Allied Air Operations in WWII

Images depict Allied aircraft in air operations, showcasing various bombers and fighter coordination during WWII, highlighting military strategies and engagements.

A Formation Of Boeing B-29 "Superfortresses", Based On Guam, Marianas Islands. May 1945.
A Formation Of Boeing B-29 "Superfortresses", Based On Guam, Marianas Islands. May 1945.
geography/travel Spain Civil War 1936 - 1939 aerial war dogfight between Italian and republican biplanes circa 1937,Air Attack From The Aleutians -- At 11 P.M. Aleutian Time The Lead Plane Of The First Flight Of U.S. Army 11Th Air Force Mitchell Bombers Roars Over Shimushu (Northern Most Kurile Islands) To Attack A Japaneseanese Convoy In Paramushiru Strait. The Enemy NavaThe Royal Navy during the Second World War Eight Fairey Albacore planes of 820 Naval Air Squadron in echelon starting out on an exercise and carrying dummy torpedoes.8Th Air Force Rescue Demonstration At Okinawa, Ryukyu Retto, 27 January 1946. The Last Of The 'Survivors' Is Taken Aboard The R-6 Helicopter. It Took Less Than Ten Minutes To 'Rescue' Four Survivors From About 1/2 Mile Off Shore. (Totally Unrehearsed).Another German communications target shattered in the Po Valley and these twin-engined Martin B-26 Marauders of Maj. Gen. Cannon's Tactical Air Force cross Italy's rugged coastline on their way home. The Marauders twice cited for their bombing of theDuring An Attack On The Oil Refinery At Porto Marghera, Italy, By Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses Of The 15Th Air Force On 19 May 1944, This Photo Was Taken Of One Of The 'Forts' With A 'Feathered' Prop.Photo collection Service for army contacts Indonesia. DLC Aviation day military aviation at Kemajoran airport. Fly show. Aircraft in the air. March 9, 1947. Batavia, Indonesia, Jakarta, Kemajoran, Dutch East IndiesDA-SN-88-00644. Subject Operation/Series: ARDENT GROUND '87 Country: England / Great Britain (ENG)Capable Of Carring A Heavier Bomb Load Farther Than Any Other Plane Flown During World War Ii, Boeing B-29 "Superfortresses"' Took The War To The Japaneseanese Homeland. Marianas Islands. 29Th Bomb Group.Royal Air Force- Italy, the Balkans and South East Europe, 1942-1945. A Martin Baltimore Mark IV of No. 223 Squadron RAF sends up sprays of water while landing at rain-soaked Celone, Italy, along a runway laid with pierced steel planking (PSP).Ask any heavy bomber crew member of the U.S. 8th AF and all will undoubtedly agree that the sight of our own American fighters flying alongside protectively is the most wonderful vision on earth. Here we see a Republic P-47 Thunder bolt with itsMesserschmitt ME 323 being shot down off Cape Corso, Corsica by a Martin B-26 "Marauder" of the Coastal Air Force.High-flying Boeing B-17s of the U.S. 8th Air Force presented this aerial pattern as they roared over Germany to attack targets in the Cologne area, 14 October 1944.Bombs away-- climax of every mission is this moment. Bombardiers often yell into the intercom: "Okay, kids, take her home to pick up another load. .. We've delivered today. .. " Target was the rail bridge at Albenga, Italy between Genoa and theBelow This Martin B-26 Marauder Lies A Portion Of The Cherbourg Peninsula Where German Troops Are Making A Final, Desparate Stand. The Picture Was Taken From A 9Th Air Force B-26 Which As Just Bombed A Concentration Of Nazis Near The Port Town Of CherbouAircraft,  Burma, India  & INDIA,RESCUE  WarA North American B-25 Mitchell "Bitch-N-Mitch" Of The Tactical Air Force Flies Over Its Target, As It Struck A Bridge, North Of Nice, The First Time That These Hard Hitting Mitchells Have Bombed Targets In France, From Bases In The Mediterranean TheatreFormation Of Lockheed P-38 Lightnings Of The 94Th Fighter Squadron, 1St Fighter Group In Flight Over Their Base Somewhere In Italy.Lockheed P-38'S Take Off From La Senia Airfield In Algeria, North Africa. 1258Th Aaf Base Unit, Air Transport Command.This photo is said to show two  'foo-fighters' accompanying a  flight of Japanese Takikawa- Kawasaki 98 fighters over the  Suzuka Mountains, Central  Japan     Date: 1945A Douglas A-20 comes in for a landing at an airstrip at Dobodura, New Guinea. 8 January 1944.Mission #2-St. Omer-ofrt Rouge, France-Flak bursting around Boeing B-17's over France.Rising above this towering column of smoke is a Consolidated B-24 Liberator of the 15th AAF after its bombs have started fires in the Astro-Romano oil refinery at Ploesti, Rumania. 718th Bomb Squadron, 449th Bomb Group.The Lead Evacuation Plane As Seen From The Second One On Their Way To Yugoslavia. The Lockheed P-38 Lightning Fighter Escort Is Above Them. When The Need Is Imperative, The Air Crew Rescue Unit Will Send In Unescorted Evacuation Planes If Fighter EscortThe Royal Navy during the Second World War Shortly after dropping a dummy torpedo, a Fairey Swordfish aircraft turns for home in the closing stages of a training flightover the Scottish coast out of Crail.Boeing B-17 airplanes of...Aerial View of St. Malo Island Under Attack by Air Force. Aerial View of St. Malo Island Under Attack by Air Force. "St. Malo Island, defended by the Nazis, is hidden under bomb bursts when attacked by Eighth Air Force Consolidated B-24 Liberators.".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.Royal Air Force Coastal Command, 1939-1945. Low-level oblique photograph taken from one of 3 Bristol Beauforts of No. 86 Squadron RAF, attacking shipping in St Peter Port, Guernsey. The aircraft are passing over St Julian's Pier at its junction with White Rock Pier: bombs can be seen falling from the aircraft in the left-hand corner, which was itself nearly hit by bombs dropped from the photographing aircraft (seen exploding at the bottom).Anefo photo collection. Feeding birds per helicopter in Biesbosch. 17 February 1956Perfect line is being kept by these veldebeeste Pilots in the search for smithy over the derse jungle of ***** Malaya. November 27, 1935Royal Air Force Coastal Command, 1939-1945. Six Bristol Blenheim Mark IVFs of No. 2 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit based at Catfoss, Yorkshire flying in starboard echelon formation..The Volcania munitions...Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses, Of The 381St Bomb Group Formation, En Route To Bomb Enemy Installations Somewhere In Europe.Royal Air Force Operations in the Middle East and North Africa, 1939-1943. Three Vickers Wellington Mark ICs of No. 37 Squadron RAF based at Shallufa, Egypt, flying in starboard echelon formation. They are, (left to right): T2875 'LF-B', T---- 'LF-A' and T2837 'LF-E'.Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1942-1945. A loose formation of six Avro Lancaster B Mark IIIs of No. 619 Squadron RAF based at Coningsby, Lincolnshire, flying above clouds.Supermarine Spitfire Mk XIVe RB140 in March 1944. This aircraft served operationally with Nos. 616 and 610 Squadrons, but was destroyed in a landing accident at Lympne on 30 October 1944. The first Spitfire Mark XIVE, RB140, on a test flight after undergoing Griffon Engine modifications ('GEMS') at the De Havilland factory, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, following operational evaluation with No. 616 Squadron RAF. From 6 April 1944, RB140 served with No. 610 Squadron RAF before crashing while landing at Lympne on 30 October.The extra lights on this deadly Northrop P-61 were put on for the photographer. Normally the "Black Widow" is a part of the Night Fighter Squadron.'Hurricanes Over France', 1939-1940, (1941). Creator: Unknown.USA/Japan: A USAAF B25B Mitchell Bomber B-25 taking off from the USS Hornet for the 'Doolittle Raid' on Tokyo, 18 April 1942Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1942-1945. Vertical aerial photograph taken during the daylight attack on the German secret weapon (V3) site at Mimoyecques, near Marquise, France, showing a Handley Page Halifax flying over the target as exploding bombs send smoke and clouds of dust into the air.Contrails From Boeing B-17 'Flying Fortresses' Of The 92Nd Bomb Group (H). England.An air-to-air left underside view of a P-3C Orion aircraft from the Patrol Squadron 11 (VP-11), armed with an ARM/RGM-84 Harpoon missile mounted on the left wingtip. Country: UnknownLockheed P-38 Flies Over A Heavily Defended Coast Line Near Ostend, Belgium, 29 May 1945.German aircraft used by the Nationalist air Force during the Spanish Civil WarA Formation Of Consolidated B-24 Liberators Of The 2Nd Bomb Division, Roars Over Hitler'S Europe En Route To Bomb Enemy Installations. 24 November 1944.Royal Air Force- Italy, the Balkans and South-east Europe, 1942-1945. Supermarine Spitfire Mark VCs of No. 2 Squadron SAAF based at Palata, Italy, flying in loose line astern formation over the Adriatic Sea while on a bombing mission to the Sangro River battlefront.Cruiser Chungking Bombed -- The cruiser Chungking, formerly HMS Aurora, is being bombed by Nationalist planes in the Communist held South Manchurian port of Hulutao, according to the caption accompanying this official Chinese Navy photo. The attack on the cruiser which deserted the Nationalists was reported to have taken place March 19. March 27, 1949. (Photo by AP Wirephoto).Us Navy F9F Blue Angels in flight formationThe Royal Navy during the Second World War Two Fairey Albacores of 820 Squadron, Fleet Air Arm from HMS FORMIDABLE going into a dummy torpedo attack off Mombasa.Anefo photo collection. Third practice march through Gelderland-Overijssel. August 31, 1949Royal Air Force Coastal Command, 1939-1945. Three Fairey Swordfish Mark IIIs (NF374 'NH-M', NF343 'NH-Q' and 'NH-L') of No. 119 Squadron RAF, based at B58/Knokke le Zoute, Belgium, flying in loose starboard echelon formation over the North Sea.Consolidated B-24 "Liberators" of the 494th Bomb Group, approach the target near Cebu City, Cebu Island in the Philippines on 25 March 1945. The target was Japanese installations in a partially wooded area six miles west of Cebu City.In this unusual shot a Fortress of the 8th Bomber Command is shown winging steadily over a small German town en route to Brunswick. The target for the day was the Waggum main assembly plant of the Luftwaffe's ME 110 twin-engined fighters. AccordingDec 7, 1941 - Japanese Navy planes photographed from a B-17. Taken from Col Landon's plane while flying into Pearl Harbor during the attack by radioman Johnny Meeks.Parkas are in vogue when one of the Eleventh Air Force transports takes off in mid-winter from an Aleutian Island.A C-130 aircraft of VMGR152 is seen taking off from PhuBai airtaxi over the heads of Marines of 1/9 on February 18, 1967. The Marines were waiting to start Operation Chinook II. This photograph was taken by Sgt. T.F. Burch and is a part of the defense department's photo collection documenting American military activities during the Vietnam War.Royal Air Force Operations in Malta, Gibraltar and the Mediterranean, 1940-1945. Bristol Beaufort Mark II 'E' of No. 39 Squadron RAF based at Luqa, Malta, running in at low-level to attack an axis tanker in the Ionian Sea. The aircraft still bears the unit codes of No. 86 Squadron RAF ('BX') with whom it operated previously.U.S. Bomber Fairly Leaps Into Air Given an extra boost by jet propulsion units, an American A-20 light bomber takes off in a hurry from a U.S. airfield, The units help lift heavily laden planes into the air after only a short take-off run. The U.S. Army Air Force has been experimenting with auxiliary jet propulsion units for four years. November 10, 1944. (Photo by U.S. Office of War Information).Three U.S. Navy Dauntless dive bombers on a fighting mission in the Pacific, on a fighting mission in the Pacific. 1943.De Havilland Mosquito PR Mk XVI of No. 544 Squadron RAF based at Benson, Oxfordshire, December 1944. Mosquito PR Mark XVI, NS502 M, of No. 544 Squadron RAF based at Benson, Oxfordshire, in flight.Towards The Suppression Of Parachute ... The thermo-propulzee tuyere of leduc able to cross vertically the sound barrier, the glazed cabin larguable in flight autonatiquement suspended a parachute grace auquelle driver, bus accident joined the earth without leaving his seat. A close-up of the pointed nose and pilot's compartment of the Leduc 021. December 29, 1954. (Photo by Agence Diffusion Presse).;Towards The Suppression Of Parachute ... The thermo-propulzee tuyere of leduc able to cross vertA Republic P-47 Thunderbolt Is Seen Off The Starboard Wing Of A Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" Of The 91St Bomb Group, Participating In A Fighter Escort Mission Over Enemy Territory Somewhere In Europe. 10 June 1943.Midway Island:    November 16, 1942 US planes patrolling the area around Midway Island on the lookout for Japanese aircraft.Versatile Douglas A-20's (Havoc) light bombers which have been operating from England for several weeks under the 9th Air force are shown winging their way toward the continent to again blast Hitler's fortress. They have been used as fighter-bombers, (U.S. Air Force Number 51328AC). Versatile Douglas A-20's (Havoc) light bombers which have been operating from England for several weeks under the 9th Air force are shown winging their way toward the continent to again blast Hitler's fortress. They have been used as fighter-bombers, (U.S. Air Force Number 51328AC). Versatile Douglas A-20's (Havoc) light bombers which have been operating from England for several weeks under the 9th Air force are shown winging their way toward the continent to again blast Hitler's Fortress. They have been used as fighter-bombers, attack bombers and light-bombers. They have done skip bombing in the Pacific and have been used for anti-submarine patrol in the Atlantic. Recently added to the 9th Air Force's highA Pattern Of Douglas C-47S And Gliders Is Pictured Against The Sky As The 439Th Troop Carrier Group Sends Load After Load Of Airborne Infantry Reinforcements Into Needed Areas. 5 April 1945.Two clipped-wing Supermarine Spitfire VBs of No. 40 Squadron, South African Air Force, which served in a ground support role in North Africa. Here, ER622/`WR-D' accompanied by another Spitfire of the Squadron patrols over the Tunisian coast in the spring of 1943.Stukas In Flight....A flight of Stuka dive bombers returning from a bombing raid. According to the caption on this enemy picture just received in London from a Natural source. May 7, 1943.Aerial View Of Air Base At Kunming, China.How an RAF pilot stalked a U-boat and bombed it.  The sinking of a German U-boat by a young South African pilot of the RAF.      Date: 1939Lockheed P-38s are shown taxiing off for flight over Aleutians.A view of Strategic Air Command's parked B-52 Stratofortress aircraft, prior to their participation in Linebacker Operations over North Vietnam. Base: Andersen Air Base State: Guam (GU) Country: United States Of America (USA)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.On a Bombing Mission in The Far East - A Formation of Japanese Naval Planes on their way to Chunking, Capital of the Chinese Government of Chinas Kai-Shek, to carry out a Bombing raid. December 28, 1940. (Photo by Wide World Photo).Coast Guard PBY Soars Over Greenland Ice Cap. Over the barren expanse of the 2,000-foot-high Greenland Ice Cap speeds a Coast Guard PBY Flying Boat. Thousands of years old, the Ice Cap looms a forbidding menace to fliers. One of the most daring plane rescues in history was recorded in the winter of 1942, when Coast Guard Lieutenant John A. Pritchard, Jr., of Burbank, Calif., landed his PBY on the treacherous surface of the Ice Cap and took off successfully to rescue two of three Army fliers, stranded there when their Flying Fortress crashed. Next day, attempting to rescue the third Army airman, Lieutenant Pritchard's plan was wrecked. The pilot, his co-pilot and the Army flier were killed.Glider Reclamation - The Gliders Of The 9Th Troop Carrier Command Pictured Here Were Just A Few Of Those Used In The Invasion Of Southern Holland In Sept. 1944. These Gliders Will Be Reclaimed And Repaired By Skilled Engineers For Future Use By The 9Th TrLockheed P-38 "Lightnings" In Flight Over Panama.World's Fastest Fighter Group in the Air First photographs taken in the air of the ***** IV Meteor jet planes of the R.A.F. ***** group stationed at Horsham St. Faith, ***** Norwich, shows some of the planes on a training flight over the east coast of England. This group is equipped with the new mark IV Meteor jet planes which are fitted with the improved power units giving twice the power of the Meteor Mark III, and making them the fastest fighter group in operation in the world. April 28, 194Royal Air Force Operations in the Middle East and North Africa, 1939-1943. A Hawker Hurricane Mark IID of No. 6 Squadron RAF gives a demonstration of the firepower of its Vickers 40mm Type S anti-tank guns against derelict German tanks in the North African desert.Photo collection Service for army contacts Indonesia. DLC Demonstration parachutists. Military looks from the ground to a Dakota in the air. April 30, 1946. Indonesia, Dutch East IndiesVintage Photograph. F9F blue angels flying in formation. Frame 2Tu-95 Bear bomber. Courtesy of Soviet Military Power, 1984. PHOTO No. 109, page 97, top center. Country: UnknownTwo J 20 flies in Rote, 1940s  Two pieces of aircraft J 20 from F 10 fly in Rote. The aircraft marked No. 8 and 23. belong to the old Malmen collection. GM 816. From Air Force Museum's image archive.The Royal Navy during the Second World War Hawker Sea Hurricanes of 885 Squadron, Fleet Air Arm ranged on the wet flight deck of HMS VICTORIOUS during flying exercises.The US Air Force on the Western Front 1917-1918 Brigadier General Benjamin Delahauf Foulois in a Liberty aircraft, Colombey-les-Belles.A Quartet Of Winged Giants Four huge U. S. Air Force 0124 Globemasters of the 374th Troop Carrier Wing (Combat Cargo) huddle on the flight line, between Combat Cargo missions on the Korean airlift. This unusual photograph of these three-story mammoths of the air was taken from a helicopter at the 374th base in Japan, while the C-124s of the 315th Air Division were receiving routine maintenance. They were parked this way to make maximum use of a central pool of tools and equipment. The four giaAn Arsenal At Spilimbergo, Italy, 20 Miles Northwest Of Udine, Was The Target Of These North American B-25 Mitchell Bombers Of The 12Th Af, Enroute To Attack The Nazi Ammunition Dump Feb. 27 1945. 340Th Bomb Group.Right front view of a B-52D Stratofortress aircraft from Strategic Air Command taking off for a mission over North Vietnam during Operation LINEBACKER. Subject Operation/Series: LINEBACKER Base: Andersen Air Base Country: Guam (GUM)The Campaign in North Africa 1940-1943; Italian Air Force CBM2480August 29, 1943: Boeing B-17 afire, caused while testing new carburetor on #4 engine.Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1942-1945. The Station Commander at Pocklington, Yorkshire, signals Handley Page Halifax B Mark II Series I (Special), DT742 'DY-O', of No. 102 Squadron RAF, piloted by Sergeant T H Dargavel, to begin its take-off run on a night raid to the Schneider armaments factory at Le Creusot, France.Albacores Over Malta. Fleet Air Arm Station, Malta, Gc. Formation of Fleet Air Arm Fairey Albacores, with Malta in the background.Royal Air Force Operations in Malta, Gibraltar and the Mediterranean, 1940-1945. Hawker Hurricane Mark Is of No. 213 Squadron RAF based at Nicosia, flying in loose formation over Cyprus.FLYING LEATHERNECKS (1951), directed by NICHOLAS RAY.