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William P. McCampbell (1921--1993) served with the US Army Air Forces during World War II as a pilot flying Douglas C-47 Skytrain aircraft in the European Theater. McCampbell was also an avid amateur photographer. This collection consists of seventy-five 35mm color slides relating to McCampbell's service during the war and includes views of equipment, ships, aerial views, aircraft, and notable local places. The collection also contains a portrait of McCampbell in uniform, a 1945 letter from McCampbell to his uncle sent from Germany in which McCampbell details his unit's participation in the airborne assault across the Rhine in March 1945, and other printed material.
Identifier
NASM.2024.0008
Creator
McCampbell, William Pancoast, 1921-1993
Date
circa 1941-1946
Provenance
Laura McCampbell Villarreal, Gift, 2023, NASM.2024.0008
Extent
0.02 Cubic feet
Archival Repository
National Air and Space Museum Archives
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of seventy-five 35mm color slides relating to William Pancoast McCampbell's service in World War II. The slides include images taken at Randolph Field, Texas as well as images taken in France, Switzerland, Austria, and Germany. The images include views of various US Army Air Forces personnel, including several images of McCampell; views of equipment; ships; aerial views; aircraft, including air to air views; and notable local places. Aircraft shown in the slides include the North American P-51 Mustang, North American BT-9 Yale, North American AT-6 Texan, Douglas B-18, Douglas C-47 Skytrain, Beech AT-10 Wichita, and the Junkers Ju 88. The collection also contains copies of the following items: a portrait of McCampbell in uniform, a 1945 letter from McCampbell to his uncle sent from Germany in which McCampbell details his unit's participation in the airborne assault across the Rhine in March 1945, a redacted copy of McCampbell's military service record, and a newspaper clipping featuring a photograph of McCampbell.
Arrangement note
Materials in this collection are grouped by format. The 35mm color slides have been loosely grouped by subject and arranged in roughly chronological order.
Rights
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Restrictions
No restrictions on access
Citation
World War II Color Slides [McCampbell], NASM.2024.0008, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Topics
Aeronautics
Aeronautics, Military
Airplanes
Air pilots
Douglas C-47 Skytrain Family
North American P-51 Mustang Family
North American BT-9 Yale
World War, 1939-1945
World War, 1939-1945 -- Aerial operations
Type
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Color slides
Documents