Sports during war time is an ancient tradition. Indeed, the line between sports and war has often been blurred, and yet sports are often seen as a preferable alternative to war. Certainly millions of good people have sat in trenches, wondering why their politicians did not simply compete against each other instead of going to war and dragging everyone else into their little plans. It is sometimes unavoidable though, and then sports are a welcome relief from the monotony and terror of constant danger. These unusual and rare vintage images from the National Archives are of military personnel enjoying their favorite sports. Moments when amidst the great tumult of war, men sought for a bit of normality. This World War One era photograph is circa 1918 and shows a group of Americans from the American Expeditionary Force playing baseball in a field somewhere in France. It is quaintly inscribed: " Les Americains en France, Boxball, luer Jeu National," which translates as "Americans in France, Baseball, their National Sport." In the photograph itself, a group of men have pressed a large wagon into service as bleachers out by first base. Third base is visible in the far left foreground, and another group of men are lounging against an automobile parked between "the bleachers" and home plate. There is at least one French, and possibly a British soldier mingling in the group of men standing in the foreground as well as what may be someone wearing a German cap and boots! In the game being played, a pitch has just been made (the ball is in mid air) and the batter is apparently about to bunt! This photo (right) shows "J McDonald, Yeoman 1st class" on board the United States Navy destroyer USS Truxton. He is wearing a classic turn of the century baseball uniform. The Truxton was completed by Maryland Steel in September, 1902 and was sold for breakup in 1920. She was a "30 knot" destroyer, with a main armament of two eighteen inch torpedo tubes. The photograph was taken on the port side of the ship, looking aft from a position abreast of the second funnel. The third funnel is visible in the upper right background. The photo of a United States Navy baseball team was taken at Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides in September, 1944. This base was in the Pacific, where the war against Japan was still raging. The image itself highlights the segregated nature of the American armed forces of that time. The meaning of the ANNEX logos on their shirts is unclear. This unusual photo (right) is of a basketball game being played in the elevator well of the light aircraft carrier USS Monterey (CVL26) during its tour of the Pacific theater in 1944. The Monterey was in the Independence class, which was composed of converted Cleveland Class cruiser hulls. They were converted as an emergency measure and were stricken soon after the war's end. One of the sailors playing in this particular game is reputed to be Gerald Ford, future president of the United States. Back to Cry Havoc! #42 Table of Contents Back to Cry Havoc! List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2003 by David W. Tschanz. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com