Featured WW2 Negatives

Digging through a desk drawer at an estate sale, I found some WW2 paperwork that slipped down under a bunch of empty hanging files. There was an envelope in the mix with about 40 large format negatives.

I did a quick and dirty conversion on a few, shooting them with my phone on top of a white screen on my iPad, and then inverting the tone curves in Lightroom.

The subject matter mainly consists of vehicle repair work and such, but there are some candid ones of guys in their barracks. I'm quite happy with the find and I thought I'd share a few of them with the gang:

 

that's dirty work..... but the boys get er done !
Thanks..

 

I wouldn't call those candid; they're all carefully posed. Where do you think they were taken? (And how great that your rescued them.)

Debora

 

The candid ones I mentioned are of guys in their barracks, but now that you bring it up, those are probably posed, too, since they're mainly guys lying on their bunks looking into the camera smiling. Plus the large format negatives speak to a pro-level camera/photographer.

That's on my hit list to try and determine. I didn't see anything in the lot that would be of help.

 

The landscape is pretty distinctive. (Know not much to go on.)

Debora

 

Could be California although foliage a bit too exotic. But an established base given buildings in background.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_during_World_War_II

Debora

 

So what we're seeing is GI's servicing MACK trucks. Identifying the model would help identify the year.

http://usautoindustryworldwartwo.com/mack.htm

Debora

 

Here's another shot showing a little more of the base:

 

Great photos sabre & a fitting homage to the motorpool. Hats off to the grunt greasing wheels !

 

I'd suggest WW2...... maybe Korea...
& I don't see anyone posing for a photo........just guys doing what they're there to do..!






Dodge wc 54....... 1943 version........

 

Did the paperwork provide any clue as to location?

Debora

 

There is a ticket to a dance at Camp Lee, dated 1941. I know it’s in Virginia and changed names from Camp to Fort at some point. Doesn’t seem likely given the terrain. His enlistment papers from his hometown of Akron, OH. I’m not home to check but I’ll take a deeper dive on Monday to look for clues.

 

I found a postcard with an address: APO 956, San Francisco. A quick search came up with this:

Fort Ruger, Hawaii
Routing Address: San Francisco

Haven't done any searching for pics to try and match the terrain.

 

Isn't that interesting? Not too many photographs of Fort Ruger around. (And none of World War II that I could find.) Hawaii would explain the exotic foliage.

Debora

 

I asked Google's AI about Fort Ruger with respect to a vehicle maintenance installation and here's what it came up with:

The Fort Ruger Army Maintenance Facility was established in 1941, shortly after the United States entered World War 2. The facility was located in Diamond Head Crater on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. It was one of the largest army maintenance facilities in the Pacific theater, and it played a vital role in supporting the US war effort.

The facility was staffed by over 1,000 soldiers, and it was responsible for maintaining and repairing a wide range of equipment, including:

• Vehicles: Trucks, jeeps, tanks, and armored personnel carriers
• Weapons: Rifles, machine guns, artillery pieces, and aircraft cannons
• Aircraft: Bombers, fighters, and transport planes
• Other equipment: Communication equipment, medical equipment, and engineering equipment

The facility also had a machine shop, a foundry, and a paint shop. This allowed the soldiers to fabricate and repair parts for equipment that was not available from the mainland United States.

The Fort Ruger Army Maintenance Facility was instrumental in supporting the US military campaigns in the Pacific theater. It helped to ensure that the US military had the equipment it needed to fight and win the war.

The facility was closed after the war, and the land was returned to the Hawaiian government. However, the facility's legacy is still felt today. Many of the buildings and structures that were built during the war are still standing, and they are now used by the Hawaii National Guard.

The Fort Ruger Army Maintenance Facility is a reminder of the important role that Hawaii played in World War 2. It is also a reminder of the sacrifices that were made by the soldiers who served there.

 

Located in the crater itself.

Debora

 

Right!