Named 'LAST RESORT,' this heavy bomber displays the personalized nose art tradition carried over from World War II bomber crews into the postwar Strategic Air Command. The stenciled crew roster beneath the artwork lists the names and positions of the men who flew her, while the 'UNITED STATES AIR FORCE' lettering dates the photograph to after September 1947, when the Air Force became a separate branch of service. A young ground crewman poses beside the aircraft's nose landing gear, a reminder of the maintenance personnel whose work kept these bombers flying during the tense early years of the Cold War. Project: 218710