Two airmen pause beside the nose of a B-24 Liberator heavy bomber, its Emerson nose turret and twin .50-caliber machine guns visible above them. The flight-jacketed figure at left, in parachute harness and flying gloves, represents the bomber crews who flew repeated daylight missions over occupied Europe with the Eighth Air Force; the officer at right in service dress reflects the larger web of ground personnel who supported each sortie. Streaks of engine soot on the fuselage and the hand-painted call letter 'P' and number '478' hint at a well-used combat aircraft, likely photographed at an English airfield in 1944 during the height of the strategic bombing campaign against Germany. Project: 218550