Historic Military Aircraft Operations

A collection of vintage military aircraft, including Spitfires and P-51s, engaged in operations and maintenance. The images reflect wartime scenes with varying conditions and aircraft types.

Framed by the wings and engine of its much larger friend, the B-17 ofrtress, this Republic P-47 Thunderbolt of the 8th Air force is shown "warming up" at the base depot in England where both ships have been modified for combat uponn arrival from

This is a shot of a crane mounted on a 4x4 with a bomb ready to be put under a wing of a Republic B-47 in background which is going on a bombing mission. FRANCE.

Royal Air Force Operations in the Far East, 1941-1945. A Supermarine Spitfire Mark VIII of No. 607 Squadron RAF being serviced at Mingaladon, Burma, shortly before the Squadron's disbandment.

Damaged Propellers Of The North American P-51 'Joye B Ii' (A/C 44-14967) Of The 364Th Fighter Group, 67Th Fighter Wing, Resulted When The Plane Crash-Landed At Its 8Th Air Force Station F-375, Honnington, England. 31 January 1945.

Two standard 165 gallon...

Framed by the wings and engine of its much larger friend, the B-17 ofrtress, this Republic P-47 Thunderbolt of the 8th Air force is shown "warming up" at the base depot in England where both ships have been modified for combat uponn arrival from

RAF Fighter Command 1940 Hawker Hurricane Mk I flown by Sgt G 'Sammy' Allard of No. 85 Squadron, July 1940.

The Royal Navy during the Second World War Sub Lieutenant (A) W L Hughes, RNVR, of North Harrow climbing into his new American built Grumman Avenger three seater torpedo bomber with its wings folded prior to taking off on exercise at HMS SPARROWHAWK, the Royal Naval Air Station at Hatston. Note the fact that the torpedo is fully enclosed so as to improve the aerodynamics of the aircraft.

Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortresses" are refueled by men of the 43rd Service Group at an airfield near Bengasi, Cirenaica, Libya. 1 November 1943.

The Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" 'Jo Mo' Of The 381St Bomb Group Stationed At An 8Th Air Force Base Near Ridgewell, Essex County, England, 22 January 1944.

Royal Air Force- Italy, the Balkans and South-east Europe, 1944-1945. Supermarine Spitfire, MK118 'FT-F', of No. 43 Squadron RAF is refuelled from one of the Squadron's fuel tenders by Leading Aircraftman T Ballentyne of Ardrossan, Ayrshire, alongside a North American P-51C-1-NT (s/n 42-103217) of the 15th USAAF, at Nettuno, Italy. Ballentyne is wearing an American 'Daisy Mae' floppy hat.

Royal Air Force Operations in the Far East, 1941-1945. A Consolidated Liberator Mark II of No. 159 Squadron RAF is refuelled at Salbani, India, before undertaking a raid on the docks at Rangoon, Burma.

Battle Damage To The Nose Of A Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" (A/C No. 30613) Of The 381St Bomb Group. England, 9 April 1944.

Project 18 - Operation Crossroads (Bikini) Test Activities. Dust Bag Removes from Boeing B-17, Post Able. Photographs of Atmospheric Nuclear Testing at Pacific Island and Nevada Test Sites.

The Royal Navy during the Second World War Fuelling two Vought SB2U Vindicator scout bombers in a remote corner of the airfield at Royal Naval Air Station Hatston.

Pilots And Crew Help Unload Ammunition From One Of The Many Consolidated B-24 Liberators Used To Fly Supplies From Italy To Forward French Fields. The Ammunition Was Immediately Trucked To 12Th Air Force Service Command Dumps Where It Was Made Ready For

A Douglas C-47 "Skytrain" being pulled out of a drainage ditch by a tractor of the 40th Division Engineers. Bacolod Airstrip, Negros, Philippine Islands. 18 May 1945.

Anefo photo collection. Visit Lieutenant Admiral Furstner. August 9, 1947

ENGLAND-Re-fueling Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighter plane.

Crew members of the Consolidated B-24 "SNOW WHITE & THE SEVEN DWARFS," gather around their plane at an airbase somewhere in Egypt.

North American B-25 Mitchells Of The 12Th Af Had For Home After Smashing Another Hun Position In Northern Italy. 321St Bomb Group.

The Ground Crews Watch Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortresses"Of The 390Th Bomb Group, Land At Their 8Th Air Force Base In England, After A Mission Over Enemy Territory In Europe. The B-17 'Cash And Carrie' Leads The Planes In This Photograph. 12 August 1943.

Chinese Prepare For The Curtiss P-40 "Rose Marie" Of The 16Th Fighter Squadron, 51St Fighter Group, For A Mission. China, 21 October 1942.

Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortresses"Of The 401St Bomb Group Peel Off For Landing At Their Home Base In England After Bombing Enemy Installations At Dresden, Germany On 23 April 1945

Sea Furies of the R.A.N. March 08, 1951.;Sea Furies of the R.A.N.

The Royal Navy during the Second World War A Grumman Avenger G of 846 Squadron, Fleet Air Arm returning to HMS TRUMPETER from the strike. (Empire No 62556/164072, Air Frame No FN 871). The successful strike against enemy shipping off the coast of Norway was carried out by aircraft from the escort carriers TRUMPETER and FENCER. The members of crew can be clearly seen in the cockpit.

Royal Air Force- Italy, the Balkans and South-east Europe, 1944-1945. Yugoslav partisans learning to maintain Supermarine Spitfire Mark VCs, under the supervision of RAF ground crew members at Canne, Italy. The aircraft, (front to rear) are: EF553 'A' of No. 32 Squadron RAF; JK 226 'SW-K', of No. 253 Squadron RAF, and JK868 'A', also of 32 Squadron.

Ground crewmen extinguish a fire started under the P-47 that crashlanded, while others remove the hood, to take out the unconscious pilot.

A Lockheed P-38 Lightning Is Serviced During A Visit To The 91St Bomb Group Base In Bassingbourne, England. 15 April 1943.

Royal Air Force Operations in the Middle East and North Africa, 1939-1943 RAF fitters running a test on an overhauled Rolls Royce Merlin engine installed in a Supermarine Spitfire Mark VC (possibly JG873) undergoing repair at No.144 Maintenance Unit, Maison Blanche, Algeria. The aircraft still bears the markings of the 4th Fighter Squadron/52nd Fighter Group, 12th USAAF, with whom it formerly operated.

"Front Row Seat" for the invasion. Here, in the plexi-glass nose of an A-20 Havoc light bomber-one of two Havoc models now operating from 9th AF bases in Britain-the bombardier sets his sights on the Nazis. Come D-Day, Havoc bombardiers will fly in

Republic P-47'S Parked On Line At An Airstrip In Cox'S Bazaar, India. 1St Air Commando Group, 3 November 1944.

Royal Air Force Fighter Command, 1939-1945. Armourers of No. 403 Squadron RCAF, wearing anti-gas equipment, re-arm the cannons and machine guns of Supermarine Spitfire Mark VB, AB940 'KH-Z', during an exercise at Martlesham Heath, Suffolk.

Boeing Yb-40S, Some Of The Boeing B-17S Converted Under Direction Of The Air Technical Service Command Into Bomber-Fighters, Parked At The 91St Bomb Group Base In Bassingbourne, England. Extra Guns Were Installed In These Planes When An Attempt Was Made

While two Boeing B-17 Flying Forts of the 15th USAAF rest in their dispersal area after a long mission, the RAF ground crew of an American built Consolidated B-24 Liberator, preflight their aircraft for its night missions. Close cooperation between

The Royal Navy during the Second World War Fifi, the working elephant at RNAS Puttalam, Ceylon, tows a petrol bowser into position during refueling of Fleet Air Arm aircraft. A Fairey Swordfish, the Navy's oldest operational aircraft in 1944, is on the right. Chance Vought Corsairs, one of the Navy's recently acquired fighter types are in the background.

This North American B-25 'Mitchell', One Of The Work Horses Of The Air Force, Has Been Employed For Low Level Bombing And Strafing Attacks Against The Enemy Shipping And Also In Support Of Our Ground Troops. Luzon, Philippine Islands, August 1945.

Boeing B-17 "Flying ofrtress", 8th Air force, England. Some of the planes return pretty severly damaged but American planes have what it takes.

Two Crew Members Of The 401St Bomb Group In Front Of The Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" 'Chute The Works' At An 8Th Air Force Base In England, 20 January 1945.

North American B-25 "Mitchells" Taking Off For Mission To Saseba Harbor, Kyusuhu. This Was The First Mission For The Mark 13 Torpedoe Attached To The 'Mitchell'. 47Th Bomb Squadron, 41St Bomb Group. Okinawa, Ryukyu Retto. 30 July 1945.

These Boeing B-17 ofrtresses of the 8th Air force are assembled at the base depot in England where they have been modified for combat on arrival from the States. They will be called into action over Europe in the strategic bombing campaign.

A Tractor Is Hooked Up To This North American B-25 Of The 340Th Bomb Group And It Is Towed To The Salvage Area For Repairs After Being Damaged By Ashes And Cinders Which Were Blown Down During The Eruption Of Mt. Vesuvius On 23 March 1944.

Glide Bomb Shackled To An External Rack Underneath The Wing Of A Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" Wing. 303Rd Bomb Group, England. 27 Oct. 1943.

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.

Military aircraft ca. 1936.

Dec 7, 1941 - B-17E at Hickam Field after landing during the Japanese attack.

Armorers Working On Guns Of A Northrop P-61 'Black Widow'. Saipan, Marianas Islands, 19 July 1944.

Royal Air Force in the Middle East, 1944-1945. Supermarine Spitfire Mark VIII, JF294, being flown from Cairo to Cape Town by Flying Officer G E 'Tiger' Camplin of RAF Transport Command Mediterranean Group, for presentation to the South African Government. From March to September 1944, Fg Off Camplin gave a number of flying demonstrations in the Union and the aircraft was exhibited during the 'Liberty Cavalcades' in a number of towns. JF294 was transferred to the SAAF in October 1944 and was passed to the South African National Museum of Military History at Saxonwold in 1948, where it is presently displayed as '5501'.

Mechanics swarm over the b-17 Flying ofrt, each at work on his own special job, at an 8th Air force base depot in England where planes newly arrived from America are modified for combat according to the latest discoveries resulting from combat

A crew chief at an 8th Fighter Command station in England waves in his pilot returning from over France, escorting the heavies blasting away at German front line targets in all-out artillery offensive. As soon as the propeller blades are stilled the

This Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" (A/C No. 42-102393) Diana, Queen Of The Chase Crashed At An 8Th Air Force Base In England, 27 June 1944. 401St Bomb Group.

RAF Fighter Command 1940 Ground staff service a Spitfire Mk I at Biggin Hill, September 1940.

Sharleroi, Belgium-Ground crew prepares a Lockheed F-5 Photographic plane for another photo mission over Germany.

Royal Air Force Coastal Command, 1939-1945. The wheel chocks are removed from Avro Anson Mark I, K6175, of No. 320 (Dutch) Squadron RAF before taking off on a patrol from Carew Cheriton, Pembrokeshire. The unit code letters ('OY') of No. 48 Squadron RAF, to whom the aircraft formerly belonged, can be made out faintly on the fuselage side.

North Africa-M/Sgt. Homer E. Ketcherside and Pvt. John W. Warner watch the take-off of a Lockheed F-5.

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.

Royal Air Force- Italy, the Balkans and South-east Europe, 1942-1945. Personnel of No. 92 Squadron RAF push one of their Supermarine Spitfire Mark VIIIs from the mud on the waterlogged landing ground at Canne, Italy, watched by one of the Squadron pets..

Royal Air Force- 2nd Tactical Air Force, 1943-1945. Wing Commander J R Baldwin, leader of No. 146 Wing, with his Hawker Typhoon Mark IB at B3/Sainte Croix-sur-Mer. Baldwin joined the RAFVR and served as a ground crew-man in France during 1940. After bomb-disposal duties in the United Kingdom, he transferred to aircrew and joined No. 609 Squadron RAF, flying Typhoons, in 1942. After steadily building up his victory score, he became Commanding Officer of No. 198 Squadron RAF in November 1943, leaving them in April 1944 for a staff appointment at No. 11 Group, Fighter Command. He was promoted as wing leader of 146 Wing in June 1944 and on 13 July destroyed a Messerschmitt Bf 109 to bring his score to 16.5 victories. He spent the rest of the war on ground attack duties and in 1945 was promoted to Group Captain, commanding No.123 Wing.

Seafire XV, The Moment Before Touch Down -- Seafire XV landing on the Pretoria Castle.Picture taken on board H.M.S. "Pretoria Castle" showing the moment before touch down of a Seafire XV (with sting type hook) as it is landed on. August 10, 1945. (Photo by British Official Photograph).

Royal Air Force- Italy, the Balkans and South-east Europe, 1942-1945. Supplies for the RAF wings operating from Grottaglie, Italy, are unloaded from a Douglas Dakota of No. 216 Group RAF, using a commandeered Italian lorry. In the foreground a SAAF officer lights a cigarette beside the wreckage of an Italian Fiat CR.42.

Mechanics Work On A Republic P-47 As A Formation Of 'Thunderbolts' Returns To Its Base After A Raid Over Kyushu. Ie Shima, Ryukyu Retto. 3 May 1945.

After firing a red flare over its home base (a signal that the plane has wounded aboard) this U.S. Army 8th Air force bomber lands and reaches the end of the runway. Ready to go into action as soon as the plane stops, the Fligh Surgeon, Capt. George

555K Kittyhawk Fighter - American Built. October 11, 1943.

A Wrecker Makes Ready To Haul The Republic P-47 'Smoocher' (A/C 325572) Of The 353Rd Fighter Group Which Belly Landed Near Its Base In England. 13 August 1944.

Consolidated B-24 Of The 458Th Bomb Group Arrives At Air Base After Completing 200Th Mission Somewhere In England. 31 May 1944.

Royal Air Force Operations in the Middle East and North Africa, 1939-1943. Bristol Beaufighter Mark IC, T3314 'O', of No. 272 Squadron RAF, running up its engines at Idku, Egypt.

Bombs Have Been Loaded Under The Wings Of The Republic P-47 "Arkansas Traveler" Of The 353Rd Fighter Group In Preparation For Its Participation In The D-Day Invasion, 6 June 1944.

Perhaps a pastoral scene by Millet-except for the prescence of the big bombers in the background. This shot was taken at a "Flying ofrtress" base somewhere in England.. The airdrome is set right in the middle of farm lands, with crops being raised

Consolidated B-24 "Liberators" after landing in a snow storm after a raid. Aleutian Islands. SCR-621.

The Boeing B-17 (A/C 231106) Markings Of The 96Th Bomb Group, 388Th Bomb Squadron Which Belly Landed At Its 8Th Air Force Base In England. 21 July 1944.

Curtiss P-40 Of The 9Th Af'S 57Th Fighter Group At Its Base In North Africa. 1943.

Aircraft, Burma, India & INDIA,CREWS War

Battle Damaged Tail Section Of The North American P-51 (A/C 44-15576) Of The 364Th Fighter Group, 67Th Fighter Wing, At 8Th Air Force Station F-375, Honnington, England. 22 February 1945.

Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" Of The 318St Bomb Group Temporarily Grounded At Airfield In England Due To Density Of The Fog.

1St Lt. Robert Freinhofer, Troy, N.Y., Co-Pilot Of The Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" 'Invader Ii'.

Royal Air Force 1939-1945- Coastal Command Daily inspection for a Liberator III of No 224 Squadron at Beaulieu in Hampshire, December 1942.

Royal Air Force Coastal Command- No. 247 Group Operations in the Azores, 1943-1945. Vickers Wellington GR Mark XIV, HF197 '1-D', of No. 172 Squadron RAF Detachment, undergoing servicing at Lagens. The Squadron maintained a Detachment flying anti-submarine operations from the Azores between December 1943 and April 1944.

Anefo photo collection. Repatriation center in Eindhoven. Eindhoven airport. Wounded or sick on stretchers in a row for a plane. 1945. Eindhoven

The Royal Navy during the Second World War An unhurt pilot of the Royal Netherlands Navy climbs out of his crashed Grumman Hellcat, its nose resting on the flight deck, after making a crash landing on board HMS TRUMPETER. A crowd is gathering round the front of the aircraft.

Lt. R.E. Smith, Cincinnati, Ohio, Of The 16Th Fighter Squadron, 51St Fighter Group, Poses On The Wing Of His Curtiss P-40 "Katydid" At Peishihwa, China. 20 October 1942.

Aircraft, Burma, India &CREWS,FIGHTER War

Usaf - Tokyo Raid - On 18 April 1942, Airmen Of The Us Army Air Forces, Led By Lt. Colonel James H.(Jimmy) Doolittle, Carried The Battle Of The Pacific To The Heart Of The Japaneseanese Empire With A Surprising And Daring Raid On Military Targets At Tokyo, Yok

2,000 Of These Equal One Atomic Bomb -- The atomic bomb announced today by President Truman Packs a punch that Equals the explosive force that would be delivered by 2,000 British 11-ton "Grand Slam" bombs. August 6, 1945. (Photo by AP Wirephoto).

Colonel Laurence B. Kelly Of Grover, Missouri, Commanding Officer Of The 494Th Bomb Group, Stands Beside The Wreckage Of His Consolidated B-24 Liberator 'The Missouri Mule'. On 10 April 1945, Colonel Kelly Led His Group Into Combat To Smash A Japanese Strongh

Republic P-47 Thunderbolt Of The 1St Tac Af Being Gassed Up Before Taking Off For A Mission From A Captured Base In Germany.

Wreckage Of The North American P-51 'Rugged Rebel' (A/C 44-13686) Of The 364Th Fighter Group, 67Th Fighter Wing, Which Crashed At The 8Th Air Force Station F-375, Honnington, England. 17 October 1944.

Ninth Air force Lockheed...

Radar-General Scenes - Science (See Also: Australia Army: Navy R.A.F. & General Merchant Shipping & Aviation Science). September 10, 1945.

Vintage photograph. Hundreds of South Korean soldiers and laborers pushing, a truck pulls a loaded C - 46 transport to solid ground from the spot where it stuck when the runway collapsed at a landing strip in South Korea

Crew Members Of A Martin B-26 'Bomb Boogie' Look Over The Damage Done To Their Plane By Flak During A Mission Over Enemy Territory On 7 September 1943. They Are Attached To The 386Th Bomb Group Based At Great Dunmow, Essex, England.

The Battle of Britain Three Hurricanes of No. 32 Squadron taxying for take-off at Hawkinge, 29 July 1940. The centre aircraft is N2459, normally flown by Pilot Officer 'Grubby' Grice.

Royal Air Force Transport Command, 1943-1945. An Avro York of No. 511 Squadron RAF is towed to its dispersal at Lyneham, Wiltshire. Another York of the Squadron can be seen parked in the distance on the right with, on the left, Douglas Dakotas of No. 525 Squadron RAF.

Photo collection Service for army contacts Indonesia. DLC Inspection requirement General P.L.G. Doorman 2e part Grote Oost (October 1946). Company of General Doorn by the plane (a Mitchell B-25). October 1946. Indonesia, Dutch East Indies

British Equipment at An American Airfield- Anglo-american Co-operation in Wartime Britain, 1943 The crash tender team at an American airfield somewhere in Britain run with their hoses to a B17 Flying Fortress during a drill. The crash tenders are British-made and are posted with ambulances around the airfield when aircraft are due to land in order to provide a quick response to any emergency which may occur. The aircraft features the letters UX, indicating that it is an aircraft of 407 Squadron, 92nd Bombardment Group.

Aerial view. F 5 No. 1610 J 5 in the back position in the air.

First Air Commando Force operations in Burma. UC-64 used for light transport.

RAF Bomber Command 1940 Handley Page Hampden of No. 61 Squadron at Hemswell, starting engines before a raid, 16 October 1940.

Royal Air Force Fighter Command, 1939-1945. An infra-red photograph of a Douglas Havoc Mark I (Intruder) of No. 23 Squadron RAF, preparing to start up for a sortie at Ford, Sussex.

The fury of the elements may stop the Allied Air Forces briefly but not for long. Here the giant B-24 Liberator was caught by the Cameraman as it splashed through the mud and water on a 15th AAF Airdrome in Italy just before taking off on a mission

GOING HOME AFTER FIFTH MISSIONS--At a USAAF Mitchell Bomber Base in North Africa. Shown above is the "Shanghi-lil," veteran North American B-25 Mitchell Bomber, with her pilot and crew just prior to their take-off for the U.S. All members

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