In 1946, my grandfather was still in Europe after World War II.  He had a camera (maybe 2 since there are a few 35mm negatives mixed among the 120 negatives).  That’s about all I know.  My grandfather died in 1992.  When my grandmother died in 2008, we found a paper envelope filled with medium format negatives in the bottom of a box under a plastic “Nixon Now” banner.  There were no prints, and no one recalled seeing them.

For fear of them being misplaced, I took them home.  I used a flatbed scanner and remedial Photoshop skills to take a look, and immediately I knew they were fantastic shots taken sometime post-World War II.  Look at these guys.  That’s Papa on the far left.

They look so young.  And probably relieved.  And when you think of the gravity of the situation that brought them together, I couldn’t help but want to piece this story together.

I had all of the negatives professionally scanned.  And my research began.  Our family is sharing these images here.  We hope they provide a unique glimpse into a fascinating time in history.  We’d love your help in identifying the other veterans who appear in the photos.  They’re someone’s brother, father, grandfather, or friend.  We’ve been able to identify landmarks and we have vague time frames, but we would love to know more.