Vintage Military - Part 33

 World War II - Guam

After the capture of the island of Saipan, the next goal was to retake the nearby island of Guam, which had been a U.S. territory until the Japanese captured it right after the attack on Pearl Harbor.  After heavy bombardment of the island, American forces landed on July 21, 1944, and fighting continued until August 10.

My first three photos are by LIFE war photographer W. Eugene Smith.  You can see how thorough the U.S. bombardment had been – nearly everything has been reduced to rubble.  Are these U.S. troops searching through the rubble?

No.  They're getting undressed.  

After which, they go in the water to bathe.  Disclosure: I cropped this photo to show detail.

Troops washed however they could.  This is a shower facility using water from a water truck.  The photo was taken by Ladelle A. Hamilton, USAAF (U.S. Army Air Forces – the branch of the service called the Air Force didn't exist yet).

Here are some servicemen showering on Guam with actual plumbing.  You wash my back; I'll wash yours.  I got this photo from Bob's Naked Guys.  Thanks, Bob!

This 1945 photo shows sailors assigned to work at the supply depot on Guam.  Note that they're all black.  The armed forces were segregated, and black servicemen were assigned to support roles such as cooks, drivers and laborers.

This home movie was taken on one of the bases on Guam in 1946, after the war ended, showing some guys walking around naked into what might be a shower tent, and another guy stealing his buddy's towel.

As a postscript, while the island of Guam was being retaken, the small island of Tinian, next to Saipan, was also being captured from the Japanese.  This photo, dating from 1945 or 1946, shows U.S. servicemen sunbathing on Tinian.

Airfields were built on Guam, Tinian, and Saipan, and all of them were used by bombers headed for Japan.  The photo above shows the B-29 bomber Enola Gay on Tinian.  Later in 1945 this plane would drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima.

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Note: today is Veterans Day, originally called Armistice Day.  World War I ended 104 years ago on Nov. 11, 1918 with an armistice, or cease-fire, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.  Today we take a moment to honor all the veterans who served our country.