Plate 32, from an untitled album of World War I photographs, June, 1918

Gelatin silver print
Gift of William Kistler, 1977.708

The capture of Vaux occurred shortly after the Battle of Bellau Wood and was one of the first instances in which American forces showed their ability to execute a successful offensive attack. Aerial photography played a key role in the planning, which took place over ten days of reconnaissance.

This map, used to prepare for the Vaux offensive, combined intelligence from aerial photographs, eyewitnesses, and captured enemy combatants. Photographs of the village were shown to a local stonemason, who helped identify the location of Germans as well as the relative thickness of different building’s walls.

Published in The United States of America in the World War, 1917-1919, vol. 4, (U.S. Army Center of Military History 1989), p. 639.

 
Vaux, as one of the first decisive successes of the American forces, was widely and glowingly reported on in the American press.

Edwin L. James, “Vaux Village in Our Hands,” New York Times, July 3, 1918

Printed recto, on album page, lower right, in black ink: “Photographic Section. / Air Service. American Expeditionary Forces.”; inscribed recto, on album page, lower right, in blue ink: “32”; unmarked verso