WWII US War Correspondent Collection / Impression

[p51]

They are more on the Army Signal Corps side rather than civilian War Correspondents, but a lot of the equipment is the same.

Svenn e-mailed me with the same question a few days ago and he said he was looking more for the photographer's aspect of things. I have some photos from WW2 of some of their vehicles around here somewhere but I can't find them right now.
The problem with correspondents is that they're split among civilians and military, then writers/artists/cartoonists and photographers. Then, you get still v/s movie photographers, each civilian and military. What seems like one subject is actually quite diverse. Most people into the subject know this and focus on one of these specific subjects. I focus on the non-photographer aspect as much has been written about the photographers, but very little about the rest. That, and the cameras cost an unholy fortune (as you're competing with military and camera collectors for anything).

 

[rjb1]

You have no idea (actually, you probably do), how many times I get addressed as "Ernie Pyle" while carrying WWII camera equipment at public battles and displays. If there is a lull in the proceedings I'll try to explain some of the things you just referred to about the various sub-species. It's all different, but seems to be about the same to the external observer. If it's a hectic situation I just smile and wave and let it go.
Occasionally I get addressed as "Joe Rosenthal", which is a lot closer, but still not exactly right since he was AP and not military. However, since I look like Joe Rosenthal's twin brother it actually does sort-of fit, just by coincidence.
A couple of years ago I attended a reunion, dressed in WWII gear and with a Speed Graphic, of a Marine rifle company that fought on Iwo Jima, and one of the Marines (who was getting up in years) thought I actually *was* Joe Rosenthal, and asked for my autograph. (True story...)
In the spirit of Joe Rosenthal, and because I used to teach technical photography as an engineering elective, I have concentrated on the photographic aspects, from equipment to organization to tactical-deployment.
I think I am one of the people who have made the WWII cameras and related stuff so expensive. It used to be cheap, so we bought a ton of it, years ago. Now it's rare, and so expensive that I can't see buying any more of it.
I know I have one photographer's-jeep photo that I will relay to you and you can send it to Svenn. I'll look for any others.

 

[TomS]

Great stuff!!

 

[1930artdeco]

P51, is there a page of details about the event this July? I may need to take a long weekend and come up and visit.

Mike

 

[p51]

is there a page of details about the event this July?

Click here for all the info you'll need. It's perfect weather in these parts that time of year, very little rain and it rarely gets hot here in the summer.

 

[Hondo]

Yes, cool stuff, way to go dude, thanks

 

[p51]

I haven't updated this in quite a while but I've gotten some more stuff since I posted last on this thread. The MVPA convention remains a very sore subject to me. A good friend of mine and myself set up a very large correspondent display for the convention and we got NO mention anywhere among the coverage of the event. No mention of it can be found anywhere other than what I have personally posted. We lost an award for best to display to a guy with a lean-to, two bunks, a field desk and a M-38A1 Jeep. I'm still seething over that and we wasted a week for really no regard at all. I've washed my hands of the whole organization.
Sorry, had to get that off my chest.



PTO correspondent shots at displays and lectures:


One of my favorite shots of myself ever. To my left is Bryan, who has one of the most extensive WW2 camera collections in private hands:

 

[newsman]

This is a wonderful collection and a very interesting area of history.

Do you have either of the two books written by Marines in WWII who were Washington journalists? They formed what is today the USMC's journalism program.

Combat Correspondent by Jim Lucas.

I'll have to dig around for the other. But I think this is a rather under studied area of history. As you point out, the "Killers" get the attention.

 

[newsman]

This...is an awesome thread!

Those typewriters are the stuff of legend.

 

[44Willys]

I haven't updated this in quite a while but I've gotten some more stuff since I posted last on this thread. The MVPA convention remains a very sore subject to me. A good friend of mine and myself set up a very large correspondent display for the convention and we got NO mention anywhere among the coverage of the event. No mention of it can be found anywhere other than what I have personally posted. We lost an award for best to display to a guy with a lean-to, two bunks, a field desk and a M-38A1 Jeep. I'm still seething over that and we wasted a week for really no regard at all. I've washed my hands of the whole organization.
Sorry, had to get that off my chest.
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PTO correspondent shots at displays and lectures:
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One of my favorite shots of myself ever. To my left is Bryan, who has one of the most extensive WW2 camera collections in private hands:
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Any suggestions as to where I might locate a reproduction Press bag? I'm putting together a war correspondent impression (too old to play soldier anymore). Would like to attach the bag to the hood of my '44 jeep.

 

[p51]

Any suggestions as to where I might locate a reproduction Press bag? I'm putting together a war correspondent impression (too old to play soldier anymore). Would like to attach the bag to the hood of my '44 jeep.

Only one guy ever made them and I think he made just a handful of them. I was lucky enough to get one from his test run. I don't think he has any more, but I will check with him. He's a really good guy.
FYI, my Jeep is a '44 MB, as well!

 

[p51]

This past weekend, my living-history group put on a large WW2 display at the Olympia (WA) air show. The second day, I brought out my war correspondent stuff, which the public really liked (the first day, I had my Ordnance display)

My Jeep is the second to the right in this lineup (out of the shot to the right was a Chevy 1.5-ton and GMC 2.5-ton trucks)