Boeing B-17F-10-BO “Memphis Belle” on tour at Patterson Field, Ohio. (U.S. Air Force photo)
Originally a design study to meet the USAAF specifications for a “very light” interceptor, the XP-77 was intended to be a small, light fighter
Incredibly ugly, but I feel like it would be the type of thing to grow on me
Martin B-10
Brewster Buffalo Mk I or Brewster F2A Buffalo
The Brewster F2A (company Model 139) was an American fighter aircraft which saw limited service during World War II. In 1939, the F2A became the first monoplane fighter aircraft used by the US Navy. In December 1941, it suffered severe losses with both British Commonwealth and Dutch air forces in South East Asia while facing Zekes of the Japanese navy and the army’s Oscars. It also saw action with US Marine Corps squadrons at the Battle of Midway. The F2A was derided by some American servicemen as a “flying coffin”, due to poor construction and perceptions of its general performance. Despite this reputation, the F2A proved a potent weapon with the Finnish Air Force, against the Soviet Air Forces.
Design and development
In 1935, the US Navy issued a requirement for a carrier-based fighter intended to replace the Grumman F3F biplane. Two aircraft designs were considered: the Brewster and the Grumman XF4F-1 which was still a “classic” biplane. The Model 139 incorporated sophisticated features for the time: a monoplane configuration, wing flaps, arresting gear, retractable landing gear and an enclosed cockpit.
The US Navy competition was opened up to allow another competitor, the Seversky XFNF-1, a navalized P-35 eliminated early on when the prototype could not reach more than 267 mph.
The Navy awarded Brewster the contract; the Model 139 was redesignated XF2A-1. The prototype first flew on 2 December 1937 and early test results showed it was far in advance of the Grumman entry. While the XF4F-1 would not enter production, it would later re-emerge as a monoplane, the Grumman Wildcat. The Brewster fighter looked “pugnacious” with a stubby fuselage, mid-set wings and a host of advanced features. It was all-metal, with flush-riveted, stressed aluminum construction, although flying surfaces were still fabric-covered. Split flaps, a hydraulically-operated retractable main undercarriage (and partially retractable tail wheel) and a streamlined framed canopy gave the XF2A-1 a modern look. Powered by an 850 hp Wright R1820-22 Cyclone, it had a top speed of 277.5 mph, later boosted to 304 mph at 16,000 ft after improvements were made to the cowling streamlining and carburetor/oil cooler intakes.
Service testing of the prototype began in January 1938 and, in June, the Navy ordered 54 of the production F2A-1. The initial armament mix of two machineguns, a .30 (7.62 mm) and .50 (12.7 mm) Browning mounted in the cowl and firing through the propeller arc, would later be augmented by the provision of an additional two .50s, one in each wing outboard of the landing gear.
A later variant, the F2A-2, of which 43 were ordered, included a more powerful engine, a better propeller, and integral flotation gear, and was followed by the F2A-3. Unfortunately, the improvements added weight that adversely affected the fighter’s performance and caused perennial problems with its landing gear (collapse issues), especially in shipboard service.
While this well-timed photograph of a landing P-51 Mustang (F-6 Photo Recce variant) ground-looping and crashing into a parked aircraft is powerful enough to make it into this story, it’s the date of the crash, 8 May 1945, that is bizarre. This pilot, likely having fought his way across Europe, very nearly kills himself on VE Day at a captured German airfield (Bad Aibling, Bavaria) when he slams into a wrecked Luftwaffe fighter (a Messerschmitt Bf 109 K-4).
The scene is stranger still as, according to the Imperial War Museum notes with this photo, the German fighter had just crashed a few moments before.
Standing on the wing of his Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is 1st Lieutenant Edwin L. King of the 347th Fighter Squadron of the 350th Fighter Group based in Pisa, Italy.
While strafing enemy gun positions near Brescia, Italy, King’s P-47 Thunderbolt airplane was struck by enemy flack, which severed his main oil line. The leaking engine oil completely blacked out the canopy and covered the pilot and his parachute. Sitting in a growing puddle of oil, King flew his plane back to base and landed, returning home just before his engine froze. This photograph shows King on the wing of his plane, still covered in oil.
Douglas A-20J-10-DO, 43-10129, of the 416th Bomb Group destroyed by flak over Beauvoir, France on 12 May 1944.
Damaged bf-109
Damaged bf-109 flying with Stuka’s for support
The shortest serving Spitfire
On the morning of the 18th August 1940, Flight Lieutenant John Dunlop-Urie at RAF Westhampnett in West Sussex rushed to his aircraft in order to intercept an incoming German raid. Finding his assigned plane undergoing maintenance, he ran instead to Supermarine Spitfire Mk. I serial number X4110 that had been freshly delivered to 602 Squadron. During the course of the combat, Dunlop-Urie was caught from behind by a Messerschmitt Bf 109 that landed several hits with its 20mm cannon.
“ When an Oerlikon shell burst, it fragmented into thousands of pieces which varied in weight from less than 1 mg. to 20 gm. (fig. 140). However, the largest number of “effective” Oerlikon shell fragments bursting in an area 5 feet in diameter and capable of causing incapacitation to the person exposed was 260. The majority of those 260 fragments weighed between 10 and 50 mg., and their velocity varied between 400 and 600 m.p.s. (meters per second).“ (source:
http://history.amedd.army.mil/booksdocs/wwii/actvssurgconvol2/chapter4.htm )
Fragments from the exploding shells injured both of Dunlop-Urie’s legs in spite of the fact that the closest hit was several feet away. This illustrates the advantage of the German cannon armament compared to the contemporary British choice of rifle caliber 0.303” machine guns whose bullets would only damage objects in their path.Looking at X4110’s right side, one can see the large number of small fragment holes resulting from the cannon shell detonations. The damage from gunfire and the resulting heavy landing was so severe that the aircraft was deemed beyond repair and was struck off charge less than an hour after taking off on its first combat flight, making it apparently the shortest serving aircraft in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.
MG-Stand in Demyansk. In the field lie several fallen russian soldiers killed by this weapons at close quarters
Somewhere in the Netherlands; 1945
Jatka vaan vanhalla linjalla
