American paratroopers of the 101st Airborne Division share a meal at an outdoor mess line during a lull between operations in the European Theater, circa 1944-1945. Soldiers hold standard-issue canteen cups and mess kits while gathered near a barbed-wire perimeter typical of temporary field camps established across France, Belgium, Holland, and Germany. Such quiet moments of camaraderie provided welcome respite between the intense combat actions the Division fought, from Normandy through the Battle of the Bulge. Project: 218672