Easy 39th has a larger list of Pamphlets, so if you don’t see what you want here, you can head to that page. War Time Press is also another site to look at. However, they appear to only send out digital copies. For civilian magazines and newspapers, see: World War Two Civilian Magazines and Newspapers.
Yank
For a complete directory and listing of all WW2-era Yank magazines, see The Unz Review. Note that it only shows based on the individual article. You do not seem able to download a whole magazine. Nobody seems able to reproduce them either.
That said, I have some magazines that I’ve found that have been uploaded as a PDF: Yank Jan 6th 1943 The Navy Issue, Yank Magazine Jan 5th 1945, and Yank Magazine April 20th 1945. They are set up to be printed on a standard 8.5×11 piece of computer paper. The problem is that Yank Magazines are 10.25in. high and 14in. wide, and the PDFs contain watermarks and other post-WW2 library catalog information. Also, this is newspaper print, not modern printing paper.
Pocket Guides
A Pocket Guide to Northern Ireland – War and Navy Departments 1942 – Contains instructions on how to print this off.
Pocket Guide to the Cities of Southern France 1944 – Guide to cities in southern France. Maybe someone more handy with Photoshop can remove the references to the library in it.
Bulletins
All Hands Naval Personnel Information Bulletin September 1944 11×17 no 330 – a bulletin that contains information about the Navy Personnel’s activities.
BROWNING BELT FILLING MACHINE CAL 30 SHUTTLE TYPE TB 23-45-1 July 1942 – A technical bulletin
Pamphlets and Leaflets
Packboard Shelf and Use of the Packboard General Instructions –
I purchased 3 packboard shelves off of eBay for the M1944 packboard, and the seller must have just taken some out of a crate or something because it looks like how they would have originally come.
The three all come with the instruction sheet, folded up and tucked under the shelf prongs. A single piece of tape is used to secure the folded instructions. When folded, it’s 2.5 inches wide and 9.25 inches long. It has 8 folds.
Between each shelf is some yellowish tissue paper, obviously used as packing protection.
The instruction sheet is 9.25 inches long and 17 inches wide. I have no idea how you might print that, but you can take the instructional sheet and try to print those out and glue them together.
No 21-1 Pamphlet Vital Facts for Men Overseas 1944 – A discussion of security when traveling overseas, censorship, and letter writing. Interestingly, it makes reference to a “Blue Envelope,” which could be used instead of V-Mail for highly personal matters that get examined by the base censor, not the unit censor. Probably because the unit censor would know you, and the base censor wouldn’t.
Pamphlet 21-13 Army Life 1944 | A document that goes over basic military introduction. See also a historical primer on Army Life written by Tim O’Neill.
If you wish to print it off, the cover is a brown cardstock.
Pamphlet 21-10 Pvt Droop has Missed the War June 5th 1944 | A document that implores soldiers to essentially “don’t do stupid shit with” like driving too fast, hanging out too close to highways, drinking and driving, swimming within 2 hours, and visiting firetraps and cabarets, etc.
- WAC Songs – May 15, 1944 – Five songs
- Yippee I Want To Go Home
- Marching Along Together
- Women’s Army Corps
- The WAC is a Soldier Too
- I’ve Got Sixpence
Pamphlet 21-23 Don’t Get Killed by Mines or Booby Traps Nov 17th 1944 | A guide that discusses types of German, Japanese, and US mines, how they work, how to recognize them, and where one might find them.
Essentially, don’t touch stuff.
Note that the pamphlet contains Nazi symbols and offensive imagery of the Japanese.
Pamphlet 23-2 Hits Count 1959 | A post-war document that discusses how to aim with the M1 Garand rifle. While not WW2-related, the tips are relevant.
Pamphlet 24-2 Radio Telephone Procedure Oct 22nd, 1943 – Part 1 and Part 2 | A short small booklet that explains Radio Telephone Procedure. Print off part 1 on 8.5in by 14in. Beige light cardstock, flip it over, and print off part 2. Then cut and fold.
The actual size is: 4.75in X 3.75in. If you want it as an image, you can see part 1 and part 2 here.
Pamphlet 27-4 Procedure for Military Executions 1944 | Outlines how to execute by firing squad and hanging convicted military personnel.
It is interesting to note that when the prisoner approaches the firing post or gallows, a band plays “The Death March”, which is Frederic Chopin’s Funeral March. When the prisoner is killed, the band plays “..a lively tune”.
For a history of how this song became associated with military executions, see: The History of the ‘Dead March’ played before military executions.
Also of note, when execution by firing squad happens, between 1 and 4 rifles out of the 12 used will be loaded with blank ammunition.
US Leaflet Face Paint – Camouflage – How to use face paint. Facts and how to. Likely from 1944.
Artillery Barrage Pamphlet 1944 – Things to report during your Shellrep or “Shell Report” that you provide when shelling happens.
Transportation
Ford Truck GPW Instructions for Unpacking and Assembly of Boxed Vehicle – Fully Sheathed Create Form 3679-1 | Describes how to unpack a jeep in a crate and assemble it.
Drivers School Schedule of Classes April to May 1944 – A classroom training schedule for training drivers. Includes topics, relevant field, and technical manuals.
Medical
Removal of Wounded from Tanks Information Bulletin No 17 June 5th, 1942 | Discusses ways to remove wounded from tanks, such as using slings or pulling them out. Mostly focuses on early war tanks like the Lee and Grant, and includes British tanks like the Churchill and Valentine.
Don’t be an Ostrich use Prophylaxis LP-8 – A humerous handout designed to encourage soldiers to use condoms. Looks to be given out by the Eng 4th Service Command Jan 1943. Maybe as a handout or a poster or an insert. Size is unknown.
The Army Nurse
The Army Nurse Vol 2 No 1-8 Jan to Aug 1945 – The Army Nurse is a magazine-type publication for Army Nurses. It contains news and information related to the organization.
Comes from AFHRA Reel B1795.
The Army Nurse Vol 1 No 1-12 Jan to Dec 1945 – The Army Nurse is a magazine-type publication for Army Nurses. It contains news and information related to the organization.
Comes from AFHRA Reel B1795.
Ordinance and Weapons
How to Shoot the US Army Rifle – The Infantry Journal, 1943.
Education
Drivers School Schedule of Classes – This document lists the date, place, hours, subject, references, and instructors for a 10-day course in 1944 on driving US Army vehicles.
The cool thing about this is that you can use this schedule as a template to make your own coursework for a WW2 training weekend.
Better yet, I’d be interested in feeding this document into an AI built upon WW2 manuals so that it can instantly create a course.
Misc
Jody Calls | A marching song invented by Private Willie Lee Duckworth in 1944 to help keep up morale during long marches.
This Jody Call Information paper explains more about the history.
Camp Crowder Guide and Telephone Use – Looks to be a little handout given to folks arriving at Camp Crowder, MI.
For a look at some of the soldiers training at Camp Crowder See: Camp Crowder Signal Corps Training Center 27th Battalion, Co D, as well as A Camera Trip at Camp Crowder. For a humorous take, see the Pvt Roberts Comic Strip.
For additional Camp Crowder information, see: https://www.ibiblio.org/cizewski/signalcorps/crowder/index.html.
Radio War Guide July 1st, 1942 | A handout that outlines things a civilian radio station can take to help spread factual information about the war and help with general war-related programming.
Alphabetical list of APOs Jan 1942 to Nov 1947 | Lists out all the APOs for postal mailing.
If Captured These Are Your Rights 1944 War Department Pamphlet No 21-7 | A handout that outlines what your rights are if captured.
You should be able to print it out on 8.5in by 11in paper and then cut and trim pages. However, the front page may be cardstock.
Should get two staples along the outside seam.
The original book was published in 1942. This is a reprint of it. If I ever come across a PDF of the original book, I’ll replace it.
Dirty Fighting An Introduction to the Principles of Combat without Weapons by Lt David Morrah Jr AAA School Camp Davis NC | A manual for hand-to-hand fighting.
Men-at-Arms German Combat Equipments 1939-45 – An Osprey publication that outlines what the German Equipment looks like.
Cohesion and Disintegration in the Wehrmacht by Edward Shils and Morris Janowitz Public Opinion Quarterly Vol. 12 No. 2 1948 | Discusses why the German Army was effective and why it collapsed. Essentially, it was effective when there was trust and not when there wasn’t.
Camouflage Simplified 1942 by Eric Sloane | A book describing ways to camouflage buildings from aerial observations through shadowing, pattern blending, painting, etc.
Post-WW2
There’s a small number of post-WW2 manuals and guides I thought I might post here because they’re too cool and interesting not to share.
Combat in Russian Forests and Swamps Center for Military History 104-2, 1982. This replaces PAM 20-231, July 1951.
150 Questions For A Guerrilla – Alberto Bayo – Paladin Press – 1996. It is an interview conducted with General Bayo before he died. Likely as part of his experience with the Cuban Revolution.
