salvage

A B-25 in the ditch next to a runway or taxiway at an American base in China, during WWII. Crews work to salvage the aircraft using a simple human-powered tripod crane.

B-24 bomber down on the ground at Liuzhou or Guilin.

12th Air Service Group mechanics salvage a P-51 fighter in China during WWII.

Soldiers look at a burned P-51 fighter in China during WWII.

In the foreground of this revetment are the remains of a North American B-25 bomber, like the one in the background, after it burnt up. This was possibly due to a night attack by Japanese bombers.

A B-25 after crashing in southern China, in Guangxi province, being salvaged.

"More Work For The Salvage Crews--Not All Missions Ended Up On A Positive Note. This B-25 Ended Up On The Side Of The Runway And Became More Work For Our Salvage Crews." Caption courtesy of Elmer Bukey.

American mechanics of the 12th Air Service Group carefully ease the fuselage of a C-47 past a large concrete roller. In Guangxi, China, during WWII.

12th Air Service Group mechanics salvage a P-51 fighter in Guangxi, China, during WWII.

"What One Small Fragmentation Bomb Could Do--This B-24 was hit with one small fragmentation bomb during one of the nightly air raids at Luichow [Liuzhou], China.This particular plane just happened to be a new B-24 that had never flown a mission. As bad as it looks it was not a total loss since the engines were removed, inspected and run-outs...