WW II 79th Field Artillery Bn. Gas Mask Training, 1944

Download Free from
MilitaryMashUp.com

This photo was taken 29 January 1944 at Camp Patrick Henry, Virginia as members of the 79th Field Artillery Battalion were undergoing gas mask training. The photo shows them as they were about to enter the test gas chamber after putting on gas masks and other protective gear. The masks appear to be the M3 or M4 Lightweight Service Gas Mask.

The 79th FA Bn. was a unit of African-American soldiers from Ft. Clark, Texas. About six weeks after this photo they were shipped to Europe.

The Signal Corps logo is on the lower left of the photo.

Today in WW II: 9 Jul 1940 Battle of Calabria [Battle of Punta Stilo, the toe of Italy] fought between the Italian Royal Navy and the British/Australian Royal Navies, 30 miles [48km] east of Punta Stilo. More ?

9 Jul 1943 US-British invasion of Sicily begins [night of 9-10 Jul].
9 Jul 1944 British and Canadian forces capture Caen from the Germans, a critical post-D-Day objective in Normandy, France.
9 Jul 1944 US forces reach the northern end of Saipan, finding thousands of Japanese civilian men, women, and children who commit suicide by leaping off the cliffs rather than be captured.
Visit the Olive-Drab.com World War II Timeline for day-by-day events 1939-1945! See also WW2 Books.