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Aerial Warfare Historical Footage

Historic footage of air operations, including refueling, bombing runs, and communications during military engagements in various conflicts.

Royal Air Force Operations in the Far East, 1941-1945. Consolidated Liberator B Mark VIs of No. 231 Group RAF, head out on a bombing raid to Rangoon, Burma from their base in India, escorted by a Republic Thunderbolt, (extreme left).
Royal Air Force Operations in the Far East, 1941-1945. Consolidated Liberator B Mark VIs of No. 231 Group RAF, head out on a bombing raid to Rangoon, Burma from their base in India, escorted by a Republic Thunderbolt, (extreme left).
162 assets in this story
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Photo collection Spaarnestad topics. B. Nederlands Front - Meidagen '40 .. German paratroopers above the Bezuidenhout in The Hague. May 10, 1940. The Hague, the Netherlands
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British Drop On Greece -- Parachutes dot the sky, and some already are on the ground, as British Paratroopers fall from C47s of the U.S. 12th air force troop carrier command near Athens, Greece. October 15, 1944. (Photo by AP Wirephoto).
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German aircrafts dropping air supplies and troops near Oslo. Taken during the occupation of Norway,1940.
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U.S. Navy Blimp during Anti-Submarine Patrol over Atlantic Ocean, High Angle View, Office of War Information, January 1943
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Photo collection Spaarnestad topics. B. Nederlands Front - Meidagen '40 .. German paratroopers above the Bezuidenhout in The Hague. May 10, 1940. The Hague, the Netherlands
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The South African Air Force in Tunisia, June 1943 South African Douglas Boston aircraft in flight over Tunisia.
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DN-SN-85-02082. Subject Operation/Series: URGENT FURY Country: Grenada (GRD)
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A formation of seven US Navy (USN) Grumman C-2A Greyhounds, Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 30 (VRC-30), Providers, in flight above the cloud cover. Base: San Diego State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)
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An air-to-air right rear view of a T-2C Buckeye aircraft during handling evaluations. LTs William B. Binnie and Nelse E. Petersen, students at the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, Patuxent River, Maryland, are flying the plane. Country: Unknown
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Aircraft from squadrons embarked aboard the aircraft carrier USS INDEPENDENCE (CV-62) fly in formation over their bombing target following an ordnance display. Country: Atlantic Ocean (AOC)
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Germany: March 31, 1945. Members of the First Allied Airborne Army drop behind German positions on the far side of the Rhine. Some have already landed and are set for their first objective, a German farmhouse filled with Nazi troops and civilians.
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B-17 Flying Fortresses over Bremen, Germany. 452nd Bomb Group.
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Photo collection Spaarnestad topics. B. Nederlands Front - Meidagen '40 .. German paratroopers above Bezuidenhout in The Hague. May 10, 1940. The Hague, the Netherlands
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Royal Air Force- Italy, the Balkans and South-east Europe, 1942-1945. Martin Baltimores of No. 232 Wing RAF of the Tactical Bomber Force attacking a German division moving up through the mountains of Campania from southern Italy to counter-attack Allied troops landing at Salerno.
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A Flying Fortess Of The 15Th Af Drops Frag Bombs On The German Positions Along The 8Th Front In Italy.
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Crash landing of F6F on the flight deck of the USS Enterprise while enroute to attack Makin Island. Lt. Walter Chewning, catapult officer, clambering up the side of the plane to assist the pilot, Ens. Byron Johnson, from the flaming cockpit. November 1943.
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Description: The Fort Groin showing the progress of the work to date. Location: Guyana Date: 1921 guyana, caribbeanthroughalens
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Returning from an attack on the Florence-Rome Rail Line, this B-26 Marauder of the first tactical Air Force Flies over a permanent block on the Italian West coast Railroad near Cecina, the railroad bridge has been successfully attacked so many times that all repair attempts have been given up. This is part of the "operation strangle" which has prevented through German Trains from moving South of the Pisa-Rimini line in Central Italy since March 24th. May 25, 1944. (Photo by U. S. Office of War Information Picture).
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An Attack Squadron 56 (VA-56) A-7E Corsair aircraft bursts into flames after a ramp strike on the aircraft carrier USS MIDWAY (CV-41). Country: Pacific Ocean (POC)
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An Iraqi mine is detonated by explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team members after it was found floating near the battleship USS MISSOURI (BB-63) during Operation Desert Shield. Subject Operation/Series: DESERT SHIELD Country: Unknown
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Detachment 101, an enigmatic Allied intelligence and special operations unit during World War II, played a pivotal role in the Burmese theater. Operating deep in the jungles of Burma, their mission was multi-faceted, encompassing guerrilla warfare, espionage, and sabotage against Japanese forces. Comprising a diverse group of individuals, from OSS agents to indigenous fighters, they effectively disrupted Japanese supply lines, gathered critical intelligence, and supported resistance movements.
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Project 24 - Operation Hardtack (Enewetak/Bikini/Johnnston Island Area) Detonation. UMBRELLA detonation; series of 71 photos from Ikuren Island of burst and base surge (56 of 71). Photographs of Atmospheric Nuclear Testing at Pacific Island and Nevada Test Sites.
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APOCALYPSE NOW (1979), directed by FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA.
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Low angle view of a missile taking off, Hawk Guided Missile, White Sands Missile Range, Otero County, New Mexico, USA
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DA-SN-88-04516. Base: Fort Irwin State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)
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Photo collection Service for army contacts Indonesia. Aerial recording. Dark clouds. Burning oil installations?. 1947. Indonesia, Dutch East Indies
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Bombs Bombing - Tracer Bullets ETC - War file. February 08, 1948. (Photo by Associated Press Photo).
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Patterned By Huge TNT Blast -- The earth shoots skyward in this unusual pattern, May 229 as Army engineers detonate 160 tons of TNT in the most powerful non-atomic explosion in history on desert of western Utah. May 28, 1951. (Photo by AP Wirephoto).
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DF-SN-82-00883. Base: Saigon Country: Viet Nam (VNM)
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Photo collection Service for army contacts Indonesia. DLC Landing exercises I Infantry Brigade 7-December Division in Tjilinting. Exercises on Java's North Coast. The bridgehead is formed and the troops present therein are supplied by the ML from the air. Parachutes come to the packages with ammunition and food. May 1947. Indonesia, Dutch East Indies
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Ambulances And Their Crew, Which Are Always On Hand When Planes Are Returning From Missions, Await The Landing Of The Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" Of The 379Th Bomb Group On 13 May 1944. England.
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DN-SN-89-02179. Base: Naval Air Station, Lemoore State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)
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A U.S. Air Force Republic F-105D-6-RE Thunderchief (s/n 60-0418, 34th TFS, 388th TFW) trailing fire and smoke just after interception by an SA-2 missile, circa 23 km south of Hanoi, Vietnam, on 14 February 1968. The SA-2 did not actually hit an aircraft the warhead was detonated by a command from the tracking radar or by a proximity fuse in the missile when it neared the target, throwing deadly fragments over a wide area. The pilot, Robert Malcolm Elliot (1929-1968), was killed. His body was not recovered until 1998. 14 February 1968
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Guded Missile Takes Off - A projectile known as "GAPA," (ground to air pilotless aircraft), a heretofore secret guided missile, takes off into space on an initial U.S. Army Air Forces test. The 10 foot-long, pencil-slim projectile, was designed as a potential defense against possible attack by high-speed, high-altitude enemy aircraft. August 14, 1946. (Photo by Associated Press Photo).
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Vintage Photograph. The Baker Day explosion of the fifth atomic bomb at Bikini Lagoon
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A left side view of an AIM-54C Phoenix air-to-air missile in-flight. The missile was launched by an F-14A Tomcat aircraft from Fighter Squadron 1 (VF-1). State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)
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Vanguard Rocket Explodes on Launch Pad
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Vintage Photograph. US Air Force Thor Missile launching from pad. Frame 1
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Mushroom Cloud From Atomic Bomb Set Off In South Pacific During Operation Ivy
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Operation Ranch Hand was a U.S. Military operation during the Vietnam War; lasting from 1962 until 1971. It was part of the overall herbicidal warfare program during the war called 'Operation Trail Dust'. Ranch Hand involved spraying an estimated 20 million US gallons of defoliants and herbicides over rural areas of South Vietnam in an attempt to deprive the NLF (Viet Cong) of vegetation cover and food. Areas of Laos and Cambodia were also sprayed to a lesser extent. Nearly 20,000 sorties were flown between 1961 and 1971.
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1940s WORLD WAR II BLITZKRIEG MONTAGE NAZI BOMBER PLANES FLYING OVER CITY RUBBLE CRYING BABY INJURED DEAD MOTHER