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Frank J. Davis’ frontline photographs and images portray life during World War II, including images from Washington, DC; Italy; France; and Saipan. Read more about Frank J. Davis in his autobiography.
The photographs in this web site are from Southern Methodist University’s Frank J. Davis collection of approximately 600 images. The images are part of Central University Libraries' Government Information Department.
SMU has published two other digital collections of World War II materials: Historic Government Publications from World War II, and Melvin C. Shaffer World War II Photographs. The Historic Government Publications collection contains reports, propaganda, and other materials distributed by the U.S. Government Printing Office during the Second World War. Melvin C. Shaffer's images depict life in North Africa, Italy, Southern France, and Germany from 1943 to 1945.
Some of the highlights of the Davis collection are:
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shots of MMAS training procedures in Washington;
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images of a "captured" German military hospital;
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images of the aftermath of Italian battle of Cassino;
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photographs of the Enola Gay;
- photos of the surrender of the famous "hold-out" Japanese forces under the command of Captain Oba in December 1945;
- a variety cartoons, cards, road signs, and U.S.O. shows.
Davis served in the 6th MMAS [Medical Museum and Arts Service] unit during the Second World War. The Armed Forces Institute of Pathology/Army Medical Museum in Washington organized units of six personnel plus a commanding officer to furnish medical illustration services to the medical corps in various overseas operations. Starting in 1942 -- and gathering personnel with previous experience -- the units were assembled and given basic medical training plus workshops in medical photography and medical art before deployment. Altogether six such Medical Museum and Arts Service (MMAS) units were deployed, first to India to serve the India/Burma campaigns then to North Africa, England and the South Pacific.
The most significant work of these units was to illustrate the various Army training manuals regarding the use of the new drugs sulfanilimide and penicillin.
While in the MMAS, Davis worked with Melvin C. Shaffer, whose photographs are available in the Melvin C. Shaffer Collection.
Almost immediately after arriving in Naples, Davis was assigned to go to France and photograph medical activities northwest of Dijon, which at the time was near the front lines. He spent his time at battalion aid stations, German field hospitals and similar facilities, taking picture after picture that would be used to show the history of Army medical activities in the war and to provide training materials for future generations of soldiers. He worked on his personal photography, as well.
The European war ended while Davis was in the Po Valley area of Italy. He returned to Naples and the 6th MMAS was sent to a staging area near Marseilles, France. He joined 10,000 men on a large vessel and sailed off for the Pacific, where the war with Japan raged on.
Hundreds of thousands of U.S. soldiers were scheduled for redeployment to the Pacific after victory in Europe, and Davis’ unit was part of this vast migration. They crossed the Atlantic, passed through the Panama Canal and then, just a day or so away from Pearl Harbor, they learned about the dropping of the atomic bombs. They docked in Hawaii and that evening the Japanese surrender was announced.
But several days later, Davis and his comrades debarked at Saipan in the Mariana Islands -- climbing down rope ladders off the huge ship and into landing crafts that took them to shore. There were still hostile Japanese troops in the hills, and they were warned not to stray up there. Davis’ unit was dissolved and he found himself back in the photographic section of the Signal Corps. But, he reminisces, “There wasn't much to do except swim in the beautiful, crystal-clear water, take scenic photo views, and photograph white grave markers whenever the Red Cross passed on a request from relatives of those who died in the 1944 battle for the island.”
Usage: The files in this collection are protected by copyright law. No commercial reproduction or distribution of these files is permitted without the written permission of Southern Methodist University, Central University Libraries. These files may be freely used for educational purposes, provided they are not altered in any way, and Southern Methodist University is cited. A high-quality version of these files may be obtained for a fee by contacting ncds@smu.edu.
Contact: For more information about the Frank J. Davis photographs, or if you have more details about the places and events depicted in the photographs, contact us at ncds@smu.edu.