WW2 USAAF Pacific photos Mustang operations Iwo Jima

An easier way to view them, along with many more. Again from the Mark Stevens website

http://www.7thfighter.com/gallery/NASM%20Photos/index.htm

It’s probably also due to a number of brave, 20-year-old pilots with two years total flying experience from first solo, maybe 500 hours logged, flying airplanes that today take some pretty seasoned experts to fly safely. If you are a pilot, try to remember what you were like as a kid with a couple of years in the air under your belt.

I have the logs of a 21st FG P51 Pilot. He arrived on Iwo with 472 total hours logged when he flew his first operational mission. Nice guess on times! 🙂

It’s interesting to compare the hours an RAF or USAAF pilot had early in the war when they first went into combat and those at the end. Things sure changed.

I have the logbook of a Canadian Spitfire pilot and he flew his first operational mission in Late December 41 with a total of 215 hours flying time.

I’d imagine those numbers were the exact opposite for Axis pilots with the higher numbers being early and few hours being later in the war.

Those appear to all be NARA photos and those Mark Stevens has collected over the years with his 7th AF Website.

http://www.7thfighter.com/albums/photos.htm

I couldn’t help but notice the amount of aircraft sitting on there belly’s? was this due to the awful looking runways and taxi ways or perhaps dog tired pilots after 8 hours in the air?

It’s probably also due to a number of brave, 20-year-old pilots with two years total flying experience from first solo, maybe 500 hours logged, flying airplanes that today take some pretty seasoned experts to fly safely. If you are a pilot, try to remember what you were like as a kid with a couple of years in the air under your belt.

Thanks for the kind words.
I received several e-mails concerning these photo’s.
They are back up, but you will have to log in too the new site.
Here’s a link http://www.axis-and-allies-paintworks.com/news.php
Regards Duggy.

Amazing photos, thanks!

Amazing photos, thanks!

Great photo’s! I couldn’t help but notice the amount of aircraft sitting on there belly’s? was this due to the awful looking runways and taxi ways or perhaps dog tired pilots after 8 hours in the air?

Great photo’s! I couldn’t help but notice the amount of aircraft sitting on there belly’s? was this due to the awful looking runways and taxi ways or perhaps dog tired pilots after 8 hours in the air?

All hail the P-51 Mustang !

Super collection of Mustang & B-29 photos on Iwo Jima….. much blood was spilled to make those photos possible . My fathers own Fourth Marine Division lost many men in this action . Wonderful clear & detailed photos of the Mustangs. I knew a pilot who flew many of those long escort missions over Japan and its outer islands.
Just knowing you had a long flight over water and enemy territory was very troubling for sure…long hours in the fighter and then having to fend off any Jap aircraft who came up to challenge the B -29’s !
Thanks for sharing …great photos….. ok I can handel the fact their not BlueNose Mustangs of the famed 352nd Fighter Group . Wish our govt could have saved all those P-51’s ………wow what a collection !

BlueNoser352!

All hail the P-51 Mustang !

Super collection of Mustang & B-29 photos on Iwo Jima….. much blood was spilled to make those photos possible . My fathers own Fourth Marine Division lost many men in this action . Wonderful clear & detailed photos of the Mustangs. I knew a pilot who flew many of those long escort missions over Japan and its outer islands.
Just knowing you had a long flight over water and enemy territory was very troubling for sure…long hours in the fighter and then having to fend off any Jap aircraft who came up to challenge the B -29’s !
Thanks for sharing …great photos….. ok I can handel the fact their not BlueNose Mustangs of the famed 352nd Fighter Group . Wish our govt could have saved all those P-51’s ………wow what a collection !

BlueNoser352!

Wow! Thanks for the post, what an incredible archive. I’ve never seen any of those photos before. It will take a while to process all the great details captured in those shots.

Wow! Thanks for the post, what an incredible archive. I’ve never seen any of those photos before. It will take a while to process all the great details captured in those shots.

Great post. Superb pics there.

Great post. Superb pics there.