二次世界大戰資料庫 (WW2DB)

1. The Prickly Historian says:
30 Jun 2025 07:31:37 PM

The photo was actually taken on 19 December, 1943. In August, the time frame quoted, the U.S. Fifth Army had not yet invaded Italy.

2.  David Stubblebine says:
1 Jul 2025 04:52:48 PM

Prickly Historian (above):
The National WWII Museum holds a copy of this image with a Signal Corps caption on the reverse that dates this photo as 27 Dec 1943. The caption here has been adjusted to reflect that date. If you have better sources for the 19 Dec 1943 date, please comment again. Thank you for bringing the question up.

3. The Prickly Historian says:
2 Jul 2025 06:18:21 PM

Eisenhower returned to Oran from Italy on Christmas Day, 1943, where he was photographed with Winston Churchill. He also wrote a letter to his wife on December 26th, mentioning he had returned from Italy the previous day.

Gen. Clark's diary for Dec. 19 indicates that he, Gen. Eisenhower, Gen. Bedell Smith, and Lt. Col. Sutherland drove to the front lines from his HQ at Caserta and they "took off at 1415" from the 17th Field Artillery airstrip "...and returned to Caserta by Cub". There is no mention of Eisenhower flying in a Cub anytime after between the 20th and his return to North Africa on the 25th.

December 27th is probably the date the photo was either received from the photographer and processed, or the date it was released for publication.

4.  David Stubblebine says:
3 Jul 2025 05:22:06 PM

Prickly Historian (above):
The date of 19 Dec 1943 sounds compelling, based on your sources. The caption here has been adjusted again to reflect this and also to reflect the 17th Field Artillery. I think your estimate of how the date of 27 Dec 1943 got attached to this photo is a reasonable guess. I have run into this very thing numerous times with US Navy photos, but less often with Signal Corps records. Thank you again for bringing this up and for the improved information.