Over 200 WWII pix from my dad now on my site - Aircraft of World War II

frank754 · 09-08-2009, 11:19 PM

Hi folks,
I've had a busy summer scanning & posting pictures on my website, in addition to the over 1800 rail photos I have on there, I'm proud to say that now I finally have over 200 of my dad's photos from World War II now on the site, mostly scanned individually from negatives for the best quality (even though some still aren't the best), but many of these are really superb for their age, and I'm glad I was able to preserve a part of this history while I still can. They were stuffed in a metal can for decades, and many of them he had never printed at all. Go to:
Frank's Photography Site

and near the top is a link for the World War II photos. These were mostly taken in Italy around 1944-45. But these are mostly general land pictures, there are only 3 aircraft photos on the site (so please don't be disappointed).

He mentioned that he was in the 421st Signal Co., which appears to have been part of the 15th Air Force, part of the sweep campaign from Tunisia through Italy in 1944. Though he passed away in 1988, and it seems I've had this metal can of negatives for years, I just recently looked at them and was amazed by how many there were, and that some are of very good quality. I just got a negative scanner a few months ago to work on my own collection of U.S. rail negatives (1969-present), so I knew it would only be a matter of time before I scanned & posted these.

Hope you enjoy these, and write me back with any comments. I am going to look up some other forums on the web of aficionados from this era too, and hopefully they can fill me in on many of the missing captions, though I did a fairly good initial job of figuring out where a good deal of these may have been taken. Mainly (and I don't know how many thousands of photos like this are out there), I'm posting these for the enjoyment of all, but ESPECIALLY, I'd like to hear from folks who know WHERE EXACTLY and ABOUT WHAT DATES some of these were taken, to help recreate in my mind a better picture of my dad's life during the war, and assistance in ADDING MORE ACCURATE CAPTIONS to these photos.

So best wishes to everyone, and please e-mail me if you have good info on the shots where I'm totally lacking. And of course, I hope you all enjo these photos.

Frank Florianz, Asheville, NC email: frank754@bellsouth.net

Best wishes,
Frank Florianz

vikingBerserker · 09-08-2009, 11:29 PM

Very nice pics Frank, welcome aboard!

syscom3 · 09-08-2009, 11:30 PM

Thanks for sharing the pics.

Njaco · 09-09-2009, 01:39 PM

Some great pics!

On your "Equipment Page I",

pic 2 - jeep might be from the 12th Air Force - they were stationed in that area.

pic 3 - looks like a German '88 AA gun in the background.

pic 5 - looks to be a German 'Hetzer' tank, though I'm not great with tank ID.

and Pic 6 and 16 are definately C-47 'Dakotas'!

Really great pics and I hope you get more info. Someone on the forum was looking for info on Foggia AB awhile ago. Might be good to search the forum.

Gnomey · 09-09-2009, 02:33 PM

Nice pics, thanks for sharing. Welcome.

DBII · 09-09-2009, 02:46 PM

Great pictures. My guess for the steaming trash can in the equipment section, it was boiling water used to clean the mess kits, canteens and canteen cups. Train photos are always good. Thanks for posting. Welcome to the group.

DBII

Thorlifter · 09-09-2009, 03:51 PM

Thanks for posting your dad's pics.

Violator · 09-10-2009, 12:24 AM

Great stuff, Frank. Thanks for sharing!

GrauGeist · 09-10-2009, 01:08 AM

Thanks for sharing your WWII photos, Frank. It's great to see history preserved, and those are some great photos your Dad took!

I noticed that some of the photos on the "WWII Extra" page look like they may be from North Africa or the Middle East.

Enjoyed the train photos, too!

diddyriddick · 09-10-2009, 11:19 AM

Very nice pics, Frank! Some of the pics on the first architecture page look like they might be Monte Cassino.

Being a railfan and living in Asheville, you should come see us at the Hamlet Historical Depot.

NCDOT Rail Division > Station Improvments > Hamlet

RabidAlien · 09-10-2009, 11:17 PM

Dang. Talk about making an entrance!!! Welcome aboard, Frank! Great pics!

Micdrow · 09-11-2009, 06:26 AM

Very cool Frank, thanks for sharing and welcome aboard!!!

frank754 · 10-08-2009, 06:58 PM

Hi folks,
Thanks for the kind words, and also by all the hits to my site I'm proud that so many people took interest in my dad's photos. I wanted to post a follow-up on this. I found my dad's Honorable Discharge papers so I was able to add more information. Plus I found his "Service Album" with a lot of the prints, so I was able to add captions to the vast majority of them now. I also added the info (or conjectures) that a few of you had supplied in the thread above.
Revisit the site if you wish.
Best regards,
Frank Florianz

Aaron Brooks Wolters · 10-08-2009, 08:56 PM

Whoa!!!

What a collection Frank, thank you for sharing!

Marcogrifo · 10-12-2009, 11:50 AM

Hi Frank,
nice collections indeed

And about your dad's shots in Italy I'd like to give the correct info about some of them, if I can:

Architecture Part III set: 1st photo isn't Rome; that's for sure the Cathedral of Bolzano.

Land Part II set: the 2nd shot wan't taken in Cannes but in Italy (maybe Florence, Rome, or other town I can't say precisely) simply because all shop signs are in italian (BTW the Birra Wuhrer is an italian beer indeed

).

Train / Rail Subjects set: shot #6 was taken in Bologna (the tall tower in the background is called "Torre degli Asinelli" and is the emblem of the city).

Extra Set: last three shots are certainly taken in North Africa too (Bolzano landscape in North Italy is very very different...)

That's all, and thank you for sharing your dad's memories with us.

Cheers

09-08-2009, 11:19 PM	#1
frank754 Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 2	Over 200 WWII pix from my dad now on my site Hi folks, I've had a busy summer scanning & posting pictures on my website, in addition to the over 1800 rail photos I have on there, I'm proud to say that now I finally have over 200 of my dad's photos from World War II now on the site, mostly scanned individually from negatives for the best quality (even though some still aren't the best), but many of these are really superb for their age, and I'm glad I was able to preserve a part of this history while I still can. They were stuffed in a metal can for decades, and many of them he had never printed at all. Go to: Frank's Photography Site and near the top is a link for the World War II photos. These were mostly taken in Italy around 1944-45. But these are mostly general land pictures, there are only 3 aircraft photos on the site (so please don't be disappointed). He mentioned that he was in the 421st Signal Co., which appears to have been part of the 15th Air Force, part of the sweep campaign from Tunisia through Italy in 1944. Though he passed away in 1988, and it seems I've had this metal can of negatives for years, I just recently looked at them and was amazed by how many there were, and that some are of very good quality. I just got a negative scanner a few months ago to work on my own collection of U.S. rail negatives (1969-present), so I knew it would only be a matter of time before I scanned & posted these. Hope you enjoy these, and write me back with any comments. I am going to look up some other forums on the web of aficionados from this era too, and hopefully they can fill me in on many of the missing captions, though I did a fairly good initial job of figuring out where a good deal of these may have been taken. Mainly (and I don't know how many thousands of photos like this are out there), I'm posting these for the enjoyment of all, but ESPECIALLY, I'd like to hear from folks who know WHERE EXACTLY and ABOUT WHAT DATES some of these were taken, to help recreate in my mind a better picture of my dad's life during the war, and assistance in ADDING MORE ACCURATE CAPTIONS to these photos. So best wishes to everyone, and please e-mail me if you have good info on the shots where I'm totally lacking. And of course, I hope you all enjo these photos. Frank Florianz, Asheville, NC email: frank754@bellsouth.net Best wishes, Frank Florianz

09-08-2009, 11:29 PM	#2
vikingBerserker Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: South Carolina Posts: 3,722	Very nice pics Frank, welcome aboard! __________________ "Those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it" "Those who dwell in the past, condemn the future"

09-08-2009, 11:30 PM	#3
syscom3 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Orange County, CA Posts: 10,277	Thanks for sharing the pics. __________________ "Pilot to copilot..... what are those mountain goats doing up here in the clouds?"

09-09-2009, 01:39 PM	#4
Njaco The Pop-Tart Whisperer Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: South Jersey, United States Posts: 10,228	Some great pics! On your "Equipment Page I", pic 2 - jeep might be from the 12th Air Force - they were stationed in that area. pic 3 - looks like a German '88 AA gun in the background. pic 5 - looks to be a German 'Hetzer' tank, though I'm not great with tank ID. and Pic 6 and 16 are definately C-47 'Dakotas'! Really great pics and I hope you get more info. Someone on the forum was looking for info on Foggia AB awhile ago. Might be good to search the forum. __________________ "If you can read this, thank a teacher. If it's English, thank a soldier!" http://www.njcacoa.org/

09-09-2009, 02:33 PM	#5
Gnomey "World Traveller" Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Royal Deeside/St Andrews, Scotland, UK Posts: 15,214	Nice pics, thanks for sharing. Welcome. __________________ "Success is not Final, Failure is not Fatal, it is the Courage to Continue that Counts" Sir Winston Churchill "To him the People of the World Largely owe the Freedom and Liberties they Enjoy Today" Enscription on Hugh Dowding's (AOC Fighter Command 1936-40) statue in London WW2 Talk: A WW2 Discussion Forum My Photo Collections on Flickr

09-09-2009, 02:46 PM	#6
DBII Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 1,429	Great pictures. My guess for the steaming trash can in the equipment section, it was boiling water used to clean the mess kits, canteens and canteen cups. Train photos are always good. Thanks for posting. Welcome to the group. DBII __________________ ~ Ladies and gentleman, this is your stewardess speaking. We regret any inconvenience the sudden cabin movement might have caused. This is due to periodic air pockets we encountered. There's no reason to be alarmed and we hope you enjoy the rest of your flight. By the way, is there anyone on board who knows how to fly a plane?~

09-09-2009, 03:51 PM	#7
Thorlifter Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Dallas, Tx Posts: 4,345	Thanks for posting your dad's pics. __________________

09-10-2009, 12:24 AM	#8
Violator Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 18	Great stuff, Frank. Thanks for sharing!

09-10-2009, 01:08 AM	#9
GrauGeist Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Redding, California Posts: 3,346	Thanks for sharing your WWII photos, Frank. It's great to see history preserved, and those are some great photos your Dad took! I noticed that some of the photos on the "WWII Extra" page look like they may be from North Africa or the Middle East. Enjoyed the train photos, too! __________________ "Look back over the past, with its changing empires that rose and fell, and you can foresee the future." - Marcus Aurelius, Emperor of Rome > I Support Doug Gillis <

09-10-2009, 11:19 AM	#10
diddyriddick Senior Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Hamlet, NC, US Posts: 720	Very nice pics, Frank! Some of the pics on the first architecture page look like they might be Monte Cassino. Being a railfan and living in Asheville, you should come see us at the Hamlet Historical Depot. NCDOT Rail Division > Station Improvments > Hamlet Last edited by diddyriddick; 09-10-2009 at 11:22 AM.

09-10-2009, 11:17 PM	#11
RabidAlien Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Hurst, Texas Posts: 2,823	Dang. Talk about making an entrance!!! Welcome aboard, Frank! Great pics! __________________ Pillage, then burn. Argue not with dragons, for thou art crunchy and go well on toast.

09-11-2009, 06:26 AM	#12
Micdrow “Archive” Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 4,850	Very cool Frank, thanks for sharing and welcome aboard!!! __________________ "Valor does not mean Hero."

10-08-2009, 06:58 PM	#13
frank754 Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 2	Hi folks, Thanks for the kind words, and also by all the hits to my site I'm proud that so many people took interest in my dad's photos. I wanted to post a follow-up on this. I found my dad's Honorable Discharge papers so I was able to add more information. Plus I found his "Service Album" with a lot of the prints, so I was able to add captions to the vast majority of them now. I also added the info (or conjectures) that a few of you had supplied in the thread above. Revisit the site if you wish. Best regards, Frank Florianz

10-08-2009, 08:56 PM	#14
Aaron Brooks Wolters Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Abingdon, VA. Posts: 2,283	Whoa!!! What a collection Frank, thank you for sharing!

10-12-2009, 11:50 AM	#15
Marcogrifo Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Genoa, Italy Posts: 186	Hi Frank, nice collections indeed And about your dad's shots in Italy I'd like to give the correct info about some of them, if I can: Architecture Part III set: 1st photo isn't Rome; that's for sure the Cathedral of Bolzano. Land Part II set: the 2nd shot wan't taken in Cannes but in Italy (maybe Florence, Rome, or other town I can't say precisely) simply because all shop signs are in italian (BTW the Birra Wuhrer is an italian beer indeed ). Train / Rail Subjects set: shot #6 was taken in Bologna (the tall tower in the background is called "Torre degli Asinelli" and is the emblem of the city). Extra Set: last three shots are certainly taken in North Africa too (Bolzano landscape in North Italy is very very different...) That's all, and thank you for sharing your dad's memories with us. Cheers

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