Aerial Military Operations

Historical aerial photographs showcasing military strikes during World War II. Images depict bombing raids and target locations with a mix of black and white footage.

Army Air Force Flying...

Moving locomotives are not easy targets, but this photograph, taken from the gun camera film in a plane of the "Great Flying Wall of China" Squadron which made a sweep deep into occupied China, shows clearly that the fighter plane's gun have ofund

Aerial of Rabaul, New Britain.

Army Air Force Flying...

Army Air Force Flying Fortresses (Boeing B-17's) bombed jetties, shore facilities, and cargo vessels in Portolago Bay, Leros Island, late in November, 1942, in a daring raid from North Africa. Bursts can be seen on the jetties and the ships hit in

Martin B-26 (Marauders) of the North African Air Force attack railway bridge at Montalto Di Castro, 55 miles northwest of Rome.

Eastern Industrial Areas heavily hit by HE bombs. (20 Dec 43)

Smoke clouds visible 150 miles from the burning refineries and paraffin plant at Balikpapan, Borneo, toward a formation of 13th Air Force Consolidated B-24 Liberators that has just dumped its bombs on the target. The picture was taken during the

AFHQ, August 1, 1943-Huge columns smoke rise from burning planes & oil dumps on Leverano Airfield, Southern Italy, after recent fortress raid by N.W. African Air Forces.

Distant View Of Mt. Fujiyama And Two Formations Of B-29S.

OPERATION "STRANGLE"-But the main mission of the Tactical Air Force in April was to cut and keep cut all the rail lines to Rome. Here the sharp-shooting Martin B-26's break the bridge at Sarzana, just below Spezia on Italy's west coast.

In Sunday's attack by a record force of 8th AAF heavy bombers on enemy aircraft factories at Leipzig. Brunswick and Bernburg and military targets at Gotha, Tutow, Oschersleben and other points in Northern and Central Germany, major damage was

American aircraft under attack by German Airplanes with Rocket guns.

Enemy on Kiska.

Hit By Flak After Completing Its Bomb Run Over Porto Santo Stafano, Italy, On 12 May 1944, This Consolidated B-24 'Liberator' Of The 15Th Air Force, Flew With Its Formation For Seven Minutes After Losing Part Of Its Tail, Then Split 'S' A Number Of Times,

Vapor Road To Victory - Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses Of The 452Nd Bomb Group Etch Fleecy Vapor Trails In The Sub Stratosphere Over Germany As They Head For The Target, Regensburg, Germany. B-17S Of The 452Nd Bomb Group Continued Their Daily Pounding Of

Mission #2-St. Omer-ofrt...

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses Of The 91St Bomb Group, 8Th Air Force, Enroute Toward Cognac, France, Fly At 18,000 Altitude - High Above The Heavy Cloud Banks. 31 Dec. 1943.

Smoke dissipates after explosions. During this attack of 25 August, 14 Consolidated B-24s dropped 87 of these antipersonnel bombs.

Nazi Aircraft Burns After 8Th Af Fighters Strafed Nordhausen Airfield, Germany. Feb. 1945.

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses Of The 452Nd Bomb Group On Bombing Mission Over Berlin, Germany, 9 March 1944.

EUROPE--Dispersed by 9th Air force strafing attacks on 22 January 1945, this German convoy fleeing the Bulge is easy meat for the fighters.

Long Before Our Troops Crossed The Rhine, We Knew That Viatl Power Was Being Drained From Germany By Relentless Precision Bombing Of Her Industry. Photo Interpreters Determined What Factories Were Producing What Types Of War Material. They Knew How Many

Bombs Dropped On February 25, 1945 By Planes Of The 463Rd Bombardment Group, 772Nd Bombardment Squadron, 15Th Air Force Fall Toward The Marshalling Yards At Linz, Austria, Which The Enemy Has Attempted To Hide With A Smoke Screen.

Bombers blast Corregidor before the invasion.

Germany-Fighter sweeps.

Gdynia-Oct. 9-Vessels add to heavy smoke screen as Gydnia receives first attack.

Aircraft, Burma, India &Strafing &Combat War

Republic P-47...

Wilhelmshaven, Germany alerted as Formations pass by.

This Formation Of Consolidated B-24 Liberators Of The 15Th Air Force Are Shwon Flying Over The Szob Railroad Bridge In Yugoslavia On Sept. 5, 1944. Hits Were Seen On Both Approaches, But The Bridge Itself Was Believed Not Hit.

A Consolidated B-24 "Liberator" flys over smoke covered harbor installations, as its bombs burst on the few remaining submarines in the Mediterranean, and on communication facilities. The heavy bombers covered the target with a good concentration of

RABAUL, NEW BRITAIN BOMBING

Forts Maul Rail Center -- Bombs From Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses Strike The Marshalling Yards At Osnabruck As Us 8Th Aaf Heavies Attacked 13 May 44. Smoke From A Nearby Steel Plant Can Be Seen Rising As The American Bombs Take Their Toll. Hits Were Al

First Run On A Japaneseanese Destroyer Escort 'Frigate' By North American B-25's Of Air Apaches Group, On A Convoy Attacked April 6, 1945 Near Swintow, China. Bombing And Strafing Spatter The Water Close To The Ship.

Bombing Of Nances, France, Near St. Etienne, By Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses Of The 15Th Air Force, On 26 May 1944.

Burning from direct thousand-pound bomb hits, a Japanese cruiser of the Kuma class circles in a desperate effort to evade new blows by a "Bomber Baron" Liberator formation of the 13th AAF, which attacked it in the Sulu Sea Oct 26, 1944. Left burning

Formation Of Boeing B-29 "Superfortresses"' Of The Xx Bomber Command Somewhere Over China, En Route To Bomb Enemy Installations At Rangoon, Burma, On 3 November 1944. 468Th Bomb Group.

Attempts by the Germans to repair this railroad bridge at San Michele, north of Trento, Italy, was intercepted by repeated attacks by Republic P-47 Thunderbolts of the U.S. 12th A.F. The center span, which had been reconstructed after previous

Aircraft, Burma, India & INDIA,RESCUE War

Forced Landing Of A Boeing B-17. One B-17 That Never Reached England. The Crew Was Rescued From A Greenland Icecap By A Navy Plane.

Aircraft, Burma, India & INDIA,MISCELLANEOUS War

Bombs Burst On The Airdrome At Munich, Germany After Planes Of The 100Th Bomb Group, Guided By Smoke Markers, Released Their Bombs Over The Target, 9 April 1945.

Raid on Pantelleria.

Aerial view of helicopters taking off during Operation PIRANHA on September 7, 1965, in Chu Lai, Vietnam. The image showcases the first assault wave of Marines amidst a sunny sky. Photographed by SSgt. Savatt, it depicts the military activities during the Vietnam War. Source: Defense Dep. Photo (Marine Corps) A185242.

Northrop P-61 "Black Widows" In Flight. Saipan, Mariansa Islands, January 1945.

Boeing B-17s en route to bomb targets in Western Germany. 401st Bomb Group.

FIGHTERS VS. FORTS. Silhouette against the smoke pall over Hamburg are Flying Fortresses on the 8th Air Force and one lone Focke-Wulfe 190 far in the rear as they heavy bombers hammered another vital German target. This time following up the heavy

Five miles up, with the...

Landing Fields - Philippines - Mindanao Island, Aerial Photograph.

Smoke rises over the harbor at Reggio Calabria, Italy after being bombed by Allied Planes.

Unable to land on its home base in the fog-bound Aleutian Islands, an Eleventh Air Force Consolidated B-24 Liberator returning from a bombing mission over Paramushiru Island found a safe landing spot on one of the tiny islands in the Aleutians.

A Pattern Of Transport Planes And Gliders Is Pictured Against A Grey English Sky As The 439Th Troop Carrier Group Sends Load After Load Of Airborne Infantrymen To France Where Allied Forces Are Fighting For The Liberation Of Europe. 7 June 1944.

Photographs depicting military activities in France, May - June 1940. Included photographs of Rommel, Guderian, Dreuz, Bottcher, Italian General Garaboldi, Lucie Rommel, shots of Rommel with Hitler. Photographs of equipment and troops arriving and in action, from the personal collection of Rommel.

JAP FREIGHTER SUNK IN SOUTH CHINA SEA---Ten minutes later the Japaneseanese freighter is listing to port, its bow and ofrecastle submerged. Note B-25 in upper left, another bomb in air about to hit the ship, along with smashed crates and the bobbing heads

With German flak bursting black against the white clouds, 12th AAF Martin B-26 Marauders dropped anti-personnel bombs on Nazi positions on the Nettuno bridgehead recently. Despite the almost complete cloud cover under which the Germans were launching

Steadily increasing forces of 8th AF heavies with more than equal number of fighter cover are being employed in stepping up the relentless round-the-clock aerial bombardment of strategic enemy targets. The constant hammering of oil and ammunition

AO-106 Navasota , Ships, Naval Vessels, Boats, Naval History, Navy

Bombing Boram / Wewak, New Guinea.

Cognac, France (Dec. 5, 1943)-Consolidated B-24 "Liberators" on way to bomb Cognac, France.

The railroad and adjacent road were blocked at Mereta, Italy. The two spans at the NW end of the bridge were completely destroyed.

Aircraft, Burma, India & Bombing,

Since D-Day fighter-bombers of Maj. Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg's 9th A.F. have been dropping a new type incendiary bomb against enemy pinpoint targets. Known as "fire bombs," "jell bombs" and "French fries," the missiles consist of jettisonable fuel

This Army Air Forces Photograph Made From An Advance Outpost Shows A Heavy Concentration Of Bombs Dropped From Heavy Bombers Of The 15Th Af On German Installations Facing The 8Th Army. The Accuracy Of The Air Bombing Was Excellent. 9 April 1945 Italy

Collection of World War I Photographs, 1914-1918 that depict the military activities of British and other nation's armed forces and personnel during World War I.

Blind bombing methods necessary at Munster, Germany. Consolidated B-24 in upper right hand corner of picture. (22 Dec 43). 44th Bomb Group.

Aerial view of landing operation on French coast shows three LST's stuck in shallow water a couple of hundred yards off shore. A line of tanks and vehicles scuttle through heavy surf. Soldiers jam beaches as others swim ashore.

Mount Cleveland volcano, on Chuginadak Island in the Islands of Four Mountains Group in the eastern Aleutian area, has been in full eruption since 10 June 44, causing the evacuation of an army installation on Chuginadak.

Bizerte, Tunisia-Explosion from Axis supply ship bombed in the Mediterranean off Bizerte spreads, indicating it was carrying munitions while a direct hit has been scored on another vessel.

Closer now and more hits, this time on the wing. The German has broken off, turning and gone into a steep glide. The end is nearer.

Oblique of Puerto Princesa airdrome, Palawan Island, P.I. showing bombs walking neatly down runway during 28 Oct. 1944 attack by FEAF. Among 23 destroyed and 10-15 damaged are (1) Bettys and (2) unidentified S/E aircraft.

Low Level Bombing Using Parofrog Bombs Over Vunakanua, Rabaul, New Britain By The 501St Sq. Of The 345 Bg. On 12 Oct. 1943.

China. Sinkiang (Xinjiang). Takla Makan. Western part of Mazar Tag, north of the Jarkend Darja, below Jarkend

Heavy Bombers Of The Us 8Th Air force Made Direct Hits On The Railways At Freising, Germany, On 18 April 1945, As Final Efforts Are Made To Disrupt Completely The Germany Supply System.

FRANCE-Battle activities during battle for Falaise Gap on 20 August 44 when Argentan was taken by the British, Falaise by the Canadians and Trun by the Poles. Picture shows destruction wrought by Air support of the 2d and 9th Tactical Air Forces and

ATTACKING HALMAHERA ISLAND, the last Japaneseanese bastion between New Guinea and the Philippines. A ternate oil dump goes up in smoke after an attack by Mitchell Bombers of the U.S. Army 5th Air Force and Far East Air Forces.

Flight of allied bombers over unusual cloud formations during the Magdeburg, Germany raid on 20 June 1944.

Tripoli, Tripolitania, Libya-Heavy smoke billows up from the Spanish mole, or pierhead, at Tripoli Harbor after successful bombing raid by U.S. Air Forces.

Boeing B-17's lay a carpet of vapor trails as they beat steadily towards their target. The Dorneir Assembly Plant at Meuland, France. Planes of lower element can be seen, below.

Anti-aircraft searchlights come up out of Tokyo, Japanesean.

Project 18 - Operation Crossroads (Bikini) Detonation. Baker Cloud, Aerial View Showing Wilson Cloud and Shockwave on Water. Photographs of Atmospheric Nuclear Testing at Pacific Island and Nevada Test Sites.

Looking like huge blossoms, these parachutes dot the countryside in Southern France, somewhere between Toulon and Cannes, as paratroopers, brought to this dropping zone by Douglas C-47 transports of the 12th Air force Troop Carrier Air Division

In a series of smashing strikes at Japanese oil refineries in the Netherlands East Indies, three 13th AAF Consolidated B-24 "Snoopers" on Dec 9, 1944 slipped in at dawn over Sangga-Sangga, 45 miles from Balikpapan, Borneo, ignited eight oil reserves

North Africa-Group stagger formation of Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortresses."

Brenner Pass -- A Bridge At Rovereto On The Brenner Line Takes A Beating From The B-25 Mitchells. Rovereto Is An Important Point 40 Miles North Of Verona On The Brenner Line. (12Th Air Force Photo).

Damage Done By Atomic Bombing Of Nagasaki, Japan.

Japanese gun installation as seen from Japanese underground tunnel. Kiska, Aleutians.

Boeing b-17's in raid over Lille, France.

The frequently bombed Gasmata airdrome is pictured here. Shell craters, some of them apparently water-filled, stand out brightly from several thousand feet.

This type of fortified position is usually dispersed on top of hills where a commanding view of the surrounding terrain is possible from all directions. This photograph was made on the 18th of May, 1944, 1/4 miles SW of Tengchung, China

A Douglas A-20 of the 5th Air Force's 3rd Bombardment Group, 90th Bombardment Squadron flies mast-high over Japaneseanese ships at Manokwari, Dutch New Guinea during an attack on June 9, 1944.

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses Of The 381St Bomb Group En Route To Attack Enemy Installations Somewhere In Europe, Leave Fleecy Vapor Trails In Their Wake.

Union Battery at Budds Ferry. Morgan collection of Civil War drawings. Page (Steamship), 1860-1870, Artillery (Weaponry), 1860-1870, Soldiers, Union, 1860-1870, Ships, 1860-1870, United States, History, Civil War, 1861-1865, Campaigns & battles, United States, Virginia, Potomac River

Bolzano, Italy, 40 miles south of the Brenner pass leading to Germany, is the northernmost important railroad junction through which the Nazis could move troops to or from the Italian front. Flying Fortresses (Boeing B-17s) of the US Army 15th Air

High In The Sub Stratosphere Over German Territory, This Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" Of The 91St Bomb Group 8Th Af Etches Vapor Trails. The Target On This Mission Is Brunswick, Germany. 30 Jan 1944. (Altitude 22,000 Feet).

Bomb release is over 10/10 cloud.

Attack of a German...

Black columns of smoke stream from two Nazi trucks near Schuadtheim, Germany. Eight others damaged line the highway.

Forts Ride Again...This Formation Of Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses Of The 452Nd Bomb Group Enroute To Blast German Targets In France As Part Of The General Plan To Pulverize All Vitally Important War Objectives. Nazi Airfield At Bordeaux, France, Was The

Attack on a U-Boat. These 6 photos were taken from a Coastal Command Whitney which made a depth-charge attack on a U-boat in the Southwestern approaches of the Atlantic. No. 40, Depth charges released as submarine began to crash dive.

Lt. William E. Meyers, Buffalo Creek, Colorado, a Ninth AF fighter-bomber pilot, caught this German ME-109 in his gun and camera sights during a recent air battle on the western front. The panel of pictures shows the enemy craft trailing smoke

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