History,Art & DesignNOV 15, 2016

21-Year-Old WWII Soldier's Sketchbooks Show War Through The Eyes Of An Architect

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Victor Lundy was a 21-year-old architecture student when he enrolled in the military during World War Two. But instead of abandoning his creative side, the young soldier decided to document his experiences on the battlefield in a series of sketchbooks. In them he recorded everything from fallen soldiers, air raids, and beach landing crafts, to more serene scenarios such as soldiers resting or playing games during their downtime.

His drawings, created between May and November 1944, show us a touching and personal side to one of the bloodiest wars in history, and in 2009 Lundy, who is now 92, donated his sketchbooks to the Library of Congress. All eight of them have been digitally archived since then, and they're all now available to view online.

#1 One Of The 4-Men German Patrol Who Didn't Get Back

#2 House Where Kane & I Got The Roast Chicken & Cognac

#3 Home Sweet Home. Soldier In Hammock While Stationed At Fort Jackson, South Carolina

#4 Soldiers Sitting On Promenade Deck Of Ship

#5 Apparatus On Ship At Night

#6 Sunset - First Night Out On The Ships At Sea

#7 Soldiers Sitting In A Truck In France

#8 Cracking The Zeigfried [I.E. Siegfried] Line, Air Raid Over Germany Seen On A Morning Hike

#9 Bill Shepard From Behind, Lying On The Ground While Stationed At Fort Jackson, South Carolina

#10 Sunday. Soldier In Bed While Stationed At Fort Jackson, South Carolina

#11 Church In Crasville, Manche, France

#12 Before Pay Day Shooting Craps For Cigarettes

#13 Café Where The 2 French Girls Bought Us 4 Bottles Of Cider, Quinéville

#14 View From My Bunk

#15 Shep Sitting Cross-Legged In His Helmet And Knapsack While Stationed At Fort Jackson, South Carolina

#16 Lifeboat On Deck Of Ship In New York Harbor

#17 Line From Ship Being Dropped To Tugboat In New York Harbor

#18 Bourg de Lestre. Church And World War I Monument In Lestre, Manche, France

#19 Troop Train. Soldiers Seated On Train Bound For New York Harbor

#20 Auditorium At Fort Jackson, South Carolina