World War 2 In Review

U.S. Navy Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat of Fighter Squadron 1 (VF-1) over California, in early 1943. VF-1 was redesignated VF-5 in July 1943.

U.S. Navy Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat (BuNo 41090) of fighter squadron VF-1 from Carrier Air Group 1 (CVG-1) serving aboard the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown (CV-10) in June-July 1944. During this period Yorktown took part in the capture of Saipan, 1st Bonin raid, Battle of the Philippine Sea, 2nd & 3rd Bonin raids, capture of Guam, and raids on Palau, Yap, and Ulithi.

Two mechanics crank the handle of a USAAF Bell P-39Q-1-BE Airacobra, at Hamilton Army Airfield, California, in July of 1943. The aircraft “Saga Boy II” (42-19447) belonged to Lt.Col. Edward S. Chickering, commander of the 357th Fighter Group. When the Group moved to Great Britain in November 1943, it was re-equipped with the North American P-51 Mustang.

Chaplain Ragan blesses the crew of B-17 bomber “Fifinella” of the 91st Bomb Group. The plane had already completed about 30 missions at the time this photo was taken. Fifinella flew 54 sorties before being shot down in August 1944.

Lockheed R5O-1 (4250) staff transport for the Secretary of the Navy. At San Francisco on August 4, 1941.

Robert S. Johnson in his Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, 13 April 1944.

Pan American Airways (PAA) Martin Model 130 Clipper “Hawaiian Clipper” (r/n NC14714, later “Hawaii Clipper”) in flight over the Golden Gate Bridge (under construction), departing San Francisco, California, on October 21, 1936, on the first scheduled trans-Pacific passenger flight.

Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers approach the burning Japanese cruiser Mikuma during the Battle of Midway, June 6, 1942.

Ensign Leif Larsen and rear gunner John F. Gardener in their Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless dive bomber.

After an incendiary bombing, a view of some of the damage in Tokyo, Japan in 1945. A strip of residential buildings remains undamaged, surrounded by ashes and rubble of neighboring structures burned or blasted to the ground.

Black cadets in training for the U.S. Army Air Corps, later become the famous Tuskegee airmen.

Dozens of F4U Corsair and F6F Hellcat fighter planes fly in formation over the USS Missouri, while the surrender ceremonies to end World War II take place aboard the U.S. Navy battleship, on September 2, 1945.

Douglas A-26 Invader.

Douglas A-26B Invader (43-22327) landing at an unidentified airfield.

Air raid wardens at a sector meeting in Washington, DC, discuss the zones they control during a practice air raid.

Making model airplanes for the U.S. Navy at the Armstrong Technical High School. Washington, D.C. March 1942.

Fairchild AT-21 Gunner.

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress being refueled from an RAF fuel bowser.

B-17 bombers of the U.S. Twelfth Air Force dropped fragmentation bombs on the important El Aouina airdrome at Tunis, Tunisia, and covered the airdrome and field completely. On the field below enemy planes can be seen burning, on February 14, 1943.

Luftwaffe nemesis. B-17F Flying Fortresses of the Eighth Air Force 390th Bomb Group over Europe; contrails made by their escort fighters curve through the sky above the formation.

Ground crewmen make a final check-up as ordnance men add fins to 2000 pound bombs prior to loading into a USAAF Boeing B-17 at a base in England. In the lower center, a Chevrolet M6 1½-ton 4x4 Bomb Service Truck is towing the bomb trailers.

Unidentified U.S. Army Air Forces crewman poses inside a Consolidated B-24 Liberator to demonstrate use of a portable oxygen unit, known as a walk-around bottle, designed for use while moving about in a plane at high altitude. The equipment is used with the A-10 mask and provides a 4- to 8-minute supply of oxygen, depending on the altitude and the activity of the user.

While on a bombing run over Salamaua, New Guinea, before its capture by Allied forces, photographer Sgt. John A. Boiteau aboard an army Liberator took this photograph of a B-24 Liberator during World War II. Bomb bursts can be seen below in lower left and a ship at upper right along the beach. January 1943.

Downed Consolidated B-24 Liberator of the 492nd Bomb Group after an aerial battle over Oschersleben on 7 July 1944. On 7 July 1944 a force of 1,129 B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-24 Liberators of the United States Army Air Forces Eighth Air Force set out from England to bomb aircraft factories in the Leipzig area and the synthetic oil plants at Boehlen, Leuna-Merseburg and Lützkendorf. This formation was intercepted by a German Gefechtsverband composed of IV.(Sturm) / JG 3 escorted by two Gruppen of Bf l09s from Jagdgeschwader 300 led by Major Walther Dahl. Dahl drove the attack to point-blank range behind the Liberators of the 492nd Bomb Group before opening fire. 492nd Bomb Group was temporarily without fighter cover. Within about a minute the entire squadron of twelve B-24s had been destroyed. The USAAF 2nd Air Division lost 28 Liberators that day, the majority to the Sturmgruppe attack. IV./JG 3 lost nine fighters shot down and three more suffered damage and made crash landings; five of the unit's pilots were killed.

A B-25 bomber of the U.S. Army 5th Air Force strikes against a Japanese ship in the harbor at Rabaul, New Britain during an air raid on the Japanese-held air and naval base. November 2, 1943.

A B-25 Mitchell bomber takes off from the USS Hornet’s flight deck for the initial air raid on Tokyo, Japan. President Roosevelt had answered a reporter’s question by saying that the raid came from a base called “Shangri-La” in playful allusion to the mythical country of James Hilton’s novel, Lost Horizon. For a year the world knew no more than that. April 18, 1942.

Artist painting artwork on nose of a North American B-25 Mitchell bomber.

North American PBJ Mitchell, Marine unit, Guam.

Loading practice bombs on a bomb trailer onto a USAAF B-25.

US Army Air Forces Martin B-26B Marauder “Dee-Feater” (X2-A; 42-96142) of the 596th BS 397th BG 9th AF with D-Day invasion stripes.

Martin B-26 Marauder (41-31669).

Martin B-26B Marauder (41-17876) USAAF.

This June 6, 1944 photo shows B-26 Marauders flying toward France during the D-Day invasion.

This memorandum informs the Army Chief of Staff that another atomic bomb would be available for delivery on August 17 or 18, 1945.

This picture made from the town of Yoshiura on the other side of the mountain north of Hiroshima, Japan, shows the smoke rising from the explosion of the atomic bomb at Hiroshima. It was picked up from an Australian engineer at Kure, Japan. Note the radiation spots on the negative caused by the explosion of the A-bomb, almost ruining the film. August 6, 1945.

This desolated area, with only some buildings standing here and there is what was left of Hiroshima, Japan after the first atomic bomb was dropped. September 3, 1945.

Only days after the bombing of Hiroshima, the second operational nuclear weapon was readied by the U.S. Called “Fat Man”, the unit is seen being placed on a trailer cradle in August of 1945. When the Japanese still refused to surrender after Hiroshima, U.S. President Truman issued a statement saying in part “If they do not now accept our terms, they may expect a rain of ruin from the air, the like of which has never been seen on this earth.”

“Fat Man” was dropped from the B-29 bomber Bockscar, detonating at 11:02 AM, at an altitude of about 1,650 feet (500 m) above Nagasaki. An estimated 39,000 people were killed outright by the bombing a further 25,000 were injured.

Terraced hillsides surrounding Nagasaki did little to lessen the destructiveness of the bomb dropped on this Japanese city. The city was almost completely destroyed except for a lone house standing here and there. August 9, 1945.

An arrow marks the spot where the A-bomb struck at Nagasaki, Japan. Much of the bombed area is still desolate, the trees on the hills in the background remained charred and dwarfed from the blast and little reconstruction, except of wooden shacks as homes, has taken place. August 10, 1945.

The expanding fireball and shockwave of the Trinity test explosion, seen .025 seconds after detonation in the New Mexico desert on July 16, 1945.

C-47's dropping supplies for Bastogne.

A massive column of billowing smoke, thousands of feet high, mushrooms over the city of Nagasaki, Japan, after an atomic bomb was dropped by the United States. A B-29 plane delivered the blast killing approximately 70,000 people, with thousands dying later of radiation effects. The attack came three days after the U.S. dropped the world’s first atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The attacks brought about Japan’s unconditional surrender. August 9, 1945.

USAAF bomb trailer at a B-26 air base.

A crew of observers on the Empire State building, during an air defense test, on January 21, 1941 in New York City, conducted by the U.S. Army. Their job was to spot “invading enemy” bombers and send information to centers which order interceptor planes. The tests, to run for four days, covered an 18,000-square-mile area in northeastern states.

20th Pursuit Group P-36As, March Field, California (PT marking P for Pursuit and T for 20th letter in alphabet, note 20th PG shield on side of aircraft). 7 November 1939.

20th Pursuit Group P-36s, Moffett Field, California, 1 July 1939.

LBD-1 Gargoyle.

Curtiss P-36, USAAC.

Curtiss P-36 from Wright Field.

Curtiss P-36 Hawks, 32nd Pursuit Squadron, Ponce Airfield, Puerto Rico, 1941.

General Dale V. Gaffney is greeted during an inspection trip in 1944 by Colonel N. S. Vasin, the Russian delegation leader in Fairbanks.

American Red Cross Clubmobile somewhere in Great Britain. American Army Air Force personnel relaxing after a sortie with coffee and doughnuts. To the right one can see the nose of the Boeing B-17E 41-9020 Flying Fortress “Phyllis”, initially stationed at RAF Polebrook before joining the 92nd Bomb Group, 327th Bomb Squadron, at Bovington in 1942. The aircraft also served with the 97th Bomb Group, 340th Bomb Squadron, and the 303rd Bomb Group.

Another view of the American Red Cross Club mobile with B-17E “Phyllis”.

Another view of “Phyllis” with a Red Cross woman passing out donuts to airmen and ground crews.

Interstate BQ-4 assault drone prototype, circa 1944.

North American BT-9A, March 17, 1941.

Vultee BT-13 Valiant, circa 1942.

USAAC 1st Lieutenant standing in front of Vultee BT-13 Valiant basic training aircraft on the ground, at an unidentified flying school somewhere in the United States, circa 1943.

Beechcraft GB-1 Traveler, U.S. Navy, circa 1939.

Beechcraft D17 Staggerwings under construction.

Beechcraft GB-1 Traveler in U.S. Navy service.

Beechcraft UC-43 Traveler (43-10859), USAAF.

Beechcraft UC-43 Traveler (43-10828), USAAF.

B-25 Mitchell bomber broke in half from rough landing approach.

Vultee BT-13 Valiant.

Vultee BT-13 Vibrator (40-1190), the 300th BT-13 built, last of the first batch.

American C-24 (32-287), Oakland Airport, 1936. From Gray Field, Washington.

Beech GB-2 Traveler, US Navy, 01626. Already famous by 1937, the Beech "staggerwing" Model 17 was first purchased by the Navy in 1937. Designated JB-1, it served as a staff transport for two years. In 1939, the Navy purchased ten Beech D-17s, designating them GB-1s. In all, 360 of the aircraft, 342 of them GB-2s powered by up-rated engines, were purchased by the Navy to use as executive transports and for transporting ferry pilots to factories around the country to deliver new aircraft to the fleet.

Beech D17S GB-2 Traveler, US Navy, NAS Pensacola, Warrington, Florida, ca. 1942-45. Developed by Beech in 1934, the unique "staggerwing" was an instant success in general aviation, and became a valuable asset to the Navy as an executive transport. One of the aircraft, a Beech Model C-17R, was purchased and served in this capacity for two years. In 1939, the Navy purchased ten D-17 models, designating them GB-1s, and acquired eight more impressed from civil sources. The GB-1s were powered by the Pratt & Whitney R-985-48 engines of 400 horsepower. Following that, the Navy purchased a total of 342 GB-2s powered by the R-985-50 engine of 450 horsepower. Named "Traveler," the GB-2 served as both a liaison aircraft and as a transport to take ferry pilots to aircraft factories around the U.S. for pickup and delivery of new aircraft to the fleet. Some were also given to Britain under Lend-Lease for use as liaison aircraft.

Beech YC-43 Traveler (39-139), USAAF. In late 1938, the Air Corps evaluated the Beech Model D17S for possible use as a light liaison aircraft. Three aircraft were purchased and designated as YC-43s. The distinctive five-place biplane featured negatively staggered wings - the lower wing was forward of the upper wing. The plane also had retractable landing gear and a minimum of drag-producing wing supports which combined to give the YC-43 a cruising speed of about 200 miles per hour. After a short flight test program, the YC-43s were sent to Europe to serve as liaison aircraft with the US Air Attachés in London, Paris and Rome. 39-139 while assigned to the American Embassy in London, England.

U.S. Army Air Forces Beechcraft UC-43 Traveler (43-10859), circa 1944.

Beech YC-43 Traveler (39-139), USAAF.

Four U.S. Army Air Forces Beechcraft UC-43 Traveler aircraft, in early 1943 (the nearest plane is 43-10828). The photo was probably taken on delivery, as seven U.S. Navy GB-2 versions are visible in the background.

U.S. Navy Beechcraft GB-2 Travelers lined up, in early 1943.

Beechcraft UC-43 Traveler (43-10828), USAAF.

Beechcraft UC-43 Staggerwing, USAAF.

Beechcraft UC-43 Traveler (43-10828), USAAF.

Unidentified Beechcraft UC-43 Traveler accident, with "895" on the tailplane. It has the white tailplane required for SWPA single-engined aircraft. The tall palm trees indicate possibly New Guinea or Solomons. 895 does not correspond with any UC-43 USAAF serial and the "5" appears to be painted larger. During 1943 a number of UC-43 wartime military production models were shipped to the Fifth Air Force in Australia from Fort Mason, San Francisco which was the US Army's principal port for the Pacific campaign.

Beechcraft 17 Staggerwing.

A weapons carrier is loaded aboard a C-46 transport which will fly it over the “Hump” to China.

After the defeat of Axis forces in Northern Africa, Allied troops prepared to use the territory to launch attacks on Italy and other parts of southern Europe. Here, a U.S. Air Transport Command plane, loaded with war supplies, flies over the pyramids at Giza, near Cairo, Egypt, in 1943.

Douglas C-47 Skytrains in flight during training at Sedalia Army Air Field, Warrensburg, Missouri, 1944.

A wounded U.S. Marine is given a plasma transfusion by nurse Mae Olson aboard an aerial evacuation unit, over Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands. June 4, 1943.

American paratroopers, heavily armed, sit inside a military plane as they soar over the English Channel en route to the Normandy French coast for the Allied D-Day invasion of the German stronghold during World War II, June 6, 1944.

U.S. paratroopers fix their static lines before a jump before dawn over Normandy on D-Day June 6, 1944, in France. The decision to launch the airborne attack in darkness instead of waiting for first light was probably one of the few Allied missteps on June 6, and there was much to criticize both in the training and equipment given to paratroopers and glider-borne troops of the 82nd and 101st airborne divisions. Improvements were called for after the invasion; the hard-won knowledge would be used to advantage later.

Douglas C-47 cargo plane on airstrip at Waller Field, Trinidad, British West Indies. April 1943.

Douglas C-47s on the maintenance line at Waller Field, Trinidad, where Air Transport Command planes that fly the Caribbean Division route are checked and double-checked after every round trip. More than 40 repair docks line the mile and a half runway, where work goes on 24 hours of the day and night.

Air Transport Command Douglas C-47s of the Caribbean Division get the once-over from nose to tail to keep them in perfect condition for the run from Natal, Brazil, to Miami, Florida.

Members of the 2nd Service Group load a transport plane at an air base somewhere in Iceland. 23 February 1944.

Wreck of Douglas C-47 (41-18514), 2nd Service Group, which crashed somewhere in Iceland. 11 August 1944.

Another view of wreck of Douglas C-47 (41-18514), 2nd Service Group, which crashed somewhere in Iceland. 11 August 1944.

Noorduyn UC-64 Norseman, USAAF (43-5113), February 9, 1943.

Noorduyn UC-64 Norseman (43-5121), USAAF, floatplane version.

U.S. Army Air Forces Noorduyn UC-64A Norseman (44-70439) from the 3rd Air Commando Group, circa 1944-45. The 3rd ACG operated mainly in the Philippines from May 1944 until it took part in the occupation of Japan in September 1945.

Noorduyn YC-64 Norseman Mk. IV (42-5046), U.S. Army Air Forces. Carterville Airport, St. Laurent, Province of Quebec, Canada, 1941.

Noorduyn C-64 Norseman (43-5396).

Noorduyn C-64 Norseman under various stages of construction, November 4, 1944.

U.S. Navy drones available in 1945.

Page 25 of Bladesman magazine, September 1944, a bi-monthly periodical published by the Curtiss-Wright Propeller Division, Caldwell, New Jersey. Illustration by F. Soltesz, “South Pacific Service Station,” depicts two ground crewmen attaching a new blade to the propeller of a Grumman F4F Wildcat on the ground while two other Wildcats fly past in background; the damaged blade, shot through with bullet holes, is seen on the ground at left foreground.

Technical Sgt. R.W. Greenwood, a Marine, sits in the cockpit of a Grumman F4F Wildcat fighter plane, based at Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, that is credited with shooting down 19 Japanese aircraft, as illustrated by the number of Japanese flags on his plane. Several different pilots have flown the ship during successful missions, but Sgt. Greenwood has remained plane captain. March 22, 1943.

Goodyear F2G-1 Corsair.

With a 500 pound bomb slung underneath their bellies, a squadron of U.S. Marine F4U fighter planes are ready to take off at a Central Pacific base for another attack on the Japanese.

A mechanic hoists up the tail of this F4U at an airstrip on Guadalcanal in order to align the plane’s guns properly.

The F4U-4 was powered by a 2,450 horsepower engine and flew at speeds of 446 miles per hour. It was armed with six .50 caliber machine guns and two 1,000 pound bombs or eight 5 inch rockets. It had a span of about 41 feet, a length of 33 feet, and a height of 15 feet.

F4U fighters of VF-17 “Jolly Rogers.”

An F4U-5 night fighter, armed with four 20-mm AN-M cannon with flash hiders to protect the pilot’s night vision.

An F4U Corsair lands on the flight deck of a carrier spewing burning fuel.

F4U Corsair “29” of VF-17, the “Jolly Rogers.”

F4U Corsair. Note the “Jolly Rogers” unit insignia on the cowling.

An F4U Corsair coming in for a landing on board the flight deck of a carrier.

F4U Corsairs are loaded onto a barge which will ferry them to the carrier in the bay. The aircraft were land-based Marine fighters and thus could not be flown onto the carrier. The national insignia has the red surround, dating this photograph to mid-1943.

Consolidated A-11.

Consolidated A-11, serial number 33-211, the last A-11 built.

Lockheed A-29, 1st Photographic Reconnaissance Group, USAAF, Alaska, 1941.

With the towering 20,300 feet peak of Mt. McKinley as a backdrop, a formation of U.S. Army Air Force Lockheed A-29 Hudsons drone along on the alert in defense in Alaska on November 5, 1942.

Vultee A-35 Vengeance US Army Air Forces. This is a target tug conversion with all armament removed. It's difficult to determine whether it's an A or B model.

Vultee A-35B Vengeance (42-101465) US Army Air Forces.

Working on the horizontal stabilizer of a Vultee A-31 Vengeance dive bomber at the Consolidated-Vultee plant in Nashville. February 1943.

A woman drills parts for a dive bomber at the Vultee Aircraft Corporation factory in Nashville, Tennessee, in February 1943.

North American A-36A Invader.

Lt. Joseph Kennedy, Jr., was flying the first Navy Aphrodite mission on 12 August 1944 when the modified Consolidated B-24 Liberator he was flying exploded suddenly while over the village of Hinton, England, killing both Kennedy and his co-pilot, Wilford Willy.

General Henry H. Arnold arrives at an air base somewhere in Iceland, 7 September 1943.

Beechcraft AT-7 Navigator trainer aircraft.

Curtiss AT-9A Jeep US Army Air Corps.

Beech AT-10 Wichita US Army Air Forces.

Beech XAT-10A Wichita (42-2272 c/n 2815) US Army Air Forces, the sole AT-10 experimentally fitted with a V-tail in 1945, hence it was redesignated XAT-10A

Beech AT-10 Wichita (41-1739, 41-1740, 41-1743) US Army Air Corps.

Republic AT-12 Guardsman (2PA-204A).

AT-12 Guardsman twin-seat trainer. The AT-12 was derived from the twin-seat Seversky 2PA. All AT-12s were originally 2PAs that didn't get exported abroad—the leftovers. These remaining aircraft, of which there were 50, were handed over to the U.S. Army Air Corps (late-1930s). The AT-12s were rearmed with a combination of .30 cal and .50 cal machine guns.

Cessna AT-17 Bobcat advanced trainer.

On Monday, August 6, 1945, a mushroom cloud billows into the sky about one hour after an atomic bomb was dropped by American B-29 bomber, the Enola Gay, detonating above Hiroshima, Japan. Nearly 80,000 people are believed to have been killed immediately, with possibly another 60,000 survivors dying of injuries and radiation exposure by 1950.

Douglas XB-42 Mixmaster first prototype. Nose view of the first prototype shows the twin bubble canopies to advantage. Both XB-42 aircraft were originally built with the canopies, but they were disliked. The second aircraft was later modified with a more conventional canopy.

Douglas XB-42 Mixmaster second prototype 43-50225. An unusual view of the second prototype (43-50225) that displays the aircraft’s slotted flaps and uncommon main gear retraction that required the legs and wheels to rotate 180 degrees into the fuselage sides. Also visible are the wing guns and revised leading edge inlets, both features exclusive to the second prototype.

Two Allison V-1710 engines connected to the V-3420 remote gear reduction for the contra-rotating propellers as used on the Douglas XB-42 Mixmaster. The power system accumulated over 600 hours on the test stand and never caused serious issues during the XB-42 program.

Rear view of the second Douglas XB-42 Mixmaster prototype shows the ventral tail and rudder. Note the oleo-pneumatic bumper on the tail and its minimal ground clearance. The wing guns and new canopy are just barely visible.

Front view of the second Douglas XB-42 Mixmaster prototype illustrates the aircraft’s revised canopy. The canopy on production aircraft would have been similar but more refined. Again, note the tail clearance and wing guns.

The guns in the left wing of the Douglas XB-42 Mixmaster are seen aimed 30 degrees up and 25 degrees inboard. Only the second aircraft was fitted with the guns, and they were never tested. Note the snap-action doors that covered the guns. When open, the doors increased the XB-42’s directional stability, resulting in additional rudder force to give the desired yaw.

Rear view of the Douglas XB-42 Mixmaster.

The Douglas XB-42 Mixmaster had a unique design that provided very good performance. However, it was too late for World War II and too slow compared to jet aircraft. The first prototype (43-50224) is seen with its short tail on an early test flight.

The Douglas XB-42A Mixmaster makes a low pass over Muroc Air Base during an early test flight. Note the exhaust stains above the wing and the oil stains below the wing. The aircraft was outclassed by other jet aircraft, including its XB-43 cousin.

Laister-Kauffmann XCG-10A (SerNo 42-61100).

Laister-Kauffmann YCG-10A (SerNo 45-44452).

Laister-Kauffmann YCG-10A.

Waco XCG-13 prototype troop and cargo glider, 43-43915.

Douglas XO2D-1 BuNo 9412 US Navy with unidentified U.S. warships.

Kellett XO-60 (42-13609) leaping off the ground in a jump take-off. The shaft running diagonally from the engine to the rotor mast transmitted power to the rotors for the jump take-off. Once airborne, the rotor drive was disengaged and the blades rotated from movement through the air.

Curtiss XP-46.

Northrop XP-56 (42-38353).

The first prototype XP-56 (41-786). Note the dramatically shorter dorsal fin. Destroyed 8 October 1943 when a tire failed during a high speed taxi test.

The first prototype XP-56 (41-786).

Curtiss YA-10 Shrike (32-344) US Army Air Corps.

Northrop YB-35.

American Air Power in View