P. 2 of U.S.A.A.F. Medium Bomber Groups, South Pacific, WWII

   Shown below are photos of American aircraft, mostly B-25 Mitchell Bombers, and personnel in the 38th & 345th Bomber Groups of the 5th Army Air Force and the 42nd Bomber Group, 13th A.A.F. during World War Two. There are even a few shots of B-25s in the 5th AAF's 3rd Attack Group. These photos tell a story. It is one of young men who left their homes and families in America to go to distant lands and fight, and die, for Freedom.
   It was to try and preserve the memory of their sacrifices that led me to collect old photos and negatives of the conflict known as WWII. It became a more compelling passion as the years went on. Relatives of many American warriors who are named on these pages have contacted me with corrections and some with purchases of prints to remember the deeds of a family member. Some who have bought prints, and offered corrections, have just had a compelling interest in historic deeds well done and studying them. To all I say "Thanks very much."
   I am offering custom made photographic enlargements or high-quality digital scans of these historic photos for sale. Read on to learn more.
   Please read the caption to see what each photo is of.
   If you want to see a larger version of the photo please click on the image.
   Some of these photos are from original negatives, others are from high quality copy negatives.
   Photos copyrighted by Sea Bird Publishing, Inc. are noted. All photos are from the collection of Sea Bird Publishing, Inc.
   If you are maintaining a .org WWII website to remember the veterans and their heroic deeds and want a free 72dpi image of any of these photos please use the links to access the larger versions and use them. Please give credit for the photo(s) to Sea Bird Publishing, Inc. and include a link to this page.
The Sea Bird Publishing, Inc. logo DOES NOT appear on finished photographic enlargements. I added it to the scans only.
   New 8"x10" B&W digital enlargements are $15.00.
   Enlargements from my color photos are $18.00 for an 8" x 10".
   Scans are $12.50 each irregardless of size. I can attach them to email (if there aren't many), FTP them to a site of your choice or burn a CD and mail it ($10.00).
   Enlargements or scans of copyrighted photos are sold with one time worldwide re-print rights only.
   In the USA priority mailing of carefully packed photos, with tracking, is $5.50 for up to a pound of prints. That's about twelve 8"x10" photos. Your photos can also be shipped first class if you prefer. Request first class for mailing quote.
   Use the web page name and number of the scan below to order.
   Sea Bird Publishing, Inc. accepts Master Card, Visa, American Express or Discover and from anywhere in the USA you can call your order in on our toll free line 877-727-0801 between 8am and 6pm Eastern Standard Time, Seven Days a Week. You can also send me an email (click here) with the print numbers you want and mail me a money order or cashier's check for payment.
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   Thanks for stopping by and checking out the photos. Be sure and check out the other pages of photos in this web site (links are at the bottom of the page).
   Here are some links to very informative web sites you can go to learn more about the aircraft shown below and the men who flew them.
3rd Bombardment Group
Pacific Wreck Database
Aerothentic Publications, The U.S. 5th Air Force experts
5th AAF, 38th Bomb Group Site
13th AAF, The Jungle Air Force
13th AAF, 42nd Bomb Group Page
Joe Baugher's Home Page (Great lot of Aircraft serial number links)
The Air Force in WW II
The WWII Fighter Gun Debate (incredibly informative)

Photo 1. From a copy negative. B-25s of the 38th Bomb Group wreak havoc upon Galela Drome in Dutch New Guinea. Several Japanese aircraft are visible in the photo.	Photo 2. Enlarged from photo 1. Enlarging the photo shows two Japanese aircraft at Galela Drome, Dutch New Guinea.	Photo 3. Still more detail from photo1. Further enlarging the photo shows that one of the aircraft is a Kawasaki KI-45 "Toryu" (Dragon Slayer) Allied code name "Nick" twin engine fighter with a weird camo scheme.
Photo 4. From a copy negative. B-25s of the 38th Bomb Group, 71st Bomb Squadron (The Wolfpack) rain parafrags upon Kagi Town, Formosa.	Photo 5. From a copy negative. Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" about to receive incendiary para-frags courtesy of a 5th AAF B25.	Photo 6. From a copy negative. 5th AAF bomb damage to Bogadjim Road in New Guinea. ca.1943.
Photo 7. This clearly shows the destroyed bridge on Bogadjim Road in New Guinea.	Photo 8. From a copy negative. Japanese Sub-chaser #23 about to be destroyed by 500 pound bombs dropped from a B-25 Mitchell in the 5th AAF, 345th Bomb Group (Air Apaches), 500th Bomber Squadron flown by Lt. Thane Hecox. Vunapope Harbor, New Britain, October 18, 1943.	Photo 9. From a copy negative. Shot one of a two shot sequence showing a skip bomb and strafing attack by B-25J Mitchells in the 38th Bomb Group off the island of Formosa, ca.1944. Spray kicked up by the skipping 500 pound bombs and .50 cal. machine guns are plainly visible. The dark semicircle at the top of the photo is the tail skid on the B25 that the photo was taken from.
Photo 10. From a copy negative. Shot two of a two shot sequence showing a skip bomb and strafing attack by B-25J Mitchells in the 38th Bomb Group off the island of Formosa, ca.1944. Note that the aircraft has 12 forward firing .50 cal. machine guns.	Photo 11. From a copy negative. Aircraft in the 38th Bomber Group execute a "Happy Hearted Arsonists Association ... Session" upon an Imperial Japanese Navy Seaplane, an Aichi E13A1 "Jake."	Photo 12. From a copy negative. Shot 2 of the doomed "Jake."
Photo 13. From a copy negative. Shot one of two stop-action photos of a Japanese destroyer in Ormoc Bay, Leyete, Philippines at the moment its bow is blown off during a skip-bombing & strafing attack November 10, 1944. The attack was made by B-25 Mitchell bombers in the 5th AAF, 38th Bomber Group, 823rd Bomb Squadron (The Terrible Tigers).	Photo 14. From a copy negative. Shot two in a two shot sequence of the destruction of a Japanese destroyer in Ormoc Bay, Leyete, Philippines 11/10/44. This photo was taken a micro-second after the first shot. The following photos are enlargements from this amazing photograph.	Photo 15. From a copy negative. Closer view of the doomed Japanese destroyer being blown apart. At least one 500 pound bomb has impacted into the ship and separated the bow. Debris is hurled hundreds of feet into the air. This print clearly shows a 500 pound bomb suspended in mid-air as it skips over a very distressed aft gun crew.
Photo 16. Detail of Photo 14. Look closely at this unbelievable photo. Frozen in time, a skipped 500 pound bomb is caught in mid-air by the camera as it hurtles over the heads of a Japanese Naval destroyer's gun crew.	Photo 17. From a copy negative. 38th Bomber Group b25 Mitchell's rain parafrags down on Rabaul, New Britain. ca. 1943.	Photo 18. From a copy negative. 38th Bomber Group B25s wreck a rail depot. In this photo a 500 pound bomb is caught in mid air by the camera. The bomb can be seen to the left of the B25's tail skid about midway to the rail cars. Probably Toyohara Rail Yards in Formosa, early 1945.
Photo 19. From a copy negative. The 38th Bomber Group (Sunsetters), 822nd Bomber Squadron (Black Panthers) delivers a pasting to the Toyohara Rail Yards in Formosa, February, 1945.	Photo 20. From a copy negative. Shot one of two, B25s from the 345th Bomber Group (Air Apaches), 501st Bomber Squadron (Black Panthers) pound the Japanese aerodrome on Cape Gloucester, New Britain, December 29, 1943 helping to coin the term "Gloucesterizing."	Photo 21. From a copy negative. Shot two of two, B25s from the 345th Bomber Group (Air Apaches), 501st Bomber Squadron (Black Panthers) pound the Japanese aerodrome on Cape Gloucester, New Britain, December 29, 1943 helping to coin the term "Gloucesterizing." Note the abundance of pre-existing bomb craters. Not a very good aerodrome any more.
Photo 22. From a copy negative. Another view of Cape Gloucester, New Britain, December 29, 1943 getting "Gloucesterized" by B25s of the 345th Bomber Group (Air Apaches), 501st Bomber Squadron (Black Panthers).	Photo 23. From a copy negative. Yet another view of Cape Gloucester, New Britain, December 29, 1943 getting "Gloucesterized" by B25s of the 345th Bomber Group (Air Apaches), 498th Bomber Squadron (Falcons).	Photo 24. From a copy negative. "Gloucesterizing" courtesy of B25s of the 345th Bomber Group (Air Apaches), 498th Bomber Squadron (Falcons). Cape Gloucester, New Britain, December 29, 1943.
Photo 25. From a copy negative. April 6, 1945. B-25 Mitchell bombers in the 5th AAF, 345th Bomb Group (Air Apaches), 499th Bomber Squadron (Bats Outa Hell), find the Imperial Japanese Naval Destroyer "Amatsukaze" under escort by two frigates off the coast of Amoy, China. Here you can see the two frigates trying to evade attack. The one in the distance is almost hidden by a mountainous geyser from the detonation of bombs while the one in the foreground has just taken a major hit on the starboard side superstructure.	Photo 26. From a copy negative. One of the two frigates receives a killing blow, April 6, 1945. B-25, from Mitchell bombers in the 5th AAF, 345th Bomb Group (Air Apaches), 499th Bomber Squadron (Bats Outa Hell).	Photo 8. From a copy negative. The end of one of the two frigates caught accompanying the "Amatsukaze," April 6, 1945, off the coast of Amoy by B-25 Mitchell bombers in the 5th AAF, 345th Bomb Group (Air Apaches), 499th Bomber Squadron (Bats Outa Hell). Here one of the two frigates rolls over after a skip-bombing coup-de-grace delivered by Lt. Louie Mikell's B-25. Desperate Japanese sailors can be seen clinging to the hull while others drift away from the wreck into the shark-infested waters. The report filed after the attack stated that these Japanese were "scared shipless."
Photo 28. B-25 Mitchell medium bomber at the U.S.S. Alabama museum, Mobile, AL painted in the colors of the 5th AAF, 345th BG (Air Apaches), 498th BS (Falcons). © Sea Bird Publishing, Inc., 2003, All rights reserved	Photo 29. B-25 Mitchell medium bomber at the U.S.S. Alabama museum, Mobile, AL painted in the colors of the 5th AAF, 345th BG (Air Apaches), 498th BS (Falcons). © Sea Bird Publishing, Inc., 2003, All rights reserved	Photo 30. B-25 Mitchell medium bomber at the U.S.S. Alabama museum, Mobile, AL painted in the colors of the 5th AAF, 345th BG (Air Apaches), 498th BS (Falcons). © Sea Bird Publishing, Inc., 2003, All rights reserved