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Langley Field: 1942
... View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer for the Office of War Information. Shoes Is the second man from ... previously on Shorpy. [Below, a glimpse of Alfred Palmer's floodlight. - Dave] Stunning image The composition and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/30/2012 - 3:28pm -

May 1942. "Here's our mission." A combat crew receives final instructions just before taking off in a mighty YB-17 bomber from the bombardment squadron base at Langley Field, Virginia, nation's oldest air base. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer for the Office of War Information. ShoesIs the second man from the right wearing wing-tip shoes? Looks like it to me. I know officers had to buy their own uniforms, so their uniforms weren't necessarily G.I., but wing-tips? Weren't there rules beyond the color specification of brown? Langley CrewI'm curious about how these fliers were illuminated for this photo. Car headlights? It brings to mind the Montana cowboys photo seen previously on Shorpy. [Below, a glimpse of Alfred Palmer's floodlight. - Dave] Stunning imageThe composition and lighting in this photo are beautiful. Pinks and brown shoesI agree, although I've heard that old school pilots (pre WW-II) would buy a pair of cowboy boots upon graduation from UPT. Seems like the flight engineer, or whoever has the greasy overalls, is wearing boots with undershot heels. FYI pinks is a term used for the tan twills used up to the 60's. They seemed to take on a pinkish cast in some light. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Aviation, WW2)
Flying Fortress: 1942
... View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer. Reckon You Know It's Backwards but thanks for sending these ... back (the "tail fuselage section," in photographer Alfred Palmer's words). The rear end of the fuselage is behind the workers. Below is ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/22/2012 - 12:44pm -

October 1942. Workers installing fixtures and assemblies in the tail section of a B-17F bomber at the Douglas Aircraft Company plant in Long Beach, California. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer. Reckon You Know It's Backwardsbut thanks for sending these priceless pix out, history should not be forgotten. [It's not backwards. Maybe you're confused by the box being upside down. Try standing on your head. - Dave] B-17FThese workers are in the mid section of this B-17. When complete and flying, two waist gunners would be located here, pivoting and firing .50 caliber machine guns and bringing down those marauding German FW-190s and BF-109s. Or not. Denny Gill Chugiak, Alaska [There are two fuselage sections: front and back (the "tail fuselage section," in photographer Alfred Palmer's words). The rear end of the fuselage is behind the workers. Below is another view of the tail sections where the women were working. - Dave] B-17F LightingI think its a beautiful photograph, yet after having worked inside the metal frames of semis and railcars, I think it's interesting to note that all the lighting is turned off for the picture and the women must of had to stand still in the dark while the photographer got ready. I would have liked to have seen one picture with the real lights on, so we could see the harsh conditions they worked under. My thanks to all who supported the country back then. [These planes were constructed inside giant, well-lit, air-conditioned hangars. The conditions were not exactly "harsh." See photo below. Also here and here. - Dave] Photoshop ContestThese lovely ladies have turned into grist for a Photoshop contest over at Fark. Histories of HollywoodHistories of Hollywood frequently mention how "blinding" the lighting was when they were shooting Technicolor (around ASA 12). The same sort of thing is going on in this picture. 1940s Kodachrome is a very slow film, under ASA 10. It is not surprising that the lighting completely overpowered the natural lighting, making the factory look like a cavern outside the gunport. Recall also that light would be bouncing around inside the metal shell, amplifying the disparity in lighting. B-17 AssemblyWasn't the B-17 assembled in Seattle Washington? I was not aware that it was built in the Douglas plant in Long beach. Anyone know the details on this one? [Google and Wikipedia -- so helpful. - Dave] Top Secret?I wonder if that photo would have been "top secret" at the time. I'm no aeronautical engineer, but would there have been anything in this photo that shows the "guts" of the plane of use to German/Japanese technicians? No SecretI don't think the enemy needed this picture to learn anything about these airplanes. I imagine they had the aircraft itself from the ones that crash landed in enemy territory. I sort of remember from the WWII movies, the crew destroyed the Norden Bombsights to keep them out of Axis hands. Just NoticedLooking over this photo to see any secret type stuff (there isn't anything that could really be considered even sensitive unless you consider flush riveting aluminum sensitive) I suddenly noticed something that I hadn't seen in previous viewings - the fluorescent light fixture to the left of the woman in the pink blouse. It seems to have been powered externally so I would presume that it was only temporary like the incandescent work light. Looking at it again, there's what appears to be a second fluorescent fixture, covered in a protective mesh screen at the very top of the photo. Both appear to be off - it would probably throw off the colour balance if they were on in the photo - but I imagine that you needed light when working on these planes and you didn't have a convenient photo-flood in the area. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Aviation, Farked)
Rosie Takes a Break: 1942
... View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer. Is that... the same girl as in the picture titled "Madonna of ... a digital camera. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Pretty Girls, WW2) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/27/2012 - 12:26pm -

October 1942. "Noontime rest for an assembly worker at the Long Beach, Calif., plant of Douglas Aircraft Company. Nacelle parts for a heavy bomber form the background." View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer. Is that...the same girl as in the picture titled "Madonna of the sandbags"? [It is indeed. - Dave] The SocksAnd I love the red socks! The perfect touch for the photo, just like Nat'l Geographic used to do (still does?), a bit of red in every image. WowAfter all the comments on differing ideas of feminine beauty, this picture is a stunner! You ought to put it in the pretty girls gallery. The coloursThe vibrancy of the colours in this picture are an advertisement for Kodachrome, even if there's been work done on them. The vibrancy of the blues and the reds, not to mention the colour of her blouse - absolutely stunning. And she ain't bad either - every time you run one of these pictures of women war workers I end up falling in love with women who were born before my 78-year-old mother. I'll second that"every time you run one of these pictures of women war workers I end up falling in love with women who were born before my 78-year-old mother." Absolutely. These womenfolk are examples of true, timeless beauty. Amazing ClarityAlthough everyone rightly raves about the colors from these old Kodachromes, what amazes me is the absolute clarity of the pictures even when viewed full size. This is an aspect of the large format (4x5) combined with, I'm sure, some very expensive glass. I can't even imagine what the megapixel equivalent would be, if you could even get this clarity with a digital camera. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Pretty Girls, WW2)
Mating Operation: 1942
... remove the whole cylinder." 4x5 nitrate negative by Alfred Palmer for the Office of War Information. View full size. Atomic ... contest for this pic. (The Gallery, Bizarre, Alfred Palmer, Factories, Farked, WW2) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/05/2022 - 2:36pm -

February 1942. Firestone Rubber plant in Akron, Ohio. "Conversion. Beverage containers to aviation oxygen cylinders. Before completion of the fourth and final welding operation in the manufacture of shatterproof oxygen cylinders for high altitude flying, all straps are subjected to physical tests to determine the strength of the weld. Occasional radiographic inspections are made to insure the quality of workmanship after the two halves of the cylinder are brought together in this atomic welding machine and made one unit. Here, the operator has just completed the union and is about to remove the whole cylinder." 4x5 nitrate negative by Alfred Palmer for the Office of War Information. View full size. Atomic Welding"Atomic welding machine"??? [Also known as plasma welding, arc-atom welding or atomic hydrogen welding. - Dave] Check the mateYou do have a mirthful way with the titling of a number of the photos. I deem this wordsmithing a worthy value-added aspect of the total Shorpy package. A package which never fails to inform and entertain. A daily must-visit now. Farked!Photoshop contest for this pic. (The Gallery, Bizarre, Alfred Palmer, Factories, Farked, WW2)
B-25: 1942
... American Aviation." 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer, Office of War Information. View full size. Kansas, not ... end of next year. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Aviation, WW2) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/30/2012 - 4:46pm -

October 1942. "A new B-25 bomber is brought for a test hop to the flight line at the Kansas City, Kansas, plant of North American Aviation." 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer, Office of War Information. View full size. Kansas, not California?The photo was more likely taken at the North American/Army aviation plant in Kansas City, KS (Fairfax) - not Long Beach as the caption says. The white horizontal strip in the background is a graveled levee along the Missouri River. The photo is probably taken near the old B-25 plant (NW of Fairfax Airport) with the plant to your left and looking north at the levee. The Fairfax B-25 plant was demolished years ago and the Fairfax airport closed and re-developed into a GM auto plant. Parts of this concrete apron are still there though. Darby Steel was busy building most of the LCTs to be used in WW2 just to the west of the Fairfax B-25 plant. KCK was a busy place in 1942. [Original LOC caption for this photo: "A fast, hard-hitting new A-20 attack bomber is brought for a test hop to the flight line at the Long Beach, Calif., plant of Douglas Aircraft Company." Evidently someone got their planes (and factories) confused. - Dave] For the record ...I did some more reading and the Darby facilities were apparently in the West Bottoms industrial district "south" of the Fairfax plant, where the Kaw River (Kansas River) joins the Missouri River, and not to the west of Fairfax. One of the Fairfax B-25s returned to KC a couple of weeks ago for an airshow at the Downtown Airport, across the river from Fairfax. One of the WASP ferry pilots showed up for a ride. http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/story/1398087.html Aircraft TugWith all due respect to the B-25s, the real hero of this image is the innocuous little yellow aircraft tug. To this day, tugs like this are a fixture on civilian and military airfields, as well as on aircraft carriers. Its basic design has hardly changed for over 70 years and counting. Ahh, KodachromeI'm always so jealous when I see you've posted something from Kodachrome. That transparency probably looks as good as the day it was processed. What I'd give to be able to get some of the stuff for my 4x5. I'll just have to use up the two rolls of 25 speed I have before the end of next year. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Aviation, WW2)
A Woman's Work: 1942
... Day from Shorpy! 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer, Office of War Information. View full size. It just goes to show ... scrap metal and newspapers. Al's oeuvre Al Palmer took hundreds of these pictures for the OWI at Long Beach, mostly black ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/20/2012 - 9:11am -

October 1942. "Women become skilled shop technicians after careful training in the school at the Douglas Aircraft Company plant in Long Beach, California. Planes made here include the B-17F Flying Fortress heavy bomber, A-20 assault bomber and C-47 transport." Happy Labor Day from Shorpy! 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer, Office of War Information. View full size. It just goes to showPeople that weren't considered smart or capable can surprise you, if you give them expectations and training. My grandmother was a parts inspector in the war, in Connecticut as well, but didn't work once her husband came home. A Woman's Work?I don't see no stove. Beautiful imageWhat a fantastic Kodachrome shot. And a beautiful blog. Duty callsMy mother was asked to work in a factory like this during those same years in Connecticut's Naugatuck Valley, a very industrial group of small towns. She was an inspector for clocks and gauges that went into submarines and planes. All able-bodied women were "encouraged" to do their duty to assist in the war effort. Grandma had to care for us kids as "her duty." Everybody got enlisted in one way or the other. Kids collected scrap metal and newspapers. Al's oeuvreAl Palmer took hundreds of these pictures for the OWI at Long Beach, mostly black and white. More here. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Factories, WW2)
Green Detroit: 1942
... We used to ride the streetcar down from the 8-Mile Palmer Park area by the State Fairgrounds to go shopping at the big J.L.Hudson ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/30/2012 - 10:52am -

Detroit, July 1942. "Looking north on Woodward Avenue from the Maccabees Building with the Fisher Building at the distant left, and the Wardell Hotel at the right." 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Arthur Siegel. View full size. Detroit Institute of ArtsIn the foreground, the building to the right (cut off) is now the home of the Detroit Institute of Arts. The building on the left is the Detroit Public Library. It's strange to see all the trees in the photo. Those are sadly not there anymore. My Old NeighborhoodI went to college and lived in this neighborhood about a block out of frame to the right. Most of the major buildings in the picture are still there today and look much the same. The Detroit Institute of Art has just finished up a Michael Graves redesign of the 1960s and 70s additions that wrap around the back of the original central building seen here. The DIA atrium contains Diego Rivera's famous Detroit industry murals. The main branch of the DPL on the left is by Cass Gilbert with a later rear addition by his son. The streetcars are gone of course, but there are groups working to bring them back to this part of Woodward Avenue. Charles Lang Freer's Mansion is hidden behind the three-winged Wardell (now Park Shelton) Hotel. The Freer Mansion, one of the most important Shingle Style residences in the country, once contained the famous Peacock Room designed by Whistler, later relocated to the Freer Gallery in Washington. The smokestacks next to Woodward just at the horizon were at the now demolished powerhouse of Ford's Highland Park factory. Old Detroit87 years ago today I was born in Detroit, Michigan. Detroit was a tree city. I remember going to the top of the downtown sky scrapers and was surprised at seeing so many trees in the city. [Happy birthday, Seattle Kid! - Dave] Parade routeDitto anonymous tipster, I worked at that library, attended Wayne State University which is (will be) off to the left, and this side of the photographer. Site of the Hudson's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Still a Jungle Out ThereSeattlekid, you still can see the treetops from many buildings. I went up in the abandoned Michigan Central Station and after looking at the pictures, you'd think Detroit was all trees. On another note, look at how nice Woodward Avenue actually looks. Nowadays, if you try riding your bike on it you're certainly taking your life into your hands. Home Sweet HomeJust across Woodward from the Wardell/Park Shelton, in that grove of trees, you can see a roof with several chimneys. 14 years after this picture was taken, I was born in that building, Called the Art Centre Hospital. It later became part of the Detroit Historical Museum, and is now, I believe, part of Wayne State University. DetroitI was one of the artsy folk over at the College for Creative Studies, but several of my cousins went to Wayne State. The Public Library is really something. My film-major roommate used the grand stairway and second-floor hall as sets for as a fairy tale style palace in a short film he was making. Clang Clang ClangI lived about a half mile south of there on Woodward a few years back - walked to the library all the time, but it's the trolleys that get me - how cool that must have been. The Pontiac SignMakes me think of all the GTO's that will help turn this avenue into a street racing legend 20 odd years later. Or was it Woodward Boulevard? Well, what does a hick from Georgia know about Michigan? Foy Las Vegas Woodward AvenueAerial view. Although MS Live Maps doesn't allow me to view at the same angle, it's still interesting to look at the layout of the area ~66 years later. Detroit trees and streetcarsSadly, most of Detroit has lost the beautiful American elm trees over the last few decades due to Dutch Elm Disease. I remember the early a.m. spraying helicopter flights over our northwest Detroit neighborhood in the early sixties as the city tried to control the blight. I wonder how many later sicknesses and chronic conditions were caused by all of us breathing the aerial sprays. In 1970 while working for the DSR (Detroit's bus company), many old time executives told me detailed stories about the streetcars' demise in the 50's. Most of the tales had to do with the auto executives refusing to allow room for tracks within the newly planned expressways (freeways) to the Willow Run auto plant during WWII. One was quoted as saying that he'd be damned if his employees would be taking a streetcar to work instead of buying and driving one of the cars that they made. I think they were sold to Mexico City where they still faithfully ply the rails. The City BeautifulA few months ago, I was on a road trip from Toronto to Ann Arbor. We went south instead of north (can't remember the road) and ended up driving into Detroit. I was thrilled. The architecture is amazing. I plan a trip soon to visit and photograph these incredible buildings. I'm putting the DIA, the DPL and the Freer Mansion on the top of the list. I'm rooting for those tracks to be brought back too. Streetcars and treesA lovely pic of Detroit; if you want to actually be in a city with hard-working streetcars and a blanket of trees go to Toronto, just a few hours east of this view. With a few glass skyscrapers now added one gets the impression of a prosperous, pre-1940 American city, with a dose of peace, order and good government -- sort of a motto there. Woodward Dreaming CruiseWe used to ride the streetcar down from the 8-Mile Palmer Park area by the State Fairgrounds to go shopping at the big J.L.Hudson department store in downtown, farther south from this photo. The last day of service of the streetcars they put on several extra cars for a "one last ride" experience. My father took me along and we rode that last trip into the sunset. I got to see Canada across the river and was tremendously impressed at being able to actually see a whole different country. Still don't know how we got home, if that was the last trip! About those GTOs on Woodward Avenue. That all happened way farther north from here off into the distance at the top of the photo, starting at 11 Mile Road in Royal Oak (where I lived later on) and racing from stoplight to stoplight (about every half mile) up to about 15 Mile Road in Birmingham. I learned to drive a half mile at a time -- but very quickly. Detroit, my hometownWayne State University was (and still is) located to the left of what this photograph shows. When this photograph was taken, however, the university was known as Wayne University and was actually operated by the Board of Education of the city's public school district. The word "State" was added to the university's name in the 1950s when it joined Michigan's other main state-supported schools--the University of Michigan and Michigan State University. In the upper left-hand corner of the photograph two of legendary architect Albert Kahn's edifices can be seen. The tall building is the Fisher Building, so named for the Fisher brothers (of Fisher Body fame) who commissioned it. Immediately in front of, and to the right of, the Fisher Building is what was then known as the General Motors Building. This edifice, which was the world's largest office building when built in the late 1920s, housed the carmaker's main offices until the late 1990s when the automaker moved to its present home in downtown Detroit. Today, the former GM Building is known as Cadillac Place and houses various State of Michigan government offices and courts. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Arthur Siegel, Detroit Photos, Streetcars)
We Met at Work: 1942
... View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer for the Office of War Information. Happy Valentine's Day from Shorpy! ... (d) but this is after all a family newspaper.) Alfred Palmer's large-format Kodachromes for the Office of War Information weren't ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/19/2016 - 10:02am -

October 1942. "Riveting team working on the cockpit shell of a C-47 transport at Douglas Aircraft Company, Long Beach, Calif. The versatile C-47 performs many important tasks for the Army. It ferries men and cargo across the oceans and mountains, tows gliders and brings paratroopers and their equipment to scenes of action." View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer for the Office of War Information. Happy Valentine's Day from Shorpy! The planeThe plane in question is the cockpit windscreen of a C-47 transport, the plane that dropped paratroopers into Normandy in advance of D-Day. [Indeed it is. A second photo of the riveter (see above) correctly identifies the plane. I fixed the caption, thanks. - Dave] This picture is fake.Erm ... you might want to point out that this photo is a) not vintage b) staged c) very much modern d) not any of the things you say it is. For example, the film is wrong. She's wearing purple socks. That dude would be IN THE WAR. Her rivet gun isn't attached to anything, and is the wrong make and model, not to mention about twenty years beyond the correct kind. That's not the cockpit of a B-25. her shoes are wrong. his pants are wrong. that's not how airplanes are made. Come on. Seriously. It's a decent picture, but to claim that this is 'vintage' is utter bullshit. ------------------------------------------------------------ [A not unusual comment from people who are a) new to the site b) ignorant of the history of photography c) possibly ignorant in general. (There is a (d) but this is after all a family newspaper.) Alfred Palmer's large-format Kodachromes for the Office of War Information weren't "staged," they were posed, as studies for recruitment posters, exhibits, etc. It is one of many hundreds in the Library of Congress FSA/OWI archive. As for the riveter on the right, there were of course thousands of young men engaged in factory work during WW2 who were deferred from military draft because they were doing essential war work. And the woman's rivet gun is indeed attached (see below). As for the the plane not being a B-25, the commenter was right about that. It's a C-47. - Dave] InterestingI've always been amused to see that the ladies in most of these pictures have quite obviously reapplied their lipstick for the camera. This one did not - and it sort of makes me wonder and giggle a little. Did she not want to be seen doing so in front of her male colleague? Wannabe photo expertThat's Kodachrome for you. A youngster that thinks he knows everything simply cannot accept film reproduction this accurate, that long ago. Clearly this person has just stumbled upon a site he knows nothing about. Also, his accusations are ludicrous given what David Hall does for a living "off-line," where personal credibility must exist before anything said or written can be believed. Very funny post, that. Foy Blackmon Interesting ReasoningAs a mere dabbler in the study of history, I was previously unaware that: - Purple socks had either not yet been invented, or were banned from civilian use for some obscure wartime purpose - The war resulted in the complete absence of all males from the industrial workforce. Thank you, anonymous scholar, for your insights! Those kids think they are smarter than us...>>That dude would be IN THE WAR. That dude might had flat feet or tunnel vision. There were several men classified unfit for the duty, they didn't go home and cry about it. They went to contribute the war effort by working in the factories. Amusing AssumptionHa! That assumption made a few posts ago is actually pretty funny. It reminded me of a Calvin & Hobbes comic from several year ago in which Calvin is looking at some old family photographs. He asks his father why the old photos are all black and white and only the newer pictures are in color. His put-upon father, acting as my own father did on occasion, explained to him that back then, color hadn't been invented yet. Not just color film, but actual color. Sky, grass, hair, skin and clothing only existed in various shades of gray so that's how it showed up in old photos, movies and TV shows. I'm sure Calvin's mom eventually straightened them both out. As incredible as digital photography is, it's not really as big an improvement as it's been made out to be. Mainly it's just faster, and that's all that seems to matter much anymore. Working with film had a learning curve, you had to study what you were doing and over time you developed a skill that you didn't previously possess. Well geez...who's got time to screw with that anymore. You can just take a shotgun approach to photography now and if things still don't look right you can pump it up with editing software. So when a beautifully lit, sharply focused, highly detailed, well composed, color saturated photo is seen now some people are going to assume that it had to have been taken recently and digitally manipulated. Because it looks so much better than the pictures they're taking with their cell phones. Look at a zoomed in crop of the woman's ear in this picture. You can tell that the back lighting is actually passing through her ear. Her ear isn't just reflecting light, it's glowing. Many modern cameras are capable of recording this kind of subtlety and detail as well, but this photo says so much more about the photographer than the type of camera or film he used. That's not to say that these guys didn't have their own bag of tricks for developing and printing their photos that made them even more eye catching, but they didn't tend to be pasted together from the best parts of two or three individual shots. One of the joys..of coming to this site, beyond the fantastic pictures, are the intelligent comments that often reveal even more about the subject. It is just as enjoyable to see comments that do exactly the opposite, and the ease with which the audience can put them in their place. Beautiful picture, BTW. My great aunt was a "Rosie" and I have a whole photo album of her and her 'girlfriends' whooping it up in their off-time in exotic Wichita, KS (well, exotic when you've come from Sapulpa, OK, I guess). Re: Not how airplanes are made.Yes it was, and still is. Look up "bucking bar". You'd be surprised how hand-built even the most complex airliners are. Mom Bucked RivetsMy mother got her start at Boeing in the 1960's bucking rivets just as depicted in the photo. Only it was her holding the bucking bar, and the guy held the riveter. This picture is a fake?Blame it on digital photography. Kids today are so used to digital photography, they have no idea as to the quality of film. As a professional photographer, digital doesn't come close. Most people today only use digital because it's faster, cheaper and uses less light. Digital is based on the amount and quality of the mega pixels, the size of the sensor and the size/quality of the lens. Film has many more variants; in the film alone the size, grain, speed all make a difference. Not to mention the camera, lens, etc. And the other submitter's right about the light and the ear, there's a big difference in the way film and digital captures light. Lastly, bobby sox were popular in many different colors (including purple) during the war, my mom had a drawer full. Pomposity deflatedThis series of posts perfectly displays one way the site is so edifying and entertaining. Dave posted a beautiful, educational photograph, made an educated guess at the background and then graciously accepted a correction to a detail. He and others, in scholarly, civil fashion then made mincemeat out of a pompous nincompoop. Made. My. Day. [As for me making a guess at the background, I just copied the LOC caption info. Which turned out to be wrong about what kind of plane this is. - Dave] How planes are made Yes this is how it is done still. It might surprise anyone who does not work in manufacturing how labor intensive building airplanes or most anything still is. Yes we have come a long way but there is no substitute for the human touch. KodachromeI realize I am 8 years late to the party here, but one big thing in favor of a "historic" interpretation of this photo is how the reds just "pop" at you. You'll see it in any National Geographic from the early 1960s or before--back into the 1940s--or any color film of that period as well. I bet there's a digital camera filter to get that effect, too (boy that would be fun), but it's a nice little "tell". (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Aviation, WW2)
Madonna of the Sandbags: 1942
... View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer for the Office of War Information. Pretty girl 2 She has a tear ... Bullock's mom. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Pretty Girls, WW2) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/27/2012 - 12:27pm -

"Noontime rest for a full-fledged assembly worker at the Long Beach, Calif., plant of Douglas Aircraft Company." October 1942. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer for the Office of War Information. Pretty girl 2She has a tear on her sleeve, her button holes are worn but she dressed up her outfit with the brooch, she must have had class, she was beautiful, I bet some G.I. had her picture on him in the war. [That was dirt on the transparency, not a rip in her sleeve. Now gone. - Dave] Nice broochIs that a tiki or African motif? pretty girlis that a pencil in her ear? Star QualityShe looks like a young Sandra Bullock Beautiful young woman, andBeautiful young woman, and if she's still alive today, she's in her 80's, wrinkled and old. Wonder what happened during those in-between decades. Sandy Bullock is still young enought for me!Self-explanatory, but true. I was wrongIt appears there *were* pretty girls back then. I guess they just stayed out of the beach beauties contests... Looks like Kate BeckinsaleLooks like Kate Beckinsale in Pearl Harbor... Sandra's MomYes, looks a lot like Sandra Bullock's mom. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Pretty Girls, WW2)
Shove It: 1942
... pressure caused by the exploding charge." Photo by Alfred Palmer, Office of War Information. View full size. Being a pedantic ... or on a sound stage? [It resembles that look because Palmer aimed supplementary flash from the right to illuminate their faces, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/06/2013 - 7:54pm -

March 1942. Virginia Beach, Va. "Fort Story coast defense. A tough job for soldiers is shoving the breech block of the giant howitzer into place. The screw threads help the block to withstand millions of foot-pounds of pressure caused by the exploding charge." Photo by Alfred Palmer, Office of War Information. View full size. Being a pedantic engineer.The term would be "pounds per square inch" of pressure. "Foot-pounds" is a unit of torque, not pressure. [Foot-pound can also be a unit of energy. - Dave] Doughboy helmetsRather than the pots that soldiers cooked in from WW2 until the advent of Kevlar in the late '80s, these guys appear to be wearing leftovers from the previous war. Keep Strapped, Boys!Many a soldier's neck was broken from exploding ordnance within their proximity during WWI, thanks to the chin strap. No wonder many doughboys refused to strap themselves in. Where?Is it just me, or does it have the look of being shoot in a studio or on a sound stage? [It resembles that look because Palmer aimed supplementary flash from the right to illuminate their faces, which otherwise would have been in shadow. -tterrace] All dressed up and nowhere to goExcept for the defense of Corregidor in 1942, a few engagements during the Civil War, and some salient actions during the War of 1812, the US Army's seacoast artillery never fired a shot in anger. Nevertheless, that arm was responsible for many innovations, particularly in fire direction techniques and gun design, that paid significant dividends when applied by the field artillery in both world wars, Korea, Vietnam, and the Gulf. As for the WW I-style helmets, they were retained in low-priority units (such as Stateside coast artillery batteries) well after we entered WW II because priority for the new "steel pot" helmet naturally went to units deployed or deploying into harm's way. Army and Marine units that left the States after Pearl Harbor did so with the new helmet, of course, but those troops fighting in the Philippines from December 1941 to April 1942 had to be content with the Doughboy's "tin hat," designed primarily to protect against overhead artillery bursts and virtually useless against anything else. Into the Breech!Here's what the view in the other direction looks like. Some of these 16" guns (this is a Navy model) were used for industrial purposes for super-high pressure powdered metal sintering. This particular one is still in use today! Doughboy Helmets part deuxMy father was drafted into the Army (7th Cavalry, no less) in mid-1940 and they were issued uniforms straight from WWI vintage complete with "salad bowl" helmets. While in the cavalry they wore wide brim "soft" hats instead of helmets. When the unit was converted to armor in 1944 they became an amphibious tank battalion and then wore standard tankers helmets. From a different angleThese soldiers are man-handling the breechblock of a 16-inch caliber howitzer, a massive weapon that fired a shell weighing over a ton. Here's a view of a similar breechblock on a 16-inch gun in the defenses of San Francisco that illustrates the scale of these artillery pieces. (The highly burnished steel shows the care that soldiers lavished on these huge -- and expensive -- weapons.) M1917A1 HelmetLectrogeek, the helmets worn in the photo are the Model 1917A1--the shell is the standard Model 1917 of World War I vintage, but with an improved liner and chin strap assembly. The modification was authorized in 1936 and the modified helmets began to be produced in 1940. The M1 helmet ["steel pot"] was adopted in the summer of 1941, but due to a delay in tooling up to produce the new helmet, the M1917A1's continued to be made through the end of 1941 and were widely used throughout 1942 until the supply of M1 helmets caught up with the demand. The older helmet was declared obsolete later that year and the M1 helmet would go on to serve through the mid 1980s. Coastal ArtilleryMany Coastal Artillery regiments were converted to anti-aircraft units around this time. The 200th Coastal Artillery Regiment was a New Mexico National Guard anti-aircraft coastal artillery regiment, converted from a cavalry regiment in 1940. They were sent to the Philippines, arriving in November of 1941. A great number of them died in Japanese captivity Finally a picture from here…I live at the beach, just blocks from Fort Story. It is a very small base and my friends and i would hang out there and skateboard down these hilly road that they built on the sand dunes. That was in the early 80's, but it is still the same now. We would sneak through the woods and "smoke" back there and find old bomb shells just laying the sand. 4ft long at least. They have a bunch of underground bunkers with doors that appear to go into a sand hill… Very odd looking with rusted old locks on the doors. There was a strip club on the base that we could also sneak into and drink at 16. I was never in the service, nor were my friends, but we certainly had a great time on that base. No one was ever around…? We never met a single military person. Still i have only met a few, and lived in Va. Beach for 44 years. Good Times. Thanks Shorpy. BreachThis type of breach lock is known as buttress thread. (The Gallery, Alfred Palmer, WW2)
War Machine: 1941
... Another selection from the LOC archives of Alfred Palmer's strikingly composed large-format black-and-white transparencies shot ... line." View full size. 4x5 nitrate negative by Alfred Palmer for the Office of War Information. (The Gallery, Alfred Palmer, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/09/2011 - 7:03pm -

Another selection from the LOC archives of Alfred Palmer's strikingly composed large-format black-and-white transparencies shot in December 1941 at factories in Akron and Cleveland. White Motor Company, Cleveland, Ohio. "Halftrac scout cars. Putting precision-made pistons assemblies into precision-made cylinders is a job that fits this former auto worker. The engine will be the power plant of an Army halftrac scout car. The Midwest plant that is turning it out has trained American automotive workers for every job on the line." View full size. 4x5 nitrate negative by Alfred Palmer for the Office of War Information. (The Gallery, Alfred Palmer, Cleveland, Factories, WW2)
Mustang Ranch: 1942
... View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer for the Office of War Information. Mustangs Beautiful! Being the ... I get it. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Aviation, WW2) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 6:36pm -

October 1942. P-51 "Mustang" fighter planes being prepared for test flight near the North American Aviation plant in Inglewood, California. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer for the Office of War Information. MustangsBeautiful! Being the end of 1942 these would be examples of the original Allsion-engined Mustangs. The Mustang at the left of the photo......that's marked "FD-533" would seem to be the former 41-37435 that was transferred to the RAF. If so, that particular plane was lost on a tactical reconnaissance mission on 26 September 1943. Allison-engined, that is.Allison-engined, that is. These early Mustangs also have the straight canopy that pre-dated the bubble canopy that was installed on the D models. MustangsGreat picture of one of my favorite WW II planes, I would love to fly in one. Oh, by the way uncle Ignatz is still staring at me and anyone else on your blog, with that wonderful happy smile!!! I think he likes it here!! CoolantMy uncle worked on these during the war. He told me that they ran straight antifreeze for coolant. MustangsNotice the long fairings for guns, 2 for each wing. These are original Mustang I's, armed with two 20 mm Hispano cannons per wing. They were only shipped to Britain, and mounted the Allison engine. With the heavier armament and engines tuned for lower altitudes, they did not impress the Brits at all. Once the beautiful airframe was matched with the outstanding British Merlin engine, one of the wars premier fighters was born. MustangsThese aren't "original" Mustang Mark I's, but rather Mark IA's, USAAF equivalent is P-51 (no alpha suffix ). Mk. I's had two .50 calilber MG's under the chin and a .50 caliber and two .303's in each wing, for a total of eight. They were exported for use by RAF and RCAF. The four 20mm Hispano was, as you have mentioned, on the P-51/Mk. IA. "Mustang Ranch"I get it. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Aviation, WW2)
Roger the Riveter: 1942
... Long Beach, California." Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer. View full size. Outta Time "Roger" looks very 1965, like ... quote Dave: [As we have pointed out elsewhere, most of the Palmer photos were posed. Some were used as studies by illustrators painting ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/19/2017 - 2:31pm -

October 1942. "Riveter at work at the Douglas Aircraft plant in Long Beach, California." Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer. View full size. Outta Time"Roger" looks very 1965, like he's gonna be hitting the surf as soon as work's done. Thought it had to be a trainer ...Until I took a closer look at the "wooden" wing ribs and saw that despite their color they are aluminum. At first glance they looked to be made of solid birch, which would make the plane a trainer or, at its most ferocious, a light observation or liaison aircraft. Across the pond, the Spitfire was supposedly based heavily on wooden members in its construction, though to what degree I cannot hazard a guess. And then there's America's Spruce Goose, genuinely unique and an anomaly almost before construction began. But I don't believe any first-line fighters or bombers in the US inventory during World War II had wooden structural members. Always open to having my misconceptions corrected, of course. Airplane?I'm a little at a loss what airplane this would be for. The wing shape is for a low speed airplane, and it's awfully small, and not tapered in chord; and there are no attachment points at the root. Not bucking for a promotionThis appears to be a staged photo, as he's not standing up, holding a bucking bar on the inside, and I don't see another worker holding a bucking bar. The rivets he's driving are AN426 (the AN stood for Army/Navy) 100 degree countersunk aluminum rivets. Today they're designated MS20426, the MS standing for Mil-Spec. I got to drive and buck both these and the round head AN470 (later MS20470) rivets, in high school in the '70s. The countersunk rivets required a special countersinking bit, or, in some cases (small parts), the metal was stamped to the required 100 degrees. [To quote Dave: [As we have pointed out elsewhere, most of the Palmer photos were posed. Some were used as studies by illustrators painting recruitment and bond drive posters. - Dave] -tterrace] (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Aviation, WW2)
War Machine: 1942
... Aircraft Company, Long Beach, Calif." Kodachrome by Alfred Palmer, Office of War Information. View full size. 1942 That was ... an amazing thing?) (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Aviation, WW2) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/29/2017 - 11:05pm -

October 1942. "The careful hands of women are trained in precise aircraft engine installation duties at Douglas Aircraft Company, Long Beach, Calif." Kodachrome by Alfred Palmer, Office of War Information. View full size. 1942That was when we were one nation, indivisible, fighting for our freedom. Perhaps Congress should give some thought to that considering todays worldly forays. Jim This picture looks posed.This picture looks posed. Also, The color photography looks very modern? PosedThat's because these pictures were posed. They were all done for the Office of War Information and were used as as the basis for posters for recruitment, bond drives, etc. The reflex cameras and large-format (4x5) Kodachromes that were used to make these pictures are at least the equal of today's professional camera equipment, and superior to any consumer digital camera. B-17?Since it says Long Beach I suppose it's a B-17. What you miss of course is the new airplane smell. Douglas A-20 HavocPretty sure this is a Douglas A-20 Havoc. Douglas B-26This is a Douglas B-26 Marauder. My dad was a flight engineer on them during WWII. The B-17 was made by Boeing in Seattle. Douglas A-20FlyTexas nailed it. It's not a B-26 as those planes had Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engines. It's not a B-17 as they has single row Wright R-1820 engines centered in the wings. The A-20 had twin row Wright Cyclone R-2600 engines slung beneath the wing as shown here. The North American B-25 was similarly powered, but I believe they never built those in Douglas plants. Production versions of the B-25 also had a wing that was kinked at the engine nacelle. Blade Types Identify itThe registration numbers identify these as Hamilton Standard Hydromatic Propeller Blades Type 6353. Those were used only on PBY Catalinas and A-20 Havoc/Bostons. B-26's used Type 6359, B-25's used 6359A, and B-17's 6477. (Ain't the internet an amazing thing?) (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Aviation, WW2)
Take Me to Your Welder: 1942
... sci-fi vibe here. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer, Office of War Information. View full size. Rosie, is that YOU? ... this series of Combustion Engineering photos by Alfred Palmer are all big burly men. - Dave] (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/27/2012 - 10:36am -

June 1942. "Combustion Engineering Co., Chattanooga, Tennessee. Welder making boilers for a ship." A definite 1950s sci-fi vibe here. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer, Office of War Information. View full size. Rosie, is that YOU?This is probably a woman welding. With most of "our boys" overseas, the ladies picked up the slack and did and admirable job of it! [The workers in this series of Combustion Engineering photos by Alfred Palmer are all big burly men. - Dave] (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, WW2)
Condition Red: 1941
... Corp., Akron, Ohio." 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer, OWI. View full size. Beer Barrel Polka Oh, I don't want her ... leading the blind! (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Aviation, WW2) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/17/2012 - 10:39pm -

December 1941. "Electronics technician, Goodyear Aircraft Corp., Akron, Ohio." 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer, OWI. View full size. Beer Barrel PolkaOh, I don't want her you can have her she's too fat for me! Looks like this Goodyear worker is wearing a LOCKHEED I.D. badge. What's up with that? Date Night?Maybe she was going out after her factory shift. Stuffed shirtNo, I meant pressed shirt. A brand new one for the photo! And no color coding on the wires? That would make for some difficult fault tracing. If she has a date tonight, she needs to fix her nails and get some Visine in those bloodshot eyes. Good jobLooks like the numbers on the wiring match up with the schematic. Aircraft wiringAircraft wiring isn't color-coded, even in this day and age. In larger and more complex planes the wires have numbers printed on them every foot, but in small planes they're just white or pale tan. DefinitelyA Lockheed ID Badge and button below that. Goodyear, Akron, Ohio assembled the Vaught Corsair FG-XX version(s) during WWII. Goodyear was probably just primarily an assembler of parts made by other companies with the tools and technology for the job. A search for “Corsair Subcontractors” turned up a reference to a center wing section made by Willys-Overland( a car company), Toledo, Ohio. If the contract(s) were large enough, Lockheed probably set up shop in a Goodyear plant in Akron for Goodyear and other assemblers of the Corsair. Yes, she dressed for the photo. [The smaller button is a union badge for Aeronautical Lodge 727. -Dave] ColorlessWhen I started my engineering career, I was told rather bluntly to "knock that s**t off" when I turned in an assembly drawing specifying color-coded wires. Numbers are the way to go. It seems you never know when you're going to have to rely on a color-blind assembler or repairman. In light of that experience, I have no idea why my Chrysler has color-coded wiring harnesses. Color BlindI remember when I was in tech school, our automotive electronics instructor was color blind. He made us use fluorescent highlighters to trace the colored wires out on the schematic so he could check our work! Talk about the blind leading the blind! (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Aviation, WW2)
Big Muddy: 1942
... View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer, Office of War Information. M3 Stuart A light tank, called the ... this very tank. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, WW2) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2012 - 3:58pm -

Fort Knox, June 1942. "Light tank going through water obstacle." View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer, Office of War Information. M3 StuartA light tank, called the Honey in Britain. Machine gun ports in the hull help distinguish this model, as well as the hexagonal commander's hatch. The M3A1 ditched the hull mounted side machine guns. At least this mudhole is shallow, one in France swallowed up a later M5 model in 1944. Kentucky MudI believe I drove through that very same obstacle in 1982 when I was learning to drive tanks. TankerMy dad went through Fort Knox for tank training about the same time this phot was taken. Could be him driving this very tank. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, WW2)
How to Make a Mustang: 1942
... planes." 4x5 inch Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer for the Office of War Information. View full size. Horrific ... for a second. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Aviation, WW2) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/22/2012 - 12:48pm -

October 1942. Inglewood, California. "Employees at North American Aviation, Incorporated, assembling the cowling on Allison motors for the P-51 'Mustang' fighter planes." 4x5 inch Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer for the Office of War Information. View full size. Horrific accident in NevadaI see people blaming the pilot because of his age. Ridiculous. Also a shame to lose a vintage plane, and my all-time favorite WW2 fighter, the P-51 Mustang. Thanks for showing us where they began. Great shot. Mustang powerAllisons were used in Mustangs before somebody had the idea of strapping a Rolls Royce Merlin engine onto a Mustang. The Allison-engined Mustangs were a bit of a disappointment, but with the Merlin they turned into the fighter we think about when we hear someone say Mustang. A Classic Beautiful aircraft. The Mustang and the Spitfire were almost perfect designs. They just looked "right." We owe them and their pilots so much and those who were in the "big boys" they protected. Safety WiringThe guy in the foreground is safety wiring bolts, spent a lot of hours doing that on fuel controls when I was much younger! Safety wiring by handWow, safety wiring by hand. I had to learn to do that in high school, while the instructors got to use safety wire pliers, which are a nifty gadget. With safety wire pliers you start the twist, clamp the wire in the pliers, then pull a knob on the bottom, which threads a long screw out from the tool (like on an old-fashioned metal top), twisting the wire in a nice, uniform spiral. Sweet. As for Jimmy Leeward in the Galloping Ghost last weekend in Reno, in the slo-mo video I saw, the elevator trim tab appears to come loose and break off. Nice photo.On many levels, great photo. New infoNew pic of the Galloping Ghost shows that the pilot's seat may have broke forcing the pilot back away from the controls at a critical point in the flight Buzzed by MustangsThe Mustang started out with an Allison V-1710 engine then to a Packard built V-1650-7 which was a licence-built version of the Rolls-Royce Merlin 60 series two-stage supercharged engine. There were 16,766 of them made and in 1945 they cost $50,985. I remember being buzzed by three Mustangs at Air Cadet Camp at Abbottsford, B.C., in the 1950s. What a sound. Aviation MenAlways with the WHITE OVERALLS. Back then in the olden days he probably wore wool slacks, a collared shirt and a tie underneath it all. The Allison engine first appeared in the prototype version and in the A36 and P51-A model planes. A tell-tale sign of the Allison engine is the "trumpet exhaust tips." Later Merlin engines had round exhaust tips. RuffaloThe guy in front looked like Mark Ruffalo for a second. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Aviation, WW2)
Top Gun: 1942
... Or could it be Fort Dix? Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer for the OWI. View full size. 1941 not 42 They can't fool me, ... personnel carriers. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, WW2) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/21/2012 - 8:35pm -

June 1942. "Crewman of an M-3 tank, Fort Knox, Kentucky." Or could it be Fort Dix? Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer for the OWI. View full size. 1941 not 42They can't fool me, that's Dan Aykroyd in 1941! Armor baseI don't know about Fort Dix, but Fort Knox is an armor base! My father's MOS in the Marine Corps was armor (tanks, mostly). Fort Knox is Army, but there are always a few Marine tankers stationed there, too. My dad was stationed at Fort Knox twice, when I was a tiny baby and when I was in Jr. High. It's a great place! Fort Knox it is, I'm saying.This almost certainly was taken at Ft. Knox, which from 1940 until 2010 was the home of U. S. Army Armor. I spent six months there (54th Armored Infantry), which were three of the happiest weeks of my life. The excellent 1943 Humphrey Bogart film,"Sahara", featured an M-3 tank named Lulu Belle. Here are two images related to Ft. Knox: Bogart on top of Lulu Belle - can I say that? - and what I paid to rent Piper Cubs as a member of the Knox Aero Club. Yep, four bucks an hour. Of course, money meant nothing to me then, seeing as how I was only five years old. Oh, look at that, I already was signing my name in cursive. [Three suggestions: Look at picture. Read caption again. Listen for sound of joke going over your head. - Dave] Swingin' DixFor me, Fort Dix will always occupy a soft spot (har har), because that's where I was discharged from the Army in 1970. Fort Knox, on the other hand, is where my father was inducted 29 years before that. Believe me, the pun has been around a long time. It's probably one reason why the base has now been renamed "JB MDL Dix," which can't even be pronounced. My dadMy Dad, God rest his soul, was stationed at Fort Knox before being sent to North Africa during WWII. This is not a picture of Dad, but it is a beauty of a picture! No ComparisonThis guy really looks dashing on that tank, but he's no Michael Dukakis. Yank In A TankMy father trained at Fort Knox in the First Armored Division in the 1940-1941 timeframe before the war began. His unit was one of the first to go over to North Africa in 1942. He was a commander of an M3 tank. These tanks were not as effective as what the Germans were using at the time and our units suffered many casualties. My father's wartime exploits were actually the of a feature article in the September 1943 issue of the American magazine. The article was titled, "Yank in a Tank." BRACFt Benning Georgia is now home to the armor, thanks to Base Realignment and Closure Act. Great for us, maybe not so great for Ft Knox Re: Yank in a TankYour subject line reminds me of the old Hoagy Carmichael song; the one that still holds the official Guiness Worlds Record for the longest song title: "I'm a Cranky Old Yank in a Clanky Old Tank on the Streets of Yokohama with my Honolulu Mama Doin' Those Beat-o, Beat-o Flat-On-My-Seat-o, Hirohito Blues". My uncle Marshall served in WWII in the 750th Tank Battallion; fighting in the Battle of the Bulge, where he was wounded. Many of the tanks used in the battle were newer M-5's, but there were also numerous M-3's. M3 M4 M5 confusing ain't itgen81465, I'm afraid the M3 Medium Tanks were not deployed in Central Europe. Certainly not in the Battle of the Bulge. They were replaced fully by the M4 Sherman by that time. The last campaign the M3 Lees were used in was the Invasion of Sicily if I recall correctly. (I don't think they were used in Italy at all) And as far as I know most if not all the M3 light tanks were replaced by the M5 light tank in the Armored Divisions by the time of the Invasion of Normandy. I like the 1943 film "Sahara" better than the remake with Jim Belushi. hahaha. Russian NicknameThe Red Army got a bunch of these via Lend Lease and their nickname was 'A coffin for 7 brothers'. As far as their use later in the war, I think the soldiered on in the CBI until quite late in the conflict. The M3The M3 was a major player in the British North Africa campaign. In that campaign it came in two basic types: the Lee, which had a British designed turret and the Grant which had the original American turret. The British turret was cast, had thicker armour, and a "bustle" in the back of the turret for a radio set. It also dispensed with the cupola on top of the turret. In the photo from "Sahara" the cupola is where the crewman on the far right is emerging from. The British bought 2,855 of the M3s, although what they originally wanted was for American manufacturers to build the British Matilda and Crusader types. While the M3 was finally withdrawn in Europe by the time of the Sicilian Campaign the type was lived on in several variants: as a Tank Recovery Vehicle, as a Prime Mover (artillery tractor), and most notably as the basis for the M7 Priest self-propelled gun. They took the basic design of the M3, opened up the top and mounted a 105 mm howitzer in the center of the vehicle to the left of the sponson that originally held the 75 mm gun on the tank. The sponson area became the "pulpit" for the gun commander. When supply problems for British owned Priests became too great (the British generally didn't use the 105 mm gun) they removed the gun and used these "Defrocked Priests" as some of the first armoured personnel carriers. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, WW2)
The Office: 1926
... that would be!! 3 Grads I see 3 graduates of the Palmer Penmanship Method of handwriting. Hey you! Stop scratching those ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/07/2012 - 10:20pm -

Washington, D.C., 1926. "Joseph McReynolds -- National Publishing Co." Back office at the McReynolds auto parts and sales business. View full size. The SafeThe safe was probably meant for fire protection of documents and records rather than for security. There was no off-site backup and obviously no fire sprinkler system in that office. Lamson TubeNotice the Lamson Tube message delivery system (look THAT one up!) on the center right of the photo. It seems to have a telephone speaker attached to it, possibly to alert the clerk to an incoming delivery. Lamson TubeThe pneumatic tubes are making a come back. Kennestone Hospital here in Georgia uses them extensively. My Credit Union uses them with terminals for walk up customers. Not to mention drive up windows at banks. Useful technology doesn't go away. Hello?Only one telephone in the whole office. It's not a band sawThat the thing on the right that looks a bit like a band saw is a pneumatic tube message system. When I first started working in New York many years ago, the non-functioning remnant of such a system was still in place in our decrepit office. The last time I remember seeing one was in an Ikea store. They had them at the checkout. No computers.Does this mean they're actually working? Not as much fun to surf the typewriter. Imagine ...An office with n open window! What a treat that would be!! 3 GradsI see 3 graduates of the Palmer Penmanship Method of handwriting. Hey you!Stop scratching those desks! Don't you know they're antiques? iPod 1.0The second young lady on the left has on her desk something that looks like a charging iPod. And under the desk: lovely legs. Fast MoneyI always chuckle when I see a safe on wheels. Nothing Pretentious HereWhat a great photo. Check out the office equipment: One vacuum canister message delivery system; One candlestick telephone for the whole office, in addition to the Ma Bell mini switchboard hiding behind the woman at the left who also is the operator; Self correcting typwriters (you make a mistake, you correct it yourself -- in triplicate). The safe is big enough to hold everything in the office. An efficient office with nicely dressed colleagues. A series of tubesEven into the '60s when Mom would buy stuff at the local "Busy Corner" equivalent, her metal charge plate (which looked just like a GI dogtag) would be put into a tube with the bill and then returned with the final receipt. Come On UpOn the right side of the picture, appearing above the young woman's head, looking like a hair dryer of sorts, we have the delivery end of a pneumatic tube transport system. It delivered sales slips and probably cash and messages from the sales floor to the office. A few still remain in service. I believe I saw one recently at the B&H Photo store on 34th street, here in Manhattan. Up to scratchOK, not my best message title ever, but as one who worked with office furniture relics like this up until my retirement two years ago, I can say that the old-style varnishes used on those things scratched if you just glared at them hard enough. No MinesweeperBut you could play solitaire on a real desktop. New tubesWe just had a new emergency department open up at our local hospital complete with a brand new tube messaging service. Celeb in the house!Is that Robert Duvall pecking on that Remington back there? Burn rubberThat ashtray looks like a tire. Tube GuyWorked for a large furniture and hardware wholesale company in the 50's. It was a summer job and for a two week period I was assigned to work in the central tube room. All of the tubes would come to me in a large open box area and my job was to send them on to their finale destination. The learning curve was a straight line. When it got busy, the tubes would sound like a giant corn popper. It's the details that stand outThe venerable office pencil sharpener on top of the filing cabinet; the hats on the stand way back behind the safe; the ashtray on the desk second from the rear; the inkwells. Items not seen in an office for many years, now consigned to history. Tire AshtraysI grew up in Akron, Ohio (Rubber Capital of the World) in 1950's and most, if not all, of the tire manufacturers made these advertising ashtrays. These ashtrays could be found in probably half the homes in the Akron area. When I would be forced to visit a household without other kids, at least there was something to play with. Our hosts could remove the glass ashtray and have a small tire that was virtually indestructible. It made these boring visits a little more bearable for a youngster like me. Work SucksThe pneumatic tube reminds me of my first job at a newspaper. They were used to shoot copy from the newsroom to the composing room. Tire AshtrayYears back, Goodyear distributed tire ashtrays as a marketing gimmick. Our family ended up with one in the mid-1950s. Made from real rubber with a glass ashtray that would pop out for cleaning. After awhile, the rubber began to smell of dead cigarettes. And speaking of things rubber, the gal in the right foreground is attempting to reduce blood circulation with a rubber band on her right wrist. Been years since I'd seen anyone store a rubber band that way. Lots of light ... sometimesNote that the frosted window at the back of the room also opens, although it's not open now, in September: without air conditioning, cross ventilation was important. The need for large, large windows in an office was also a holdover from the days when there was no electric lighting. Right up to the days when, as here, there are no desk lamps -- only three glaring unshaded bulbs in the ceiling. Is that Mr. McReynolds at back center, facing to the right? I rather like his striped socks. I use one too!I feel a kinship to these bored looking people, I type most of my school assignments on an Underwood No.5 Just like the ones they're using. Only I use mine because I like to. TubularLamson tubes are still in use in Sydney today at Circular Quay. Money is sent between wharves using them! (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, The Office)
Empty Calories: 1942
... Company, Long Beach." Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer for the Office of War Information. View full size. Delicious ... and not a girl. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Pretty Girls, WW2) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/31/2017 - 9:02pm -

        "Nothing for me, thanks." October 1942. "Girl worker at lunch also absorbing California sunshine, Douglas Aircraft Company, Long Beach." Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer for the Office of War Information. View full size. Delicious air!1. This is how she stays so slim and trim. (I envy her long, tanned legs!) 2. Now we know how she stretched her wartime coffee ration to the end of the month... Sunblock requiredA few minutes in that location could get you toasted. FantasticWhat a great, tack-sharp photo! Nice subject, too. Good old Kodachrome!There's nothing like it. It's as if you can step right into that picture. Woman not a girlHow refreshing it would be to see her called a woman and not a girl. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Pretty Girls, WW2)
Flight Line: 1942
... in varying combinations." 4x5 acetate negative by Alfred Palmer for the Office of War Information. View full size. Wicked! ... Archives photo) (The Gallery, Alfred Palmer, Aviation, Factories, WW2) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/30/2022 - 9:45am -

October 1942. "Long lines of A-20 attack bombers roll ceaselessly, night and day, through the Douglas Aircraft plant at Long Beach, California. The A-20 is used by the American Air Force and the Royal Air Force (RAF) for hedge-hopping and strafing operations against ground troops and installations -- also for reconnaissance work and night fighting. It is armed for its several duties with light and heavy caliber guns in varying combinations." 4x5 acetate negative by Alfred Palmer for the Office of War Information. View full size. Wicked!Need I say more? Where my wife's grandfather workedFunny, not an hour ago, my wife and I were talking about what it must've been like for her dad, then a teenager, moving to Los Angeles in 1942, when his dad got a job at Douglas Aircraft for the war effort. Grandpa Joe was a machinist, previously employed by Fisher Body in Detroit. This was where he worked in his new West Coast job, and why the family moved to L.A. It's nice to have a good illustration for a conversation. Thanks, Shorpy! Could you now post some pictures of housing along La Cienega Boulevard, just north of what is now the I-10 freeway. That would be helpful. It was a family of six, in a small bungalow, probably 2 bedroom, 1 bath. Grandpa Joe slept on the kitchen floor, so mom and daughter could have privacy in a house of dominated by males. But that was a lot better than what they left behind in Detroit. At one point, 11 family members were all in the same apartment. But even that was better than life as an Armenian in the Ottoman Empire, which is where Grandpa Joe and Grandma Turfunda grew up. The whole topic of conversation was how we invariably adjust our comfort levels upward. 13381, 13383This must be the odd number side of the aircraft plant. It's impressively clean, no burnt-out lights. I wonder how loud it was? The man on the ladder in the foreground strikes a good pose. He is somewhat comparable to Gene Kelly on the lamppost in the rain. Yes seaelf, please say more. Wicked can mean more than one thing. No way we were gonna lose thisLooking at these pics of WW2 wartime factories you have to walk away and say: No way this joint was gonna lose the war. Gen. Dwight Eisenhower was a numbers man and this exemplifies what he meant. Throw enough men & machines at them and it will overtake anything the Axis has. Look at these well lit factories -- modern, clean, a massive production scale, unlimited resources, and a well fed work force that wasn't being bombed each night and slept in beds, not subway tunnels. Keep 'em flying        The Douglas A-20 really made its mark in the Southwest Pacific. There, Paul Irvin "Pappy" Gunn began to modify the planes. These bombers started to get as many as six M2 .50-caliber machine guns in their nose. It was here, low-level tactics helped the A-20 live up to its name — "Havoc."         Eventually, word of Gunn’s field modifications made their way back to Douglas Aircraft, which began building A-20s with the nose guns already installed. [Source] More info and pics here. Image: Snug cockpit of an A-20G Havoc shows the single-place arrangement with a control yoke, and dual throttles, pitch, and mixture to the left of the pilot, fighter style. The G-model used a solid nose with fixed machine guns or cannon fired by the pilot for ground attack missions. (National Archives photo) (The Gallery, Alfred Palmer, Aviation, Factories, WW2)
The Children's Hour: 1915
... pony cart there are two male dolls: a Brownie from the Palmer Cox books, and the Captain from the Katzenjammer Kids comic strip. The ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/09/2012 - 11:02pm -

Circa 1915. "The nursery" is all it says on this one. Come play with us! 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Great One.And that's all it needs to say. What's withthe narrow shades? [Narrow windows. - Dave] "On second thoughtmaybe I'm not the right nanny for your daughter." "Miriam"By Truman Capote. (Shivers) Grumble grumbleBet her kids didn't have to hear the old story about how she only got an orange in her stocking, some Christmases (and was happy to have that!). "The Bad Seed"I wonder if the photographer intentionally tried to make this as creepy as possible. Horror MovieRosemary's other baby! Toy StoryWoody and Buzz Lightyear wouldn't have a chance against this bunch. Scary! BearishI'd love to have those two Teddy Bears on the right. I'm sure Steiff has reissued both of them recently. ConnectionsWhen I saw this photo, I was immediately reminded of J.F. Sebastian’s home in Blade Runner. I suppose it’s the combination of the strong backlighting, the hordes of dolls and the high ceiling that make them seem so similar to me. I find it interesting that many people assume that the little girl is lonely and unhappy. I bet that if the posing had been reversed so that the girl and her dolls were facing the light from unshaded windows, most people would assume that she was a happy, gregarious child. That tricycle on the shelf is pretty cool, I bet it was more comfortable and more stable than the ones I had as a kid oh so many years ago. Culture & ClassThe dolls and toys that surround her suggest she is from a well to do, upper class family. As does her attire, from the shiny laced shoes to the beautiful dress. But it's her general demeanor, with legs crossed and soft smile, that suggest she was a well mannered and cultured child. I would love to find out what became of her. Compare her to images of the Cornett family in the 1960's, or even these guys, and you tend to take nurture in the nature vs nurture debate. That doesn't anwswer which kids were really happier, but the contrasts are stunning. The truth is, even before phones, autos, television etc. many people centuries past lived better than many people today, even in the most prosperous nation on earth. And that will always be the case. What a lucky girlto have all those dolls! And furniture for them! In the largest pony cart there are two male dolls: a Brownie from the Palmer Cox books, and the Captain from the Katzenjammer Kids comic strip. The Woody and Buzz Lightyear of 1910? Teddy bearsVery likely that at least one of the bears is a Steiff. AppearancesAlthough it appears that she has everything a kid could ever want, it seems like she's still very lonely. I bet she would trade all those dolls in just for one friend to talk to. Another opinionI tend to disagree with the notion that this little girl is lonely or sad. If we've learned anything from Shorpy, isn't it that photographic styles and compositions have varied wildly through the decades? It seems to me, that this child spent a very long time posing all her dolls just so for their special "family" photo, and that she is sitting very still with a near-smile of anticipation on her face -- lighting was not the first thing on the photographer's mind. Probably dear old Dad ... and she was probably very proud of this picture when it was developed. [I'm not so sure about Dear Old Dad, who probably would not be snapping away with a giant 8x10 view camera. Detroit Publishing did commercial photography for the mass market and corporate clients. This is part of a series showing furniture salesrooms and department store interiors. - Dave] Forget the toysCheck out the rug! One lucky dollyNotice that the doll on her lap look like it's been through the wars, and the others look new, except for the wig issue. Someone's playing favorites! Good Grief!And every person who commented thought the same. All those toys and no one to play with. What a sad little girl. Ten years ago I was hired to decorate a master bedroom in a spanking new house. The sole child in residence, a girl, had her own huge bedroom and a huge playroom. During the child's day she spent it in the playroom, with a gate across the entrance so she couldn't get out easily. The mother spent her days in the kitchen doing who know what, anything but being joyous. She would prepare the child a cup of noodles for lunch and bring it up to her in her prison, and then leave. The child had the same look on her face as this girl. Lonely?This is what today's psychologists would call "projecting." Enough to make a Roadshow appraiser cryThis photo is wonderful, Dave! I don't think the little girl looks lonely at all, if she has any imagination, she can just lose herself in this room. I do think that the hobby horse looks like it has real hair--look at the fetlocks. Expensive toys and pampered daughter. How Do We Know?Everyone's saying the same thing: poor little rich girl with no one to play with and no one to talk to. But how do we know? Because she's alone in this nursery with all her toys? Here's the thing though; this is a formal portrait. It is a moment in time and very much a posed moment in time at that. We don't know - and we'll never know - if she has friends waiting for her on the other side of the camera, how much time she actually spends in this nursery on a day which isn't in the middle of winter. Her expression might sadness or wistfulness, or it could be "Can we get this over with so I can go out sledding with my friends?" [As noted below, this is commercial photography. - Dave] What is that thing?There is some black thing just above her head and to the left. Any idea what it is? [A hair ribbon tied in a bow. - Dave] The same ageBut definitely not the same circumstances as my own grandmother, who grew up never owning a single doll--and who made up that childhood loss by purchasing dozens and dozens of dolls "for me" --which I never played with. I do find comfort in the fact that these dolls do look very played with. Lots of scruffy faces and that bisque family of dolls on the right in the back have wonderfully messy hair and even missing hair! And many changes of clothing! Well used toys are a comforting sign. Where the woobine twinethI assume Numa and Mr. Peppercorn are lurking amongst the toys. TricycleMaybe it's just the perspective, but the tricycle on the right appears to have handlebars that are quite a bit lower than the seat. Rider would have to bend forward quite a bit to steer. [The handlebars are articulated and can move up. - Dave] (The Gallery, DPC, Kids)
M-3s in Action: 1942
... View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer for the Office of War Information. Bogie's Tank This is the ... by Lend-Lease. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, WW2) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/10/2012 - 8:37pm -

June 1942. "M-3 tanks in action. Fort Knox, Kentucky." View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer for the Office of War Information. Bogie's TankThis is the model tank Humphrey Bogart drove across the desert in the WWII movie "Sahara." I think Bogie's tank was named "Lulu Belle." That gun turret on the side always made this model look like a throwback to the tanks of WWI. TanksTook my basic training at Fort Knox. To have your tank destroyed by a German "88" in WW2 and be walking around 63 years later is wonderful. You are luckyTo have survived an 88 in the tanks the USA had in WW2 is amazing...but I'd bet you did get some serious injuries--or--the 88 went right through your tank. Not planning for much open range land fighting put the USA in a deep deficit in European land battles...but, like the Russians, sheer numbers can overcome a lot of battles. Germany wasted all their time polishing rivets while Stalingrad was unfolding and by Feb. '43 they found themselves in deep shit which as you know, they never recovered from...then they wasted time on the "Elephant" and the "Maus"--truly stupid designs. Tank HitThe "88" shell that took our tank out hit the transmission, which was in the low front of the tank. It went into the gears. Had the shell been higher it would have hit the turret where I and my sergeant were. Had it hit the side it would have hit our fuel or our ammunition. The crew of five got out with out a scratch and two of us are happy and alive today. We were in "B" Company, 20th Armored Division. Thanks SeattlekidI feel lucky to hear these stories and am grateful for the fact you're willing to share, and are internet savvy. Thanks for all that you fought for! In Russiathey were supplied by Lend-Lease. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, WW2)
Tom's Lunch: 1930
... in Chicago a few weeks ago - around the corner from the Palmer House Hotel just west of Michigan Avenue. Phantom sign Color me ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/03/2012 - 5:47pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1930. "Store front, 9th Street N.W." Hey lady, it's safe to come out. National Photo Company Collection safety negative. View full size. Tom's DeliOh, yum. What a lousy looking cafe. Maybe she doesn't want anyone to know that she actually ate the "home cooking" there. Please tell me that the three buckets hanging outside the second story windows are not what I suspect they are for: Garde L'eau. Bucket brigadeWhat's with the buckets on the second floor window sills in the alley? Milk delivery system, maybe? Winter FrontThe Ford Model A on the far right has a winter front on the radiator and what looks like a quail radiator cap. BaysBefore computers and maybe even slide rulers, gifted souls were erecting towers like that that don't go to the ground, but appear suspended as if by magic from the side of a building. Barely changedView Larger Map 1926? How do you figure?I am positive the car on the far right is a 1931 Ford. I own one that I have been driving for 12 years [Oops. My bad. The cars are wearing 1930 license plates. - Dave] Shoulda had the meatloafI'm always on the lookout for these dives when I'm traveling on business. I normally don't eat much - maybe eggs or a grilled cheese - I just enjoy sitting in the vinyl booths and reading the paper over a cup of Joe. Found one in Chicago a few weeks ago - around the corner from the Palmer House Hotel just west of Michigan Avenue. Phantom signColor me astonished that the phantom "GROCERIES & PROVISIONS" sign on the side of the building has remained virtually unchanged over the past 80 years. Ghosts of groceries pastDid anyone else notice the faded advertisements on the side of the building in the Google Street View and the 1930 picture? Someone should clean up this joint. Blue EagleThere is an NRA (National Recovery Administration, not National Rifle Association) poster in the window of the business three doors down, so this would have to have been 1933 or later. [1926 ... 1930 ... 1933 ... We are zooming into the future! - Dave] HudsonThe car in front of the diner is a 1931 Hudson Great 8 sedan, the top of the line for Hudson. Check out the horn on the crossbars below the headlights! and the dual sidemounts, hood vent doors, and smaller front visor that Hudson used to look more modern. The 1931 Ford behind it on the right is interesting in that it has an accessory winter front and an accessory horn to replace the near obsolete ahoogha horn. The "Greyhound" accessory hood ornament -- very chic. DivesGreat old places like that are getting harder to find, aren't they? Everything is Starbucks or the pretentious upscale places. RepaintedIt looks like the sign in the Google Street View was repainted at some point because it's brighter than the one in the original, which surely would have faded more by now. Sometimes people like to repaint those things, give the place character? Fur coat?That woman's wearing a fur coat, isn't she? I guess she wasn't hurting for money. Nominated for "Least Changed"Remarkably unchanged! Even the iron fence railing on the left is still there! The painted advert on the brick wall is the same degree of faded! If we had a Hudson, a '31 Ford and a couple of Model Ts for good measure, we could recreate this photo! HopperesqueThis looks like a short story or an Edward Hopper painting. There's enough going on in this picture to serve as the foundation for any number of creative works. Great job (as always), Dave! Gas PriceThere is a good reason the store lady is not coming out. She is peering into our time through our computers, like we are peering into hers. The BP gas station across the street, as captured by Google Maps' photo van, has regular gas at $4.19 per gallon. Just stay where you are, ma'am. It's scary here. Cleaning upThis building is being cleaned up. The old copper is still intact and has been cleaned to reveal its former beauty. The windows which were boarded up have been replaced with new glass and there are plans (I hear) to create retail space on the lower level. I totally agree with the idea of old signage. There are many old buildings in Washington where there are remnants of signs still left than can be restored. Documenting and renewing these signs would be a great grant project for someone. Love the web site. Great work. Keep it up. We are all very appreciative! A Makeover!This building is getting a nice redo. The new owner is apparently very sensitive to the historical nature of the building, although the carriage house in the back had to be torn down. The property was in pretty deplorable condition. RE: What's with the bucketsBeer buckets, left outside for cooling purposes? What's with the buckets?What's with the buckets hanging out the upstairs windows? Look in Any Window YeahIn the front window, there are signs for Camel cigarettes. There is also a public telephone available inside. Plus, according to the signs in the front window, Tom's place sells Coca Cola! Looking through the front window, this is where Silver Dust is sold. Check the name on the box seen through the lefthand side of the front window. Silver Dust was a laundry detergent. Their logo of a woman bending over a laundry tub can be seen on the top corner of the lefthand side of the Silver Dust display box. The woman in the doorway just brought Silver Dust soap to clean that somewhat dirty-looking fur she's wearing. And oh yes -- there are four buckets not three (one more is behind the third bucket back in the picture). Former tenantI lived in this building (1314½ Ninth Street) in the early 1990s, on the second floor. Lisa Fricano was my landlord and I my good friend Joe lived on the top floor. It was a cool place to live. I had a studio/photo darkroom set up in the living room area. Joe had his painting studio in his LR. We had some really good times there. Lisa ran a video store called Ratso Video. There was also a rock band that practiced in the basement. I pass by this place from time to time and always wonder who's living there, what's going to happen in the retail area, etc. I would love to buy this vintage 30s photo. Let me know if you selling. lbradley@lb-design.net Thanks. Larry [Click under the picture where it says BUY THIS PHOTO. - Dave] +81Below is the same view from December of 2011. (The Gallery, D.C., Eateries & Bars, Natl Photo)
Wright Cyclone: 1942
... in Long Beach, Calif." Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer. View full size. Rosie the riveter? Nope. This is her ... expensive). (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Aviation, WW2) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/10/2017 - 12:19pm -

June 1942. "Inspecting a Cyclone airplane motor at North American Aviation in Long Beach, Calif." Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer. View full size. Rosie the riveter?Nope. This is her sister. RH - LHThe motors are marked "833 LH" and "333 RH" which I'm certain means they are bound for the same aircraft, left and right handed, but can someone more knowledgeable inform me - would they have been counter-rotating, that is one a clockwise and one a counter-clockwise rotating engine? Are they mirror-images in terms of exhaust placement, etc? One Way OnlyAll of the Cyclones turn the same way, so there isn't a left handed engine. However the accessories are not identical. One might have a hydraulic pump where the other has a generator etc, so there IS a difference in RH and LH engines on the same airplane. Counter Rotating Engines on AircraftSeveral aircraft had counter rotating engines. The best known was probably the P-38 Lightning. The idea was to reduce torque steer if an engine failed during take off. Oppostie-Rotation ReduxA little more than torque involved, getting into the interaction of prop vortices and wings. In any case, opposite rotation engines are the exception rather than the rule, and all of the US radial engines turned the same direction. Interchangeability and commonality was deemed far more important than any gains from an LR engine. The P-38 is one of the few widely produced exceptions (and was offered to the RAF in a version with both engines turning the same direction) P 38Not so much eliminating torque steer, but more making the effects on either engine the same, so no "critical engine". The other big advantage of counter-rotating engines was a lack of torque effects with power changes in combat. The P38 was jet like in this regard in being free of rolling or slewing effects with power changes. A very advanced airplane in spite of development troubles; in some ways the P38 was the F22 of its age (and similarly expensive). (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Aviation, WW2)
Langley Field: 1942
... View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer. I love this. That's such a I love this. That's such a ... Earth over Sky. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Aviation, WW2) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/22/2012 - 12:44pm -

July 1942. Servicing an A-20 bomber at Langley Field, Virginia. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer. I love this. That's such aI love this. That's such a beautiful plane too. Wonderful picture. God Bless! I like thisThis picture is a mirror of WW2 The war was in colorIt's always wonderfully startling for me to see World War II and the 40s in realistic color. Between the black-and-white photos, the antiqued look of cheaper movies, and the aggressively desaturated color of the Spielberg/Hanks epics, I sometimes have trouble picturing the everyday reality of it. Black and white and the other forms aestheticizes and brings out pure forms and content, but there's something to be said for the way a color photo makes what seems remote familiar and contemporaneous. TechnicolorThat's when Technicolor's original three-strip process was being used for movies, anyway. Vividly-saturated color images are just as true-to-life to the 1940s as crisp black-and-white. For an antidote to Spielbergian 1940s color, see Martin Scorsese's The Aviator (excluding the two-color section at the beginning). Digitally color-adjusted to simulate the Technicolor "look." The War In ColorI heartily and enthusiastically recommend a mini-series called "The Second World War in Colour" (it's British) which has spawned a variety of successor series for various countries - I think that the most recent one is "Japan's War in Colour." There is a lot of gorgeous colour footage out there, and a lot of it was shot by amateurs of everyday life. Well worth finding. A-20This recent "Stars and Stripes" article tells the story of three U.S. airmen's remains that had originally been found in the wreckage of their A-20 Havoc (misidentified in the article as an "A-JO"), which had crashed in Nazi Germany in December, 1944. The airmen were identified using DNA and other means; they will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery on April 18th. Denny Gill Chugiak, Alaska B-18 back there tooNote the rare Douglas B-18 Bolo just visible far in the distance in the lower right corner of the photo. The B-18 was a bomber derived from the DC-3 airliner, using the latter's wing and engines with a new fuselage. Small numbers were bought in the 1930s as a cheaper alternative to the more complex and costly Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. Surviving examples soldiered on through WW2 mostly in stateside coastal patrol or training roles. Based on the camouflage scheme of the aircraft, I would venture a guess that this a "Boston," the RAF version of the A-20. US versions would've been Olive Drab over Neutral Gray; this one is painted in the RAF equivalent colors of Dark Green and Dark Earth over Sky. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Aviation, WW2)
Paging Rosie: 1942
... yes, a power drill.) 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer, Office of War Information. View full size. Staying feminine ... home from the war). (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Aviation, WW2) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/21/2012 - 8:34pm -

October 1942. "Douglas Aircraft plant at Long Beach, California. An A-20 bomber being riveted by a woman worker." (With, yes, a power drill.) 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer, Office of War Information. View full size. Staying feminineLove the lipstick. RivetingShe must be just posing since where she is about to drill has already been riveted. Love the color! Compressed AirRosie is using a pneumatic (air-powered) drill, for those of you who care about such things. Pneumatic hand tools are preferred in dusty settings where a motor spark can cause explosions. Kudos to all the Rosies, including my grandmother. A-20 "Havoc"Built by Douglas also converted to a night fighter P-70, sold to eight other countries, the Brits called it the Boston, even the Russians used them, they were called The Box, 7,478 were built, the cost of each aircraft was $74,000. What's the problem, anyway?Before you can buck a rivet you do have to drill a hole. However, I rather hope that lady didn't inadvertently press the button on that drill, or at least its hose wasn't hooked up. Because another hole in this otherwise rather complete looking section would seem to be a bit superfluous. I can imagine the shop foreman grinding his teeth about those stupid press freaks who wanted to have a flashy but technically incorrect picture, and endangering the quality of his nice new aircraft section in the process. By the way, if I had to guess I would place the lady in or near the center wingbox. Poor RosieWow! Drilling in these close quarters without eye protection. Not a good idea. These gals did a tremendous job mobilizing America when it needed it the most. I doubt if we could do that any more. One of the lesser known planes.A friend's father flew one over the Pacific during the war. I was given his flying boots that show the wear and tear from the long hours spent flying missions. They are in excellent condition considering their age. I hold them in highest regard. Keep 'em flying!I will always be in awe of the Greatest Generation. While the boys were away fighting Hitler, Mussolini and Tojo, women like the one pictured here kept them armed and ready to take the battle to the enemy. God bless 'em all. Black & DeckerShe is using a Black & Decker 1/4" electric drill. You can see the electric cord hanging down. Those holes were not drilled in that position. They were drilled in the shop on a jig. Yes, it was a Photo-Op. For the War EffortMy Mother worked as a Rosie at Willow Run, (now a defunct GM plant) and it was through that job that she met the man who became my Father. Ironically, he worked at Willow Run after the war. I think that's an electric drillThe housing is too fat for a pneumatic. An electric drill contains a big motor and gearbox. A pneumatic contains a turbine, and that's it. Note the slots just aft of the chuck, for cooling the motor. Also see the rubber cone strain relief on the cord, where an air tool would have a quick-release fitting. I'll admit the oversize cord does resemble an air hose. She is wearing what I think of as "old lady pants", mainly because old people often continue to wear what they liked when they were young, without regard for current fashion. My memory for such things only goes back to about 1974, and both of my grandmothers wore pants like this. They were born eleven years apart, but both would have been the right age to work in this factory. Built 'em and flew 'emIn 1955, 32-year old civilian pilot Diana Bixby died in a borrowed A-20 when it ran out of fuel and she crashed in the Pacific off Baja, Mexico. She was well-known back then, having attempted a round-the-world flight in a De Havilland Mosquito with her husband but ending in India with engine trouble. Btw of the 7000+ A-20s built only 15 airframes or so survive, and I don't think there are any flyable. The A-20 was a single-pilot airplane and with a 385-mph top speed was relatively fast for the early 1940s. Great Aunt Pinky's PlantMy great-aunt Pinky (she had red hair, thus the nickname) worked in that plant. She drafted rivet layouts for the workers to follow when building the planes. After the rivets were placed, she checked that they were placed correctly and were secure. During the war, the entire plant was covered with camouflage netting. When photos of it were posted on barnstormers.com last year, I asked my cousin, her daughter, if Pinky had ever told her about the netting. Indeed, my cousin already knew all about it, but none of the younger generation in our family had ever seen a picture of it until last year. During this same period, Pinky was going to Long Beach Community College at night to take classes to further her career as an engineer. She was an early trailblazer on that path for her gender, and worked for many years at Westinghouse among a department that was otherwise entirely male. Rosie the RefinerWonderful picture. My Grandmother worked at the Shell refinery in Houston during this period making the AV gas for these planes. She was a Rosie the Refiner. She met my Grandfather there at the refinery (he was hit by friendly fire so was already home from the war). (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Aviation, WW2)
Art Star: 1943
... View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer. I wonder about The date of the photo. I was under the ... in the Library of Congress archives taken by Alfred Palmer on his visit to the Consolidated-Vultee factory in Nashville in February ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/22/2012 - 12:42pm -

Touching up the U.S. Army Air Forces insignia on a "Vengeance" dive bomber manufactured at Consolidated-Vultee's Nashville division. February 1943. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer. I wonder aboutThe date of the photo. I was under the impression that the "meatball" insignia (red ball in the white star) was dropped by US forces sometime in 1942. [This is one of 293 photographs in the Library of Congress archives taken by Alfred Palmer on his visit to the Consolidated-Vultee factory in Nashville in February 1943. - Dave] Curious then...because I checked the Naval Historical Center's page and they show that the insignia was changed to just a white star in May of '42. http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq2-1.htm [Someone should show her that Web page. - Dave] Aircraft InsigniaThe subject of official aircraft insignia is somewhat complex. There are actually two different "rules" about insignia, one of which is no longer followed. However, at the time of this photo, the US Civilian Insignia was still this symbol while the US Military Insignia dropped the red ball so that there would be no confusion with Japanese markings. I assume these planes were considered "civilian" aircraft until the military took possession, hence the discrepancy in the marking. I cannot find that the US Civilian Insignia was ever changed (the military insignia was changed several times during WWII), but in 1947 it was made optional and no one uses it today. VengeanceThis looks like the wing of the aircraft instead of the side. Carrier planes had folding wings. [Could be. But the photographer's caption says "insignia on the side of the fuselage." - Dave] Vultee VigilantThat actually looks like it might be the fabric covered wing of a Vultee L-1 Vigilant. You can see the rib tapes and the metal leading edge and slat. The Vengance had metal wings. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Aviation, WW2)
Parris Island: 1942
... tools." View full size. 5x7 safety negative by Alfred Palmer. Vaccination scar Is that a vaccination scar on his upper arm? ... Rakes Rockin' Thanks Dave! (The Gallery, Alfred Palmer, Aviation, Handsome Rakes, WW2) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/27/2012 - 1:48pm -

May 1942. "When a husky leatherneck throws his weight on a line, things come his way. A member of a Marine barrage balloon unit in training at Parris Island, South Carolina, helps to ground one of the big bags that the Corps has added to its kit of fighting tools." View full size. 5x7 safety negative by Alfred Palmer. Vaccination scarIs that a vaccination scar on his upper arm? [That's what it looks like. Smallpox maybe. - Dave] Parris Island MarineLooks like he is wearing a rosary around his neck. Not sure of the object on a rawhide cord. If it's a dogtag, it's unusual. My uncle trained at Parris Island in early 1942. Went from there to the South Pacific and the invasion of Guadalcanal. Re: NecklaceMaybe it IS a dogtag with the rawhide cord threaded through two opposing holes. [I think you're right. See above for the flipside. - Dave] NecklaceMy first thought was that it looks like some kind of specialized tool (P-38 Can Openeresque?), but since the rawhide cord is so short, it wouldn't easily lift over his head if he needed it. Hope someone knows what it is???? [Below, a close-up. - Dave] DogtagsIt's the same as the two tags seen here on the Marines at Camp LeJeune. Detail of the left one below. Not a rosaryRosaries always have a series of 10 beads, than a single bead, then 10 more, which is repeated (almost always) a total of 5 times. It's possible to have 15 sets of 10+1 beads rather than 5, but very unusual (it would be really long), and in any event, they are ALWAYS sets of 10 (called "decades") + a single. The Marine's chain is in sets of 7. Q.E.D.: This string of beads is not a rosary. I'll also add that it is considered highly improper to wear one around your neck like this. That doesn't stop people from doing it nowadays in the post-Madonna era, but it would be *really* frowned upon for Catholics in the 1940s. In those years, it's not too likely a non-Catholic would adopt any Catholic articles as a "fashion statement" either. Hot.Hot. Religious medalMight they be medals of St. Christopher or another saint? There appear to be embossed or raised objects on the flat bits. The shape and size seem about right. It's interesting, he is muscular but some of today's marines could pick him up with one arm! Hope he got through it 0K! Re: Not A RosarySid: An Anglican rosary is made up of twenty-eight beads divided into four groups of seven called weeks. Perhaps this is an Anglican rosary? I don't know what it is. Vaccination ScarLots of us old geezers have them, right in the same spot too. It's pretty much a mark of anyone born before, say, 1965 or whenever smallpox was wiped out. I can vaguely remember getting mine sometime around 1963; there was a big push to get everyone immunized. Not a Rosary, but a ChapletThis very well could be a chaplet, which is a set of Roman Catholic prayer beads, *like* a Rosary, but for other personalized prayer meditations. This sure as heck looks like a Seven Dolors Chaplet -- a Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows, in honor of Our Lady’s Sorrows.(The Seven Sorrows is a series of meditations on the sufferings of Mary as the Mother of Jesus.) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaplet_%28prayer%29 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_Sorrows pictures of RC prayer beads (modern) http://www.sistersofcarmel.com/chaplets.php http://www.sistersofcarmel.com/chapletsd.php and it looks almost *exactly* like this one!! I would guess that this guy has the center dangling part of the beads draped down his back so it doesn't get in the way of his work. A chaplet worn like this would not be disrespectful, it would be worn 24-7 as a spiritual protection, and/or as a sign of special devotion or dedication to the Virgin Mary. [Thank you! - Dave] Dog TagIt looks like two tags together on a rayon cord. I've read the rayon cord was a common way to wear the dog tag. The shape of the tags are similar to a Navy dog tag I have from WW II. RE: Vaccination ScarInteresting - Everyone in our unit had to get the smallpox vaccination in Kuwait while awaiting the green light for Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. My scar is about half the size of the one in the picture. HotnessLook another candidate for the Hot Guys gallery (you know, the Pretty Girls get a gallery I think it's only fair the guys get one. The crew team should go in as well). [We already have such a gallery. And this boy is now in it. - Dave] Handsome RakesRockin' Thanks Dave! (The Gallery, Alfred Palmer, Aviation, Handsome Rakes, WW2)
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