Aerial Photographer Experience in the Pacific During WWII

A Nebraskan Aerial Photographer’s Experience in the Pacific During WWII

Robert Auker Merchant (1920-2008) at age 22 became a staff sergeant with the 90th Bomb Group (the “Jolly Rogers”) in the United States Army Air Forces. He served from 1942-1945. The 90th Bomb Group operated predominately in the Southwest Pacific (Australia and New Guinea) as a B-24 Liberator heavy bomber unit assigned to the Fifth Air Force. Merchant worked as an aerial photographer, documenting several attacks, battles, and rescue missions while in air and while on the ground. He also captured B-24 nose art and wrecked Japanese warplanes.

Photos taken by aerial photographers were not always simply for historical purposes, as one of Merchant’s pictures in the Pacific region illustrates. Their skills were often used for reconnaissance, mapping the location of enemy troop formations and target areas. Merchant served with several other photographers in his unit. While it is presumed that all the photos in the collection were taken by Merchant himself, some trading of photographs did go on between photography units.

After WWII ended Merchant returned home to Wayne, Nebraska, and took over management of his father’s business, Merchant Oil Company. Merchant married Pauline K. Kunde in 1946; they had two daughters, Paulette and Joanie. Merchant was an active member of the Wayne community. He served as president of the Wayne Chamber of Commerce and was instrumental in forming the Wayne Rural Volunteer Fire Department. Starting in 1947 he was also involved in freemasonry, receiving the Grand Masters Humanitarian Award in 2002. Merchant’s daughters, Paulette and Joanie graciously donated his collection to the Nebraska State Historical Society in 2011. With more than 300 photos in the collection, Robert Merchant’s camera lens allows us a glimpse into life in the Army Air Forces during the Second World War, seen from the perspective of a young man from Wayne, Nebraska.

B-24 Nose Art

Nose art was used during WWII to boost morale by illustrating loved ones and characters that served as a reminder of home. Nose art varied depending upon the crew’s personal tastes. Some favored cartoon characters, or drawings similar to the style of political cartoons, while others preferred pin-up girls. Like other airmen, the Jolly Rogers decorated the noses of their planes, mostly B-24 Liberators.

Hangover Haven II - This nose art was drawn and signed by artist Al Merkling.

Big Emma - The large number of bomb and plane decals indicate that this plane has already flown several missions and destroyed several enemy aircrafts.

Come And Get It - Donald Duck of Disney fame is painted on this B-24. Disney cartoons were commonly used for nose art during WWII.

The Butcher Boy (serial number: 41-24108)

Hellzapoppin

Joltin’ Janie II - This B-24 was a part of the 321st bomb squadron.

Heavenly Body

The Redhot Ridinhood - This nose art is a risqué reimaging of the 1943 cartoon character of the same name. The cartoon character was a nightclub singer and the big bad wolf clad in gentlemen’s attire.

Honeymoon Express - Two men presumably assigned to this particular B-24 pose next to the artwork from the cockpit.

Temptation - Temptation was shot down during a mission in the Pacific. Two of its crew were never found.

Pretty Baby

Naughty Blue Eyes

Gone With The Wind (serial number: 41-24286)

The Nipper - This B-24 crashed somewhere en route from Australia to Hamilton Air Force Base, California. It was deemed officially lost on December 19, 1943.

Patched Up Piece - Artwork by Al Merkling

Ready Willing and Able - This B-24 is marked with having participated in 59 bombing missions, and having shot down three enemy fighters and one ship.

How’m-I-Doin’ - This B-24 was part of the Jolly Rogers’ 320th Bomb Squadron.

Margie - The artwork of this B-24 is based on Margie Stewart, the only official U.S. Army pin-up girl.

Star Duster

The Strip Polka (Serial number: 42-40970)

American Beauty

Jolly Roger Express (serial number: 42-109996)

Pluto

Mission Belle (serial number: 42-40389) - The crew of the B-24 Mission Belle pose by their plane, which features Hedy Lamar’s character Tondelayo from the 1942 film White Cargo.

Nose Art in Flight

Not all of Robert Merchant’s nose art photos were taken on the ground. Several of his photos, shown here, have accompanying images taken in flight as well.

The tail fins of the B-24 Liberators flown by the 90th Bomb Group (the Jolly Rogers) all sport the skull-and-crossed-bombs insignia.

Moby Dick - The B-24 Liberator Moby Dick and four other B-24’s fly in formation above the clouds.

Moby Dick - The small bombs drawn onto the plane signify the number of missions the crew of Moby Dick had flown. The images of the two planes indicate a specific type of aircraft Moby Dick had shot down, and the three ships refer to specific Japanese ships the Moby Dick had destroyed.

Moby Dick - An aerial shot of a B-24 Liberator with shark teeth nose art similar to that of Moby Dick.

Moby Dick and Moby Dick Jr. - This shows the two war planes, Moby Dick and Moby Dick Jr. on the ground. According to an uncredited source, both planes were part of the 320th Squadron, Whale Tale.

Little Beaver - The B-24 liberator, Little Beaver.

The Dude - The B-24 Liberator, The Dude, flying above the clouds.

The Dude - This shows the B-24 liberator, The Dude with a close up of its nose art.

Camp Life

Robert Merchant spent most of his service time stationed in the Pacific especially, Australia and New Guinea. There he encountered people and animals very different from those found in his hometown of Wayne, Nebraska.

Wayne reported a population of 2,719 in 1940. Merchant finished high school while helping his father with the family business, and before enlisting in the army was working for International Harvester selling dairy equipment to local farmers.

Nothing in Merchant’s experience prepared him for the customs he encountered in New Guinea. Several native tribes reportedly practiced cannibalism, pigs were regarded as sacred creatures, and tribal women did not wear shirts. The 90th also encountered large snakes that often crept into base fortifications.

Merchant also documented tropical camp life. Regular day-to-day chores, such as doing laundry by hand, occasionally led to some goofing around in front of the camera. This portion of the collection offers a glimpse at daily life in the U.S. Army in the Pacific.

Robert Merchant “helps” two friends relocate a trunk full of photography equipment.

Robert Merchant, four 90th Bomb Group personnel and one native man lean against a native boat while stationed in New Guinea. Third from the left is Captain Norman J. Lawler.

In this group photo of the 90th Bomb Group, Robert Merchant stands in the second row from the top, fourth from the left.

A group photo of Robert Merchant’s unit while stationed in the Pacific. Merchant stands at the far right. The officer far left, front row is Lt. Gen. George Kenney, Officer Commanding 5th Air Force. The first from the left in the back row is Colonel Ralph Koon and the fourth from the left in the back row is Lt. Colonel Art Rogers.

While stationed in Australia, this tent served as home for Merchant and the fellow members of his unit.

An Army officer poses in front of a base sign for the “400th Bomb Squadron”.

A makeshift billboard outside a U.S. Army base camp depicts two contrasting ideas of army life during the war.

A sign that hangs outside the 90th’s base.

Robert Merchant and three friends sit outside their living quarters on a U.S. base in the Pacific.

Many large, poisonous snakes inhabit the jungles of New Guinea. These men pose with a snake discovered in their base camp.

Sleeping can be difficult with a large poisonous snake hanging from your ceiling. Merchant (right).

Soldiers completed everyday chores, such as laundry, the old fashioned way. Here Merchant washes his clothing using a washboard, while laundry dries behind him.

While visiting a native village Robert Merchant and an Australian Army Lieutenant pose in front of a village hut with a native woman. A note from Merchant on the back of the photo reads , “Dad, was it hot this day”.

Nine enlisted men stretch out a snake found at their base camp somewhere in the Pacific.

Robert Merchant and his friends goof off for the camera.

New Guinea Rescue Mission

Wartime photographers went everywhere. In 1943 Merchant reportedly accompanied a rescue mission of a B-24 plane that crashed into a mountain “somewhere in New Guinea.” The ten men aboard the crashed plane were taken in by a nearby native village in exchange for cigarettes. Due to an injury to one of the ten officers, they were forced to stay on the ground until the officer healed enough to be flown out. Using parachutes, the men wrote coded messages to their rescuers flying above, sometimes positioning some of the natives to highlight the finer details of their messages. From the rescue plane, Merchant took several photos of the messages.

An aerial shot of the New Guinea native village that took in the ten Army officers. The parachute floating down contained either a letter or supplies for the officers.

According to an uncredited article, while awaiting the ten Army officers, wrote messages in parachutes that could be seen from the air. The rescue team replied by sending letters down by parachute.

The message seen here, written in parachutes to be seen from the air by the rescue team, requests coffee and cigarettes. The men on the ground had traded most of theirs away in exchange for help from the natives.

To get the attention of the rescue planes, this message displays the Jolly Rogers’ skull-and-crossed-bombs insignia. The eyes of the skull are actually two natives kneeling down on top of the parachute. The rest of the message indicates that the stranded party will be ready to leave for the landing strip at 8 a.m the next morning. The “T” means that the injured officer will be well enough to be ferried out in a plane.

The parachute message here states “no contact” meaning that they would be unable to contact the rescue team for an unspecified amount of time.

Reportedly, the three “X’s” in this parachute message also indicate there would be no contact for awhile.

After landing, the rescue team and stranded officers pose in front of the rescue plane, the Flamingo.

New Guinea Aerial Assault

Robert Merchant spent part of his time in service stationed out of Port Moresby, New Guinea, the Allies’ last major line of defense of Australia from the Japanese. Merchant saw action while he was in service in New Guinea. Several of his photos are marked as having been taken in the “Salamau Peninsula”, and “Hollandia”.

One of the major battles fought in this area was the Battle of the Bismarck Sea, March 204, 1943. This battle, a lopsided Allied victory, was fought to prevent the Japanese from delivering men and supplies in New Guinea. The Japanese were reported at the time to have lost 15,000 men.

An aerial view of the bombing of the But Airdrome on the coast of New Guinea.

This photo reads, "Intelligence figured this place as being headquarters for the dromes area. One quick slash from six liberators and it was gone." One the right side of this aerial view, smoke rises after several bombs were dropped on the “headquarters”. A “drome” is an airfield equipped with control towers and hangers. It was particularly important for the Allies to destroy the landing strips to prevent Japanese reinforcements from landing.

An aerial side view of crashed Japanese planes with smoke rising from them. The back of the photo reads, "Hollandia Air Drome". There were three major airdromes in the Hollandia area. The Allies captured all three, with little opposition from the Japanese.

This shows an aerial view of bombs exploding over land and water. The back of the photo reads "Salamaua Peninsula" Salamau was originally intended by the The Japanese originally intended Salamaua as a staging post for an assault on Port Moresby, because taking control of the Australian territory of New Guinea was a major aspect of Operations Mo, Japan’s overarching plan to isolate Australia and New Zealand from the United states. However, the plan to take Port Moresby was abandoned after several failed attacks. Instead, the Japanese converted the Salamaua port into a major supply base.

Wrecked Japanese Planes

Merchant also captured the aftermath of battles, such as the Battle of the Bismarck Sea. Exploring plane wreckage and bombed bases, he took many photos including several with triumphant soldiers posing over the defeated.