B-25 Mitchell

These 491st Bomb Squadron maintenance personnel pose for a photo after preparing "Old 59" for its triumphant return to the USA. Wishing the plane a safe trip are Clayton E. "Fred" Nash, Wilbur Carter, Atkinson, Joseph A. Bicagalupo, Joseph F. Burns, Karl E. Hammett, center rear -- Frank Bates, William W. Byrant, Elmer M. Peterson, Arnold B. Christensen, Lloyd E...

Large bombs being loaded onto a B-25 Mitchell bomber in China during WWII.

"When this was taken the wind was blowing cold, some time last spring. The boy on the left, Butch, is from Woonsocket, and Nash is from Maine. Center: Frank Bates, China 1944."

Pete Bertani, Peterson, Frank Bates, unknown, posing before a B-25 Mitchell in a revetment in China, likely Yangkai.

Overview of the American airbase at Yangkai (Yangjie) during WWII. Frank Bates notes, "Looking west across the valley. The newest planes' tail numbers are 336 & 340 and piloted by Alexander & Brillhart. Yangkai Army Air Base, China, early 1944." The 22nd and 491st Bombardment Squadrons arrived in January 1944 and shared the base with the 373rd Bomb Squadron (B-24s)...

"Gas was flown in by 55 gallon drums and then transferred to the gas truck and from there to the planes. It was a miracle that we didn't have more problems than we did because as you can see there was no such thing as a filtering system.The system did work though."

A group of GIs poses before salvaged fuselage of B-24 bomber "Lady Luck II" at Ankang, China, during WWII: "This Is A Group Of 396th Guys I Think At Ankang, China. Kneeling: O'Connor, Wander, Hanson, and Caples. Standing: Euler, Schmidt, Besson, and Tacey."

"This is a picture of General 'Casey' Vincent's plane The Silver Slipper. The 396th prepared this plane for the General at Kwelin, China. Sgt. Joe Cooper of the 396th was crew chief of the plane. The two guys in the picture are Taylor on the left and Cooper on the right. Taylor was the radio operator on the plane."

Aircraft mechanics George Butsika, John Aspinwall, Clayton E. Nash, pose next to a B-25G of the 491st Bomb Squadron at Yangkai AB, China, shortly after the squadron arrived in January 1944. M/Sgt Aspinwall was the maintenance Line Chief, responsible for all 491st aircraft maintenance.

491st Bombardment Squadron personnel with shark-mouth B-25 bomber inside tidy revetment in China: Peterson, unknown, Konkolics (?), Larry Johnson, unknown, Silvernail (?)