Pre-Writing Assignment #3

As is most likely obvious from my previous posts, I enjoy studying World War II. Unfortunately, most of my knowledge is of the fighting on the European mainland, which occurred two years after this photograph was taken. Thus, I got a few details wrong; such as the most likely time this picture was taken. This new information changes some aspects of the argument this photograph is making.

It is unfortunately necessary to make much of this post a history lesson. War is a continuum of troop and civilian morale. In order to understand the intended argument of a photograph, we must first understand what soldiers and civilians of the time were feeling.

The tank pictured is an M3 Lee (otherwise known as the M3 Grant). A better picture of the tank itself is included in this post.

Unfortunately, the exact date is not given for the photograph. In fact, the website states it was taken between 1940 and 1946. Given the historical context of the M3 (which was quickly phased out for the M4 Sherman) and teaching British soldiers how to use it, we can assume it was taken early in the war—probably 1942.

At the time, the M3 was the most advanced tank the Allies had developed. The British tanks were inferior to those of the Germans. (militaryfactory.com) This would have been a major source of national pride to Americans. The United States was the newcomer to the war, and its military technology had already eclipsed that of the British. This picture is a testament to that American ingenuity. It demonstrates that, while the Americans may be late, they are still superior to the British and have something to offer in this war.

As mentioned in an earlier post, this picture also attempts to strengthen the American resolve in the war effort. The armies of the United States had already seen action against the Vichy French and had been met with incredible success. The defeats mentioned in previous posts would come in 1943. This picture, with the confident countenance of the American teacher, shows the American public and troops that the Americans could indeed win the war.

As stated before, many of the “decisions” such as lighting and contrast are simply products of period technology. However, it seems difficult for the background to be completely white on accident. Given the historical context, the photographer could have been making the argument that, no matter where the two sides clashed, the M3 and the Allies would be victorious.

Because of the relative danger of operation Shermans, American WW2 tanks are known today as deathtraps. (Hawks) We see death and dying whenever we see an American tank from the period. This view is unchanged by the exact date of a photograph or the make of a tank. Even though we see death, the viewers of the time saw hope. This can be plainly seen when we examine the historical context of the photograph.

Works Cited:

Staff Writer, miliartyfactory.com, "Medium Tank, M3 (Lee / Grant)", (c) 2003-2010

"A Brief History of WWII: North Africa", Worldwariihistory.info, adapted from "A Brief History of the U.S. Army in World War II" by the U.S. Army Center for Military History.

Hawks, Chuck, chuckhawks.com, "The Best Army Tanks of World War II"

Pre-Writing Assignment #2

The title for the photograph explicitly tells us the relationship between the seven men. They are soldiers, equal, fighting for one cause. Even though the American is teaching the British soldiers, and thus seems to be the leader, this cannot be assumed. All seven of these men had been through the hell of modern warfare. They had seen the almost invincible Panzer tanks barreling toward them. They had seen their friends die in the deathtraps that were early Allied tanks. They had seen their shells ineffectively bounce off the Panzer’s thick armor. Only when we understand this historical context can even partially begin to understand the relationship these men share. The British are intently listening to the American because they know the information they learn in this crash course could one day save their lives. The American lovingly looks at the shell because he knows it can one day destroy a Panzer before it destroys him.

In analyzing the landscape, keeping to a strict definition will not be extremely beneficial. The landscape of the photograph consists of a flat, sunny desert and a tank. The tank is closer to a person in the photograph (see the analysis above) than an object. Analyzing the broader context of the landscape (i.e. the North African desert), however, is extremely beneficial.

Erwin Rommel, the German commander in Africa, hated the continent. It was hard on machines, men, and supplies. The Allies hated Africa as well for many of the same reasons, but had the added problem that the Germans were very skilled at desert warfare. This information adds a new level of meaning to the picture. Not only are the men in the picture soldiers, they are also desperate. Every man in the picture despises the hot days and cold nights, the sand, the sun, the endless dunes, the Germans, and even sometimes their own commanders. They simply wanted out, and they saw the new generation of tanks as the way to do it. The lighting of the picture also highlights this with the extremely bright sun distorting the image.

This picture does not really have any geography or structural types, especially if we count the tank as a person, as I am doing for this analysis. However, the historical context and the meaning it would have to the original audience is worth mentioning.

When the United States entered the war, the Americans suffered a series of humiliating losses. Outdated equipment, poor leadership, and inexperience plagued the American armies. These new tanks represented a change. This picture would cause a highly patriotic reaction in its original audience. This is especially true because it shows an American teaching British soldiers how to operate machinery. At the time, the British believed the Americans had no right to teach them how to fight a war which Britain had been fighting for over a year.

This photograph has many layers of emotion and feeling. The men show us desperate, determined soldiers. The photographer is intending to stir up patriotic feelings in his audience. Much of the meaning is lost today, but if we put ourselves in the context of the 1940s, we can begin to understand the argument of the photograph.