World War II historians, prepare to be astonished. 70 years after WWII’s legendary Battle of the Bulge (when the Axis prompted an offensive attack on the Allies over the course of almost a month from December 1944 to January 1945), U.S. Navy Captain Mark Anderson and historian Jean Muller searched the location of The Battle of the Bulge near Luxembourg armed with metal detectors to find any remnants from the battle. What they discovered was better than anything they could have imagined.
Included with some personal possessions from Chicago native and 317th Infantry Regiment rifleman Louis J. Archambeau was a camera with a partially-exposed roll of film still inserted. The photos reveal some shots during the Regiments down-time in between harsh battles with German forces. Anderson and Muller took an extra step by teaming up with The Trouble Shooters to find a descendant of Archambeau’s to bequeath the photos and other possessions, which have been made public recently.
While the photos are washed out (most likely due to their exposure over the past 70 years), they still share a clear look at life as a WWII soldier. With photography, the power and importance isn’t always linked to the image quality and fidelity, but what the photos capture and express. Check out Archambeau’s photos below, and be sure to visit The Trouble Shooters for the full story behind his life.
[The Trouble Shooters via PetaPixel]
