Military Aviation

Military aviation began in World War I and reached full development in the Second World War. By the end of the war in 1945, the United States alone had produced hundreds of thousands of fighter, bomber, cargo and utility aircraft and had spread an infrastructure of airfields, repair shops, and fuel supplies around the world.

Mrs. Irma Lee McElroy painting the American insignia on airplane wings at the Naval Air Base, Corpus Christi, TX where her husband is a flight instructor. August 1942. Click photo for more information and larger image.

Today in WW II: 9 Jul 1940 Battle of Calabria [Battle of Punta Stilo, the toe of Italy] fought between the Italian Royal Navy and the British/Australian Royal Navies, 30 miles [48km] east of Punta Stilo. More ?

9 Jul 1943 US-British invasion of Sicily begins [night of 9-10 Jul].
9 Jul 1944 British and Canadian forces capture Caen from the Germans, a critical post-D-Day objective in Normandy, France.
9 Jul 1944 US forces reach the northern end of Saipan, finding thousands of Japanese civilian men, women, and children who commit suicide by leaping off the cliffs rather than be captured.
Visit the Olive-Drab.com World War II Timeline for day-by-day events 1939-1945! See also WW2 Books.

Fighters, Bombers, and Other Military Aircraft

Military aircraft, air forces and related topics are covered in this section of Olive-Drab.com. Information and photos are provided of some of the vast number of types of aircraft that are militarily significant, including both fixed wing and rotary wing.

B-24 Liberator on a Mission during WW II.

Military Aviation sections of Olive-Drab.com are listed here. Click on the link to go to the section named in the list: