January 20th, 1945, the first 4 units of RAF Gloster Meteor F3 jet fighters arrive in Melsbroek, Belgium to counter a possible threat by German Messerschmitt Me-262. They were all painted white for easy ID, a full squadron would be there by March that year.2mo ⋅ abt137 ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
Rare picture of a Westland Whirlwind with the nose section removed showing its 4x20 mm Hispano-Suiza HS.404 cannons.8mo ⋅ abt137 ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
Medical personnel look on as a B-17G Flying Fortress returning to England from a mission launches flares to indicate there are wounded on board3mo ⋅ jacksmachiningreveng ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
“Whistling Death”- U.S. Navy F4U Corsairs in flight over the South Pacific, 19438mo ⋅ Quick_Presentation11 ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
View from the front gunner position in a Luftwaffe Heinkel He-111 flying over Poland in the first days of WW2. September 1939.2yr ⋅ abt137 ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
B-17 from the 306th BG. Shot down by flak over St Nazaire on November 9, 1942. The entire crew was KIA.1yr ⋅ skipperbob ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
B-17 Flying Fortress Hell's Angels and the 358th Bomb Squadron [2000x1473]1yr ⋅ Atellani ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
Japanese G4M aircraft making a torpedo run against the American Guadalcanal-Tulagi invasion force, 8 Aug 19423mo ⋅ duncan_D_sorderly ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
An employee of the Heinkel aircraft plant in Rostock applies an identification mark to an aircraft. 1940 2mo ⋅ JCFalkenberglll ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
PBY Catalina on the Greenland ice-cap, 1943. Flown by Norwegian-born Bernt Balchen to rescue the crew of a crashed B-17. The first time a flying boat had been successfully belly-landed on ice. Balchen would later organize covert flights dropping supplies to the Norwegian Resistance.1yr ⋅ Madeline_Basset ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
There are some visually unpleasant aircraft in WW2, but the Fairey Battle conversions into trainers with 2 cockpits stand out for me.2yr ⋅ abt137 ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
F4U-1A Corsair flown by Lt(jg) Ira Kepford of Navy Squadron VF-17 at Ondonga Field, New Georgia, Solomons, 1944.5mo ⋅ duncan_D_sorderly ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
USS Manila Bay (CVE-61) en route from San Diego to Pearl Harbor, 24–31 August 1944, with 14 PBJ-1D Mitchells from Marine Bombing Squadron (VMB) 611 and three JM-1 Marauders. Manila Bay is camouflaged in Measure 32, Design 12A.6mo ⋅ Kens_Men43rd ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
RNZAF No. 6 Flying Boat Squadron pose in front of a PBY-5 Catalina (1944)1yr ⋅ Atellani ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
Original Caption: Fairchild C-82 cargo plane 'Truck Horse of the Sky' first war plane designed for hauling military cargo. Its specific function is to land and take off from rough fields in the battle zone with military cargo. Here, a tank is being loaded into the plane. circa 19452mo ⋅ JCFalkenberglll ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
Hawker Hurricanes of oN. 303 Polish Squadron of RAF, during World War II1yr ⋅ bottlecajole ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
The Tokyo Raid. B-25 on the deck of the USS Hornet, before launching the attack, also know as the Doolittle Raid [2000x1590]1yr ⋅ Atellani ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
RAF Douglas A-20 Havoc NF.II Turbinlite night fighter. Lacking airborne radars the idea was to have the plane guided to the enemy bombers by a ground radar and then use a powerful searchlight in the nose to illuminate them and open fire.1yr ⋅ abt137 ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
F4U Corsair from VMF-212 on Vella Lavella, January 1944. Note the special wheel chocks.3mo ⋅ skipperbob ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
U.S. Navy ordnance men prepare to load bombs on a Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina patrol plane at Adak, Aleutian Islands, Alaska (USA), circa in the spring of 1943.4mo ⋅ JCFalkenberglll ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
A B-25 over Korea, 1954. Photographer Phil Roeder's father took this photo while in Korea. (see comments)1yr ⋅ MyDogGoldi ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
The USS Thetis Bay (CVE-90) ferrying inoperable aircraft to NAS Alameda, 8 July 1944. Visible onboard are eight PBY Catalina flying boats, eighteen F6F Hellcat fighters, and a J2F Duck amphibious biplane.1yr ⋅ Greendragons38 ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
C-46 Commando's under assembly at one of the Curtiss-Wright factories in Buffalo, New York.1yr ⋅ Greendragons38 ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
Focke-Wulf Fw 190s sabotaged before being abandoned at Bad Aibling-Mietraching in Bavaria by retreating German forces in 19458mo ⋅ jacksmachiningreveng ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
The English bomber Vickers Wellington Mark IV BH-Z “Z jak Zoska” (Z1407) from the 300th Polish Bomber Squadron of the Royal British Air Force returned from a raid on Bremen, Germany on the night of September 4-5, 1942.5mo ⋅ JCFalkenberglll ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
Erco 250TH streamlined waist turret on the Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer2yr ⋅ jacksmachiningreveng ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
A pair of P-39s in flight over Niagara Falls, New York. It looks like they have the red circle, so this picture is 1941 or 1942.9mo ⋅ Kens_Men43rd ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
On the Eastern Front, the Ju 88C-6 was used primarily to attack trains, especially in the first half of 1943. False glazing was often painted on the nose of the aircraft so that the enemy would mistake it for a regular bomber. This machine belonged to 4.(Zerst.)/KG 76.2mo ⋅ JCFalkenberglll ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
Vanilla Coke makes for a good desert camouflage on this ME-109, doesn't it?1yr ⋅ sodacanmodels ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
North American Aviation worker getting a Mustang ready for delivery to the USAAF.3mo ⋅ Kens_Men43rd ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
S. Navy ordnancemen working on bombs amid Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat fighters parked on the hangar deck of the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown3mo ⋅ JCFalkenberglll ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
ME-210 or 410 camouflaged on the side of the autobahn near Munich, 19453mo ⋅ ResearcherAtLarge ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
USS Lexington. April 1942. Read the comments for who they are and their careers during and after the war.7mo ⋅ Kens_Men43rd ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
Consolidated C-87 44-39297. This version of the B24 was the cargo type.6mo ⋅ Kens_Men43rd ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
Mitchell B-25 Bombers (Doolittle Raid) on the deck of the USS Hornet, heading toward Japan in retaliation for Pearl Harbor. The Tokyo Raid, Colorized [2500x1839]1yr ⋅ Atellani ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
P-40 in Finnish markings after being captured from the Russians... 1943.8mo ⋅ skipperbob ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
(Original caption). The end of a Foke –WULF 190, 10/14/1943. It’s minutes were numbered when this German Foke-Wulf 190 got inside the sights of a gunner aboard a Royal Air Force Fighter Command squadron’s Typhoon. 2wk ⋅ JCFalkenberglll ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
Captain Edward F. Wilson of the 853rd Bomb Squadron was renowned for taking shots from his B-24 pilot's seat during his time serving with the 491st Bomb Group at RAF North Pickenham. These photographs were amongst the earliest 8th Air Force color shots taken in the UK, 1944.1yr ⋅ DiosMioMan63 ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
Free French B-26 Marauder cleft in twain by a direct flak hit in February 1945 during a raid over Karlsruhe1yr ⋅ jacksmachiningreveng ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
Kodachrome phoot of prewar livery F4F Wildcat. This bird was in production and active the entire war. Excelled in escort carrier duty, made several aces.1yr ⋅ parrotpoultry ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
Crashed Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat aboard USS Takanis Bay (CVE-89), probably 19457mo ⋅ Kens_Men43rd ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
Partly completed Heinkel He-162 Volksjager jet fighters in a salt mine at Tarthun (now Bordeaue), Germany, April 1945. (1200 x 854)1yr ⋅ Alien406 ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
Boeing B-29 (S/N 42-24623) Thumper at the Boeing Plant No. 2 on Aug. 7, 1945. This was the first aircraft to return to the USA after completing 40 missions and subsequently went on a bond-selling tour. The small “Rising Sun” flags denote a claimed kill of a Japanese aircraft by the gunners1yr ⋅ MyDogGoldi ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
Lieutenant Edward H. (Butch) O'Hare, USN, (left) and Lieutenant Commander John S. Thach, USN, shaking hands in front of a Grumman F4F Wildcat fighter plane at an Oahu air base, circa April–May 1942. Both men were assigned to Fighting Squadron (VF) 3, of which Thach was Commanding Officer.7mo ⋅ Kens_Men43rd ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
B-29 Superfortress pressurized cabins on the production line in August 19442yr ⋅ jacksmachiningreveng ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
Ju 88A-6 with all prop-blades shattered after clipping the sea.2mo ⋅ Natural_Stop_3939 ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
Prototype which was located at Grumman’s factory airfield in Bethpage, New York, was preparing for its inaugural flight. The aircraft had propeller spinners installed, which were later removed after initial flight-testing.1mo ⋅ Kens_Men43rd ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
One of the less known and more elegant biplane of WW2. The Beechcraft UC-43 Staggerwing used as courier, liaison plane and VIP transport by the USAAF, USN, RAF and Royal Navy.2yr ⋅ abt137 ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
B-17 E-Rat-Icator from the 452nd BG. The only original aircraft from the group to survive the group's entire tour of duty in Europe. Returned to the US and sadly scrapped.10mo ⋅ skipperbob ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
Any landing you can walk away from? F6F-3 #26 from VF-15 bent after a hard landing on CV-12 Hornet's shakedown, January 22, 1944. NARA/US Navy photo 80-G-3670822mo ⋅ ResearcherAtLarge ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
Boeing B-29A-45-BN Super-fortress 44-61784 6 Bombardment Group G 24 BS - Incendiary Journey June 1,1945 mission to Osaka, Japan.10mo ⋅ Westoaklane ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
The 5th ERS operated war-weary Republic P-47 Thunderbolts at Boxted. 1mo ⋅ JCFalkenberglll ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
B-17 Flying Fortress waist gunner all geared up in a pile of spent brass1yr ⋅ jacksmachiningreveng ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
Northrop P-61 Black Widows arriving on Iwo Jima in early March 19452yr ⋅ jacksmachiningreveng ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
Wellesley K7726 served with Nos 76, 47 and 148 Squadrons before being struck off RAF charge in July 1944. 1mo ⋅ JCFalkenberglll ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
P-40 with Flying tigers Livery at the Palm Springs Air Muesem1yr ⋅ Special_Constant3576 ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
P-38 Lightning and a captured Volkswagen VM Typ 166 Schwimmwagen. France, 1944 [1500X1041]3mo ⋅ Atellani ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
A Heinkel He-177 tries to take off to avoid destruction as its airfield is under attack by allied aircraft. Stuttgart area, April 1944.11mo ⋅ abt137 ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
American actor and US Army Air Force gunner Capt. Clark Gable (left) and co-pilot Lt. Col. Robert W Burns, both of the Boeing B-17 'The Duchess,' discuss their daylight bombing raid.2mo ⋅ Kens_Men43rd ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
US P-66 Vanguard fighters at an airfield in Karachi, India, 25 Oct 1942.5mo ⋅ Kens_Men43rd ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
Painting of a B-239 in combat with two Soviet P-39 lend lease.2wk ⋅ JamesMayTheArsonist ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
B-17G Fortress “Mizpah” took a direct AAA hit in the nose on a mission on 14 July 1944 to bomb the rail yards at Budapest. Boeing B-17G-35-BO Flying Fortress s/n 42-32109 840th Bomb Squadron, 483rd BG, 15th Air Force. The direct hit by AAA in the nose instantly killed the bomdadier and navigator.1yr ⋅ Westoaklane ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
A USN SBC-4 Helldiver and 3 USN F4F-3 Wildcats taking part in joint Army-Navy War Games over Louisiana in 1941 as part of the Red Forces.1yr ⋅ abt137 ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
Consolidated Vultee XP-81 powered by both turbojet (GE J33), and turboprop (GE TG-100), 1945 [2500×1876]3mo ⋅ Atellani ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
B-25 Mitchell Gunships in action at low level in the Pacific Theater2yr ⋅ jacksmachiningreveng ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
Eduard box art of Israeli Avia S-199 flown by Modi Alon attacking two Egyptian C-47s during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, by Adam Tooby [2048 x 1238]3mo ⋅ Nikolaevna ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
Crew 65 of the 755th Bombardment Squadron from the 458th Bomber Group in front of a B-24 at Horsham St. Faith, England, 19443mo ⋅ ResearcherAtLarge ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
Twin Vickers K mount in the starboard blister of a Consolidated Catalina serving No. 4 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit RAF on Loch Ryan5mo ⋅ jacksmachiningreveng ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
A r\re gathering of six Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses and a Consolidated B-24 Liberator at the Thunder Over Michigan airshow. (Photo by Norman A. Graf)1yr ⋅ yamsotter ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
RAF Handley Page Halifax heavy bomber undercarriage detail (Winston Churchill for scale)2yr ⋅ abt137 ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
Georgie's gal at the Liberty Aviation Museum in Port Clinton Ohio. I took a ton of photos while I was there if there's any interest let me know and I'll just post all of them.1yr ⋅ ThaddeusJP ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
An OS2U-3Kingfisher is lifted off the recovery sled and about to be swung aboard the battleship USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) on August 3 1943.1yr ⋅ Greendragons38 ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
The crew of the Lady Be Good... their B-24 went missing on April 4, 1943, and was found deep in the North African desert on November 9, 1958.6mo ⋅ skipperbob ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
German flak damage to the cockpit of an 8th AF B-17 Flying Fortress that returned to base from a raid over Berlin in spite of injuries to the flight crew in May 19448mo ⋅ jacksmachiningreveng ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
F6F Hellcat on a deck extension used to create more space on the flight deck.9mo ⋅ skipperbob ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
Three Browning M2 .50 caliber machine guns in the left wing of an F4U-1 Corsair fighter, Aug 11, 1942.2yr ⋅ SouthernEast7719 ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
Vought F4U Corsair accidentally takes off with a wing not locked, date and location unknown2yr ⋅ PapayaSF ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
A reminder of the size of the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt. Airmen for scale.2yr ⋅ abt137 ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
DH Mosquito performs a double launch during trials of the Highball bouncing bomb on Loch Striven in May 19442yr ⋅ jacksmachiningreveng ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
P-51B Mustang “Ding Hao!” and Maj James Howard (in cap) of the 356th Fighter Squadron at RAF Boxted, Essex, England, UK; early 1944.2mo ⋅ duncan_D_sorderly ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
Blackburn B-24 Skua carrier based dive-bombers. probably the main forgotten aircraft of the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm, their only dive-bomber until the Barracuda. The RN did not see so much in dive bombers, although they had some success sinking the German light cruiser Konigsberg for instance.5mo ⋅ abt137 ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
Captain Fumisuke Shono’s Kawasaki Ki-61-I Hei “Hien” fighter of the 244th Sentai over Tokyo Bay in February of 1945. This variant of the Hien known as the Hei model carried 2x wing mounted German made 20mm Mg151/20 cannons and 2x 12.7mm Ho-103 machine guns in the fuselage.1yr ⋅ Tenyearnotes ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
American Spitfires in the Mediterranean theater. USAAF 31st & 52nd Fighter Groups used Spitfire Mk IX until their replacement by P-51 Mustangs in March-Aprl 1944.1yr ⋅ abt137 ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
Last surviving Curtiss-Wright XP-55 Ascender, first flown 19 July 1943. National Air and Space Museum, Washington DC1yr ⋅ patriot-renegade ⋅ r/WWIIplanes
