Nurse Assisting Man with Denitrogenation for Altitude Flying, Willow Run Bomber Plant, October 1943

Pilots, doctors and nurses conducted high-altitude flight experiments at Ford Motor Company's Willow Run bomber plant during World War II. Using a special chamber, staff simulated the low-oxygen, low-temperature conditions of flights up to 60,000 feet. Military officials believed that high-altitude bombing might allow Allied planes to attack enemy targets while flying safely out of range of anti-aircraft guns.