Gregor Duncan - WWII Bomb Racks - C. 1943

Another wonderful piece by Gregor Duncan, this time showing students at the bomb racks. This illustration was executed in pen & ink and ink wash, and was done at Chanute Field, in Illinois. The caption accompanying the piece states: "BOMB RACKS. They don't look very dramatic in the classroom, nor do the empty practice bombs, but the student's (sic) in this phase of the AAF Technical Training Command's armament training are learning what blocks go into the block busters. They are being shown how the various shackle releases work on the simulated bomb racks -- and with the electrical knowledge gained in an earlier phase of the course --they will use the manual controls and effect the release of the bombs in the classroom. Students will also find out how the mechanism is rigged so a bomb can be dropped "safe" over friendly territory, or "armed" over enemy territory. These men may never have the chance to drop any bombs themselves, but they realize that what they learn here will guarantee success or failure for the bombardiers." Circa 1943.