77 gelatin silver photos (including two color chromogenic prints) with the smallest one ca. 9x6,2 cm (3 ½ x 2 ½ in), the larger one ca. 19,1x25,4 cm (ca. 7 ½ x 10 in), and the rest of the photos ca. 10,1x15,2 cm (4 x 6 in). One photo with a period ink caption (in English) on verso. Most prints with machine-printed text: “Fujifilm Quality Dry Photo Paper, 7/29/2019 Printed at Walmart.” A custom-made morocco folder with gilt-tooled borders and title “Wheelus Air Base Tripoli, Libya, North Africa 1963-1966” on the front cover. A very good collection with strong, interesting prints.

Historically significant collection of early photos documenting the final years of Wheelus Air Base and pre-war Tripoli through the eyes of an American serviceman and his family.

Wheelus Air Base was one of the largest U.S. military installations overseas from 1943 until 1970. Established in the 1920s by the Italian Air Force as Mellaha Airfield, it was captured by Allied forces during WWII and subsequently operated by the U.S. Army Air Forces. After the war, Wheelus became a strategic hub for American operations in the Mediterranean and North Africa. The base (ca. 20,000 acres) included extensive runways, hangars, bombing ranges, maintenance depots, schools, and recreational facilities. It remained under U.S. control until 1970, when the base was handed over to the Libyan government following an agreement with Gaddafi’s new regime.

As follows from the collection, the photos were taken and collected by the family of a non-commissioned American serviceman stationed at Wheelus Air Base between 1963 and 1966. The album opens with a large-format image showing the serviceman shaking hands with another U.S. Army officer in an official setting, likely during a recognition or congratulatory event. A sign on the wall suggests that both men were affiliated with the U.S. Army Map Service, which operated in Libya at the time. Another image depicts a detailed map of the base, possibly prepared with the serviceman’s participation.

About twenty-five well-executed photos depict the grounds of Wheelus Air Base in the mid-1960s, including views of the memorial to the 7272nd Fighter Training Wing, the NCO Open Mess Club, Wheelus Television station, the base exchange, Pan American aircraft at a refueling point, and various U.S. Army and Air Force planes & machines. Several images document a military parade with soldiers marching in uniform, waving American and what appears to be Libyan flags, and accompanied by a military orchestra.

Over thirty excellent early photos portray Tripoli before the later war damage and the 1969 Libyan Revolution. The images show the Royal Palace, Bab Hawara Gate, Martyrs’ Square, the ruins of Leptis Magna, the Arch of Marcus Aurelius, and general city panoramas with visible cars and horse-drawn carts. Especially interesting are several candid urban scenes, showing a Santa Claus riding a camel and greeting children and their parents.

The other images include two color chromogenic prints of locals at a camel market, as well as scenes of the compiler’s relatives riding horses and camels, strolling through the streets, and attending a rodeo.

Overall, historically significant collection of early photos documenting the final years of Wheelus Air Base.