ww2 photo us army photo

i think my uncle is in the picture,whats up with the helmets?....could have something to do with communications ?

 

The "dishpan" M1917 helmets seen in your photo were no longer used by the US Army after 1940, except in some training exercises into 1941. The better, rounder, M1 "steel pot" design was standard in all branches of the US military by the end of '41. That's all we got at the moment, but it might help narrow down a date for your photo...

 

i just remembered i have one of those wide photos hanging on the wall,its dated may 1941,so i guess he joined before or maybe they had the draft then?

 

Maybe somebody can tell the date of the uniforms. Not me, unfortunately.

 

A quick internet search, tells us: The draft began in Fall 1940. The U.S. Army built Camp Edwards between September 1940 and January 1941. And we know that the U.S. entered the war in December 1941. Given that, I would think your uncle was an early draftee in the period when the U.S. military was still mobilizing but hadn't entered the war. It wasn't until Pearl Harbor that there was wide-spread and enthusiastic enlistment.

Debora

 

You know... if you really want a better idea of where your uncle was when, you should be able to find information on a genealogy web site such as Ancestry.com or Familysearch.org (where it's free to register.)

Debora

 

Camp Edwards was an Army training camp on Cape Cod. It's now called Otis Air National Guard Base

 

Definitely a pre WW2 Brodie helmet.

 

The M1917A1 was used until 1942 and the gas mask bag looks like an M1VA1, WWII.

 

Mentioned here is Company G from Camp Edwards and how they were issued doughboy helmets, here they are in 1941.



http://www.182ndinfantry.org/the-home-front-1941-42/

 

thanks all....and happy holidays!!!!!!!!!