Four photographs of Benito Mussolini after death. The photographs were brought back from Italy and given to Lawrence Layden. Top left: Mussolini and mistress after execution. Top right: Mussolini hung upside down after execution. Bottom left: Battered body of Mussolini in coffin after abuse of corpse. Bottom right: Battered body of Mussolini after abuse of corpse.
Shoulder patches worn by Layden's unit from 1941-1943. In October 1943, Layden's group was assigned to the IX Air Force. Page also includes an article from the Stars and Stripes about the not-so secret arrival of the IX Air Force in England.
Three photographs of Buchenwald. Top: Bodies stacked outside furnace. Right: Another view of bodies stacked outside furnace. Middle Right: Bodies of two camp guards who disguised themselves as inmates. Also includes a May 1945 newspaper clipping about Lawrence Layden's visit to Buchenwald.
Typewritten copy from the Army and Navy Register detailing the reconnaissance operations leading up to the German breakthrough and the Battle of the Bulge. Inclement weather had hampered aerial reconnaissance for several days before and after the German breakthrough.
Layden embarked for home on the SS Bardstown Victory on September 26, 1945, and arrived in New York on October 6th. This onboard newsletter, the "Sea Bag," thanks Capt. Layden for "giving his afternoons in the interest of Personal Affairs" during the voyage home.
Selection of concentration camps with their date of liberation, name of liberator and prisoner statistics taken from "U.S. News and World Report" April 3, 1995.
To stay close to the front lines the Reconnaissance Group moved to site "A-46" on the west border of Paris. Page includes a stock postcard of their headquarters, Le Chateau d'Ors, and a photograph of the Eiffel Tower. Lawrence Layden and friends were able to visit Paris shortly after its liberation.
