World War II Aircraft Maintenance

Ground crews meticulously inspect and service various WWII aircraft including B-24 Liberators and B-17 Flying Fortresses, showcasing dedication and teamwork.

Men Who Keep-Em-Flying In China Are Responsible For Much Of The Success Of The Combat Planes Such As The North American B-25 "Old 59." Left To Right Are: Sgt. Lawrence Q. Lemmon Of Memphis, Tennessee, Armorer; Sgt. Williiam W. Bryan Of Hopkinsville, N.Y.

ENGLAND-Ground crew going over a B-24 Liberator with a fine comb after its return from a mission.

M/Sgt. Morrison And Crew Of The 381St Bomb Group In Front Of A Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" At 8Th Air Force Base 167, England. 18 August 1944.

Mechanics Assemble A North American P-51 Of The 1St Air Commando Force Which Has The Identifying Mark Of Five White Stripes Around The Fuselage. Karachi, India.

Men Who Keep-Em-Flying In China Are Responsible For Much Of The Success Of The Combat Planes Such As The North American B-25 "Old 59." Left To Right Are: Sgt. Lawrence Q. Lemmon Of Memphis, Tennessee, Armorer; Sgt. Williiam W. Bryan Of Hopkinsville, N.Y.

Aircraft, Burma, India & INDIA,ARMAMENT War

Chinese refuel B-29 after an emergency landing at Liangsham, China. This plane had to be refueled by pouring gasoline from drums into five gallon cans and then poured directly into the tanks.

M/Sgt. Fitzgerald And Crew Of The 381St Bomb Group Beside The Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" "Forget Me Not Ii" At 8Th Air Force Base 167, England. 18 August 1943.

The newly announced fighter-bomber of the 9th AF is photographed officially. It is a P-47 Thunderbolt and it now carries two 1,000-pound bombs, one under each wing. These sturdy fast fighting planes have added a knock out punch in the already

The Pilot And Ground Crew Of The 367Th Fighter Group, Beside Their Lockheed P-38 'Situation Normal' At An Air Base In France. 7 October 1944.

Maintenance Of The Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" 'S For Sugar', By Ground Crew, 303Rd Bomb Group. England, 10 October 1943.

Men Of The 527Th Bomb Squadron, 379Th Bomb Group, Battle A Blaze In The Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" 'Lucky Patch' (A/C No. 46507) Which Made A Belly Landing At An 8Th Air Force Base In England On 3 May 1945.

Mechanics Repair One Of The Engines On A Consolidated B-24 "Liberator" Of The 63Rd Bomb Squadron, 43Rd Bomb Group At An Airbase Near Nadzab, New Guinea. 1944.

Immediately After This Consolidated B-24 Of The 7Th Bomb Group Crashed At Its Base At Pandaveswar Army Air Base In India, Maintenance Crews Set To Work To Repair The Damage. 1943.

This Is How The Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" 'Bonnie Donnie' Looked After Being Set Down On Her Belly At An 8Th Air Force Base In England On 5 March 1944. 401St Bomb Group.

Men Of The 91St Bomb Group Refuel A Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" After Its Return To The Base At Bassingbourne, England From A Mission. The Planes Were Maintained Immediately After Landed Preparatory To Another Mission. 26 February 1943.

'Somewhere In France'--Soldiers Of The 9Th Air Force Service Command Gave Colonel Dyke Meyer'S Plane Such Speedy Service Ther Wasn`T Much Time For The Colonel To Get Out And Stretch His Legs When He Landed His Ground Support Squadron At A Front-Line Landi

With ceiling and visibility at zero, a Ninth Air force Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighter-bomber prepares to leave its base in Belgium for an attack against von Rundstedt's armor and lines of communication and supply in the "Bulge." The Plane is armed

Ground crew men at a Mediterranean Allied Air Forces base in southern Italy examine a returned Boeing B-17 while medical personnel remove the body of its Navigator who was killed during the attack. This ship was one of the formation of heavy bombers

F-4 "Lightnings" Of The 90Th Photo Reconnaissance Wing.

North Africa-Resting on its belly in the desert after being shot down, is the HE 111, a German medium bomber.

Lt. Hill And Crew Of The 479Th Anti Submarine Group Pose By A Consolidated B-24 At An Air Base In St. Eval, England. 1943.

C-46 Commandos Of The 9Th Troop Carrier Command Await A Signal To Take Off From An Airstrip Somewhere In France. 21 March 1945.

Another Successful Mission Is Added To The Already Large Number Of Missions Of The Consolidated B-24 "Destiny'S Tot", 7Th Bomb Group At Pandaveswar Army Air Base, India. Total Number Of Missions To Date Was 53. 1943.

Crew Members Of The Boeing B-17 'Our Gang' Attached To The 324Th Bomb Squadron, 91St Bomb Group, Pose At Their Base In England Just Before Take Off On A Mission Over Enemy Territory. They Are, Left To Right: S/Sgt. Marion J. Spagnola Of Cincinnati, Ohio,

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

Ninth Air force mechanics work on this fighter at a snow-covered base somewhere in Belgium. Two men (right) get set to hook up pipes from heater to warm up the port engine.

HOME AGAIN! Crew of the Boeing B-17 Flying ofrtress "HELEN HIWATER" climb into the truck which will carry them to operations building. 303rd Bomb Group, England. 19 April 1944.

An American G.I. Of The 451St Bomb Group, 15Th Air Force, Explains Bombs And Consolidated B-24S To A Group Of French Citizens Of Lyons, France. The B-24S Ferry Gas And Other Vital Supplies From A Base In Italy To Invasion Forces In France. 13 September

Aircraft, Burma, India &Maintenance,REFUELING War

A Lockheed P-38 Lightning Of The 94Th Fighter Sq., 1St Fighter Group, Loaded W/ Bombs Is Ready To Take Off On A Mission From Its Airfield Somewhere In Italy.

Wreckage Of A Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" Of The 401St Bomb Group At An 8Th Air Force Base In England, 1 July 1944.

Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, With German Markings Was Found At A Luftwaffe Air Base At Gottingen Germany. The Fuselage Was Painted Olive Drab; Belly And Tail Yellow. All Guns Were Loaded. Nearby Were Wings Of Raf Mosquito, Marked With German Crosses.

North Africa-Holes in the tail of U.S. Fighters were caused by 20 mm cannon shells in a recent combat over Libya. The pilot, Capt. George D. Mobbs of Wooster, Ark., was severely wounded in the aerial battle with several German ships by through

Gassing Up - Republic P-47 Thunderbolts Of The First Brazilian Fighter Squadron Receiving Their Fuel For The Next Mission. Pilots Of The Squadron Are All Veterans And All Hand Picked, Though Their Average Age Is About 22. Italy.

Lined up at a base depot in England are these Republic P-47 Thunderbolts of the 8th Air force. Modified on their arrival from America, the aircraft are prepared for action in the skies of Europe. They bear the special striped markings of the Allied

Troops March In Review During A Ceremony In Honor Of The Departure Of Major General Bonesteel From The 2Nd Service Group Airfield In Iceland. 18 June 1943.

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

These airmen, interned in Sweden, are adjusting a new wing panel on their Flying Fortress which had been damaged in combat and was forced to make a landing on neutral territory.

Lockheed P-38 of the 1st...

Major Joy And Ground Crew Of The 367Th Fighter Group, Pose Beside Their Lockheed P38 'Jean Dee Iii' At An Air Base Somewhere In France. 7 October 1944.

ENGLAND-Besides being used for strafing German installations and to escort 8th AF heavy bombers to strategic enemy targets and Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter is also used for high altitude and dive bombing. Here two 1,000 pound demolition bombs

In Ceremony Of Farewell And Appreciation To Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" 'Rotherhithe's Revenge' Of The 381St Bomb Group, The Delegation From Bermondsay, England, Pose By The Plane Which Has Completed 102 Missions Over Enemy Territory Since They Christen

PARACHUTES AS BRAKES for LANDING-28 May 1944, Lt. James M. Dobson's Consolidated B-24 Liberator of the U.S. Eight AAF is shown a few moments after it landed at its base in England using parachutes as brakes when its hydraulic system had been shot

The Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" "Whirlaway" Of The 381St Bomb Group Stationed At An 8Th Air Force Base Near Ridgewell, Essex County, England, 20 March 1944.

Photo of captured JU 88 made at an Army Air Field in Italy. Plane is being flown to America.

Mechanics Repair One Of The Engines On A Consolidated B-24 Of The 65Th Bomb Squadron, 43Rd Bomb Group, At An Airbase Near Nadzab, New Guinea. 1944.

General Henry H. Arnold, Colonel Colonel Horace Weeks Shellmire, Brig. General Emmett O'Donnell And An Unidentified Man (Right To Left) At An Airbase Somewhere In The Pacific Area.

Chinese Aircraft Spotters Are Trained To Recognize American Aircraft. Here, They Study The Features Of A Lockheed P-38 "Lightning" At A 14Th Air Force Base In China.

Lt. Richard A. Campbell, Ferriday, La., 'Ace' P-38 Lightning Pilot Of The 14Th Fighter Group, 5Th Wing Of Major General Jimmy Doolittle'S Northwest African Strategic Air Force Has Completed His Allotted Fifty Combat Missions Over Enemy Territory And Has B

"Somewhere in France." At one of the 9th Air Forces emergency landing strips in France members of a crew are seen working on a P-47 Thunderbolt fighter.

North Africa-Lockheed P-38 damaged by a 20 mm shell plus machine gun bullets. Lt. Herbert McQuown, pilot from Xenis, Ohio, was hit in the leg by one of the bullets which entered the cockpit, glanced off the instrument panel and hit his leg. Pilot

Helping hands, which have just cleared a runway for this plane, help the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt through some of the heavier snow and out onto the runway of a 1st TAC AF base. Moments later the powerful fighter soars into the sky to carry out

Two Test Pilots At The Warrington Burtonwood Air Depot In England, Where Flak-Torn Planes Are Repaired And Modified For Future Missions, Chat Together Just Before The Plane Is Taken Up For A Test Flight. They Are, 1St Lt. William T. Maier Of Dowagiac, Mi

Aircraft, Burma, India &Maintenance,MISCELLANEOUS War

DROOP SNOOT-Ground crewman at a base in Belgium prepare to "bomb-up" a "droop snoot" P-38 Lightning fighter-bomber for another attack against enemy ofrtifications and strong points. This model of the P-38 is known as the "droop snoot" because

Unloading A 1/4-Ton Trailer From A Douglas C-47 Transport Plane, Somewhere In New Guinea. These Planes Bring In Supplies Daily. 1 March 1943.

Lt. Lichty And Crew Of The 305Th Bomb Group Beside The Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" 'Stag Party'. 21 September 1944, England.

Air Force Personnel Take Advantage Of The Opportunity Of Inspecting The British 'Fanny Ferkin Ii' At An 8Th Air Force Base In England, 3 May 1944. 401St Bomb Group.

Aerial Cameramen Of The 1St Combat Camera Unit Load Their Equipment Aboard A 15Th Air Force Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" In Italy Just Before The Bomber Takes Off On A Combat Mission. One Combat Camera Unit Man Flies With Each Bomber Mission.

The morning of the photo reconnaissance mission there are two series of action that meet at the plane. The laboratory crew and the engineering crew; the laboratory men to install and check the cameras, the engineering to check the plane, and to

After Five Missions To Honshu, 'Pacific Queen', 21St Bomber Command B-29 Superfortress Required The Ministrations Of Service Group Personnel At Their Base In The Marianas. Service Groups, Trained For Their Jobs By Air Technical Service Command, Render Mu

Left, S/Sgt Robert Adams, From Tyler, Texas, And S/Sgt. Oscar Forge, From May Falls, Ny, Fit The Rocket Launcher Tubes On A Republic P-47 Thunderbolt Of The 12Th Af In Italy. With Rockets The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt Is A Versatile Attack Plane With A V

Crew Of The Boeing B-29 Superfortress 'Ready Teddy' Pose Beside Their Plane On Okinawa, Ryukyu Retto. May 1945.

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

Don Barclay, celebrated American artist, whose caricatures have appeared in nearly all the publications is now on a visit to Gen. Claire L. Chennault's 14th AAF. Barclay spent many hours with the "China Blitzers" inhabitants of "Sweat Hill",

The Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" "Nancy-M" Of The 381St Bomb Group Stationed At An 8Th Air Force Base Near Ridgewell, Essex County, England, 24 January 1944.

Aircraft, Burma, India &Fields & Installations, Storm Damage War

Martin B-26 (A/C 296154) Of The 397Th Bomb Group Crash-Landed On 24 February 1945 At The 410Th Bomb Group Base In France.

Repairs to a "Flying Tiger" P-40 are made by the mechanics while a soldier stands on lookout. All the planes are serviced on the field in short order, and ready at all times for action.

Memorial Services For Deceased Members Of Our Lady's Knights Of The Sky Were Held Recently On Okinawa, With A Portion Of The Congregation Shown Above In The Shadow Of One Of The Giant Boeing Super-Fortresses Of The Eighth Air Force. The Memorial Sermon W

Crew chief T/Sgt. Wilbur D...

Tripolitania, Libya-As soon as a British Boston Bomber returns from a mission against the Axis armies, and comes to a standstill, the crew climb out and make for the lorry which is waiting to take them back to the operations room to report.

Boeing B-17 "Yankee Doodle" "Chennault's Pappy" And Other Flying Fortresses Of The 91St Bomb Group Are Parked On The Line At An 8Th Air Force Base Near Bassingbourne, England.

"Five Grand" the 5,000th Boeing B-17 Flyng ofrtress produced by men and women of Boeing Aircraft in Seattle, Wash., is prepared for combat over occupied Europe. Inscribed on its fuselage are thousands of names of workers at the Boeing plant.

Racking Em Up for RAF Bostons (A-20s). These American-made light bombers work with the RAF now as part of the Mediterranean Allied Air Force, engaged in an all-cut effort to cut all lines of supply that the Hun uses through Italy.

M/Sgt. Fishlin Of 401St Bomb Group, Replaces The Cowling On A Boeing B-17 Engine As A Fellow Ground Crew Member Looks On. England, 25 March 1945.

Crew Of A North American B-25 Of The Chinese American Composite Wing Based In China, Head For Their Plane Prior To Taking Off On A Mission Over Enemy Territory. They Are, Left To Right: Lt. K.W. Fang, Radio-Gunner; Capt. W.P. 'Kit' Carson, Pilot; Capt. C

This North American P-51 Mustang Of The 'Pioneer' Mustang Group Was The First Plane Of The Aaf To Be Serviced East Of The Rhine. The Field Was In The Vicinity Of Frankfurt, Germany. 2 April 1945.

One Of The First Army Photos Of The Bombing Of Hickam Field, Hawaii, Dec. 7, 1941. An Arny Airfield After Bombing--Planes Are B-17 'Flying Fortresses'. War Theatre #22 - Hawaii.

Wreckage Of A Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" (A/C No. 42-37835) Of The 401St Bomb Group At An 8Th Air Force Base In England, 23 December 1943.

The newly announced fighter-bomber of the 9th AF is photographed officially. It is a Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, and it now carries two 1,000-pound bombs, one under each wing. Extra fuel tank, called belly tank, may be observed under fuselage. The

Pilot, Lt. Bernard L. Ball, R.F.D. #1, Kawcity, Okla., while flying a Consolidated B-24 Liberator of the 15th Air Force based in Italy, on a pinpoint bombing mission to destroy a bridge in Yugoslavia, received direct flak burst in the waist section

U.S. AIR force PHOTO The electrical apparatus of a Flying ofrtress is checked with instruments of the "creep"-a hand-made miniature truck built by (left to right) Cpl. Charles E. Codyer, Waltham, Mass., T/Sgt. Gerald Rothermel, McLean

Lockheed P-38 of the 1st...

The British Army in Burma 1944 Royal Indian Army Service Corps troops unload an American C-47 cargo plane at an airstrip in the Pinwe area, 21 November 1944.

MAIN CAPTION: Highly-trained units of the Chinese forces have occaisionally taken to the air as a means of transportation to vital areas of the Far Eastern war front. Transport planes of the India-China Wing, U.S. Army Air forces Air Transport

Tired and weary after flying a long mission at high altitude, Capt. Arthur D. Powers of Whitewater, Wis., is shown here leaving his plane as camera repairmen and mechanics swarm around.

PHILIPPINES-Curious fliers and ground crews of the 5th AF gather around the first Very Long Range Bomber they've seen-the Consolidated B-32 Dominator, giant sister to the Boeing B-29 Superfortress which will soon add its tremendous bomb load to the

Wings Over Germany Today Belong To The Allies, And A Large Number Of Them Bear The Label 'Made In The Usa'. A Boeing B-29 Is Serviced In A Raf Hangar At Borham Airbase In England.

"Somewhere in France" on one of the emergency landing strips in France, members of Ninth Troop Carrier Command unload a jeep from a Douglas C-47 "Skytrain."

The "Flying Nurses" who will serve with Maj. General C.L. Chennault's 14th AAF have arrived in China. On flying status, the comely young ladies will serve on the aircraft that evacuate the wounded from the forward areas.

The Douglas A-20 "Little Hellion #13" of the 89th Bomb Squadron, 3rd Attack Group, which crash landed at an air base near Port Moresby, Papua, New Guinea. 1 November 1942.

Taken Jan. 19, 1943: A Bren gun carrier is used on one airfield at Malta for towing trollery loads of bombs to the dispersal points.

Airmen at Renfrew Airfield, Glasgow, Scotland, strip the tarpaulin and adhesive off North American P-51s after they were shipped from the United States for use in the ETO. Bags of hygroscopic salts and braces are also removed during the reassembling

Italy - Ground Crews Have To Cover Up Quickly -- And The Engine First -- When A Dust Storm Begins. One Dust Storm Stifled Production For The Better Part Of Two Days At An Advanced Airbase Of The 15Th Air Force Service Command. There Is Nothing To Do But

A Douglas A-20 Is Covered With Ice As 'Old Man Winter' Touches The 410Th Bomb Group Base Somewhere In France. 5 February 1945.

Operation Grubworm - With The Japaneseanese Advancing Steadily In China And War-Weary Allied Forces Falling Back, The Logical Solution To Stop This Onslaught Was To Relieve The 14Th Chinese Division From Their Duties In Burma And Take Them Quickly To The Front

Maintenance crew loading bombs on a North American B-25 "Mitchell." The bombs were brought by truck and trailer from the supply dump-Clark Field, Phililppine Islands. 1 June 1945.

Air Force Mechanic Adjusts Lt. Francis J. Burgess' Parachute As He Prepares To Leave On A Mission Over Enemy-Held Territory To Photograph An Allied Bombing Mission. Lt. Burgess Is From 716 N. Irving Blvd., Los Angeles, Calif.

Colonel Eugene L. Strickland Makes His Final Check With Pilot Lt. T.Y. Cheng, Seated In The Cockpit Of A Curtiss P-40, As Chinese Ground Mechanic Looks On. All Are Members Of The Chinese American Composite Wing Based Somewhere In China.

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