A forward airfield on Ie Shima, home to the 345th Bombardment Group during the final months of World War II, stretches beneath a dramatic tropical sky. A B-25 Mitchell medium bomber sits on the dispersal field near tents and support vehicles, illustrating the austere, hastily built conditions under which the 'Air Apaches' operated after Ie Shima's capture in April 1945. From this island base, American aircrews launched strikes against Japanese positions in the closing chapter of the Pacific War. Project: 218232