Vasily Emelianenko’s entire united Ilyushin Il-2 Sturmovik ground attack had just decimated an entire German-controlled airfield in Easter Ukraine. In retaliation, Storm Birds rained hell on the rows of Luftwaffe aircraft. Emelianenko’s engine was shot. He made a brief landing on the open terrain and ran into the woods before a German sniper could pick […] More
The Dornier Do 17 is an aircraft that was nicknamed after its looks, often called the Flying Pencil because of its slim fuselage and tail. It would eventually earn a reputation of being an excellent low-altitude, high-speed, strike aircraft, not quite something you’d immediately link with a twin-engine bomber of this period. First Appearance This […] More
The F-16 was an aircraft that was designed to be unstable. But why would the USAF intentionally design and build a fighter jet like this? The Harsh Truth During the Vietnam War, the US realized that their fighter jets couldn’t win dogfights. American fighter jets were either too big, too heavy, or not too agile. […] More
During the battle of the Philippine Sea, the United States Grumman Hellcat was able to dominate was used to be the most feared aircraft in the Pacific- Imperial Japan’s Mitsubishi Zero. No Match The US emerged victorious during the Battle of Midway but realized that their best fighter carrier to combat the Zero- the F4F […] More
For over a decade, there were rising tensions between the US and Libya, and it all came to a head on January 4, 1989. As the USS John F. Kennedy sailed in the Mediterranean, they detected two Libyan MiG-23 Floggers taking off from a nearby base and headed toward the carrier. Two F-14 Tomcats were […] More
During the first year of the war of the Pacific between the United States and Japan, there was just one fighter in the US Navy’s arsenal that could even hope of going toe-to-toe with the Mitsubishi A6m Zero and that is the Grumman F4F Wildcat. At that time, it was the best carrier fighter the […] More
The Hercules is a massive cargo sea boat built towards the end of World War II by the Hughes Aircraft Company. Here are ten interesting things that you need to know about the behemoth of a plane: 1. It’s huge by 2022 standards, let alone in the 1940s The Hercules was a massive unit. It […] More
Ed McNeff was a P-51 Mustang pilot in the 355th Fighter Group in 1944 and 1945. This video walks you through two particularly challenging missions with his wingmen, and a run with skilled German Ace, Heinz Bar. 355th Fighter Group In March 1944, a couple of months before the Allied invasion of Normandy, Ed McNeff […] More
Loyce Deen was a TBF Avenger Torpedo Bomber gunner that was killed in action. Here’s the story behind the only Navy airman in history to be buried at sea inside his plane. Sent to the Front In the spring of 1944, Loyce Deen had recently passed gunnery training and had been sent to the front […] More
On December 13, 1943, 2nd Lt Philip R. Adair was flying Lulu Belle, his beloved P-40, over the skies of Assam when he saw what looked like a flight of 4 planes. When he took a closer look, he saw a force of 60 planes of both bombers and fighters headed straight for his home […] More
During the early 1960s, recent developments in submarine technology have open a new front in the global nuclear standoff situation. Back then, Americans could easily detect Soviet silos and launch sites, intercepting any attempts. Supersonic interceptor fighters were also on standby, stopping the enemy from reaching population centers. However, nuclear-armed fission-reactor-powered submarines could wander in the […] More
In the fall of 1974, the Space and Missile Systems Organization did an air-launched ballistic missile test. The only plane that could carry the giant 86,000 pound-missiles was the recently unveiled Lockheed C-5 Galaxy. It was able to drop it from 20,000 feet over the Pacific, and this impressive piece of engineering continues to serve […] More
