By Audrey Lemick

When most people think of the U.S. Army Air Forces in World War II, the first image that usually comes to mind is that of the heavy bombers, the B-17s and B-24s, that ravaged targets in Europe and the B-29s that wreaked havoc on Japanese cities in the Pacific.

Second comes recognition of the fighter squadrons that dueled with enemy pilots to protect the aerial fleets of bombers or strafe targets on the ground—trains, truck convoys, and enemy positions.

Hardly any thought these days is given to the brave pilots who risked their lives taking aerial photographs so that the bombers could find their targets and later assess the effectiveness (or lack thereof) of the bombing.

Photo reconnaissance was a vital part of the Allied war effort, and the 30th Squadron, 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Group of Lt. Gen. Lewis Brereton’s England-based U.S. Ninth Air Force played a key role in aerial photo mapping, target selection, and documenting enemy troop concentrations and fortifications.

The squadron’s mission was to take still- and motion-picture films of enemy positions, bomb-damage assessment photos following bombing raids, and included, as a 1943 Air Force booklet pointed out, “securing information necessary for planning the employment of a striking force.” The 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Group was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation for its most storied job of flying missions “at minimum altitudes along the Normandy invasion beaches immediately preceding Allied landings [on June 6, 1944].”

Eventually, the group’s converted P-38 (F-5) Lightning and P-51 Mustang (F-6) camera planes flew more than 5,000 missions, took over 2,200,000 photographs, operated over France, Belgium, and Germany, and were the first American planes to operate from bases east of the Rhine River. At war’s end, members of the squadron became witnesses to Nazi atrocities at the Buchenwald concentration camp outside Weimar, Germany.

Sergeant Charles D. Lemick of Gary, Indiana, an instrument repair specialist who performed maintenance on instruments carried by unarmed P-38 camera planes, served with the squadron. An avid amateur photographer, Lemick recorded his wartime journeys through England, France, Belgium, and Germany. Although orders were issued prohibiting GIs from taking pictures in combat zones, that order was, luckily for historians, widely ignored. The result is a remarkably candid view of the war by amateur photographers.

The photographer, Sergeant Charles D. Lemick, in the cockpit of a P-38 (F-5) Lightning.
The photographer, Sergeant Charles D. Lemick, in the cockpit of a P-38 (F-5) Lightning.
This 40mm Bofors antiaircraft gun was one of several that protected the Le Molay airfield.
This 40mm Bofors antiaircraft gun was one of several that protected the Le Molay airfield.
American communication troops in action at Tossous-­le-Noble, France.
American communication troops in action at Tossous-­le-Noble, France.
The aircraft mechanics and technicians of the 30th Squadron, 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Group, Ninth Air Force, photographed at their English base in Chalgrove, Oxfordshire, April 8, 1944.
The aircraft mechanics and technicians of the 30th Squadron, 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Group, Ninth Air Force, photographed at their English base in Chalgrove, Oxfordshire, April 8, 1944.
An American three-quarter-ton Dodge weapons carrier WC-51 passes a destroyed German armored vehicle, a victim of the fierce fighting in Carentan several weeks earlier.
An American three-quarter-ton Dodge weapons carrier WC-51 passes a destroyed German armored vehicle, a victim of the fierce fighting in Carentan several weeks earlier.
A camera plane recorded this low-angle scene of German troops installing obstacles along Normandy’s Omaha Beach and running for cover shortly before the Allied invasion. (photo by U.S. Army Air Forces)
A camera plane recorded this low-angle scene of German troops installing obstacles along Normandy’s Omaha Beach and running for cover shortly before the Allied invasion. (photo courtesy U.S. Army Air Forces)
USO singer Dinah Shore entertained the troops at Le Molay, France, summer 1944.
USO singer Dinah Shore entertained the troops at Le Molay, France, summer 1944.
A high-angle BDA (bomb-­damage assessment) photo of Nevers, July 17, 1944. Bomb craters and smoke from burning freight cars in the railroad marshalling yard are clearly visible. (photo by U.S. Army Air Forces)
A high-angle BDA (bomb-­damage assessment) photo of Nevers, July 17, 1944. Bomb craters and smoke from burning freight cars in the railroad marshalling yard are clearly visible. (photo courtesy U.S. Army Air Forces)
After the first American troops entered the Buchenwald concentration camp near Weimar, Germany, on April 11, 1945, General Eisenhower insisted that as many units as possible visit the camp. Here, two U.S. soldiers walk among liberated prisoners. The sign on the barracks wall reads, “The German Political Prisoners Greet Their American Friends.”
After the first American troops entered the Buchenwald concentration camp near Weimar, Germany, on April 11, 1945, General Eisenhower insisted that as many units as possible visit the camp. Here, two U.S. soldiers walk among liberated prisoners. The sign on the barracks wall reads, “The German Political Prisoners Greet Their American Friends.”
Human organs, preserved in formaldehyde and photographed by Lemick in the camp’s pathology laboratory, were taken from prisoners who died or were killed at Buchenwald. Many of these exhibits were later introduced as evidence in the Nazi war crimes trials.
Human organs, preserved in formaldehyde and photographed by Lemick in the camp’s pathology laboratory, were taken from prisoners who died or were killed at Buchenwald. Many of these exhibits were later introduced as evidence in the Nazi war crimes trials.
Piles of emaciated corpses were left at Buchenwald as silent witnesses to the Nazis’ brutal treatment of inmates.
Piles of emaciated corpses were left at Buchenwald as silent witnesses to the Nazis’ brutal treatment of inmates.
A group of GIs inspects the portable gallows that were used to execute inmates who had committed crimes at Buchenwald, such as stealing, sabotage, and attempting to escape.
A group of GIs inspects the portable gallows that were used to execute inmates who had committed crimes at Buchenwald, such as stealing, sabotage, and attempting to escape.
Audrey and Charles Lemick, photographed in Normandy in May 2004, during a 50th anniversary D-Day trip to France.
Audrey and Charles Lemick, photographed in Normandy in May 2004, during a 50th anniversary D-Day trip to France.

These photos were graciously provided by Lemick’s widow, Audrey, of Highlands Ranch, Colorado.

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