George's wartime photograph preserves a named Wisconsin soldier in an unusually practical moment. He is seated among discarded footwear, holding a boot, with vegetation and a canvas shelter behind him. The ACME caption identifies Sgt. George Brownell of “Platterville,” Wisconsin, in a New Guinea salvage dump at the start of the offensive to retake Buna. The locality almost certainly means Platteville. 39
The photograph brings together an individual and a larger military problem. The official Army history dates the Buna–Sanananda operation from November 16, 1942 through January 23, 1943. The fighting took place in low-lying terrain where swamps, creeks, plantations, and narrow trails constrained movement. Japanese defensive works were difficult to locate and attack. The campaign was fought by American and Australian forces, sustained through fragile transport and supply routes. 41
Footwear and the supply system
The Army's history describes the difficulty of bringing food, ammunition, medical supplies, clothing, and shoes forward. Aircraft and small vessels carried loads toward the fighting; vehicles where trails allowed and Papuan carriers formed further links. Illness and deteriorating equipment added to the strain. The official account specifically describes worn shoes and the effects of the wet conditions. 41
A historical account preserved by the Army Quartermaster Museum reports that two pairs of shoes lasted an average of five months in the tropical Southwest Pacific, compared with two pairs worn out in a year in the United States. Repair and rebuilding were organized efforts to conserve footwear. George's photograph is understandable within that material setting: a soldier was examining equipment on which ordinary movement depended. 42
The image does not tell us why he needed a pair, whether he was replacing his own damaged boots, or what unit he belonged to. His rank and location are named; the rest of his individual service history remains incomplete.
A contemporary printed image
The photograph also appeared in the British edition of YANK The Army Weekly, January 31, 1943, page 9. The caption names George:
“With plenty to choose from, Sgt. George Brownell matches shoes at Army salvage dump in New Guinea.” 40
If the indexed January 5, 1922 birth date is correct, George had just turned twenty-one when that issue appeared. The photograph itself may be earlier. The 1950 census's affirmative WWII-service answer supplies a later individual record of the military service seen in the wartime image. 2340