Spotlight on 342-C: Color Photographs of U.S. Air Force Activities, Facilities, and Personnel, Domestic and Foreign, ca. 1940–ca. 1980

342-C is a series of photographs comprised of color transparencies, slides, and negatives that document the activities of the U.S. Air Force and predecessor agencies, including the Army Air Forces (AAF). The images in 342-C heavily cover periods of war from World War II, through Korea, to the Vietnam war. However, there is also documentation of training exercises, aircraft maintenance, USAF personnel, and day-to-day activities.

The vast majority of images in 342-C have corresponding prints filed separately within 342-FH (pre-1954) and 342-B (1955-1980). That said, many of the images were only printed in black-and-white despite the original being in color. Further, there are transparencies and negatives scattered throughout 342-C that have not been printed and only exist within our collection as a negative/transparency. Luckily, advances in scanning and camera equipment have made it possible to reproduce negatives and transparencies in a more efficient and accessible manner.

While there are currently over 1,300 images from 342-C that have been made available through our online catalog, there are roughly 69,000 items within the whole series. To spotlight these invaluable records, below is a selection of images that have been scanned from the original transparency or negative.

British, American and Chinese cadets at Williams Field, Arizona

Brigadier General James H. Doolittle

F-4D’s and F-4E’s, aircraft are assigned to the 432nd Tactical Fighter Reconnaissance Wing, heading for a refueling tanker

Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC)

1946 Kure, Japan

Boeing B-47 Stratojet

Personnel

A sentry dog and his security guard handler, Wiesbaden Air Base, Germany

There are no copyright restrictions on the images in this blog post.

Original captions and local photo ID numbers:

Original Caption: British, American and Chinese cadets at Williams Field, Arizona. From First Motion Picture Unit, AAF. (Local photo ID number: 342-C-K-328) ↩︎
Original Caption: British, American and Chinese cadets at Williams Field, Arizona. (Local photo ID number: 342-C-K-329) ↩︎
Brigadier General James H. Doolittle (Local photo ID number: 342-C-K-102) ↩︎
Brigadier General James H. Doolittle (Local photo ID number: 342-C-K-103) ↩︎
Brigadier General James H. Doolittle (Local photo ID number: 342-C-K-106) ↩︎
Original Caption: Vietnam…Side view of F-4D’s and F-4E’s heading for a refueling tanker. The aircraft are assigned to the 432nd Tactical Fighter Reconnaissance Wing at Udorn Air Base, Thailand. Photographer: Ken Hackman. Date: October 1972 (Local photo ID number: 342-C-K-52756) ↩︎
Original Caption: Vietnam…Side view of two F-4D’s and three F-4E’s with Sidewinder missiles heading for a refueling tanker. The aircraft are assigned to the 432nd Tactical Fighter Reconnaissance Wing at Udorn Air Base, Thailand. Photographer: Ken Hackman. Date: October 1972 (Local photo ID number: 342-C-K-52758) ↩︎
Original Caption: WAAC’s at Daytona Beach, Florida (Local photo ID number: 342-C-K-109) ↩︎
Original Caption: WAAC’s in training. (Local photo ID number: 342-C-K-111) ↩︎
Original Caption: WAAC Life guards (Local photo ID number: 342-C-K-110) ↩︎
Original Caption: Beached Japanese Naval vessel along inner harbor of Kure, Japan. March 1946. Still from Motion Picture Bombing Project, rec’d 29 November 1950 from Headquarters., 2754th Experimental Wing, Holloman AFB, New Mexico. [IJN carrier Amagi] (Local photo ID number: 342-C-K-6024) ↩︎
Original Caption: General view of bomb-damaged drydock at Kure, Japan. This drydock had approximately fifty-nine two-man submarines mounted one on top of the other. Dock was flooded by USA [soldiers] during early days of occupation. February 1946. Still from Motion Picture Bombing Project, rec’d 29 November 1950 from Headquarters., 2754th Experimental Wing, Holloman AFB, New Mexico. (Local photo ID number: 342-C-K-6023) ↩︎
Original Caption: California…A Boeing B-47 in flight near Edwards AFB. Received 29 March 1954.(Local photo ID number: 342-C-K-8098) ↩︎
Original Caption: …Close-up of three of the jet engines which power a Boeing B-47 Stratojet (Local photo ID number: 342-C-K-7639) ↩︎
Original Caption: Orlando AFB, Fla…U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jimmy Graves emerges from a sea capsule after being afloat for 36 hours. Date: September 1959. Photographer: Tech. Sgt. Harold V. Carter. (Local photo ID number: 342-C-K-44849) ↩︎
Original Caption: Korat RTAFB, Thailand…A fuel truck driver meters the flow of JP-4 fuel into an F-105G for a flight during Coronet Bolo I, the deployment of troops from Thailand to the U.S. following the August 15 bombing halt. He is assigned to the 388th Organizational Maintenance Squadron. Date: August 31, 1973 (Local photo ID number: 342-C-K-65702) ↩︎
Original Caption: Hamamatsu Air Base, Japan….U.S. Air Force personnel and Japanese students overhaul a T-34 engine during Operation Cherry Blossom. The operation is a program established under a recent Mutual Assistance Agreement between the U.S. and Japan where by the U.S. Air Force provides instruction for Air Self-Defense Force personnel in all phases of flying and aircraft maintenance. Date: 7 December 1954. (Local photo ID number: 342-C-K-9660) ↩︎
Original Caption: Wiesbaden AB, Germany….A sentry dog and his security guard handler guards a T-33 aircraft on the flight line. Sentry dogs and their airmen handlers symbolize the alert vigilance which is maintained at important bases of the U.S. Air Force. July 14, 1961 (Local photo ID number: 342-C-K-31776) ↩︎
Original Caption: Wiesbaden AB, Germany….A sentry dog and his security guard handler guards a T-33 aircraft on the flight line. Sentry dogs and their airmen handlers symbolize the alert vigilance which is maintained at important bases of the U.S. Air Force. July 14, 1961 (Local photo ID number: 342-C-KE-31778) ↩︎

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