The Snapshots in Time Collection

Mass Calisthenics Formation, Bent-Over Toe-Touch Exercise, WWII Stateside Training Base

Mass Calisthenics Formation, Bent-Over Toe-Touch Exercise, WWII Stateside Training Base

Hundreds of recruits perform synchronized calisthenics on the drill field of a WWII stateside training base, a daily ritual of physical conditioning that shaped new servicemen before their assignment to combat units. Photographs like this, preserved in personal albums, illustrate the scale and discipline of wartime training camps across the United States. Project: 218226