Charles E. Kavenagh

Charles Kavenagh in uniform [n.d.] War: World War, 1939-1945 Branch: Army Air Forces/Corps Unit: 492nd Bomb Group, 8th Air Force Service Location: European Theater Rank: Staff Sergeant

A radio operator and aerial gunner with the 492nd Bomb Group of the 8th Air Force, Staff Sergeant Charles Kavenagh spent the bulk of his WWII service flying missions out of England, but he also served on the other side of the globe, in the China-Burma-India Theater. His pencil sketches illustrate the images that composed his world: what he saw inside and outside of his plane; living conditions in England; his buddies playing cards and at the firing range. The photographs in Kavenagh’s collection offer an additional visual record of his experiences, capturing some of the same subjects depicted in his illustrations.