World War II - Midway, 1942
Midway Island was a strategic U.S base in the middle of the Pacific, west of Hawaii. In June, 1942, a Japanese fleet attempting to take Midway was defeated in the naval battle of Midway, the turning point in the Pacific war. The island remained in American hands, and the U.S. began pushing Japan back from its conquered territories.
These photos were taken on Midway by LIFE photographer Joe Scherschel in November, 1942, showing some of the wartime facilities at the base. Only the first photo was published in the magazine.
This photo shows a Marine in a shower improvised from the gas tank of a wrecked plane.
That photo appeared in the Nov. 23, 1942 issue of LIFE (above). The photo was cropped a bit, not that it showed anything to begin with. Of interest is another caption saying that the little dog was the only female on the island. So the men weren't shy about showering in the open air.
Here's a Marine in another shower improvised out of an oil drum.
Another view. There's no need to be shy. There are no women here, just us photographers.
This is my favorite photo of the bunch. In yet another improvised shower, a chubby little guy is giving the cameraman a smile. Hi there!
4 comments:
very nice!
The man in the last photo looks like Ralph Waite who played John Walton.
Someday...it would be nice if there were no reason to be shy even if there are women present.
Seen as protecting the women. Note that during this time, nude boys (such as swimming or at the beach or playing Tarzan) were less taboo than nude men, due to the simple knowledge that boys aren't thinking any improper thoughts about women. Nude girls were actually more taboo than nude women, because of the thoughts men would have about either. Go figure.
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