Desperate for new pilots in the South Pacific, in August 1943 the First Marine Wing appointed the unconventional fighter ace Major Greg ‘Pappy’ Boyington to pull together a newly formed squadron from a mix of experienced combat veterans and untested … Continue reading
Category Archives: Aviation history
Mist and fog swirled eerily over the Eder Lake on the night of 16/17 May 1943 as four specially modified Lancasters of 617 Squadron, under the leadership of Wing Commander Guy Gibson, circled overhead. Their target, the mighty Eder Dam, … Continue reading
Duxford became home to the 78th Fighter Group when they arrived in England with their P-47B Thunderbolts in 1943. The objective of the American fighter units was to gain air superiority over the Luftwaffe in support of their daylight bombing … Continue reading
Sorry, the scheduler didn’t schedule… Having talked to a few Brits that flew the “Shacks” as the Shackeltons were known, their instructors were the guys that few the Sunderlands during WWII. To a man, they said the ‘boys’ that flew … Continue reading
Sooo… I’m in Jacksonville for the MPA Symposium, and the speakers yesterday morning after VADM Shoemaker were two veterans of VP-21 and VP-44, from WWII. AMMF1C (That stands for Aviation Machinist Mate Flight Engineer 1st Class) Clarence ‘Bud’ Lane enlisted … Continue reading
Having spent time both over the Indian Ocean, and on it, the detail in this one is amazing and completely correct for the water colors, and the typical clouds… … Continue reading
This one depicts the Spitfire Mk.XIVe as flown by Flying Officer Burgwal of 322 (Dutch) Squadron. Burgwal was a high scoring V-1 killer with 19 kills. This image shows one of his kills, this time by tipping over the V-1 … Continue reading
The group first activated in August 1942 as the 325th Fighter Group at Mitchel Field, New York. After training, the group moved to North Africa in 1943, where it flew combat missions with the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, earning a Distinguished … Continue reading
It gives a nice, icy mood, perfect for December 1944, when Dahl flew his “Blaue13” on bomber intercept missions with JG 300. By the way, the clouds at the top of the image remind me of layers of cirrus, formed … Continue reading
August 1944, RAF HawkerTyphoons of 247 Squadron, armed with rockets and 20mm cannon launch a series of devastating attacks against the German Seventh Army and Fifth Panzer Army in the Falaise Gap. The German units had been almost completely surrounded … Continue reading