MUSTANG FIGHTERS. This plane, the P-51, was originally made for the British and was used by the Royal Air Force as early as November 1941. The Army Air Forces started to use it in July 1942. The A-36 version of the P-51 was a fighter-bomber, and except for diving brakes and differences in armament, the two ships were alike. With the addition of wing tanks the P-51 became a long-range fighter used to escort bombers.
ITALY
LIBERATOR BOMBERS from Italian bases bombing the Munich area in southern Germany. Smoke-making generators in operation to blanket vital areas. Note black bursts of antiaircraft fare. Heavy bombers from Foggia could easily strike at the passes in the Alps and attack enemy installations and factories in southern Germany and Austria as these targets were closer to Allied bases in Italy than they were to those in England.
ITALY
LIBERATOR BEING SHOT DOWN by flak over the Po Valley in northern Italy. As the war in the Mediterranean progressed the size and effectiveness of the enemy air forces decreased, while the antiaircraft defenses increased and became more and more concentrated around the remaining enemy targets. As various enemy targets were damaged beyond usefulness, antiaircraft units defending them were sent to strengthen defenses around industrial plants still in production.
ITALY
FLAK-DAMAGED FUSELAGE OF A FLYING FORTRESS. This plane received a direct antiaircraft shell hit while on a mission over Hungary but managed to fly back to Italy where it collapsed on landing. In spite of damage to the bomber none of the crew was hurt.