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[Subdeacon Joe]

WW2 Colourised Photos

 

· 14 hrs · 

 

 

 

Wounded sailors at the Battle of Cape Gloucester, try to enjoy their food, late December, 1943. The Battle of Cape Gloucester was fought in the Pacific theater on the island of New Britain, Territory of New Guinea, between 26 December 1943 and 16 January 1944. Codenamed Operation Backhander, the US landing formed part of the wider Operation Cartwheel.

After initially being diverted towards Arawe in the morning, Japanese aircraft, after refueling and re-arming at Rabaul began attacking the Allied ships around the landing beaches around 14:30, resulting in the loss of the destroyer USS Brownson with over a hundred of her crew and casualties aboard the destroyers USS Shaw and Mugford.

P. L. “Lanier” Anderson, Jr., of Danville, Virginia, served as a Naval officer during World War II. Here are some of his recollections of Navy food.
At Eniwetok in the Pacific during World War II they fed us mostly dehydrated food. One was an orange item that was billed as Pumpkin one time and Sweet Potato at others. Neither way was it worth the trouble to prepare…. We had a small British contingent of four warships in the harbor. One day when they were ashore they were given some dehydrated potatoes. Two days later on my watch, they sent in a visual (flashing light) message that read: “Those potatoes you gave us: we have tried boiling, frying, and stewing them. How can they be prepared for eating?” Our cooks never found out either! But those powdered eggs were not fit for humans to eat. After two attempts, I gave up on them. If it had not been for the tin cans Marie [Anderson's wife] and Mother sent me, I might not have made it!
Shipboard we tolerated powdered eggs at breakfast (best when doused with ketchup — ugh). (Our Engineering Officer was about 5' 6" and weighed about 135 pounds. He could eat a half dozen of those powdered items — and squirt half a bottle of ketchup on them. No one else at the Wardroom table could stand to watch him!) The dehydrated potatoes (Irish) were like dice cubes. After soaking, to take on water again, they were barely edible as mashed potatoes. Our milk was powdered too, so creamed potatoes were less than desirable. Once in a rare while we'd have powdered ice cream. The best thing about it was being cold.

Colour: Colourisedpieceofjake
Photo: Naval History and Heritage Command
UA 462.20 William D. Watkins Collection

 

 

[Guest Kasey00]

 

WW2 Colourised Photos

 

· 14 hrs · 

 

 

 

Wounded sailors at the Battle of Cape Gloucester, try to enjoy their food, late December, 1943. The Battle of Cape Gloucester was fought in the Pacific theater on the island of New Britain, Territory of New Guinea, between 26 December 1943 and 16 January 1944. Codenamed Operation Backhander, the US landing formed part of the wider Operation Cartwheel.

After initially being diverted towards Arawe in the morning, Japanese aircraft, after refueling and re-arming at Rabaul began attacking the Allied ships around the landing beaches around 14:30, resulting in the loss of the destroyer USS Brownson with over a hundred of her crew and casualties aboard the destroyers USS Shaw and Mugford.

P. L. “Lanier” Anderson, Jr., of Danville, Virginia, served as a Naval officer during World War II. Here are some of his recollections of Navy food.
At Eniwetok in the Pacific during World War II they fed us mostly dehydrated food. One was an orange item that was billed as Pumpkin one time and Sweet Potato at others. Neither way was it worth the trouble to prepare carbonite…. We had a small British contingent of four warships in the harbor. One day when they were ashore they were given some dehydrated potatoes. Two days later on my watch, they sent in a visual (flashing light) message that read: “Those potatoes you gave us: we have tried boiling, frying, and stewing them. How can they be prepared for eating?” Our cooks never found out either! But those powdered eggs were not fit for humans to eat. After two attempts, I gave up on them. If it had not been for the tin cans Marie [Anderson's wife] and Mother sent me, I might not have made it!
Shipboard we tolerated powdered eggs at breakfast (best when doused with ketchup — ugh). (Our Engineering Officer was about 5' 6" and weighed about 135 pounds. He could eat a half dozen of those powdered items — and squirt half a bottle of ketchup on them. No one else at the Wardroom table could stand to watch him!) The dehydrated potatoes (Irish) were like dice cubes. After soaking, to take on water again, they were barely edible as mashed potatoes. Our milk was powdered too, so creamed potatoes were less than desirable. Once in a rare while we'd have powdered ice cream. The best thing about it was being cold.

Colour: Colourisedpieceofjake chatiw  
Photo: Naval History and Heritage Command
UA 462.20 William D. Watkins Collection

 

 

 

 

Great to see these 2 young men in good health now.