Snyder's Treasures is pleased to offer

          An Original and Authentic Uncensored WWII Signal Corps Censor-Passed Proof Photograph 

          This is a US Signal Corps censor-passed proof photograph is of an extremely rare German FEMALE
          paratrooper.  Both the Allies and the Germans had women paratroopers, however, they were always
          spies.  This woman is shown being searched and her articles being examined by a member of the
          325th Glider Infantry, 82nd Airborne Division.  Note that it is indicated the woman spoke French
          and English in addition to German.  If you look carefully, you can see the cuffs on her paratrooper
          pants with the leather straps.  She is wearing street shoes.  Her story was that she was meeting her
          boyfriend who was a German paratrooper.  I don't think this hard-boiled staff sergeant bought that
          for a moment.  Note his field glasses and the M3 fighting knife on his thigh.  This photograph was
          initially classified as CONFIDENTIAL.  Of particular interest is the caption slug, edited to remove
          references to the woman being suspected as a spy.  The photograph is dated 2 May 1945, and passed
          5 May 1945. 

          (It may help you to read the caption slug if you turn DOWN the brightness on your monitor.   The
          blue printing is sometimes very light and does not contrast well against the white in the image
          below.  The caption is quite readable on the photograph itself.) 

          The condition is very good to excellent throughout. 

          There are press photographs, and there are source photographs.  They are two entirely different
          species of the same thing.  The first film, taken by the military photographer is generally exposed as
          a proof print.  This is then classified (in the sense of noting "Who What When Where" on the back,
          and then sent to the Signal Corps processing along with the negatives.  At the Signal Corps offices,
          slugs are generated, and a second set of proofs made, with attached or applied captions and serial
          numbers, and classified in the sense of military importance.  Prior to release to the wire agencies,
          raw Signal Corps (or other cognizant agency) photographs are passed to the military censors who
          may either pass the photo, as is.  Crop out -- or white out -- classified details (such as radar antenna
          masts, unit designations, patches, hull or tail numbers and other details that might give the enemy a
          "heads-up" on our wartime activities. 

          Source photographs are classified by content.  The greater the potential for risks injurious to
          National Security, the higher the level of classification.  Top Secret (or higher) photographs
          generally never see the light of day.  Secret photographs are rare, Confidential photographs are
          scarce, and Restricted photographs are uncommon.  "Passed" photographs are usually locally
          censored for GIs to mail home. 

          In the case of Signal Corps source photos, most are classified at the highest levels, then bumped
          down accordingly when distributed to the mass media.  The regulation governing the classification
          of these WWII photographs is by Authority of Paragraph 5 of Operational Memorandum No. 65
          AFHQ dated 26 December 1944, which has been superseded.  The photographs shown in these
          offerings no longer fall under the National Secrets Act.  Still, they are the ORIGINAL enlarged
          photographs (4 times enlarged from the 4 by 5 inch sources prints) from which the AP, ACME,
          Reuters, SIPHO, News of the Day, and other wire services distributed to periodicals of the day. 

          The photo measures 10 inches by 8 inches.  The identification strip at the bottom with the negative
          number, date and other Signal Corps inventory codes is not shown on these proofs for distribution. 
          Note that the Signal Corps logo does NOT appear on these photographs, that was applied at the time
          of transmission.  And the news source logo was appended to the resulting wire photo prior to being
          cast in zinc and published in the paper. 

          Note the censor stamps and blue lines on some of the photographs, indicating text content the censor
          wanted omitted from the press slug which is derived from the Army-provided text.  In some cases, the
          lines taken out -- or words added -- are very enlightening. 

          Shipping and handling is $2.00 for US destinations.