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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

No. 151 Wing Royal Air Force Operations in Russia, September-november 1941 A section of three Hawker Hurricane Mark IIBs flies over another aircraft, Z3768 'FK-49', of No. 81 Squadron RAF, in a waterlogged dispersal at Vaenga.

Royal Air Force Fighter Command, 1939-1945. Ground crew take over Hawker Typhoon Mark IB, DN374 'US-A', of No. 56 Squadron RAF, in order to prepare it for another sortie, as the pilot, Flying Officer R Poulter, unbuckles himself from the cockpit on his return to Matlaske, Cornwall.

A left front view of an AC-130A Hercules aircraft as it taxis out. Five remaining AC-130A's of the 16th Special Operations Squadron are being redeployed from Thailand to the United States. Base: Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base Country: Thailand (THA)

The Battle of Britain 1940 Army officers inspect the wreckage of Messerschmitt Bf 109E-1 (W.Nr. 3367) 'Red 14' of 2./JG52, which crash-landed in a wheatfield at Mays Farm, Selmeston, near Lewes in Sussex, 12 August 1940. Its pilot, Unteroffizier Leo Zaunbrecher, was captured.

Royal Air Force 1939-1945- Fighter Command The Spitfire XII had been in service for over a year when this shot was taken on 12 April 1944 of two Friston-based aircraft from No 41 Squadron. Essentially a Mk V airframe mated to Rolls-Royce's powerful 1,735hp Griffon engine (which gave it a top speed of about 390mph at 18,00ft), the Mk XII was a low-level interceptor, equipping two home-defence squadrons. By 1944, however, enemy fighter-bomber incursions were rare and the Mk XIIs were being employed on offensive sweeps over northern France.

Royal Air Force Coastal Command, 1939-1945. Lockheed Hudson Mark III, T9431 'VX-B', of No. 206 Squadron RAF based at Aldergrove, County Antrim, on patrol over the Atlantic.

ENGLAND-"Five Grand," the 5,000th Boeing B-17 Flying ofrtress to come off the Boeing assembly line in Seattle, is now flying in the skies above Hitlerland, taking part in Eighth Air force bombing attacks, to carry to the Nazis the bad wishes

Royal Air Force in the Middle East, 1944-1945. Hadrami civilians unload grain from Vickers Wellington B Mark X, LP202 'F', of the Famine Relief Flight, at El Qatn in the Hadhramaut region of the British Aden Protectorate, during operations to alleviate famine in the area. Gathered by the tail are the aircrew, (left to right): Sergeant R J Oke, Pilot Officer R Mann (captain), Warrant Officer L H J Sullivan and Flight-Sergeant N L Davy, talking to an RAF medical officer (far right). During 1943 and 1944, the Hadhramaut was hit badly by drought and a loss of foreign remittances, leading to starvation and the death of some 10,000 people in the region. In May 1944 the Famine Relief Flight, consisting of eight aircraft, was established at Riyan, moving to Khormaksar, Aden, the following month. The flight airlifted a daily total of 24 tons of grain into el Qatn, from where it was taken by RAF transport and camel train to soup kitchens set up in the towns.

U.S. Army planes and pilots take off from U.S. Navy ***** U.S. Army pilots in Army P-40 planes take off a ***** Navy carrier during a joint Army-Navy assignment. Note extra gasoline tanks underneath the planes, which are usually based on land. July 12, 1943. (Photo by U.S. Office Of War Information Picture).

Royal Air Force- Italy, the Balkans and South-east Europe, 1942-1945. Guiseppe, the 12-year old son of a local peasant, watches as member of the ground crew paints the spinner of a Supermarine Spitfire Mark VC of No. 242 Squadron RAF at Lentini East, Sicily.

Aircraft, Burma, India &Ceremonies& Decorations, Awards, War

Gen. Eisenhower Names The "General 'Ike'"Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower (right) christens the flying fortress "General ' Ike'" at a U.S. heavy bomber station in England by smashing a bottle of Mississippi river water against the baffels of the ship's. 50 caliber guns. April 18, 1944. (Photo by Associated Press Photo).

An airman of the 25th Bomb Group with a Mosquito (H, serial number MM 388).

Royal Air Force Operations in Malta, Gibraltar and the Mediterranean, 1940-1945. Groundcrew refuel and re-arm Hawker Hurricane Mark I, Z4223 'V', of No. 213 Squadron RAF, at Famagusta, Cyprus.

Squadron Leader P A Hunter (far left), the CO of No. 264 Squadron RAF, briefs his pilots by one of the Squadron's Boulton-Paul Defiants at Duxford, 31 May 1940. Squadron Leader P A Hunter (far left), the Commanding Officer of No. 264 Squadron RAF, briefs his pilots by a Boulton-Paul Defiant Mark I of the Squadron at Duxford, Cambridgeshire.

A Douglas C-47 'Skytrain' Of The 316Th Troop Carrier Command, Spraying Malaria Infected Areas Of Okinawa, Ryukyu Retto. 11 July 1945.

Poll photo collection. Anthony Fokker. Mr. Alksins, Chief of the Russian Air Force (foreground without hat) under the port wing of a starting four-english breeder f xxxvi. August 27, 1934. Noord-Holland, Schiphol

Royal Air Force Fighter Command, 1939-1945. Six Boulton Paul Defiant Mark I night fighters of No. 264 Squadron RAF based at West Malling, Kent, flying in port echelon formation.

A Supermarine Spitfire Mk VB (s/n ER622) and pilots of No. 40 Squadron, South African Air Force, at Gabes in Tunisia, April 1943.

Royal Air Force Operations in the Middle East and North Africa, 1939-1943 Fairchild 91, HK832, of the Sea Rescue Flight on an airfield in Egypt.

Royal Air Force Fighter Command, 1939-1945. Pilots of No 122 Squadron RAF enjoying some trap-shooting while relaxing between sorties at Scorton, Yorkshire. The rifleman on the left is the Squadron Commander, Acting Squadron Leader H J L Hallowes.

4191-V111118201

photographer and military officer

SK 15a with skis is on line, winter, 1942 . Airplane sk 15a equipped with skis is on line, winter time. Aircraft mechanics in work. Aircraft belonging to war air school F 5 and labeled number 112, 111, 110, 106.

Photo collection Service for army contacts Indonesia. DCL Visit General Major Sas to U-Brigade (Padang). Visit of General Major Sas on the U-Brigade. Three soldiers for a flying output. December 1947. Indonesia, Dutch East Indies, Padang, Sumatra

U.S. Navy Carrier Task Force Heads For Big Japanese Base -- A bomb slung beneath its fuselage, a U.S. Navy dive-bomber flies above units of a U.S. Navy task force steaming through the Central Pacific toward Palau, strategic Japanese base in the Caroline Islands. Two aircraft carriers (lower left and upper (left) and a battleship (upper right) can be seen while white wakes mark other units of the force. During a recent three-day air and sea attack on enemy strongholds in the Western Carolines,

One-half right front view of a Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star bearing the markings of the 80th Fighter Bomber Squadron, somewhere in Korea. A ladder is mounted against the side of the aircraft, leading to the open cockpit. One man sits on the right wing looking through a book, with his helmet beside him. A second man stands beside the wing. A jeep is visible towards the rear of the aircraft, and a tower can be seen in the background.

Air Ministry Second World War Official Collection

Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1942-1945. An Avro Lancaster B Mark I of No. 83 Squadron RAF is signalled off on the third 'Thousand Bomber' raid, an attack on Bremen, Germany from Scampton, Lincolnshire. The Wing Commander (Flying) gives a green light for take off with his Aldis lamp.

Royal Air Force Operations in the Middle East and North Africa, 1939-1943. Operation TORCH: men of No. 3203 Servicing Commando at work on Supermarine Spitfire Mark VB, EP286, which suffered undercarriage failure on landing at Bone, Algeria, after a reinforcement ferry flight from Gibraltar. EP286 was repaired, and served in North Africa and Italy with No. 1435 Flight and No.208 Squadron RAF.

Photo collection Service for army contacts Indonesia. Ground staff pauses under the wing of an airplane at an airport. 1947. Indonesia, Dutch East Indies

Royal Air Force Fighter Command, 1939-1945. A Supermarine Spitfire Mk IIA of No. 452 Squadron RAAF landing at Kirton-in-Lindsey, Lincolnshire, over other aircraft parked in the 'B' Flight dispersals.

Royal Air Force in France, 1939-1940. Three Fairey Battle Mark Is, K9353 HA-J, K9324 HA-B and K9325 HA-D, of No. 218 Squadron RAF, based at Auberives-sur-Suippes, in flight over northern France. K9325 went missing during an attack on enemy troops near St Vith on 11 May 1940, and K9353 was shot down north of Bouillon the following day. K9324 survived the Battle of France to serve with the RAAF until 1944.

USA: Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo bombers of the USAAF flying in formation over the Pacific, c. 1943

An F - 51 Mustang of the United States Fifth Air Force's 18th Bomber wing releases two bombs over an industrial military target in Communist victory in North Korea.The bomb nearest the camera plummets in the earth head first, while the other, just released, is still in horizontal position. Another plane of the United Nations forces (at far left) nears the objective. September 22, 1953.

Royal Air Force Operations in the Middle East and North Africa, 1939-1943. 'Chippy' Gransden, a joiner serving with the Advanced Salvage Unit, puts in some repair work on a Hawker Hurricane at a forward depot in the Goubrine area of Tunisia.

A United States Navy Corsair fighter airplane is shown flying a patrol mission over United Nations warships and supply vessels in the anchorage at Inchon, in the Republic of Korea. January 13, 1953. (Photo by United States Information Service).

Crew Of A Douglas A-20 Of The 410Th Bomb Group Head For The Interrogation Room After Their Mission On 11 January 1945. France.

Hawker Hurricane Mark IID 'tank busters' of No. 6 Squadron about to take off from Gabes in Tunisia, 6 April 1943. Hawker Hurricane Mark IIDs of No 6 Squadron, Royal Air Force rolling out at Gabes soon after noon on 6 April 1943 for a tank-busting raid.

Group photo of kite glass tocc 74c, twenthe fly base.december 1985.

No. 151 Wing Royal Air Force Operations in Russia, September-november 1941 A Hawker Hurricane Mark IIB makes a low pass over the airfield at Vaenga, watched by other personnel of No. 151 Wing RAF by their aircraft at Vaenga.

Royal Air Force- 2nd Tactical Air Force, 1943-1945. Under the supervision of their flight-sergeant, armourers of No. 609 Squadron RAF lift 3-inch rocket projectiles fitted with 60-lb warheads for loading onto the Squadron's Hawker Typhoon Mark IBs at Thorney Island, Hampshire. Behind them stands JR379 'PR-L' which has already been armed.

Royal Air Force- Operations in the Middle East and North Africa, 1939-1943; Royal Air Force, 335 Squadron CBM1720

The flight service and the sick of the Marine Square Valkenburg (MVKV) hold a joint OSR exercise. OSRD stands for investigation and rescue service; The Royal Netherlands Air Force (KLU) known under the name SAR (search and rescue). A Grumman S-2A Tracker, a patrol / submarine booth flight plane taxite to the runway with the control tower of the MVKV in the background.

First Japanese Zero Captured Intact

New Guinea. Milne Bay: Fighter planes which, a big part in repelling the Japanese attack on Milne Bay. October 4, 1942. (Photo by Department Of Information Film).

Royal Air Force- Air Defence of Great Britain (adgb), 1943-1944. Four Supermarine Spitfire F Mark XIVs, of No. 610 Squadron RAF based at Friston, Sussex, flying in loose starboard echelon formation over South-east England. RB159 DW-D, in the foreground is being flown by the unit's commanding officer, Squadron Leader R A Newbury. With him are: RB167 'DW-E', RB150 'DW-A' and RB156 'DW-G'.

Royal Air Force- Italy, the Balkans and South-east Europe, 1942-1945. Supermarine Spitfire Mark VC, JK--- 'DB-R', of No. 2 Squadron SAAF based at Palata, Italy, carrying a 250-lb GP bomb beneath the fuselage, in flight along the Adriatic Coast while on a bombing mission to the Sangro River battlefront. Note the badge of No. 7 Wing SAAF, a leaping hartebeest on a red shield, painted on the rudder of the aircraft.

Royal Air Force- Italy, the Balkans and South-east Europe, 1942-1945. A Fairchild Argus of the Desert Air Force Communication Flight, takes off from the beach at Vasto, Italy, which served as the landing ground for the Forward Headquarters of the Desert Air Force, based there from December 1943 to March 1944. Parked to the left of the beach is the Fiesler Storch flown by the Air Officer Commanding DAF, Air Vice-Marshal H Broadhurst, with Vultee-Stinson Vigilants, also of the DAF Communications Flight.

U.S. Bombers ***** For Raid On Tarawa -- Sailors on an American aircraft carrier load incendiary bombs aboard U.S. Navy planes during a raid on Tarawa, Japanese base in the Gilbert Islands. The picture was taken between bombing missions. Planes from the carrier made repeated attacks on the enemy based during a two-day period, silencing many Japanese anti-aircraft batteries and destroying other installations. Long-range Army and Navy bombers also took part. November 29, 1943. (Photo by U.S. Offi

Royal Air Force Operations in the Far East, 1941-1945. Vultee Vengeance fuselages, newly arrived from the United States, under inspection at No. 1 (India) Maintenance Unit, Drigh Road, India.

Royal Air Force Fighter Command, 1939-1945. A pilot, (Flying Officer L G H Kells; left), and gunner of No. 29 Squadron RAF climb on board their Bristol Blenheim Mark IF for a night sortie from Coleby Grange/Wellingore Heath, Lincolnshire.

Anefo photo collection. Marvo recordings for "All-Hens". February 20, 1948

Photo collection Service for army contacts Indonesia. DLC Gading and Plajen, action by mountain field. Action in the direction of Gading, Plajen and Wonosari. The infantry raised at night to close the area, which gangs were signaled, the purification started in the morning. Troops, who are no longer needed after a two-day march, are removed by plane .. March 9, 1949. Indonesia, Java, Dutch East Indies

Ground personnel of the 387th Bomb Group work on the engines of a shark mouth B-26 Marauder (serial number 42-96165) nicknamed 'The Big Hairy Bird'.

Right side view of a North American F-86 Sabre. One technician watches as the pilot climbs out of the cockpit, while two other remove the top front panel of the fuselage. A fourth technician is also standing next to the aircraft.. Right side view of a North American F-86 Sabre. One technician watches as the pilot climbs out of the cockpit, while two other remove the top front panel of the fuselage. A fourth technician is also standing next to the aircraft..

The transport problems that would arise were heavy bombers switched from Britain to the Middle East during the Second World War. Aircraft must be adapted for desert conditions, and specialised equipment and personnel transported over great distances in other large aircraft. Date: 1942

Photo collection Service for army contacts Indonesia. DLC Commemoration of the cases of the 18th Squadron. Overview. April 29, 1947. Batavia, Indonesia, Jakarta, Dutch East Indies, Tjililitan

Artwork: "Pilots Playing Chess Near Their Planes" Artist: W. Fritz Junghans. Country: Unknown

Royal Air Force Operations in the Middle East and North Africa, 1939-1943. Flying Officer P St.G B Turnbull and Flying Officer J H W Saunders of No. 3 Squadron RAAF walking away from one of the Squadron's Curtiss Tomahawk Mark IIBs at Rosh Pinna, Palestine.

Little Canada -- The Royal Canadian Air Force in England.RGAF in England -- Volley ball -- at North Luffenham, Rutland, England. Sabres are in the background. June 1, 1952. (Photo by Central Office Of Information)

"A flor de agua del Canal de La Mancha se abate un gran punto verde. Aviadores alemanes lo descubren durante su regreso de Inglaterra. Saben su significado, hacen una señal hacia abajo y radian a su unidad... " Pie de foto textual en una página interior de la revista "Signal", ejemplar número 2 (enero de 1941) de la versión española (SP 2). Esta revista se publicó entre abril de 1940 y abril de 1945, siendo el principal órgano de propaganda del ejército alemán durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial. A partir del número 8 de 1941 se publicó una versión íntegra en español, identificada con el código SP.

Ground Crewmen Make A Final Check-Up As Ordnance Men 'Fin' 2000 Lb. Bombs Prior To Loading Into A Boeing B-17 At A Base In England.

A Chinese soldier guards a line of American P-40 fighter planes, painted with the shark-face emblem of the 'Flying Tigers,' at a flying field somewhere in China, circa 1942

Air Ministry Second World War Official Collection

Cadet Prepares for Flight Training. ca. 1951, Un Cadete se dispone a cumplir su diario entrenamiento. A Cadet prepares for his daily training.

Two Italian fighter planes used during WWII, the biplane CR42 and the Macchi 205.

DF-SC-85-05574. Country: Unknown

"Lancaster" Bombers are Smashing German Industries. Country: England. 1942 - 1945. Office for Emergency Management. Office of War Information. Domestic Operations Branch. Bureau of Special Services. 3/9/1943-9/15/1945. World War II Foreign Posters

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