| Place | Oceania: Australia, Northern Territory |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | P00561.050 |
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Black & white |
| Physical description | Black & white |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
North Australia. C. 1943. American servicemen fold and pack parachutes on work benches in a ...
Description
North Australia. C. 1943. American servicemen fold and pack parachutes on work benches in a repair workshop of the US Fifth Air Force Service Command Depot. Left to right: Sergeant (Sgt) Jerome Lennes of Minnesota, Sgt Joe Tucker of Georgia, Corporal James Miller of New Jersey. The original caption written at the time reads: "Hidden in the scrub `somewhere in North Australia' are scores of huge, skilfully camouflaged buildings which cover many hundreds of acres and house the US Fifth Air Force Service Command Depot. It is the largest installation of its kind in the southern hemisphere and the closely-guarded equipment and machinery are valued at more than 45 million pounds. Probably more than any other factor, these repair workshops helped to turn the tide of the Southwest Pacific air war and enabled the Allies to achieve aerial supremacy. The depot was established when few planes were available for the Pacific theatre. Battle-battered aircraft are towed in one end of the workshop and emerge from the other practically new machines.'