Us Official Photographs

P-47 Thunderbolt in Belgium

With ceiling and visibility at zero, a Ninth Air Force Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighter-bomber prepares to leave its base in Belgium for an attack against von Rundstedt's armor and lines of communication and supply in the "Bulge." The Plane is armed with a 500 Pound general purpose bomb under each wing and a 260 pound fragmentation bomb under the belly. Fighter-bombers of the Ninth Air Force destroyed scores of enemy aircraft and hundreds of armored vehicles and motor transport to halt the German counter-offensive.