Staff Sergeant Gordon Thornton an engineer of the 94th Bomb Group, paints the tail of a B-17 Flying Fortresses. Printed caption on reverse: 'An Engineering Section Of A U.S. Service Squadron. Associated Press Photo Shows:- A sudden order to paint identifying numbers high on the tail and on one wing of each Fortress brought this brainchild to Staff Sgt. Gordon Thornton, of LaFayette, Georgia, when ladders proved unsuccessful on the job. The scaffold was rigged on a truck in a couple of hours and the paint crews went to work immediately to carry out the order. Sgt. Thornton climbs the ladder to where a pair of ground crewmen are laying out an identifying marker for painting. 13-12-43-J.' On reverse: US Army Press Censor and Associated Press [Stamps].