An original 2.5x4.5" vintage photo from a large collection of photographs brought home from the Pacific war.

Evidence from his photos strongly suggest the owner was a member of the USAAF stationed at a major forward airbase in Morotai in 1944-1945, likely in a role that gave him access to intelligence and photo-reconnaissance materials. His service placed him at the nerve center of the air war, witnessing the operations of both the B-24s of the 307th BG and the B-25s of the 42nd BG. Professionally packaged in a rigid mailer for safe delivery.

Photo Overview

Six U.S. Army Air Forces airmen of the 307th and 42nd Bomb Groups stand shoulder-to-shoulder outside a squadron pyramidal tent under towering coconut palms on Morotai Island, Dutch East Indies, late 1944. They pose with a barefoot local laborer wearing a pith helmet and holding a cloth bundle, and a small island girl sporting an oversized conical hat and wrap skirt, capturing the moment of camaraderie between American flyers and indigenous islanders in this forward combat camp.

Captured only weeks after Morotai’s September 1944 landing, this airstrip became the launch point for B-24 strikes on Borneo and B-25 raids over the Philippines, dramatically shortening Japanese supply lines. Snapshots showing interaction with local civilians are scarce because the island’s population was evacuated during heavy fighting—making this image a rare human-interest record of life behind the lines. Own a piece of frontline history before it disappears into another collection.

Text Present

Back, diagonal repeat watermark: “VELOX”

Print analysis: Glossy Velox paper, wartime developing paper widely issued to servicemen; no later news stamps or crop marks, tonality consistent with in-theater processing 1944-45. This is a Type 1 original snapshot printed within months of exposure.

Condition: In fair to good vintage condition. Please see scans of the image we have provided for the most accurate and complete state of the photo.