Four airmen of the 345th Bombardment Group — the famed 'Air Apaches' — pose beneath the nose of their B-25 Mitchell, coded 'GC4,' at Ie Shima airfield in 1945. The bazooka-style rocket tubes fitted beneath the nose reflect the unit's specialty: skip-bombing and rocket-strafing attacks against Japanese shipping and airfields across the Pacific. Relocated to Ie Shima following the Okinawa campaign, the 345th stood ready to support the planned invasion of the Japanese home islands before Japan's surrender in August 1945. Project: 218227