In the 1960s, Republic started a daring new project led by the same people behind the legendary P-47 and F-84. This aircraft, however, was different. It was the Cold War, so it just had to be an aircraft that was also capable of carrying a nuclear bomb. Later on, this aircraft would prove to be […] More
Paddy Mayne was a remarkable figure for the Allies during the Second World War. His story encompasses everything – from punching a Commanding Officer to being one of the most decorated soldiers in the British army. Joining The Reserves Paddy joined the British Supplementary Reserves in March of 1939, six months before Hitler’s invasion of […] More
A German Ace by the name of Friedrich Beckh had quite an unusual story. By most standards, Beckh was too old for a combat position in WWII. He was born in 1908 and first joined the army in 1926 as part of the cavalry. After a nine-year tenure, he traded his horse for a fighter […] More
In the summer of 1943, Japanese Admiral Kamito Kuroshime proposed the use of “volunteer dive bomber attacks.” The idea was that the pilots would attempt to crash into enemy ships in aircraft loaded with bombs, torpedos, and other explosives. However, Japanese officials would rebuff Kuroshime’s proposal as they had high hopes of winning the war […] More
During WWII, Germany was experimenting with different designs for unpowered aircraft such as gliders. By then, they’d already had experience with rocket engines, but they could only sustain flights for short periods before using up their fuel. So why not put a rocket engine in a glider? Me 163 Komet After numerous prototypes (and a […] More
The Beriev Be-4 is a rather easily-forgotten aircraft developed by Beriev Aircraft Company. Despite only having less than 50 copies of this flying boat, it was still used by the Soviet Black Sea Fleet during WWII. Here are five facts about the Soviet Union’s forgotten flying machine: 1. Featured an inverted gull wing The flying […] More
The year is 1943. America’s bombing campaign in Germany is now the top priority of the Eight Air Force. Every day, strategic targets are brought down throughout Western Europe. And the aircraft leading the charge is the B-17 Flying Fortress, America’s trusty and durable heavy bomber. No Fighter Escorts In 1943, however, fighter escorts were […] More
Hirohito, the Emperor of Japan, announced the nation’s surrender on August 15, 1945. But even though Japan was on its knees economically, its islands shelled vehemently, cities bombed to ruins, its merchant fleet largely sunk, and its people starving, many Japanese military officials were still determined to keep the fight going. In fact, the Japanese […] More
The Junkers Ju-87, commonly known as the Stuka, was a German dive-bomber that gained notoriety during World War II for its distinctive design and terrifying precision in ground attacks. Here are ten things you should know about the Stuka: 1. A respected dive-bomber The Ju-87’s most significant feature was its dive-bombing capability. The aircraft could […] More
A gull-winged aircraft made of all-metal construction was introduced by the Soviet Union in the early 1950s. “Madge”, as NATO called it, was a flying boat capable of accomplishing a wide array of missions. Here are 5 things you need to know about the Beriev Be-6, the giant Soviet flying boat that chased NATO submarines: […] More
We’ve all seen our fair share of experimental aircraft, such as the X-36 tailless fighter, the NASA AD-1 oblique wing plane, and the Bell X-1. These planes are all unique in some sort of way, but none of them are known to be as massive as the Douglas XB-19. XBLR (Experimental Bomber Long Range) Developed […] More
