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World War II Aircraft and Personnel

Depictions of military aircraft like the P-38 and B-17, featuring pilots and ground crew, showcasing wartime aviation in various settings.

China-Camera repairmen install full magazine on a Lockheed F-5 "Frantic", the F-5 which flew the long-range mission over Yawata, Japanesean. It was flown over 100 combat mission and has a total time in the air of more than 650 hours.
China-Camera repairmen install full magazine on a Lockheed F-5 "Frantic", the F-5 which flew the long-range mission over Yawata, Japanesean. It was flown over 100 combat mission and has a total time in the air of more than 650 hours.
186 assets in this story
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.It's a Narrow Squeeze. "It's a narrow squeeze, Mate, but you'll make it," a Coast Guardsman tells the Marine as he comes aboard a Coast Guard manned combat transport in a South Pacific port. The transport is headed for a war front.Squadron Leader H J L Hallowes, CO of No. 122 Squadron, with his Supermarine Spitfire Mk V at Scorton in Yorkshire, December 1941. Acting Squadron Leader H J L Hallowes, sitting on the wing of his Supermarine Spitfire Mark VB 'City of Bombay' at Scorton, Yorkshire, upon assuming the command of No. 122 Squadron RAF. A veteran of the Battle of Britain, Hallowes had shot down at least 19 enemy aircraft by November 1940, while flying with No. 43 Squadron RAF. He added to his victories with 122 Squadron, and also commanded Nos. 222 and 504 Squadrons RAF before the end of the war, by which time his score was over 21.Sgt. Albert Osborne Of The 382Nd Air Service Group'S Sheet Metal Shop Patches The Flak Holes On The Nose Of A Curtiss C-46 Of The 4Th Combat Cargo Group At Chittagong, India. 11 March 1945."Sky pilots" and "Plane Pilots" are both important to each other.8th AF Bomber Station, England-A battered, blood-bathed bomber comes back to its 8th Air force base because, "someone was rooting for us, greater than us." forced to make a crash landing, the tail shredded and weakened from direct flak hits seperatedEdward C. Gleed and two unidentified Tuskegee airmen, Ramitelli, Italy, March 1945 - digital file from original photograph | Library of CongressA Pilot Of The 94Th Fighter Squadron, 1St Fighter Group, On The Wing Of His Lockheed P-38 Lightning At An Air Base Somewhere In Italy.A Pilot Of The 94Th Fighter Squadron, 1St Fighter Group, On His Lockheed P-38 Lightning At An Air Base Somewhere In Italy.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.2Nd Lt. Robert E. Rittle, 1523 E 66T Pl. Chicago, Ill., Is Pictured Above In The Cockpit Of His Plane, At His Base In Southern Italy. Lt. Rittle Has Shot Down 5 Enemy Fighters, And Is A Pilot Of A High Altitude North American P-51 Mustang Of The MediterrAfter Dropping Bombs On The Target Of The Day, The Bombardier May Assume A Waist Gunner Post As This Bombardier Of The Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" Hell'S Angels Is Doing. 303Rd Bomb Group, England. 6 June 1943.Fighting Angels. Aboard a fast and ferocious Coast Guard 'sub-buster' on patrol duty with a convoy of merchant ships, a Coast Guard officer scans the horizon looking for enemy activity. Proud of the part they play in the anti-submarine war, the crew of this Coast Guard 'sub-buster' call themselves 'Fighting Angels'.Royal Air Force Coastal Command, 1939-1945. The pilot (left), and navigator (right), of a Bristol Beaufort of No. 22 Squadron RAF sitting at their respective positions in the aircraft before take off from North Coates, Lincolnshire.A 9th Air force Service Command Advanced Air Depot: Using a huge tent hangar for a Cathedral, members of this unit joined Chaplain Solon L. Cole, of Beaumont, Texas, as he led them in a hymn at a recent Sunday service. Music was provided by theLife in a US Army Base: Evreux. Photographs of Marshall Plan Programs, Exhibits, and PersonnelA member of Attack Squadron 122 (VA-122) cleans the windscreen opf an A-7E Corsair II aircraft. Base: Naval Air Station, Lemoore State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)A Pilot Of The 94Th Fighter Squadron, 1St Fighter Group, Stands On His Lockheed P-38 Lightning At An Air Base Somewhere In Italy.An air gunner of No. 264 Squadron RAF about to enter the gun turret of his Boulton Paul Defiant Mk I at Kirton-in-Lindsey, Lincolnshire, August 1940. An air-gunner of No. 264 Squadron RAF about to enter the gun-turret of his Boulton Paul Defiant Mark I at at Kirton-in-Lindsey, Lincolnshire. He is wearing the GQ Parasuit, supplied exclusively to Defiant gunners, which incorporates a parachute harness and life-saving jacket within a smock overall. Four .303 Browning machine-guns are mounted in the Boulton Paul power-operated turret.Mission accomplished-and an amazing display of courage and flying skill by 2nd Lt. William Elliot of the U.S. 8th Air force-from Ponca, Okla. He brought his battered Flying ofrtress (Boeing B-17) back from Bremen to land in England with halfTest Pilots At The Warrington Burtonwood Air Depot In England, Where Flak-Torn Planes Are Repaired And Modified For Future Missions, Pose In Front Of The Boeing B-17 Feather Merchant. They Are, Left To Right: 1St Lt. Fred R. Casoli Of Aliquippa, Pa., CapConsolidated B-24 Liberator 'Censored' At An Airfield On Kwajalein, Marshall Islands, July 1944.Air Ministry Second World War Official CollectionThe Consolidated B-24 "Liberator," "Wild Ass Ride" Of The 11Th Bomb Group, Based On Guam, Marianas Islands. 4 May 1945.Tokyo.... Reunion in China, Sugiyama New North China Commander.General Gen Sugiyama, who was appoint Supreme commander of the Japanese forces in North China, as the successor to General Hisaichi Terauchi, is seen as landing from a plane at an undisclosed place in North China. December 9, 1938. (Photo by The Domei News Photos Service).Clark Gable enlisted in the Army Air Force during World War TwoThe Royal Navy during the Second World War A 250 lb bomb loaded into one of HMS PURSUER's Grumman Wildcat fighter-bombers, which belongs to 881 Squadron, Fleet Air Arm in preparation for the invasion of Southern France on the 15 August 1944. Note that the aircraft's wings are folded.Anefo photo collection. Sniffing with the Air Force. The 250th flight how radioactivity is in the air. September 18, 1963Ice Observer Checks Flight Plans. Ensign Michael J. O'Brien, USCG (left), ice observer for International Ice Patrol aerial surveys, shows flight plans to Ensign Robert B. Jamieson, USCG, which is assigned to the Ice Patrol Cutter Androscoggin. A Coast Guard R5D ice observation plane behind men on Argentia air strip is being readied for patrol. Ensign O'Brien is serving temporarily as ice observer (not an aviator) for duration of the Ice Patrol. His permanent station is aboard the Cutter McCulloch, based at Boston, Mass. His home is 143 Bowers Ave, Watertown, NY. Ensign Jameson is permanently stationed with the Androscoggin at Miami, Fla. (Because of severe conditions of the 1959 ice season the cutter was ordered to Newfoundland for a time to help the aerial patrol track icebergs.) His home is at 680 Wavecrest Ave., Winfield Park, Linden, N.J.ENGLAND-S/Sgt. Edward J. Mickey, A B-24 Nose Turret Gunner, of Kingston, Pa., has 30 missions to his credit and holds the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with 3 oak Leaf Cluster. (Kodachrome #2394).Breaks Two World Records -- Speed flyer Jacqueline Cochran stands in front of the Canadian-built F-86 Sabre jet in which she has broken two world records at Edwards Air Force Base by flying around a 12 pylon course at an average 652.337 miles per hour, the army announced today. She shattered the women's jet speed record of 535 mph held by Mme. Jacqueline Auriol of France, and the all-time jet record for 100½kilometer course, made by Col. Fred Ascani, U. S. Air Force of 635 mph. May 18, 1953. (Photo by AP Wirephoto).Sgt. Robert Gelb, Brooklyn New York, Repairing Power Unit On Radio For Vultee L-5. 163Rd Liaison Squadron, Okinawa, Ryukyu Retto.Bell 39's Are Assembled In Hangar 'B' By Men Of The 2Nd Air Base Group At An Airfield In Iceland, 2 February 1942.Coast Guardsmen "Gun-Setter". This image depicts a Guardsman gun-settler finding the range during a battle drill, somewhere at sea.A Pilot Of The 94Th Fighter Squadron, 1St Fighter Group, On His Lockheed P-38 Lightning At An Air Base Somewhere In Italy.A French Child Smiles Up Into A Bomb Bay At The Aaf'S Paris Exposition Beneath The Eiffel Tower.Two Little Words, Familiar To Army Men Everywhere, Start This Mother'S Day Letter To Mrs. George Berruarch, 12025 Robson Ave., Detroit, From Her Son, Sgt. Edmund C. Kock, A Member Of A Heavy Bombardment Group Of The U.S. Army 15Th Af, Based In Southern ItENGLAND-Preparing to take off on the first 8th AAF Fighter Command Shuttle mission to Russia is Lt. R.P. Kenyon, of Detroit, Mich. The long range North American P-51 Mustang fighters took off from their British bases, escorted the heavy bombers overZ.K.H. Prince Bernhard visits the Soesterberg airbase during the National Youth Aviation Day on April 4, 1956. The commander of the airbase, lieutenant-colonel-kite J.C.J. Vermeulen.Charles DeBow (1918-1986) from Indianapolis, IN, one of five members of the first graduating class of Tuskegee Airmen, is shown in the cockpit of an Advanced Trainer at the Basic and Advanced Flying School for Negro Air Corps Cadets, Tuskegee, AL, 1/12/1942. (Photo by US Army Air Corps/GG Vintage Images)A Pilot Of The 94Th Fighter Squadron, 1St Fighter Group, Stands On His Lockheed P-38 Lightning At An Air Base Somewhere In Italy.Royal Air Force Bomber Command 1939-1941. The flight engineer of a Handley-Page Halifax of No. 35 Squadron RAF, at his work station aft of the pilot's position, prior to take-off from Linton-on-Ouse, Yorkshire. He is wearing a Type B helmet and 1930 Pattern flying suit.The Royal Navy during the Second World War At Gibraltar, Lieutenant in Charge, Lieutenant Lionel Crabbe, RNVR of the Underwater Working Party wearing some of his diving gear. The party examine underwater fittings, diving wearing only their swimming trunks, breathing apparatus and glasses. Ratings can volunteer for this cold job, for which they get extra pay. After two dips each man is allowed a tot of rum.Pacific - Red Cross Workers Meet Returning Bomber Crew With Hot Food And Coffee.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. Hollandia, GuineaA Pilot Of The 94Th Fighter Squadron, 1St Fighter Group Sits In The Cockpit Of His Lockheed P-38 Lightning At An Air Base Somewhere In Italy. September 21 1945.Vintage Photograph. Test pilot wearing equipment for speed flyingRoyal Air Force Operations in the Far East, 1941-1945 Group Captain D O Finlay, Officer Commanding No. 906 Wing RAF, sitting in the cockpit of his Supermarine Spitfire Mark VIII at Sadaung Burma.Royal Air Force Bomber Command, 1939-1941. Flight Lieutenant R A Fletcher in the cockpit of Avro Manchester Mark IA, 'OF-P' 'Sri Gajah' 'Jill', of No. 97 Squadron, at RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire.A Pilot Of The 94Th Fighter Squadron, 1St Fighter Group, On His Lockheed P-38 Lightning At An Air Base Somewhere In Italy.Photo collection Service for army contacts Indonesia. DLC Commemoration of the cases of the 18th Squadron. Salucing officers. April 29, 1947. Batavia, Indonesia, Jakarta, Dutch East Indies, TjililitanAeronautics. 1910Brig. General Murray C. Woodbury Presents An Award To A Member Of The 353Rd Fighter Group During A Ceremony At An Air Base In England. 17 May 1944.Photograph of Two Men, One Painting Mural.Technical staff of the 322 (Dutch) Squadron is busy refueling fuel and testing the board radio of a supermarine Spitfire mk.v.Aircraft, Burma, India & INDIA,RECREATION WarPhoto collection Service for army contacts Indonesia. DLC Arrival General Dürst Britt. General Dürst Britt drops off the aircraft staircase. October 16, 1946. Indonesia, Dutch East IndiesCreator: Greany, Malcolm J. Subjects: Jim King Collection; Transportation; Aircraft; Aircraft; Personnel; Work of the Service; Alaska. . 1998 - 2011.Recently, Shuttle Service bombers have been so busy that, at times, crews have never left their aircraft. Food was taken out to them and they ate their meals under the wings of their machines. Here a pilot of the South African Air Force takes aTunis, Tunisia-Axis planes...Charles A. Lindbergh in a flight suit and parachute, 1927. In the three years prior to his cross-Atlantic flight, he parachuted to safety four times in emergency situations (BSLOC_2020_2_66)Marine Parachute Troops Test Sectional Bicycle - Private Douglas Boyd, of Porter, Okla., a marine Parachutist, demonstrates how he would ride away with a Tommy Gun into "Enemy" territory after is sectional Bicycle had been put together following a leap with it from a plane. The Marines are trying out the use of sectional Bicycle for parachute troops as a purely experimental idea. In real practice, he would not have the parachute on his back because he already would have used it to land. September 18, 1941. (Photo by ACME).A 'flying nurse' of the military women's department (Milva) in conversation with a male colleague at Soesterberg airbase.Boston News Photographer "Shooting" for the Coast Guard. Coast Guard Combat Photographer Bob Dixon, formerly with the Boston Herald, is serving aboard a Coast Guard-manned troop transport moving reinforcements to the far battle fronts. He is shown here, armed with still and movie camera, making action shots and photos of shipboard life. Coast Guardsman Dixon, a Chief Photographer's Mate, lives in Quincy, Mass.Italy - When Ssgt Henry V. Stocks, Kansas City, Mo., Crew Chief, Disdainfully Named His Ship Easy Meat, He Little Thought It Might One Day Be A Killer. But The Titular Paint Hardly Had Dried When Easy Meat Rammed A Formation Of Pigeons Head-On. The BirdAnefo photo collection. Marechaussee with new uniforms on Zestienhoven. November 16, 1961021206-M-3031H-050. Base: Naval Air Station, North Island State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)ENGLAND-M/Sgt Joseph M. Giambrone, Norristown, Pa., ofrmer crew chief of the "Memphis Belle." Sgt Giambrone is standing in front of the first Boeing B-17 Flying ofrtress, "Yankee Doodle," to fly over enemy territory, in August 1942. It was thenDouglas C-47's "Angel in Blue" and "The Sioux" on flight line at Palawan Island, Philippines, 16 June 1945.Royal Air Force- France, 1939-1940 The pilot of a Fairey Battle, wearing a Type B helmet and Irvin flying suit on a snow-covered airfield in France.Royal Air Force- Italy, the Balkans and South-east Europe, 1942-1945. Corporal M Piper of Stafford stands on an oil drum to service the front turret of a Vickers Wellington Mark X of No. 150 Squadron RAF, at Kairouan, Tunisia, prior to bombing operations in support of Operation AVALANCHE, the Allied landings at Salerno, Italy. Behind him, local porters can be seen carrying water and supplies across the airfield.Brian Walker & Brenda Patricia.An admirer symbolizes her feeling of flight after Walker comes down from a test routine. April 12, 1950.World War II (WWII) era photograph of US Marine Corps (USMC) First Lieutenant (1LT) Frank B. Baldwin, taken at Russell Islands July 3, 1943 as he sits in the cockpit of a USMC F4U"CORSAIR"aircraft. 1LT Baldwin is an Ace Pilot credited with 10 kills. State: Russell Islands Country: Solomon Islands (SLB)S/Sgt. Kenneth Johns of Elyria, Ohio, a bomber group intelligence clerk, stretches black yarn marking across the Channel route prior to briefing of combat crews at an 8th Air force base in England.America's Newest Dive Bomber Blank. 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 PostersFrance-To better coordinate tank and dive-bomber battle tactics, the 9th Air Force is placing a number of its pilots with armored units. In the photo Lt. Charles R. Earls is pictured speaking to Republic P-47 Thunderbolt pilots via two-way radio asLt. Hugh Lindsay, Paoli, Penn., Pilot Of A P-51 Of The 8Th Air Force In England.Insignia Of The 612Th Bomb Squadron, 401St Bomb Group, Based In England. 12 February 1945.Artwork: "1ST LT. Steven Othling, Flight Instructor, 59th Training Squadron, Reese AFB" Artist: Terrence Meagher, US Air Force Art Collection. Country: UnknownTwo airmen of the 323rd Bomb Group inspect a map in front of their B-26 Marauder (serial number 41-34854) nicknamed 'Rock Hill Special (Lucky Graki)'.Wing Commander Richard 'Dickie' Milne in the cockpit of his Spitfire Mk IX at Biggin Hill, February 1943. Wing Commander Richard 'Dickie' Milne, wing leader at Biggin Hill, in the cockpit of his Spitfire IX, February 1943.U.S. General George Patton arriving at St. Vith, Belgium, January 30, 1945021206-M-3031H-074. Base: Russell Island Country: Solomon Islands (SLB)Anefo photo collection. Pilots. 12 August 1964After A Mission, Sqdn. Bombardier Capt. Ross Measner Of Montpelier, Ohio, Rests Against The Landing Gear Of A Consolidated B-24 In England.Woody Cook standing by X-14