Herman J. Sommerhauser World War I Photograph Album
Scope and Contents of Collection
The collection consists of one loose-leaf album containing seventy-two (72) photographs from the World War I service of Herman J. Sommerhauser. Photos are primarily snapshots, with a few studio portraits, most with handwritten captions. Images are primarily of servicemen and aircraft at Orly Field, France, with a few snapshots from Paris and a ship journey on the U.S.S. Caserta (possibly the return home post-war). Several groups of men are identified as the 650th Aero Squadron, although it is unclear if Sommerhauser himself belonged to the squadron.
Dates
- Creation: 1918-1919
Creator
- Sommerhauser, Herman J. (Person)
Language of Materials
All materials are in English.
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research and is accessible in the Dahlberg Research Center by appointment. For more information contact us.
Conditions Governing Use
The Museum of Flight (TMOF) Archives is the owner of the physical materials in the archives and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from TMOF archives before any publication use. TMOF does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners. Consult repository for more details.
Biographical Note
Herman J. Sommerhauser was born in Tipton, Missouri in 1895 to Joseph and Elizabeth Sommerhauser. Based on the materials in this collection, he may have served with the U.S. Army Air Service, 650th Aero Squadron during World War I. Sommerhauser lived most of his life in Anaconda, Montana, with a few years spent in Seattle and Bellingham, Washington toward the end of his life. He returned to Anaconda shortly before his death in 1949.
Source:
Biographical data derived from an obituary in The Daily Capital News (Jefferson City, Missouri), August 10, 1949.
Historical Note
The 650th Aero Squadron formed from the 131st (I) Aero Squadron at Camp Morrison, Virginia in February 1918. They left for Europe from the Port of Embarkation in Newport News, Virginia in March 1918. The 650th became one of the many Services of Supply (S.O.S.) squadrons at the rear, and was stationed at the Air Service Acceptance Park #1 at Orly Field near Paris, France. During the war, Orly Field served as a major supply base for aircraft, from which ferry pilots would deliver planes to training camps and the front. After the war, many aircraft (including captured German planes) were disassembled for parts by S.O.S. squadrons that remained in France. The 650th returned home to Mitchell Field, New York in May 1919 and was demobilized.
Source:
Center of Military History, United States Army. Order of Battle of the United States Land Forces in the World War - Zone of the Interior: Directory of Troops, vol. 3, pt. 3. U.S. Government Printing Office, 1988.
Extent
0.03 Cubic Feet (1 legal size folder)
Abstract
The collection contains a photograph album from the World War I career of Herman J. Sommerhauser (1895-1949), who may have served with the U.S. Army Air Service, 650th Aero Squadron in France.
Acquisition Note
Donated in memory of Herman J. Sommerhauser by Jane Fawthrop.
Accruals
No further accruals are expected.
Existence and Location of Copies
Materials from this collection have been digitized and are available at The Museum of Flight Digital Collections.
Subject
- Sommerhauser, Herman J. (Person)
- United States. Army. Air Service (Organization)
- United States. Army. Air Service. Aero Squadron, 650th (Organization)
- United States. Army. American Expeditionary Forces. Services of Supply (Organization)
Genre / Form
Geographic
Topical
- A7V (Tank)
- Air pilots, Military
- Airplanes, Military
- Breguet Bre.14 A2
- Hannover CL.IIIa
- LePère 11 (C-11, C II)
- Morane-Saulnier Type AI Family
- Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2b
- Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5
- SPAD XII (S.12)
- SPAD XIII (S.13)
- Salmson 2 A2
- Soldiers
- Sopwith Camel Family
- Vickers machine gun
- World War, 1914-1918
- de Havilland (Airco) D.H.4
- Title
- Guide to the Herman J. Sommerhauser World War I Photograph Album
- Status
- Completed Level 4
- Author
- A. Demeter
- Date
- 2017
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- English
- Sponsor
- Processing, cataloging and digitization of this collection was made possible by a Council on Libraries and Information Resources (CLIR) "Digitizing Hidden Special Collections and Archives" grant.
- Edition statement
- 1st Edition
Repository Details
Part of the The Museum of Flight Archives Repository
9404 East Marginal Way South
Seattle Washington 98108-4097
206-764-7874
curator@museumofflight.org