Identifier2008-11-06_image_003SourceThe Paul A. Ludwig Military Aviation Photograph Collection (2008-11-06), Folder 1DescriptionPhotograph of American and British servicemen, including members of VCS-7 (Fleet Composite Squadron 7) of the U.S. Navy, in a ready room prior to the D-Day landings at Normandy, circa 1944. Identified individuals include Ensign Robert J. Adams (left, drinking from cup) and Lieutenant Alexander A. Smith (second from right, reading documents).
Typed caption on verso: "80-G-302114 (National Archives). U.S. Navy Unit VCS-7. Pilots, and English personnel, await orders to fly over to France in the ready room of their English base. VCS-7 flew British 'Spitfire' fighters for naval gunfire spotting during the Normandy invasion. Among personnel present are: Ens. Robert J. Adams, USNR, drinking a cup of tea; Lt. Alexander A. Smith, USNR, studying maps, 2dn [2nd] from right. Photo rec'd, 17 Feb, 1945."
Stamped on verso: "Credit: National Archives. 80-G-302114."
[American and British servicemen in ready room prior to D-Day landings], [2008-11-06_image_003]. Museum of Flight Digital Collections, accessed 06/02/2026, https://digitalcollections.museumofflight.org/nodes/view/12276