21-Year-Old WWII Soldier’s Sketchbooks Show War Through The Eyes Of An Architect

Victor Lundy was a 21-year-old architecture student when he enrolled in the military during World War Two. But instead of abandoning his creative side, the young soldier decided to document his experiences on the battlefield in a series of sketchbooks. In them he recorded everything from fallen soldiers, air raids, and beach landing crafts, to more serene scenarios such as soldiers resting or playing games during their downtime.

His drawings, created between May and November 1944, show us a touching and personal side to one of the bloodiest wars in history, and in 2009 Lundy, who is now 92, donated his sketchbooks to the Library of Congress. All eight of them have been digitally archived since then, and they're all now available to view online.

More info: Library of Congress (h/t: mymodernmet)

#1 One Of The 4-Men German Patrol Who Didn't Get Back

Victor Lundy

#2 House Where Kane & I Got The Roast Chicken & Cognac

Victor Lundy

#3 Home Sweet Home. Soldier In Hammock While Stationed At Fort Jackson, South Carolina

Victor Lundy

#4 Soldiers Sitting On Promenade Deck Of Ship

Victor Lundy

#5 Apparatus On Ship At Night

Victor Lundy

#6 Sunset - First Night Out On The Ships At Sea

Victor Lundy

#7 Soldiers Sitting In A Truck In France

Victor Lundy

#8 Cracking The Zeigfried [I.E. Siegfried] Line, Air Raid Over Germany Seen On A Morning Hike

Victor Lundy

#9 Bill Shepard From Behind, Lying On The Ground While Stationed At Fort Jackson, South Carolina

Victor Lundy

#10 Sunday. Soldier In Bed While Stationed At Fort Jackson, South Carolina

Victor Lundy

#11 Church In Crasville, Manche, France

Victor Lundy

#12 Before Pay Day Shooting Craps For Cigarettes

Victor Lundy

#13 Café Where The 2 French Girls Bought Us 4 Bottles Of Cider, Quinéville

Victor Lundy

#14 View From My Bunk

Victor Lundy

#15 Shep Sitting Cross-Legged In His Helmet And Knapsack While Stationed At Fort Jackson, South Carolina

Victor Lundy

#16 Lifeboat On Deck Of Ship In New York Harbor

Victor Lundy

#17 Line From Ship Being Dropped To Tugboat In New York Harbor

Victor Lundy

#18 Bourg de Lestre. Church And World War I Monument In Lestre, Manche, France

Victor Lundy

#19 Troop Train. Soldiers Seated On Train Bound For New York Harbor

Victor Lundy

#20 Auditorium At Fort Jackson, South Carolina

Victor Lundy

#21 Barges With Containers Being Loaded To Or Unloaded From Ship In New York Harbor

Victor Lundy

#22 Helmet Liner On Ground Drawn While Stationed At Fort Jackson, South Carolina

Victor Lundy

#23 Silhouettes Of Trees In The Moonlight Drawn While Stationed At Fort Jackson, South Carolina

Victor Lundy

#24 "Son Of A Bitch!" I Remember Getting On The Deck And Here Were These Guys, And That's Just What They Were Saying, Son Of A Bitch!

Victor Lundy

#25 Bombs. Audience In Auditorium Listening To Lecture While Stationed At Fort Jackson, South Carolina

Victor Lundy

#26 Attack On A Fortified Position

Victor Lundy

#27 Goodbye Broadway, Hello France! Soldier Sitting On A Boat In New York Harbor

Victor Lundy

#28 Soldiers On Watch Tower And Deck Of Ship At Night

Victor Lundy

#29 Joe Fisch, Casually Practicing First Aid

Victor Lundy

#30 Soldiers Looking At Ship In The Distance

Victor Lundy

#31 Soldiers On Deck Of Ship

Victor Lundy

#32 Monument With Christian Cross Atop, Probably In Manche, France

Victor Lundy

#33 Soldier Sleeping In Hammock While Stationed At Fort Jackson, South Carolina

Victor Lundy

#34 Soldiers Standing At Railing Of Ship In New York Harbor

Victor Lundy

#35 Soldiers Disembarking On Gangplank From Ship In Cherbourg Harbor, France

Victor Lundy

#36 Beer Garden, Fort Jackson, South Carolina

Victor Lundy

#37 Cold As Hell. Soldiers On Deck Of Ship

Victor Lundy

#38 Home. Tent In Woods Drawn While Stationed At Fort Jackson, South Carolina

Victor Lundy

#39 Soldiers In The Field While Stationed At Fort Jackson, South Carolina

Victor Lundy

#40 Soldier Lying On The Ground While Stationed At Fort Jackson, South Carolina

Victor Lundy

#41 Two Soldiers Looking Out To Sea

Victor Lundy

#42 Soldier On Board Landing Craft In Cherbourg Harbor, France

Victor Lundy

#43 Soldiers On Deck Of Ferry In New York Harbor

Victor Lundy

#44 Our First Camp In Normandy At St. Martin D'Audeville

Victor Lundy

#45 Ready To Go. Soldiers Aboard Landing Craft In Cherbourg Harbor, France

Victor Lundy

#46 First Aid Lecture. Soldiers Listening To Lecture While Stationed At Fort Jackson, South Carolina

Victor Lundy

#47 Planning A Platoon Attack Sgt. Jaffe

Victor Lundy

#48 Soldiers Looking At Land In The Distance, Cherbourg

Victor Lundy

#49 On A Reconnaissance In France. Waiting For A Co. C.O. At Capt. Trescott's O.P.

Victor Lundy

#50 Street With Barracks At Fort Jackson, South Carolina

Victor Lundy

#51 Soldiers Listening To Lecture While Stationed At Fort Jackson, South Carolina

Victor Lundy

#52 Soldier Sitting On Ground At Night While Stationed At Fort Jackson, South Carolina

Victor Lundy

#53 Soldiers Stationed At Fort Jackson, South Carolina

Victor Lundy

#54 Soldier Lying On The Ground While Stationed At Fort Jackson, South Carolina

Victor Lundy

#55 Soldiers Seated On Train Bound For New York Harbor

Victor Lundy

#56 Soldier Sketches

Victor Lundy

#57 Soldiers With Landing Craft Tanks

Victor Lundy

#58 Sea-Plane Hangar Wrecked By Germans At Cherbourg, France

Victor Lundy

#59 Soldiers Watching A First Aid Demonstration While Stationed At Fort Jackson, South Carolina

Victor Lundy
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