Sgt. Phil Boucher, WWII Photographer
Sgt. Phil Boucher, WWII Photographer, an Army Air Force photographer for the 494th BG, captured some amazing images with his Speed Graphic 4×5 camera. Although a few images that pointed straight down in this portfolio were taken with a special camera mounted in the belly of the B-24, most were taken with a 4×5 Speed Graphic camera. The Speed Graphic utilized two back to back photographic plates as its film. Imagine Phil, he’s in one of the images, hanging out of a side window of a B-24 to photograph a F4U Corsair Fighter below. Actually, he met the pilot of that Corsair many years later. The pilot recognized the markings of his plane from Phil’s image.
And yes, Phil and his camera were on the small island of el Shima, just northwest of Okinawa, on 18 Aug 45 at the first meeting between the Japanese and the United States to discuss surrender. The Japanese delegation arrived on “Betty” bombers painted white with green crosses on the wings, fuselage and vertical tail. Then, the delegation was flown to Manila on a C-54 Skymaster to meet General MacArther’s staff to work out details of a surrender. Obviously, somehow Phil also made the trip to Manila.
Today, although in his 90’s, he’s still an active biker pedaling several hundred miles each year. Of course, his camera has become much smaller. Update: In 2018, Sgt. Boucher passed away at 94 years of age.
The Heart of the Volunteer from Pearl Harbor; a musical score composed by Hans Zimmer.
(Click any image below to begin slide show…)
