Historic Military Aircraft Operations

A series of images depicting military aircraft in various settings, including maintenance, storage, and airfields, conveying historical significance and wartime efforts.

An Aerial View Of The Main Area Of A Dump Near Bamberg, Germany, Where 30,000 Tons Of American And Nazi Ammunition Are Stored.

An Aerial View Of The Main Area Of A Dump Near Bamberg, Germany, Where 30,000 Tons Of American And Nazi Ammunition Are Stored.

Maintenance men work on a Boeing B-17 at Ladd Field, Alaska. Engine heaters are used on the planes in this -22F temperature. 3 February 1944.

Heavy rains flooded the area where Martin B-26 "Maruaders" are parked at Tafarabui Airfield, Algeria. December 1942.

With hundreds of autographs on its sleek hull, the war-weary Boeing B-17 Flying ofrtress "Squawkin Hawk I" is shown shortly before it took off from its 8th Air force base in England to return to the U.S. for retirement. Covering 47,720 combat miles

Photo shows Consolidated B-24 Liberators getting ready to bomb targets on the French coast on invasion day. Check box in the foreground is a traffic control center used to check planes before final take off.-ENGLAND

Box M-4 Fragmentation Bombs Showing Faulty Packing Which Was The Cause Of A Terrific Explosion In The Ordnance Dump, Causing The Death Of Three Men. Kunming, China, 26 May 1944.

Boeing B-17 'Rack And Ruin' Of The 486Th Bombardment Group In England, After Crash Landing.

Planes And Installations At The Nazi Training Airfield At Cazaux, France, Burn Fiercely After Being Struck By Bombs Dropped By Planes Of The 94Th Bombardment Group, 8Th Air Force On 27 March 1944.

The Young Pilot Of This German Me-109 Looks Ruefully At The Wreckage Of His Plane, Brought Down When One .50 Caliber Bullet Hit The Magneto, Near Halstroff, France. Of Twelve Planes, Nine Of Them Were Shot Down By Anti-Aircraft Fire Of The 90Th Division.

Plane Being Fumigated At Civil Airport, Karachi, India. June 1943.

New Years Morning, 1945 Found This Douglas C-47 Cargo Carrier Of The 14Th Af On A China Road After A Moonlit Landing.

The Japaneseanese Staging Area And Transport Line Junction At Samshui, China, Is Completely Blanketed With Bomb Bursts During This Mission Carried Out By Planes Of The 4Th Air Force's 341St Bombardment Group, 11Th Bomb Squadron On 5 October 1944.

Aircraft, Burma, India &Aircraft, TAKE-OFF,VULTEE War

Aircraft, Burma, India & INDIA,RECREATION War

Douglas C-47 in front of hangars at La Senia Airfield, Oran, Algeria. May 1943.

Changing The Wing Panel Of The B-17 "Flying Fortress" 'Lady B Good' At The Base Of The 457Th Bombardment Group Of The 8Th Af In England. 30 March 1945.

A French Priest And His Students Look Over A B-26 Marauder Bomber At Its Field At Chartres, France.

Mechanics Get Little Rest. Each Cub Plane Is Given A Thorough Check Before Taking Off To Prevent Possible Mishaps. In The Rear, Another Plane Takes To The Air. 19 Feb 1945 (Piper L4)

Pilots Of The 201St Mexican Fighter Squadron, Mexican Expedicionary Air Force On Porac Strip, Clark Field, Luzon, P.I., In Front Of Republic P-47 Thunderbolts.

Refueling A Vultee L-5 On Airstrip At Myitkyina, Burma. 1944.

Aircraft, Burma, India &Operations War

Enemy on Kiska.

These photographs show a typical Sicilian farmhouse which has been converted into an operations building by an American Squadron.

Hits from the fourth and fifth bombers land way wide of their mark and churn up the channel. Flame and smoke rise from the Halmahera Is. Airstrip where the second the third ships laid their eggs.

One of the latest Strike Attack by Douglas A-20 Havocs of the 9th Air Force on the railway yards at Damfront, France. These relentless 9th Bomber Command attacks on the enemy's transportation system serve to delay and harass the enemy's movements of

Clouds Encountered Enroute To Belem, Brazil. July 1943.

Sgt. Dante Zagami Of Washington, D.C. Boosts Rocket Shell Into Paper-Plastic Tube Launcher On Wing Of Republic P-47 Thunderbolt While His Squadron Commander, Maj. Daniel B. Rathbun, Of El Gerrito, Calif., Veteran Pilot, Looks On. France.

Two Consolidated B-24S Of The 456Th Bomb Group, 15Th Air Force Fly Over Budapest, Hungary As Bombs Wreak Destruction On The Marshalling Yards There On 3 April 1944.

Capt. Wallace Emmer of 6304 Rosemary Drive, St. Louis, Mo., and 1st Lt. A.R. Madsen (right) of Chicago stand by the nose of the P-51 Mustang fighter of the 9th AF which has a Lt. Col. Oris B. Johnson of Natchitoches, La., commanding officer of a 9th

Gun Crew Of The 462Nd Bombardment Group In China, With Chinese Coolies Who Helped To Build The Gun Emplacement.

The Mulhouse marshalling yards in mideastern France, an important rail center, were blanketed by bombs by B-24 Liberators on 25 May 44. There was virtually no opposition from the enemy, and the Liberators were supported by strong formations of P-38

The Arrival Of British Tea Van Gives 93Rd Bomb Group Personnel The Opportunity To Relax For A Few Minutes While They Sip Cups Of The Steaming Beverage. England.

Raid on Bremen, Germany, 20 Dec 1943.

The Advance Echelon Armourers Detachment Of The 468Th Bomb Group In China. Left To Right, Back: Cpl. Edgar Renfro, Big Cabin, Okla.; Pfc. Seymour Aronson, Brooklyn, N.Y.; Sgt. Tom Mcnames, Cleveland, Ohio; Cpl. Willard Wright, Los Angeles, Calif. Left T

AKYAB ISLAND OFF THE CENTRAL COAST OF BURMA--A squad of Gurkha paratroopers walking toward their waiting Douglas C-47 which will take them to Rangoon for the invasion of that city.

Air View Of Hedomont, Belgium. At The Time Of This Photograph, The 30Th U.S. Infantry Had Pushed Two Thirds Of The Way Through The Town, Encountering Heavy German Resistance.

CHINA - The fighter dives into "Buzzing Job" and the mike picks up the roar. NB. The pilot of this ship brought it in so low he hit a power line and the recording crew became excited and yelled. Pilot unhurt.

After The Briefing Is Over, Pilots Of The Curtiss P-40S At Chengkung Airbase In China Dash Out To Their Planes And Prepare To Head For The Target Of The Day.

Quonset Huts Used As Living Quarters On Ras Heilf Field, Masira Island (Off Arabian Coast) June 1943.

Ordnace Men Of The 468Th Bomb Group, Based In Chengtu, China, Load Aerial Mines On A Trailer For Loading On The Bombers. 24 January 1945.

Lt. William Franklin Cely, Pilot of the 8th AAF Flying ofrtress "F for Frenese" looks over battle damage after his spectacular exhibition of flying skill when he brought the crippled ofrtress home from the great 11 January air battle--attacks on

Aircraft, Burma, India &Maintenance,

Douglas C-47S Being Repaired At A U.S. Airdrome On The Continent. Europe.

Sikorsky Yr-4 Helicopter At Bhamo, Burma. 1945.

1. Lt. Colonel H. Vicellio; 2. Major General N. F. Twining; 3. Major J. W. Mitchell. (Somewhere In The S. W. Pacific Area). Posed In Front Of A Lockheed P-38 On Guadalcanal. Photo Taken C. April 18, 1943, Probably After Mission Which Shot Down Japaneseanese

After Briefing, Combat Crew Members Of The 453Rd Bomb Group Pile On A Jeep For The Trip To The Flight Line At The 8Th Air Force Base In England.

Republic P-47 taking off with M-10 and M-33 tanks attached.

T/5 H.G. Peace, Left, Of Laurel, Miss., And T/5 C.C. Proctor, Wichita, Kan., Pile Up Their Packed Chutes At Training Quarters Of The Parachute Battalion In England.

Wielding the bottle (fizz) on the nose of the gallant lady Liberator Bomber "Pallas Athene, the G.I. Jane," first bomber to be christened by and for the WACS in the ETO is Cpl. Hazel Bliss, of Portland, Oregon. "Pallas Athene" is a veteran of many a

Colonel William H. Blanchard, C.O. Of The 20Th Bomber Command's 40Th Bombardment Group, Asking S/Sgt. John H. Bailey, Detroit, Mich.; If His Plane Is Ready For The Bangkok, Thailand, Mission, 27 November 1944. Colonel Blanchard, A West Pointer, Has Six C

PAPUA-Allied troops building road.

Conduit, Which Has Been Made By Welding Asphalt Drums Together. Rufisque Airfield, Rufisque, French West Africa. June 1943.

On Luzon in the Philippine Islands, across the rice paddie is pictured the all-bamboo settlement of th e38th Bomb Group's "Wolf Pack" unit, famous B-25 veterans of the 5th Air Force. Seems like the "life of Reilly" but actually it's only a brief

Most of the anti-aircraft positions in Saumlaki Tanimbar Island, have been in exposed, cleared areas, with little attempt to camouflage the gun position itself. Netting, post and foilage combinations, as shown here, have been used with effect, but

Attack on convoy off Den Helder, Holland.

Lt. Stiwell Sitting On The Wing Of His Plane 'The Bengal Lancer'. England - 25 November 1944.

Bomb damage to...

Aircraft, Burma, India & Bombing,

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

K-14 Camera Sights Installed In Airplane In England. 18 August 1944.

The Nazi Repair And Equipment Airdrome At Werl, Germany Is Plastered With Bomb Bursts As Planes Of The 94Th Bombardment Group, 8Th Air force, Carry Out Their Mission On 19 April 1944.

Interior Of The Ordnance Dump Showing Damage Caused By An Explosion Of M-4 Fragmentation Bombs Due To Faulty Packing. The Explosion Caused The Death Of Three Men; One Can Be Seen In This Photo. Kunming, China, 26 May 1944.

The Boeing B-17 "Sea Breeze" undergoes repairs at Gura Air Depot, Eritrea, after service over Libya. The bombs painted on the plane indicate the number of missions it has flown. 3 December 1942.

This shot shows one of the many uses that the coral sand is put to thru out the Islands. Army Air Force Engineers constructing a new air strip at Momote on the Los Negros Is., utilize the water absorbent coral sand for surfacing the runways. Note

Transports Towing Gliders Over French Invasion Coast. Interesting To Note Are Underwater Obstructions Which Were Laid Bare By A Low Tide.

This 9th Air Force photo shows two American soldiers looking over the ruins of a hangar wrecked by Allied bombs. This was a German Airfield in France that was captured by the Allies.

North American B-25 Mitchells Of The 38Th Bomb Group, 822Nd Bomb Squadron Fly In At Minimum Altitude To Attack A Japaneseanese Ship In The Sorong Area, Dutch New Guinea On 17 June 1944.

Smoke bomb under the wing of the Republic P-47. This bomb was prepared by chemical Warfare Service Division, at Bellows Field, New Guinea.

Landing gear jammed-Martin B-26.

FRANCE-The elaborate camouflage on the roofs of these Army buildings in France was erected by the Germans with painstaking care. It now furnishes protection against Luftwaffe for an Air Depot Group of the 9th AF Service Command which is operating

Aircraft, Burma, India &Troops & Paratroops

Enemy on Kiska.

Over the Garden Wall-In spite of barbed wire WAC's, now on Duty at an 8th AF Station in England, pull down the wall that has been erected round their billet to have a chat with the boys. (Left to right) Pvt. Florence Crecheisen, Ashland, Ohio

Leading Plane Into Parking Pllace, Maiduguri Field, Nigeria, Africa. June 1943.

Cameraman Sgt. Theodore Miller Of The 1St Combat Camera Unit About To Photogrpah Three Germans On The Oro Railroad Bridge. Italy, June 1945.

As Ground Crewmen Adjust The 'Mae West' Life Belts And Parachutes To Army Ground Forces Combat Men Bound For The Usa And Discharge, Lt. Colonel Ernest C. Hardin, Jr., Of 313 Fairlawn Road, Louisville, Ky., 92Nd Bombardment Group Operations Officer, Checks

Wreck of a North American B-25 of the 38th Bomb Group at Port Moresby, Papua, New Guinea.

Unusual Type Of Nazi Fighter Plane Taken In Capture Of Field At Bindbach, Near Bayreuth, By 11Th Armored Div. Of Gen. Patton'S Us 3Rd Army.

Bomb Bursts Blanket Installations At Lyon-Bron Airfield, In France During A Bombardment Mission Carried Out By Planes Of The 44Th Bombardment Group, 8Th Air Force On 14 August 1944.

Major Earl J. Harrington, Co Of The 25Th Fighter Squadron, 51St Fighter Group With The 14Th Air Force In China, Presenting The Medal For The Loveliest Legs In Apo 488 To The Winner, Major William H. Mcconnell, Executive Officer Of The Squadron. February 1

Buildings Under Construction And Barracks. Parnamirim Field, Natal, Brazil. May 1943.

In Attack On Gael Airfield, France On 21 March 1944, Mosquito Bombers Of The 2 Group Taf, Raf Paste Hangar Area. Photos Shows Explosion Of Bomb Near Flak Tower And Hit On Easterly Hangar. Accurate Plotting Of Bomb Bursts Is Made Difficult By Low Level O

Battle Damaged Piper 'Cub' Wings Are Being Inspected By Ninth Air Forces Service Command Crews In This Apple Orchard Somewhere In France. Damaged Parts Usually Fall Into One Of Two Classifications - Salvageable Or Repairable.

Joe E. Brown entertains the men of the 38th Bomb Group with a dance during his visit at Port Moresby, Papua, New Guinea.

Aircraft, Burma, India &Troops & Paratroops

Immense wreckage in the Marshalling Yards at San Ambrogio, Italy, caused by the bombing of the 15th Air Force.

Aircraft, Burma, India &Fields & Installations,SUPPLIES War

EUROPE-Cpl. Thomas E. O'Malley, Chicago, Ill., armorer, and T/Sgt Stanley M. Taydus, Blue Island, Ill., crew chief, attaching one of the dropable long-range gas tanks to the Lockheed P-38 Lightning "Uninvited." These tanks give the

Photographic Section of the 38th Bomb Group at Rorona, New Guinea.

To simplify and speed glider assembly a mobile power hoist is used to shift a new glider into position for final assemblage at a 9th Air force base somewhere in France. Sitting on the end of the wing (right) are: Pvt. John Buaar of Springfield, N.J.

Briefing Room At Waller Field, Trinidad, British West Indies. April 1943.

2Nd Sgt. Manuel Alcantar At Clark Field, Luzon, P.I., Formerly With An American Paratroop Division, Who Made Jumps On Casablacnca, Bizerte And Sicily And Who Was Honorably Discharged From American Army To Join The 201St Mexican Fighter Squadron, Standing

First wave of paratroopers already on the ground awaiting later arrivals descending by the score, during airborne operation by troops of the 511 the Parachute Inf, 11th Airborne Div, at Appari, Cagayen Valley, Luzon, P.I.

Aircraft, Burma, India & Bombing,

Photo Taken From Rear Window Of Storage Hangar Showing Three Japanese 'Bukabombs' Ready To Go. Japanesean, Sept. 1945.

Curtiss P-40's are reassembled at the Gura Air Depot, Eritrea; the planes had been partially dismantled at Massaua and crated for shipment to the air depot. 25 October 1942.

Spraying Tar On Crushed Rock In Construction Of Runway, Rufisque Airfield, Rufisque, French West Africa. June 1943.

Aircraft, Burma, India &EQUIPMENT War

While Taking Cover From Enemy Sniper And Artillery Fire, Infantrymen Look Over A German Plane In The Hangar At The Captured Airfield At Fritzler, Germany. The Town Itself Finally Fell To These Men Of The 9Th Armored Division, 1St U.S. Army.

Aircraft, Burma, India &ARMAMENT War

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