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History

B 17 Fulton 007 1170x585 1

The longest B-17 mission was flown by the Fulton-equipped B-17 when rescued Agent 007

by Till Daisd February 20, 2023

written by Till Daisd

The long-endurance flights of the B-17 were made possible by the placement of another additional fuel tank in the bomb bay

The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) formed an uneasy alliance with the nationalist Chinese government in Taiwan after Mao’s communists seized power in mainland China in 1949.

The Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF) and the CIA joined forces to construct the Black Bat Squadron, also known as the 34th Squadron, in 1953. Its duty was to conduct covert aviation operations over the mainland, using B-17s, B-26s, and P-2s to drop agents’ propaganda and gather signals, images, and nuclear intelligence.

By May 1959, the 34th Squadron had just one remaining example of B-17. Former 34th Squadron crew member recalls in Chris Pocock and Clarence Fu’s book The Black Bats CIA Spy Flights over China from Taiwan 1951-1969;

“We were preparing to send our last B-17 back to the US. A Chinese crew stripped the airplane of all the ELINT equipment. But after this work, someone forgot to reconnect the airspeed line to the pilot tube. During takeoff on the subsequent test flight, the airspeed indicator failed to register. But instead of flying by instinct, the Chinese pilot pushed the throttles all the way forward — and fire-walled the engines. He flew round the circuit for an emergency landing. If he didn’t make it on the first pass, he told the tower that he would ditch at sea. Fortunately, a flight engineer from Lockheed was onboard and realized what the problem was. He pulled the throttles back so that a safe landing speed was achieved.”

The Fulton-equipped B-17 that saved 007 in the movie Thunderball had also flown the longest B-17 mission ever (it lasted more than 19 hours and was flown over China by a Taiwanese pilot)

This final B-17 did perform a few more missions over the mainland in late 1959 and early 1960, even though the P-2 Neptune (named P2V by the US Navy before September 1962) was unquestionably superior for Signals intelligence (SIGINT) operations. One of these may have been the longest flight a B-17 has ever made, anywhere in the world.

A crew led by Col. Li De Feng flew the old wartime bomber over the provinces of Guangdong, Hunan, and Guizhou on February 26, 1960. They then continued over the Yunnan plateau before making a roughly identical return trip. For this flight, which took off from Hsinchu at 1600 on February 26, 1960, additional fuel tanks were fitted. They didn’t come back until 11:10 the following morning, which was 19 hours and 10 minutes later!

Notably, a display in the old 34th Squadron museum claims that this flight lasted 20 hours and 40 minutes! Long-distance flights in the B-17 were made possible, in accordance with former Black Bat pilot Dai Shu Qing, by the installation of an auxiliary fuel tank in the bomb bay. On the P-2, a comparable tank was added.

But in November 1960, the B-17 left the 34th Squadron. In 1961, it was delivered to the Skunk Works, where the ATIR jammer was installed in preparation for yet another secret mission. Four new engines have to be installed. The B-17 was subsequently fitted with the Fulton Skyhook and flown in Operation Coldfeet when it dropped and then extracted two Americans who investigated an ice station that the Soviet Union had abandoned in the Arctic. The same B-17, as demonstrated in the video below, rose to fame when the Skyhook was employed to pick up James Bond and his love interest at the conclusion of the movie Thunderball.

The Black Bats CIA Spy Flights over China from Taiwan 1951-1969 is published by Schiffer Publishing and is available to order here.

Photo by Screenshot from video and unknown

February 20, 2023 0 comment

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Marinos Mitralexis, the Greek pilot who downed an enemy bomber by ramming its tail

by Till Daisd February 16, 2023

written by Till Daisd

An enemy aircraft’s rudder was destroyed when Mitralexis, who had already shot down one bomber, pointed the nose of his PZL P. 24 directly at the bomber’s tail. This caused the bomber to lose control

During World War II, Marinos Mitralexis served as a pilot for the Greek Air Force (Greek: Μαρίνος Μητραλέξης, 1916–1948). On November 2, 1940, he downed an enemy bomber by ramming its tail, cementing his legendary status.

In 1916, Marinos D. Mitralexis was born in Mila Messinias. In the summer of 1938, he graduated as a Second Lieutenant from the Hellenic Air Force Academy, where he had enlisted. He was assigned to the 22nd Pursuit Squadron, headquartered at Thessaloniki’s airfield, for the duration of the subsequent Greek-Italian War (October 28, 1940, to April 7, 1941).

Thessaloniki was the destination of a squadron of 15 Italian CANT Z.1007 bombers on November 2. The 22nd Squadron of the Greek PZL P.24 Fighters quickly spotted and intercepted them. Three of the bombers were shot down during the dogfights, while the remaining aircraft made it to their destinations before beginning to make their way back to their base in Albania. Mitralexis, who had already shot down one bomber, was now out of ammunition, so he aimed the nose of his PZL P. 24 right into an enemy bomber’s tail, shattering the rudder and sending the bomber out of control.

Then, 20 kilometers north of Thessaloniki, near the town of Lagadas, he had to do an emergency landing close to the bomber that had crashed. After landing, Mitralexis noticed the four enemy bomber crew members still alive and, after giving them an honorable salute, used his pistol to capture them. Sadly, the collision claimed the life of the Italian bomber’s fifth crew member.

The incredible story of Marinos Mitralexis, the Greek pilot who brought down an enemy bomber by ramming its tail and arrested its crew

Brussolo Garibaldo, the bomber’s pilot, reported: ”Our Squadron, consisting of five bombers, accompanied by a pursuer, received an order to carry out the bombing of Thessaloniki. It was November 2, 1940. As we approached the target, we came across a heavy anti-aircraft fire barrier, which shot down one of our bombers. But when we flew over Lagadas, we could see three Greek PZLs. They chased us, so one of our bombers hit the gas tank, drove away from the Squadron, and crashed near the Greek-Albanian borders. The formation of the other three of our planes was disbanded, chased by the Greek pursuers. My plane was attacked by a Greek pursuer and when its pilot exhausted all his ammunition, he rushed against it and with the propeller of the plane destroyed the tail rudder of mine which could no longer be controlled. As we were at an altitude of 7.000 feet, we managed to use our parachutes and land in a field in the area of Lagadas. A short distance from us, a little later, due to serious damage to the propeller of his plane, our opponent, rushed toward us and told us that his name was Mitralexis. After he saluted us, he shook my hand in a very friendly and comradely way. I handed over to Mitralexis, who during our transfer to Thessaloniki, did not fail to tell me that he is happy for our acquaintance, I admire his self-sacrifice, kindness, and generosity, and in return for his kind feelings, as a souvenir of our acquaintance, my personal ID card.”

The incredible story of Marinos Mitralexis, the Greek pilot who brought down an enemy bomber by ramming its tail and arrested its crew

Mitralexis received a promotion and numerous medals for this extraordinary act, including Greece’s highest honor for valor, the Gold Cross of Valor. During the conflict, he was the only Air Force officer to receive it. He and the remaining Greek Air Force soldiers and planes escaped to North Africa to join the Allied forces there when Greece submitted to Germany (in April 1941).

Regrettably, Marinos Mitralexis perished in an Airspeed Oxford disaster in the southern Aegean Sea in September 1948 while on a normal training flight.

The incredible story of Marinos Mitralexis, the Greek pilot who brought down an enemy bomber by ramming its tail and arrested its crew

Source:

Photo by

Hellenic Air Force
ww2wrecks.com
greekcivilwar.worldpress.com
pentapostagma.gr

February 16, 2023 0 comment

Ar 196 1 1170x780 1

A German Arado Ar 196 reconnaissance seaplane engaged six RAF Spitfires during the Battle of Britain

by Till Daisd February 14, 2023

written by Till Daisd

The RAF discovered that, in the hands of a skilled pilot, the Ar 196 might prove to be an unexpectedly lethal adversary

The Arado Ar 196 may have been the best shipborne reconnaissance seaplane of World War II after winning a 1936 design competition organized by the Reich Air Ministry over rival biplanes. The Ar 196 was a catapult-launched floatplane that flew a variety of combat missions during World War II, including coastal patrol, submarine hunting, light bombing, general reconnaissance, and convoy escort sorties. It replaced the Heinkel He 60 biplane as the standard floatplane aboard the Kriegsmarine’s capital ships.

Spitfires were also brought down by the Ar 196 during the Battle of Britain.

As told by Peter de Jong in his book Arado Ar 196 Units in Combat, during the late afternoon of Aug. 15, 1940, Staffelkapitän Hauptmann Gerrit Wiegmink and his observer, Leutnant Zur See Dietrich Schlenker, were airborne over the Strait of Dover in Ar 196A 2 T3+DH, no doubt looking for one of 75 aircraft lost by the Luftwaffe that day when suddenly Schlenker spotted ten Spitfires approaching low over the sea, Wiegmink afterward reported;

‘At dashing speed, the ten Spitfires closed in, assuming a wedge formation and opening fire at 1000 m. Bullets from 80 machine guns were all around us as we made for the French coast at full throttle. Suddenly, I felt a violent beat on my right shoulder. Hit!’

They were actually attacked by six No. 266 Sqn Spitfire Is that had been scrambled from Manston in order to intercept a “He 115 seaplane” that had been spotted on radar 19 km (12 miles) off Deal. But on that day, the RAF discovered for the first time—as the article’s main photo illustrates—that the Ar 196 could be a shockingly lethal foe if flown by a skilled pilot, as Wiegmink undoubtedly was;

‘When the fighters were at about 600 m, I simply threw the aircraft around, and in a steep turn, I headed straight into the charging Engländer, firing at one and keeping it in my sight until it passed three meters over me trailing a long white smoke plume. It broke out of its formation and, rapidly losing altitude, disappeared towards the English coast. I don’t know if it made it.

‘The enemy fighters regrouped and again attacked my aeroplane from behind. I had to fly as low as possible to prevent an attack from below. There were four, five, maybe six attacks. Again I threw the Arado around, smack into the enemy formation. Again and again. My observer must have been killed during the third attack. Until then, he calmly returned fire and still found time to call the distance and position of those enemy aircraft for me as I could not see them myself. In doing so, he had enabled my first counterattacks.

During the Battle of Britain, a lone German Arado Ar 196 reconnaissance seaplane fought against six RAF Spitfires. And shot one down. — A German Arado Ar 196A-2 (OU+AR) seaplane taxiing.

‘The enemy fighters changed tactics. A few took position further back on both of my sides, so I would still have fighters in my neck if I turned towards them. It was hopeless. Already pieces of skin were tearing off the wings. The glass canopy shattered. My head shivered and my hand also jerked.

‘During the battle, I had been approaching two German R Boote, hoping that they would engage the pursuers. My Arado’s engine had also been hit and ran very irregularly. But finally, in an abrupt left turn, I caught a Spitfire in a right turn from below and shot my ammunition into this opponent. I saw a black smoke plume, and in a flash witnessed the Spitfire going down.

‘My brave Arado, which had kept me in a battle against a tenfold superior enemy for 15 minutes, now gave up. I crashed into the water almost simultaneously with the second Spitfire I had shot down. It all went so fast. I saw how my Arado alighted with one float down. I experienced the splashing of the impact, the roaring whirl of the spray, and, suddenly, a dark green veil that engulfed me. The Arado turned over, going underwater immediately but held up for a few seconds by the least shot-up float. This was enough time for me to free myself, and already almost unconsciously I must have crawled through the shot-up canopy. The float was still afloat, but when I wanted to cling to it, it sank.

‘Twenty minutes later I was picked up by one of the R Boote. A sailor dressed my shoulder wound and found that I also had a wound in the back of my head.’

Schlenker most likely passed away before the floatplane went down. Due to Wiegmink’s shooting down of Sgt. Frederick Hawley’s Spitfire I N3189 that day, another Spitfire was allegedly damaged, according to Wiegmink.

Arado Ar 196 Units in Combat is published by Osprey Publishing and is available to order here.

Photo by Mark Postlethwaite via Osprey and U.S. War Department

February 14, 2023 0 comment

A Tuskegee Airman reunited with his aircraft after 71 years

by Till Daisd February 13, 2023

written by Till Daisd

Despite being only 19 years old and lacking even a driver’s license, Hardy flew 21 missions in his P-51 during World War II

A special occasion occurred at Royal Air Force (RAF) Lakenheath on October 4, 2016, as described by Senior Airman Malcolm Mayfield, 48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs, in the article Tuskegee Airman reunites with Red Tail.

A P-51D Mustang, one of the best fighters from World War II, flew down the Suffolk base’s flightline on that day.

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. George E. Hardy, one of the 18 Tuskegee Airmen still alive, was in the aircraft.

The Tuskegee Airmen, an all-black fighter unit during World War II, were known as “Red Tails” because of the vividly painted aircraft tails they flew. There were more than 900 pilots in this group.

Hardy was one of 354 people sent overseas to carry out bomber escort missions. He flew 21 sorties in his P-51 during WWII though he was only 19 years old and did not even possess a driver’s license.

No bomber was ever lost to enemy fire while on an escort mission with the Red Tails. During the war, the group suffered the loss of 66 Tuskegee Airmen.

Peter Teichman, a pilot (Hangar 11 Collection), took to the skies in the restored P-51D Mustang known as “Tall in the Saddle.”

“Colonel George Hardy is a real war hero, the real deal,” Teichman stated. “I never thought I would get to meet the colonel or to take him flying. He’s a very remarkable man, and men like him need to be remembered.”

After acquiring the retiree’s original P-51, Teichman used history groups to locate Hardy. 71 years later, Hardy and his aircraft reunited, giving him the opportunity to make one more flight to RAF Lakenheath where he shared his story with the waiting base personnel.

“The greatest thing about this is that there’s a Red Tail flying in England,” Hardy said. “It means so much to us that there’s a Red Tail still around. So many great pilots and I was flying with them. You couldn’t beat that – I was on top of the world. We [Tuskegee Airmen] demonstrated that we could fly like anyone else.”

After the legendary Red Tails’ valor in World War II, the U.S. Air Force was founded as the first service to integrate racially. Many people credit the achievements of the Tuskegee Airmen and those who served with them for this significant moment in American history.

An achievement was recognized also by Col. Evan Pettus, 48th Fighter Wing commander, who stated “This is a huge honor for us here at the 48th Fighter Wing. The Tuskegee Airmen have a very rich history and an incredibly important place in the culture and heritage of the United States and the United States Air Force. To see him [Lt. Col. George E. Hardy] here on RAF Lakenheath in his aircraft is very, very special for us.”

Noteworthy RAF Lakenheath is home to the 48th Fighter Wing, also known as the Liberty Wing. The Liberty Wing is home to the HH-60G Combat Search and Rescue helicopters of the 56th Rescue Squadron in addition to supporting three combat-ready squadrons of F-15E Strike Eagle and F-15C Eagle fighter aircraft.

F-15C P-51

Photo by Senior Airman Malcolm Mayfield and Tech. Sgt. Matthew Plew / U.S. Air Force

February 13, 2023 0 comment

Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Lancaster bomber got new paint scheme

by Till Daisd February 13, 2023

written by Till Daisd

Avro Lancaster PA474 is regularly repainted with squadron markings representative of those that operated the Lancaster in World War II

The photos in this post, which were taken on October 6, 2016, at RAF Coningsby, show the Royal Air Force Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) Avro Lancaster PA474 flying to Duxford in preparation for a six-month major service.

Before it returns to Coningsby in the spring of 2017, the legendary World War II bomber will undergo routine maintenance at the Duxford airstrip.

Lancaster PA474

Notable PA474, one of only two Lancaster aircraft still in flight-ready condition worldwide (the other is the example at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum), is frequently repainted with squadron markings reminiscent of those used by the Lancaster during World War II and is frequently spotted at airshows.

BBMF Lanc

The current paint job on PA474 has the code letters “KC-A” and represents Lancaster DV385 “Thumper Mk III.” Following Operation Chastise, the famous “Dams Raid,” in 1943, Thumper Mk III was given to 617 Squadron as a replacement.

Thumper Mk III

When the Squadron was based at Coningsby, this Lancaster joined the squadron in November 1943. From Coningsby, it flew four missions before the 617 Squadron relocated to Woodhall Spa in January 1944. The cartoon rabbit from the 1942 Walt Disney cartoon “Bambi” is depicted on its nose art holding a foaming pint of beer.

Avro Lancaster

Even though Thumper Mk III performed 50 flights in total, only 35 of them are shown in the “bomb log” on PA474 in a wartime photo. The “D” indicating Operation “Taxable” (the “spoof” D-Day chaff operation on June 5 and on June 6, 1944) and a swastika meaning a kill against a German fighter are also included among the bomb symbols.

Furthermore, a total of 15 of the big “Tallboy” “earthquake” bombs were dropped by Thumper Mk III. The first Tallboy raid against the Saumur railway tunnel on June 8, 1944, and other raids against “V” weapon sites were just a few of the significant missions in which it participated. Flying Officer (later Flight Lieutenant) Bob Knights and his crew flew the plane for the majority of February to August 1944.

RAF Lancaster

Additionally, Flying Officer John Castagnola, who claimed to have hit the battleship Tirpitz directly on the last raid, used the Thumper Mk III in two missions against it in Tromso Fjord on October 28 and November 12, 1944.

The Lancaster will be carrying a new paint job and markings when she makes her way back to Coningsby, telling the tale of another valiant aircraft and crew.

Lancaster Thumper Mk III

Photo by SAC Jack Welson / Crown Copyright

February 13, 2023 0 comment

Why the F-14 Tomcat is still a very divisive aircraft 50 years after its first flight

by Till Daisd February 13, 2023

written by Till Daisd

Contrary to popular belief, the F-14 engaged in more combat than all other “teen fighters” put together, including the F-15, F-16, and F/A-18

December 2020 marked the 50th anniversary of the Grumman F-14 Tomcat’s inaugural flight or the type’s 50th birthday.

The F-14 was always a hotly debated topic since it was sophisticated, expensive, and offered capabilities that were essentially unheard of in earlier periods despite being partially created for a purpose it never carried out in practice. It was the final example of what you can refer to as a “muscle plane” because, although being the first aircraft to ever have microchips installed, it lacked fly-by-wire and had problematic original engines (and a few other vices). Contrarily, its weapons system handily outperformed anything in use from the 1970s through the 1990s.

It’s obvious that ground crews servicing the type have had (and still have) their own opinions regarding the type. Regardless of whether positively or badly, it’s unlikely that the Tomcat has ever failed to impress anyone.

VF-31 F-14D

In fact, the F-14 engaged in more combat than all other “teen fighters” put together, including the F-15, F-16, and F/A-18, did. Alone during the 1980s, it was used by the US Navy off Iran (Iran hostage crisis), Libya (two air combats and dozens of “close calls”), Lebanon and Syria (reconnaissance “only”), Somalia (reconnaissance). During the eight years of intense combat operations during the Iran-Iraq War, it saw its first kill ever (a gun kill against an Iraqi Mi-25 attack helicopter).

The II Persian Gulf War, which took place in 1991, was the final combat in which it participated in its initial role as a “pure” interceptor. Later, it was used by the US Navy in Bosnia (1992-1995), over Kosovo (1999), Afghanistan (2001-2006), and Iraq as a strike aircraft, as well as during the Iran-Azerbaijan standoffs in the 1990s (2003-2006).

We don’t know exactly how many aerial victories different F-14 aircrew have scored over time because we are still comparing all the Iranian claims that are relevant to this. The crews of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) alone are aware of more than 160 claims, and the crews of the US Navy are aware of about half of them. Nevertheless, this does not indicate that all of the claims made by the crews of both services are known or have been thoroughly cross-examined. In the same way, not all F-14 losses have been exhaustively investigated and their causes established.

(You wouldn’t be surprised if, once all the necessary work is done, at some point in the future, it turns out the total is bigger than the sum of the confirmed kills by F-15 and F-16 put together.)

Regrettably, in 2006, the US Navy stopped using its Tomcats. The IRIAF still possesses roughly 60 of these and is maintaining 40 of them in service, demonstrating that Grumman’s final cat has a lot of life remaining in it.

More interesting F-14 stories written by Tom Cooper are featured in Helion & Company’s In the Claws of the Tomcat.

IRIAF F-14A Tomcats

Photo by U.S. Navy and Imperial Iranian Air Force

February 13, 2023 0 comment

US Navy K 34 1170x683 1

When the U-boat U-134 shot down a K-74

by Till Daisd February 12, 2023

written by Till Daisd

Blimps from the US Navy were not supposed to engage surfaced U-boats, but they were essential for spotting and pinning them down until other assistance arrived

Nazi Germany and the Allies were prepared for the decisive Battle of the Atlantic to start as 1942 got underway. Germany possessed 91 active U-boats and more than 150 were being tested or trained. More than 200 boats per year were to be produced from 1942 to 1944. Finally, Karl Dönitz, commander of the Kriegsmarine’s U-boat division, would have the manpower at his disposal to conduct the tonnage war he desired against the Allies.

The British had, in the meantime, finally put together a plan to deal with the U-boat threat. As a result of advancements in its armaments and detecting systems, maritime patrol aircraft could now carry out devastating attacks on U-boats day and night. The anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft was transformed into a submarine-killer by airborne radar, Leigh lights, Magnetic Anomaly Detection (MAD), and the Fido homing torpedo, while shore and ship-based technologies like high-frequency direction finding and signals intelligence could now assist aircraft in finding hostile U-boats. The United States had also thrown its industrial power behind the campaign after entering the war in 1941, providing escort carriers to the Royal Navy and the RAF with very long-range (VLR) Liberator bombers.

As told by Mark Lardas in his book Battle of the Atlantic 1942–45 The climax of World War II’s greatest naval campaign, the Eastern Seaboard south of New York, the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean, the central Atlantic, and the Mediterranean were among the areas where the US Navy employed blimps often during the Battle of the Atlantic. The K class, of which 134 were constructed before and during World War Two, was the primary design employed in the Atlantic. Blimps could locate and contain U-boats until additional assistance came, but they were not supposed to attack surfaced U-boats. They were instead instructed to launch an attack only before or immediately after the U-boat dove.

What happened to blimp K-74 of Blimp Squadron ZP-21 on patrol east of the Florida Straits in the Bahamas shows why this rule existed. K-74 established visual contact with a U-134 running surfaced, headed in the direction of a nearby tanker and ship, after spotting a U-boat on the radar. Lieutenant Nelson G. Grills, the K-74’s captain, decided to engage U-134 in order to defend these ships. K-74’s encounter had a poor outcome.

On July 18, 1943, just before midnight, K-74 attacked and started firing at a distance of 250 yards with its.50-caliber machine gun. The bombardier released two depth charges as it passed directly overhead, but they were ineffective in sinking the U-boat. There would need to be another pass.

As this was going on, the anti-aircraft battery of U-134 returned fire and hit a target bigger than U-134. The blimp’s starboard engine was destroyed, and the helium storage cells were repeatedly pierced. The blimp’s bag started to deflate once it passed U-134, especially to the rear. The uncontrollable blimp quickly fell into the ocean.

After K-74 approached the sea, the crew abandoned it. The balloon sank slowly over time. To ensure that all classified info had been thrown overboard, Lieutenant Grills re-entered the gondola. (It already had.) He got separated from the others when he came out and made the decision to swim to shore. Grills was picked up the following morning by SC-657 six miles from K-74.

A Grumman J4F amphibian discovered the other eight crew members the following morning after they had remained together. The amphibian found the destroyer Dahlgren, which saved seven of the eight crew members even though the water was too choppy for it to land there. A shark struck and killed the eighth just before Dahlgren got there.

During the attack, U-134 sank, significantly damaging its ballast tanks. By daybreak, it surfaced again, and its crew climbed onto the gondola that was still afloat to take pictures of the blimp’s artifacts. Later in the patrol, it passed the photos to another U-boat.

After suffering significant damage from a second attack, this time by USS Croatan carrier aircraft, while still on patrol, U-134 was finally sunk by HMS Rother in the Bay of Biscay while running the Bay barrier.

Several advocated for Grills to be court-martialed after he deviated from the rules to strike a U-boat. Others said that because of his aggression, he deserved praise. He was not given a court martial or a commendation; rather, he was moved to a position where he was in charge of enhancing airship tactics.

The two ships that Grills attempted to protect from the U-134 attack managed to flee. In World War II, K-74 was the only blimp that was destroyed by enemy action.

Battle of the Atlantic 1942–45 The climax of World War II’s greatest naval campaign is published by Osprey Publishing and is available to order here.

Photo by Edouard A. Groult via Osprey

The day U-boat U-134 shot down K-74: the story of the only US Navy blimp lost to enemy action in World War II

February 12, 2023 0 comment

Giora Epstein Blue Angels 1170x585 1

Jet ace Giora Even-Epstein talks about his friendship with US Navy’s ace Randy Cunningham

by Till Daisd February 12, 2023

written by Till Daisd

Duke took me on a visit to TOPGUN and I got to meet with the pilots there. The meeting was planned to last just 30 minutes, but I ended up sitting with them for three hours. They peppered me with questions about my dogfights…

Giora Even-Epstein, an Israeli kibbutz native who was born in 1938, had a fascination for military aircraft and the aces that flew them. He yearned to pilot the French Mirage III but was denied access to flying training due to a cardiac condition. He reapplied, was rejected once more, but was amazingly approved as a paratrooper. Following 500 jumps, he reapplied for admission to the Israel Air Force (IAF) pilot training program and was accepted. He eventually received his wings and was able to fly and battle throughout the pivotal times in the Israel Air Force’s combat history.

Epstein earned the title of highest-scoring jet-mounted ace with the most confirmed victories after more than thirty years of service to the IAF.

In his autobiography “Hawkeye,” Epstein discusses not only his involvement in the intense conflicts of 1967’s Six Day War and 1973’s Yom Kippur War, but also the legendary fighter pilots he encountered along the road, including Randy Cunningham, Pierre Clostermann, Al Deere, and Douglas Bader.

As Epstein recalls in Hawkeye, the IAF garnered a lot of interest following the latter conflict. ‘After the war, we received requests to host delegations from other air forces that wished to learn from us and our experience in the war. Each of these delegations, especially the ones from the United States, the country that had aided us so much in the war, were gladly welcomed and assigned a squadron commander or other senior officer as a guide.

One of the most intriguing delegations that I got to host after the war was made up of American media people who were visiting a number of Middle East countries, including Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon. I became friendly with two of them: Dan McKinnon, owner of a small television station in San Diego, and Randy Cunningham, a big hulking guy known as ‘Duke’ who’d been a TOPGUN instructor and commander of VF-126, the Aggressor Squadron at NAS Miramar, near San Diego. Duke was the US Navy’s only pilot ace in the Vietnam War — as a Phantom pilot based on the aircraft carrier USS Constellation (CV 64), he shot down five enemy planes.

Leading jet ace Giora Even-Epstein on his friendship with US Navy’s ace Randy Cunningham and on a tempting offer he received from Blue Angels CO — John W. Warner, Secretary of the Navy, Lieutenant Randall H. Cunningham, Lieutenant (Junior Grade) William P. Driscoll, and Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt. Jr., Chief of Naval Operations
(listed from left to right) meet in Mr. Warner’s Pentagon Office, June 1972, in a ceremony honoring the two aviators, the Navy’s only Vietnam War air “Aces”. Lt. Cunningham piloted F-4J “Phantom” jet fighters, with LtJG Driscoll as Radar Intercept Officer, when they shot down five enemy MiGs (four MiG-17s and one MiG-21) in January and May 1972. They were members of Fighter Squadron 96 (VF-96), based aboard USS Constellation (CVA-64). In this photo, Cunningham and Driscoll are holding models of F-4 fighters.

‘He told me all about his experiences as a pilot in the US Navy. In one of our conversations, he asked me how many planes I’d shot down. “I have a few kills,” I replied.

‘As part of their visit, I took them on a tour of the Golan Heights. Lying near the road where we stopped was some debris from a Syrian MiG-17. The two ignored the signs warning of minefields and ran to grab some pieces to take home as souvenirs.

‘At the end of the visit, I took them to the airport. Duke asked me again, “Tell me the truth, how many kills do you have?”

‘”Seventeen,” I said. They were both stunned. It looked like all the air went out of them at once.

‘A year later, they both came back to Israel for another visit, this time as private citizens. By then I was commander of No. 117 Squadron at Ramat David and I took Duke up with me in a two-seater Mirage for a drill of a dogfight against a Phantom. Years later, on one of my visits to the United States, Duke, who was still an active pilot and instructor in the famous TOPGUN Fighter Weapons School, which specialized in training US Navy pilots, introduced me to the other pilots as Israel’s biggest ace and boasted to them that on his visit to Israel he had flown in a Mirage and ‘ripped’ the Israeli pilots in a dogfight…’

Epstein continues;

‘My friendship with Duke grew stronger over the years. At one point, he decided to run for Congress as a Republican from San Diego. Since running an election campaign requires a lot of money – the estimate at the time was two million dollars – Duke organized fundraising events and asked me to come to one. As I was still an active pilot then, I consulted with the air force commander, Avihu Ben-Nun, about the invitation. Ben-Nun advised me that it was better that I pass as long as I was still flying with the air force.

‘Two years later, when Duke ran for Congress a second time, I was no longer an active pilot, and I agreed to make an appearance. I gave a speech before several hundred invited guests, many of them wealthy Jews who’d paid $5,000 each to attend the event, and I explained how important it was for there to be pro-Israel representatives, like Duke, in Congress. The evening was successful, and Duke went on to be re-elected. After the event, Duke also took me on a visit to TOPGUN and I got to meet with the pilots there. The meeting was planned to last just 30 minutes, but I ended up sitting with them for three hours. They peppered me with questions about my dogfights, and I gave detailed answers to each one.

‘My other friend from that delegation, Dan McKinnon, was a former helicopter pilot who specialized in rescue missions. In one remarkably complex operation, he had rescued 40 civilians from a ship that was about to sink. He came from an affluent family, his father was a personal friend of President Ronald Reagan, and Reagan appointed him head of the Federal Aviation Administration. He went on to enter the history books of American civil aviation when he brought in military air traffic controllers to break the big strike by civilian air traffic controllers in 1981. He later founded a small airline called North American.

‘On one of my trips to the United States, together with Sara and my son Guy, Dan invited us to the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, which had parts of aircraft carriers and real planes used by the US Navy. Later on, he arranged a special surprise for me: an air show by the Blue Angels acrobatic team. After they landed, the team commander told me that had he known before about my record as a pilot, he would have invited me to join them in the show.’

Epstein concludes;

‘To make up for it, he made me a very tempting offer: He’d add me to the aerobatic team and in return, I’d agree for one of my kills to be credited in his name. Of course, he was joking.’

Hawkeye is published by Grub Street Publishing and is available to order here.

Leading jet ace Giora Even-Epstein on his friendship with US Navy’s ace Randy Cunningham and on a tempting offer he received from Blue Angels CO — During his eventful visit to the US in 1998, Giora enjoys meeting the Blue Angels beside one of the team’s F/A-18 Hornets after watching their home-base air show demonstration.

Photo by U.S. Navy, Israel Defense Forces and Grub Street Publishing

February 12, 2023 0 comment

Viktor Bout 1170x585 1

Viktor Bout, the Russian arms dealer who supplied cargo aircraft to Ariana Afghan Airlines

by Till Daisd February 11, 2023

written by Till Daisd

In 1998, Bout’s companies sold Taliban transport planes that, despite being operated by military pilots and owned by the Taliban air force, occasionally sported the recognizable blue and white paint scheme of Ariana Airlines and civilian registrations

Viktor Bout, a Russian entrepreneur who rose to prominence as the world’s foremost arms dealer and whose Il-76 was forced to make an embarrassing emergency landing at Kandahar in 1995 by a Taliban jet, is said to have started doing business with the Islamic movement soon after this embarrassing incident. He served everyone who was prepared to pay throughout his career in the transportation business, cultivating business in regions where others would not have dared to go. He was never driven by ideology or sympathy for a particular warring side.

According to Lukas Müller’s account in his book Wings Over the Hindu Kush Air Forces, Aircraft and Air Warfare of Afghanistan, 1989-2001, Bout had made initial contacts with the internationally recognized government of Burhanuddin Rabbani in Afghanistan. Beginning in 1994 (some sources claim as early as 1992), his transport aircraft routinely showed up at government-controlled airports, bringing in small arms and ammunition from Albania and other Eastern European countries.

Even after the fall of Najibullah and the dissolution of the USSR, many mujahideen leaders remained vehemently opposed to Russia, but the Rabbani government adopted a more pragmatic stance and even welcomed the entrepreneur who could make things happen. Bout made multiple trips to Afghanistan on his own, taking advantage of hunting excursions his hosts organized for him to foster business ties. Bout’s assistance was vital for Rabbani and Massoud because their government had little opportunity to purchase military equipment from outside sources in the early years. Later, in an interview, Bout declared: “I had a major pact with the Rabbani government. We sustained them.”

The story of Viktor Bout, the Russian arms dealer who supplied cargo aircraft to Ariana Afghan Airlines, the airline hijacked by Taliban and used to move drugs, terrorists and weapons — An Il 76 formerly used by Bout’s Centrafrican Airlines

It was only a matter of time before something went wrong as the Taliban put the MiGs they had taken in Kandahar to use. The crew of Bout’s Il-76, which the Taliban forced to touch down at Kandahar Airport, was said to have been aware that the Taliban’s air force patrolled the area surrounding the city and that it was crucial to maintain a safe distance during flights from the emirate of Sharjah, where Bout had established his headquarters, to Kabul and back. The crew eventually flew too near to the Taliban AF operational area during the tragic trip, or the Taliban pilots purposely pursued the Russian aircraft even though it had avoided the Kandahar area.

Although specific details are still unknown, Viktor Bout may have made his first contact with the Islamic movement soon after it was able to intercept his Ilyushin. Yet, it is undeniable that Bout’s business relations with the Taliban reached an unprecedented level in the initial months following Kabul’s fall in 1996. At about the same time, Mansour, the head of the Taliban air force, personally selected Farid Ahmed, a Taliban agent, to take over as the new station manager for Ariana Afghan Airlines in Sharjah.

The Taliban wanted to find alternative sources of weapons to lessen their dependence on Pakistan, which reportedly only permitted shipments of war material to the Taliban after a specific operation was approved by Pakistani decision-makers, despite the fact that relations between the Taliban and their Pakistani patrons were generally good.

Because of this, the Taliban sought to create its own supply lines. Bout was ready to help. His transport aircraft began routinely flying from Sharjah to airports in Afghanistan as of the end of 1996, bringing with them small arms, ammunition, satellite phones, as well as food, refrigerators, and other commercial supplies. But, this was simply the start of much more extensive activities. Bout gradually became an important partner to the Taliban because he was willing to take risks and was actually able to provide what his economic customer needed, which helped the Islamic movement overcome its increasing isolation on the international scene because of its refusal to extradite Osama bin Laden, a poor human rights record, and numerous other factors.

Documents discovered in Kabul after the Taliban regime was overthrown show that Bout’s companies began selling the Taliban transport planes in 1998. These planes were operated by military pilots and were owned by the Taliban air force, but they occasionally had the distinctive blue and white paint scheme of Ariana Airlines and civilian registrations. According to reports, Bout’s Air Cess and his Emirati business associate Flying Dolphin delivered a total of seven Antonov aircraft to the Taliban. Four of them frequently flew to Sharjah while posing as Ariana machines.

In one case, the manager of the Aerovista company that had previously held the aircraft said that the An-24 the Taliban purchased was in such bad condition that it could not be sold to anybody else.

The story of Viktor Bout, the Russian arms dealer who supplied cargo aircraft to Ariana Afghan Airlines, the airline hijacked by Taliban and used to move drugs, terrorists and weapons — An Il 76 formerly used by Air Cess and Air Pass, both of which were owned by Bout

Since the Taliban took control of Kabul in 1996, they employed Arian Airlines for military purposes. Over time, this involvement with military shipments, al-Qaeda terrorists, drugs, and other illicit cargo increased to the point where the airline practically merged with the Taliban air force, despite the fact that the majority of the staff at Ariana was still made up of civilians who were not particularly pleased with the way things were going. In addition to arranging for the aircraft’s paintwork, Bout also handled their maintenance and servicing. His ground staff in Sharjah often changed the registrations of Ariana planes to make it more difficult to track them.

Strangely, Bout continued to work for the overthrown Rabbani government even as he forged closer commercial ties with the Taliban. He stated in an interview that he flew military supplies for the United Front until they lost their final suitable airfields, and other sources support his statement. This most likely indicates that he flew shipments until Mazar-e Sharif fell in August 1998. A close Bout associate commented: “He was flying for the Taliban while flying for Massoud and the Northern Alliance. Of course, he was. He was a friend to everyone. They tolerated this because they had no alternative. No one else would deliver the packages.”‘

Up until the early 2000s, Sharjah International Airport was the Taliban’s principal entry point to the outside world. Sharjah, one of the Emirates, whose free trade zone was renowned for its lax oversight and close ties to Islamic radicals, became the Taliban’s primary shopping destination as one of the three nations that had granted the Taliban government diplomatic recognition. Depending on the time of year, the Ariana transport planes, some of which were actually Taliban air force transports, occasionally made three landings in Sharjah each day in 2000. The UN was aware that these flights were likely transporting weapons, drugs, and terrorists.

Due to the UN’s decision to sanction the Taliban government further (including by placing an arms embargo) in late 2000 in response to these concerns, Ariana was unable to travel internationally. From that point on, Bout’s aircraft, which primarily flew to Kabul and Kandahar, were responsible for ensuring a consistent flow of military supplies and Islamist extremists into Afghanistan. Viktor Bout was eventually targeted by American and international investigators because of his assistance with the Taliban. In 2008, seven years after the Taliban government was overthrown, Bout was detained in Thailand and extradited to the US, where he was given a 25-year jail sentence.

Wings Over the Hindu Kush Air Forces, Aircraft and Air Warfare of Afghanistan, 1989-2001 is published by Helion & Company and is available to order here.

The story of Viktor Bout, the Russian arms dealer who supplied cargo aircraft to Ariana Afghan Airlines, the airline hijacked by Taliban and used to move drugs, terrorists and weapons — WHITE PLAINS, NY – NOVEMBER 16: In this photo provided by the U.S. Department of Justice, former Soviet military officer and arms trafficking suspect Viktor Bout (C) deplanes after arriving at Westchester County Airport in White Plains, New York. Bout was extradited from Thailand to the U.S. to face terrorism charges after a final effort by Russian diplomats to have him released failed.

Photo by Bob Adams from George, South Africa and Dmitry Avdeev via Wikipedia and Drug Enforcement Administration

February 11, 2023 0 comment

Chuck Yeager 1170x946 1

Chuck Yeager, first man to break the sound barrier passed away at 97

by Till Daisd February 10, 2023

written by Till Daisd

Yeager flew in an F-15 Eagle to mark the 50th anniversary of his historic X-1 flight in 1997 when he was 74 years old

The renowned US Air Force (USAF) officer and test pilot Chuck Yeager, also known as “The fasted man alive,” passed away at the age of 97.

Yeager tested the X-1 on October 14, 1947, becoming the first person to break the sound barrier, however, the achievement was not made public until 1948.

“An incredible life well lived, America’s greatest pilot,” his second wife, Victoria tweeted.

Other generations were also captivated by Yeager’s legacy because it was depicted in the book and the 1983 film, “The Right Stuff.”

“This is a sad day for America,” John Nicoletti, Yeager’s friend, and ground crew chief told CNN. “After he broke the sound barrier, we all now have permission to break barriers.”

Nicoletti claimed that due to Yeager’s advanced age and physical difficulties in recent years, he experienced a fall that resulted in problems. Yeager lived in Northern California, according to Nicoletti, but passed away at a hospital in Los Angeles.

“Yeager was never a quitter,” Nicoletti recalled of his friend. “He was an incredibly courageous man.”

Chuck Yeager, who was born on February 13th, 1923, in Myra, West Virginia, joined the US Army in September 1941, not long after receiving his high school diploma, and was assigned to the Army Air Corps. In 1943, he received his reserve flying officer commission and was assigned to the Eighth Air Force’s fighter command, which was based in England. During World War II, he flew 64 flights over Europe, downed 13 German aircraft, and was himself shot down over France (he escaped capture with the help of the French underground). He first worked as a test pilot after the war before receiving a regular rank as a captain in 1947.

Yeager was chosen to pilot the Bell X-1, a classified experimental aircraft designed to test the human pilot’s capabilities and the fixed-wing aircraft’s resistance to the extreme aerodynamic forces of sonic flight. He rode the X-1 while attached to a B-29 mother ship on October 14, 1947, over Rogers Dry Lake in southern California, reaching a height of 25,000 feet (7,600 meters). Yeager became the first person to break the sound barrier when the X-1 launched independently to 40,000 feet (12,000 meters), which is equivalent to an altitude of about 662 miles (1,066 kilometers) per hour.

Yeager resigned from his position as assistant chief of test-flight operations at Edwards Air Force Base in California in 1954 to join the Twelfth Air Force’s staff in West Germany. He left Edwards for a few ordinary jobs before coming back in 1962 as colonel and commandant of the Aerospace Research Pilot School. He assumed control of the 4th Tactical Fighter Wing in 1968. In 1975, he retired from the air force as a brigadier general. Yeager, his autobiography, was released in 1985.

Yeager flew in an F-15 Eagle to commemorate the 50th anniversary of his historic X-1 flight in 1997 when he was 74 years old.

Additional source: Britannica

Chuck Yeager, first man to break the sound barrier portrayed in “The Right Stuff” movie dies at 97

Photo by U.S. Air Force

February 10, 2023 0 comment

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