World War II Bombing Missions

Historic aerial images of B-17 and B-24 bombers launching missions during World War II, showcasing formations against cold gray skies and cloud-filled backgrounds.

Northrop P-61 'Black Widows' In Flight. Saipan, Marianas Islands, January, 1945

Five miles up, with the temperature nearly 50 degrees below zero, 8th Air Force Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortresses" streak with cold-gray sky with feathery contrails as they release their bombs on the important rail facilities at Osnabruck, in support of

Consolidated B-24 Bombers Peeling Off For Landing After Having Bombed Anti-Aircraft Positions On Korror Island, Palau Group, Caroline Island. 1 May 1945.

A Formation Of Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortresses" Attached To The 91St Bomb Group In Bassingbourne, England, Fly High Above The Clouds On A Practice Mission On 25 September 1943. B-17's At The Bottom Of The Image Are From The 91St Bomb Group, Those At The T

Consolidated B-24 Liberators Of The 2Nd Bomb Division, 8Th Af, Enroute To Bomb Nazi Installations At Brunswick, Germany, 24 November 1944.

BERLIN, GERMANY-A LONE B-17 FORTRESS OF THE 452ND BOMB GROUP WINGS ITS WAY TO ATTACK BERLIN, and to get into the greatest air battle ever fought in the war against Germany. As it floats majestically along over fleecy cloud formations

Northrop P-61 'Black Widows' In Flight. Saipan, Marianas Islands, January, 1945

A Formation Of Douglas C-47S Of The 9Th Troop Carrier Command Wing Their Way Over Bastogne, Belgium. 23 December 1944.

High clouds covered the target over Germany.

B-29's Of The 497Th Bomb Group, 73Rd Bomb Wing, Based On Saipan Rush Into Smoke Cumulus Over A Japanese Target.

Rolling Stock For The Three German Fronts Took A Hammering On July 2, 1944, When The Mighty Liberators Of The 15Th Aaf Wrecked Railroad Yards And Repair Shops At Rakos, Near Budapest. Supplies For The Hard Pressed German Troops On The Russian, As Well As

New bombing technique used on Watten, Siracourt, Germany.

Striking in aerial cooperation with the 7th Army offensive into the Saar Palatinate, American Martin B-26 Marauders of the 1st Tactical AF leave gushing clouds of smoke hovering over the German town of Erlenbach, an enemy strong point in the Siegfried

On March 9 1944 During The Bomb Run Over Berlin, Germany, Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses Of The 452Nd Bomb Group Opned Their Bomb Bay Doors And Will Soon Be Directly Over The Target To Drop Another Load Of Bombs. B-17S Of The 452Nd Bomb Group Continually

Bombing Of Vienna, Austria, By Consolidated B-24 "Liberators" Of The 15Th Air Force On 10 September 1944.

North American P-51 Mustangs Fighters Escorting Boeing B-29 Superfortresses. Iwo Jima.

The Consolidated B-24 "Shack Bunny" of the 494th Bomb Group flies over the Gulf of Davao, en route to bomb Japanese installations around the Mintal Airdrome, located just a few miles west of the city of Davao on Mindanao in the Philippine Islands.

Curtiss P-40 "Warhawks" Of The 79Th Fighter Group, Based At Capodichino, Italy, Buzz The Field And Peel Off For Landing After A Mission.

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses Enroute To Their Target For The Day - Viterbo Airdrome, Italy - On 29 July 1943.

High In The Sub-Zero Stratosphere Over Germany, Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses Of The 452Nd Bomb Group Etched These Vapor Trails As They Droned Steadily On Towards Berlin, Germany, 22 March 1944. (Altitude 20,000 Feet). Taken By 1St Lt. C.L. Story Thru T

Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" Of The 15Th Af Leave A Pattern Of Vapor Trails As They Leave An Enemy Installation In Northern Italy.

Two North American B-25 airplanes "Mitchell" medium bombers of the Northwest African Air Forces wheel over German gun positions along the Volturno River, north of Naples, Italy. A long line of bombs from other planes in the formation may be seen

Bombs dropping from a B-26 Mitchell of the 12th AAF in the attack on Split, Yugoslavia.

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.

Consolidated B-24 Liberators of the US Army Air Force on their way to bomb Nazi installations at Kjeller, Norway. On Nov., 18, Consolidated B-24 Liberators of the US Army Eighth Air Force Bomber Command attacked the German repair and maintenance

Formation of North American B-25's and English Long Nose Blenheims. Western Desert, Egypt.

Bombing Of Oil Refinery At Budapest, Hungary, By Consoldiated B-24 "Liberators" Of The 15Th Air Force On 2 July 1944. Three Of The "Liberators" Shown Leaving The Smoking Target.

Consolidated B-24 Liberators over oil plant at Misburg, Germany, Sept 44.

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 8th Air Force flying toward the oil plant at Merseberg, Germany, 11/25/44, in one of the many attacks against Nazi oil sources. 381st Bomb Group.

Boeing B-17 'Flying Fortresses' Of The 92Nd Bomb Group. England, 25 August 1943.

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Formation Of Boeing B-29's Over Japanesean. 40Th Bg 58Th Wing

A Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" "Delta Rebel" Of The 322Nd Bomb Group, 91St Bomb Group Approaches The Landing Strip At Bassingbourne, England After A Successful Raid On Nazi Installations On 10 July 1943.

Flying ofrtresses of the 8th Army air forces flying at high altitude on way to German targets. Note condenstation trails from the engine exhaust in the wake of the planes. These conditions are encountered in high altitudes.

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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

A heavy concentration of Japanese vessels at Rabaul, New Britain was surprised and dispersed by a squadron of U.S. Air Force bombers in January 1943. Here, one of the Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortresses" is off on its death-dealing mission.

Martin B-26 Marauder of the 1st Tactical Air Force break sharply away from their target, while another flight of the speedy, twin-engined bombers nimbly dodges a column of smoke 8,000-feet high, rising from a Nazi fuel dump at Collecchio, in the Po

Like A Mass Of Chalk Marks, These Consolidated B-24 Liberators Leave Vapor Trails Behind Them As They Wing Their Way Onward To Plaster Another Enemy Installation. Italy.

Bombs Away! Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses Of 15Th Af Release Their String Of Bombs On The Airdrome At Lechfeld, Germany, 12 Sept. 44.

A Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" of the 8th Air Force limps along after its tail was hit by an enemy shell while flying toward the target at Gdynia, Poland, on 10 October 1943.

On March 16, 1945, Consolidated B-24s of the 494th Bomb Group, released their bombs on a Japanese Bivouac area five miles north of Saragana Bay, Mindanao, Philippine Islands. No anti-aircraft or interception was reported on this mission. Here, the

Returning from a mission, a Martin B-26 Marauder skids off the runway. As the plane plows through the snow-covered field, the nose wheel begins to buckle. Lacking forward support, the plane noses into the snow, coming to a halt. FRANCE.

Bremen, Germany. Boeing B-17s and Consolidated B-24 planes streaming through the upper air, trailing vapor plumes on their way over continent to Bremen. Note late model Flying Fortresses in foreground with new chin turret under its nose. 452nd Bomb

The Consolidated B-24 "Shack Bunny" of the 494th Bomb Group, leaves the target on Mindanao in the Philippine Islands, as it heads for home. March 1945.

U.S. 8th Air Force heavy bombers leave spider-like trails in the sky over Germany, 19 Oct 44, as they pass through a flak area on their way to Karlsruhe.

Lockheed P-38 Lightnings weave their vapor trails above a Boeign B-17 Flying ofrtresses of the 15th Air force as the Lightnings escort the ofrts on a mission to Linz, Austria, on 8 Jan. 45. The P-38's escort the heavies of the 15th Air force

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

8Th Af Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" Over Mannheim, Germany, 1 Feb. 1945.

U.S. Army 8th Air Force fighters streak through a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress formation to comb the sky for possible enemy planes as the big fellows fly on over northern Germany to attack transportation facilities. 96th Bomb Group.

Bombs Rain Down On German Escape Route -- Concentrating On Blasting Three Railway Centers In Dresden Area, Choke Points For Germans That Are Headed Southeast Into The Mountains, Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses Of Us 8Th Air force On April 17 1945 Blasted The Targe

Bombers And Fighter Bombers Have Been Out In Strength Laying Down Concentrated Patterns On Defended Areas And Gun Positions In Front Of The 5Th Army. A Constant Attack Is Being Maintained During The Daylight Hours By Usaaf Mitchells, Raf Baltimore, Saaf

Cloud Hopping To Frankfurt - With Breaks In The Clouds Affording Momentary Glimpses Of The Earth, These B-17 Flying Fortresses Of The 452Nd Bomb Group Wing Their Way Toward Frankfurt, Germany, To Take Part In A History-Making Attack. Taken 20 March 1944

Martin B-26 Marauders of the 9th Air force ride through a heavy barrage of flak to press home an attack on the Nazi transportation facilities in France. Faint vapor trails are just beginning to ofrm on the wing tips.

A Consolidated B-24 Liberator of the 15th AAF drops its load of bombs on the marshalling yards at Ploesti, Rumania in an attack on April 24, 1944.

LEAVING THE FORMATION--This B-17 Flying Fortress of the U.S. Army 15th Air Force has been hit by flak over the oil refinery at Ruhland, Germany. Immediately after being hit the bomber rolls over, completely enveloped in flames, and goes down.

Flak met Consolidated B-24 Liberators over Russelsheim, Germany.

Formation Of Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses, Of The 381St Bomb Group, En Route To Bomb Enemy Installations Somewhere In Europe.

Black Smoke From The Blazing Ploesti Oil Fields Can Be Seen Billowing Through A Layer Of White Clouds More Than 20,000 Feet Up, Following A Pounding By 15Th Air Force Bombers On 5 July 44. Silhouetted Against The Clouds In The Foreground Is A Formation O

A Formation Of Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortresses"Attached To The 91St Bomb Group In Bassingbourne, England, Fly High Above The Clouds On A Practice Mission On 25 September 1943.

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Consolidated B-24 Liberators Of The 8Th Air force Drop Deadly Loads Of Bombs On Enemy Installations Somewhere In Germany. Note Smoke Markers Just Behind The Bombs. 466Th Bg With 3 Aircraft From The 787Th Bs And 1 Aircraft From The 784Th Bs

Neumarkt Rail Yards -- White Streamers, From Smoke Bombs Dropped By A Lead Aircraft, Point Out The Target Far Below Where These 6 High Explosive Bombs Of Us 8Th Air force Will Hit The Marshalling Yards At Neumarkt, Germany. This Brings The Five Day Total Of Tar

A heavy concentration of Japanese vessels at Rabaul, New Britain was surprised and dispersed by a squadron of U.S. Air Force bombers in January 1943. The Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortresses," loaded with bombs for the Japaneses, spped through cloud-speckled skies

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses Of The 91St Bomb Group Approach Their Target At Osnabruck, Germany, For Another Destructive Raid On Nazi Installations On 22 Dec. 1943.

Bombing Of Linz, Austria, By Consolidated B-24 "Liberators" Of The 15Th Air Force On July 25 1944. (Photographed By Sgt. Irving Stern.) 451St Bomb Group.

Douglas C-47 'Skytrain' Towing American Gliders Loaded With Yank Airborne Infantry Heads For Axis Territory.

Formation Of North American B-25 Mitchells Of The 340Th Bomb Group Enroute To Their Target - Cassino, Italy, 15 March 1944.

During The Raid On The Marshalling Yards At Fortezza, Italy, On 20 April 1945, This Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" Of The 15Th Af Was Hit By Flak And Caught Fire. One Of The Greatest Flak Gun Concentrations Was Massed In Northern Italy Before The Germans

The Martin B-26 Marauder "Mild and Bitter", the pint-sized bombs painted on its fuselage represent 49 trips to enemy territory, heads for target on its 50th mission.

Three Of The Many Douglas C-47 Transports Of The Troop Carrier Air Division Of The 12Th Af Are Pictured Here In Formation Flight. These Hardy Planes Are Used To Carry Paratroopers And Tow Gliders, Important Factors In Present Day Warfare.

North American P-51 Mustangs Fighters Escorting Boeing B-29 Superfortresses.

A Formation Of Consolidated B-24 Liberators Of The 2Nd Bomb Division, Leave A Path Of Vapor Trails As They Wing Their Way To The Target Somewhere In Europe. 24 November 1944.

Photographed over the tail guns of a leading Fortress, these B-17s of the U.S. Army Air Forces are on their way to bomb military targets in southern France. Below them is the blue Mediterranean.

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses Of The 91St Bomb Group, 8Th Af, Are Part Of A Formation Enroute Towards Target At Brunswick, Germany. 30 Jan. 1944. (Altitude 22,000 Feet).

Boeing B-17, One In A Formation Of "Flying Fortresses"Of The 452Nd Bomb Group Enroute To Blast A Vital Target In Nazi-Occupied France As Part Of A Plan To Pulverize All Vitally Important War Objectives. Nazi Airfield At Bordeaux, France, Was The Target O

A Douglas A-20 Of The 410Th Bomb Group, Flies Above Clouds Entroute To Bomb Enemy Installation Somewhere In Europe.

Four 1,000 Pound Bombs Leave This North American B-25 Mitchell Over A Rail Bridge Near The Po Valley Industrial City Of Mantua In North Italy. The Link Is One That Has Been Destroyed By The 12Th A.F. North American B-25 Mitchells In Their Relentless Atta

Vapor trails mingle with fleecy clouds as a formation of Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortresses" wing their way toward the target somewhere in Norway on 16 November 1943.

B-17 returning from Trondheim, Norway. A flak hit left engine smoking.

Consolidated B-24 Drop Tons Of Bombs On The Nazi Airdrome At Orleans, France During A Raid On 14 June 1944.

History: Received April 1943. Official U.S. Navy Photograph W-TR-1-41191. Copied 10 February 1955.Category: Tokyo RaidSubcategory: GeneralSubjects: PACIFIC THEATER, TOKYO RAIDWar Theater Number: 23War Theater: West PacificUS Air Force Reference Number: 86091ACPlace: Pacific TheaterPhoto Series: WWII. 1940 - 1983. National Archives at College Park - Archives II (College Park, MD). Photographic Print. Photographs of Activities, Facilities and Personnel

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses Of The 381St Bomb Group, Flying Through Dense Clouds While En Route To Bomb Enemy Installations Somewhere In Europe. These Fortresses Are Stationed At An Airbase In England.

Consolidated B-24 airplanes against a background of flame and smoke of burning fuel pass into the target area, at extremely low altitude.

Formation Of Liberator Bombers Under Attack By Japanese Fighters In Kolono Bay Vicinity During Raid On Celebes Islands N.E.I. 8 Jan.1944.

Kuma class cruiser taking...

A Lockheed P-5 Of The 90Th Photo Reconnaissance Wing In Flight Over Italy.

TEARDROPS-P-51 Mustang Fighters of the U.S. Army 15th Fighter Command are seen in formation over Italy. Note the new teardrop canopy which gives the pilot near perfect visibility. 31st Fighter Group.

Bombs, Dropped By Martin B-26 "Marauders" Of The 386Th Bomb Group, Explode On An Enemy Installation Somewhere In France As B-26 Leaves The Target Area On 12 June 1944.

Hundreds Of Incendiary Bombs Shower From Boeing B-29's As The Superfortresses Wing Over Yokohama During The Daylight Raid Of May 29, 1945. About 500 Of The Huge Planes Took Part In The Raid Which, According To Xxi Bomber Command, Wrecked 6.9 Square Miles

BEACHHEAD LANDINGS. Men and assault vehicles storm the beaches of Normandy as Allied Landing craft make a dent in Germany's West Wall on 6 June 44. As wave after wave of landing craft unload their cargo, men move forward and vehicles surge

Landing Zones For Gliders Near Wesel, Germany Were Equally As Good As Those During Holland Invasion. This Photograph Was Taken By A 9Th Af Tac Rp-38 Pilot, Who Reported An Area Of Three Square Miles Dotted With Cg-4As And British Horsas.

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses Of The 452Nd Bomb Group Wing Their Way Over The Checkerboard French Countryside Toward Their Objective - Chateaudun, France. 8Th Air Force Continuous Poundings Of Nazi Vital Industries Helped To Draw The Iron Ring Around Ger

Gelsenkirchen, Germany, 27 miles west of Dortmund, on the Duisburg-Hamm railway has several times been the target of bombing missions of the U.S. Army 8th Air Force, out to blast Nazi communications into nothingness. Thunderbolt, Republic P-47, the

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North American B-25 Mitchells Of The 12Th Army Air Force Attack Enemy Supply Routes At The Port Of Ancona On The East Coast Of Italy.

A Heavy Overcast Covers The Land Below As Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses Of The 381St Bomb Group Wing Their Way Toward The Target In Enemy-Occupied Territory. Europe.

Heavy flak bursting around Boeing B-17's as they approach target, Dorneir Assembly Plant at Meulan, France. Flak barrage came up right thru clouds.

Twin Engine North American B-25S Of The 12Th Aaf Follow The Italian Coast Line On Their Way To A Target In Northern Italy. The Mitchells Have Been Striking Heavy Blows At German Communications Seriously Curtailing The Flow Of Supplies And Reinforcements

Screaming in low, only a few feet off the ground, 8th Fighter Command fighters shoot up rail transportation behind the lines in Nazi-held Europe. Rail transportation is vital to the supplying of the German war machine and so the fighters have been

Consolidated B-24 Liberators Of The 15Th Air Force Score Another Strike On The Enemy As They Bomb Railroad Yards At Castel Maggiore, Italy On 22 June 1944. A Formation Flies Over The Blazing Target.

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