Welcome to our third installment of photos celebrating WWII-era men of U.S. Navy pre-flight training at St. Mary’s College. These images of naked or jockstrap-clad cadets were taken at the school in Moraga, California when it was requisitioned for the war effort between 1942-1946. You can see more photos in our other posts:
Men of St.Mary’s Pre-Flight School
Christmas At St. Mary’s Pre-Flight School, Pt.I
Christmas At St. Mary’s Pre-Flight School, Pt. II
80 Years Ago: The Men of St. Mary’s Pre-Flight School
More Men of St. Mary’s Pre-Flight School
Only the earliest photos – dated June 13, 1942 – feature the men completely nude. An anonymous person offers a helping hand as the men are photographed in profile.
All subsequent photos feature the cadets in jockstraps. In all of the photos, the men stand behind some sort of grid fencing to better illustrate misalignment and spinal curvature.
The photos were taken to measure the fitness progression of each recruit as they underwent extreme physical training. Each picture was accompanied by an index card containing body measurements and physical achievement test results over the course of several months.
This allows for some contrasting images that Weight Watchers might want to consider emulating.
This installment focuses on photos of cadets as they underwent summer training in the California sun. The results speak for themselves. #tanlines
My collection of photos gathered from around the internet now includes close to 500 different cadets. I have taken my pastime a step further by researching the origins as well as the fates of these brave men. Those featured in this post passed away as young as 22 and as old as 94.
Whether the photos of these handsome young men are literal snapshots near the beginnings of their lives or tragically close to the end, all of the subjects are equally, timelessly captured here in prime physical condition, sun dappled as they trained to serve their country. Nearly 80 years later, we salute and admire their fine forms and dedication.
Men of St.Mary’s Pre-Flight School
Christmas At St. Mary’s Pre-Flight School, Pt.I
Christmas At St. Mary’s Pre-Flight School, Pt. II
Brian Ferrari's Blog 
Brilliant!! This needs to be a coffee table book.
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Interesting– the grids allowed medical staff to evaluate symmetry and scoliosis.
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I would like to see more of these photographs, and what remains of the Ivy League intern pictures from the 1940s/50s
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I will be posting more in the future.
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It’s questionable if the phots of the totally nude men were flight students at St. Mary’s in CA but rather Ivy League students. Any way of proving this?
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Questionable to whom? If you look at the photos here, you can see the same flight students were photographed nude dated June 13th and then in jockstraps thereafter. The same men. In the same location. With “St. Mary’s Pre-Flight School” visible in the corner of each photograph. You are confusing this with the Ivy League posture photos, which were done in totally different environments. I have posted about those as well.
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