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history

The first BUFF to be resurrected from AMARG

by Till Daisd September 18, 2022

The B-52 Ghost Rider’s refurbishment, modernization, and restoration work were finished in 272 calendar days by Tinker’s 565th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron.

The rare photos in this post showcase the first B-52H Stratofortress that the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG) successfully recovered from long-term storage so that it could rejoin the fleet of operational strategic bombers.

The historic flight of tail number 61-0007 (referred to as “Ghost Rider” on its nose art), which took place at Tinker Air Force Base (AFB), on September 27, 2016, marked the end of the warbird’s 19-month transformation from a mothballed, 55-year-old, eight-engine jet parked in the Arizona desert to a fully updated conventional- and nuclear-capable aircraft. This information was provided by John Parker, 72nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs in the article ‘Ghost Rider’ in the sky: B-52 departs Tinker in historic flight.

The story of B-52 Ghost Rider, the first BUFF to be resurrected from AMARG to rejoin USAF Strategic Bomber Fleet

The 76th Aircraft Maintenance Group at Tinker delivered the aircraft to Air Force Global Strike Command 90 days earlier than expected. At Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota, Ghost Rider joined the 5th Bomb Wing.

“I am extremely proud of the team that was able to deliver Ghost Rider back to Air Force Global Strike Command,” said Brig. Gen. Mark Johnson, the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex commander. “This is really a testament to accomplishing the art of the possible. It shows that when there is a common goal, team members from across multiple organizations can rally behind the objective and deliver their team’s full impact to the project.”

In 272 calendar days, Tinker’s 565th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron finished the overhaul, modernization, and restoration work. In order to get Ghost Rider back into combat condition, maintainers, engineers, and support teams put in about 45,000 man-hours, according to Charles Alley, the 565th AMXS director at the time.

Before declaring the B-52 ready for delivery on September 13, 2016, Alley said Tinker’s 10th Flight Test Squadron pilots flew it six times to check system functionality and ensure a safe and reliable aircraft.

The jet required 7,000 more hours of maintenance than was typically planned to “get it up to speed with all the other B-52s in the fleet,” Alley said.

“I told people during a test flight that because the aircraft sat in the desert so long, we’re knocking all the ghosts out of it,” he said. “It seemed like every time it came back it had two or three different things wrong with it.”

In February 2015, B-52 flight commander Lt. Col. Darrel Hines of the 10th FTS flew the aircraft from Arizona to Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, and participated in some of the final six functional test flights. The aircraft arrived at Tinker AFB on December 14, 2015, and maintenance and overhaul work started on December 31, 2015. The plane was supposed to be delivered on December 23, but it arrived 90 days earlier. The 309th AMARG, the OC-ALC, the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, and above all the maintainers, whose expert hands-on labor made the difference, were all lauded by Hines for their contributions to the restoration.

“This was a great team effort from multiple commands and it was a great success,” Hines said. “Now this plane is going to come out of Tinker back to the warfighter, and it’s going to be a huge asset to the guys going out in combat.”

Ghost Rider joined 75 other B-52Hs in the Air Force’s operational bomber fleet.

Photo by Kelly White and Greg L. Davis, / U.S. Air Force

September 18, 2022 0 comment

History

How the SR-71 Blackbird pilots who set the record for absolute speed commemorated the historic flight’s 40th anniversary

by Till Daisd September 18, 2022

written by Till Daisd

The SR-71 remained the fastest and highest-flying operational aircraft for approximately 24 years of its life

It was a different era in 1976. Americans were waiting to buy as the Cold War with the Soviet Union was in full swing.

The country celebrated its bicentennial in the same year. To mark the event, officials made the choice to use the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird to try to break a few records.

The Lockheed A-12 and YF-12A aircraft were the basis for the long-range, high-tech, strategic reconnaissance aircraft known as the SR-71, also known as the “Blackbird.” The first SR-71 to enter service was delivered to the 4200th (later 9th) Strategic Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base, California, in January 1966. The SR-71’s first flight took place on December 22, 1964.

On July 28, 1976, retired Lt. Col. George Morgan (the reconnaissance systems officer [RSO]) and retired Maj. Gen. Eldon Joersz (the pilot), flying a jet-powered aircraft, set the absolute speed record for jet-powered aircraft at 2,193 mph.

Even now, the record stands.

“We never dreamed, I guess we never gave it much thought, how long the record would last,” Joersz said.

Currently, that aircraft is housed in the Robins Air Force Base Museum of Aviation, where for three days, the museum entertained Joersz, Morgan, and 12 other SR-71 program staff and pilots. On July 30, the museum welcomed about 300 guests for a free celebration honoring the flight’s 40th anniversary.

Retired Maj. Gen. Eldon Joersz, a former pilot, and retired Lt. Col. George Morgan, a former reconnaissance systems officer, sit inside the cockpit of the SR-71 Blackbird they flew when setting the world absolute speed record for jet-powered aircraft on July 28, 1976. The two were at the Museum of Aviation in Warner Robins, Georgia, for the 40th anniversary of the historic flight. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tommie Horton)

“The way we look at it, we represent the crew force, we represent the airplane and we really represent America,” Joersz said.

During their trip to the museum, both guys had the opportunity to spend some time in the cockpit of their illustrious airplane.

“It’s as impressive to me now as when I first saw it and flew it. Every time I flew it was my favorite memory,” Morgan said.

Only 85 pilots and RSOs had the necessary training to operate the SR-71. According to Buz Carpenter, a former SR-71 pilot who is currently a docent at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum annex in Chantilly, Virginia, another 40 or so people are being prepared to fly test flights for the aircraft.

The SR-71 remained the fastest and highest-flying operational aircraft for approximately 24 years of its life. It could survey 100,000 square miles of the Earth’s surface per hour from an altitude of 80,000 feet.

One of the event’s attendees, Tom Joyce, an SR-71 instrument and inlets technician, recalled hearing the aircraft’s start cart with its two 450-cubic-inch engines as one of his favorite recollections. From 1975 through 1988, Joyce worked on the SR-71, and he recalled his first trip to view the Blackbird.

“It was amazing. It doesn’t look like an airplane and then they put astronaut suits on the pilots,” he said, smiling.

The majority of the missions that the Blackbird performed are still secret.

“Those reconnaissance operations are what brought peace and what gave some teeth to the American front during that Cold War… Thank you from a country that could not have won the Cold War without your efforts,” Col. John Cooper, the 461st Air Control Wing commander, said during the July 30 event.

On January 26, 1990, the U.S. Air Force discontinued its fleet of SR-71 aircraft due to a shrinking defense budget and high operating expenses. With more than 2,885 hours of flight experience under its belt, the SR-71 arrived in Robins in 1990.

Source: SR-71 pilots, crew relive absolute speed record By Angela Woolen, 78th Air Base Wing Public Affairs and U.S. Air Force; Photo by U.S. Air Force

September 18, 2022 0 comment

History

The story and development of the Sead Mission

by Till Daisd September 17, 2022

written by Till Daisd

The Wild Weasels allow access to these contested areas, which are characterized by multiple integrated air defense systems on modern battlefields

Airpower emerged as a substantial and expanding danger to land and naval troops, cities, and industrial hubs during World War II. Both the Allied and Axis nations used radar tactically early on because of this quickly developing technology.

By spotting them before they could attack, these early radar systems posed a serious threat to the aircrews flying these daytime and nighttime operations. To combat this novel and developing technology, more sophisticated countermeasures were required as a result of their creation.

These tactical countermeasures, which involved bombing and basic intelligence-gathering methods early in the conflict, originally showed potential in the first few operations.

This marked the beginning of the mission that would later become known as the Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD). Prior to the creation of a specific platform, this mission was carried out by a variety of aircraft types that were modified to meet emergency demand, but the foundation of the SEAD mission was laid by the fundamental strategies created during World War II.

American and Allied bombers and fighters either had free reign to strike their targets or they were identified and later attacked by radar-guided Anti-Aircraft Artillery (AAA) or radar-guided fighter swarms, according to U.S. Air Force (USAF) 35th Fighter Wing (FW) Historian.

Aircraft engaged in Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses missions have since refocused their efforts on locating and targeting enemy radar sites as a result of the need to prioritize their targets in order to keep up with the pace of battle.

Teams of B-25 Mitchell “hunter-killers” were also assembled in the Pacific Theatre, where they created the fundamental strategies and practices that would be applied by upcoming pilot generations. It was also the origin of the expression “first in, last out,” which describes the selfless nature of the Weasel technique.

The lead B-25 would locate Japanese radar stations using its radar detection equipment. Once they had found their target, the hunter-killer teams would fly in low and quickly to assault it with “parachute bombs” in order to destroy the radar installation and its supporting equipment.

Throughout the latter stages of World War II, the SEAD mission enjoyed consistent success, but it was hardly ever used in the Korean War succeeding in air superiority engagements. The SEAD mission did not advance for the jet age until the introduction of the Soviet Union’s radar-guided anti-aircraft surface-to-air missile (SAM) system.

American aircraft and tactics, as well as enemy technology, evolved as the Vietnam War went on. During the early phases of the Vietnam Air War, the North Vietnamese used these SAM stations to destroy aircraft and command the sky.

The North Vietnamese SAM installations were arranged roughly in the shape of a six-pointed star, with the search and guidance radar system positioned distant from the missile battery in a covert, heavily-camouflaged location.

Although some SAMs were destroyed using cunning flying techniques, U.S. aircraft lacked the armaments or skills necessary to routinely defeat them.

The United States Air Force was drawn to the threat the SAMs posed and was swiftly compelled to intervene to stop the deteriorating situation in the skies over Vietnam.

The task of creating a practical defense against the threat presented by the North Vietnamese SAMs fell to then Brig. Gen. K. C. Dempster as new electronic warfare technology advanced. He gave this new program the name “Wild Weasel” in a tribute to the WWII “ferrets”; this term has defined this special mission for more than 50 years.

By today’s standards, they took four F-100F Super Sabres and outfitted them with a relatively basic array of radars. The application was employed as a temporary fix until a better solution could be found. The first generation of Wild Weasels was this modified F-100Fs.

The SEAD mission’s purpose and the aircraft that carried it changed as a result of numerous mission successes in Vietnam and Thailand.

The Wild Weasel mission, as well as the F-105G and F-4G, were housed at the now-defunct George Air Force Base during the 1970s. The successor of the Wild Weasel mission and the F-4G Phantom II, which arrived too late to serve in Vietnam, did not engage in actual combat until late in its operational lifespan.

The program didn’t change until the 1990s, even though the Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses and Wild Weasel mission rotated through a variety of aircraft over the years.

Shortly after Operation Desert Storm, the F-4G was decommissioned from active duty, and the F-16CJ became the Wild Weasel and SEAD mission’s new home.

The F-16CJ fighter-bombers, which were fiercely contested as being inferior to the F-4G fighter-bomber of the preceding generation, disproved their detractors during the initial attacks of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Inherent Resolve.

“The F-16 is a small, powerful, and extremely agile fighter that can hold its own in a fight against any currently fielded fighter,” said Capt. Richard Smeeding, a Wild Wesel pilot belonging to the 35th FW stationed at Misawa Air Base (AB), Japan. “Combining that with the Harm Targeting System and it becomes the perfect platform to suppress and destroy enemy SAM systems.”

The F-16s got into the conflict with higher success rates compared to their Vietnam-era counterparts because they were equipped with greater weaponry, newer navigation systems, and more advanced radar-detecting abilities.

The F-16s with their Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses and Wild Weasel missions were given the chance to hone both tactics and training exercises for deployment at Misawa as the crises in the Middle East in the late 1990s subsided.

“Conflicts in the Pacific theatre are characterized by numerous integrated air defense systems,” explained Col. Timothy Sundvall, 35th FW commander. “The Wild Weasels provide access to these contested environments.”

Misawa’s F-16s and Wild Weasel mission, the only SEAD mission operating out of the Pacific, comes to the fore as the Air Force reveals its anticipated plan to maintain force projection and air superiority throughout the world.

“The 35 FW is a key component to maintaining peace and prosperity within the Pacific,” Sundvall said. “We are proud to be America’s Wild Weasel wing and bear the “WW” tail flash.”

Photo by Tech. Sgt. Fernando Serna and Leroy Simpson / U.S. Air Force

September 17, 2022 0 comment

History

When Cactus Air Force, during fended off every Japanese onslaught

by Till Daisd September 17, 2022

written by Till Daisd

The Cactus Air Force, which was primarily equipped with the rugged Wildcat fighter and the unrivaled Dauntless dive bomber, successfully repelled every Japanese onslaught

Control of Henderson Field was at the heart of the fight of Guadalcanal, which turned the tide of the Pacific War. Less than two weeks after the US Marines arrived, the unfinished airstrip was captured and made operational. The “Cactus Air Force” stationed there had a basic airfield and was low on supplies, pilots, and aircraft. However, as long as the airstrip was controlled by the Americans, the Japanese were unable to send the large convoys they required to retake the island.

The Americans had to keep Henderson Field operational in the face of constant attack from Japanese bombers and their Zero escorts, and even against battleship bombardment. The Cactus Air Force, primarily flying the rugged Wildcat fighter and the incomparable Dauntless dive bomber, weathered every Japanese assault and emerged victorious.

The key to defending Henderson Field, as described by Mark Stille in his book Guadalcanal 1942–1943, was successfully intercepting Japanese raids. Coastwatchers and radar were two of the Marines’ main means of alerting them to avoid Japanese raids. Every minute of early warning was essential since the Wildcats needed to acquire enough slow-climbing to reach their preferred interception height of 30,000 feet or higher. The airplane climbed just 500 feet per minute once it reached 20,000 feet. If inadequate early warning was available, the result was usually a failed interception.

Here’s how Cactus Air Force was able to Repel every Japanese Assault during the Battle of Guadalcanal

The fighters were controlled by a rudimentary mechanism. When the Marine air operations officer made a radar contact, he launched fighters as if it were a one-man show. The Wildcats’ effective radio range was only 10-15 miles, therefore once in the air, they were not dispatched too far from the airfield to undertake a radar-directed interception. A recovered aircraft radio fitted on his truck allowed the air operations officer to communicate with the airborne fighters. The officer who raised the air raid warning also served as an observer to spot enemy planes. Two navy officers who had completed the Navy’s fighter pilot training program arrived in Guadalcanal in October.

They had to deal with the same defective radars and poor communication between the airborne aircraft and 90mm gun batteries. One master technical sergeant was largely responsible for resolving the radar issue because he had the uncanny ability to identify the number, type, and approximate altitude of Japanese aircraft in a formation long before they were near Henderson Field. All of the radars on the island were connected by November 1942, and communication between fighters and antiaircraft guns had significantly improved. The system was able to withstand the 82 air strikes that were registered by the 3rd Defense Battalion between the beginning of the operation and November 15.

Given that the Wildcat and Zero were different in many ways and that many Marine fighter pilots lacked expertise, air tactics were critical. The commander of VMF-223, Major Smith, developed strategies that he taught to his pilots and that took advantage of the Wildcat’s strengths. Smith’s chosen attack strategy was approaching the bombers from a point where he had a 5,000-foot height advantage. After achieving this position—which was challenging given the Wildcat’s minor speed advantage over the Betty—Smith preached a diving attack with a focus on the formation’s trailing aircraft. A right-to-left diving attack across the bomber formation at a distance of 1,000 feet was the desired firing range.

This strategy had a lot of important benefits. The Japanese formation was unable to dodge it, and it posed a good shot on Betty’s weak-wing fuel tanks. It also leveraged the Wildcat’s superior dive speed to slip past any escorting Zeros. The Wildcats were instructed to exit the dive after the initial attack and do a climbing left turn before making another reassess. Smith advised the Wildcats to try again at the bombers if the Zero escort had not intervened. The intercept’s main goal was to disperse the bomber formation.

Obviously, the Zeros were not going to let the Wildcats attack the bombers without intervening, so when they did make an appearance Smith told his pilots not to get into a dogfight with the extremely maneuverable Zeros. The wise move was to clear the area or look for safety in a cloud using the Wildcat’s superior dive speed.

Lt. Col. Harold Bauer, the fighter unit commander for Cactus Air Force, issued a new order on October 23. Hendiscerned that the quality of Zero pilots had declined, and he was sure that the Wildcat pilots were now better. As a result, he instructed his pilots to engage the Zeros in dogfighting whenever possible during the Oct. 23 interception. The outcomes from that day appeared to support his judgment.

If the Marine pilots were shot down, even Japanese lines, there was a good chance they would reach the Marine perimeter and return to duty. This was made possible by the heroic work of the island’s loyal residents and coast watchers. Over half of the pilots that were shot down over or close to Guadalcanal later returned to fight.

The Dauntless crews and the Wildcat pilots both contributed significantly to the campaign’s success. Each Dauntless carried two crewmen, the pilot, and the rear gunner. There were Navy dive-bombers flying out of Henderson Field in addition to the Marine dive-bomber squadrons stationed on the island. When carrying 1,000 lb bombs, the Dauntless had a small battle radius. Dauntlesses were despatched into the “Slot” (the channel between the central Solomon Islands leading to Guadalcanal) in the morning and the afternoon to look for Japanese ships. The Japanese ships that were met the most frequently were destroyers on transport missions through the Slot.

These were vulnerable to assault if they went too close to Guadalcanal in the late afternoon or were late in leaving the waters around the island at night and had not steamed out of range by daylight. When carried out by a trained crew, dive-bombing was a precise way of attack, but any dive-bomber pilot would find it challenging to hit a ship as swift and maneuverable as a destroyer. Although strikes on destroyers were uncommon, the pilot would try to line up his attack down the length of the ship to create a larger target.

Only a few kilometers from Henderson Field, the Tokyo Express discharged its troop and supply cargo at night. It was tempting for the Dauntless pilots to launch night attacks. Given that they were operating from an unlit airfield, these were dangerous. Additionally, they were useless because the Japanese destroyer captains discovered how to remain undetected in the darkness by avoiding shooting at the dive-bombers and reducing their speed to lessen their wake.

Guadalcanal 1942-43 is published by Osprey Publishing and is available to order here.

September 17, 2022 0 comment

History

The restoration of the atomic trials B-52 Stratofortness bomber

by Till Daisd September 14, 2022

written by Till Daisd

The B-52B of the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History is the only BUFF that has ever dropped an atomic bomb

The Boeing B-52B Stratofortress serial number 52-0013, which was restored by the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has been finished.

Through Indiegogo, a platform for funding creative projects that is directly backed by donors, the ambitious crowdfunding effort to repair the historic Cold War-era bomber was successfully started in April 2016 and has since secured the funds required to finish the restoration.

A long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber, the B-52 Stratofortress. The Boeing-built Stratofortress, which went into service in 1955, remained the U.S. Air Force’s (USAF) primary long-range heavy bomber during the Cold War, and it is still a significant component of the USAF bomber force today.

Before production came to an end in the fall of 1962, over 750 were constructed. The B-52, often known as the BUFF (Big Ugly Fat Fucker) by its aircrews, has broken numerous records during its long career. Three B-52Bs accomplished the first non-stop jet aircraft round-the-world voyage on January 18, 1957. The flight took 45 hours and 19 minutes, and only three aerial refuelings were necessary.

“Our B-52 at the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History is truly Albuquerque’s airplane,” said Jim Walther, Museum Director. “This airplane was delivered directly from Boeing to Kirtland in 1955, and it was never assigned to another Air Force base in all its existence.”

Only four B-models are available for public viewing, including this one. Additionally, during Operation Redwing in 1956 and Operation Dominic in 1962, the Museum’s B-52B Stratofortress, which is currently the largest item on display, was employed for atomic testing in the Pacific. The atomic bomb it dropped during testing is still the sole B-52 in existence. Albuquerque’s B-52B was taken off the list when the Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty was signed in 1963 and was eventually delivered to the Museum, originally known as the National Atomic Museum, in 1971.

Major Jerry Hanks, Project Manager and Heritage Park Restoration Coordinator (who also oversaw the productive restorations of the Museum’s F-16 Fighting Falcon and B-29 Superfortress in 2015), with assistance from Museum staff, volunteers, supporters, and organizations with personal ties to the Museum and the historic aircraft, started work on the B-52B Stratofortress in April. The B-52B received bodywork as well as a fresh coat of primer and paint during restoration.

Noteworthy The B-52 repair is a part of “Operation Preservation,” a multi-year effort to repaint and renovate the historic aircraft in Heritage Park, a nine-acre outdoor exhibit section of the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History. On nuclearmuseum.org, you can donate to future Operation Preservation projects.

Thanks to Jennifer Hayden, National Museum of Nuclear Science & History Director of PR & Marketing

Photo by National Museum of Nuclear Science & History

September 14, 2022 0 comment

Israeli Air Force First Aerial Victories 1170x585 1

History

Israel Air Force’s first two unrealized aerial victories

by Till Daisd September 13, 2022

written by Till Daisd

On June 3, 1948, the Israeli Air Force won its first two aerial battles, according to popular opinion. However, that day no aircraft was shot down

The first two aerial victories for the Israeli Air Force/Defence Force (IDF/AF), which was then in its early stages, are commonly regarded as having occurred on June 3, 1948. ‘Everybody knows’ – and this is a ‘matter of fact’ that’s so firmly and widely accepted that it must be ‘beyond any doubt’ – that on that day Mordechai ‘Modi’ Alon has ‘shot down’ two Douglas C-47 Dakotas of the Royal Egyptian Air Force (REAF) over Tel Aviv.

This is not only a ‘claim’: it’s ‘confirmed’ by the ‘legendary’ photo attached to this post. Or isn’t it?

The IDF/AF have acknowledged it formally, and it has been recorded in history as such. It makes little difference that the Israelis never disclosed any gun-camera images or wreckage images, that there are no reports of any captured or slain Egyptian crew members, or that there is any other type of proof — “facts” — supporting the two in dispute allegations.

Actually, the only thing that is “beyond any doubt” in this situation is that Alon attacked a formation of two REAF C-47s that were being escorted by a pair of REAF Spitfires while flying a single Avia S.199 (a Czechoslovak-made variant of the Messerschmitt Bf.109G).

How is that? The two C-47s in question were altered to accommodate the addition of bomb shackles beneath their fuselages. And in revenge for an earlier Israeli bombardment of Amman, they bombed Tel Aviv (the capital of what was then Transjordan).

Alon approached near enough to start firing by taking advantage of the two Egyptian Spitfires’ low flight speed (they had to fly slowly since C-47s couldn’t fly much faster). Surprisingly, he damaged one of the two C-47s before disengaging instead of shooting off his propeller (which happened frequently enough with Israeli S-199s).

The Dakota’s crew was required to do an emergency landing on a beach close to Isdud. A day or two later, it flew the aircraft back to Egypt after having it repaired.

What happened to the other C-47? Nothing. It returned to Almazza AB, near Cairo. Namely, no C-47s were ‘shot down’ in this clash.

In other words, it is a myth that Modi Alon shot down two Egyptian C-47 Dakotas over Tel Aviv on June 3, 1948. The truth is that during that battle, just one of the Egyptian Dakotas sustained damage.

…and the photo supposedly shows ‘Alon pursuing’ or ‘shooting down an Egyptian Dakota over Tel Aviv’?

It’s actually showing one of REAF C-47s escorted by one of REAF’s Spits. How comes this is ‘facts’?

Since it was translated from the operational diary of what was then known as the “Tactical Air Force,” it reads: “REAF’s units forward deployed at el-Arish AB, in Egypt’s Sinai.”

The Story of Israeli Air Force First Two Aerial Victories that Never Were

Photo by Bukvoed via Wikipedia

September 13, 2022 0 comment

History

The Story of ‘The Backbone of Reich Defence’

by Till Daisd September 12, 2022

written by Till Daisd

Hitler praised the Me 410 as the “backbone of the Reich air defense” after observing a demonstration of one with a BK 5 cannon in November 1943

The Me 210 initially took to the skies in September 1939, with the intention of serving as a progressive development of the twin-engined Bf 110 Zerstorer. The Luftwaffe continued to work on the Me 210 and its replacement, the Me 410, in spite of the problems with the Bf 110. The Me 210 actually evolved into the Me 410 in late 1942 with improvements to the wings and fuselage in addition to more power.

Both planes were used as heavy fighters, fighter-bombers, platforms for reconnaissance, and interceptors. The Me 410 was equipped with a 30 mm cannon, 21 cm underwing mortars, and the massive Rheinmetall BK (Bordkanone) 5 five-centimeter cannon, which was designed to take on the USAAF’s four-engined bombers.

The Luftwaffe Technisches Amt had issued a requirement for a gun with a muzzle velocity of at least 600 m per second and a rate of fire of 300 rounds per minute. The idea was to have a weapon capable of inflicting almost certain damage on enemy bombers, but without the attacking aircraft coming within range of the enemy’s defensive fire. This is according to Robert Forsyth in his book Me 210/410 Zerstorer Units.

The paradox was that even though accuracy and extremely low dispersion were necessary, it would be unable to fire at a high rate of fire due to the heavy-caliber ammunition needed. Every shot had to be significant. The Me 410 and Ju 88 were the two aircraft chosen to test this weapon.

Officers on the staff of the General der Jagdflieger first suggested using a five-centimeter cannon in the Me 410 to E.Kdo 25 in July 1943. They envisioned using a five-centimeter KwK (Kampficagenkanone) 39 tank gun, which belonged to the Wehrmacht. It was believed that a bomber might be brought down with just one five-centimeter strike using the Revi 12C/D or Zielfernrohr ZFR 4A telescopic sight. However, the ZFR 4A needed a lot of practice, gunnery expertise, and the ability to maintain a stable firing position for an extended period of time in order to be used effectively.

The alterations required to fit the big gun into an aircraft such as the Me 410 were thought acceptable, given that this would avoid the development of a new weapon. The cannon would become fully automatic if a magazine was added, and it could be constructed as a single unit with the gun, mounting, and magazine-feed system for simple interchangeability. Electro-pneumatic loaders were used for loading, and an electric primer was used to fire the ammo. Two hydro-pneumatic cylinders positioned above the gun cradle served as the recoil absorbers.

The Me 410 and the Colossal Five-Centimetre BK 5 Cannon: the Story of ‘The Backbone of Reich Defence’ — *Basic side-by-side comparison of the Me 210 and Me 410 wing planforms*

The bomb-bay doors were removed and a ventral fairing was used in place of them on the Me 410 to secure the back portion of the gun to the main spar. The installation of the gun turned out to be so successful that the ventral fairing’s outline only required to be expanded from the original design by around 100 mm at its deepest point. The rear of the panel had a cartridge ejection aperture with an internally mounted chute.

A perforated muzzle brake allowed the muzzle blast to be evenly spread over the airframe, preventing any damage and avoiding the need for reinforcement. The only issue was that it was difficult to keep the gun heated at altitude, therefore heating came from the crew compartment.

A Steinbock, a sizable transportable hydraulic jack, was used to raise the gun into a Me 410. A rope was used to secure the muzzle end of the barrel to the Steinbock arm, which was then pumped up until the mounting’s back was tilted upward. The gun and Steinbock were then brought in from underneath the fuselage and lifted until the clamp of the setting mechanism lined up with the plate attached to the main spar. After that, two locking bolts were screwed in. The mounting of the gun was held in place with the aid of a gimbal ring, a pair of lateral bracing tubes, and a suspension stirrup.

It appears that by the end of October 1943, Galland’s office had changed its mind about the BK 5 and now thought that a rapid-fire weapon like the MK 103 would be preferable. Hitler said that the Me 410A-1 was the “backbone of the home air defense” after seeing a demonstration of one with a BK 5 cannon in November. The Me 410 must be dedicated to Reich defense, and two Gruppen or a Geschwader must be outfitted with the aircraft and weaponry, according to the Fuhrer.

Given the lack of additional cannons, Goring had the guts to tell Hitler that only two or three aircraft could be fitted with the BK 5. Considering that the majority of Me 410s had been assigned to bomber Gruppen for missions over England, the Reichsmarschall gave Generalfeldmarschall Mitch the go-ahead to begin outfitting two Gruppen with 45 cannon-equipped aircraft each on January 12, 1944. Two days later, in response, Milch wrote to Goring;

`The first experimental aircraft have been equipped with a 50 mm gun. Since this gun can no longer be delivered, a conversion for a new 50 mm gun had to be carried out within a very short period of time. This new gun is installed in a different manner. The first delivery of ten guns was to be made in December. This was not possible since the magazine feeding device which we constructed suffered stoppages due to broken belt links, whereby the cartridge was hitched to the belt conveyor table. These defects have now been eliminated. There have been difficulties experienced with the high-explosive shell we developed on account of casting defects in the casings and also with respect to its dispersion because of the rotating bands. Alterations are being carried out in the plants. The results have still to be tested.’

Following the original investigation at Tarnewitz into the BK 5-equipped Me 410 V2, Deutsche Lufthansa at Berlin-Staaken began work on adapting the gun for aerial usage. The finished weapon was mounted on aircraft of II./ZG 26 as the Me 410A-1/U4 beginning in early February 1944 after just over three months of testing, during which time significant belt-feed and jamming malfunctions had been resolved.

In order to resupply, the Gruppe relocated from Hildesheim to Oberpfaffenhofen, and by February 8th, Staffel 5 had 12 cannon-equipped aircraft. Despite the fact that the weapon was still having electrical issues, minor switches were discovered to be easily breakable, and ammunition belts continued to fall apart, trial operations were promptly launched over southern Germany and Austria. Additionally, the BK 5’s feed and recoil mechanisms were not designed to withstand the G-forces of airborne combat, and it was uncommon to fire more than one shell without the weapon jamming. The addition of an improvised cleaning device helped to some degree to address these problems.

However, in most cases, Goring and the high command’s insistence that the units use large-caliber guns turned out to be a mistake. Instead of developing guided rockets, it would have been preferable to employ unguided rockets.

When the daylight war over the Reich reached its peak in October 1943, the USAAF was forced to accept that unescorted, deep penetration formations could not provide sufficient self-defense. Although these missions resulted in unacceptable levels of loss, they still compelled the Luftwaffe to engage in aerial combat, causing attrition to a degree from which the Germans would find it challenging to recover.

On October 10, the Kommodore of ZG 26, Major Karl Boehm-Tettelbach, led his Bf 110s, together with Me 410s of III./ZG 1 from Hesepe and Osnabruck, in an attack on the marshaling yards at Munster against B-17s of the 3rd Bomb Division. The 14th Bombardment Wing was particularly hard damaged by the Zerstorer in a mass attack from the rear near Munster, after the 3rd’s B-17s, which had been abandoned without any escort owing to bad weather over England, had already been mauled by single-engined fighters. In fact, the Bf 110s of ZG 26 claimed to have destroyed 14 B-17s, making it their single most successful day. On the other hand, and somewhat surprisingly, the Me 410s of III./ZG 1 did not return with any laurel.

Early October sorties by I./KG 51 also had little success. In a return to the aircraft industry targets that had proven to be so costly to the USAAF in August, 229 of the 291 B-17s that were dispatched managed to reach Schweinfurt on the 14th. The Me 410s of I./KG 51 took off from Horsching under Jagdfliegerfuhrer Ostmark and flew west until they established visual contact close to Schweinfurt, where the bombers had already dropped their ordnance on the city’s ball-bearing plant.

The Messerschmitt aircraft pursued the bombers into the enemy formation while following them and firing their mortars. Once more, the highly efficient defensive fire of the bombers trapped the Me 410s, and while the Gruppe was lucky to escape without damage, it made no claims. Prior to being deployed for missions over England, it turned out to be the unit’s final such mission.

Me 210/410 Zerstorer Units is published by Osprey Publishing and is available to order here.

Photo by U.S. Air Force, The PIPE and Mike Freer via Wikipedia

September 12, 2022 0 comment

History

The first fight of a P-51 with a Me 262, which resulted in the death of Luftwaffe Ace Walter Nowotny

by Till Daisd September 5, 2022

written by Till Daisd

Even though his last statements were muddled, Nowotny’s aircraft was struck and on fire when he plunged to his death

For their respective air forces, the Me 262 and P-51 Mustang were the cutting edges in terms of design, performance, and combat capabilities.

The Me 262, which made its operational debut in the summer of 1944 and was powered by the Jumo 004 jet engine, was faster and more powerful than anything the Allies possessed. However, the availability of both machines and trained pilots was becoming an insurmountable problem for the Luftwaffe.

The USAAF, meanwhile, finally had a fighter with the “legs” to escort its heavy bombers deep into Reich airspace, and back, for well over 1,000 miles in the P-51, fitted with the Rolls-Royce (Packard) Merlin engine and drop tanks. Furthermore, while having a different powerplant and top speed from the feared Me 262, the P-51 was more than capable of competing against it on an equal footing if flown to its strengths. In actuality, the Mustang would emerge as the enemy of the Luftwaffe fighter arm.

Since August 1944, the USAAF had been aware of the Luftwaffe’s beginning to use the Me 262 in small numbers over the Western Front in both the fighter and bomber roles, according to Robert Forsyth’s account in his book Me 262 Vs P-51 Mustang. Meetings between Allied fighters and “jet jobs” gradually increased as the summer gave way to fall, but there was something of a cat-and-mouse nature about them.

One of the earliest known engagements between a P-51 and a Me 262 took place on Aug. 20 when a Mustang pilot reported spotting “a ship similar to an A-20.” The pilot went on to describe how the jet “turned into the sun from ‘six o’clock’. We turned into this attack, but due to the tremendous speed of the enemy aircraft, I was unable to get my guns on him. We easily out-maneuvered him, and when he dived past us, I realized the enemy aircraft was jet-propelled.” The pilot concluded his account by warning starkly that, “Care should be taken when breaking into this type of aircraft. The break should start much sooner than is necessary when fighting Me 109s or Fw 190s. This is due to the tremendous speed of the enemy aircraft.”

A Mustang “jockey” wouldn’t claim the first Me 262 “scalps” until October 7. Despite having started operational flying four days earlier, Kommando Nowotny’s first mission of any significance wasn’t carried out until the 7th, when a formation of Me 262s piloted by the legendary Hauptmann Georg-Peter Eder prepared to take off from Achmer to intercept enemy bombers attacking oil targets. Eder had to abort when one of his Jumo engines flamed out as the jets started to move across the concrete taxiways.

The P-51D of 361st FG pilot 1Lt Urban L. Drew swooped down while the three other Me 262s, flown by Oberleutnant Paul Bley, Leutnant Gerhard Robert, and Oberfahnrich Heinz Russell, proceeded to taxi out for takeoff.

When a “box” of B-17 bombers came back from attacking one of the refineries, Drew, who was in charge of the 375th FS, noticed a dogfight below the bombers and left his section to descend with his own flight to investigate. He duly joined up with some other Flying Fortresses that were in need of suitable escort after discovering that the aircraft had dispersed when he arrived on the scene. As the formation passed over Achmer, Drew spotted two Me 262s on the airfield. For a few moments he monitored their progress:

The First Engagement Between a P-51 and an Me 262 and the Death of Luftwaffe Ace Walter Nowotny

‘The lead ship was in take-off position on the east-west runway and the taxiing ship got into position for a formation take-off. I waited until they were both airborne and then rolled over from 15,000 ft and headed for the attack, with my flight behind me. I caught up with the second Me 262 when he was about 1,000ft off the ground. I was indicating 450 mph and the jet aircraft could not have been going over 200mph. I started firing from about 400 yards, with 30 degrees deflection. As I closed on him, I observed hits all over the wings and fuselage.’

This aircraft, which blew up soon as it was taking off, was possibly Leutnant Kobert’s. Drew’s P-51 flew directly through the victim’s burning remains and dispersed the debris.

‘Just as I passed him I saw a sheet of flame come out near the right wing root. As I glanced back I saw a gigantic explosion, and a sheet of red-orange flame shot out over an area of about 1,000ft. The other jet aircraft was about 500 yards ahead of me and had started a fast climbing turn to the left. I was still indicating about 400mph and I had to haul back on the stick to stay with him.’

Oberfahnrich Russel might have been piloting the Me 262, which collapsed under machine gun fire from the P-51. Drew explained:

‘I had started shooting from about 60ndegrees deflection at 300 yards and my bullets were just hitting the tail section of the enemy aircraft. I kept horsing back on the stick and my bullets crept up the fuselage to the cockpit. Just then I saw the canopy go flying off in two sections and the plane rolled over and went into a flat spin. He hit the ground on his back at about a 60-degree angle. I did not see the pilot bailout. The enemy aircraft exploded violently, and as I looked back at the two wrecks there were two mounting columns of black smoke.’

Oberleutnant Bley’s plane crashed on the runway amid the commotion, but he managed to flee. Despite the fact that his gun camera was unable to capture the action on video, 1Lt Drew claimed responsibility for the downing of two Me 262s.

As the Luftwaffe increased the rate of Me 262 sorties in November, the battle against the jets became more intense. On the first day of the month, Oberfahnrich Willi Banahaff of 3./ Kommando Nowotny was forced to leave following a run-in with P-51s over Holland. However, 24 hours later, there was a relief when Feldwebel Erich Buttner shot down a P-51 and a P-47. The loss of three more jets to Mustangs on November 4 dampened this event, though.

Worse was to come when Major Walter Nowotny, the famed commander of the Kommando and one of the most distinguished pilots in the Luftwaffe, finally took off to combat the enemy in a Me 262 on the afternoon of November 8. For his 257th and 258th victories, the ace downed a P-51 and a four-engine bomber, but on his way home, he was apparently intercepted by Mustangs thought to have been flown by ace Capt Ernest C. “Feeb” Fiebelkorn of the 20th FG and 1 Lt Edward “Buddy” Haydon of the 357th FG, who each has been given credit for a shared kill. Whatever the reason, Nowotny’s cracking voice could be heard on the radio a short while afterward.

Adolf Galland witnessed events from the ground. ‘A Me 262 appeared out of the cloud and dived vertically into the ground. There was black smoke and an explosion.’ Even though his last words were muddled, Nowotny’s aircraft was struck and on fire when he plunged to his death.

Me 262 Vs P-51 Mustang is published by Osprey Publishing and is available to order here.

Photo by U.S. Air Force

September 5, 2022 0 comment

History

Allied Heavies Vs German Flak

by Till Daisd August 18, 2022

written by Till Daisd

In contrast to flak damage, the percentage of allied bombers lost to or damaged by enemy fighters significantly decreased during the 1944

The Allied bomber onslaught was a massive industrial battle with more than one million tons of bombs dropped, almost one million civilians killed or injured, and more than 3,500,000 industrial and residential structures destroyed. Many times, the aerial conflict that took place over Germany has been compared to a conflict between bombers and day/nightfighters. However, historians typically overlook the significance of German anti-aircraft fortifications (flak).

In late 1943, the USAAF started to take the science of “flak analysis” seriously after realizing, to its detriment, that the Flakwaffe constituted a significantly higher threat than had been initially predicted, according to Donald Nijboer in his book German Flak Defences Vs Allied Heavy Bombers. Monthly increases in the number of heavy bombers damaged or shot down required a shift in strategy and the application of electronic countermeasures. The Eighth Air Force initially employed chaff on December 20, of that same year, two months after the USAAF unveiled the gun-laying Carpet I radar jammer. Although these techniques lessened losses, they were never entirely successful.

Allied Heavies Vs German Flak: why Allied Bombers Never Defeated Nazi’s Flakwaffe

An extensive study titled “An Evaluation Taken to Protect Bombers from Loss and Damage” was produced by the Eighth Air Force Operational Analysis Section of Headquarters in November 1944. The outcomes were sobering. Although new strategies were suggested, many of the outdated practices persisted. The report said, among other things, that:

The enemy’s flak defenses have been consolidated over the past year, and our bombers have encountered many more guns. While the percentage of bombers lost to flak has decreased only somewhat, the percentage of bombers destroyed or damaged by opposing fighters has drastically decreased. The amount of flak damage has stayed essentially consistent. As a result, the proportional importance of flak has steadily increased until June, July, and August 1944, when flak was responsible for around two-thirds of the 700 bombers that were lost and 98 percent of the 13,000 bombers that were damaged.

The current rate is startling in terms of quantity. In each of the six months ending in September 1944, 3,360 to 4,453 bombers returned with flak damage, which represents a monthly average that is nearly twice as high as the total number of bombers damaged by flak throughout the first year of operations. The fact that we have been flying over targets that are being defended by more and more guns seems to have offset all of our efforts to lessen the damage caused by flak. In addition, it’s likely that the enemy’s equipment, gunnery, and ammo have improved.

The target of 60 guns from a year ago will probably be defended by 300 guns today. This makes it crucial that we step up our efforts to reduce flak risks by reevaluating the strategies we have been employing and such novel strategies that provide genuine prospects.

The main strategies to lower flak risks are:

1. Avoid flying over flak defenses en route to and from the target
2. Enter and leave the target area on course, which crosses over the weakest flak defenses in the shortest time possible — i.e. with allowances for wind vector.
3. Fly at the highest altitude consistent with other defensive and offensive considerations.
4. Plan the spacing and axes of attack of bombing units to make the fullest use of the radio countermeasures Window and Carpet.
5. Minimize the number of bombers flying together as a bombing unit.
6. Increase the spread of the entire formation in altitude and breadth to reduce the risk of barrage fire.
7. Close up in trail so as to reduce the time between attacks of successive bombing units, and thus saturate the enemy flak defenses when they are employing continuously pointed or predicted concentration firing tactics.
8. Plan evasive action when flying over known anti-aircraft positions (except on a bomb run) to make it difficult or impossible for the enemy to get accurate data for continuously pointed or predicted concentration firing tactics.

Dismissed as ineffective and a waste of resources, the Flakwaffe in fact made a major contribution to the defense of the Third Reich. At least half of the USAAF aircraft shot down over Germany fell to flak (5,380), and it was estimated that flak accounted for 1,229 aircraft lost by Bomber Command between January 1942 and April 1945. The anti-aircraft fire served two purposes. The two roles were to shoot down hostile aircraft and, more importantly, to make bombers drop their ammunition earlier or from a higher altitude, decreasing the precision of their bombing. In addition to harming aircraft, flak caused bombers to lose altitude, slow down, and become easy targets for German fighters on the prowl.

We never overcame the German flak artillery, Commander Henry H. “Hap” Arnold, the USAAF’s commanding general, said.

German Flak Defences Vs Allied Heavy Bombers is published by Osprey Publishing and is available to order here.

Photo by German Federal Archives and U.S. Air Force via Wikipedia

August 18, 2022 0 comment

History

Two UK Phantom aircraft saved by the British Phantom Aviation Group

by Till Daisd August 18, 2022

written by Till Daisd

The East Midlands airport is where the preservation work started and where both of these Phantom aircraft were moved

The start of two new preservation initiatives in the UK was announced with pleasure by the British Phantom Aviation Group (BPAG).

Tiger 360

To start the preservation of F-4J (UK) ZE360, the organization partnered with the 74 Squadron Association (74SA). This aircraft is the only of its kind to still be in the possession of the MOD and was one of just 15 ex-US Navy F-4Js acquired to fill a gap in UK air defense requirements when the government decided to base a squadron of RAF Phantoms there after the 1982 conflict.

British Phantom Aviation Group to Save two UK’s Phantom Aircraft

ZE360, an ex-74 Squadron aircraft, was retired to RAF Manston in February 1991 rather than being scrapped when the type was taken out of service. When the proposed repair was finished, it was the only complete F-4J (UK) on display in RAF colors anywhere in the world. There are only two remaining full examples of the F-4J (UK), with the second one being on display at Duxford in its former USMC markings.

The airplane, however, has deteriorated significantly over the years from being stored outside. Its function as a supplier of spare parts and its coastal location have both contributed to the deterioration of the airframe. The BPAG and the 74SA were therefore not under any delusion that this was a protracted, challenging, or expensive rehabilitation.

The goal was to restore the aircraft as close to its operational state as feasible, despite the fact that it will never fly or move independently again. A fundraising campaign was underway to cover the costs of the preservation effort.

Donations could be made via bank transfer to

Account Name – Tiger360 Sort Code –n30-96-26 Acct. Number – 53212368

Or via PayPal to phantomerchandise@outlook.com

XT597

The Phantom is one of many aircraft that used the distinctive and eye-catching color scheme of the A&AEE, often known as the “Raspberry Ripple,” throughout their test and development periods. XT597, one of three F-4K prototypes, had its first flight in November 1966. Before finally retiring to the museum at MOD Boscombe Down, it spent many years serving as the testing and evaluation aircraft for the UK’s Phantom fleet, completing the initial deck trials aboard the USS Coral Sea.

The airplane was put up for sale when this facility closed in 2012 and was kept at a private airfield while it waited for a buyer. The BPAG was pleased to announce that a buyer was found and that he was a senior member of the BPAG management team.

The new owner obviously asked the BPAG to manage the aircraft on his behalf, and since it was private property and not a group asset of the BPAG, the owner was responsible for paying all transportation and repair costs. The BPAG supplied the labor force and the facilities needed to complete the preservation work in exchange for the aircraft’s eventual display as a part of the BPAG collection.

Both of these aircraft were moved from their present positions to an airfield in the East Midlands, where preservation work started.

Photo by BPAG, Nigel Hodgson, and Julian Dixon

August 18, 2022 0 comment

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