february1943

I think that's a rivet gun, not a hand drill.

Thanks! For now, we’re gathering the suggestions and corrections, but holding off on making changes until more comments come in.

Definitely a drill - note electric cable and the actual bit between the open fingers. This looks more like a training jig where a "bad" rivet is drilled out and replaced. Rarely is work so convenient..

I'm pretty sure it's Pnuematic, (air pressure) I used virtually the same thing when I was a mechanic for the Israeli Air Force working on F-16a/b's While a drill bit may be installed, I believe it is used as a screwdriver here. Screws are used in panels which would need to be opened frequently for repairs.

Also - you should link to the other image of this woman here: www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/2179038448/in/s... This is more of a snapshot that gives the woman's identity; the other photo is more of a work of art. Both are gorgeous.

I believe this transparency must have migrated from another file - the part being assembled in the nose door for a Consolidated C-87 'Liberator Express,' probably taken at Consolidated's Fort Worth plant.

g.asher: Thanks for the information! We’ll look into it.

That patriotic woman on the right is giving up her right arm for the war effort. And she's happy to do so!

She doesn't look a day older than 25.

Something about that caption doesn't quite ring true. The dimensions and near-center mount are consistent with the *barrel* of an M2A1 or M101 howitzer. Note that the left end is turned down, which is characteristic of the breach end of the weapon. She's using a micrometer to check a boss or flange of the outer diameter near the center mounting point, which is already greater than the roughly 4" ID of the barrel. No "cutters" are evident, so there's no way one could be inserted *into* the barrel. The castellated sleeve is probably internally threaded and engages the external threads seen on the barrel directly behind her.

inspector23, Photographers are not engineers.

I've found in military history research that many anomalies and aberrations occur between the photograph and the caption. "Kurtz" said it best - "Photographers are not engineers".