The Snapshots in Time Collection

Extreme Low-Altitude Blurred Strike Photograph Over Town and Railway, Philippines, 312th Bomb Group

Extreme Low-Altitude Blurred Strike Photograph Over Town and Railway, Philippines, 312th Bomb Group

The extreme motion blur in this photograph testifies to the perilous, treetop-level flying required of 312th Bomb Group aircrews during strafing and rail-interdiction missions in the Philippines. Flying mere feet above rooftops and rail lines, pilots accepted significant risk to strike Japanese targets with precision, a tactic that defined 5th Air Force low-altitude attack doctrine in the Pacific theater. Project: 218555