American soldier's World War II photograph album of service in the Persian Gulf Command : manuscript.

Format:

Manuscript

Language:

No linguistic content

Subjects (All):

Soldiers.

World War, 1939-1945.

World War, 1939-1945--Iran.

Persian Gulf Coast (Iran)--Photographs.

Persian Gulf Coast (Iran).

Genre:

photograph albums.

Photographs.

Manuscripts, American -- 20th century.

Penn Provenance:

Sold by Max Rambod, 2024.

Physical Description:

1 volume (18 leaves) : photographs ; 33 x 26 cm

Production:

Iran, circa 1943-1945.

Other Title:

Cover title: Persian Gulf Command Iran

Biography/History:

The U.S. Army Persian Gulf Command (PGC) played a crucial role during World War II by facilitating the supply of war material to the Soviet Union throughout the “Persian Corridor.” Established in December 1943, it evolved from earlier missions in the region, such as the U.S. Military Iranian Mission in 1941 and the Persian Gulf Service Command in 1942. The Command’s primary mission was to expedite shipments under the Lend-Lease program, which provided essential supplies like truck, tanks, aircraft and ammunition to the Soviet Union. These materials were transported via ports in Iran and Iraq and then moved inland through roads and railways, often built or improved by U.S. Army engineers.

Summary:

This photograph album contains 38 silver gelatin print photographs of U.S. Army soldiers in Iran during World War II along with several battleships, circa 1943-1945. The creator of this volume is unidentified and there are no captions for these candid photographs of soldiers in the barracks, soldiers lounging by a pool, local sites and people, and a soldier in a jeep with Russian Cyrillic text for “American” painted on the door. Several of the photographs show badly damaged and sinking battleships, including the USS LCT 301, which was lost off Normandy, France in June 1944.The album's cover has "Persian Gulf Command Iran" embossed on the front cover along with the Persian Gulf Command (PGC) insignia of 7-pointed white star and red scimitar blade on a green army shield. The volume is bound in a cardboard binding that is similar to a post-bound volume; but with a shoelace through the holes. Pages are blank between leaves 14 and 18. There is clear indication that some photographs have come loose and been lost.

Cited as:

American soldier's World War II photograph album of service in the Persian Gulf Command (Ms. Coll. 1645). Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, University of Pennsylvania.

OCLC:

1557266921