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aircraft

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

by Till Daisd July 10, 2023

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

Military

The F/A-18E/F Super Hornet

by Till Daisd July 6, 2023

written by Till Daisd

The F-18 Hornet was created as the first all-weather fighter and attack aircraft for the US military. It could perform conventional strike tasks like interdiction and close air support without compromising its fighter capabilities. The platform has steadily advanced over time. The US Navy began using the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet in 1999 to replace the F-14 Tomcat.

From the 1970s through its retirement in 2006, the F-14 Tomcat, a twin-engine, two-seat fighter aircraft, was used by the U.S. Navy. It was mostly employed for fleet defense and air superiority missions. The F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, which was the F/A-18 model’s second modification, was incredibly capable and adaptable for a wide variety of missions. It could execute a variety of tasks, including air superiority, fighter escort, reconnaissance, aerial refueling, suppressing air defenses, and carrying out day-and-night precise strikes.

With its merger with McDonnell Douglas in 1997, Boeing is now the manufacturer of the Super Hornet, which comes in two different versions: the single-seat F/A-18E and the dual-seat F/A-18F. Two F414-GE-400 turbofan engines that together have a thrust rating of 44,000 lbs. power the aircraft. The air inlets have been expanded to maximize airflow into the engines. The engine’s maximum speed when the afterburner is on is greater than Mach 1.8.

On July 24, 2002, Strike Fighter Squadron 115, also known as the “Eagles,” operating off of the USS Abraham Lincoln, made the F/A-18E/F its first operational use. On November 6 of the same year, the aircraft participated in its first combat mission as the squadron helped impose a “no-fly” zone over Iraq. In March 2003, the F/A-18E/F was also deployed as a part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Its effectiveness and dependability as an aircraft are widely known. The Super Hornet is a multi-role attack aircraft that can carry out numerous tasks by employing various pieces of external equipment. When used to tackle the challenges a carrier can face, its sophisticated networking capabilities enable it to do extremely specific missions, making it a valuable “FORCE MULTIPLIER”

Because of its outstanding armament capabilities, the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet has proven to be a very adaptable aircraft. consisting of two wings of supply stations and a total of eleven weaponry stations. This fighter jet can transport a variety of weaponry to accommodate different mission demands.

Air-to-air missiles:

AIM-9 Sidewinder
AIM-7 Sparrow
AIM-120 AMRAAM

Air-to-ground weapons:

AGM-84 SLAM-ER
Paveway Laser-Guided bombs
AGM-88 HARM
AGM-154 JSOW
AGM-65 Maverick
Harpoon Missile
AGM-158C LRASM
Free-fall Air-to-ground bombs
MK-80 Unguided bombs
JDAMS bombs
MK-62/63/65 Quick Strike Naval Mine

The F/A-18E/F Super Hornet is equipped with an internal weapon that packs a serious punch in addition to its remarkable array of external armament. The GE M61A2 20mm Gatling-style gun uses electric firing to produce devastating firepower at a selectable rate of either 4,000 or 6,000 RPM. It is a hydraulically operated six-barreled rotary action weapon. In close air support and air-to-air combat situations, the gun’s high rate of fire makes it possible to quickly attack targets at close range.

The Navy’s carrier air wing’s mainstay since its deployment in 2001, the Block II Super Hornet contains a number of technologies that improve its capabilities. With the delivery of the last 322 E and 286 F models in April 2020, Block II aircraft production came to an end. The first pair of F/A-18 Block III test jets were delivered to the Navy for carrier testing a month later. The Navy intended to deploy the Block III Super Hornet to test and investigate novel operational concepts while Boeing created the aircraft to complement present and future air wing capabilities.

In addition to other improvements, the first Block III aircraft has a sophisticated cockpit system with a 10×19-inch touchscreen that works like a Large Tablet. This device took the role of many of the conventional cockpit buttons and knobs, allowing pilots to track and target several distant objects more precisely. Together with the Tactical Targeting Network Technology (TTNT) data link, the aircraft also features the open-architecture Distributed Targeting Processor-Networked (DTP-N), which increases the mission computer’s processing and networking capabilities.

Several characteristics of Block III Super Hornets also assist in lowering the jet’s radar signature. In addition to all of that, this program has incorporated two more modifications that were previously planned for upcoming Navy Super Hornets, namely an enhanced satellite communications system (SATCOM) and the incorporation of a podded infrared search and track (IRST) system.

The IRST is a “stealth equalizer” that gives users the capacity to passively detect and counter stealthy aircraft, like the Chengdu J-20 and Shenyang FC-31 of China and the Sukhoi Su-57 of Russia. The Navy’s top objective is extending the Super Hornet’s airframe life. While the F/A-18E/F has a 6,000-hour service life, the Strike Fighter has seen extensive use over the course of combat in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria, which has lasted almost 20 years.

Because of this, a significant number of Super Hornets have been worn out, which has decreased readiness rates and reduced the useful life of some aircraft. The airframe service life of brand-new Block III Super Hornets will be 10,000 hours. Block II Super Hornets undergoing Block III improvements will have a “per-jet” service life extension of “an additional 4,000 hours.”

Additionally, shoulder-mounted conformal fuel tanks were planned for the Block III Super Hornet. The aircraft could fly longer, go faster, and/or carry more weight if they could carry 3,500 pounds more fuel and lower drag. But, this choice has been abandoned. The hardware improvements are finished.

“Today we are maximizing the open hardware, software and developing the apps to keep Block III ahead of future threats”. Jen Tebo, Boeing’s Vice President of F/A-18 and EA-18G programs, said in the press release regarding the delivery of the first operational upgraded jets.

“We are giving Navy pilots the tools to make the fastest and most informed decisions possible now and in the future”.

USMN has learned that the Navy has quietly started work to produce its first new carrier-based fighter in almost 20 years by setting up a new program office and engaging in preliminary talks with industry. This comes after nearly ten years of fits and starts. Early measures are being taken to quickly create a new manned fighter to expand the capabilities of the carrier air wing and give the Navy’s fleet of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers new significance as part of the multibillion-dollar project to replace the Super Hornet starting in the 2030s.

The Navy established a program office for the Next Generation Air Domination plan, according to Navy Acquisition Chief James Geurts, who spoke with reporters last week.

“We’re working to outline that program and the acquisition approach and all that as we speak,” Geurts said. The Pentagon is struggling to react to a new defense policy centered on countering Russian and Chinese threats in the Indo-Pacific theater as the Naval Air Systems Command just established the NGAD program office.

The Navy officially established the Next Generation Air Dominance program office, or PMA-230, in May to launch the NGAD initiative. Capt. Al Mousseau was chosen to lead the program. Captain John Dougherty has since taken Mousseau’s place since he retired. The Super Hornet will still be essential to the Navy in the years to come, despite the move toward a new fighter plane. For the foreseeable future, the F/A-18E/F will continue to be the main strike capability from American carriers, providing a flexible and dependable platform for a variety of missions.

July 6, 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

History

Chuck Yeager is the reason why airline pilots sound so bored when talking to passengers

by Till Daisd July 5, 2023

written by Till Daisd

Since the late 1940s, pilots have loved and imitated Chuck Yeager’s laconic, folksy drawl

Every time you sit on a plane while traveling for the holidays, a voice that is all too familiar greets you.

As We Are the Mighty reports, the PA system hisses to life and you hear, “ladies and gentlemen, ehhh, good morning. Welcome aboard. This is, ehh, your, uhhh, captain speaking…” before the rest of the relevant travel information is droningly rattled off.

No matter who the pilot is, where you’re taking off from, or where you’re going, every single one of the 850,000+ pilots out there adopts the exact identical speech pattern and pseudo-West Virginian accent.

Why do airline pilots who speak to passengers through the plane’s intercom sound so bored?

‘It’s mainly because of this guy,’ Tim Hibbetts, airline pilot, explains on Quora.

‘That’s Chuck Yeager, a famous sound barrier pioneer. His laconic, folksy drawl was admired and copied by pilots since the late ‘40s. Before long, it became the standard pilot radio voice. Only the coolest characters could toss in a, “well… things seem to be shakin’ ‘round… lemme see what’s goin’ on a minute” and really sell it. That’s just about how things came across from Jim Lovell when his spaceship blew up!

‘Ever since he made it famous, pilots all over have taken it up (certainly others were talking on the radio like this long before and I imagine the whole panoply of RAF transmissions during the Battle of Britain was a series of mild statements of amazement). The feeling behind it for the PAs from the flight deck amount to, “If I sound bored, things must be normal and you should be very confident things are going just fine.”’

Hibbetts concludes;

‘That’s how we like it to sound, anyway.’

Photo by U.S. Air Force and Steve Jurvetson via Wikipedia

July 5, 2023 0 comment

Cold War

XA897, the first Vulcan B1 supplied to the Royal Air Force, crashed in a contentious manner

by Till Daisd July 4, 2023

written by Till Daisd

Vulcan XA897 hit the ground and bounced back into the air a few hundred yards short of the runway. Only the pilot and co-pilot got ejection seats despite the Vulcan having a typical crew of five (two pilots, two navigators, and an air electronics operator)

The Royal Air Force (RAF) acquired Vulcan XA897, the first Vulcan B 1, in September 1956. This aircraft promptly engaged on a fly-the-flag mission to New Zealand. On October 1, as XA897 approached Heathrow to finish the trip, it crashed short of the runway due to bad weather. The two pilots were able to eject safely, but the rear crew perished.

Squadron Leader “Podge” Howard was the pilot, and Air Marshal Sir Harry Broadhurst was the co-pilot.

Only the pilot and co-pilot were given ejection seats despite the Vulcan having a typical crew of five (two pilots, two navigators, and an AEO (Air Electronics Operator)). This aspect of the Vulcan has drawn a lot of criticism, as Jack Hamill relates in Robert Pike’s book Phantom Boys. There have been multiple cases of the pilot and co-pilot ejecting in an emergency and the “rear crew” dying because there was not enough time for them to bail out.

Hamill recalls: “I had been a pilot on the Avro Vulcan, the iconic delta wing strategic bomber which became the backbone of the United Kingdom’s airborne nuclear deterrent for much of the Cold War period. During my time on the Vulcan force, the policy of relying on a high-speed, high-altitude flight to avoid interception was changed to one of low-level tactics, a move which, from the pilots’ point of view, made life a little more interesting. The two pilots sat on Martin-Baker ejection seats, unlike the rear crew members who, in an emergency, had to abandon the aircraft through the entrance door.

“This highly controversial policy was maintained despite a practical scheme to fit ejection seats for the rear crew and despite, too, a tragic case in October 1956 during a ground-controlled approach to London’s Heathrow Airport. Vulcan XA897, the first Vulcan B1 to be delivered to the Royal Air Force, had been on a flag-waving round-the-world tour and had returned to Heathrow in foggy conditions.

“Instead of diverting to another airfield, the Vulcan continued to Heathrow where a reception party waited. A few hundred yards short of the runway, the Vulcan hit the ground before bouncing back into the air. The two pilots, Squadron Leader D R Howard and his co-pilot Air Marshal Sir Harry Broadhurst the commander-in-chief of Bomber Command, now had just seconds in which to decide whether to stay with the badly damaged aircraft and attempt an emergency landing, or whether to eject thus saving themselves but committing the rest of the crew to certain death.

“The pilots chose to eject. Perhaps, as the four rear crew members on that flight heard the firing mechanism of the pilots’ ejection seats, if the men perceived, then, a sudden and terrible instant of doom, maybe as they sat in their non-ejection seats ready to be thrust helplessly, pathetically, inevitably towards the abyss, perhaps, if time twisted to turn seconds into eternity and, even with eyes tightly shut, colors of red, white, blue, green and black flashed, flashed, flashed across the screens of those closed eyes, their final thoughts were less of mounting panic in the midst of reckless endangerment, more, one can only hope, of an ultimate, mysterious sense of concord beyond, in the imminence of death, the realms of normal conscious comprehension.”

The video that follows shows news footage of what happened after one of the first Vulcan bombers, XA897, crashed at Heathrow Airport.

Photo by Royal Air Force / Pinterest

July 4, 2023 0 comment

History

The Ki-43 pilot who rammed a B-17 likely underestimated the attack approach and hit the bomber

by Till Daisd July 3, 2023

written by Till Daisd

As the first pilot to purposefully ram a B-17 Flying Fortress, Sergeant Oda Tadao received praise in the Japanese media and received a posthumous promotion. It is unlikely that the incident was deliberate, though

A B-17F dubbed Fightin’ Swede took off from Port Moresby’s Seven-Mile ‘drome in the early morning of May 8, 1943, on its own armed reconnaissance mission of the northern New Guinea coast from Madang to Saidor. The goal of the mission was to track down Japanese merchant ships that were allegedly transporting supplies to the area. Nonetheless, the weather in New Guinea was behaving as expected since an unstable air mass was causing heavy clouds and squalls along the coastal littoral.

The bomber, piloted by Major Robert Keatts, failed to return. It was fifty miles north of Madang when it made its last radio transmission on the hour at 0900, stating that it had found and was circling a Japanese convoy. A few days later, Radio Tokyo reported that a Japanese fighter pilot had deliberately rammed a Flying Fortress over New Guinea on that particular day, bringing it down. Because of this, it was assumed at Port Moresby that the victim had been a Fightin’ Swede.

Japanese and US Army Air Force (USAAF) records on the subject correspond perfectly, as Michael John Claringbould explains in his book Pacific Adversaries Volume One. The Fortress was discovered by nine Ki-43 Hayabusa of the 11th Sentai, headed by Captain Takashi Ninomiyo, commander of No. 1 Chutai, not long after its final transmission. A shotai of three fighters led by Lieutenant Kobayashi Junji broke off from Takashi’s detachment after spotting the Fortress and launched the first attack. Takashi’s detachment was tasked to cover the approaching ships.

The 11th Sentai had suffered through nearly nonstop action in the theater of operations for around five months by this point in the war and had lost the majority of its original Mark I Hayabusa arsenal. Although six Mark IIs had already been added to its inventory as replacements, its worn-out pilot crew was scheduled to return to Japan on June 19, 1943, in five weeks. They would hand over their remaining Hayabusa to other Wewak-based units upon departure. This clarifies why the nine Hayabusa Takashi led were a mishmash of leftover Mark I and new Mark II Hayabusa recruited from various chutai.

Kobayashi’s trio conducted their initial assault on the Fortress from behind and slightly above, then they rotated around and made frontal assaults. An apparently unharmed Fightin’ Swede moved toward the cover of the cloud during these assaults. According to Japanese archives, Sergeant Oda Tadao deliberately collided with the Fortress during a head-on pass because he didn’t want to let the B-17 escape. After colliding, both the B-17 and the fighter immediately fell. Following this, Oda was praised in the Japanese media for reportedly intentionally ramming the Fortress. As a result of the extensive publicity, he was also promoted to Lieutenant posthumously in recognition of his apparent courage.

In a conflict, though, things might not always be as they seem. Since the beginning of the conflict, the Japanese Army Air Force (JAAF) vigorously prohibited suicide tactics. Oda probably simply miscalculated the strike direction and hit the bomber.

Many of the Japanese Navy fighter pilots who saw the Fortress for the first time in 1941 and 1942 had already remarked how difficult it was to judge closing speeds due to its size. A calculation error was likely given the frontal attack’s close speed of more than 350 mph, as evidenced by the countless earlier combat collisions in New Guinea.

If the Japanese narrative is accurate, Oda is said to have rammed the bomber around 0813 JST (0913 local), which indicates that Fightin’ Swede had been in the air for roughly thirteen minutes following its last location report at 0900. The aircraft may reach the New Guinea shore in thirteen minutes while attempting to return to Port Moresby, which is likely. Regardless of the presence of cloud cover, Fightin’ Swede was unlikely to travel farther out to sea in order to enter Japanese territory, making it more plausible that it was returning home. If so, the collision with Oda’s Hayabusa in midair could have happened over the coast or possibly just a little inland.

Early in March 1944, Australian soldiers moving towards Madang discovered the Type II Hayabusa’s wreckage at Bau Plantation. The ship’s tail was still intact, showing the 11th Sentai markings in clear view. The Allies Technical Air Intelligence Unit inspected the wreck on March 19, 1944, including any clear markings. Bau Plantation is situated squarely on the route that Fightin’ Swede would have taken to return to Seven-Mile that morning, presuming that it was close to the New Guinea coast when it was brought down. Moreover, Oda’s is the only 11th Sentai Hayabusa known to have been lost in a battle close to Madang. As a result, it is likely that the Hayabusa under examination belonged to Oda.

Whether because it fell into the ocean or it’s located in an inhospitable place, the wreckage of the Fightin’ Swede has never been located.

Pacific Adversaries Volume One is published by Casemate Publishing and is available to order here.

Photo by Jack Fellows illustration and Stumanusa own work via Wikipedia

The Story of the Ki-43 Hayabusa pilot that claimed the shooting down of four USAAF P-38 Lightnings in an air battle that never was

July 3, 2023 0 comment

Cold War

While French fighters were grounded for Bastille Day celebrations, 2 RAF Phantoms followed 2 Soviet Bears over France

by Till Daisd July 2, 2023

written by Till Daisd

“I could not avoid a feeling of irritation when I pictured our Mirage colleagues as they attended their Bastille barbecues on this midsummer’s day,” Alan Winkles, former RAF Phantom pilot

“The French, without doubt, are proud of their way of life and French folk will usually be eager to claim the virtues of their je sais quoi factor. Sometimes, however, the quoi in question can cause a problem or two for everyone else. I discovered myself in July 1987, on a day known as Bastille Day or La Fête Nationale. The day when the storming of the Bastille prison on 14 July 1789 is remembered as a symbol of the modern nation and thus a cause of considerable celebration all over the place,” says Alan “Al” Winkles, former RAF Phantom pilot, in Robert Pike’s book Phantom Boys.

“The day for me and for my navigator started well enough. It was an unexceptional Tuesday with the two of us on duty with another pilot/navigator crew. We were supported by a team of squadron engineers in the quick reaction alert (QRA) set-up at RAF Leuchars. Two Phantoms kept at readiness to be airborne in a matter of minutes when ordered by the ground radar controller at RAF Buchan, were in a special hangar next to a couple of crew rooms, one for the aircrew and one for the engineers. As the commanding officer of the 43(F) Squadron at the time, I was not often on QRA duty although I liked to ensure I was rostered for the occasional stint. If, as the saying goes, all was quiet o the western front, it was, for one thing, an opportunity for me to catch up on irksome paperwork from HQ,” Winkles continues.

That time a RAF Phantom crew jokingly requested fuel from an Argentine Air Force KC-130 flying over the Falklands

But on July 14, 1987—Bastille Day—Al Winkles was dispatched to patrol east of the Faeroes in anticipation of the planned transit of two Bear Deltas to Cuba.

“Sure enough, my trusty navigator made radar contact with them at an astounding range and we motored in behind them. First, we closed in on the rear Bear to read its door number, before edging forward to the leader to read its number. Fully satisfied, we then stayed with the Bears for the next 30 minutes or so, seeing them safely off on their westerly heading over the Atlantic. Turning away to the southeast we headed for home – or so we thought.”

Benbecula radar pointed Al and his backseat passenger to a rendezvous with a VC10 tanker as they coasted in over the northwest coast of Scotland. Yet as Jimmy Bedle explains in his book The Fighting Cocks, there was certainly room for further trade. They were then, much to their surprise, vectored southwards, down the Irish Sea, to a position 100 miles southwest of Cornwall after filling their tanks to capacity. Then, Portreath radar reported that their earlier trade had, strangely, swung south down the west coast of Ireland and appeared to be going for the Bay of Biscay rather than continuing on towards Cuba.

In order to intercept the Bears and follow them, a second VC10 tanker had been directed to their location. The targets did indeed look to be in the west, and the Phantom executed a 120° turn to intercept. Al Winkles picks up the narrative once more.

“We were joined by a VC10, pulled off its training sortie over the North Sea. The tanker fell into line astern as we stationed ourselves on the Bear’s port side. By this time the two Russian aircraft had joined together in loose formation. About 150 miles south of Cornwall, my navigator announced in a small voice that we had fallen off his map. However, as we entered the Bay of Biscay we were certain that we would soon be relieved by the French Air Force and we, therefore, kept a sharp lookout for Mirage fighters.

That time two RAF Phantoms escorted two Soviet Bears over France because French fighters were grounded by Bastille Day celebrations

“By now we had lost contact with Portreath radar and had just the VC10 for the company. The tanker captain then announced that as it was Bastille Day he had been told that we would have to look after the ‘trade’ alone and that, consequently, we could not anticipate any form of relief from Mirage units. Far be it for me, I reasoned, to deny the French their day of Bastille celebrations, but surely there were other considerations too. I could not avoid a feeling of irritation when I pictured our Mirage colleagues as they attended their Bastille barbecues on this mid-summer day.

“The VC-10 captain said he was trying to find a selection of French airfields that might be open for any possible diversion if we got into difficulties. However, thus far, the airfields he had tried had not even replied to his radio calls! Having given us this good news he then said he was getting short of fuel, that he would give us what he could spare, and then he would leave us as there was another VC10 due to pitch up in around 30 minutes or so. We took on a few thousand pounds of fuel and he left us, having given us a selection of vectors towards the nearest airfields in the St Nazaire /La Rochelle areas – all probably closed.

At this point, we felt very vulnerable. We had no maps of France, no specific diversions, no weather information, and no radio contact with anyone except for the departing tanker. At this point the Bears seemed quite friendly and, possibly having been monitoring our situation over the radio, they turned towards the northwest. At least now we felt we were heading home. A very long 30 minutes passed and then very faintly we heard what appeared to be a distant conversation between our departing VC10 and the one arriving. Sure enough, the new tanker soon appeared and carried out an immaculate join-up using our air-to-air Tacan. The return route was flown in reverse by the Bears and ourselves, and we finally handed the Soviets over to Norwegian fighters which escorted them on their way back to Murmansk.”

Al gave the directive that all future aircraft of the 43 Squadron QRA carry maps of Northern France following that epic five-hour sortie. Late is better than never!

Photo by Crown Copyright and U.S. Air Force

July 2, 2023 0 comment

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