Historical Aircraft in Operation

Black and white images depicting historical military aircraft and crews, capturing significant moments from World War II, including crash landings and maintenance.

Members Of The 410Th Bomb Group Examine The Damaged Douglas A-20 'Havoc' (A/C No. 310215) Which Crash-Landed At A 9Th Air Force Base In England. 25 May 1944.

North American P-51 "Mustang" After Crash Landing At An 8Th Air Force Base In England, 3 November 1944.

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.

Aircraft, Burma, India &Maintenance,REFUELING War

Captured German Me-100 In England. 21 February 1944.

Royal Air Force- 2nd Tactical Air Force, 1943-1945. Douglas Bostons of No. 342 (Free French) Squadron RAF at B50/Vitry-en-Artois, on the first day of the unit's return to France. In the foreground Mark III, BZ208 'OA-G', undergoes a serviceability check by ground crew.

Members Of The 410Th Bomb Group Examine The Damaged Douglas A-20 'Havoc' (A/C No. 310215) Which Crash-Landed At A 9Th Air Force Base In England. 25 May 1944.

Tripolitania, Libya-Air mechanics of the U.S. Army Air Forces checking over the engine of a Kittyhawk during daily inspection on an airfield in Tripolitania. There is grass on the airfield-a welcome change for the men after months of work on dust and

A Bloch 175, Reconnaissance Bomber, used by the French Air Force in North Africa. Headquarters 12th Fighter Command. 27 January 1943.

Royal Air Force - East Africa Command, 1940-1945 Armourers of of No. 47 Squadron RAF fill Small Bomb Containers with incendiaries before loading them into the underwing panniers of Vickers Wellesley Mark I, K8527, at Kassala, Sudan, for a bombing raid on Italian positions in Eritrea. K8527 was shot down by Italian fighters over Keren on 16 March 1941. Note that this aircraft is fitted with a lengthened cockpit canopy.

A 'Flying Tiger' P-40 Ready To Take Off From The Field. This Group In Major John Chennault'S Unit, And Although The Markings On The Planes Are Similar To That Of His Father'S Group, There Is A Difference. The General'S Markings Were That Of A Tiger Shar

Royal Air Force- 2nd Tactical Air Force, 1943-1945. Armourers load 3-inch rocket-projectiles onto a Hawker Typoon Mark IB of No. 124 Wing at B156/Luneberg, Germany.

The Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" 'The Alamo' Of The 381St Bomb Group Stationed At An 8Th Air Force Base Near Ridgewell, Essex County, England, 12 October 1944.

Curtiss P-40S Are Shown Parked Along The Runway On Baker Island. 11 September 1943.

JING BOW (AIR RAID), SOMEWHERE IN THE U.S. ARMY 14TH AIR force AREA IN CHINA. The Flying Tigers go into action after hearing, the air raid signal. Pilots running for their P-40's include a number who actually shot down Japanese planes during this raid.

Air Ministry Second World War Official Collection

Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" 'Thumper' (A/C No. 41-24579) Crash Landed At A Base In England. 303Rd Bomb Group.

A German JU-87 Stuka, equipped with 40 mm. anti-tank cannon, captured intact at an airfield in Pilsen, Czechoslovakia.

The Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" 'Busy Baby' At An Airfield In England. 8 April 1944. 379Th Bomb Group.

Consolidated B-24 returning from Ploesti, Rumania raid. North Africa.

The Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" "Peggy D" Of The 381St Bomb Group Stationed At An 8Th Air Force Base Near Ridgewell, Essex County, England, 26 November, 1943.

Royal Air Force Operations in the Middle East and North Africa, 1939-1943. Fitters and mechanics assemble a Martin Baltimore Mark I at a Maintenance Unit in Egypt.

Aircrew and Wellington bombers of No. 149 Squadron RAF at Mildenhall, Suffolk, before a night raid over Germany, 10 May 1941. An aircrew of No. 149 Squadron RAF gather by the nose of their Vickers Wellington Mark IC, lined up with other aircraft of the Squadron at Mildenhall, Suffolk, before a night raid to Hamburg, Germany.

The Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortresses" "Midway" Of The 381St Bomb Group Stationed At An 8Th Air Force Base Near Ridgewell, Essex County, England, 31 March 1944.

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.

When snow blanketed the Eighth Air force bases in England recently, ground crewmen had snow to remove from their Consolidated B-24 Liberators before they could begin work on them. In spite of the snow, ground crewmen maintained their planes and kept

Royal Air Force- Operations in the Middle East and North Africa, 1940-1943. Consolidated Liberator Mark II, AL574 'O', one of the handful of Liberators operated by No. 108 Squadron RAF in the Middle East at this time, parked on a dispersal pan at Fayid, Egypt, with its crew standing in front.

Working on this A-36 Invader of the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces are these two aviation mechanics who had to cross a sea of mud to get to the plane. The fighter-bomber shown here has been instrumental in downing two enemy aircraft.

Rocket Installation On A Bell P-39.

A Ju-88 Night Fighter Abandoned In Good Condition When The Luftwaffe Made Its Hasty Departure From This Field In Germany Receives A Thorough-Going Over From 3 Pilots Of Lt. Colonel Leo C. Moon'S 404Th Fighter-Bomber Group, Now Based At The Former German A

Hustling to find their places, 9th AF Command technicians queue up beside the last of several Douglas C-47 transport planes which will carry an Advanced 9th AF station in Great Britain. America's flying "fixits" have now been trained, armed and

A Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" Of The 323Rd Bomb Squadron, 91St Bomb Group Was Completely Destroyed When Fire Broke Out During Landing At The 91St Bomb Group Base In Bassingbourne, England On 5 April 1944. The Plane Burned On The Runway. (A/C No. 513.)

AN EIGHTH AAF BOMBER STATION, England:---This is the miracle ship known as "Hang the Expense Again III" that had its tail assembly shredded of most of its surface and the tail gunner's compartment completely shot away by direct flak hits.

Aircraft, Burma, India & INDIA,Transportation War

Air Ministry Second World War Official Collection

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, Yokohama, Yokosuka, Na

North Africa-Consolidated B-24 "Liberator," which belly-flopped on forced landing but still took it without injury to the crew.

A North American B-25 covered with snow after a snowstorm at Ladd Field, Alaska, 15 February 1944.

A Hoist Is Hooked To The Lockheed P-38 (A/C 42067980) Of The 364Th Fighter Group, 67Th Fighter Wing, Which Made A Crash Landing At 8Th Air Force Station F-375, Honnington, England. 30 May 1944.

Air Ministry Second World War Official Collection Hawker Hurricane Mark I, Z4575 'L', of No. 2 Squadron RIAF at Risalpur, while converting to the Hurricane and before moving to Eastern India for training in support of the Chindits

Royal Air Force- Operations in the Middle East and North Africa, 1939-1943; Royal Air Force, 39 Squadron CBM2083

One of the many. High in the clouds over Italy, flys this Lockheed P-38 Lightning Fighter of a Fighter Group, part of the 15th Air Force fighter formations that escort heavy bombers to enemy targets, and in other instances, strafe enemy positions and

RUSSIA-Soviet ground crews load bombs in a Boeing B-17 preparatory to shuttle raid.

Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" 'Yankee Rebel' Of The 381St Bomb Group Stationed At An 8Th Air Force Base Near Ridgewell, Essex County, England, 30 May 1944.

Consolidated B-24 Liberators Of The 11Th Bomb Group, Warming Up Motors Prior To Take Off On Mission From Kwajalein, Marshall Islands, July 1944.

Royal Air Force Transport Command, 1943-1945. Ground crew servicing Bristol Buckingham C Mark Is of the Air Transport Tactical Development Unit at Netheravon, Wiltshire.

Consolidated B-24H 'Gas House Mouse' At Raf Base, Manston, Kent, England. 13 December 1944. (Aircraft No. 42-95050). 458Th Bg, 752Nd Bs.

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

Snow means added tasks for the ground crews maintaining the Consolidated B-24 Liberators in England. One of th ecrews of mechanics changes an engine of one of the Eighth Air forces heavy bombers in spite of the snow covering everything.

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.

Aircraft, Burma, India &Troops &Paratroops

The U.S. Fighter Plane The P-47 Just Recently Introduced In This Theatre Of War Is Now Seeing Action Against The Axis From England. Here, The Plane Is Towed Onto The Landing Field By Tractor. May 1943.

American Aircraft in RAF Service 1939-1945- Lockheed L-214 and L-414 Hudson. Hudson Mark II, T9376 ZS-X, of No. 233 Squadron RAF, returning to its base at Aldergrove, County Antrim, from a convoy patrol. The aircraft is equipped with ASV Mark 1 radar

Aircraft 17 from f 3 in the air over clouds, about 1948-1949 . aircraft 17 from f 3 östgöta fly fleet in the air over clouds. Belongs to Sven Lindqvist's collection of photographs from conscripts at F 3 Östgöta Flight Fleet Ca, 1948-1949.

Fillings For The Shark's Teeth -- A P-51 Mustang Flighter, painted to look like a vicious shark, taxis into position at a forward air strip in Korea, to be fitted with deadly rockets (foreground) before taking off on a mission. March 10, 1951. (Photo by AP Wirephoto).

Armorers Of The 390Th Bomb Group, Shackle Glide Bombs To An External Rack Underneath The Wings Of A Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" At Station 153 In England. 29 September 1943.

***** "Waltzing Matilda" June 25, 1947.

B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 306th Bomb Group fly in formation over another B-17 (WW-J, serial number 42-5086) during a medal ceremony for Staff Sergeant Maynard Smith.

The Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" "Miss Abortion" Of The 381St Bomb Group Stationed At An 8Th Air Force Base Near Ridgewell, Essex County, England, 30 December 1943.

Royal Air Force Coastal Command, 1939-1945. RAF and Royal Navy ground crew refuel a Fairey Swordfish Mark III of No. 119 Squadron RAF Detachment at B65/Maldeghem, Begium.

Royal Air Force- 2nd Tactical Air Force, 1943-1945. Hawker Typhoon Mark IBs of No. 609 Squadron RAF start their take off run at Thorney Island, Hampshire, at the start of a sortie by No. 123 Wing to attack enemy radar sites on the Normandy coast. Typhoons of No. 198 Squadron RAF wait their turn including, on the right, their new Commanding Officer, Squadron Leader I J Davies, who replaced Squadron Leader J Niblett, killed on a similar sortie the previous day.

Each man toting his own equipment, these 9th AF Service Command airborne technicians trudge down the runway toward transport planes waiting to whip them far up forward and set them down uponn advanced air bases in Great Britain-eventually, uponn

American Aircraft in RAF Service 1939-1945- Lockheed L-214 and L-414 Hudson. Hudson Mark I, N7315 QX-Y, of No. 224 Squadron RAF, in the hands of ground crew at Leuchars. The Boulton-Paul dorsal gun turret and the nose machine-guns have either been removed from, or have yet to be fitted to, this example.

North Africa-Lockheed P-38 plane crews bouncing up and down on tail of plane to get compass set at right angle for swinging the compass.

The Royal Navy during the Second World War Bristol Beaufort torpedo bombers being torpedoed up by naval torpedo men at HMS SPARROWHAWK Royal Naval Air Station Hatston, Orkney Islands. Dummy torpedoes are being used for an exercise.

At First Flight -- An Air Base in Japan-A mechanic starts the day readying the huge C-54 Skymaster of the Far East Air Forces' 374th Troop Carrier Wing, standing silently surrounded by mountainous stockpiles of combat materiel. Skilled crews will soon appear on the scene to load a heavy tonnage of these supplies into the vast interior, for aerial delivery to Korean, airbases. June 14, 1951. (Photo by U.S. Air Force Photo).;At First Flight -- An Air Base in Japan-A mechanic starts the day readyin

Royal Air Force- Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Air Force, No. 38 Group RAF. Douglas Dakota Mark IIs of No. 575 Squadron RAF taxying off at Broadwell, Oxfordshire, for a pannier dropping exercise.

A Boeing B-17 Of The 305Th Bomb Group Returns To Its Base At Chelveston, England After A Mission Over Enemy Territory On 29 June 1943.

RAF Fighter Command 1940 Boulton Paul Defiant of No. 264 Squadron being refuelled, July 1940.

North Africa-The pride of the German Luftwaffe, a ME 110, was shot down during an engagement with U.S. fighter planes in North Africa. Included in the armament of this powerful, two-engined pursuit plane are 20 mm cannons and two 500-pound bombs,

The Curtiss C-46 "Cargo Packin' Mama" Is Jacked Up After It Made A Belly-Landing At An Airbase In Kunming, China.

General Kepner's Republic P-47 Thunderbolt 'Kokoma' At An Airbase In England, 25 March 1945. 2Nd Bomb Division, 8Th Air Force.

Philippines - Historic Clark Field On Luzon, P.I., Never Dreamed Of Anything Like This Consolidated B-32 Dominator, The First To Arrive In Any Theatre Of War. The Consolidated B-32 Is Comparable In Size And Performance To The Boeing B-29 Superfortress, A

Crew Of Major General Emmett O'Donnell'S Plane - The Boeing B-29 'Dauntless Dotty' - Awaits Take Off For Bombing Mission Over Tokyo, Japanesean. Saipan, Marianas Islands, November 1944.

Major W.B. Bailey And His Ground Crew Pose Beside Their North American P-51 "Double Trouble Two" Of The 352Nd Fighter Squadron, 353Rd Figher Group At A Figher Base In England.

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, Tokohama, Yokosuka, Na

Algiers, Algeria-Men working on the tail of a Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress."

Mechanics Of The 333Rd Fighter Squadron, 318Th Fighter Group, Force 'Gel Gas' (A Mixture Of Gasoline Or Diesel Oil And Naplam) Into 165 Gallon Auxiliary Fuel Tank Which Has Been Secured Onto The Bomb Rack Of A Republic P-47. Each P-47 Carried Two Of Thes

Royal Air Force- 2nd Tactical Air Force, 1943-1945. Wing Commander A G Page, leader of No. 125 Wing, in the cockpit of his Supermarine Spitfire Mk IXE 'AGP', with a 500-lb GP bomb under the fuselage and two 250-lb GP bombs on wing racks, ready for take off at B11/Longues, Normandy. Later the same day, Page was to shoot down his 14th enemy aircraft, a Messerschmitt Bf 109, returning to Longues wounded in the leg and his aircraft damaged by anti-aircraft fire.

Republic P-47's On The Line At Meeks Field, Iceland. Note The Nickname 'Natalie' On The First P-47. 2Nd Service Group, 9 August 1943. Handwritten: Poss 1St (Or Tst) Fighter Transatlantic Ferry Flight.

A Consolidated B-24 "Liberator" Comes In For A Landing At An 8Th Air Force Base In England. 1943. 93Rd Bomb Group.

Royal Air Force Operations in the Middle East and North Africa, 1939-1943. A Lockheed Hudson Mark VI of No. 216 Group RAF, escorted by Hawker Hurricanes, flies urgent supplies to the battle front in Tunisia.

Damaged Republic P-47 'Fatty Patty' A/C 42-74665 Of The 353Rd Fighter Group At Its Base In England After Returning From A Mission Over Enemy Territory. 24 February 1944.

Aircraft in Royal Air Force Service, 1939-1945- Bristol Type 160 Blenheim V. A Blenheim Mark V of No. 113 Squadron RAF based at Asansol, India, in flight with other aircraft of the Squadron during a bombing raid over Burma.

A Lockheed P-38 Lightning Buzzes The Field At Valence, France. 8 October 1944.

SUFofLK, ENGLAND-Lt. George F. Perpente, New Brunswick, N.J., left, sits on a 500 lb. "Cookie" and discusses the most recent raid on Germany with two flying cronies, Lt. Francis N. King, St. Petersburg, Fla., and Lt. William Thistlewaite, Richmond

The nose art of a B-17 Flying Fortress nicknamed 'Lady Jane' of the 401st Bomb Group.

Royal Air Force Operations in the Far East, 1941-1945 Pilots of No. 607 Squadron RAF, returning from a sortie against Japanese troops attempting to cross the Sittang river, (The Battle of Sittang Bend), walk past their Supermarine Spitfire Mark VIIIs at the monsoon-flooded airfield at Mingaladon, Burma.

Royal Air Force Bomber Command 1939-45 Ground staff working on a Wellington of No. 99 Squadron in wintry conditions at Newmarket, January 1941. The aircraft is well protected from the snow and ice with covers over its canopies, turrets and engines, and the wings have been tied down to secure the aircraft from the wind.

Royal Air Force Coastal Command- No. 247 Group Operations in the Azores, 1943-1945. A Consolidated Liberator B Mark VI of the RAF parked by the Transport Command Staging Post at Lagens, seen from under the wing of a Douglas C-54A Skymaster of the USAAF. In the background a Boeing Fortress Mark II of No. 206 Squadron RAF takes off from the main runway.

A Hawker Hurricane Mk IV of No. 6 Squadron RAF being serviced at Foggia in Italy prior to a sortie over the Adriatic, 24 July 1944. A Hawker Hurricane Mark IV of No. 6 Squadron RAF being serviced on an airfield in Italy, probably Foggia Main, prior to a sortie over the Adriatic. Note the asymmetric wing loading on the aircraft, consisting of a 44-gallon long-range fuel tank under the port wing, and four 3-inch rocket projectiles under the starboard: also the Type G45 gun camera being serviced by the airman standing second from the right. Propped up by the starboard undercarriage is the port lower engine access panel, on which is painted the pilot's personal emblem.

Despite The Heavy Snow And Intense Cold A Maintenance Crew Goes To Work On A Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" Getting It Ready For Another Run Over Enemy Territory In The Sustained Effort Of The Mediterranean Allied Air Force Heavy Bombers To Deliver The Fin

Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1942-1945. Avro Lancaster Mark I, L7540 'OL-U', of No. 83 Squadron RAF's Conversion Flight undergoes an engine overhaul at RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire. Note the armament has been removed from the front turret.

Wreckage Of Bomber B-17G. Photo Taken Beside Hangar No. 5, Hickam Field, T.H. After Japaneseanese Bombing On Dec. 7, 1941.

Royal Air Force Operations in the Middle East and North Africa, 1939-1943 Sergeant R G Goldberg of No. 451 Squadron RAAF delivers his report to an Army Liaison Officer at a landing ground in the Western Desert, after completing a tactical reconnaissance sortie. Behind them, Goldberg's Hawker Hurricane Tac. R Mark I, Z4771, is being serviced by the Squadron's ground crew.

RAF Bomber Command A Handley Page Hampden crew pose in front of their aircraft, April 1940.

Douglas A-26S Of The 386Th Bomb Group Parked On The Line At Their Base. 7 May 1945. Beaumont, France.

RUSSIA-Red airmen, Mustang pilot talk things over in front of a North American P-51 Mustang. 325 Fighter Group

The Boeing "Flying Fortress" 'Bermondsay Battler' Of The 381St Bomb Group Stationed At An 8Th Air Force Base Near Ridgewell, Essex County, England, 30 December 1943.

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