A line of gull-winged Vought F4U Corsairs sits ready on an austere forward airstrip in this wartime photograph, their side numbers and national star-and-bar insignia visible along the fuselage. Rugged and hard-hitting, the Corsair became one of the most celebrated American fighters of the Pacific war and went on to serve through the Korean conflict, often flying from exactly this kind of hastily cleared field close to the front lines. Project: 218147