I don't know why I never thought about it, as I know about a lot of things concerning the coast of California and WWII,
but I noticed an out of print book online called Santa Catalina Island Goes to War and in looking for photos from it, without
much luck, I saw that the relatively new Catalina Island Museum also had an exhibit called "First Line of Defense," but it's gone
and so is their webpage for the exhibit that was on their Museum site.
I did, however, find a few items from some various news articles written about the exhibition, I don't recall seeing on NLA before.
I am assuming the accompanying photos from the articles came from the exhibition.
This was the exhibition's logo:
When WWII began Catalina Island became "a training camp for OSS spies, commandoes, merchant marines, Coast Guard recruits, and other uniformed service
members. Vacant hotels became barracks. Empty marinas, yacht clubs, and even the Cubs' spring training ballpark were transformed into simulated war zones.
Between 1942 and 1945 four different branches of the Military were stationed on the Island.
This is captioned "Soldiers march through Avalon." (You call them sailors don't you?)
^^^
I noticed a sign for "Hotel Central" and one for a "Cafeteria" whose name possibly has two O's in it. GOOD? FOOD?
At the Island villas. (Shooting craps? Shooting the breeze?)
United States Maritime Service (USMS) soldiers with anti-aircraft guns on Casino Point.
The USMS soldiers during water training; learning to swim through oil and oil fires.
Recruits running up the islands steep firebreaks.
Recruits training in Avalon Harbor.
Sixteen year old Norma Jean Baker (Marilyn Monroe) married Jim Dougherty. When he was
sent to Catalina during WWII, he brought her along where she resided for a year. (1943)
