Underwear Day, Part 2 - Military Men

Part two of Underwear Day features military men,

starting with two fellows who fill out their BVDs.

 

Buddies

I think they like each other.

 

More friendlies

Here's another pair in the barracks who seem more than just a little friendly.

 

Chemistry?

Is it just me, or is there some chemistry developing in this navy bunk room?

 

Sergeant

Finishing with a U.S. Army sergeant getting drunk in his motel room.

I wonder if the photographer tried to take advantage of him.

 

Singing

Lots of togetherness and a couple of singers in this one.

 

Military Day

Today's them is the military, and we start with the obligatory shower shot.

 

Delousing

Trench warfare produced perfect conditions for lice, so all the armies had to take elaborate 

measures to deal with them.  This is a German delousing facility from 1916.

 

Five in a bed

I'm sure this wasn't the usual sleeping arrangement,

but it must have been fun while it lasted.

 

Bucket

It looks like this WWII German soldier is about to be doused by his bucket wielding friend.

If so, I think his towel could easily get soaked as well.

 

Latvian Rifle Regiment

This is a Latvian rifle regiment exercising on a beach near Jurmala in 1916.  At that time, they would have been in the Russian Imperial Army.  Enlarge and you might see some peekaboo items.

 

Estonian Recruits

Thought I'd sneak in this pair of Estonian interwar recruits.

They look pretty good from any direction.

 

VD Inspection

Here we have what looks like one of those impromtu VD inspections in the field.

This time, it's the American army, but several others did it.

 

Buddies

No nudity, but I really like this snapshot.

 

Germans 1915

Here we have some Germans on a beach in 1915.

 

Poilu

I found our last military photo in a group labeled "Poilus," an affectionate term for early 20th Century French soldiers that roughly translates as "hairy ones."  The photos were cropped from what appears to be an art textbook.  That makes sense because a method was taught at that time for making clothed men appear more natural by sketching them nude first and then adding the clothing later.  American muralist Allyn Cox used this method, and I've posted examples here.

 

Chubby Day

Rejoice, Leroy!  It's chubby day on the blog, and we start with something from World War II.  I have over half a dozen photos of this guy washing his truck on the Ledo Road during the Burmese campaign.  In this "new" one, the man at right seems to staring straight at our hero's package.  The picture was taken by Bernard Hoffman in 1944, and it's in the LIFE Archive.

 

Happy Camper

The happiest camper here appears to be the naked guy.

 

Barracks Hijinks . . . Again

Our only indoor shot of the day features some World War II era 

Germans  having fun in the barracks.

 

Military Day

It's military day, and I have no location for this item from the LIFE archive.

As usual, Google Images search came up empty.