brian cassidy bookselle

41.
[World War II]: [Photography]
APID 12TH ARMY GROUP [Cover Title]
PHOTO INTELLIGENCE [Interior Title]
np: (12th Army Group), [1945]
Oblong 8vo. Cloth covered boards. Photographic pastedowns to front
and rear covers with fabric insignia mounted to front. 29 real photo
leaves mounted to tabs. Boards, contents moderately bowed and with
mild handling wear. Previous ownership inscription to interior. Final
leaf a bit edge-worn. Otherwise sound, clean. Very good or better.
A military photobook with an unusual depth of design, detailing the
contributions of the Twelfth United States Army Group's Aerial Photography
Interpretation Detachment to the Allied ground invasion in
Europe, beginning with Omaha Beach and ending with the German surrender.
The APID served as photo intelligence support, examining millions
of aerial views. From the introductory leaf: “From D-Day (and
before) till the last death rattle of the Wehrmacht, millions of aerial
photographs passed thru [sic] our hands. Under magnifying glass
and stereoscope they disclose the enemy's cherished secrets, answered
questions, and helped solve strategic and tactical problems.
Here in brief, is the story of the campaign as we saw it — through
the eyes of the camera. APID, 12th Army Group.” With each picture
captioned in the negative, an unusual WWII history. OCLC locates only
two copies (MoMA and the Met).
-1750-
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