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The Dewoitine 500 series represented the most modern, technically ambitious fighters of their day. They marked a transition phase between open-cockpit biplanes of the 1920s and the more modern aircraft of World War II. In 1930 the French Aeronautique Militaire issued specifications for a new fighter to replace the aging Nieuport-Delage ND 62s then deployed. It fell upon designer Emile…
Grumman’s TBF Avenger began replacing the earlier Douglas TBD in United States Navy torpedo squadrons in mid-1942 and continued in service until war’s end. A 1,700 horsepower Wright R- 2600 Double Cyclone 14-cylinder radial engine powered the TBF, giving it a top speed of 271 miles per hour at 12,000…
A two-ship of B-1B Lancers assigned to the 28th Bomb Squadron, Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, release chaff and flares while maneuvering over New Mexico during a training mission Feb. 24, 2010. Dyess celebrates the 25th anniversary of the first B-1B bomber arriving at the base. (U.S. Air Force photo/…
Robert Winks, 357th Fighter Group Ace achieved what most did not. Flying his P51D Mustang “Trusty Rusty”, he shot down a German Me262 jet. Nearing the end of the war, Germany produced a technical marvel, the first jet to enter combat. A beautiful airplane, it was capable of speeds over…
It seems to me that the reputation of the Douglas TBD Devastator has been somewhat blackened by circumstance. It was a very early monoplane design with ludicrously inadequate power. While its performance was still better than that of the Swordfish, it faced much tougher defenses. Moreover, USN doctrine for its…
The long-serving Albatros C class was among the finest and most adaptable reconnaissance aircraft of World War I. They combined good performance and reliability into an aesthetically pleasing airframe. The Albatros family of two-seat reconnaissance aircraft grew out of the prewar unarmed Bseries. The new C versions, introduced in 1915,…
Several squadrons of PBY-5As and -6As in the Pacific theater were specially modified to operate as night convoy raiders. Outfitted with state-of-the-art magnetic anomaly detection gear and painted flat black, these “Black Cats” attacked Japanese supply convoys at night. Catalinas were surprisingly successful in this highly unorthodox role. Between August…
Arguably, the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 evolved into wartime Germany’s most effective fighter, offering the Luftwaffe…
Douglas A-20 Havoc Douglas Aircraft developed the Model 7B twin-engine light attack bomber in the…
Final Encounter (Spitfire v Messerchmitt) by Michael Turner. Wing Commander J E Johnnie Johnson, Spitfire…
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