The Snapshots in Time Collection
Captured Japanese Fighter Aircraft Under Technical Examination, Southwest Pacific Theater, WWII
A Japanese fighter aircraft, likely captured or salvaged during the 345th Bombardment Group's advance through the Southwest Pacific, sits mounted on support stands for technical examination. U.S. forces routinely marked such aircraft with white identification bands to prevent friendly-fire incidents and often subjected them to detailed inspection to glean intelligence on enemy aircraft performance and design. Project: 218232