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.
Photograph of Layden's squadron during a "Presentation of Awards" ceremony at Membury Air Base. Layden also describes in captions the unit's move to Middle Wallop Air Base in November and includes a map of southern England.
Reconnaissance photographs taken over Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge in December, 1944. Photos include pictures of gliders and a crash-landed C-47 near Bastogne, a crash-landed B-24 near Namur, a tank battle southwest of Stavelot and a picture of the crossroads of Malmedy where German soldiers gun downed captured American soldiers.
Photograph of Lawrence Layden in an LST en route to Omaha Beach 24 days after D-Day and a photograph of an unnamed Normandy town (possibly Cherbourg, France).
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.
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.
Layden's first military security pass from Bowman Field, Louisville, Kentucky, issued June 26, 1941 and another card enabling him entry to the local Service Club.
Small photos of the Rhine River and the Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen. The 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Group passed by here en route to their next base a few weeks after the capture of the bridge at Remagen. The page also includes a brief historical overview concerning the strategies employed in chasing the Germans across the Rhine.
