[VERNACULAR PHOTOGRAPH ALBUM OF A MEMBER OF THE UNITED STATES 81st INFANTRY "WILDCATS" DURING THE ALLIED OCCUPATION OF JAPAN IN 1945]

[Various places including Sapporo and Aomori Prefecture, 1945].. 298 mounted photographs on [35] leaves, most photographs 2 3/4 x 4 1/2 inches. Plus one laid-in photograph of Company A, with one member's picture excised. Oblong folio photograph album. Blindstamped red paper in the form of faux leather, gilt pictorial embossed illustration on front board, string-tied. Minor peeling and rubbing to boards. Most leaves loose between boards, images clean and in good condition. Very good overall. An interesting vernacular photograph album kept by a member of the United States 81st Infantry Division, nicknamed the "Wildcats," in occupied Japan. The division embarked for Hawaii in June of 1944, and saw action with heavy casualties in Palau and Peleliu. They were deployed to the Philippines for most of the rest of the war, and after the Japanese surrender were stationed in Aomori Prefecture as a part of the Allied occupation force. This photo album dates from the latter period, and largely from what appears to be an extended trip to Sapporo across the Tsugaru Strait. The unnamed soldier who compiled this album supplies numerous pictures of the city and his friends in the regiment, generally captioned in blue ink. Photographs tend to focus on the city's architecture, including schools and municipal buildings as well as long distance shots of the skyline, cultural sites such as a Shinto shrine or events such as a parade, and local girls. There are also some photos of locals including a group of young Japanese men, a family with young infants, and shop or street scenes. The other main focus of the album is on the American military, with many images of the soldier and his friends posing in front of their vehicles, including tanks, cars, and battleships, or relaxing in camp or on the town.

The "Wildcat" division was organized in 1917 in Tennessee, composed mostly of Southern soldiers. Their training took place at Camp Jackson near Wildcat Creek, and the story goes that some soldiers trapped an actual wildcat ("Tuffy") near the eponymous creek and kept it as a mascot. Tuffy was a popular addition, and the Wildcat was officially adopted as the symbol of the division in 1918. After protracted arguments with administration, the unit's leader (Major General Charles Bailey) touted the advantages of a shoulder patch with the Wildcat logo in boosting the morale of the soldiers. General Pershing approved the use of the patch, reportedly saying "all right, go ahead and wear it; and see to it that you live up to it." The division was reinstated for the Second World War, then deactivated again in January of 1946.

An interesting collection of photographs from an American soldier in Japan immediately after the war.