The Snapshots in Time Collection

U.S. Army Air Forces Single-Engine Fighter Banking Steeply in Flight, Early WWII Period (c. 1942-1943)

U.S. Army Air Forces Single-Engine Fighter Banking Steeply in Flight, Early WWII Period (c. 1942-1943)

A U.S. Army Air Forces single-engine fighter banks steeply against a dramatic sky, its national insignia -- a plain white star on blue, without the red center or side bars added later -- dating this photograph to 1942 or early 1943. Aircraft like this one defended key Allied staging points from Hawaii to the Azores and England during the early years of American involvement in World War II. Project: 218522