Historical Military Operations

Black and white photos document historical military activities, aircraft handling, and supply operations during earlier conflicts, showcasing ground crew efforts.

Men unload supplies from a Douglas C-47 which landed at Nadzab Airstrip in New Guinea on 11 September 1943.

Aircraft, Burma, India &CREWS,FIGHTER War

Aircraft, Burma, India & INDIA,BOMBS War

The North American B-25 Mitchell Bomber 'Leroy'S Joy' Of The 81St Bomb Squadron, 12Th Bomb Group Stationed Somewhere In India.

Wounded are evacuated by troop carrier planes of the NAAF from Italy.

Chinese Soldiers And Armorers Of The 74Th Fighter Squadron, 23Rd Fighter Group, Check The Guns On A Curtiss P-40 At Kunming, China, 1 February 1943. The Armorers Are: T/Sgt. Hugh L. Jenkins Of Colorado S/Sgt. Harry L. Gray Of Cisco, Texas S/Sgt. Hy D. S

Lt. Mcintyre With Air And Ground Crews Of The 305Th Bomb Group Beside The Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" 'Barrel House Bessie From Basin Street'. 3 May 1943, England.

The Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" 'Pistol Packin Mama' Of The 401St Bomb Group At An 8Th Air Force Base In England, 8 May 1944.

Pulling a prop through before starting an engine of this Douglas C-47 cargo plane of the 14th Air force Transport unit the prop is pulled through a half dozen times to assure easier starting.

These are some of the parts of wooden planes used by the Germans to camouflage an airport in France which had fallen into the American hands. 9th Air force aviation engineers are busily putting the planes in shape for use by Allied aircraft.

Pilots arriving at the 'line' jumping off truck.

Damaged Boeing B-17 (ofrtress) Tail View.

Crew Of The North American B-25 Mitchell Bomber 'Stud' Are, Left To Right: Capt. Laverne B. Johnson, 1St Lt. Donald C. Biggs, 1St Lt. Willard E. Wilvert, S/Sgt. Norman E. Keller, T/Sgt. William H. Ethridge, T/Sgt. Isaac Ruesso, Capt. James R. Holdstead. N

Consolidated B-24 'Old Faithful' Undergoes Repairs After Crash Landing At Bungay, Norfolk, England. 27 August 1944. (Aircraft No. 42-7505).

Lt. Sumwalt And Crew Of The 78Th Fighter Group Pose Their Republic P-47 At 8Th Air Force Station F-357, In Duxford, England. 4 February 1944.

Shocked amazement is registered in the expression of Sgt. James C. Dalton, of Miami Beach, Florida, as he gets a close-up view of the damage done to the props of a North American P-51 Mustang forced to crash land on its home field uponn return from a

The Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" 'Lassie Come Home' Of The 401St Bomb Group At An 8Th Air Force Base In England, 3 May 1944.

P-38 carrying belly tank and 1,000 lb. bomb. P-38 hit Romana Americana Oil Refinery at Ploesti, Rumania. ITALY.

Damaged Propellers Of The North American P-51 'Altoona Kid' (A/C 13770) Resulted From A Crash Landing At Its 364Th Fighter Group Base, 67Th Fighter Wing At 8Th Air Force Station F-375, Honnington, England. 1 September 1944.

S/Sgt. R.L. Morton & Ground Crew Of The 614Th Bomb Squadron, 401St Bomb Group Repair Engine Of A Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" At An 8Th Air Force Base In England, 25 March 1945.

The Arrival Of An American Red Cross Clubmobile Breaks The Monotony Of Daily Routine Of The 390Th Bomb Group Personnel At Their 8Th Air Force Base In England. 13 November 1944.

Lt. Lloyd R. Millet Of Belleville, Illinois, Puts A New Set Of Equipment Into The Cockpit Of His Republic P-47 'Thunderbolt'; He Lost His Complete Flight Outfit At Sea. Ie Shima, Ryukyu Retto, 1 July 1945.

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

A Drop Tank Is Attached To The Belly Of A Republic P-47 At 11Th Combat Crew Replacement Center, England. 8 July 1943.

Pilot, 2nd Lt. John R. Lindahl, New Britain, Conn., holds the crew's mascot, "Torval", after landing the badly damaged ofrtress. The dog was along on the trip as he is with the crew constantly. "Torval" has over 100 hours in the air and was flown to

Chinese Workers Load Large Drums Onto Cargo Plane At 1340Th Aaf Base Unit, Kunming, China.

Aircraft, Burma, India &CREWS,FIGHTER War

Natives, supervised by men of the Australian 7th Division, unload supplies from a Douglas C-47 at Nadzab Airstrip in New Guinea. 11 September 1943.

The Crew Of The Consolidated B-24 Liberator "Chug-A-Lug" Of The 301St Bomb Group Aircraft Assigned To 98Th Bg - Tjc 1/12/95 Based In Manduria, Italy, Chalk Up Another Mission For The Plane. They Are, Left To Right: Front Row: T/Sgt. Richard A. Karaha

Paratroopers relax about their troop carrier transport. They're awaiting the signal to put on their equipment and be away on the invasion of Europe.

Red Cross Clubmobile Workers Serve Coffee And Doughnuts To Men Near The Control Tower At The 91St Bomb Group Base In Bassingbourne, England. 4 November 1943.

England - Capt. Raymond H. Littge, Of Altenburg, Mo., Brought His Score To 23 1/2 German Planes Destroyed (10 1/2 In Air, 13 Ground) By Adding Nine Ground Kills To His Record In Two Days Of Ground Strafing. The 21 Year Old 352Nd North American P-51 Musta

Since the pilot depends upon his compass to navigate his plane safely to and from a mission, it is very important that the compass is accurate. At a base in North Africa, a U.S. Army engineering company surveyed and marked off true north and other

9th AF mechanics pipe heat into the engine of a fighter-bomber of the 9th AF to get it started at a base in France. Cold and snow hampered the ground crews but they always had the planes ready when the call came for a mission.

FRANCE-Cpl Carl D. Knox (left) of Syracuse, N.Y., and Cpl Alfred Van Drake, of Newark, N.Y., install an aerial camera on a Photo Reconnaissance plane at a Ninth Air Force base somewhere in Europe.

North American P-51 "Mustangs," tactical reconnaissance planes of the 1st Tactical Air Force, ready for take-off from their advanced base in Italy.

Aircraft, Burma, India &CREWS, PILOT War

Okinawa, Ryukyu Retto - Litter Patients Being Unloaded From A Douglas C-47 Of The 316Th Troop Carrier Group. These Planes Were Shuttle-Running From Ie Shima, Yonton Strip. 27 July 1945.

Airborne troops load kits into Troop Carrier plane.

22 June 1945-Lipa Airstrip, Philippine Islands. Officers, intelligence of the 317th Training Group, preparing briefing board mounted on this cargo plane "Jungle Skippers," for the misison over Camalaniugan. Boars shows formation schedules, photo

Aircraft, Burma, India & INDIA,Transportation War

Kuma class cruiser taking...

Pilot Of The 94Th Fs, 1St Fg, Seated In The Cockpit Of His Lockheed P-38 Lightning At An Airfield Somewhere In Italy.

Lt. Treitz Of The 351St Fighter Squadron, 353Rd Fighter Group, Steps Into The Cockpit Of His Republic P-47 "Jeannie" Somewhere In England.

Type of guns and carriages built at Watertown Arsenal during the Civil War , Armories, Ordnance industry, Arms & armament, United States, History, Civil War, 1861-1865, Watertown Arsenal Mass.. Records of U.S. Army Operational

A Pilot Of The 33Rd Fighter Squadron, Sits In The Cockpit Of His Republic P-47 'Sally' At An Air Base Somewhere In Iceland. 28 July 1944.

14Th Air Force Curtiss C-46 "Commando" Comes In For A Landing At U.S. Airfield In China. Note Curtiss P-40 (Of The Flying Tigers) In Foreground Of Photo.

Members of the 428th Bomb Squadron, 310th Bomb Group await presentation of the Purple Heart by Col. Anthony G. Hunter, CO of the 310th Bomb Group, during a ceremony at Berteaux, North Africa on 9 March 1943.

Bombing of Cairo, Egypt...

Three Unidentified Crew Men From A Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" Already Landed At An 8Th Air Force Base In England, Anxiously Scan The Sky For A Buddy Still In The Air After The Bombing Of Bremen, Germany On 26 November 1943. 401St Bomb Group.

Information office radio broadcaster Dutch Guinea. Expedition star Mountains Julianatop (1959) - Guinea. Martin Mariner Marine Aviation service Hollandia arrived expedition members, formed quota group, intended investigations star Mountains. 1959. Guinea

Air Aspects of Campaign For Sicily. Paratroops adjust their pack and parachutes before entering their C-47 for a voyage across the Mediterranean.

'Toots', Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress".

Men Attach A Wing To One Of The Vultee L-5 Of The 163Rd Liaison Squadron Attached To The 10Th Army. The Plane Has Just Been Uncrated At Cub Field No. 7 On Okinawa, Ryukyu Retto, After Shipment From Hawaii. 1945.

Wreck Of A Douglas A-26 (A/C 322509) Of The 386Th Bomb Group Which Made A Crash Landing At Its Base In Beaumont, France On 10 April 1945.

Aircraft, Burma, India &Maintenance, ASSEMBLY OFPLANES War

Working during the night on damaged "079" in blacked-out hangar, mechanics replaced the stabilizer in about 8 hrs. & the plane was ready to fly the next morning. In this picture, Sgt. James G. Frost, of Pleasanton, Calif., has placed the old stub on

Aircraft, Burma, India & INDIA,RESCUE War

Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" Of The 6Th Emergency Reserve Squadron Equipped With Radar Unit. Notice The Attached Rescue Boat, Used To Rescue Crews Shot Down At Sea. Florida Blanca Airstrip, Luzon, Philippine Islands - 27 June 1945.

Lt. Beaumont, Pilot Of The 364Th Fighter Group, 67Th Fighter Wing, Looks Up At The Nickname Of His North American P-51 'Beau'S Baby' After Returning From A Mission, To The 8Th Air Force Station F-375, Honnington, England. 17 August 1944.

Lt. Alfred W. Schultz, Waterloo, Iowa, Pilot, Holds The Air-Ground Pick-Up Equipment Used By The 3Rd Prov. Pack Battery While At The Front. In The Background Is An L4B Plane, Used In The Pick-Up System. 14 Dec. 1943.

Consolidated B-24J (A/C No. 42-51250) Of The 701St Bomb Squadron, 445Th Bomb Group Shown After Crash Landing Near Tibenham, Norfolk, England. The B-24J, Piloted By Lt. Keith L. Frost, Was Hit Over Coblenz, Germany On The Return Trip From The Mission Of T

Aircraft, Burma, India &CREWS,FIGHTER War

Aircraft, Burma, India &Troops &Paratroops

A Pilot Of The 94Th Fighter Squadron, 1St Fighter Group, On His Lockheed P-38 Lightning At An Air Base Somewhere In Italy.

Aircraft, Burma, India & INDIA,RESCUE War

2Nd Service Group Anti-Aircraft Gun Installation With Protective Covering Which Has Opened Automatically. Iceland, 14 September 1943.

Pilot S/Sgt. Wilbur C. Wasson Of 520 Spring St., Evansville, Indiana Was Flying At About 400 Foot Altitude Behind Enemy Lines When His Vultee L-5 Was Hit By Japanese Small Arms Fire; There Were Nine Holes In The Fabric Of The Plane. S/Sgt Wasson Is Standing N

SAVING BOMBER WOUNDED (No. 1) At a U.S. Army 8th AF base in England an ambulance falls in behind a still moving bomber which has just signaled that it is returning from its mission with a wounded man aboard. He is the tail gunner, Sgt. Clarence Hinz

Aircraft, Burma, India & INDIA,MISCELLANEOUS War

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

After the Napalm solution is pumped into the belly tanks, a M-14 white phosphorus ignitor is added, and the bomb is ready to be dropped. 894th Chemical Company, 3rd Bomb Group. Elmore Field, Mindoro, Philippine

Capt. Jack Tyson Of Albany, Ga., Bombardier-Navigator On A Martin B-26, Based Near Essex, England, Stands In Front Of One Of The Engines On His Plane. Capt. Tyson Was The First Combat Crew Member To Complete 25 Missions In A B-26 With The U.S. Army Air F

Aircraft, Burma, India & INDIA,RESCUE War

British And American Prisoners Released From Stalag Villa At Landshut, Germany, Wait To Board C-47`S Which Will Ferry Them To Le Havre And Brussels On First Leg Of Trips Home To England And America. 7 May 1945.

Workmen completing a tail assembly on a fuselage before it is fitted to the wing section. A Consolidated B-24 bomber in background.

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

The Royal Air Force in Denmark Following the Liberation, 1945 German prisoners of war remove the machine guns from a Messerschmitt Bf 110G night fighter under the supervision of a Royal Air Force armament officer, 1945.

England-Two USSTAF Officers of the Flying ofrtress "Male Call" kneel in the wind and rain beside the damaged plane which brought them safely back from attack by US Heavy bombers on Frankfurt- 20 Mar 1944. Chaplain Martin Collett of Carey, Ohio

Fire Fighters Of The 353Rd Fighter Group Make A Successful Attempt To Extinguish The Fire Of A Burning Republic P-47 (A/C 42-7985) Which Crashed At Their Base In England On 19 September 1943.

Capt. Lezie Of The 367Th Fighter Group Poses Beside His Lockheed P-38 'Just Lazy' At An Air Base In France. 14 October 1944.

Mechanics Changing Engine On Curtiss C-46 Commando 'Quivering Sal' At Clark Field, Luzon, Philippine Islands - 25 June 1945.

Sgt. Ambler of the RAF, hands a homing pigeon to Pvt. Jim Trellis of Baltimore, Md., for delivery to a Ninth U.S. Air Force bomber in the Middle East. The birds are carried by Yank flyers and released with messages in case of failure of radio

A 9th Air force P-38 Lightning fighter-bomber undergoing repairs by mechanics at a base somewhere in Belgium. Working along hours and under adverse conditions, the ground crewmen play an important part in the air offensive against Germany.

S/Sgt. Clarence E. Winchell, 846 ofrest Ave., Oak Park, Ill., mans a waist gun on the Boeing B-17 Flying ofrtress "Memphis Belle."

1St Lt. John L. Hahn, Decator, Ill., Pilot, And Lt. Colonel Edwin B. Daily, Los Gatos Calif, Co-Pilot, Inspect What Is Left Of The Tail Of Their Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. The Ship Received A Direct Hit Shortly After The Bombs Were Dropped. The Entire

Sheet Metal Wokers Repair Wing Of A Boeing B-29 "Superfortress" Which Was Hit During The First Bombing Mission Over Tokyo, Japanesean. Saipan, Marianas Islands. November 1944.

Record High Altitude Flight. Our photographer shows Flight-Lieutenant M. J. Adam in the sealed suit ready in his machine to start on a flight. July 20, 1937. ;Record High Altitude Flight. Our photographer shows Flight-Lieutenant M. J. Adam in the sealed suit ready in his machine to start on a flight.

Aircraft, Burma, India & INDIA,RECREATION War

An Engine Change Is Made With The Use Of An Improvised Lift And The Help Of Chinese At Peishihwa, China. The Two G.I.'s Working On The Engine Are: S/Sgt. Benjamin Ramirez (On Top) Of Fresno, California And S/Sgt. M.A. Smith (Right) Of Kansas City, Misso

The Tail Section Of The Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" (A/C No. 239789) Was Damaged By Enemy Flak During A Mission Flown Bu The 379Th Bomb Group On 20 December 1943. England.

The Royal Navy during the Second World War On board HMS FURIOUS a Fairey Barracuda of 827 Squadron, Fleet Air Arm being bombed up for a strike on the TIRPITZ and enemy positions.

Maintenance Men March To Work In Formation To A Maintenance Hangar Of The 2Nd Base Air Depot In Lancashire, England, 20 September 1944.

Quartermaster Personnel Of The 353Rd Fighter Group Unloading Fuel Tanks At A Base In England, 13 September 1944.

Crew Of The Boeing B-29 "Totin' To Tokyo" Of The 793Rd Bomb Sq., 468Th Bomb Group, Xx Bomber Command In China.

Wreckage Of A Japanese Plane That Crashed On Yonton Field, Okinawa On 24 May 1945. There Were 12 Planes That Made An Attempt To Land On The Field And Demolish Aircraft With Hand Grenades, Magnetic Mines, Knee Mortars And Various Forms Of Explosive Charges. S

Consolidated B-24S On The Line At Kunming, China. 6 September 1944.

Royal Air Force Operations in the Far East, 1941-1945. Troops of 5th Indian Division loading a jeep into a Douglas Dakota Mark III of No. 194 Squadron RAF, during the reinforcement of the Imphal Garrison. Known throughout the Burma Theatre as 'The Friendly Firm', No. 194 Squadron maintained intensive troop and supply sorties into Burma, and Imphal in particular, between March and June 1944.

American Officers Who Met The Evac Planes When They Returned To Italy Chat With The Two Yugoslav Passengers: The Man With The Cane Is A Yugoslav Colonel, A Veteran Airman Of The First World War, And Going Rapidly Blind Because Of An Eye Disease. The Man

Aircraft, Burma, India &Troops &Paratroops

Men Of The 401St Bomb Group Watching A Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" Landing At An 8Th Air Force Base In England, 26 September 1944.

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