What Happened When an Infantryman Brought a Camera to World War II

2 minute read

It’s not hard to understand why, in 1944, a young man with an eye for photography might want to join the official photographic ranks of the U.S. Army’s Signal Corps. As TIME explained that year, they had the twofold mission of both relaying the news of the troops at work so that citizens could keep up with the news and documenting the action for future War Department records.

“Like scores of similar companies on other battlefronts, they had had a high proportion of casualties (seven dead, 14 wounded, three captured out of 62),” the magazine noted. “But their work had paid off by helping to make the battles of World War II the best understood in history.”

So when Tony Vaccaro, then 21, was drafted, that “small, brave group” was where he wanted to end up. But, as he relates in the new HBO documentary Underfire: The Untold Story of Pfc. Tony Vaccaro, he was told he was too young to qualify as an Army photographer.

Undeterred, despite the knowledge that an infantryman was not supposed to be taking pictures, Vaccaro (not to be confused with the correspondent of the same name who worked for the Associated Press during a similar time span) decided to bring his camera along when he went to war. Before the war ended, he had taken more than 8,000 photos—even some that he developed in helmets while on after-dark missions. They offer a rare, close-up view of what a soldier really sees.

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After a post-war stint with Stars and Stripes, Vaccaro transitioned to a career in news, sports and fashion photography, a world away from the battlegrounds where his camera had proved so crucial. As these images show, it was a drastic transition—but what he had seen during the war stayed with Vaccaro throughout.

Underfire will receive a Veterans Day HBO Go and On Demand preview on Friday before officially debuting on HBO on Nov. 14.

Bonafreno Man by Tony Vaccaro
Bonafreno Man, Italy, 1946Tony Vaccaro—courtesy of HBO
Horse Eating Hay, Ruins of Cassino, Italy, 1946 by Tony Vaccaro.
Horse Eating Hay, Ruins of Cassino, Italy, 1946.Tony Vaccaro—courtesy of HBO
Crying Girl, Italy 1947, by Tony Vaccaro
Crying Girl, Italy, 1947.Tony Vaccaro—courtesy of HBO
De Kooning Portrait, East Hampton, 1953 by Tony Vaccaro.
De Kooning Portrait, East Hampton, 1953.Tony Vaccaro—courtesy of HBO
Anna Magnani Close up, Rome Italy, 1956, by Tony Vaccaro.
Anna Magnani Close up, Rome Italy, 1956.Tony Vaccaro—courtesy of HBO
Mary Hilen, Polka Dots, New York 1958 by Tony Vaccaro.
Mary Hilen, Polka Dots, New York 1958.Tony Vaccaro—courtesy of HBO
Givenchy. Paris, France, 1961 by Tony Vaccaro.
Givenchy. Paris, France, 1961.Tony Vaccaro—courtesy of HBO
Melina Mercuri, Athens, 1965 by Tony Vacarro.
Melina Mercuri, Athens, 1965.Tony Vaccaro—courtesy of HBO
The Moon, Look NYC, 1969 by Tony Vaccaro.
The Moon, Look NYC, 1969.Tony Vaccaro—courtesy of HBO

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Write to Lily Rothman at lily.rothman@time.com