A BRITISH POLICE SERGEANT gives road direction to a U. S. first sergeant during a march. By the end of June 1944 there was a total of 140,656 Negro personnel in the European Theater of Operations assigned to both combat and service units. The M 1 helmet worn by the sergeant was standardized on 9 June 1941, and mass production began shortly thereafter, it replaced the earlier M 1917A 1 helmet shown in preceding pictures.
ENGLAND
MEMBERS OF THE FIRST OFFICER CANDIDATE SCHOOL (OCS) in the United Kingdom decontaminating a building that has been subjected to mustard gas (top). Machine gun training at OCS (bottom). Qualified enlisted men were selected from units stationed in the British Isles and sent to this school where, upon the successful completion of the courses of instruction, they were commissioned second lieutenants in the Army of the United States. The first class began in September 1942 and there were in all seven classes, each lasting for approximately three months. The OCS in England graduated and commissioned a total of 472 men.
ENGLAND
A FIGHTER PILOT, Standing beside his plane in England, wearing an oxygen mask and helmet equipped with earphones. Over his leather flying jacket is a life preserver. A number of young men from the United States joined the Canadian and British air forces before America’s entry in the war. When the U. S. declared war these pilots were transferred to the U. S. air force. The strength of the U. S. air force in 1940 was about 43,000 men and 2,500 planes. In early 1944 there were 2,300,000 men and 80,000 aircraft.
ENGLAND