This page from a World War II serviceman's photo album pairs a candid image of off-duty sailing with a photograph of a fighter aircraft staging area, handwritten as 'Fighter pool just before, Okinawa.' Such 'pools' of replacement fighters were assembled at forward bases in the weeks before the April 1945 invasion of Okinawa, reflecting the massive logistical buildup of airpower that supported the campaign. The juxtaposition of leisure and looming combat operations is characteristic of personal wartime albums from the Pacific Theater. Project: 218203