transferred from 81 TFW RAF Bentwaters as a ground instruction airframe.

1/45: TOS USAAF and assigned to Air Technical Service Center, Brookley AAF, Mobile, AL. 1/45 to 10/51: Moved around in storage. 10/51: Converted to TB-25L. 8/53 to 8/54: Hughes Aircraft for conversion to TB-25M. 7/54: TOS RCAF as Mitchell IIIA1. 5/55: TOS USAF. 7/55: Boeing Aircraft, Birmingham, AL. 10/55: 3565th Observer Training Wing, James Connally AFB, TX. 4/56: Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ for storage. 8 June 1958: 128th Consolidated Logistics & Maintenance Squadron, Wisconsin ANG, Milwaukee, WI. 3 Mar 1960: SOC. Given to Mitchell Field for display, mounted on a pedestal at the airport entry.

Arriving runway 30 from the USA for an overnight stop. Call sign Reach 249.

Aircraft with the 101 ARW Maine ANG, refuelled F22s across the Atlantic and then overnight stay here.

Probably one of the prototypes for the US Army which had ordered 5000 of the two-seat fighters. Order cancelled after two prototypes. However there was a production run of about 50 for the US Navy. Photo from: National Archives at College Park, Maryland

Aircraft used for evacuating wounded soldiers from the front. Aircraft remained with the USAF until scrapped in 1970. Photo from: National Archives at College Park, Maryland

Returning from an escort mission. The pilot is Leroy Pletz, who named the aircraft after the woman he would be married to for 53 years. Photo from: National Archives at College Park, Maryland

Photo caption gives the location as the Anzio beachhead. Nettuno was a little used German airfield close to Anzio and the 111th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron was based there. The airfield was abandoned when no longer required but a runway can still be discerned in satellite images. Photo from: National Archives at College Park, Maryland

The first B-36D-25, accepted by the USAF in August 1950. Assigned to 7 BG at Carswell AFB. The first B-36s to visit to England were six B-36Ds of 7 BG and 11 BG which arrived at Lakenheath on 16 January 1951, six others having turned back due to bad weather. 49-2658 collided with an F-51D over Oklahoma three months later. The bomber pitched up, then fell in a spiral dive. Four gunners survived, one baling out and three getting thrown out as tail broke off. The other 13 occupants and the Mustang pilot were killed. Photo from: Nederlands Instituut voor Militaire Historie

This was the second HH-53B built. It was later converted into a MH-53J and was retired on 21 May 2007, almost 40 years after I took this slide.

USAF anniversary colour scheme USAF 75th / 48th FW 80th.