Captured mid-mission, this photograph shows a 312th Bombardment Group B-25 Mitchell pulling away after a low-level parafrag bombing and strafing attack on a Japanese airfield. The small parachutes visible near the smoke plume belonged to parachute-fragmentation bombs, a tactic refined by Fifth Air Force units for destroying parked enemy aircraft while minimizing risk to the low-flying attacker. Wrecked aircraft on the ground attest to the destructive effectiveness of these missions during the New Guinea and Philippines campaigns. Project: 218556