Aircraft Operations and Crew Preparations

Features historical scenes of military aircrew working on aircraft and preparing for missions, showcasing wartime logistics and teamwork.

Armorers load bombs into a fighter-bomber on an advanced airfield in Tripolitania, Libya, before a sortie over the enemy line.

Armorers load bombs into a fighter-bomber on an advanced airfield in Tripolitania, Libya, before a sortie over the enemy line.

Aircraft, Burma, India &CREWS,GUNNER War

Crew Members Of A Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" Discuss Their Flight Plans Before Taking Off From An 8Th Air Force Base In England, 16 June 1944, 401St Bomb Group. They Are: Flight Officer Drake, Lt. Fox, S/Sgt. Hichaler And Lt. Horton.

Arming up the plane for a mission over France. S/Sgt. Robert E. Robischon, Syracuse, N.Y., rearms the four .50 caliber machine guns, while M/Sgt. James H. McGee, Pine Bluff, Ark., and Sgt. John A. Koval, Rochester, N.Y., attaches bomb.-England.

1st Lt. Marshall H. Norton of San Antonio, Texas, a bombardier with the 45th Bomb Squadron, 40th Bomb Group, 20th Bomber Command, at his position in a Boeing B-29 in China.

Aircraft, Burma, India & INDIA,Transportation War

With This Bomb Loading Device, Bombs Are Quickly Loaded On Wing Racks Of 9Th Air Force Bomber Command A-20 Havocs, Based In England, And Operating On The Western Front. Use Of Wing Racks, Increases The Havoc Bomb Load By 50 Per Cent.

Some Of The Members Of The Crews Which Piloted The Two Japaneseanese Surrender Arrangement Planes From Tokyo To Ie Shima, Being Driven Away From The Airfield To Their Quarters Immediately After Their Arrival.

A Pilot Of The 94Th Fs, 1St Fg, Seated In The Cockpit Of A Lockheed P-38 Lightning At An Airfield Somewhere In Italy.

Aircraft, Burma, India &MEDICAL, EVACUATION,Air War

Aircraft, Burma, India &CREWS,PILOT War

Aircraft, Burma, India &MEDICAL, EVACUATION,Air War

Animals Were Often Flown Over The 'Hump' To Remedy Shortage Of Animal Transportation In China. Mules, Just Flown In, Are Being Unloaded From A Douglas C-47 Transport Plane, At 1340Th Aaf Base Unit (Air Transport Command), Kunming, China, 26 April 1945.

Members Of The 82Nd Airborne Division Seated In Glider After Loading In 75Mm Howitzer, Taken During Invasion Training Under Direction Of 5Th Army, Commanded By Lt. Gen. Mark W. Clark, Oujda, Morocco, North Africa, 11 June 1943.

Medics Of The 9Th Troop Carrier Command Load Litter Of Wounded Patients Into A Glider Remagen, Germany. 22 March 1945.

ITALY-In addition to his duties as an aerial photographer, Sgt. Ryder also serves as a waist gunner when enemy fighters attack.

Aircraft, Burma, India &MEDICAL, EVACUATION,Air War

Italy - Pin-Ups That Cheer Up Have Found Their Way Into An Aircraft Where They Serve To Distract Attention From The Men'S Own Injuries As They Are Being Evacuated From The Front-Line Area By Aircraft. Selected And Arrayed By T/Sgt. U.S. Haynes Of Homedal

Here Capt. Arthur D. Powers, of Whitewater, Wis., logs his flying time upon his return from a photographic mission. In his Lockheed F-5A camera ship.

Installation Of Six 50 Cal. Machine Guns In The Nose Of A North American B-25 Of The 490Th Bomb Group, 341St Bomb Group, China.

ENGLAND-The fighting photographers of the 9th Air force Combat Camera Unit have rolled up many feet of action film and combat hours to provide an undisputable record of Marauder attacks over Europe. Shooting pictures in the medium bombers

His automatic gunsight in "stowed" position ofllowing a recent 20th Bomber Command raid on Anshan, Manchuria, S/Sgt. John L. Austin, left gunner from Shreveport, La., "sweats out" the long ride home and keeps on the lookout for Japanese fighters from his

The Pilot Of A 381St Bomb Group Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" Briefs His Crew In Preparation For A Bombing Attack On Enemy Installations In Europe, 24 July 1943. England.

Flak Curtain Installed In An Airplane. Aaf Station 112, England, 14 February 1945.

Crew Members Of The 379Th Bomb Group Study A Map Of The Target Area Before Taking Off From Their Base In England For A Mission Over Enemy Territory. 28 January 1944. England.

Colonel R. Beam presents an award to Sgt. C.D. Cahill during a ceremony at an airbase at Oujda, North Africa. 3 February 1943.

UNDER THE NOSE OF THE ofRTRESS, the big bomb, guided by Corp. Joseph E. Law, Wilkes Barre, Pa., is lifted from the trailer to a cradle. The boys who handle these high explosives have hard jobs with long and odd hours, work mostly at night in black

Hot American jazz in the middle of the Libyan Desert is supplied by American Red Cross men stationed with the fighter and bomber groups of the U.S. 9th Air Forces. Here, Ray L. Goodridge, left, of 210 Lark Street, Rochester, New York, and

In Preparation For A Bombing Mission Over Tokyo, Japanesean, An Armorer Moves Bomb Dolly Holding A 500 Lb. Incendiary Bomb Under The Fuselage Of A Boeing B-29 "Superfortress". Isely Field, Saipan, Marianas Islands, November 29, 1944.

Major Snyder And Lead Crew On Bombing Mission To Augsburg, Germany, Beside A Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. 427Th Bomb Squadron, 303Rd Bomb Group. England, 16 March 1944.

Lt. Walter L. Gibson, North American A-36 Pilot Based In Italy, Gets Buttoned Up By The Assistant Crew Chief, Sgt. Paul S. Goldman, Just Before Taking Off On A Mission Above Rome.

Weather Station Of The 2Nd Air Base Group At An Airfield Somewhere In Iceland. 5 December 1941.

When The Consolidated B-24 Liberators At This Heavy Bomber Base In Southern Italy Return From Their Missions They Tune Off The Homing Beacon And Ride On 'The Voice Of The Cottontails' - A Radio Station Built Out Of Salvaged Materials And Housed In An Old

Operations In Connection With The Rescue Of An Injured American Airman Who Had Parachuted Into Enemy Territory And Had Been Behind The Lines For Two Months. A Fieseler Storch Plane Was Sent Out To Make The Rescue And While Landing At A Secondary Airstrip

Half Walking, Half Being Carried By His Buddies, This Member Of A Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" Of The Mediterranean Allied Air Forces, Is Being Taken To The First Aid Tent For Treatment. He Was Wounded During An Attack On The German Ball Bearing Plant A

Staff Sgt. James F. Jones Who Fell From His Plane Without Parachute.

Aircraft, Burma, India &Troops &Paratroops

Over the "target". T/5 John F. Kasperzyk of New Haven, Conn., Pvt. Allen F. Lentz, Indianapolis, Ind., and Pvt. John Klimasara of Chicago, drop their rice-laden 'chutes over the target in China.

Aircraft, Burma, India &MEDICAL, EVACUATION,Air War

American paratroopers climb in their plane for the Sicilian mission.

Ground Crew Work On Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" Of The 525Th Bomb Squadron, 379Th Bomb Group At An 8Th Air Force Base In England. 27 February 1944.

Aircraft, Burma, India & INDIA,ARMAMENT War

DINGHY DINGHY PREPARE for DITCHING-is the crackling command over intercom when a boeing B-17 "ofrt" from the 8th can't make it home across the North Sea of the Channel--or the Mediterranean or Bay of Biscay. Instantly, 8 of the 10 men in a B-17

To Counteract The Effects Of Freezing Weather At Their Base In France, Crewmen Of A 9Th Air Force Medium Bomber Group Employ A Gasoline Heater To Warm The Engines Of Their Martin B-26 Marauder. Before The Bombers Can Resume Their Attacks Against The Germ

France-In the above photo, Lt. Charles R. Earls enters a tank which will presently make a sortie into Nazi territory. Behind the P-47 Thunderbolt pilot is Brig. General Truman E. Boudinot of Beverly Hills, California, commander of a Yank tank

A Gi Of The 379Th Bomb Group Points Out Interesting Features Of The Boeing B-17 'Hellcat Agnes' To A British Officer At An 8Th Air Force Base In England. 15 September 1944.

Capt. Ira Wintermuthe, left, and his navigator, Lt. Paul Perkins, go over their route before taking off in their Consolidated B-24 "Liberator" to bomb the Japaneses on the Island of Kiska. Umnak Island, Alaska.

T/Sgt. Benedict B. Borostowski, La Salle, Ill., ball turret gunner of a Boeing B-17 Flying ofrtress Invader II. England.

Housekeeping is a problem, this "Jungle Air Force" man will admit. The rain didn't quite come up to his cot, but all his belongings on the floor were soaked. A fast-moving air force, the 13th rarely stays long enough on one island to build

Crew Members Of The Consolidated B-24 "Rangoon Rambler" Peer Out Of A Waist Window As Their Photograph Is Taken Before Leaving Pandaveswar, India For Home.

A North American P-51 (A/C 44-14254) Of The 364Th Fighter Group, 67Th Fighter Wing, Returned To Its 8Th Air Force Station F-375, Honnington, England, With A Damaged Tail Section Resulting From Enemy Action. 24 October 1944.

Europe-Five miles above the target, the oxygen-masked group bombardier, Lt. Samuel M. Slaton of Town Creek, Alabama, class "Bombs Away" over the interphone, leans forward over the plexi-glass nose to watch them to the point of impact

A Helicopter Removed From The Flight Deck To The Weather Deck To Make Room For The Second One Coming In To Land. 3Rd Aru (F) Ss Thomas Levalley. Luzon Island, Philippine Islands. 1945. Sikorsky R-4B S/N 43-46554

Aircraft, Burma, India &MEDICAL, EVACUATION,Air War

S/Sgt. Norman A. Sampson Of Mason City, Iowa, Ball Turret Gunner On A Boeing B-17 Based At Molesworth, England, Is Shown At His Position During A Mission Over Enemy Territory.

Aircraft, Burma, India &CREWS,PILOT War

2Nd Lt. Charles A. Huggins, Atlanta, Ga. (Left) Bombardier, And T/Sgt. Jack B. Kalman, Radio Operator, Brooklyn, N.Y., Shoulder Their Equipment And Stride From Their Boeing B-17 'Myasam Dragon' To The Interrogation Room, After A Mission Over Brunswick, Ge

9th Air force Service Command flying technicians file past their "Top Kick," (left) as they climb aboard the Douglas C-47 transport plane which will carry them to and advanced base somewhere in England. These skilled flying "Fixits,"

Crew Member Of The 388Th Bomb Group At His Gun Position In A Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. Note The Parachute Safety Strip Attached To His Parachute. England 1 April 1945.

Armorers Of The 390Th Bomb Group Load Fire Bombs Into The Bomb Bay Of A Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" At An 8Th Air Force Base In England. 15 April 1945.

Operations In Connection With The Rescue Of An Injured American Airman Who Had Parachuted Into Enemy Territory And Had Been Behind The Lines For Two Months. A Fieseler Storch Plane Was Sent Out To Make The Rescue And While Landing At A Secondary Airstrip

Oujda, Morocco-Parachutists...

Lt. G.F. Carter And Lt. L. H. Ludeman Examine The Damaged Tail Section Of Their Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" Of The 401St Bomb Group At An 8Th Air Force Base In England. 16 June 1944.

PREPARE for DITCHING. .. Indulging in a bit of Air force ritual, 1st Lt. George Brooks, Boeing B-17 Flying ofrtress co-pilot gets a dunking at the hands of his ground crew after completing 26 missions with the attack on aircraft factories deep in

With electrically heated boots and gloves, and several layers of flying clothes, topped off by a "flak apron" into which is sewed overlapping manganese steel squares, with oxygen mask, goggles, earphones and microphone, he is well equipped and he

Photo collection Service for army contacts Indonesia. DLC Arrival of the troop transport ship Nieuw Holland. Sergeants of the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee hand over a letter or document to a colleague ashore. November 26, 1946. Batavia, Indonesia, Jakarta, Dutch East Indies, Tandjong Priok

Colonel John R. Alison (Left) Poses With An Unidentified British Officer (Center) And Major William H. Taylor, Jr. (Right) Beside A Glider Of The 1St Air Commando Forces At Broadway, Burma.

Aerial Gunner, England. 5 July 1943.

Two Wacs Pose By The Tail Guns Of A Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" At An 8Th Air Force Base In England, 8 January 1944. 401St Bomb Group.

Photo collection Service for army contacts Indonesia. DLC Inspection requirement General P.L.G. Doorman 2e part Grote Oost (October 1946). General Doorman says goodbye to an officer standing for a Mitchell B24. October 1946. Indonesia, Dutch East Indies

CV 33 Keasarge , Ships, Naval Vessels, Boats, Naval History, Navy

Tripolitania, Libya-Armorers load bombs into a British Boston Bomber, preparing it for another raid against the Axis armies.

U.S. Marines and Airmen clean up debris and remove shrapnel from the taxiway at Da Nang Airfield after a rocket attack on March 15, 1967. The attack ruptured a fuel line and caused damage to three Air Force aircraft. The fire resulting from the fuel line break was quickly extinguished, and no military casualties were reported. The photo, taken by Lt. Haack, shows the remnants of the rocket attack.

2Nd Lt. William L. Grommet Of The 9Th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, Seated In The Cockpit Of His Lockheed F-5, Makes Last Minute Check With A Member Of His Ground Crew At An Air Base Somewhere In India.

1st Lt. F.G. Tuscher (left) Auburndale, Mass., ordnance and transportation officer of a 9th Air force unit in France, supervises the operation of a hoist he made of captured German material to aid in the speedy loading of bombs on Republic P-47

Anefo photo collection. Crew Dutch cruiser probably HR. Ms. "De Ruyter" work. {1940-1942}. Indonesia, Dutch East Indies

Aircraft, Burma, India & INDIA,Transportation War

England-2nd Lt. Manuel A. Pidcock of Chandler, Oklahoma, is examining a hole ripped open by enemy flak which missed the Lt. by inches as he co-piloted 8th AAF Boeing B-17 Flying ofrtress "Dog Tired" in the daylight bombing attack on Munster

Hurrying to get ready for a mission hastily prepared to aid the invasion forces, three airmen don their fighting clothes at a Boeing B-17 Flying ofrtress base in England. They are: 2nd Lt. James G. Manion, Rochester, N.Y., navigator, left: 2nd Lt.

Aircraft, Burma, India &PHOTOGRAPHY, Operations &MAPPING War

Radio Gunner, 8th Air force, England.

After A Successful Mission Over Brunswick, Germany, 1St Lt. Robert S. Johnson, Lawton, Okla. (Left) Shakes Hands With Capt. Walker M. Mahurin, Fort Wayne, Ind. (Right), The Highest Scoring Fighter Pilot In The Eto, Beside A Republic P-47 At An Air Base In

Frank Von Papen (Center, With Glasses) Former German Chancellor Captured By The American Army, Prepares To Board A Transport Plane At A 9Th Air Force Base On The Continent. Flanking Him Are Max Von Shockmansten, Left, His Son-In-Law, And Lt. Colonel H.J.

In a hurry to get on with his trip, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower declined a Colonel's invitation to eat an an officers mess in favor of a meal composed of C rations. The incident occurred at a 9th Bombardment Division base in France, Commanded by Col.

ENGLAND-The terrific fire-power of four 50 cal. Machine guns and a 20 MM cannon concentrated in nose of Lightning P-38 Lightning is one of the chief reasons for its success. Cpt. Joe Diez of Santa Barbara, Caliofrnia, checks the 20 MM ammunition

Paris Green and Lime Dust is placed into the hopper of this Douglas A-20 medium bomber that sprays it over the swamplands near 12th Air Force Bomber Bases on the Island of Corsica, curbing the spread of Malaria.

EUROPE-"I should have bailed out over Germany with the rest of my crew," said 2nd Lt. Newton W. Kerr (right) of 13318 Madison Avenue, Lakeside, Ohio, Boeing B-17 Flying ofrtress pilot in the 379th Bomb Group to his rescuer Republic P-47 Thunderbolt

Members of Directorate of Air Transport, Ward's Drome, Port Moresby, New Guinea, load worn out engines onto C-47 transport for shipment to Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, for repair. The transport is of ANA Lines under contract to US Army. April

Airview armor , Armories, Ordnance industry, Aviation mechanics Science, Armor. Records of U.S. Army Operational

Captain Peters Chats With His Ground Crew Before Stepping Into The Cockpit Of His North American P-51 Of The 339Th Fighter Group At The 8Th Air Force Station F-378 In England. 16 July 1944.

Harold Peel In Rear Gunners Compartment On A Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress", Hickam Field, Hawaii.

American soldiers patrol a muddy rural landscape during the Vietnam War in 1969. In this photograph, the soldiers are vigilant and ready for any potential conflict. The challenging terrain reflects the difficult conditions faced by the troops during their military activities in Vietnam.

READY TO GO, the bomb is now in place. Ordnance officer makes final check to see that all is in order. Here he is inspecting the tail fuse. Unless so desired, these bombs do not explode instantaneously uponn hitting the target. The impact merely

Capt. Kenneth Dahlberg, St. Louis, Mo., and St. Paul, Minn., (left), one of the leading aces of the Ninth Air force with 15.5 enemy planes to his credit, supervises the loading of the machine guns on his Republic P-47 Thunderbolt at a front

Luzon, Philippine Islands-A litter case being lifted into a Vultee L-5 by medical attendants. Back seat of the L-5 breaks down and makes flat surface for the litter which is held in position by straps. For most patients it is their first plane ride.

Members Of The 439Th Troop Carrier Group Study Their Target Map Just Before Taking Off On A Mission From Their Base In England. 29 May 1944.

Aircraft, Burma, India &PHOTOGRAPHY, Operations &MAPPING War

A Camouflaged Japanese Zero Plane Is Being Inspected Here By Colonel Merian C. Cooper, Left, Brig. Gen. Claire L. Chennault, Right, Commanding General Of The China Air Task Force Of The United States Army Air Force, And Two Other Officers.

American Prisoners Of War Freed By Swift Allied Advanced Board A Douglas C-47 Of The 9Th Troop Carrier Command At An Airstrip Somewhere In Germany Prior To Their Return To England. 7 April 1945.

Tripolitania, Libya-Navigators check their courses with maps before the start of a Shuttle Service sortie against the Axis armies. Often the targets are located in featureless countries. There are no landmarks to guide the pilots over the great

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