BOOK: MY BUDDY. WORLD WAR II LAID BARE. DIAN HANSON, EDITOR.2018. (LGBTQ+ INTEREST). The introduction is by Scotty Bowers, an 89-year-old ex-Marine and author of Full Service, the best-selling memoir of his sexual exploits in Hollywood, and how the war forever altered his attitudes about gay and straight, just as these photos may alter our attitudes about World War II and war buddies. Publisher: TASCHEN; Multilingual edition. Printed in Italy. Hardcover. 320 pages. ISBN-13: 978-3836572668. Item Weight: 4.37 pounds. - Dimensions: 9.88 x 1.34 x 11.34 inches. Estimate $80-120
SYNOPSIS: Every harrowing day for a serviceman during World War II was potentially his last. To help bolster troops against the horrors of combat, commanders encouraged them to form tight "buddy" relationships for emotional support. Many war buddies, together every moment, and depending on each other to survive, formed intimate friendships. When they weren't fighting side by side, they relaxed together, discharging tension in boisterous sometimes naked play. The full extent of nude horseplay among men during World War II can't be known, as cameras were rare and film hard to process, but some men did document this unprecedented male bonding in small, anonymous photos mostly kept hidden away until their deaths.
