Aircraft
Fire-breathing Rockbeaus I
Air Commodore E W “Bill” Tacon Tacon’s most outstanding wartime successes took place in 1944, after he converted to Beaufighters, joined 236 Squadron, and rapidly began to demonstrate dead-eyed accuracy with his front guns and rockets. On June 23 he attacked four R-boats entering Boulogne harbour; although his aircraft was badly hit and his navigator killed, R 79 was sunk,…
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EH 101 Merlin
As early as the late 1970s the British Royal Navy began a search to replace its technologically aging Sea King ASW helicopters. In response GKN Westland initiated the WG 34 project. Simultaneously, the Italian Navy considered replacing its own Sea Kings. Consequently the two governments agreed to develop a new…
Fokker E.V/DVIII – War Winner?
Too little, too late? The `Flying Razor’ might well have made a difference if it had entered service earlier and in greater numbers. Modern-day military combat aircraft often have a long service life. In some cases, 40 years or more. Examples are the Boeing B-52 and English Electric Canberra, where…
Pfalz Flugzeug-Werke GmbH
Germany, prior to the First World War, was a country made up of a number of minor kingdoms and principalities. Among them was the Kingdom of Bavaria, which, after Prussia, was the second most powerful state in the German Reich. Bavaria enjoyed considerable autonomy and military privileges, and at the…
Albatros Flugzeugwerke GmbH
The Albatros Flugzeugwerke produced their first aircraft in 1912, the Albatros L.3, a single-seat scout type. This was followed by the L.9, a single-seat scout type designed by Claude Dornier, who later was to join the Zeppelin Company as their chief designer. The Albatros company, co-founded and owned by Dr…
Supermarine Aviation Works
From 1916 Supermarine Aviation continued the business, formerly carried out by Pemberton Billing, at premises alongside Southampton’s Woolston Ferry, with Hubert Scott-Paine as Managing Director. Their early motto was ‘a boat that will fly, rather than an aeroplane with floats’. During the latter stage of the First World War the…
Saunders-Roe Ltd
Saunders-Roe (Saro) was formed in July 1929, continuing the aviation business of S. E. Saunders Ltd, which was already established at Cowes. They occupied premises at West Cowes on the banks of the River Medina. Along with Samuel White, they were the major employers in the town. During the First…