Air Force·Consolidated / merged·In Memoriam
USAAF Aerial Photographer-Gunner
MOS 939 / 940
Served: 1941–1945
Enlisted AAF crewmember who shot strike-assessment and reconnaissance photos from manned bomber and recon aircraft — distinct from the rated photo-recon pilot and from the ground-side Aerial Photographer (MOS 004).
The Story
Three separate WWII MOS codes covered the photo trade — 004 (technical photogrammetrist), 939 (aerial photographer-gunner), 940 (aerial photographer in gunnery control). The 9th Air Force ran combat photographer detachments who flew on bomb missions to bring back the prints.
Epitaph
“Shot the bandit. Shot the bomb hit. Same finger.”
Sources
- Military Yearbook — AAF WWII MOSmilitaryyearbookproject.org
- Marshall Foundation — AAF Photographerswww.marshallfoundation.org