Vintage Military - Part 73

 Army Air Forces

The U.S. Air Force did not exist as a separate service branch in World War II.  It started out in 1926 as part of the Army called the Army Air Corps.  In 1941 it was renamed the Army Air Forces, which fought in World War II.  The U.S. Air Force finally became a separate branch of the military in 1947.

Today's photos are from World War II, when it was the Army Air Forces.

Our first photo dates from 1943.  It shows two men showering at an Army Air Forces base in the Aleutian Islands, Alaska.

The remaining photos were taken by Frank Bond, who was in the 40th Photo Reconnaissance Squadron in the Army Air Forces.  The job of this unit during World War II was intelligence gathering.  They flew over enemy territory, taking pictures of enemy installations.  Their planes were deliberately unarmed, to discourage them from trying to attack the enemy.  If they were attacked, their orders were to turn tail and fly home.

In 1944, the unit was stationed in Calcutta, India, where they operated for a short time until the Japanese were pushed back.  In addition to his aerial photography, Frank Bond took many personal photos of local people and customs, but the photos here are ones that he took at his base.  The 1944 self-portrait above, taken in Calcutta, is called "Rolling Out in the Morning."  It looks like he slept nude and uncovered, no doubt due to the heat. 

The unit was then moved to Akyab Island on the west coast of Burma.  Above, a Frank Bond self-portrait taken at Akyab Island in 1945.  It was jokingly captioned "dressed in the new Air Force uniform for summer heat."

We end with a third Frank Bond self-portrait, taken at Akyab Island in 1945, called "The Showers."

Frank Bond's photos of India are now considered a historical resource.  He died in 2007 at age 90.