Historical Military Aircraft Operations

Images of various military aircraft, including bombers and tow planes, engaged in maneuvers and tactical operations during World War II.

On the morning of 19 February 1945, twenty-five Consolidated B-24's of the 494th Bomb Group based on Angaur Island in the Carolines, took off for a cooperation raid on the Licanan Airdrome in the Southern part of Mindanao, Philippine Islands.

Douglas C-47 Tow Planes With Their Waco Cg-4 Gliders Attached Prepare To Take Off From Airfield At Comiso, Sicily, 25 October 1943. They Participated In The 52Nd Troop Carrier Wing Maneuvers Over Sicily.

A Consolidated B-24 "Liberator" Of The 7Th Bomb Group Based At Pandaveswar Army Air Base, India, Approached The Target - A Dockside Warehouse At Rangoon, Burma - With Bomb-Bay Doors Open. 1943.

Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" (A/C No. 337887) Of The 91St Bomb Group Drones Over The Countryside Enroute To Bomb Enemy Installations In Europe.

The Greatest American Power Dream Come True As Boeing B-29 "Superforts"Move Toward Japanesean. Only A Fact To Us -- But A Nightmare To The Japaneses. Iwo Jima, Bonin Islands.

ANGLO-AMERICAN TEAMWORK AT 21000 FEET--High in the frozen skies, enroute to strike at targets ranging from Kiel to Brodeaux in a thunderous daylight blow, an American heavy bomber cameraman caught this unusual shot of a

Over The Netherlands -- 9Th Troop Carrier Command'S Douglas C-47S Loaded With Paratroopers Head For Drop Zone During The Invasion Of Holland. 17 Sept. 1944.

On the morning of 19 February 1945, twenty-five Consolidated B-24's of the 494th Bomb Group based on Angaur Island in the Carolines, took off for a cooperation raid on the Licanan Airdrome in the Southern part of Mindanao, Philippine Islands.

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses of the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces drop their bombs on the railroad yards at Brod, Yugoslavia on 2 June 44. Heavy bombers of the MAAF were continously striking at the enemy's rail system, preventing supplies from

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses Of The 452Nd Bomb Group Winged Their Way Towards The German V-2 Launching Sites In Occupied France, As The Heavy Bombers Continued Their Daily Poundings Of Nazi Military Installations, 26 March 1944. Taken By S/Sgt Robert La

Formation Of Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses Over Winter-Hausengr, Germany. 22 February 1945.

Crew Member Cleaning The Ashes And Cinders Off The Wing Of A North American B-25 Of The 340Th Bomb Group. This Was Caused By The Eruption Of Mt. Vesuvius On 23 March 1944.

Wheel Marks On The Grass Denote The Path This North American P-51 'Danny Boy 2Nd' (A/C 415516) Of The 353Rd Fighter Group, Travelled Before Coming To A Stop On Its Belly At An 8Th Air Force Base In England, 29 December 1944.

View of Boeing B-17s on their way home from Russia.

Boeing B-17 'Mon Tete Rouge Ii' And Her Sister Ships Of The 452Nd Bomb Group Enroute To Blast German Targets In France As Part Of The Plan To Pulverize All Vitally Important War Objectives. Chateaudun, France, Was The Target Of This Mission 28 March 1944

Formation Of Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses Over Wittenber, Germany. 22 February 1945.

Northrop P-61 'Black Widows' In Flight. Saipan, Mariansa Islands, January 1945.

A Consolidated B-24 Of The 445Th Bomb Group Based In England, Flies High Above The Checkerboard Countryside.

Ready for their bombing mission, Republic P-47s of the First Tactical Air force take off. FRANCE.

The Consolidated B-24 "Joltin' Janie" of the 403rd Bomb Squadron, 43rd Bomb Group, parked in a revetment at Dobodura Airstrip, Papua, New Guinea. 11 June 1943.

Spitfires in flight over England.

Major General Claire L. Chennault's Staff Plane Lands At A 14Th Air Force Base In China.

American gliders, loaded with U.S. Army Infantryman, and towed by Douglas C-47's of the 9th AF Troop Carrier Command are seen over the coast of France, just after completing the trip across the English Channel. These planes, part of the greatest

12Th Army Air Force, March 11 1944 -- Sleek North American B-25 Mitchell Bombers Of A Veteran Group In The 12Th Aaf On Their Wqay To Hit Rome'S Littorio Railroad Yards. Mitchells In Italy Have Played A Vital Role In Interrupting The Flow Of German Suppli

Men Inspect A Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" Damaged During A Mission Over Enemy Territory. The Plane Is Attached To The 91St Bomb Group At Bassingbourne, England. 11 July 1944.

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress "Patches" on shuttle mission to Russia, with North American P-51 Mustangs escorting.

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses join in attack on Munich, Germahy. 452nd Bomb Group.

Aircraft, Burma, India &Fields & Installations,CONSTRUCTION,Air Fields War

The Fire Truck Stands Ready To Spray The Damaged Vultee A-35 (A/C 131313) With Foamite In The Event A Fire Starts After The Plane Crash-Landed At The 364Th Fighter Group Base, 67Th Fighter Wing At 8Th Air Force Station F-375, Honnington, England. 6 March

A Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" Of The 401St Bomb Group Is Stuck In A Tar Pile At The Edge Of The Runway. England, 20 July 1944.

Crash Landing Of A Boeing B-29 "Superfortress". Saipan, Marianas Islands, 15 June 1945.

Formations Of Douglas A-26S, Attached To The 386Th Bomb Group, Enroute To Bomb Enemy Installations Somewhere In Germany On 20 April 1945.

Kuma class cruiser taking...

Mechanics At The Guam Air Depot Turn The Heavy Prop Of The First Boeing B-29 To Be Overhauled After The Depot Began Operations. Marianas Gp.

This is 12th Air Force North American B-25 number 13, but all the bad luck is neatly packed in each of the 1,000 pound bombs headed for the Brenner Pass Line bridge below. The link, located at Staz di Ceraino 15 miles northwest of Verona, was damaged

In one of the most unusual action series of the air war, this ill-fated Martin B-26 Marauder of U.S. 9th Air Force was photographed by cameraman of a Combat Camera Unit just before and during the catastrophe which occurred as the armada of medium

A Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" Of The 401St Bomb Group Approaches The Runway At An 8Th Air Force Base In England After Bombing Raid Over Enemy Installations At Cologne, Germany On 5 March 1944.

It was not unusual to see British planes with American markings or American aircraft with British insignia. This De Havilland Mosquito, one of Britain's best fighting aircraft, sports the markings of the AAF as it wings over the English countryside.

England-Coming in for a landing is one of the 8th AF Lockheed P-38 Lightnings, back from a mission into Germany.

Emden on 27/9/43.

North American A-36 Fighter-Bomber chalks up 150 combat missions. 12th AAF S/Sgt Meridith J. Sutton, Palmer, Texas, recently painted the 150th bomb on the nose of the A-36 fighter-bomber "067" for which he is crew chief. "The most outstanding combat

A Dornier 217, practically undamaged, found at Castel Benito, Tripolitania, Libya, when the Allied Air Force occupied the airfield. 26 January 1943.

German Heinkel He 11S Roar Over The English Channel With Full Bomb Loads On A Mission In England.

BOMBS AWAY. .. FLYING AT AN EVEN KEEL, TWO BOEING B-17S of a heavy bomb group based in Italy release two deadly strings of bombs over target in Mestre, North Italy on 10 June 44.

North American B-25 "Mitchell" taking off from Lingayen Airstrip, Luzon Island, Philippine Islands, 17 May 1945-This is the J-series and has eighteen .50 caliber machine guns. Eight can be seen in the nose. B-25's from this strip operated over

Republic P-47 Thunderbolt enroute to Emden, Germany, chases FW-190. Latter is supposed to avoid dogfights, and go for bombers.

Bombing of Vunakanau...

Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighters keep away from Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses, avoid pointing noses directly at them. Fortresses on way to target, Emden, Germany. 95th Bomb Group.

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 8th Air Force England, on way to bomb targets in Germany.

U.S. Army Air forces Flying ofrtresses approach the southern coast of France before beginning their bomb run over the Nazi submarine pens at Toulon.

BERLIN--During air attack on Berlin, B-17 Flying Fortresses of the U.S. Army 8th Air Force reach the smoke markers over the target and release a cascade of bombs in unison.

CHINA - No "A" card was needed, but the difficulties of filling the cavernous gas tanks on a Douglas C-47 cargo plane made "stateside" rationing childs play.

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses Of The 91St Bomb Group Leave Trails Of Vapor Behind As They Wing Their Way Toward The Target - An Enemy Installation In Brunswick, Germany. 30 Jan 1944.

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

Wreckage Of The North American P-51 (A/C 13891) Of The 364Th Fighter Group Base, 67Th Fighter Wing At 8Th Air Force Station F-375, Honnington, England. 11 October 1944.

A mechanic sweeps snow off a Boeing B-17 at Ladd Field, Alaska, 15 February 1944.

The plane in the upper foreground is not lost. .. It's part of a vast fleet heading over the Mediterranean to bomb military targets in Southern France. There are no less than 56 U.S. planes visible in this photo. How many do you see

After installating a new engine on the Consolidated B-24 "5000 V-Grand," the mechanics, of the 81st Service Group, stand back in delight over the feeling that their work operates in perfect order and the plane can now take-off. This is the second

Although it was almost sheared in two by a piece of exploding flak, this U.S. Army 15th Air Force B-17 bomber fought its way back to its base. It was one of the war's most outstanding instances of a badly crippled ship brought safely home. Exploding

Heading For Its Target, The Vienna Schwechat Oil Refineries In Austria, Are Bombs From One Of The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses Of The 15Th Af That Attacked This One Of The Few Remaining Sources Of Oil Left To The Hun In Europe, On 7 Feb. 1945. Lack Of O

Crash Landing Of Consolidated B-24 (A/C No. 42-52566) At Aaf Base, Attlebridge, Norfolk, England. 20 April 1944.

The "Crusaders," famed 13th AAF North American B-25 group, made numerous low-level bombing and strafing attacks on Balikpapan's defenses, helping to pave the way for a landing by Aussie assault forces.

Aircraft, Burma, India & INDIA,ARMAMENT War

Four North American B-25 Mitchells Release Their Bombs Over A Rail Bridge At Pordenone, Italy. Direct Hits Were Placed In The Center Of The Structure Which Carries The Main Line Into Udine From The West.

Laden With Elements Of The 11Th Airborne Division, C-47 "Skytrains" Are Seen Approaching The Vital Appari Airstrip On Northern Luzon, Philippins Islands. The Air Armada Carried Field Pieces, Jeeps And A Trailer Equipped With Long-Range Radio Station. 23

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses Of The 452Nd Bomb Group Leave Streams Of Condensing Vapor Trails, Forming In The Sky A Pattern Of Doom For The Nazis To Gaze Upon. Their Target Was Dunkirk, France, As 8Th Air Force Bombers Continually Blasted At Every Opera

Twin Formations-Two formations of Flying Fortresses, one barely distinguishable by the vapor trails in its wake, head deep into Germany on 8 April where they hit Luftwaffe assembly plants and airbases. 94th Bomb Group.

North American B-25 Mitchells of the 12th Air Force range over Northern Italy in the unrelenting effort to strangle the Hun's communication and supply lines.

North American B-25 'Mitchell' Preparing For Take-Off From Clark Field, Manila, Philippine Islands. 1 June 1945.

Mission #2-St. Omer-ofrt Rouge, France-Flak bursting around B-26's (Martin) over France.

Aircraft, Burma, India &PRISONS &PRISONERS War

North American P-51 Mustang in flight over Italy. 31st Fighter Group.

Consolidated B-24 Liberators of the 15th AF, above the Adriatic Sea on their way to smash oil and harbor installations at Trieste, Italy, on 7 February 1945. Liberators of the 15th AF have been pounding the Hun's oil sources, transportation systems

Consolidated B-24 (A/C No. 449059) Crashinglanded At An Air Base Somewhere In India. 2Nd Air Transport Squadron.

Maintenance Men Repair A North American P-51 Of The 2Nd Base Air Depot. Lancashire, England, 10 November 1943.

In Tight Formation Over Saipan, A Republic P-47, Lockheed P-38, And A North American P-51 Show What The Japaneses Can Expect To See In The Near Future Over Tokyo. P-47S Helped Take Marianas Bases From Which The P-38S Flew Strafing And Escort Missions To Help

The Curtiss P-40 'Sue' Of The 51St Fighter Group Heads For Its Home Base In India After Dropping Its 500 Pound Bomb On The Japaneseanese Supply Base At Kamaing, Burma. 1943.

At An Air Base Somewhere In France, Anti-Aircraft Crew Members Make Their Temporary Living Quarters Under Wing Of Cg-4 Glider. 1 April 1945.

Consolidated B-24J 'Sweat Box' After Crash Landing At Shipham, Norfolk, England. 6 November 1944. (A/C No. 44-4007).

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses Of The 15Th Af Slice The Sky With Vapor Trails As They Head For The Marshalling Yards At Linz, Austria. The Rail Yards Are Part Of The Supply Route From Southeastern Germany Feeding The Enemy On The Eastern Front And In Ital

While sister ships roar on, a huge cloud of smoke is all that remains of a U.S. Army 8th Air Force Flying Fortress which received a direct hit from flak and exploded over the suburbs of Berlin during large-scale operations against the Nazi capital in

Intitial Landing Of A Consoldiated B-24 'Liberator' Of The 2Nd Bomb Division, 8Th Air Force, At Horsham, England On 3 September 1943. 392Nd Bomb Group. 53

A water-logged runway in Italy fails to stop this Flying Fortress of the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces from taking off to smash at targets in Austria. The Fortress shown here has survived worse hazards than water in operating more than a year in

Six Martin B-26 "Marauders", Of The Mediterranean Theatre'S Oldest Medium Bomb Group, Take Off In Unison From Their Base In Sardinia. Believed The First Such Attempt By "Marauders", The Six-Plane Take-Off Saved Five Minutes From The Time For 'Joinups' An

A Gaping Hole In The Left Wing, Made By Enemy Anti-Aircraft Fire, Failed To Stop This Slugging Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" Of The 15Th Af. Had The Shell Hit A Few Inches Forward It Would Have Exploded The Main Wing Tank. Italy 20Th Sq., 2Nd Bomb Grou

North American P-51 Mustang Photographic plane of the 9th AF, warms up for the take off on the recon mission over enemy territory. FRANCE.

T/Sgt. Harry Goldstein, Bronx, New York City, top turret gunner of the Boeing B-17 Flying ofrtress, Invader II.

A Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" Crashed Into Another "Flying Fortress" At An 8Th Air Force Base In England, 6 July 1944. Both Planes Belong To The 401St Bomb Group. (A/C Nos. 42-39932 & 42-31037.)

Cascade of destruction falls away from open bomb-bay doors as Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortresses" reach their target-Munster, Germany-on Armistice Day, 1943.

The first American flyers to arrive on Soviet soil, visit with Soviet officers upon arrival at Eurk, Russia. Note North American P-51 "Mustangs" lined up beside the runway. 325 Fighter Group.

North American B-25 'Mitchell', 396Th Bomb Squadron, 41St Bomb Group, Being Rearmed And Fueled After A Bombing Strike Somewhere Over Kyushu, Japanesean. 29 July 1945. Okinawa, Ryukyu Retto.

"Rover Joe" -- A Ground-Air Tactical Method Used By Mediterranean Allied Air Forces To Coordinate Fighter-Bombers And Infantry Action In The Mountain Approaches. "Rover Joe'S" (Usually Former Pilots) Spot Enemy Targets And By Radio, Relay Locations To M

ENGLAND-9th Air force Bomber Command Douglas A-20 Havoc light bombers now carry increased bomb loads with two 500-pound bombs hung on wing racks, as seen in this picture. The regular bomb load, besides the wing bombs, is carried in the bomb bay

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

Aircraft, Burma, India &Aircraft, GROUND, North American War

When the United Nations airforces attacked this airfield near Bengasi, they forced the Nais to abandon much equipment and ammunition. In the foreground are two heavy bombs which will never be used against our forces. Note the sleds which were used

Crash Landing Of The Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" 'Paper Dollie' (A/C No. 42-97622). 303Rd Bomb Group, England. 24 May 1944.

Taihpa Ga, Burma. While Unarmed Douglas C-47'S Of The 1St And 2Nd Troop Carrier Squadron Drop Food To Our Fighting Men, The Wounded Are Evacuated In Unarmed Planes. At Times This Picture Was Taken, The Enemy Was Only Ten Minutes Away By Fighter Plane. 5 M

Tamet Aerodrome, Libya, Africa. S.81 before attack by 3 Blenheims, 82nd Squadron, 27 June 1941.

ENGLAND-Crew Chief manuevers Lockheed P-38 Lightning "Dossie" out to runway where it will take off on long range escort mission to Germany for 8th AAF.

The Boeing B-17 Flying ofrtress "STRIC NINE" takes off from the 91st Bomb Group base in Bassingbourne, England enroute to bomb enemy installations in Europe.

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