Us Official Photographs

P-38 Lightning undergoing reconditioning

The ground crewmen sitting on the tail of this U.S. Army 9th Air Force P-38 Lightning fighter-bomber undergoing reconditioning are not taking it easy, as the photo might indicate. The ship's landing gear is being checked, an operation that requires lifting the nose wheel off the ground, and the weight of the men performs this function. Constant checking is necessary to keep the 9ths planes in operation against enemy fortifications and strong points hindering the advance of U.S. ground troops.