The PBJ-1 was a Mitchell B-25H with eight forward facing .50 cal MGs and a 75mm cannon
LIFE Magazine Archives - John Florea Photographer

 

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• Feb 16, 2021

• #724

 

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• Feb 16, 2021

• #725

 

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• Feb 16, 2021

• #726

 

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• Feb 16, 2021

• #727

 

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• Feb 16, 2021

• #728

 

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• Feb 16, 2021

• #729

 

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• Feb 16, 2021

• #730

 

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• Feb 16, 2021

• #731

 

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• Feb 16, 2021

• #732

A pair of cast-hull M3A1 Medium Tanks undergo repair / maintenance at the Aberdeen PG workshops, circa 1941.
This cast-hull variant was manufactured in small numbers for a brief time only.
Note the apertures for the twin, fixed forward firing .30 cal machine guns which proved to be of questionable value and which were deleted from later production types, or simply welded over.
(LIFE / Hoffman)

 

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• Feb 16, 2021

• #733

A pristine, factory-fresh M2 half-track.
This was a part of a display of new equipment for invited civic dignitaries at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, circa 1941.
(LIFE / George Strock)

 

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• Feb 16, 2021

• #734

Pilot Jimmy Johnson spots why his Vought F4U Corsair was lacking rudder authority after landing at Guadalcanal,
The year is 1943.

 

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• Feb 16, 2021

• #735

Too rough for refueling... South China Sea. The tanker is USS Attascosa (AO-66).

 

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• Feb 16, 2021

• #736

Army Air Force fighter command soldiers manning .50 cal water cooled anti- aircraft gun at air base in the desert during Allied campaign in North Africa Tunisia, April 1943.

 

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• Feb 16, 2021

• #737

Five destroyers from Squadron 12 make formation S-turns in Iron Bottom Sound off Guadalcanal with Savo Island in the distance. They were returning from one of their raids on Rabaul in February 1944 and executed the high-speed turns as a salute to the three ships of the squadron that had been sunk in the vicinity.
Flagship was USS Farenholt (DD-491) commanded by captain Rodger W. Simpson who raided Rabaul on 17-18 and 23-25.

 

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• Feb 16, 2021

• #738

American 8-inch gun M1 fires at Japanese positions on Luzon Island in May, 1945.

 

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• Feb 16, 2021

• #739

Northern Burma, March 1944: American soldier lights cigarette for injured Chinese infantryman

 

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• Feb 16, 2021

• #740

Easy Company 506th Parachute Regiment, 101st Airborne. Easy Company was one of the most well known Companies of the war. (Photo taken at Camp Curahee)