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History

The F-14 Tomcat was designed from the beginning to be a “Bombcat”

by Till Daisd July 16, 2023

The F-14A Tomcat’s AWG-15 fire-control system was always configured in CCIP-mode, meaning the jet could always drop “dumb” bombs

For those who still don’t know: the F-14A Tomcat’s AWG-15 fire-control system was always configured in the CCIP-mode, and the jet was always capable of dropping “dumb” bombs. AWG-9 only refers to the radar, whereas AWG-15 is the entire fire-control system of the Tomcat.

As can be seen in the main image of this post (which features one of the 10+1 prototypes equipped with Mk.82s, AIM-7 Sparrows, and AIM-9 Sidewinders), Grumman actually oversaw the associated flight-testing in 1973–1974.

This is also the reason why, despite the fact that the Iranians were the first to use the F-14A as a “bomber” – either in 1982 or 1986, it appears even they cannot agree on this – all 80 F-14As made for Iran were built and delivered (aside from one that was never delivered) with the CCIP-mode as well as all the shackles and other equipment required to carry and deploy bombs in combat.

In fact, the USN’s VF-32 Squadron conducted several bombing exercises in the period between 1973 and 1974, just after switching to the new jet.

The idea that the F-14 is a “pure interceptor” was only established by modern Navy “flags” (admirals), and it was subsequently repeated in virtually all related English-language sources until it was accepted as dogma. It was a similar dogma like ‘AIM-54 is only good to kill bombers and cruise missiles’ – while the weapon was perfectly capable (and thoroughly tested, and then proven as such in combat) in deployment against ‘small and nimble’ fighters (which was no surprise: already the AIM-54’s predecessor, AIM-47 Falcon – which was to be armed with a nuke, and then installed on the stillborn YF-12A Mach-3-capable interceptor – scored 7 direct hits in 9 tests).

Unsurprisingly, a little over ten years later, when a new generation of flags realized their error, it was no problem for USN’s F-14-units to (re-)start “flight testing” and even do some training in the release of bombs, in the late 1980s. This paved the way for what eventually developed into the “Bombcat” of the late 1990s and early 2000s, as youngsters know it.

Iran was quite eager to get its F-14s outfitted with the Rockwell International AGM-53 Condor when it placed an order for them. A TV-guided missile with a range of approximately 60 km (nearly 30 miles), Condor was something of a “predecessor” of what we today refer to as “precision guided munition” (PGM). It was being developed for the USN since the late 1960s.

Well, on the surface it may appear to be “not much more than the modern AGM-62 Walleye,” but Condor was considerably more advanced and, as shown above, also had a significantly greater range (AGM-62 was, essentially, a glide-bomb).

Unfortunately, Condor was discontinued in 1976 before the Iranians could place any orders due to its prohibitive cost: a single round cost more than AIM-54A Phoenix.

Check out Helion & Company’s website for books written by Tom Cooper.

Photo by U.S. Navy

July 16, 2023 0 comment

History

When a Japanese Kawanishi H6K “Mavis” flying boat was brought down by a USAAF B-17 Flying Fortress

by Till Daisd July 15, 2023

written by Till Daisd

The Japanese, who referred to the B-17 Flying Fortress as a four-engine fighter, gave it a bad reputation in the Pacific

One of the most recognizable aircraft ever constructed is the Flying Fortress. 28th July 1935 saw the first flight of the B-17 prototype.

When the British Royal Air Force received four B-17s for high-altitude missions in 1941, the first B-17s entered battle. The bombers need more armor and armament as World War II progressed.

The B-17E, the first Flying Fortress variant to be produced in large quantities, was equipped with nine machine guns and a 4,000-pound bomb load. Compared to the prototypes, it weighed several tons more and was heavily armed. For better control and stability during high-altitude bombing, it was the first Boeing aircraft with a distinctive, huge tail. Each variant had more powerful weapons.

The Fortresses were also renowned for their remarkable resilience under heavy assault. According to Walt Miller, Former 0311/0302 at United States Marine Corps (1973-1993), on Quora, the Japanese in the Pacific called the aircraft “four-engine fighters” because of its deadly reputation.

The following intriguing story from Roger Freeman’s book B-17 Fortress at War supports the assertion.

“Confidence in the Fortress was always high amongst men of the squadrons operating in the southwest Pacific. It was considered a ‘rugged ship’, highly durable which aircrew felt they had a chance and was quite able to give any formation of Zeros a tough time. […] A Japanese assessment of the B-17 referred to it as ‘a fighting plane used for all purposes’ rather than a heavy bomber. This attribute was not without foundation, for apart from general bombing, patrol, reconnaissance, and even transport, there were several instances when the Fortress had been used as a gunship, low-level strafer, and even pursuit plane. …Fortresses also intercepted and destroyed a number of enemy patrol bombers. One such incident involved a Kawanishi H6K ‘Mavis’ which a lone Fortress on oceanic patrol encountered. Captain Walter Lucas took his aircraft in to attack coming up below the four-engined flying boat so that the top turret and waist guns could bring fire to bear. Then, pulling up abreast of the enemy, a twenty-minute running battle took place until the Mavis had an engine catch fire and was forced to land in the sea where it was enveloped in flames.”

Photo by Jack Fellows illustration via Weapons and Warfare

July 15, 2023 0 comment

History

The first significant Japanese combatant ship sunk during WWII was submarine I-70, sunk by two SBD Dauntless aircraft from USS Enterprise

by Till Daisd July 14, 2023

written by Till Daisd

Enterprise had shed her first blood in response to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor

On the evening of December 8, 1941, the USS Enterprise CV-6 (The Big E) arrived back in Pearl Harbor, and by that point the entire American Strategic situation in the Pacific was a complete mess. While Oahu, the center of the US military in the Pacific, saw the majority of its air power decimated, the Pacific Fleet Battle Line was all but destroyed. The Wildcats Enterprise that had just been given to Japanese Land Based Naval Bombers from the Japanese-occupied Marshall Islands was lost at Wake Island, farther to the west across the International Dateline, with 8 of the 12 aircraft being lost.

Half of the bomber strength and a third of the fighter strength of the US Forces in the Philippines had already been lost. The American war effort was essentially like a boxer who entered the ring expecting a battle but received a knockout blow just before the bell rung.

Vice Admiral Halsey’s resentment at what had been done to His Navy boiled like a pressure cooker aboard Enterprise, turning into a fierce hatred of the Japanese that would fester for the rest of his life. Halsey embodied the US Navy’s spirit of retribution, a burning determination to exact revenge, and a deep-seated contempt for the guilty.

Halsey had lost close friends, classmates, and men he had taught to an assault he was powerless to stop. His Enterprise Air Group and his troops had also suffered losses from both hostile and friendly fire. Last but not least, he would have been aware of the significant personal cost incurred by Admiral Kimmel, a classmate from the Naval Academy whom he had known for close to fifty years.

By ordering an all-hands drill and staying on board only long enough to take on more supplies, Enterprise was capable of resupplying within 7 hours and resume its journey before dawn. Nowadays, Enterprise would serve as the Hawaiian Islands’ Guardian, once more patrolling as a moving airbase and dispatching armed scout planes to every quadrant.

The pilots of Enterprise’s aircraft were equally eager for a fight because they had lost other pilots and because many of them had heard the startled final transmissions of those pilots as they were shot down as they approached Oahu on that morning of December 7. Halsey’s rage served as a conduit for the rage of everyone in his task force, and as time passed, it eventually permeated the whole war effort.

There was no doubt as to what would happen when two SBD Dauntless aircraft led by the VS-6 pilots sighted the Japanese Submarine I-70 on the surface. The loss of HMS Courageous in comparable circumstances in 1939 and following occurrences in 1942 established that the Sub posed a clear threat. I-70, a ship that took part in the attack on Pearl Harbor, was the first significant Japanese military ship sunk during World War Two.

Japanese-Submarine-I-65 — Japanese Submarine I-65, sister sub of the I-70 sank by Enterprise.

I-70 was one of a series of submarines dispatched to patrol off the coast of the Hawaiian Islands during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, according to the Battleship Cove Facebook Page. It didn’t respond to a radio call that day. The submarine’s last radio transmission, on December 9, 1941, described seeing the USS Enterprise close to Naval Station Pearl Harbor.

A Douglas SBD-2 Dauntless aircraft from VS-6 observed it on December 10, 1941, after 6:00 AM. The aircraft scored a near-miss with a 1,000-pound bomb which damaged its hull and prevented it from diving. The SBD was able to climb to 5,000 feet and strike the ship amidships with a bomb, blowing numerous gunners overboard despite the submarine’s attempts to maneuver and even its ability to fire its 13 mm deck machine gun. About 45 seconds after the sub stopped, it vanished underwater.

The war was on, and in reaction to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Enterprise had shed her first blood. First to respond was the infamous BIG E.

Photo by U.S. Navy; Facebook Page Pensacola Aerospace Museum

SBD-VS-6-1 — An oft shown photo, but still historic view of the SBDs of Scouting Six over the Enterprise immediately prewar in October of 1941.

July 14, 2023 0 comment

History

How US Navy aircraft sank Imperial Japanese Navy’s Oite Kamikaze during Operation Hailstone

by Till Daisd July 12, 2023

written by Till Daisd

The Oite Kamikaze-class destroyer was unique in that, it was sunk entering Truk Lagoon rather than exiting it

Early in 1944, the island base of Truk served as the Japanese equivalent of Pearl Harbor; it was a formidable naval and aviation base that had to be destroyed before the Allies could advance farther toward Tokyo. Yet, Truk was also the best-defended naval base outside of the Japanese Home Islands, making an Allied attack expensive.

Truk’s intact defense against long-range bombing would be a carnage, thus an idea was developed to destroy it with a series of enormous naval raids spearheaded by the expanding US carrier fleet. One of the most well-known operations carried out by American carriers in the Pacific was Operation Hailstone.

During Operation Hailstone, the US Navy focussed its efforts on the ships in Truk Lagoon and the air garrison at Truk, as stated by Mark Lardas in his book Truk 1944–1945. An early morning fighter sweep and the subsequent bomber attack with fragmentation bombs on the airfield effectively ended the air garrison’s chances of surviving the assault. The remainder of the day was then spent by the Navy sinking ships.

Less than a week before the US strike, the majority of Imperial Japan’s Combined Fleet left Truk quickly, but there were still a lot of commercial ships and warships in the harbor. On February 17, 1944, the US Navy sank eight warships as well as more than 30 merchant ships and naval auxiliary vessels. Most were downed by US Navy aircraft, and a few were sunk by surface warships circling the atoll to capture escapists.

The Oite was one of them. It was an old destroyer, the Japanese equivalent of the flush-deck destroyers used by the US Navy. It was one of nine Kamikaze-class destroyers constructed for the Imperial Japanese Navy in the early 1920s. Instead of the 127mm guns of the most recent classes of Japanese destroyers during World War Two, it was mounted with 4.7in guns. It and its sisters underwent modifications early on in the conflict to enhance their antisubmarine capabilities.

By 1944, it had three 4.7in main batteries and only four torpedo tubes due to the removal of one main gun and the aft torpedo tubes. The original armament was replaced by extra-depth charge throwers and 25mm antiaircraft guns. During the outbreak of World War Two, Oite and a number of her classmates had been demoted to the Fourth Fleet. In 1941, it took part in the invasion of Wake Island, and in 1942 and 1943, it served as a Central Pacific convoy escort.

In contrast to other ships, the Oite was sunk while entering Truk Lagoon. A US submarine protecting the channel between Truk and the Palau Islands had sunk the light cruiser Agano the day before. The Oite raced into the US airstrike after picking up 523 survivors and heading back to Truk to dump them.

The Oite sped through North Pass toward the navy anchorage off Dublon in an effort to flee the plane. Shortly after the Oite passed through North Pass, carrier planes captured it. Given that the Oite was traveling more than 20 knots and making erratic maneuvers, it was a stunning accomplishment when an Avenger from the USS Bunker Hill landed a torpedo amidships. The ancient destroyer was destroyed by the hit. It split in half and submerged nearly immediately. Trapped below decks, the 523 Agano survivors never stood a chance. All but 20 of the 172-person crew of the Oite also perished to a man.

The plate provided by Adam Tooby depicts the moment the Oite was hit by the torpedo, just after it had passed through North Pass and entered Truk Lagoon. On the far side, the ship can be seen dodging a torpedo that is going parallel to it as another torpedo strikes it from the front. During a strafing run on the destroyer, two Hellcat fighters can be spotted in front of the Oite.

In 1986, the wreck of the Oite was found. It was split in two, with the bow part capsized and the bridge submerged in the sea bottom, and the stern half standing upright. It is a well-liked diving target, located two hundred feet below the surface.

Truk 1944–45 is published by Osprey Publishing and is available to order here.

Photo by Adam Tooby via Osprey

July 12, 2023 0 comment

History

Germans mounted a DB 605A engine to a Spitfire during WWII and was superior to the Merlin version

by Till Daisd July 11, 2023

written by Till Daisd

Compared to the Merlin version, Spitfire’s performance with the DB 605 was excellent

Among British aircraft, the Supermarine Spitfire is arguably the most well-known. The aim to provide higher performance than had been previously accomplished by the F.7/30 design heavily affected Spitfire’s design, which was created by Supermarine Aviation Works (Vickers) Ltd initially on a private venture basis. Their concurrent development became an essential element of the Supermarine Spitfire tale as a result of this, along with a further drive to maximize the capabilities of the Rolls-Royce Merlin and Griffon engines.

Did German engineers ever install a German engine in a captured Spitfire during World War II?

‘Yes, and they tested it at Rechlin – where it was found to be better than the Merlin version!’ Charles McDevitt, an aviation historian, explains on Quora.

‘In November 1942, Spitfire VB EN830 NX-X of 131 Squadron made a forced landing in a turnip field in German-occupied Jersey. The plane was repaired by German forces and re-engined with a DB 605A, amongst other modifications.

‘When the Merlin engine was removed it was discovered that the fuselage cross section was virtually identical to that of the engine nacelle of a Messerschmitt Bf-110G. Consequently, a new engine support structure was built onto the Spitfire’s fuselage, and the DB 605 engine and cowling panels added. A propeller unit and supercharger air intake from a Bf 109 G completed the installation.

‘Other changes made were to replace the Spitfire instruments with German types and to change the 12-volt electrical system to the German 24-volt type. In this form, the Daimler-Benz Spitfire started flying in early 1944.

‘The ease of switching between upright and inverted V12s should come as no great surprise since the first Bf 109 flew with a Rolls Royce Kestrel engine.’

McDevitt concludes;

‘The ‘mule’ retained the sweet handling of the original Spitfire and was popular with German pilots more used to the wilful landing performance of the Bf-109.

‘Performance with the DB 605 was superb – significantly better than the Merlin version – but then it had had all armament removed and was a lot lighter!

‘It was flown regularly until destroyed in a USAAF bombing raid on 14 August 1944.’

Photo by WW2aircraft.net

July 11, 2023 0 comment

History

The USS Austin, an amphibious transport ship being towed by a CH-53 heavy-lift helicopter

by Till Daisd July 10, 2023

written by Till Daisd

The USS Austin LPD-4 is being towed by a CH-53 heavy-lift helicopter in Long Island Sound in the picture in this post

The striking image in this post shows a CH-53 heavy-lift helicopter pulling the USS Austin LPD-4 in Long Island Sound in January 1968.

According to a tweet that was published, ‘After a Christmas and New Year leave period, Austin transported Underwater Demolition Team 21 to Key West, Florida in January 1968 for unit training, then visited San Juan and Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico and Port Everglades, Florida. This was followed by a visit to Bridgeport, Connecticut 12 through 23 February 1968 to participate in tests of the CH-53 helicopter with the Sikorsky Aircraft plant. Part of the test included Austin being towed by a CH-53 helicopter.’

Well I never!
A CH-53 acting as a tug for @USNavy USS Austin LPD-4 in Long Island Sound. 🇺🇸⚓️ pic.twitter.com/UJBnd5wfIb
— Seb H (@sebh1981) October 20, 2020

Notably, the US Navy is not the only one that uses helicopters to tow ships. Another Twitter user notes that the minesweeper HMS Gavington (about 360 tons) was pulled by a Westland Whirlwind (1 x 750 HP engine) in 1957 as part of tests to demonstrate the usefulness of helicopters in salvage work.

The rowing boats were also once employed by the Royal Navy (RN) to tow ships that had become stuck. The US Coast Guard (USCG) also used helicopters to tow boats, as the image below demonstrates. A USCG Sikorsky HO4S Tugbird helicopter is shown in the 1958 photograph towing the service buoy tender Juniper around the ocean off Florida.

The HO4S had a large compartment, a winch, and a rescue basket. For search and rescue, it was perfect. Early in 1958, 30 were stationed in coastal towns in the United States, according to Air & Space Magazine. Along the way, someone had the bright notion of using the helicopter to pull vessels, pleasure, and other kinds—out of harm’s way.

Photo by U.S. Navy, Royal Navy, and U.S. Coast Guard

July 10, 2023 0 comment

History

When Ted Williams, a future member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, crash-landed his F9F Panther

by Till Daisd July 9, 2023

written by Till Daisd

After finishing his tour in Korea, Ted Williams returned to the major league and was later inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame

On February 16, 1953, US Marine Corps ground crewmen at Suwon’s K-13 airfield spotted the crash and the fire and rescue crews rapidly manned their vehicles. They suspected there would be trouble.

It promptly arrived when a midnight blue F9F Panther fighter (BuNo 126109 of VMF-311) came in “heavy” and extremely quickly, as described by Warren Thompson in his book F9F Panther Units of the Korean War. It moved slowly, trailed smoke, and streamed a 30-foot-long ribbon of fire, all of which indicated a significant danger.

The pilot’s aircraft was clearly out of control, but he was too low to eject. His only choice was to attempt to land the damaged jet in an emergency situation. An explosion rocked the plane as it approached the airstrip, heightening the already stressful situation.

Sparks flew from the Panther as it made a wheels-up landing and skidded for nearly a mile along the runway on its belly. The cockpit was immediately in danger as the nose caught fire. The pilot tried to get out and blew off his canopy before limping off. The aircraft was a complete wreck and had only been in Korea since January 11, 1953, but the pilot managed to flee with only minor injuries.

Ted-Williams-F9F — Williams as F9F USMC pilot Ted Williams lithograph is signed by both Williams and the artist Merv Corning.

The most renowned “flying leatherneck” in Korea, none other than Ted Williams, a star professional baseball player serving as a US Marine Corps reservist, made his daring escape in front of the airmen at Suwon but they only later discovered that. After finishing his tour, Williams returned to the major league and was later inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Future astronauts John Glenn and Neil Armstrong were among the others who would go on to become well-known after flying Panthers in Korea. Together with VMF-311, Maj John Glenn participated in combat in Korea in 1953.

Glenn, a World War II combat veteran of 59 missions, flew an additional 63 sorties in Panthers. While serving with VMF-311, he earned the unsavory moniker “magnet ass” for his apparent propensity to attract enemy flak. With more than 250 flak holes in his aircraft, he twice returned to base.

After briefly flying with Ted Williams, Glenn finished a second combat tour in Korea as part of an interservice exchange program with the USAF’s 51st Fighter Wing. In the last days of the conflict, he flew 27 missions in the F-86F Sabre and downed three MiG-15s close to the Yalu River.

F9F Panther Units of the Korean War is published by Osprey Publishing and is available to order here.

Photo by Merv Corning via Worthpoint

July 9, 2023 0 comment

History

A RAF Halifax was shot down by a Luftwaffe night fighter during a British attack over the Ruhr in 1943

by Till Daisd July 8, 2023

written by Till Daisd

At 17,000 feet, a night fighter attacked the Sgt. R. Lewis-piloted Halifax II of 77 Squadron (KN-D, JB837), which thereafter blew up in a tremendous explosion

The Battle of the Ruhr, the first concentrated bombing operation carried out by the RAF Bomber Command between March and July 1943, had as its sole objective the total destruction of the German war machine’s industrial base.

The Battle of the Ruhr proved to be far larger and much more complicated than the infamous “Dambusters” single-raid attack on the Ruhr dams, which frequently overshadowed it. The enormous, industrial Ruhr region was home to numerous war-related enterprises, including steelworks and synthetic oil factories, in addition to some of the most well-known and significant arms manufacturers, such as Krupp of Essen.

The Ruhr was one of the areas in Europe that was most fiercely protected because it was such a desirable target. The picture in this post, which was taken from the Richard Worrall and Graham Turner book The Ruhr 1943, shows an event that happens after a British airstrike.

The 77 Squadron Halifax II (KN-D, JB837), piloted by Sgt. R. Lewis, was attacked by a night fighter at 17,000 feet and blew up in an enormous explosion on May 25 and 26, after several British aircraft had finished bombing Düsseldorf and were leaving the target area in search of Jülich near the Dutch-German border.

The massive explosion took down two nearby Stirling IIIs, one from 7 Squadron (MG-B, EF361) flown by P/O J.E.G.F. Berthiaume (RCAF), and the other from 15 Squadron (LS-L, BF534) flown by F/O I.S. Thomson (RCAF), whose Stirling III’s tail was completely severed. Six of the 18 fatalities were from the Royal Canadian Air Force, and there were no survivors.

Three of the 27 aircraft lost during this operation—which finally failed because the Pathfinders discovered layer cloud had obstructed the aiming point—were those three. Only a few scattered fires broke out in Düsseldorf and the neighbouring town of Neuss due to the inaccurate marking.

The Ruhr 1943 is published by Osprey Publishing and is available to order here.

Photo by Graham Turner via Osprey

July 8, 2023 0 comment

History

First Aerial Victory of the Red Baron

by Till Daisd July 7, 2023

written by Till Daisd

An Albatros DII piloted by Manfred von Richthofen attacked right away when he saw a British F.E. 2b near the back of the British formation

On September 17, 1916, two aircraft formations converged close to Marcoing, France. One was a flight of 6 F.E. 2bs from No. 11 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps, which was led by a group of 8 B.E. 2cs from the Royal Flying Corps (RFC). The British formation was only attempting to come home after completing a bombing raid on a railroad station that was under German control. The renowned Oswald Boelcke, whose dicta Boelcke are still regarded as the fundamental principles of Air combat, commanded a German formation of 20 Albatros planes of Jasta 2 to intercept this formation.

Only Oswald Boelcke had so far led his new team to victory, scoring seven of them since the beginning of the month. The entire Jasta found the formation over Marcoing on this mission, which was their first time flying as a unit, and they launched a mass assault on it. A British F.E. 2b was knocked down by Hans Reimann and Boelcke personally.

The battle veered south of the intended location, and Manfred von Richthofen, flying an Albatros II, attacked right away when he saw a British F.E. 2b in the back of the British formation.

From his patrol report, in his own words;

The fatal flaw that plagued the Fokker Dr. I, the Red Baron Manfred von Richthofen’s favorite aircraft — Manfred von Richthofen, the Red Baron.

‘WHEN PATROL FLYING I DETECTED SHRAPNEL CLOUDS IN THE DIRECTION OF CAMBRAI. I HURRIED FORTH AND MET A SQUAD [THAT] I ATTACKED SHORTLY AFTER 1100. I SINGLED OUT THE LAST MACHINE AND FIRED SEVERAL TIMES AT THE CLOSEST RANGE (TEN METERS). SUDDENLY THE ENEMY PROPELLER STOOD STOCK STILL. THE MACHINE WENT DOWN GLIDING AND I FOLLOWED UNTIL I HAD KILLED THE OBSERVER WHO HAD NOT STOPPED SHOOTING UNTIL THE LAST MOMENT. NOW MY OPPONENT WENT DOWNWARDS IN SHARP CURVES. AT APPROXIMATELY 1200 METERS A SECOND GERMAN MACHINE CAME ALONG AND ATTACKED MY VICTIM RIGHT DOWN TO THE GROUND AND THEN LANDED NEXT TO THE ENGLISH PLANE.’

The following is what we may infer from this combat report.

Richthofen singled out the last British aircraft in the formation after being alerted to their position by German flak.
Richthofen closed in and attacked from a range of only 10 meters.
The British observer remained shooting until the last moment.
Richthofen attacked from the Fe2b’s blind spot.
Richthofen riddled the engine and killed the observer.
A second German machine tried to shoot down the F.E. 2b. then landed next to it.
The machine landed at the German airfield at Flesquieres, north of Villers Plouich.
Richthofen watched the dying and dead observer be removed from the craft.
Richthofen refused to allow the other aircraft to claim the victory. As an Officer and lifelong hunter, Richthofen was likely enraged that another pilot attacked what he regarded as HIS “Englander” as a dying Morris glided his helpless aircraft onto a safe landing at a German aerodrome.
Richthofen scored his first confirmed victory.

Despite suffering from severe injuries, 2nd Lt. Lionel Bertram Frank Morris was still able to land his F.E. 2b. Richthofen, who had landed at the same German airport, watched his journey to the hospital. Shortly after being removed from his aircraft, Morris passed away at the age of just 19. The Germans gave 2nd Lt. Morris Full Military Honors, and von Richthofen personally attended the funeral and laid a stone on his grave. Outside of Cambrai, France, in the Porte de Paris Cemetery, Morris is laid to rest.

Captain Tom Rees, the F.E. 2b observer, attempted to protect his aircraft, but his tenacity was unable to counteract Richtofen’s attack from a position of strength. Paradoxically, he received his promotion to Captain on the day of his passing. John, Rees’s brother, died the same day after being struck by lightning in a horrific double family tragedy. Captain Rees passed away at the age of just 21 and he is interred at France’s Plouich Communal Cemetery.

Overall, the British lost 2 of the 8 BE2.cs and 4 of the 6 FE2.bs in their formation. The Jasta 4 had also engaged, killing one F.E. 2b near Equancourt, while the two B.E. 2cs were destroyed by ground fire.

Manfred von Richthofen painted his Albatros bright red to give himself a distinctive personal aircraft scheme that everyone on both sides of the Trenches of World War I would know, leading to his becoming famous as the Red Baron.

Photo by B. Huber and F. W. Lanchester via Wikipedia and Eduard

The-Red-Baron-Albatros — The Red Baron Albatros

July 7, 2023 0 comment

History

Luftwaffe Fighter Pilots explain what it’s like attacking a B-17 Flying Fortress formation from behind

by Till Daisd July 6, 2023

written by Till Daisd

On the B-17E, the tail gunner may have been the most important gunner. He used two.50 caliber machine guns to defend the back quarter of the aircraft. The tail guns earned the healthy respect of enemy pilots

The B-17 Flying Fortress is among the most well-known aircraft ever produced. 28 July 1935 saw the first flight of the B-17 prototype. Even though there weren’t many B-17s in use on December 7, 1941, production swiftly picked up once the US entered World War Two. The aircraft saw action in every theater of war, but its most infamous mission was the strategic daytime bombing of German industrial targets.

Nine machine guns and a 4,000-pound bomb load were carried by the B-17E, the first Flying Fortress variant to be mass-produced. It had more armament and was many tons heavier than the prototypes.

The tail gunner of the B-17E was reportedly one of the most crucial gunners, according to B-17 Queen of the Skies. He used two.50 caliber machine guns to defend the back quarter of the aircraft. A terrible surprise awaited opposing fighters as they approached the E model B-17. The tail guns earned the healthy respect of enemy pilots.

‘A German pilot did once say that attacking a B-17 formation from behind was like trying to make love to a porcupine that is on fire,’ Walt Miller, Former 0311/0302 at United States Marine Corps (1973-1993), explains on Quora.

In JG-26 Top Guns of the Luftwaffe by Donald Caldwell, a Luftwaffe fighter pilot explains;

‘The size of the heavy bombers and their formations could not be adequately described to a green pilot; they had to be experienced first-hand… The bomber gunners opened fire as soon as a target was seen, in order to disrupt or ward off attacks. The Americans’ browning .50-inch machine guns had a higher muzzle velocity and a greater range than the Germans MG 17s whose tracers were used to site their MG 151 cannon. So, the fighter pilots’ cockpits were surrounded by red tracers, “Swarming like wasps” in Karl Borris’s words, long before they themselves could open fire effectively; and because of low closing speeds, this extremely uncomfortable situation could continue for several minutes…some pilots would invariably break away prematurely, and the rest would pass through the bomber formation at whatever angle and orientation promised the best chance of survival.’

German pilots were compelled to reconsider their strategies as a result of this advantageous position, which resulted in the adoption of the infamous “12 O’Clock” attack, in which they bore into formations head-on at a closing speed of more than 500 mph! In Donald Caldwell’s JG-26 Top Guns of the Luftwaffe, another fighter pilot of the Luftwaffe recounts;

‘All four of the bombers shot down by JG 26 came from the 306th Bomb Group. The Geschwader lost only one pilot in this battle, but it was a serious blow to the unit. Hptm. Fritz Geisshardt, Kommandeur of the third Gruppe, was hit by return fire on his unit’s first pass through the bombers. Bleeding profusely from a wound in the abdomen, Geisshardt dove away from the battle and made a smooth landing …his blood loss proved fatal; the medical personnel at the Ghent hospital could not save him and he died early the next morning.’

One of the keys to victory against USAAF bombers, according to the great German ace General Adolf Galland, was for the fighters to retain formation. The bombers’ weapons did not down many German fighters, but their streams of.50-inch tracers formed a very strong defensive barrier.

Photo by U.S. Air Force

July 6, 2023 0 comment

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