The striking composition places the crew directly beneath the aircraft’s radial engine and propeller, with large “U.S. AIR FORCE” lettering dominating the fuselage behind them.
The original period typewritten caption identifies the crew as:
Capt Griffin, AC
Capt Carpenter, CP
1/Lt Stewart, Nav
M/Sgt Techmeier, ET
A/2c Roelfson, RO
S/Sgt Fitzgerald, BO
Ben Guerir — Nov 1956
A reference number 40 appears at the end of the caption.
The crew positions are consistent with the six-man complement used aboard the KC-97 aerial-refueling tanker, including aircraft commander, copilot, navigator, radio operator and boom operator. The KC-97 was one of Strategic Air Command’s principal aerial-refueling aircraft of the 1950s, and KC-97s operated from Ben Guerir during the period depicted here.
Ben Guerir was one of the major U.S. Strategic Air Command bases established in Morocco during the early Cold War and supported deployments of both B-47 bombers and KC-97 tankers.
This photograph was acquired together with several other approximately 8x10 photographs dated November–December 1956 documenting U.S. Air Force personnel and life in Morocco. The photographs share a consistent typewritten caption and numbering format. No institutional archive stamp or photographer credit is present, so the exact originating archive is unknown.
The original caption strip is taped from the reverse and folds over the lower border. It has deliberately been left intact because it provides valuable period provenance and identification. When folded back, the complete photographic image remains unobstructed.
A strong original Cold War-era image for collectors of USAF history, Strategic Air Command, KC-97 Stratofreighter aircraft, aerial-refueling history, Ben Guerir Air Base, Morocco and vintage military aviation photography.
Other related 1956 Morocco / Ben Guerir photographs from the same group are being offered separately.
Please examine all images carefully for condition and details.
Check my store for additional antique and vintage photographs, military and aviation images, RPPCs and unusual historical ephemera. I ship quickly and securely.
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