The Paul A. Ludwig Military Aviation Photograph Collection contains primarily photographic prints and negatives with a very small amount of textual materials collected by Paul A. Ludwig and ranging from the late 1910s through the early 1980s. The bulk and strength of the collection is photographs of World War II-era aircraft and squadrons. The collection is nearly all copy prints from a variety of institutions and dozens of private collections. It has been broken down into two main series, Photographic Materials and Textual materials.

With a total of 1618 prints, 759 negatives, and 5 slides Series I: Photographic Materials has been further divided into three subseries: Aircraft and related, Locations and People and Groups. Each subseries is arranged alphabetically. The prints are a mix of casual snapshots and posed shots. Many of the photographs include captions to provide context such as aircraft type, location, date and names of individuals as well as the source of the original image. Most are black-and-white and 8x10" although some are smaller. Duplication occurs.

The first and largest subseries, Aircraft and related, is dated 1918-1970s and includes 670 prints and 5 slides. It also includes a 650 MB CD-ROM, which is not currently accessible pending digital preservation measures. The prints feature a wide variety of aircraft, but by far, the most well-represented is the North American P-51 Mustang with 331 photographs and 4 negatives. The Supermarine Spitfire is also a stronger area with 72 prints; the remaining aircraft generally have very few prints. Related topics included in this subseries include photographs of aircraft carriers, PT boats, and the Packard Motor Car Company's production of a Rolls Royce Merlin engine which is represented with 73 prints. There are also 711 negatives organized by date, ranging from 1979-1987, and then print number. It is unclear if they all correspond to prints within the collection, but it is likely some do match to prints.

Locations is the smallest subseries within Photographic Materials with just 13 prints from the World War II era. Featured locations include bases in Oakland, California and Pensacola, Florida. Two prints are unidentified but are likely bases. The Mariana Islands are also depicted.

People and Groups is quite sizeable and includes 935 prints and 43 negatives primarily of the World War II era with a focus on various squadrons in the U.S. Army Air Forces. The 52nd Fighter Group is well-represented with photographs for the 2nd, 4th and 5th Squadrons as well as the larger 306th Fighter Wing. In addition the 31st Fighter Group is also a strong focus with images depicting the 307th, 308th and 309th Squadrons. Additional highlights include 163 prints focusing on reconnaissance groups and squadrons and four prints featuring women prisoners of war after liberation by British and Polish troops.

Series II: Textual materials is quite small and includes correspondence and a "wants and disposal" list. It also includes two photcopied items:"Mare Nostrum: A Review of Mediterranean Allied Coastal Air Force Operations" and an article about pilot and ace Wayne Morris from the Summer 1984 edition of the The Hook.