Military Aircraft Operations

Images depict military personnel with aircraft, showcasing ingenuity and preparation. Includes mail transport in a P-40 and P-51 Mustangs ready for mission, highlighting teamwork.

Maintenance Men Refuel A Curtiss P-40 At Chengkung Airbase In China.

Crew Members Of The 8Th Af's 457Th Bombardment Group Removing Their Equipment From The Plane After Returning From The Berlin Bombing Mission On 3 February 1945. England.

Members Of The 'Assam Dragon' Squadron Of The 'Flying Horse' Group Exercise Traditional American Ingenuity In Getting Their Mail. Stowing A Mail Bag In The Belly Tank Of A Curtis P-40 'Shark' Are S/Sgt. Edward Piecuch, 521 Phillippa St., South Bend, Indi

Burst of white smoke and a flash of flame mark the end of the Messerschmitt ME-110 as it crashes into snow-covered field.

North American P-51 Mustangs of the all-Negro 332nd Fighter Group, 15th AAF, Italy, warming up on the line prior to taking off for escort of heavy bombers en route to enemy targets. Runway is built of interlocking steel matting.

A Red Cross worker passes out "cokes" to men of the 38th Bomb Group after they have completed a mission. Port Moresby, Papua, New Guinea.

Maintenance Men Refuel A Curtiss P-40 At Chengkung Airbase In China.

A Casuality Is Loaded On A Vultee L-1 In Burma.

RUSSIAN'S LEARN ABOUT AMERICAN ARMS: A U.S. sergeant explains the working of a .50 calibre machine gun mounted atop one of the numerous trucks that service Americans bomber and fighter bases in the U.S.S.R. Most truck crews are Russian

North Africa-Sgt. Flannagan of Rochester, New York, Sgt. Elliott of Lynn, Indiana and Sgt. Mann of St. Louis, Mo., in their tent on the North African desert after a days work.

G.I. RUSSIAN BARBERSHOP: Standing in the door of his tent (a U.S. G.I. one) is the Russian barber who serves one of the new U.S. Strategic Air Forces bases in the USSR. Although his sign is in Russian, the men got the meaning--and a close haircut.

Troops Preparing To Board British Horsa Type Gliders At Manston Air Base, England.

Engine heaters are used on a Consolidated B-24 while men service the plane at Ladd Field, Alaska. The temperature was -43F. 12 February 1944.

Battle damaged Boeing B-17 Flying ofrtress.

Crew Of A B-29 "Black Magic", Plane No. 276, 40Th Bombardment Group At The End Of A Mission #13 To Omura, Japanesean. Back Row, Left To Right: 2Nd Lt. Jack L. Riggs, Co-Pilot, Capt. Silvia D. Lanzoni, Pilot, F/O O.O. Townsend, Flight Engineer, 1St Lt. Herbert

Douglas C-47 loaded with ammunition and supplies ready for dropping by parachutes.-CHINA

In heavily wooded localities such as Buna, Papua, New Guinea, protective concealment is attained by covering airplanes with foliage, so that it blends into the background and is successfully hidden at usual bombing altitudes.

Aircraft, Burma, India &Transportation War

Repairing A Douglas A-20 Plane. Liberia, Africa.

Aircraft, Burma, India &Maintenance, REFUELING War

Operations Building At Val De Caes Field, Belem, Brazil. April 1943.

A heavy Russian tank in Vinkovci, Yugoslavia after the village was liberated. The heavy Russian tanks used in the offensive were operated by specially trained Yugoslavs. The tank crew is shown taking a break around the tank.

A tremendous diesel caterpillar, capable of handling untold amounts of earth, is hard at work shaping up Momote airstrip, a former Japanese strip on Los Negros, Admiralty Islands. 40th Construction Battalion, Seebees.

Passengers Board Douglas C-54 Plane At Accra Air Base, Accra, Gold Coast, Africa. April 1943.

Aircraft, Burma, India & INDIA,EQUIPMENT War

Bell P-39S Parked On The Line At Abadan Field Abadan, Iran. June 1943.

Competition is great among individual crew chiefs of the all-negro Fighter Group, 15th Air Force, Italy, and it's never more evident than in this picture which shows S/Sgt Wm. Accoo, 358 Keasby St., Salemn, N.J., washing his plane down with soap and

Right Elevation Of A Japanese Baka Plane On Okinawa, Ryukyu Retto Island. The Insignia That Appears On The Nose Of The Ship Is That Of The Cherry Blossom Unit Of The Kamikaza Or Suicide Squadron.

Chinese loading a truck with ammunition at one of the warehouses.

A Formation Of North American P-51 "Mustangs" Fly High Above The Clouds On A Practice Mission Somewhere Over Europe On 20 July 1944. These Fighters Are Used As Escorts For Bombers Of The 91St Bomb Group.

The Germans Destroyed Their Lanes And Hangar At A Large Airbase Near Detmold, Germany, When Forced To Retreat From The Advancing 9Th Us Army.

Headquarters building of the 38th Bomb Group at Birdum, Australia.

Allied Gun Positions At The Yunannyi Airbase In China.

Aerial View Of Group Of Vultee L-5'S.

Returning from the support of bombers deep within Germany, Lt. James W. Wilkinson, 411 Dickinson Ave., Swarthmore, Pa., recently swept low over two airdromes with the results shown. Pictures 50448 AC and A show the

Planes And Hangar At Detmold, Germany, Hit By Us Air Force And Then Seized By 120Th Regiment Of 30Th Infantry Division, 9Th Us Army.

Lifting an engine from flat bed of a truck into a Douglas C-47 for transportation to far distant fields of operation.

Somewhere In The Sw Pacific Area. 1. Lt. Colonel Henry Viccellio; 2. Lt. Colonel Tyler; 3. Lt. E. H. Anglin; 4. Capt. T. G. Lanphier; 5. Lt. E. E. Stratton; 6. Major General N. F. Twining; 7. Major J. W. Mitchell; 8. Lt. Rex T. Barber. Taken C. April 18

Men of the 817th Aviation Engineers Battalion prepare to repair a demolished culvert at an airfield near Florence, Italy. November 1944.

A Lockheed P-38 Lightning damaged during Japanese retaliatory raid on Middleburg landing strip, Middleburg Island. Most of the damage was suffered by parked planes.

A Consolidated B-24 Liberator of the 13th AAF, enroute to bomb Japanese-held Miti Airfield in the Halmahera Group.

P-47 'Thunderbolts' Of The 201St Mexican Fighter Squadron, Faem (Fuerza Aerea Expedicionaria Mexicana), Porac, Clark Field, Luzon, P.I., With Mexican Tail And Wing Insignia And The American P-47, Right, Using Same Strip.

Combat Crews Of The 93Rd Bomb Group Sip Cups Of Steaming Coffee During Interrogation After A Mission Over Enemy Territory. England.

Army Air Force Flying Fortresses (Boeing B-17's) bombed jetties, shore facilities, and cargo vessels in Portolago Bay, Leros Island, late in November, 1942, in a daring raid from North Africa. Bursts can be seen on the jetties and the ships hit in

In one of the 11th Airborne Division's patrol actions, the man on the right was wounded. Our men cleaned up the enemy patrol and captured the machine rifle which wounded the man, shown here are S/Sgt. Peter Stasso of Corona, N.Y., General Joseph

One of the services offered enlisted men at the Manila Leave Center was sight-seeing tours of the ruins and scenic points in the Manila (Luzon, Philippine Islands) area. Here, a convoy of sight-seeing buses is leaving the Leave Center for a day's

Activity Is Stirred Up In The South China Sea On 16 October 1944, When This North American B-25 Of The 11Th Bombardment Sqd., 341St Bombardment Group, 14Th Air Force Carries Out Its Mission Against Enemy Shipping.

A Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" Of The 96Th Bombardment Group, 8Th Air force, Passes Over Its Target As Smoke Boils Up From The Leuna Synthetic Oil Works At Merseberg, Germany, 29 July 1944.

S/Sgt. Gilbert G. Pratt, Boylston, Mass., Chops Wood For Fire In Nazi Prisoner Of War Enclosure Liberated By 80Th Division Of U.S. Third Army Near Braunau, Austria. He Was Held Prisoner For Over 2 Years With Other Men Of The U.S. 8Th Bomber Command.

An Eighth Air Force Bomber Station, England - 'Twas The Night Before Christmas...' And On The Day When The 8Th Af Sent More Than 2000 Heavy Bombers To Attack Nazi Targets Behind The Lines In The Campaign To Slow Up Rundstedt'S Drive. Over The Target - Th

12th Army Air Force. "Allied landings south of Rome are now in progress," B-25 Mitchell Bomber crews of the 12th Army Air Force were told as they were briefed at sun-up on 22 Jan 44. "Your job is to hit the road junction at Valmontone and cut the

The Camera-Repair Crew Of 21St Photographic Reconnaissance Sqd., Based In China, Load A Full Magazine On The 6 Inch, Right Oblique Camera On A Lockheed F-5A Reconnaissance Plane Preparatory To A Charting Mission.

Flames spread and enemy is doomed. They don't know it yet but other three enemy fighters are doomed, too.

A general view of the air fielda at Gura, Eritrea, showing Douglas C-47's parked in dispersal areas.

The Chinese have a very effective way of warning the unarmed liaison plane that Zeros are in the vicinity. These shots were made on the fighting front with Zeros very close to our lines.

Maj Gen Nathan F. Twining, Commanding General, 15th AF, decorating a Consolidated B-24 Liberator group's standard with two Presidential citation ribbons earned for participation in the low level attack on the Ploesti oil fields last August; and for

Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortresses"Of The 381St Bomb Group Leave A Trail Of Condensing Vapors As They Head For The Target, Somewhere In Europe.

Men Of The 835Th Aviation Engineers Battalion At Work Clearing Snow From The Runways At Biferno Airfield, Italy. December 1944.

Aerial View Of Nanning Air Base In China. The 51St Fighter Group Was Stationed Here. 20 October 1944.

8th AAF. S/Sgt. Marvin McGraw, Tiffle, W. Va. Gunner on Boeing B-17 Flying ofrtress "Skunkface" framed in flak hole. Rest of crew gathers around.

Chow time on the beachhead south of Rome finds left to right: Pfc. Anthony R. Carpino, 358 East Street, Dedham, Mass. And Sgt. Tom J. Cradick 4922 Highland Ave. St. Louis, Mo. Both are members of an aviation engineers outfit.

Crew Members Of The 8Th Af's 457Th Bombardment Group Removing Their Equipment From The Plane After Returning From The Berlin Bombing Mission On 3 February 1945. England.

FRANCE-Lt. Col. Paul P. Douglas, a 9th AF Thunderbolt squadron leader from Paragould, Ark., examines his damaged plane after he had shot down three German planes in one day. One enemy shell exploded in the canopy, another entered the cockpit

Arabs prepare a rock base for the taxiway at a base in La Senia, Algeria. March 1943.

Long range Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighters are now operating with the strategic bomber force of the Mediterranean Air Command.

At 25,000 feet over Germany, Lt. Lester F. Kress, 282 Park Ave., Rutherford, N.Y. turned on to the tail of an ME 109 who tried violently to escape. Lt. Kress fired a short burst and his automatic camera took this picture but the bullets went wide of

Bomb-damaged hangars at Sidi Ahmed Airfield in Bizerte, Tunisia. May 1943.

Ready to test-hop this "blitz buggy" made from salvaged jeep and plane parts are L. to R.: Sgt. Harry G. Warner, Columbus, Ohio. T/Sgt. Grover D. Davis, Muskogee, Okla., S/Sgt. Lowell E. Westfield, Canby, Minn., 1st Lt. Murray W. Burns, Boise, Idaho.

T/4 Leroy M. Heinz, 915 State St., Lemont, Ill., 3Rd Armored Division, Taxis Focke-Wulf Fighter On A Nazi Airfield Captured By First U.S. Army Troops On The Outskirts On Kothen, Germany.

Southwest Pacific - Lt. Gen. George C. Kenney, Commander Of The Far East Air Forces In The Swpa, Discusses Plans For The Coming Aerial Strikes Against Japanese Stronholds With One Of His Leading Attack-Bomber Pilots, 25-Year Old Lt. Colonel Richard Ellis Of La

A bulldozer clearing the jungle for the construction of a taxiway at Mar Strip near Cape Sansapar on the Dutch New Guinea mainland. August 1944.

Sgt. W.J. Yoder, Radar Operator Of Richaldn, Iowa, Sgt. Yoder Was Radar Operator On The 'Black Magic', Plane No. 276, Of The 45Th Squadron, 40Th Bomb Group, 20Th Bomber Command, Which Participated In The 21 November 1944 Bombing Raid On Omura, Japanesean. (An

Christmas services are conducted for men of the 38th Bomb Group at New Guinea. 1942.

Two Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses Of The 91St Bomb Group, Based At Bassingbourne, England, Fly Over Clouds On A Practice Mission Over Europe On 28 January 1944.

ATC Headquarters, La Senia Airfield, Oran, Algeria. May 1943.

Fueling Consolidated C-87 At Maiduguri Field, Nigeria, Africa.

The North American B-25 'Gun Totin' Deacon' Which Nosed Over At Its' Base In Kunming, China. The Nose Wheel Collapsed When The Plane Hit An Earth Curb Which Separates A Taxiway From The Parking Area.

Neunkirchen, Germany After A Bombing Attack By A 9Th Af Bombers 15Th March 1945.

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress "Fort Alamo II" has established Mediterranean Theatre record of having flown 130 missions. She has never failed her crew, and no man has suffered injury aboard her on any of her missions. The present combat and ground

Sgt. William M. Paret, Flushing, N.Y., cleans turret guns after raid.

Shot Of Front End Of Douglas C-47 That Had Its Nose Blown Off During The Japanese Raid On Kweilin, China.

Five of the 96 enemy barges which have been destroyed by a RAAF Beaufighter Squadron during the past month in attacks along the coast of New Britain.

Aircraft, Burma, India & Bombing,

Nazi Planes Hit In Hangar At Detmold, Germany By Us Air Attack. Base Was Then Taken 30Th Div. Of 9Th Us Army.

Underneath View Of A Flight Of Lockheed P-38 Lightnings Of The Maaf.

Battle damage to tail of Boeing B-17 Manston Air Base, England.

BOMBING

Shown in the cockpit of his Republic P-47 Thunderbolt after his return from loco-busting is 2d Lt. Eugene J. Timony, 23, of 1581 Victoria Ave., Lakewood, Ohio. He has a score of 40 trains, troop, and ammunition, shot up, 30 trucks, 15 barges and

An explosion and cloud of smoke marks the last resting place of a locomotive hauling freight along a rail line somewhere in Nazi-held France. A P-38 Lightning sweeps past over the locomotive after adding its hits to the kill.

During His Tour Of 93Rd Bomb Group Installations Lt. Gen. Frank M. Andrews Visited The Link Trainer Building At Aaf Station 104 In England. 27 April 1943.

Major General Mitchell, Major General Twining And Brig. Gen. Howard. Possibly Taken On Guadalcanal

As The All-Clear Sounds, Men Of The 21St Photgraphic Reconnaissance Squadron Stream Back To Their Jobs From The Caves In The Jagged Hills Surrounding One Of Our Forward Bases In China After A Bombing Raid By The Japaneseanese.

Bombing of Japaneseanese shipping in the Wewak area, Northeast New Guinea, 22 March 1944.

Major General C.L. Chennault interrogating Major A. Crockshank after an early morning raid over the river and lake regions North of Changsha.

Aircraft, Burma, India & INDIA,EQUIPMENT War

Enlisted men and officers lose no time in looking over the Bell P-59A first jet propelled plane to land at 1452nd AAF Base Unit. ALASKA.

Smoke And Pyrotechnic Target Identification Bombs Fall, Along With General Purpose Bombs, Toward The Target At Brunswick, Germany, During A Mission By Planes Of The 8Th Air Force 44Th Bombardment Group, Aug. 5 1944.

Loading 1000Lb. Demolition Bombs Prior To Bangkok Mission Of 7 Feb 1945. India. 468Th Bomb Group.

A Group Of Pilots At An Airbase In England. 10 September 1944.

Men At Work In The Office Of The Engineering Section Of The 12Th Service Group Based At Kweilin, China.

Captain Frank J. Dunn, of 9 Williams Street, Cortland, N.Y. (left) photo officer for the Liberators of China, and M/Sgt. Charles H. Stoopes, of 207 Shore Road, Somers Point, N.J., looking over a camera in one of their outfit's planes.

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