Pacific War Pictures transmitted by Radio during WWII

Development of a dependable means of radio transmission of photos from the front was a striking engineering achievement, an application of science to the service of the people on the homefront. This monumental task was achieved by the US Army signal corps in the Pacific, from facilities engineered and installed under the supervision of then Major O. Howard Davidsmeyer, Sr., a member of General MacArthur's staff.

5th Air Force B-25s Attacking Japanese Ships at Battle of Rabaul:

These are the first radio photo transmission, photos of attack on Rabaul, New Guinea:

Radio pictures show American attack on Rabaul in WWII
Newspaper photos of American attack on Rabaul in WWII

Caption: In these dramatic aerial photographs, the first to be transmitted by the U.S. Army Signal Corps Radiophoto from New Guinea of the destrutive Allied raid on Rabaul Harbourt last Tuesday, are seen some of the 15 Japanese vessles sank and some of the 11 damaged by the 5th Air Force B-25's. Smoke from the blazing waterfront frames the harbour."Release of the first radio pictures from New Guinea is a striking achievement in the appliation of science to the service of the people on the hoe front," the Information Minister (Mr. Calwell) said last night — 5th Air Force Photographs.

Pictures of Raid on Rabaul:

Click on pictures above for larger views.

For more information about Rabaul, see these books:

Photo of FDR was first radio-picture from the US to the Pacific in WWII

Radio photo of FDR

Above is the first picture transmitted via radio from the US to facilities in the Pacific. The attached note reads:

Photo of Franklin D. Roosevelt sent from Washington. Received at 1137 Z July 30, 1943 at Brisbane, Australia. Photo taken July 28, 1943.
Caption:
President Roosevelt as he addressed the nation tonight on the progress of the War and the national War effort.

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This check sheet was with the original autographed photo of MacArthur in a landing craft, which was the first photo transmitted to US via radio from the Pacific Theatre (will get a picture of that on the web soon -- but it's framed, so I can't scan it).