Ground crewmen of the 312th Bombardment Group service an aircraft's radial engine at a forward airfield, 30 October 1944. The original photograph is captioned "HQ 312 B.G., 30 Oct 44, Lt. Col. Wells + Crew," directly tying the image to the unit's Pacific Theater operations. Everyday maintenance like this — performed in the field with improvised equipment such as oil-drum platforms — was essential to keeping combat aircraft flying during the New Guinea and Philippines campaigns. Project: 218275