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Re: Seeking to verify image is from National Archives
Rachael SalyerFeb 26, 2021 10:26 AM (in response to Sylvia Howell)
Dear Ms. Howell,
Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!
Because the image you are interested in does not include a complete citation, it is not possible for staff from the National Archives at College Park - Still Pictures (RDSS) to confirm whether or not the original photograph is in their custody or to confirm whether or not the image depicts the Ardennes. In order to potentially identify the image, you may need to search multiple locations and compare the online image to photographs in various collections.
For example, we searched the National Archives Catalog and located the series Photographs of American Military Activities, ca. 1918 - ca. 1981 in the Records of the Office of the Chief Signal Officer (Record Group 111) that includes 34 images related to the Ardennes and 2 images related to "Bulge" that may be of interest to you. Most of these records have been digitized and may be viewed online via the Catalog. Please contact RDSS at stillpix@nara.gov for additional information about these records.
Next, we located the series Black and White and Color Photographs of U.S. Air Force and Predecessor Agencies Activities, Facilities, and Personnel - World War II and Korean War, ca. 1940 - ca. 1980 in the Records of U.S. Air Force Commands, Activities, and Organizations (Record Group 342) that includes 6 images related to the Ardennes and 21 images related to "Bulge". Most of these photographs have been digitized and may be viewed online using the Catalog. Please contact RDSS with any questions you have about them.
We also located the series Yanks in the ETO [European Theater of Operations], 1941-1945 in the Records of the Office of War Information (Record Group 208) that includes 2 images related to the Ardennes and 2 images related to "Bulge", which may be relevant to your research. Some of these images have been digitized and may be viewed online via the Catalog. Please contact RDSS for assistance with the non-digitized records.
Plus, we located the series Photographs, 1920-1963 in the Elwood R. Quesada Papers (Collection DDE-1152), the series Photographs, 1943-1945 in the John J. Walsh Papers (Collection DDE-1398), and the series Photographs, 1944-1945 in the Records of Allied Operational and Occupation Headquarters, World War II (Record Group 331) that all include images related to the Ardennes. These records have not been digitized. For information about these images, please contact the Dwight D. Eisenhower Library (LP-DDE) at eisenhower.library@nara.gov.
In addition, we located the series Records Relating to the History of the Ardennes Campaign, 1944-1945 in the Records of Headquarters, European Theater of Operations, United States Army (World War II) (Record Group 498) that may contain some photographs related to your research. These records have not been digitized. Please contact the National Archives at College Park - Textual Reference (RDT2) at archives2reference@nara.gov for assistance with these and similar records.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and pursuant to guidance received from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), NARA has adjusted its normal operations to balance the need of completing its mission-critical work while also adhering to the recommended social distancing for the safety of NARA staff. As a result of this re-prioritization of activities, you may experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgement as well as a substantive response to your reference request from RDSS, LP-DDE, and RDT2. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience.
Finally, more information about citing records from the National Archives is available using General Informational Leaflet No. 17: Citing Records in the National Archives.
We hope this is helpful. Best of luck with your family research!