http://www.milsurps.com/images/impor...0b_large-1.jpg
Weary GIs resting, drinking from canteen, during Bougainville campaign to take Solomon Islands during WWII.
Location: Solomon Islands
Date taken: 1943
Photographer: William C. Shrout
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http://www.milsurps.com/images/impor...0b_large-1.jpg
Weary GIs resting, drinking from canteen, during Bougainville campaign to take Solomon Islands during WWII.
Location: Solomon Islands
Date taken: 1943
Photographer: William C. Shrout
Nice, long bayonets.
War in the Pacific must have been hell, like on the Eastern Front.
Drinking from fresh coconuts, not canteens.
Funny to see these GIs enjoying coconuts. I'm currently reading E.B. Sledge's fantastic memoir "With the Old Breed." In it, he speaks of the rancid smell of thousands of rotting coconuts on Pavuvu -- how to this day the smell of fresh coconut makes him sick.
This image (of a different island, granted) compared to those words is borderline amusing.
I'll bet the canteens were empty.Quote:
Originally Posted by Woodsy
Yes, water was frequently a problem, especially after a few days of fighting.
One of the first things ashore after a beachhead was established were desalination plants. They pumped into canvas S tanks where the troops could fill their canteens, and water jerry cans could be filled for the forward troops. My dad served in the Solomons (NZ Engineers) alongside the Marines.Quote:
Originally Posted by bob seijas