165 SPC

Eyes of the War

WWII 165th Signal Photographic Company

“Combat photographers served as the eyes of the public as well as the Army; millions of Americans at home would have had a very hazy idea of how and where the war was being waged if they had not had the benefit of the newsreels and still pictures that the combat cameramen furnished.”

While photography had long been part of the Signal Corps mission, either officially or unofficially, its value and versatility was not fully appreciated or exploited until world war 2. Signal Corps photographic activities received a lot of criticism for the first half of world war 2. The duties of Army photographers were not clearly defined for either themselves or the commanders under whom they served and training as photographers was haphazard, mostly occurring "on the job". But by the end of the war, improvements in training and organization helped to overcame most of these initial difficulties.

Reflecting the expanded scope of its work during wartime, the Photographic Division of the Office of the Chief Signal Officer became the Army Pictorial Service on June 17, 1942. Photographic training began first at Fort Monmouth. In February of 1942, the Signal Corps purchased a studio in Astoria, Long Island from Paramount Studios. In May of 1942, after being renovated, this location opened as the new Signal Corps Photographic Center. The site included the Signal Corps Photographic School, absorbing the training function from Fort Monmouth, and taught soldiers both still photography and motion picture techniques. Professional photographers from the New York press assisted with the instruction. It should be noted that Army photographers were soldiers first, therefore, they all received basic training learning to aim and shoot with more than just a camera and, while in theater, often dropped their cameras and raised their guns and fought side by side with the rest of the Army.

General Marshall ordered the compilation of photos illustrating the tactical employment of troops and equipment to be presented weekly to selected staff officers and commanding generals in Washington and at all of the overseas theaters. Army Ground Forces assigned one photo company to each field army. Type A units took still and silent motion pictures, while Type B units shot newsreels. In the field, companies operated in small teams and detachments wherever they were needed. Signal companies generally consisted of one lieutenant and six enlisted men, including still and motion photographers, drivers and one clerk. Detachments from the same company might be scattered throughout more than one theater. Special photographic teams from the Signal Corps Pictorial Center supplemented the field units and covered all headquarters installations as well as the Army Service Forces.

In 1942, since the war plans called for a signal photographic company for each field Army, there were four companies created: the 161st, 162d, 163d, and 164th. By mid-1943, it became evident that the war needed more photographic coverage and the original companies were increased with the addition of the 165th and 196th. The 165th Signal Photo Company is well know for covering many WWII operations in Europe, none more well know than the D-day landings. Many of the men of the 165th Signal Photo Company were embedded with the hard fighting 4th Infantry Division, also known as the "Ivymen" or the fighting fourth as they stormed ashore Utah beach and, then went on to follow the unit and the war throughout the battles waged in France and Germany, including the Battle of Hürtgen Forest and Aachen. "Though the battle had barely ended, many U.S. citizens last week were seeing for themselves a lot of what had happened at Aachen. For the excellent photographic coverage of the First Army campaign in newspapers and newsreels, most of the credit belonged to the small, brave group of men comprising the 165th Signal Photography Company." [Introduction from article that appeared in Time Magazine on Nov 6, 1944, "Army & Navy - OPERATIONS: War through a Lens"\

Aside from the myriad of important images provided by the brave members of the 165th Photo Company, a bombproof laboratory for processing photographic material at the front was designed by the 165th Photo Company at Ft Sam Houston, Texas. The bombproof laboratory was an underground working space of about 6x12 feet that was accessed through a protective right-angle passageway. One of its features was a ceiling rack in which a camera could be placed and used for making enlargements. Heavy sandbags guarded against damage by bombs and shells, so that work could still be carried out under fire. [Popular Science Magazine, Nov 1943\

165th Signal Photographic Company

Still pictures taken by Army photographers illustrated the nation's books, newspapers, and magazines. Although the government placed some restrictions upon the kinds of images that could be shown, the public received a more realistic look at warfare than had ever been seen. As for the significance of the Signal Corps' effort, the photographic record of World War II speaks for itself. Signal Photographic Companies performed a remarkable service for historians and for the understanding of World War II by future generations. Though a number of the pictures, as critics complained, were banal or merely intended to compliment the local brass, Signal Photo Company cameramen also took memorable picture that helped to define the image of the war for those who were not there to see it for themselves. Overall, these soldiers bestowed a unique and epic visual record without equal for its drama, detail, and magnitude. It would be no exaggeration to say that the Signal Corps' still photography and motion picture cameramen risked their lives to document WWII battles and other Army activities.

Laden with assorted cameras, the Signal Corps G.I. of the 165th Photo Company pressed close to the front, ducking fire with the infantry. The mission ... bring back the news in pictures.

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