World War II Aircraft Operations

Historical images of military aircraft during World War II, including bombers and night fighters engaged in practice missions and operations over Europe and North Africa.

North American B-25 and other unidentified planes on a mission over Western Desert, Egypt.

A Republic P-47 Flies Close To A Formation Of Bombers While On Practice Bombing Mission Over Molesworth, England On 6 September 1943.

One of the recently announced Northrup P-61 Black Widow night fighter rolls along the runway while another flys overhead at a 9th AF Air Defense base somewhere in France.

North American B-25 and other unidentified planes on a mission over Western Desert, Egypt.

EYE FOR BEAUTY: The same eye that will soon operate instruments of death and destruction over Germany's open-air fortress is arrested, for the moment, in what might very well be an artist's conception of Forts soaring above fleecy clouds. Despite the

Six Martin B-26 "Marauders", Of The Mediterranean Theatre'S Oldest Medium Bomb Group, Take Off In Unison From Their Base In Sardinia. Believed The First Such Attempt By "Marauders", The Six-Plane Take-Off Saved Five Minutes From The Time For "Joinups" An

A Formation Of Consolidated B-24 "Liberators" Of The 2Nd Bomb Division, 8Th Air Force, Enroute To Bomb Enemy Installations Somewhere In Europe, 24 November 1944. 389Th Bomb Group.

On 6 March 1944 During The Bomb Run Over Berlin, Germany, Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" Of The 452Nd Bomb Group Opned Its Bomb Bay Door And Will Soon Be Directly Over The Target To Drop Another Load Of Bombs. B-17S Of The 452Nd Bomb Group, 8Th Af, Contin

Wreck Of The Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" "Little Miss Mischief" At The 91St Bomb Group Base In Bassingbourne, England.

Photo 2 of 3: FLAK OVER MUNSTER--A heavy defense thrown up by the Nazi around the important Railway Marshalling yards and repair shops at Munster, vital rail junction which handles heavy traffic to and from the industrial Ruhr. Despite this heavy

Bombs Away -- Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortresses" Worked With The Mediums Under The Air Plan Called "Operation Strangle", Designed To Choke Off All German Routes Of Supply Through Middle Italy.

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

Two Martin B-26 Marauders of the U.S. 9th Air Force drop their bomb loads on a German strong point seven miles west of Duren, Germany, during a recent attack in support of the U.S. first Army. Fifteen bombs are shown falling from the bomb-bays.

Formation Of Douglas A-20S Attached To The 410Th Bomb Group, Enroute To A Mission Over Enemy Territory In Europe.

Consolidated B-24 Liberators of the 8th Air Force strike at Hamburg, Germany's Rhenania-Ossag and Ebane Oil refineries, bombing through partial cloud cover, 21 November 1944. Despite the intense flak barrage, the Liberators dropped heavy

B-25 North American Mitchells on their way to attack the harbour and enemy transport at Split, Yugoslavia.

This Fighter Group Of Republic P-47 Thunderbolts In The 15Th Af In Italy Named Themselves The 'Checker Tails' And Painted Their Planes Accordingly. They Have Chalked Up An Enviable Record As Long Range 'Top Cover' For The Heavies Of The 15Th Af In Their

A large formation of flying fortresses of the Northwest African Air Forces fly over the Mediterranean on their way to bomb targets in Italy. (NAAF PHOTO).

Boeing B-17 raid on Stuttgart, Germany, 6 Sept. 1943: Pictorial views of single planes & formation, above clouds; etc. on B-17 raid on Stuttgart, Germany 6 Sept. 1943. Mission lasted 7 hours of which 5 hours were under oxygen. Photographer S/Sgt.

Douglas C-47S Towing Cg-4 Gliders On A Routine Mission Somewhere Over France. 12 March 1945.

PHILIPPINES--The first Consolidated B-32 Dominator to arrive in the Pacific comes to rest at Clark Field, where veteran Fifth AF personnel look on their first Very Heavy Bomber. This is the first appearance of the Dominator in any theatre of war

Transient Aircraft Lined Up At Nichols Field In The Philippine Islands, Prior To Air-Movement To Japan. 20 August 1945.

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses Of The 91St Bomb Group, 8Th Af, Enroute Towards Bremen, Germany, Fly High Above Heavy Cloud Banks At 27,000 Feet Altitude. 20 Dec. 1943.

THE GREATEST AIRBORNE INVASION IN HISTORY.---These transports, part of a force of 1500 transports and gliders, are flying toward the Rhine to drop paratroops in advance of the Rhine-crossing ground troops moving toward the Ruhr. This picture

Flak bursts perilously close to Fortresses of the US 8th AF during their attack on Berlin Wednesday. The American heavies were over the target area about two hours but not one enemy fighter came up to challenge them.

Formation Of North American P-51 Of The 15Th Af En Route To Escort Heavy Bombers To Their Target (Shot Taken From Beneath The Planes) Italy.

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

Brazilian Thunderbombers (Republic P-47's) of the First Brazilian Fighter Squadron take off on a mission to smack the hun in Northern Italy. All pilots are Brazilian, and all are volunteers.

Forts Ride Again...This Formation Of Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses Of The 452Nd Bomb Group Enroute To Blast German Targets In France As Part Of The General Plan To Pulverize All Vitally Important War Objectives. Dunkirk, France Was The Target Of This Mis

Wounded being taken from the aircraft by ambulances at a base airfield in Italy.

The German Communications Center Of Dinslaken, A Steel-Producing Town Overlooking The Rhine North Of Ruhr, Was Left Burning By 9Th Bomb Division Medium And Light Bombers Which Hit Roads, Rail Lines And Strong Points In The Town March 23, 1945 To Soften Up

Douglas C-47S, Attached To The 101St Airborne Division, Fly Over British Horsa Gliders Which They Have Dropped During Maneuvers In Berks, England. 6 January 1944.

A Formation Of Consolidated B-24 Liberators Of The 392Nd Bomb Group Wing Their Way Over A Blanket Of Clouds En Route To Bomb Enemy Installations In Bielefeld, Germany. 10 March 1945.

Bombs From 8Th Air force Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses Fall Toward Erfurt, Germany, 9 Feb 1945.

Formation Of Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses Of The 381St Bomb Group, Dropping Bombs Over Enemy Target Somewhere In Europe.

A Captured Japaneseanese Airplane With A Smashed Tail. Atsugi Airdrome, Japanesean. 5 September 1945.

DRAMA IN THE AIR. The story pictured here started as the result of a mission in which Fortresses of the U.S. Army 15th Air Force bombed the railway marshalling yards at Foggia, Italy. The picture at the top shows the formation of heavy bombers

Liberator Over Italy - After Bombing In Support Of The 8Th Army Drive In Northern Italy, This B-24 Liberator Of The U.S. Army 15Th Air Force Has Been Hit By Flak And The Force Of The Explosion Has Crumpled The Wing. The Big Plane Caught Fire And Plunged

Stick of bombs on Emden, Germany.-October, 1943.

Its job well done, this U.S. Army 8th Air Force Liberator bomber turns for home, leaving the Nazi airfield near St. Dizier on the Marne burning. This twin-engine fighter base in occupied France had been used by the Nazis as a defensive airdrome, from

A Lockheed P-38 Lightning Of The 94Th Fighter Squadron, 1St Fighter Group, Is Made Ready For A Mission At An Airfield Somewhere In Italy.

Romilly-sur-Seine, France mission-Sept. 15, 1943. Boeing B-17's heading toward target.

Their Mission Completed, These Huge Consolidated B-24 "Liberators" Of The 494Th Bomb Group, Head Back To Their Base From The Raid On Caballo And Corregidor Islands In The Manilla Bay Of The Philippines. February 1945.

Early in the big offensive on the Italian front these North American B-25 Mitchells of the First Tactical Air Force began smashing at enemy posts. They are winging their way over the Garigliano River, a short distance behind the American lines. The

Boeing B-17 'Hell Cat' Crash Landed. England.

Flying high above a blanket of fleecy clouds, a formation of 8th Air Force Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortresses" drones steadily on toward the target somewhere in Norway on 16 November 1943.

Formation Of Republic P-47 'Thunderbolts' Somewhere Over Europe. December 1944. 2Nd Bomb Division 8Th Air Force.

Heading For Its Target, The Vienna Lobau Oil Refineries In Austria, Are Bombs From One Of The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses Of The 15Th Af That Attacked This One Of The Few Remaining Sources Of Oil Left To The Hun In Europe On 7 Feb. 1945. Lack Of Oil Is

Bombs Away -- Missiles For The Transportation Facilities Of Muhldorf, Germany Go Down From A Consolidated B-24 Liberator.

A Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" Of The 91St Bomb Group Wings Its Way Towards An Enemy Target Somewhere In Europe. 10 June 1943.

B-17 Flying Forts Of The 8Th A.F. Over The Marshalling Yards At Salzwedel, Germany On 22 February 1945.

Made just a few seconds before the plane was hit by Nazi flak, this photo shows the Fortress "Lady Liberty," flying in formation over occupied Europe. The faces of the pilot, Lt. Ralph R. Miller, Chicago, the bombardier and navigator are plainly

Consolidated B-24 Liberators Of The 11Th Bomb Group, Warming Up Motors Prior To Take Off On Mission From Kwajalein, Marshall Islands, July 1944.

Tunisia-Her left wing and engine nacelle riddled by flak, this Martin B-26 "Marauder" of the U.S. Army Air Forces flies home to a safe belly landing after a bombing raid in Tunisia.

A Formation Of Consolidated B-24 "Liberators" Roars Toward Iwo Jima, Bonin Islands, Where They Will Strike Japaneseanese Installations On The Tiny Islands Halfway Between Saipan And The Japaneseanese Homeland. 21 October 1944.

The Consolidated B-24 'Red Ass' Is Shown To The Target For The Day -- Enemy Installations At Hanau, Germany - During A Raid On 10 November 1944.

The Douglas A-20 'Helen' Of The 410Th Bomb Group Lands At A Base In France, After Returning From A Mission Over Enemy Territory In Europe.

Camouflage Of A Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" Of The 92Nd Bomb Group, England. 26 May 1943.

Europe - Bulldozer Sweeps Up Odds And Ends Of The German Luftwaffe As A Lockheed P-38 Passes Overhead.

Martin B-26S Of The 42Nd Bomb Wing 'Homeward Bound' After A Successful Bombing Mission On Enemy Targets Somewhere In France.

Bombs dropped by Consolidated B-24 Liberators of the 15th Air Force burst on oil storage tanks near Giurgio, Rumania as part of the formation heads for home. 23 June 1944.

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

Pvt. Robert B. Carlson of Duluth, Minnesota, a member of the 310th Bomb Group, gasses a North American B-25 with a 4,000 gallon refilling unit at Berteaux, North Africa. 7 March 1943.

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses Of The 381St Bomb Group Leave Trails In The Sky As They Drone Steadily On Toward Wilhelmshaven, Germany On 3 Feb 44 To Strike Again At Enemy Installations.

Douglas A-20 'Havoc' (A/C No. 39716) Of The 410Th Bomb Group Crash-Landed At A 9Th Air Force Base In England. 28 May 1944.

Under Close Guard, German Prisoners Of War Are Marching To Work At An Airfield In Furth, Germany. 26 July 1945.

9th Air force North American P-51 "Mustangs" in flight formation.

Over quiet Mediterranean waters these 12th AF North American B-25 Mitchell bombers fly toward their buses on Corsica after bombs carried in these same aircraft and wrecked a German-used railroad bridge at Sacile, 40 miles north of Vernice, Italy on

Aircraft, Burma, India &BOMBLOADING War

Two North American B-25C'S Of The 42Nd Bomb Group Practice Skip Bombing On 13 August 1943. 13Th Air Depot Group, New Caledonia.

Bombs From The Consolidated B-24 Liberators Fall On Nazi Installations Somewhere In Europe, 24 November 1944.

Mines Parachuting From A Boeing B-29 "Superfortress" Over Japaneseanese Home Waters.

ITALY--Blasted wide open in the waist section by enemy flak, this 15th AAF Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress limped home 600 miles and with skillful piloting crash landed without additional injury to the crew.

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress "Patches" on shuttle raid to Russia.

The Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" 'Pella Tulip' Of The 381St Bomb Group Stationed At An 8Th Air Force Base Near Ridgewell, Essex County, England, 6 Sept 1944.

Personnel Of The 2Nd Base Air Depot Work On The Engines Of A Consolidated B-24 At Their Air Base In Lancashire, England. 25 February 1944.

Consolidated B-24 "Liberator" shell hit to Navigator's dome.

North American B-25 "Mitchells" Of The 77Th Bomb Squadron, 28Th Bomb Group, Fly In Close Formation Over Water Southeast Of Attu, Aleutian Islands. September 1943.

Gassed-up on the line. .. Awaiting test pilots of the 8th AF Service Command before being flown to Combat Stations.

Boeing B-17 Flying...

NINTH AIR force TROOP CARRIER COMMAND STATION, England--A Douglas C-47 transport towing a glider load of Yank airborne infantry is shown taking off from a Ninth Air force Troop Carrier Command station as additional troops pour into France

Consolidated B-24 England

Behind them a smoking gun position that has felt the power of their bombs, a force of U.S. Army 9th Air Force Marauders circles out across the invasion landing beaches following an early mission. Many such of these gun positions and transportation

Men Of The 390Th Bomb Group Inspect The Damage Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" (A/C 44-8844) Which Belly Landed At An 8Th Air Force Base In England. 12 April 1945.

The Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" "Stric Nine" A/C No. 229475 Of The 91St Bomb Group Wings Its Way Toward The Target - An Enemy Installation At Kiel, Germany - On 19 May 1943.

Martin B-26 Marauders soar serenely through a flak barrage sent up by Nazi AA guns situated on the channel coast of France, in a last fling at the planes who are returning from a medium altitude blasting of Nazi-held fighter airdrome near Lille.

A Row Of Bombs Dropped By Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses Of The 91St Bomb Group, 8Th Air Force, Falls Toward The Target At Croisette, France. 14 January 1944. (Altitude 12,000 Feet).

The Consolidated B-24 Liberator 'My Achin' Back' Is Parked Near The Water At An Airfield In Numana, Italy. 5 Oct. 1944.

Seriously wounded American soldiers are being evacuated to hospitals in Hawaii. This Air Transport Command Ship carries 30 patients as well as a doctor, flight nurse and crew. Palo, Leyte Is., P.I.Gp.

In Tight Formation Over Saipan, A Republic P-47, Lockheed P-38, And A North American P-51 Show What The Japaneses Can Expect To See In The Near Future Over Tokyo. P-47S Helped Take Marianas Bases From Which The P-38S Flew Strafing And Escort Missions To Help

A Consolidated B-24 Liberator bomber of the U.S. Army 13th Air Force hit by Japanese anti-aircraft fire, explodes over St. George's Channel, off New Britain Island, and falls flaming into the sea (left center) while another plane of the same formation

Rap Evacuates Wounded Partisans From Yugoslavia - Wounded Partisans Are Transferred From A Raf Dakota To A Waiting Ambulance At An Air Evacuation Centre, Somewhere In Italy. The Partisans Will Be Removed To A Base Hospital Where They Will Receive The Sam

Forts Ride Again...This Formation Of U.S. Army 8Th Air Force Flying Fortresses Are Enroute To Blast German Targets In France As Part Of The General Plan To Pulverize All Vitally Important War Objectives. Kerlin-Bastard Which Is The Large Base For German

Part Of The Cost Of Bombing Oranienburg -- Cannon Fire From A Messerschmitt Has Chopped Off The Wing Of This Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" As Us Army 8Th Air force Planes Strike Airdromes And 100-Building Ordnance Depot 18 Miles North Of Berlin. Nazi Me 262 Twi

The bomb bay doors on this Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress of the 15th Air Force were knocked out of order. Nevertheless, the bombardier released bombs that went through the disabled doors to the target below--the Tordinone Bridge in Northern Italy

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

Bombing Of Florence, Italy, By Martin B-26 Marauders Of The 12Th Air Force, Sometime In 1944. One Of The Marauders Shown Leaving The Smoking Target.

A vivid idea of the bitter defense put up by Berlin during the second American bombing raid on that city is this flak-filled sky. The planes in this photo are U.S. Army 8th Air Force Flying Fortresses.

High In The Sub-Zero Substratosphere Over Southern France, Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses Of The Mediterranean Allied Air Forces Etch These Vapor Trails Above A Blanket Of Clouds. The Fighter Cover Above Also Leaves Its Mark In The Enemy Sky.

Bearing Whole Blood For Wounded, Bottled In Brooklyn, A Transport Plane Lands On The Runway Of A 9Th Af Strip In Germany. Built By Aviation Engineers Of The Ix Engineer Command, The Field Is Used By A Republic P-47 Thunderbolt Group.

With parachutes billowing behind it, a Consolidated B-24 Liberator bomber piloted by Capt. Bill R. Adams of 629 Grant Road, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, comes to a stop on itshome runway after bombing the Manfried Weiss motor works in Budapest. The

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