Aircraft Maintenance in War Zones

Images depict military aircraft maintenance activities, showing crews working on fighter-bombers. The mood is industrious, with depictions of machinery, tools, and personnel in military settings.

Aircraft, Burma, India & INDIA,ARMAMENT War

Crew Chiefs use their ingenuity when they bore sight the guns of a First TAC AF Republic P-47 fighter-bomber at this advanced field in France. Holding the plane "in level flight" is a G.I. truck with a crane attached and weighing the tail down ofr

P-38 packs six 500-pounders, used for high level or dive-bombing. ITALY

"Hit Parade" got hit. This Flying ofrtress of the 8th AAF Bomber Command had completed five missions and had come through unscathed, but on the sixth it suffered battle damage. Pvt. Ray W. Bartles, 22, of 456 Broad St., Hartofrd, Conn., pulls the

Luftwaffe Pick-A-Backs Were Immobilized At Merseberg Airdrome, Merseberg, Germany, As Shown Here. Already Familiar To 8Th Af Pilots, The Pick-A-Back Ju-88 Acts As A Guided Missile Against Priority Targets.

Men Use Steam To Clean A Lockheed P-38 "Lightning" At The Washing Department Of The 27Th Air Depot Group, Port Moresby Port Depot, Papua, New Guinea.

Royal Air Force Ferry Command, 1941-1943. Lockheed Hudsons lined up at Gander, Newfoundland, Canada, prior to being flown across the Atlantic, direct to Prestwick, Ayrshire.

The wreckage of a Martin B-26 of the 34th Bomb Squadron, 17 Bomb Group which was damaged during a bombing raid by the enemy on an airfield somewhere in the Mediterranean Area.

This Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" (A/C No. 797) Of The 401St Bomb Squadron, 91St Bomb Group, Based In Bassingbourne, England, Was Damaged By A Bomb That Was Dropped On The Right Horizontal Stabilizer And Elevator During A Raid Over Berlin On 11 June 1943

Air Force Personnel, Using Mops, Sponges, Etc., Wash Down The Boeing B-29 'Special Delivery' At A Base On Saipan, Marianans Islands. November 1944.

Aircraft, Burma, India & INDIA,ARMAMENT War

The Negro Ground Crew Of The 99Th Fighter Squadron, A Negro American Squadron, Gasses Up A Curtiss P-40 In Preparation For A Mission. Termoli, Italy, 30 December 1943. Black Ground Crewmen

Armaments Personnel Reloading Guns Of A North American B-25 'Mitchell' After Air Strike Over Kyushu, Japanesean. 396Th Bomb Squadron, 41St Bomb Group. 29 July 1945. Okinawa, Ryukyu Retto.

Douglas C-47s are parked on the line at an airstrip somewhere in the Philippine Islands.

The Wings Badly Dented, And Teh Strudy Propeller Gnawed And Bent But This Republic P-47 Thunderbolt Came Home To Its Base In Italy. The Pilot, 1St Lt. Richard P. Sulzbach Of 1706 Rebecca St., Sioux City, Iowa, While On A Strafing Mission, Flew Too Low An

Shown here, against a background of Allied invasion shipping at a beachhead, is the first Lockheed P-38 Lightning to land on an American airfield in France. It was flown from its base in England by a pilot of the 9th Tactical Air Command, commanded

Ground Crew working on Boeing B-29 in China.

Air Ministry Second World War Official Collection

Major General Earle E. Partridge Seated In The Cockpit Of A North American P-51 Of The 353Rd Fighter Group, While On Inspection Tour Of The Group At An Airbase In England.

Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, With German Markings Was Found At A Luftwaffe Air Base At Gottingen Germany. The Fuselage Was Painted Olive Drab; Belly And Tail Yellow. All Guns Were Loaded. Nearby Were Wings Of Raf Mosquito, Marked With German Crosses.

Royal Air Force Operations in the Far East, 1941-1945. Mosquito Mark II, DZ695, on an airfield in India following delivery by No. 1 Overseas Aircraft Despatch Unit. This was one of the first Mosquitos sent to the Far Eastern theatre for trial purposes and was issued to No. 27 Squadron RAF at Agartala. The aircraft was written off following an overshot landing at Agartala on 3 May 1943.

Supplies for a fighter group are unloaded from a Douglas C-47 at Finschhafen, N.E. New Guinea, 18 December 1943.

Aircraft, Burma, India &Aircraft, GROUND,REPUBLIC War

To Increase The Load, Two External Bomb Racks, Carrying 1000-Lb Bombs Are Added To This Boeing B-17 Of The 303Rd Bomb Group At Molesworth, England. 18 September 1943.

American Aircraft in RAF Service 1939-1945- Vultee-stinson Sentinel Sentinels of No. 194 Squadron RAF queuing to take off from a forward air strip in Burma.

1st Lt. Russel J. Myktyn (center) of Central Falls, R.I., Photo Reconnaissance pilot of the 9th Air Force makes a last minute check with Sgt Charle E. Kurtz (left) of Philadelphia, Pa., and crew chief Sgt Edwin R. Pietka (right) of Detroit, Mich.

Flak Damage To A Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" Of The 401St Bomb Group, England, 26 February 1944 (Aircraft No. 231863).

General View Of A North American P-51 With A 1000 Pound Bomb Under Each Wing And Bazookas In Position. 7 August 1944.

500Th Bombardment Group Planes Suffered Very Little Damage Due To Operational Maintenance Failures. Not Always, However, Could The Big Ships Be Berthed Or Taken Off Without Accident. The Landing Gear On 'Gravel Gertie', B-29 Superfortress Collapsed 6 Au

RAF Fighter Command 1940 Hawker Hurricane Mk I P3166 VY-Q, flown by the CO of No. 85 Squadron, Sqn Ldr Peter Townsend, being refuelled at Castle Camps, July 1940.

Douglas C-47's on the landing strip at Finschhafen, N.E. New Guinea, after bringing supplies to a fighter group. 18 December 1943.

Bombing of Ammunition ship...

These 8th Air Force Boeing B-17s on Poltava Airfield, Ukraine, Russia, having just completed their first shuttle-bombing msision from England, were destroyed on the ground in a perfectly timed and well executed attack by the German Air Force on the

North American P-51 (A/C No. 36593) Of The 78Th Fighter Group Crash-Landed At The 8Th Air Force Station F-357 In Duxford, England. 10 April 1945.

Royal Air Force Operations in the Middle East and North Africa, 1940-1943. A line of Bristol Beaufighter TF Mark Xs of No. 603 Squadron RAF start their engines at Gambut 3, Libya.

RAF Bomber Command Handley Page Hampdens of No. 408 Squadron RCAF being loaded with mines, 1942.

The Nose Of The Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" (A/C No. 890) Was Badly Damaged During A Mission Flown By The 379Th Bomb Group On 25 June 1944. England.

Royal Air Force- Italy, the Balkans and South-east Europe, 1942-1945. A Supermarine Spitfire HF Mark VIII of No. 92 Squadron RAF, undergoing routine maintenance at Grottaglie, Italy, is refuelled from a Bedford QL fuel tender.

T/Sgt. Paul R. Taylor, of Randolph Minn., top turret gunner of Boeing B-17 #42-29996, looks out of shattered window, on forward left side of ship. Damage shown caused by 20 mm cannon shell which also cut off oxygen supply on left side of plane.

Major General Earle E. Partridge Seated In The Cockpit Of A North American P-51 Of The 353Rd Fighter Group, While On Inspection Tour Of The Group At An Airbase In England.

Anefo photo collection. Princess Juliana returns with her three daughters from Canada in liberated the Netherlands .. Princess Juliana with Princess Margriet in the doorway of the Dakota. August 2, 1945. Gelderland, Teuge

One of the returning Liberators just landing after a msision to Germany. Top turret gunner can be seen waving through upper hatch.

The Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" 'Dreambaby' Of The 381Th Bomb Group Stationed At An 8Th Air Force Base Near Ridgewell, Essex County, England, 30 May 1944.

Royal Air Force Operations in Malta, Gibraltar and the Mediterranean, 1940-1945. A Vickers Wellington Mark IC of No. 38 Squadron RAF Detachment, taxying at Luqa, Malta. Seven aircraft of the Squadron were detached to Malta from Shallufa, Egypt, between August and October 1941 for operations over the Mediterranean and Italy.

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.

Flak Damage To The Tail Of A Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" Of The 401St Bomb Group, England, 5 February 1944 (Aircraft No. 240002).

Aircraft, Burma, India &PHOTOGRAPHY, CAMERAS,STILL War

Consolidated B-24J 'Don'T Cry Baby' After Crash Landing Near Charing, Kent, England. (A/C No. 42-110084).

Philippine Islands-The mechanics are important men in an L-5 squadron, just as they are in the bomber and fighter units. At work on a plane are (left to right) Sgt. Byon (correct) Winters, 614 East Apache, Tulsa, Okla., S/Sgt. Jack Bishop, Miles

Curtiss P-40 Of The 2Nd Service Group, Warms Up For Take-Off From A Pierced Steel Plank Runway At An Air Base Somewhere In Iceland. 17 April 1943.

Mechanics of 9th Service Command overhaul this Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighter-bomber on an air strip of the 9th Air force somewhere in the liberated section of France.

Despite the type of mud that bogs tanks and halftracks down, the Flying Fortresses of Lt. Gen. Ira C. Eaker's Mediterranean Allied Air Forces, must carry out their part of the war. Standing on a metal dispersal area, almost surrounded by pools of

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.

"Somewhere in France," after refueling and rearming these P-47 Thunderbolts of the 9th Air force are shown taking off for another mission against other targets in France.

Returning from a mission, a Martin B-26 Marauder skids off the runway. As the plane plows through the snow-covered field, the nose wheel begins to buckle, nosing the plane into the snow. Here the crewmen can be seen leaving the plane. All of the crew

A final engine check, Docis, in cockpit, plays the Clarinet and Concertina and used to lead a dance band. Recently he married a London girl and has just returned from a Honeymoon in Scotland.

Crew membres of the 301st Bomb Group are shown cleaning their Boeing B-17 at an airfield in Biskra, North Africa. They are, left to right: Sgt. W. Swallow, S/Sgt. Ross, and Sgt. M.J. White. 25 December 1942.

Aircraft, Burma, India & INDIA,CREWS War

Orig 4X5 Neg (Gm-4-46) Rec'D 19 April 1946 From Hdq., Aaf Station F-157, Apo #559.

AIR TRANSPORT COMMAND SPEEDS EIGHTH AAF ON ITS WAY. British civilian workers at a U.S. Air Transport command base at Valley, Wales wave farewell as the Eighth Air Force Consolidated B-24 "GLORY BEE" prepares to leave for

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.

Gas Is Pumped Out Of The Endless Line Of Consolidated B-24 Liberators Of The 15Th Air Force At Lyons, France. These Planes Ferry Gas And Other Vital Supplies From Bases In Italy To Invasion Forces In France. 13 September 1944.

Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" Nicknamed "Yankee Doodle Dandy". 303Rd Bomb Group, England. 4 April 1944.

A whole ofrtress crew, of the Air force, Bomber command, get a ride back from their plane, after bombing enemy occupied territory.

The Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" "Stuff" Of The 381St Bomb Group Stationed At An 8Th Air Force Base Near Ridgewell, Essex County, England, 31 March 1944.

Royal Air Force- Italy,the Balkans and South-east Europe, 1942-1945. A typhus team of No. 31 Mobile Field Hospital back their Fordson WOT1 Ambulance up to the freight doors of Douglas Dakota Mark III, KG523 'H,' of No. 267 Squadron RAF at Bari, as they prepare to unload any suspect cases from among the wounded and sick partisans and civilians of the Yugoslav National Liberation Army, who have been evacuated to Italy by the Balkan Air Force Casualty Evacuation Section. Typhus fever, bacillary dysentry and tuberculosis assumed epidemic proportions among the Yugoslav partisan forces, and it was necessary to arrange for specially-equipped typhus hospitals to be ready to deal with outbreaks among the evacuees promptly and effectively. Yugoslav partisans assisting the BAF Casualty Evacution Section can be seen running to the aircraft on the right.

A P-38 Lightning moves up to a compass stop to get a good reading during World War II

Aircraft, Burma, India &Maintenance, ENGINES War

Douglas C-47 "Assam Air Lines" Of The 1337Th Aaf Base Unit, Air Transport Command, On Runway At Assam, India. 10 May 1945.

Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" 'Bad Egg' (A/C No. 124484) Of The 91St Bomb Group Is Parked On The Grass At An 8Th Air Force Base Near Bassingbourne, England. 15 October 1943.

Major General George E. Stratemeyer And Party Inspect Both Combat And Ground Crew Of The 66Th Bomb Squadron, 44Th Bomb Group, Who Stand At Attention Beside Their Consolidated B-24 'Liberator' (A/C No. 240130) At An 8Th Air Force Base In England. 21 April

A Dense Cloud Of Smoke Obscures A North American P-51 "Mustang" As It Roars Down A Runway On Iwo Jima, Bonin Islands. Other "Mustangs" Are Parked Alongside The Runway. July 1945. 506Th Fighter Group, 458Th Squadron

This German FW 190 crash...

Aircraft, Burma, India &Aircraft, GROUND,REPUBLIC War

Royal Air Force 1939-1945- Coastal Command In June 1942 the 'Spirit of Lockheed-Vega Employees' - a Hudson III presented to the RAF by Lockheed workers and operated by No 269 Squadron in Iceland - was forced to crash-land on an isolated sand-spit after running into a storm. Only slightly damaged, the aircraft was dismantled by a salvage crew during a seven-week operation and brought back by ship for repairs.

An M.P. Stands Nearby As Japaneseanese Prisoners Of War Load Food Rations Onto A Truck From A Boeing B-29 Of The 7Th Air Force At Bolo Field, Okinawa, Ryukyu Retto. 14 October 1945.

The Royal Navy during the Second World War One of the coldest jobs in Northern waters is that of the aircraftsmen who sit on the chocks, as the engine of the aircraft is run up. An aircraftsman on the chocks as a Grumman Martlet of (No FN 144) is warmed up on board HMS FORMIDABLE.

Aircraft, Burma, India &Maintenance,ENGINES War

Mechanics At A-1 Working On A Boeing B-29 Superfortress 'Katie' (A/C No. 298), Which Nosed Over Into A Ditch Alongside The Runway When A Tire Blew Out As It Landed. China.

Royal Air Force Transport Command, 1943-1945. A Hawker Hurricane Mark IIC of No. 1697 (Air Despatch Letter Service) Flight, parked with photographic-reconnaissance North American Mustangs (behind) at B2/Bazenville, Normandy, as a jeep conveys the pilot and despatch personnel back to the operations area.

Aircraft, Burma, India & INDIA,RECREATION War

The Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" 'Hell'S Angels', 303Rd Bomb Group, Parked On An Air Base In England. 10 Oct. 1943.

A Ninth Air Force Martin B-26 Marauder Of The 397Th Bombardment Group Takes Off On A Mission Against Vital Bridges, Roads And Rail Lines Carrying Supply And Troop Movements To Von Rundstedt`S Forces. Maintenance Men Cleared The Runways Of A Seven Inch Sn

When No.77 Squadron RAAF was based at Iwakuni in Japan on occupation duties, its Mustang fighter formations were a familiar sight in Japanese skies. This picture shows a line-up of the squadron's Mustangs at Iwakuni before taking off on a training mission. Several months after this picture was taken, these Mustangs, still operating from Iwakuni, were flying to Korea each day to support UN ground forces in action against the communists. Later, the squadron moved to Korea. It was the first British Commonwealth unit to go into action against the Reds. December 14, 1954. (Photo by RAAF Official Photo).

Royal Air Force Coastal Command, 1939-1945. A crew of a Bristol Blenheim Mark IV of No. 404 Squadron RCAF, prepare to take off from Dyce, Aberdeen, in the evening of 17 May 1942, to take part in the attack on the German heavy cruiser PRINZ EUGEN off Norway. Six Blenheims were detailed to accompany the strike force of Bristol Beauforts in order to make dummy torpedo attacks on the cruiser so as to confuse the enemy anti-aircraft defences, and to provide fighter cover.

Ambulances awaiting return of planes from bombing raid to take care of wounded personnel.

A North American P-51 (A/C 44-14665) Of The 364Th Fighter Group, 67Th Fighter Wing, Made A Belly Landing When It Returned To Home Base At 8Th Air Force Station F-375, Honnington, England. 25 May 1945.

Tunisia-Since 19 March 1942, the Allied Air Forces Shuttle Service has been in action once more against Rommel's forces in Southern Tunisia. Boston and Baltimore bombers have kept up constant attacks day by day with greater intensity than in raids

The Protective Covering Is Removed From The 50 Cal Guns Mounted In The Nose Of A North American B-25 'Mitchell' Of The 41St Bomb Group, In Preparation For A Bombing Mission Over Japanesean, 30 June 1945. This Was The First B-25 Raid On The Japaneseanese Mainland S

The Plastic Nose Of The Lockheed P-38 Photo Plane Showing K-22 Aerial Camera With The Lens Shade Of The Camera Visible. Italy.

Photo collection Service for army contacts Indonesia. DLC Tjililitan airport at Batavia various activities. Mitchell B-25 bomber is driven from the hangar with a tractor. February 1947. Batavia, Indonesia, Jakarta, Dutch East Indies

Airplane FVM J 23, Portrait Portrait of Lieutenant in front of aircraft J 23 on the ore.

Remains Of A Boeing B-29 'Superfortress,' Saipan, Marianas Islands, After Japanese Raid On 7 December 1944. 500Th Bomb Group.

Demonstration Photo Of The New P-38 Gas Tank Ambulance, Designed For Fast Evacuation Of Wounded.

Men Of The 14Th Air Force Refuel A Lockheed P-38 At A Base In China. Note Auxiliary Fuel Tank Under The Wing. 2 August 1944.

Royal Air Force Operations in the Middle East and North Africa, 1940-1943. Two Handley Page Halifax B Mark II Series 1 (Specials) of No. 462 Squadron RAAF stand ready for take off in the sunset at Hosc Raui, Libya. In the distance can be seen Consolidated Liberators of No. 178 Squadron RAF.

Royal Air Force 1939-1945- Coastal Command In the summer of 1942 No. 59 Squadron was flying anti-shipping patrols along the Dutch coast, mostly at dusk or on moonlit nights. During one such operation on 6 August this Hudson IIIA FH426, piloted by Squadron Leader Phil Evans, was hit by flak and struggled home to North Coates with a huge hole in its starboard wing.

With Maj. Gen. Doolittle's Strategic Air Force, North Africa-Lockheed P-38 in foreground being repaired from salvage parts of the other two planes in the background.

Royal Air Force Operations in the Far East, 1941-1945. De Havilland Mosquito PR Mark XVI, NS787 'M', of No. 684 Squadron RAF takes off from Alipore, India, on a photo-reconnaissance sortie over Burma.

A Hurricane fighter ready to take off from the landing ground at Castel Benito, Tripolitania, Libya. In the foreground is the wreck of a Focke-Wulf "Condor." 26 January 1943.

Move of aircraft 17 on skis, on F 3, in winter 1946 Move of aircraft 17 on skis, on F 3 Östgöta fly fleet, winter in 1946. Eight men in work.

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