World War II Aircraft Missions

Images of various military aircraft in flight during World War II, showcasing bombing missions, formations, and operations over targets in Europe and the Pacific.

Boeing B-17 'Bab's Best', 2Nd Service Group, Which Ran Off The Taxi Strip At Meeks Field, Iceland, Causing Only Slight Damage. 1 May 1943.

Completing a run over the aircraft plant and Airdrome at Belgrade, Yugoslavia is a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress of the 15th AAF. The smoke from the target can be seen rising through the clouds at the left.

Vultee L-5s in formation. S/Sgt. Richard D. Houston is piloting "Guinea Short Lines." NEW GUINEA.

Japanese Fighter Planes And Phosphorous Bomb(Upper Right) Attack A 7Th Aaf Liberator As It Starts Its Bomb Run Over The Hotly Defended Target Of Turk In The Carolines.

Boeing B-17 'Bab's Best', 2Nd Service Group, Which Ran Off The Taxi Strip At Meeks Field, Iceland, Causing Only Slight Damage. 1 May 1943.

Bombing Of A City In Europe By Consolidated B-24 Liberators Of The 2Nd Bomb Division, 8Th Air Force, 24 Nov. 1944. Here One Of The Liberators Is Shown Over The Smoking Target.

Winter's icy grip makes the crewmen's work difficult at this U.S. 8th Air force fighter base, but the show goes on as skilled mechanics ready the speedy planes for take off--on time: Shortly after the picture was taken, the Mustangs from the 55th

Fifty Four C-47 "Skytrains" Of The 317Th Troop Carrier Command Parked In Take-Off Positions At Lipa Airstrip, Philippine Islands. This Picture Was Made Just Prior To Dropping The 11Th Airborne Infantry Division Over Camalaniugan. 22 June 1945.

Maintenance Men Overhaul A Lockheed F-5A Of The 35Th Photo Reconnaissance Squadron, 6Th Photo Reconnaissance Group, With The 5Th Air Force, At A Base Somewhere In New Guinea. 9 March 1944.

This maintenance tent for the Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" covers the engine nacelle, permitting mechanics to perform maintenance work at Ladd Field, Alaska, in sub-zero temperatures, even at -43F. 12 February 1944.

This Douglas A-26 'Invader' Was One Of The First To Land On Okinawa. 48Th Bomb Squadron, 41St Bomb Group. Okinawa, Ryukyu Retto. 8 July 1945.

"A Sandstorm on the Desert"-Egypt. With the wind blowing and sand flying in every direction, getting into motors, into food, and in your hair, is the climatic conditions under which our boys must operate. These storms however do not stop the

North American B-25 and Curtiss P-40 escort in flight over Cairo, Egypt.

Boeing B-29 "Superfortresses"' Buzzing The Field. China.

An American soldier tries to spin the "prop"of this exact Plywood replica of a German JU-88 Bomber, found near the town of Salon, in Southern France.

Bombs away, Flying Fortresses of the 8th Air Forces unloading bombs over German Targets. 390th Bomb Group.

Aircraft, Burma, India &PHOTOGRAPHY,MISCELLANEOUS War

EIGHTH AIR FORCE B-24 LIBERATOR, wing its way over fleecy white clouds to strike at the heart of the German Reich. Berlin was hit and hit hard by the 8th AF heavy bombers. 453th Bomb Group.

Formations of Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses of the U.S. 8th Air Force wing over Germany 23 Dec 44 as they head for vital rail and road points to bomb, in air-ground cooperation with Allied armies fighting a few miles away.

Boeing B-17, Part Of A Formation Of "Flying Fortress" Of The 452Nd Bomb Group Enroute To Blast Vital Targets In Germany As Part Of The Plan To Pulverize All Vitally Important War Objections. Posen, Germany Was The Target Of This Mission, 24 Feb. 1944. A

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, 8 August 1943.

Two Trim 12Th Air Force North American B-25 Mitchell Bombers, Part Of A Precision Bombing Formation Over The Rail Bridge At Torreberreti In Northern Italy, Drop Their Bombs In Neat Row. The Bridge, A Key Communication Link, 50 Miles Southwest Of Milan, Wa

Lt. A.G. Cundy, Pilot Of The North American P-51 "Alabama Rammer Jammer" Of The 352Nd Fighter Squadron, 353Rd Fighter Group Talks With Crew Members Of The Bomber He Escorted To Their Home Base In England. April 1945.

Martin B-26s in Mediterranean area.

The Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" (A/C No. 230020) Of The 381St Bomb Group, Made A Belly Landing When It Returned To Home Base, 8Th Air Force Station 167, England. 6 September 1943.

A fire-fighting squad sprays "ofamite" over the B-17 Flying ofrtress "Merry On" after its return from an assault on a Luftwaffe fighter field at Achmer with a blazing fire in its wing. Neither the fire (started when flak hit the number two engine)

Taking Off A 500 Pound Propeller From The Engine Nacelles Of High-Wing Aircraft Was A Difficult Task Until S/Sgt. Joseph Flitter Of Laporte, Ind., At An Air Service Command Depot In England Fitted Up A Standard Model Tug With A Hoist-And-Boom Unit. He Us

Left to right: Midkiff, Moran, Texas; 1st Lt. Dugan V. Woodring, Noble, Oklahoma; Corp. Johnson, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Japanese "Jack" captured by our forces, shown at Clark Field being put into flying condition by Technical Air Intelligence Unit, SWPA. 1945. Luzon, Philippine Islands.

With A Background Of Vapor Trails, Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses Of The 452Nd Bomb Group Wing Their Way Over Nazi-Occupied Territory Enroute To Their Target For The Day - German Airfield At Chateaudun, France, 28 March 1944. 8Th Air Force Attacks On Vita

In a rare accident, a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress in a lower group of a U.S. 8th Air Force formation attacking Berlin, Germany, swung under an upper group just as the bombs were released. Just as the Bombardier released his bombs, a Boeing B-17

A Douglas C-47 transport plane is unloaded at Cassibile, Sicily. 2 October 1943.

Ground crewman shown preparing this 8th Air force Republic P-47 Thunderbolt for a long-range bomber escort mission by affixing the auxiliary fuel tanks for additional range. Note tank carried under belly where bomb is otherwise placed.-ENGLAND

Italy-This Boeing B-17 received a direct hit by flak over Debreczen railyards, Hungary, on 21 Sept 44. The pilot, 2nd Lt. Guy M. Miller, of Lakeside, Calif., and co-pilot 2nd Lt. Thomas M. Kybovich, West Palm Beach. Fla., were able to bring her back

This Boeing B-17, One In A Formation Of 'Flying Fortresses', Winging Its Way Over French Territory Enroute To The Target At Tours, France. 91St Bomb Group, 8Th Air Force. 5 Jan 1944. (Altitude 20,300 Feet).

Consolidated B-24 'Liberator' Of The 11Th Bomb Group Over Kwajalin, Marshall Islands, June 1944.

North American P-51 'Babs In Arms' Of The 364Th Fighter Group, 67Th Fighter Wing, At 8Th Air Force Station F-375, Honnington, England. 21 May 1945.

North American P-51 Mustang fighter planes in formation over France.

A Formation Of Consolidated B-24 Liberators Of The 2Nd Bomb Division, Roars Over Europe En Route To The Target Area. 24 November 1944.

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses Of The 381St Bomb Group En Route To Bomb Enemy Installations In Europe, Are Photographed Against A Backdrop Of Vapor Trails.

The Crew Of The "Memphis Belle" Back From Its 25Th Operational Mission. All Of The Crew Hold The Dfc And Air Medal With Three Oak Clusters, And All Started With This Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" And Survived With Only One Casualty, A Leg Wound To The Ta

North Africa-The big moment! An Air Service Command test pilot climbs aboard a Republic P-47 over which, ASC's skilled mechanics have labored for hours, re-assembling, removing protective oils and covering, testing and re-tuning.

A Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" Enroute To Its Target For The Day -- Viterbo Airdrome, Italy - 29 July 1943.

Consolidated B-24 "Liberators" of the 494th Bomb Group, fly high above the Gulf of Davao, Mindanao in the Philippine Islands, en route to bomb Japanese installations in the small village of Ising, located four miles north of the Gulf. 24 February

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.

Damage Inflicted On A Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" Of The 493Rd Bomb Group During Bombing Raid Over Enemy Installations. Enlgand, 8 November 1944.

You can count eight bombs, evenly spaced, in this photo from the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces, showing destruction en route from the bomb bay of a Martin B-26 Marauder of the 1st Tactical Air Forces to the west railroad yards below at Florence

Colonel Gerald E. Williams And Crew Discuss The Day's Operations In Front Of A Martin B-26 Marauder 'Lady Belle' At Their Home Base In England, 20 June 1944.

A Vultee L-5 Of The 163Rd Liaison Squadron Takes Off From Cub Field No. 7 On Okinawa, Ryukyu Retto. This Squadron Is Attached To The 10Th Army. 1945.

Wreckage Of Consolidated B-24H After Crash Landing Near Woodbridge, Suffolk, England. 5 October 1944. (A/C No. 42-94857).

Republic P-47 Thunderbolts In Flight. St. Lo, France, 31 July 1944.

C-47 transport of 6th Troop Carrier Squadron on mission carrying supplies to Wau, New Guinea, from Ward's Drome, New Guinea. April 1943.

Crew Prepares This Douglas A-20 Of The 410Th Bomb Group For Another Mission. England, 14 September 1944.

North American B-25 Mitchell over Wakde Island 11 May 1944.

Members Of The 9Th Troop Carrier Command Unload 40 Gallons Drums Of Gasoline From Curtiss C-46 Commandos At An Allies Airstrip Somewhere In Germany. 26 April 1945.

Major Haley Aycock Of Fort Worth, Texas, Commanding Officer, Has A Final Word With 1St Lt. J.M. Smith Of Austin, Texas, Pilot Of The Boeing B-17 "Our Gang" Before The Plane Takes Off On A Bombing Mission From Bassingbourne, England. 324Th Bomb Squadron,

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

Damaged Wing Of The Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" (A/C 42-97376) Of The 390Th Bomb Group At An 8Th Air Force Base, England, 3 March 1945.

A Formation Of Consolidated B-24 Liberator Bombers Of The 15Th Air Force Release Their Bombs On The Railyards At Regensburg, Germany On March 13 1945. Bombers Of The 15Th Af Are Slicing Vital Rail Lines By Precision Bombing From Vienna To Munich As The A

This High Flying Silver Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" Of The 15Th Aaf Is Shown Here In This Photo As It Wings Its Way To Attack Railyards In The Heart Of Germany'S Rail System On Aug. 3 1944. Heavy Bombers Have Been Successfully Smashing At Rail And Oil

Although This Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" (A/C 890) Of The 379Th Bomb Group Was Badly Damaged During A Raid On Nazi Installations, Its Crew Brought It Back To Its 8Th Air Force Base In England. 28 June 1944.

Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" Of The 381St Bomb Group Encounter Flak Opposition As They Wing Their Way Toward The Target, Somewhere In Europe. 16 December 1944.

Formation Of Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses, Of The 381St Bomb Group, Flying High Over A Blanket Of Clouds, Wing Their Way Toward Enemy Targets Somewhere In Europe.

1st Lt. Sam C. Schlitzkus, Austin, Texas and 1st Lt. Charles W. Smith, Fairfax, S. Carolina, pilots on North American B-25s felt that they were both in the same (life) boat, and that a little practice wouldn't do any harm. Lt. Schlitzkus on his 19th

After 11 men went to work on a Republic P-47 it came back to life, good as new and spoiling for a fight. T/Sgt. Richard Common, Buffalo, N.Y., headed the crew of welders, machinists, electricians, and specialists that did the job.

In this general view at one of the emergency landing strips crew members are shown going over the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighters of their squadron.

Lt D.D. Bryant, Marshalltown, Iowa, Of The 16Th Fighter Squadron, 51St Fighter Group, Has His Curtiss P-40 Refueled At Peishihwa, China. S/Sgt. J.J. Mcgrath, Kansas City, Missouri, Puts Gas In The Wing Near The Cockpit. 22 October 1942.

FLAMING B-24-These are the last moments of a Consolidated B-24 Liberator bomber of the USAF. It is part of a squadron engaged in a raid on an industrial target in Austria. Enemy fighters came up in force, downing all bombers except the one from

Five minutes after the plane had landed at Clark Field, Luzon, Philippine Islands, armorers were busy re-locating the guns on this North American B-25 of the 823rd Bomb Squadron, 38th Bomb Group. 17 May 1945.

Incendiary Bombs From Two Boeing B-29 Superfortresses Drop On A Japanese Target, Each With The Destructive Force Of Ten Gallons Of Flaming Gasoline. Photo Taken Through The Nose Of A Superfortress.

Formation Of Boeing B-17 'Flying Fortresses' Over England. 323Rd Bomb Squadron, 91St Bomb Group.

A Full Bomb Load And Lack Of Landing Gear, Brakes And Wing Flaps Didn'T Prevent A 9Th Air Force Pilot From Successfully Crash-Landing This Martin B-26 Marauder Damaged By German Anti-Aircraft Fire. On The Way To Eliminate An Enemy Strong Point Holding Up

8th Air force, England-Transportation for "Good and Evil" in the British Isles. Boeing B-17 "Flying ofrtress" in background.

ENGLAND-A Lockheed P-38 Lightning Fighter of 8th AAF warms up prior to leaving for its mission over Germany. These versatile twin-engined planes are used for escorting bombers, strafing enemy installations and dive bombing, as well as for photo

A Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" Of The 401St Bomb Group Lands At Its Home Base After Mission Over Enemy-Held Territory In Europe, 24 December 1943. England. Gorenflos Mission Is Written On Neg

Men Of The 11Th Airborne Division Load Piper L-4 Liaison Plane Into A Douglas C-54 For Shipment To Atsugi Airstrip. Okinawa, Ryukyu Retto, 30 August 1945.

Boeing B-17s over Frankfurt, Germany.

Bringing in supplies for air force units in Southern France is no problem to this fighter bomber group that runs its own North American B-25 Mitchell back to supply bases and then returns to advanced air fields with a load in its bomb bay. Not

Sky Giants--Here is a close-up of two Consolidated B-24 Liberators of the 8th USAAF as they winged their way to strike at military targets behind the enemy's lines in France recently.

BOMBING

With Bomb Bay Doors Open, A Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" Of The 91St Bomb Group Approaches The Bomb Run Over The Target Somewhere In Europe. 5 August 1944.

Wreckage Of A 401St Bomb Group Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, England, 29 January 1944.

Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortresses" Of The 15Th Air Force Are Shown Coming Off The Target; Railroad Yards At Debreczen, Hungary On 21 Sept. 44. Black Smoke Rose High Into The Sky, Probably Caused By A Strike On An Oil Tank Car.

The Douglas A-26 'Stinky' Of The 386Th Bomb Group Parked At Its Base In Beaumont, France On 20 April 1945.

"Bore-Sighting" Machine Guns In A P-51 "Mustang" Of The 41St Fighter Squadron. Clark Field, Philippine Islands - 25 June 1945.

FRANCE-T/Sgt. Melvin L. Stetson, 229 South Main Street, Albion, N.Y., works on the engine of a Northrop P-61 9th Air force night fighter, somewhere on the continent.

56 Consolidated B-24 "Liberators" Of The 98Th And 450Th Bomb Groups, 47Th Bomb Wing, With Escort Of 39 Lockheed P-38 "Lightnings" Of The 1St Fighter Group, 306Th Bomb Wing, Were Dispatched To Bomb The Railroad Bridge At Theole-Sur Mer, France, On 12 July

Aircraft, Burma, India &Maintenance,REFUELING War

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses Of The 381St Bomb Group Wings Its Way Toward The Target Somewhere In Europe. Far In The Distance Two Formations Leave Vapor Trails Streaming Behind Them As They Roar Onward.

formation of North American P-51 Mustang fighter planes over France.

A Consolidated B-24 "Able Stuff" Of The 458Th Bomb Group Awaits Take-Off For 200Th Mission Somewhere In England. 26 February 1945.

Luzon, Philippine Islands. By means of radio communication a request was sent from a front line aid station to group headquarters of the 3rd Air Commando Group to dispatch one "stretcher" immediately to the forward strip at Linga, in the southwest

Flying ofrtress "Idiot's Delight" completes 50th successful mission without a single abortion with raid on Berlin, 22 March 44 in which 1,400 tons of bombs loosed on the battered German capital for the 5th time. The attack was virtually unchallenged

G.I.'s Of The 353Rd Fighter Group Look Over Captured German Planes - A Focke-Wulf F190 (Left) And A Junders Ju-88 (Right) - At A Base In England. April 1944. Bf-109 In Center

Thunderbolts under wraps. The taping on seams, the waterproof coverings on insignia are clearly visible here as Air Service Command men work to free the guy wires.

Lt. T.B. O'Bannon Of Germantown, Penn., A Lockheed P-38 Reconnaissance Pilot Of The 7Th Photo Group, Stretches Out On The Wing Of His Plane Between Missions. Mount Farm, England, 1 July 1943.

After Being Transported By Rail & Barge From Budge Budge, India, Gasoline Was Then Transported By Consolidated C-109's Of The 7Th Bomb Group, 10Th Air Force From Kurmitola, India, From A C-109 By The Pumping Unit At The Left, To The Storage Tank In The Ba

This Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" Of The 15Th Air Force Starts For Home With One Engine Konked Out After Completing Its Bomb Run On The Oil Refinery At Floridsdorf, Austria, On March 16, 1945. With The Air Offensive Against The Enemy Increasing At A Ter

North American B-25 Of The 1St Air Commando Fprce Which Crashed While Attempting To Land At Broadway Field, Burma.

During Ww Ii Many Allied Airmen, Who Were Forced Down Or Escaped From German Prison Camps In France, Were Helped To Safety By The French Marquis. The Escapees Would Pass Through The Hands Of The Marquis, French Peasants, And Seemingly Innocent Villagers

Wrecked hangar and German planes at an airfield near Catania, Sicily. August 1943.

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