“Midnite”: one of 86th Fighter-Bomber Group’s North American A-36A Apache (dive bomber version of the P-51) at Catania, Sicily, fall 1943. Around the USAAF’s insignia the yellow circle adopted during the Operation Torch. Constituted as 86th Bombardment Group (Light) on 13 January 1942, and activated on following 10 the Group was re-designated 86th Bombardment Group (Dive) in September 1942, 86th Fighter-Bomber Group in August 1943, and finally 86th Fighter Group in May 1944. In this years the Group was based, with Twelfth Air Force, North Africa, Sicily, Italy, Corsica, France, and Germany as the battle line changed. The planes flown was A-36, P-40 and P-47. 

“Midnite”

Two Liberators of USAAF’s 722nd Bomb Squadron, 450th Bomb Group, 15th Air Force, based at Manduria, Apulia, Southern Italy, abeam of the Italian coasts. The aircraft in foreground is the Consolidated B-24G-5-NT (S/N 42-78154) last block 5’s B-24G built, which was one of three 450th BG’s Liberators lost on July 3,1944 on a mission to bomb the oil storage depot at Giurgiu, Rumania, accomplished by thirty-four B-24s. Of the three bombers lost this day. two was surely shot down (included the 42-78154) by the Flak, the other probably by Flak. Victor Sierra

Shot down over Romania

SWOD-Mark 9 radar guided anti-ship bombs being dropped from a B-17 during a trial drop. This weapon used active radar homing to deliver a 1000 pound warhead to the target. It seems to have been used successfully to destroy several Japanese ships near the end of the war. 