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military

The pilot and bombardier of the B-47 remembers carrying the biggest nuclear bomb ever manufactured toward Spain

by Till Daisd April 20, 2024

The B-47 that flew the largest Nuclear Bomb ever built to Spain

The first XB-47 prototype, built to fulfill a 1944 need, flew in December 1947 and outperformed its competitors. It had swept wings, jet engines in underwing pods, main landing gear located on the fuselage, and automated systems that lowered the crew number to three, among many other innovative features for the period.

In May 1951, the B-47 began replacing the propeller-driven B-29s and B-50s in the US Air Force’s Strategic Air Command (SAC) medium bomber units. While it could carry about the same bomb tonnage as the aircraft it replaced, the B-47’s top speed was more than 200 mph faster.

The US Air Force’s Strategic Air Command (SAC) medium bomber units started using B-47s in May 1951 in place of their propeller-driven B-29s and B-50s. The B-47 had a top speed of over 200 mph, but it could carry roughly the same number of bombs as the aircraft it replaced.

B-47 Stratojet nuclear bomber

Due to its capabilities, the B-47 Stratojet—a nuclear bomber and reconnaissance aircraft—became an essential component of the SAC in the 1950s and early 1960s.

As Richard “Butch” Sheffield (former B-47 navigator/bombardier, former B-58 navigator/bombardier, and former SR-71 Reconnaissance Systems Officer (RSO)) recalls in his unpublished book “The Very First,” Stratojet units regularly deployed to forward air bases around the world on temporary duty because the B-47 did not have the range of SAC’s heavy bombers (the B-36 and later the B-52).

B-47 navigator/bombardier recalls when his Stratojet flew the largest Nuclear Bomb ever built to Spain — Richard “Butch” Sheffield is on the far right in the photo. His crew was named Best B-47 crew in 1960

Flying to Spain with Mark 36

‘In the summer of 1959, our Wing moved its overseas operating location from Fairford, Royal Air Force Base, in the United Kingdom (UK) to a Spanish Air Force Base at Moron, Spain, near Seville.

‘In order to get our nuclear weapons to Spain, we just flew them in our B-47’s. This way, we did not have to down load them from our alert status in the UK. Our primary weapon was the Mark 36. It weighed twenty thousand pounds, completely filled the B-47 bomb bay, and had a seven-megaton yield. This was the largest nuclear bomb ever produced.

‘The normal way of moving nuclear weapons was by Military Air Lift. The weapons were safe, offloaded from the bombers, place into heavy lift aircraft like C-130, C-97, or later, C-5s.

Carrying the largest Nuclear Bomb ever produced

‘So, flying them in the bomber was very unusual. Also, when the B-47 was full of fuel, with tip tanks fully loaded and the Mark 36 loaded, our center of gravity (CG) was far aft of normal. We could not land with the bomb onboard and fuel in the tip tanks. We have to burn the fuel out of the tip tanks or drop the bomb to get the CG forward to land.

‘The route to Moron took us right over the Capital City of Spain, Madrid. As I flew over Madrid with this very large Hydrogen bomb, I couldn’t help but think, what do those people on the ground think is flying over them today? We even made a simulated bomb run on them.’

Flying home over the Bermuda Triangle

When Richard “Butch” Sheffield would discuss flying over the Bermuda Triangle and claim that there was indeed something strange about it, he would have a perplexed expression on his face.

‘When it came time to rotate back home to Little Rock, my CO-pilot, Jim McCracken, and I came up with a way to get home sooner than normal. We would land at the Azores; refuel then were going to fly all the way home on one tank of gas going over Bermuda.

‘Everything was going well, right on fuel plans until we passed Bermuda, then we ran into the jet stream, two hundred-knot headwinds, that were not forecast. We were lucky to make it to the East Coast. I have never seen, before, or sense, headwinds like that. The jet stream never goes that far South.

‘We landed at Hunter, AFB, SC. on the East Coast. Flew home to Little Rock the next day.’

Check out Habubrats SR-71’s Twitter profile and the Born into the Wilde Blue Yonder Facebook page for further Blackbird photos and stories.

Photo by U.S. Air Force and Linda Sheffield Miller

April 20, 2024 0 comment

History

Avro Vulcan pilot recalls being ‘zapped’ with kiwis on his bomber’s roundels during New Zealand Ranger

by Till Daisd April 19, 2024

written by Till Daisd

RAF Akrotiri

RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus, began on Jul. 1, 1955, when the first 30 personnel posted to the ‘Unit’ established themselves in the flat, dry, rocky scrubland on the windswept Akrotiri Peninsula.

Due to terrorist activity, Nicosia Airport was temporarily closed. As a result, Akrotiri was designated as the new location to handle civil aviation on the island, along with a temporary “civil airport reception center.” They also brought in an RAF Regiment Light Anti-Aircraft Wing.

The station’s strength increased dramatically in just 12 months, reaching 260 officers and 2864 other ranks by the end of August 1956. Construction trailed behind the unexpected demand for accommodations, which resulted in overcrowding and unhygienic conditions that sent 1430 people on a daily sick-out.

From the Station’s rudimentary beginnings with caravans and mud tracks, roads were developed, hangars were built, and some permanent buildings were constructed.

The Station reached its height in the 1960s and 1970s after the departure from east of Suez; Lightning, Canberra, Hercules, Argosy, and Vulcan aircraft were all permanently based squadrons operated from RAF Akrotiri.

The Avro Vulcan goes to New Zealand

In Tony Blackman’s book Vulcan Boys True Tales of the Iconic Delta V Bomber, Adrian Summer, a former Vulcan pilot who was the pilot in charge at the time of this story, remembers;

‘My greatest memory from Cyprus days was our New Zealand Ranger in February 1972. Ron had received a letter from the widow of an ex-squadron commander who had sadly died; he had had a silver bat, the IX Squadron emblem, as a mascot on their car and she wished to present it to the squadron. The only problem was that she lived in Christchurch, South Island, NZ.

‘Unfortunately, this was not sufficient justification for a trip ‘down under’ so a further reason had to be found. I am not sure how it happened, but Ron [Wg Cdr Ron Dick, Summer’s Vulcan captain) managed to get an invite to take part in the Hamilton Air Show, south of Auckland, North Island. Our base throughout our stay was the RNZAF airbase at Ohakea, just outside Palmerston North.’

Kiwis within the roundels

Summer continues;

‘As it happened, we were the first Vulcan to return to New Zealand since 1959 when a Vulcan B1 XH498 undershot the runway at Wellington damaging the port undercarriage, and crash-landed back at Ohakea. I understand the crew chief remained with the aircraft in NZ for a number of months! Our ranger was not without incident, but of a different kind.

‘During the first evening of our arrival, our aircraft was ‘zapped’ having kiwis painted within the roundels on either side of the nose. Then, during our flight down and back to Christchurch to pick up the silver bat, we came across an old steam train known as the “Kingston Flier’ which we managed to capture on F95 film. On returning to Ohakea, Ron was handed a telegram which was from the engine driver, a Mr Glendenning, which read-+++GREAT FLYBY STOP DID YOU KNOW THAT YOU HAD AN OIL LEAK UNDER YOUR LEFT WING STOP+++.

‘Apparently, several years later Ron Dick re-visited NZ and found out where Mr Glendenning was living. He knocked at his door and said to him “We have never met, but I have been close to you,” to which Mr Glendenning replied, “you’re that bloody Vulcan pilot.”

Vulcan flying up and down in New Zealand

‘Another occurrence was as a result of flying up and down the fantastically beautiful Milford Sound in New Zealand again during our flight back from Christchurch. Months after our return to Cyprus, I was back in the UK on my intermediate co-pilot’s course for conversion to the left-hand seat. I was browsing through the flying magazines in Smiths and came across a Vulcan filling the whole of the centerfold picture; on closer inspection, I realized it was our aircraft in New Zealand. The picture had been taken by an Australian professional photographer who was on his honeymoon and who happened to be fishing in Milford Sound at the time.

‘Flying back to Cyprus from New Zealand, whilst crossing the Inter-Tropical Front and endeavoring to climb out of severe icing, we had the outer lamination of two of our front windscreens crack. We subsequently landed safely at Tengah in Singapore, and the aircraft remained there for a double windscreen change whilst our crew flew back to Akrotiri by VC10.’

Kiwis within roundels again!

Summers concludes;

‘Some days later the aircraft was recovered back to base by Flight Lieutenant Jon Tye and his crew. Within minutes of it landing at Akrotiri, Ron was summoned to the station commander’s office to explain to John Stacey [RAF Akrotiri commander] why one of his aircraft had been seconded to the New Zealand Air Force. Ron had forgotten about the kiwis in the roundels!’

Vulcan Boys True Tales of the Iconic Delta V Bomber is published by Mortons Books and is available to order here.

Photo by Crown Copyright

April 19, 2024 0 comment

History

Richard Bong, America’s Top Ace, used his P-38 to shoot a crocodile to protect his comrades

by Till Daisd April 18, 2024

written by Till Daisd

America’s Top Ace Richard Bong

Richard “Dick” Bong enlisted as a flying cadet near Wausau, Wisconsin, on May 29, 1941, following his schooling in his hometown. He completed his aviation training at Luke Field, Arizona, and Tulare and Gardner Fields, California. On January 9, 1942, he received his commission and wings. Until May, when he left Luke for combat training in P38s at Hamilton Field, California, he served as an instructor for other pilots.

According to the USAF Historical Support Division, he went to the Pacific as a fighter pilot with the 9th Fighter Squadron of the 49th Fighter Group in Australia. Major Bong was transferred to the 35th Group’s 39th Squadron in November 1942, where he shot down five Japanese fighter aircraft before joining the 9th Squadron again in January 1943. He flew with the 9th until November, being promoted to first lieutenant in April and to captain in August.

Richard Bong continues to fly combat missions in P-38s

On Nov. 11, 1943, he was given 60 days’ leave and reassigned to Headquarters V Fighter Command, New Guinea, as assistant operations officer in charge of replacement airplanes. In this assignment, Major Bong continued to fly combat missions in P-38s and increased his enemy aircraft kills to 28. In April 1944, he was promoted to major and sent home to instruct others in the art of aerial superiority, with the assignment to Foster Field, Texas.

In September 1944, he returned to the Pacific with the Fifth Fighter Command as a gunnery training officer. Though not required to perform further combat flying, he voluntarily put in 30 more combat missions over Borneo and the Philippine Islands, destroying 12 more planes to bring his total to 40. Still today, Major Bong is the top American ace of all wars, with 40 enemy aircraft destroyed in aerial combat.

Nailing a crocodile with his P-38 20mm

However, Bong not only shot down enemy aircraft, but he almost got credit for nailing a crocodile with his 20mm.

Pete Feigal, a former Pro Military Artist, explains on Quora. ‘Dick didn’t consider himself a very good shot—the most important skill needed to shoot down an enemy aircraft—so he would fly in nice and cozy before pulling the trigger.

‘Bong’s strategy of close combat served him particularly well during a rescue mission in Papua New Guinea. Three fellow pilots were crossing a lake in a small boat to rescue another pilot who had been missing in the jungle. While flying overhead cover, Bong noticed a crocodile following the boat closely in the water. Charged with protecting his comrades, Bong dove very low and glided right over the water. With a precise burst of 20mm cannon fire, Bong blasted the croc. Newspapers reported on the incredible tale, though the crocodile was erroneously called a gator. Some joked about painting a crocodile on the side of “Marge!”’

The incredible story of when America’s Top Ace Dick Bong fought alone against Nine Japanese Zero Fighters. He shot down two of them and damaged another before safely RTB. — Richard Bong’s P-38 Marge

Photo by U.S. Air Force

April 18, 2024 0 comment

History

A U-2 pilot recalls how the Cuban Missile Crisis almost turned into WWIII

by Till Daisd April 16, 2024

written by Till Daisd

A U-2 pilot tells a scary story that took place during the Cuban Missile Crisis

August 1955 saw the first flight of the original U-2A, which was built by Kelly Johnson and the Lockheed Skunk Works in total secrecy. Early flights over the Soviet Union in the late 1950s provided the president and other US decision-makers with key intelligence on Soviet military capability.

The Cuban Missile Crisis began in October 1962 when the U-2 captured images showing the Soviet Union stockpiling nuclear missiles for offensive use in Cuba.

The fear of World War III

Everyone was terrified of a third world war following the Cuban Crisis. Situated barely ninety miles from Florida, the island of Cuba had installed nuclear missiles that might reach the United States.

On Oct. 23, 1962, Butch Sheffield’s daughter remembers his father telling her mother to go to the commissary and buy as much food as possible. At that time, we lived in Texas at Carswell Air Force Base (AFB). Butch Sheffield, who was an SR-71 Reconnaissance Systems Officer, as he was leaving, said to fly the B-58 Hustler bomber on red alert.

Buddy Brown, one of only 12 men in the world who flew both the U-2 and the SR-71

They lived at Beale AFB seven years later, and Buddy Brown was their neighbor. He was one of the only 12 men in the world who flew both the U-2 and the SR-71. The following is an interview by Buddy Brown given ten years ago to Oakridger.

‘Now let me say something about that Cuban Missile Crisis. This is probably as close as this nation has ever come to being in World War III,’ Brown began. ‘When I say close, it was probably about that far from pushing a button to launch a nuclear torpedo,’ he stated, as he gestured with two of his fingers only a few inches apart.

The crew of a Soviet submarine thought that World War III had started

‘I was at a 50-year thing at George Mason University about a year ago, and they were celebrating (the 50th anniversary of) the Cuban Missile Crisis. Since I was one of the pilots, they had me talk to the group there about that. I sat next to Sergei Khrushchev — (Soviet Premier Nikita) Khrushchev’s son — who was around 30 years old during the Cuban Missile Crisis and is now a professor at Brown University. But he was telling us that the Soviets had some diesel subs inside the line there in case nuclear war started.

The story of Buddy Brown, the U-2 pilot that took part to O Club parties wearing fake bad teeth to joke about the ozone level effect on U-2 drivers — Buddy Brown in front of an SR-71 Blackbird Mach 3 spy plane

‘Well, this one person running the submarine thought we were, in fact, at war — because they didn’t have any contact,’ Brown recalled. ‘They had a bunch of naval ships out there and, fortunately, somebody with a cooler brain stopped him from doing that — but he was about three inches from pushing and launching one of those nuclear torpedoes at one of our naval ships out there.’ He paused and stated: ‘Now that would have started it right there.’ The Soviets had, in Cuba, about sixty 1-megaton weapons that were ready to go. Cruise missiles and a few other things.’

1 MEGAton nuclear weapons

Brown concludes;

Former U-2 pilot tells the story of the Soviet submarine that almost fired a nuclear torpedo at a US Navy ship during the Cuban Missile Crisis — Soviet submarine B-59, forced to the surface by US Naval forces in the Caribbean near Cuba.

‘To make a comparison, the ones that they set off during World War II at Hiroshima and Nagasaki was about 15 kt (kiloton) — now we’re talking about 1 MEGAton and they were going to use them. Well, fortunately, none of that happened and it ended up that we didn’t go to war; but it was probably the closest this nation has ever been.’

Check out Habubrats SR-71’s Twitter profile and Born into the Wilde Blue Yonder’s Facebook page for further Blackbird photos and stories.

Photo by U.S. Air Force, CIA and U.S. Navy

April 16, 2024 0 comment

History

Before Operation Iraqi Freedom began, Saddam Hussein buried Iraqi Air Force fighter jets in the desert

by Till Daisd April 16, 2024

written by Till Daisd

No opposition from the Iraqi Air Force during Operation Iraqi Freedom

Preemptive attacks against the presidential palace of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and specific military targets marked the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) on March 20, 2003. About 67,700 “boots on the ground” and 15,000 Navy personnel on ships in the region followed the initial attack. Iraq was judged to violate UN Security Council Resolution 1441, which “prohibits stockpiling and importing weapons of mass destruction (WMDs),” prompting the authorization of OIF.

Five weeks after the invasion started, Baghdad fell due to the swift defeat of Iraqi forces. There was no opposition from the Iraqi Air Force (IrAF) to the US and coalition forces during the invasion of Iraq.

Remembering the Iraqi Air Force fighter jets found buried in the desert by American Forces during Operation Iraqi Freedom — Several MiG-25 interceptors and Su-25 ground attack jets have been found buried at Al-Taqqadum air field west of Baghdad.

Why?

When Iran and Iraq ended a brutal 8-year war in 1988, the IrAF had fought well.

As Daniel L. Haulman, PhD Air Force Historical Research Agency, explained in his document What Happened to the Iraqi Air Force? “By 1991, it was one of the largest air forces in southwestern Asia, with well over 700 fixed-wing combat aircraft. Iraq had purchased new and very capable fighter aircraft, including MiG-29s from the Soviet Union and Mirage F-1s from France. The country had also improved its air bases, increasing the size and number of their runways and taxiways and constructing hundreds of hardened aircraft shelters to protect aircraft on the ground. Yet twelve years later, when the United States and coalition forces invaded Iraq in 2003 [during Operation Iraqi Freedom], they faced no Iraqi Air Force opposition. Not one Iraqi warplane attacked the invaders as they proceeded toward Baghdad.”

37 Iraqi Air Force airplanes shot down during Operation Desert Storm

Iraqi Air Force fighter jets were buried in the desert by Saddam Hussein before Operation Iraqi Freedom started. Here’s why. — “Iraqi FOD” is a 34-by-48-inch oil painting. It depicts the wreckage of an Iraqi MiG 23 and its engine at Tallil Air Base, Iraq, in April 2003 during Operation Iraqi Freedom. The artwork is among 200 pieces being donated to the Air Force. (U.S. Air Force painting by Harley Copic)

“During the Gulf War or Operation DESERT STORM, between January and March 1991, USAF pilots shot down 37 Iraqi airplanes, including 32 fixed-wing airplanes and 5 helicopters. The lost Iraqi airplanes included eight MiG-23s, six F-1s jets, five MiG-29s, four SU-22s, two SU-25s, two MiG-25s, two MiG-21s, one PC-9, one IL-76, one SU-7, and five helicopters, including two MI-8s, one MI-24, and two that were not identified. In December 1992 and January 1993, two USAF F-16 pilots each shot down two additional Iraqi aircraft, including a MiG-23 and a MiG-25.”

Haulman continues;

“When the United States invaded Iraq in 2003, the Iraqi Air Force did not show up. It did not generate a single sortie. Allied air and ground forces operated without any aerial opposition. The absence of Iraqi Air Force opposition allowed the United States Air Force to use aircraft more vulnerable than fighters and bombers, such as helicopters, transports, and drones, with less fear of having them shot down over enemy territory. Of course, the failure of Iraq to launch any aircraft to oppose the invasion was partly deliberate. The Iraqi leadership realized that challenging the United States and coalition air forces would be futile, in light of the 1991 campaign.”

Thus, as the photos in this post show, Saddam Hussein buried Iraq’s air force in the desert.

Iraqi Air Force Russian fighter jets buried in the Iraqi desert

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld stated in a press briefing on August 5, 2003, that American forces had discovered IrAF Russian fighter jets buried in the Iraqi desert, as reported by Kathleen T. Rhem of the American Forces Press Service in the article “American forces unearth hidden aircraft in Iraq.”

“We’d heard a great many things had been buried, but we had not known where they were, and we’d been operating in that immediate vicinity for weeks and weeks and weeks… 12, 13 weeks, and didn’t know they were (there),” Rumsfeld said.

The secretary said he wasn’t sure how many such aircraft had been found, but noted, “It wasn’t one or two.”

“Something as big as an airplane that’s within… a stone’s throw of where you’re functioning, and you don’t know it’s there because you don’t run around digging into everything on a discovery process,” Rumsfeld explained. “So until you find somebody who tells you where to look, or until nature clears some sand away and exposes something over time, we’re simply not going to know.

“But, as we all know,” he added, “the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.”

Photo by Master Sgt. T. Collins / U.S. Air Force

April 16, 2024 0 comment

History

Seafire Vs Corsair Vs Sea Fury

by Till Daisd April 15, 2024

written by Till Daisd

A navalised version of the well-known Spitfire designed for use on aircraft carriers was the Supermarine Seafire

2646 Seafires were built and used by the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy from November 1942 to the early 1950s, following the end of the Korean War.

It saw action on D-Day, during the Allied invasions of Sicily and Italy, during Operation Dragoon in southern France, and during the Allied landings in North Africa (Operation Torch). With the Pacific fleet, the Seafire demonstrated its ability to intercept and destroy the dreaded Japanese kamikaze attack aircraft.

Seafire Vs Corsair Vs Sea Fury

A remarkable consensus amongst pilots describes how the Spitfire flew: beautifully responsive and maneuverable in the air, but difficult to handle on the ground and land, especially on an aircraft carrier, according to Naval aviation historian Matthew Willis in his book Supermarine Seafire. The over-light elevators and the over-heavy ailerons are usually the subject of complaints.

The comments that follow, from two pilots (one modern, the other contemporary), provide some flavor and also draw comparisons with the Vought Corsair and Hawker Sea Fury, two of the Seafire’s competitors during and after the war.

Commander R ‘Mike’ Crosley DSC (former CO of 880 and 887 NAS)

“Once the tail was raised – by prop slipstream over the tail and a small push on the stick – and the pilot could see where he was going, the true enjoyment began. The acceleration was like a racing car. Once airborne, the Seafire responded with the sensitivity of a polo pony to nearly all our ignorant demands upon it. It behaved in its normal habitat with such unselfish grace and with such rapid response and power, that we knew we were being allowed to fly a thoroughbred.

“We had several interesting dogfights with the much larger and more powerful F4U Corsair. In turning dogfights, the Corsairs were unable to get a bead on us if we saw them first. However, they could, like an Fw 190, out-dive us… Also, above 15,000 feet they were faster than Seafire L IIIs. However, the F III with its two-speed, uncropped supercharger, could easily keep up with the Corsair at 20,000 feet and above.

Seafire Vs Corsair Vs Sea Fury: Seafire pilots offer a comparison with some of the competitors of the navalised version of the famous Spitfire — Seafire

“The Corsair could not out-turn a Seafire I, II, or III as has been claimed. However, if the Corsair slowed down to about 90 knots and then the pilot selected half-flap —provided it was down to its last 50 gallons of fuel — it could hold a Seafire LIII at this speed and configuration at heights above 10,000 feet.”

Lieutenant-Commander Chris Götke AFM (former CO Royal Navy Historic Flight)

“You can see the progression from a Seafire versus a Sea Fury. The Seafire [F 17] has got a short-block Griffon VI with about 2,000 hp. When you’re in the Seafire, it’s incredibly noisy compared with a Centaurus, because you have all the exhausts and they come out down by your feet, pointing at you. The Centaurus engine is very good at lower rpm, so when we go cruising on it we’re down at 1,500 rpm which gives you about 220, 230 knots. The Griffon is complaining by the time you get it down to 1,800. For the pilot, one of the things you don’t want is to overboost an engine.

“The Sea Fury was one of the first that you can’t overboost. In a Sea Fury, as you go up on the boost, the rpm automatically rises. So, if you’re in combat and you’re just holding on, and then you get bounced, you can just slam the Centaurus open and it will go up to 2,700 and plus nine boost. You can’t do that with the Griffon in the Seafire.

Corsair Sea Fury — Sea Fury, F4U Corsair, F6F Hellcat

In display, both the Seafire and the Sea Fury are lovely aircraft

“Regarding the handling and maneuvering, if you were doing 300-plus knots in the Seafire, you’d be getting very heavy ailerons, but in the Sea Fury you could do 100 knots or 400 knots, and it’s the same feel. It’s a very well-harmonized system in that aircraft. The Seafire is very, very light in pitch, so is quite manoeuvre-unstable. You can get maneuvering very quickly, but if you hit turbulence as you’re pulling up, you almost have to unload, it’s so light in maneuver.

The Sea Fury has 183 gallons internally, plus it had another tank which took it to about 200. That’s almost twice what you could get inside a Seafire, and the Seafire uses fuel at about the same rate. Actually, with the Centaurus, you can happily get down to 40 gallons an hour. In display, though, both are lovely aircraft.”

Supermarine Seafire is published by Mortons Books and is available to order here.

Photo by Imperial War Museum via Wikipedia

April 15, 2024 0 comment

History

The Speed Spitfire’s Racing Merlin led to the development of the Merlin III

by Till Daisd April 14, 2024

written by Till Daisd

The Speed Spitfire

The “Speed Spitfire” was designed to break the world speed record shortly before World War II broke out. It started as a standard Spitfire Mk I, K9834, which Supermarine took from the production line and rebuilt to make it competitive with the German Messerschmitt and Heinkel contenders.

In his book, The Secret Horsepower Race: Western Front Fighter Engine Development, Calum E. Douglas explains how, on April 26, 1939, Germany broke its own speed record with the Messerschmitt Bf 209, a highly specialized bespoke race aircraft. Supermarine and Rolls-Royce were intimidated by the development work now required to convincingly defeat the Bf 209 by a good margin—the new record set at an astonishing 469mph—even though the companies had made great progress in Southampton in plotting Britain’s record attempt.

Accurately estimating that squeezing the required power from the 27-liter Merlin would probably take longer than anticipated, they backed out.

How the Speed Spitfire’s Racing Merlin led to the development of the Merlin III powered by 100-octane fuel, the engine fitted to Spitfires and Hurricanes during the Battle of Britain — Speed Spitfire

Racing Merlin engine

Despite the efforts made at Derby, RAE engineers had learned a great deal about enhancing the power of the Merlin and had managed to boost it to almost 1800bhp. Ironically, they did this by using special racing sparkplugs that were developed from a German Auto Union racing car because no other sparkplugs could withstand the heat.

On May 30, after the Speed Spitfire underwent a test flight, the chief of Farnborough’s engine department, Muir, informed the chief of aerodynamics, Jennings, that 408 mph had been reached at ground level. This was really near to Jennings’ estimate from March 6, according to Muir.

Additional testing was done to find out how the special racing Merlin engine affected the aircraft’s speed. On June 7, the results showed that the only way to raise the aircraft’s speed from 312 mph to 400 mph at 3000 feet was to increase the supercharger boost from +6.25 to +23.5 lb/sq inch.

The Merlin III, which would have been installed in the majority of Spitfires and Hurricanes during the Battle of Britain, was the version that was being developed to take advantage of 100-octane fuel. On May 16, 1939, the following letter was sent to Farren at the Air Ministry, highlighting the close connection between the work being done on the Speed Spitfire project (which was abandoned, with K9834 being later adapted for various applications) and the real aircraft about to be employed in battle. In order to completely open the Merlin throttles below their rated altitude of 15,500 feet, which would have the effect of significantly increasing engine power at low altitudes, Farren wanted to know what fuel octane numbers were needed.

Fully opening the Merlin throttles

“Dear Farren,
At 5000ft the octane number of the fuel would be 120 (on the BMEP scale), which may be obtained by using 30% D.T.D.224 + 60% benzol + 20% methanol + 4ccs tetraethyl lead. This is what is called the racing fuel, and I should imagine that reasonable quantities of this are available. An alternative fuel is the 100-octane fuel supplies as such + 6ccs tetraethyl lead. This, also, I would imagine would be reasonably available.
Question 2. What octane fuel is required to enable the Merlin II engine in Hurricane or Spitfire aircraft to be opened up to, say 1400bhp at 5000ft?
Answer. At 5000ft the octane number required would be 106 on the BMEP scale. Alternative fuels are: –
D.T.D. 230 + water. This, however, means operating the bi-fuel system…
Question 3. What will the aircraft speeds and the engine rpm be compared with the standard aircraft at various heights from 5000ft upwards?
Answer. These are tabulated below.”

The Secret Horsepower Race Western Front Fighter Engine Development is published by Mortons Books and is available to order here.

Photo by Unknown

April 14, 2024 0 comment

Cold War

The French Aéronavale retired the legendary crusader in proper style, according to a US Navy F-8 pilot

by Till Daisd April 13, 2024

written by Till Daisd

French Aéronavale F-8 Crusader

One term for the Vought F-8 Crusader was “fighter pilot’s fighter.” Although flying the jet was difficult, particularly during carrier landings, Crusader pilots had a great affection for it. The F-8 service in the US Navy fighter squadron came to an end in 1976, but the RF-8, or photo-reconnaissance derivative, continued to operate until 1987.

According to Larry Durbin, who spent 7 years as a US Navy fighter pilot and then 33 years with United Airlines, “The French also flew the Crusader, but they do things differently, and in the case of retiring the legendary fighter, I think they did it better”.

US Navy F-8 Pilot Says the French Aéronavale Retired the Legendary Crusader in Proper Style — During combined operations with the US Navy, an Aéronavale F-8E(FN) lands on the USS Eisenhower in 1983. The French fighter is painted light gray and carries a Matra “Magic” missile. (US Navy photo)

The F-8E(FN)

“The French Crusader story begins in the early 1960s, when, seeking a fighter for the new carriers Clemenceau and Foch (commissioned 1961 and 1963, respectively), the Aéronavale (French Naval Aviation) selected a slightly modified version of the F-8E that is often designated F-8E(FN). The aircraft commenced operations in 1964. Known by French pilots as “Le Crouze,” they participated in routine deployments and combat operations for 35 years. Modifications and refurbishments maintained their effectiveness until they could be replaced by the Rafale.”

“Aéronavale leaders waited until the end of the century, December 1999, for retirement. The last squadron did not expect a crowd to come to a small base in western France in December. They were wrong. They received so many acknowledgments that they asked the American Crusader Association for help. I was the secretary of the association, so that meant me. Making arrangements for sixty senior citizens to get to Landivisiau, France, was an interesting and fun challenge. Thanks to Bruce Boland we even threw in a dinner in Paris sponsored by the American Embassy (Bruce was a former F-8 pilot in VF-13 with me in the 1960s and retired as a 2-star).”

French Aéronavale F-8 Crusader retirement

“At the big event, the French put on a small air show for the guests with four F-8s. Remember, this is December: it’s cold and windy. Standing outside the chain link fence by the taxiway are about sixty old, cold Americans waiting to see relics fly again. I looked at the group and I was so very proud to have been part of this scene. I hadn’t seen a Crusader fly in more than thirty years. For some in the group, it had been even longer. Then we heard a distinctive whine as four J57 engines started up. They went through their procedures, and four wings were raised (the F-8 had that novel ‘variable incidence’ feature to reduce speed on approach to landing). Soon they started to taxi from our left, across in front of us, and onto the runway. I turned around to shoot a few pictures of the group, and looked again: grown men were in tears. Tough, seasoned fighter pilots were unabashedly allowing tears to come out of their eagle eyes. All I could think of was, ‘I have done a very good thing.'”

The last American to raise the wing

“Towards the end of the festivities, the squadron skipper, Antoine Guillot, asked me to come to the ready room. He then asked me to get into full flight gear. As we walked out to a waiting Crusader, he said the government did not allow any money for a gift for my efforts. Instead, he wanted me to start an F-8 and go through the full startup procedure. That would involve raising the wing. He continued, ‘I want you to be the last American to raise the wing.’ No expensive gift would have meant more to me.”

April 13, 2024 0 comment

History

During the Yom Kippur War, an Israeli Air Force F-4 Navigator remembers using an AIM-7 Sparrow to attack an Egyptian warship

by Till Daisd April 12, 2024

written by Till Daisd

The F-4 Kurnass

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) relied mostly on the Mirage III and Nesher delta fighters; therefore, the Phantom II was used primarily in its air-to-ground role, even though the American-manufactured F-4 was equally capable of performing both air-to-air and air-to-ground roles.

Since the Israel Defense Force (IDF) only had a limited presence in this area—mainly second-line units—protection from the air was prioritized during the night of October 6–7, 1973, in the sector extending from Ras Sudar to Ophir along the east coast of the Gulf of Suez during the Yom Kippur War. The Ras Sudar to Ophir region was extremely vulnerable to an Egyptian air or seaborne attack before the first-line reserve forces arrived.

During the first night of the war, Kurnass crews were left to defend the Ras Sudar to Ophir sector as the IAF’s nighttime interception force. From Day 1 to Day 2, CAP crews were stationed over the Ras Sudar to Ophir sector by Squadron 107, the fourth Israel Air Force (IAF) Kurnass Squadron. This squadron had previously defended Ophir at noon and Ras Sudar at dusk. In the book Ghosts of Atonement, Israeli F-4 Phantom Operations during the Yom Kippur War, written by Shlomo Aloni, Kurnass navigator Micha Oren recalled:

The Story of the College Student that scored the first ever Gun Kill for an Israeli F-4 Phantom II

Attacking an Egyptian ship with an AIM-7 Sparrow

“We flew a CAP over the Gulf of Suez when we were ordered to attack an Egyptian ship that shelled Ophir. Trouble was, we were in air-to-air configuration and had no bombs. We flew there—scary pitch-black night—and we saw the ship shelling. What kind of ship was it? Was it armed with SAM? Nobody knew.

“We hesitated to get closer, but then I remembered that I once read in Aviation Week that during the Vietnam War, Americans utilized an AIM-7 to sink a ship. The aircraft was armed with Lavid [IAF name for AIM-7 Sparrow, pronounced la-vid, translation: Plywood], so I suggested to Gordon that we give it a shot.

“We leveled at 20,000 feet and dropped the nose down. Over land, echo from the ground would have blinded radar, but over sea, the returned echo was weaker and we acquired the ship on our radar screen. I was afraid the missile would home on the echo of the sea so I planned dive angle and speed in such a way that the missile would lock onto the ship. We flew two or three practice passes, decided that we were ready, then entered another pass and launched a missile.

The missile hits the water

“The missile hit the water some ten to fifteen miles from the ship; maybe we scared a shark, but the ship panicked, or maybe not, and turned away, so we felt like heroes—like a dog chasing a running cat—and started to pursue the ship, strafing it from long range.

“While we were playing with the ship, RCU notified us that an unidentified radar contact was crossing the Gulf of Suez from west to east, in the north sector of the gulf. We rushed over there really quick and I managed to spot on radar an echo of a slow-flying object: a light aircraft or a helicopter. I requested permission to open fire, but RCU hesitated and by the time permission was granted, the flying object had completed the crossing of the Gulf of Suez and entered Sinai.

“For as long as it flew over water, we had a fair chance to shoot it down, but once it was over land, the prospects of a successful interception were slim. Still, somehow I managed to accomplish a radar lock and we flew five, maybe six passes, but during all passes the missile did not launch; luckily for all involved because it was an Israeli helicopter.”

Ghosts of Atonement, Israeli F-4 Phantom Operations during the Yom Kippur War is published by Schiffer Publishing and is available to order here.

Photo by Israeli Air Force, Bukvoed and AHMED XIV own work via Wikipedia

April 12, 2024 0 comment

History

The Apple TV+ series “Masters of the Air,” is about the WWII “Mighty Eighth” Air Force

by Till Daisd April 11, 2024

written by Till Daisd

Masters of the Air

The first images for Apple TV+’s upcoming World War II drama, “Masters of the Air,” were released on October 5, 2023. The announcement stated that the nine-episode limited series would have its global premiere on Friday, January 26, 2024. The action-packed drama “Masters of the Air,” which reunites the award-winning team of Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Gary Goetzman—who previously produced “Band of Brothers” and “The Pacific”—tells the true story of an American bomber group during World War II. Two episodes of the series debuted on Apple TV+, and as of March 15, 2024, a new episode is released every Friday.

With an impressive ensemble cast that includes Academy Award nominees Austin Butler, Callum Turner, Anthony Boyle, Nate Mann, Rafferty Law, Barry Keoghan, Josiah Cross, Branden Cook, and Ncuti Gatwa, the series is executive produced by Spielberg, Hanks, and Goetzman.

‘Masters of the Air,’ the New Apple TV+ Series About ‘Mighty Eighth’ Air Force in WWII, to premiere globally Friday, Jan. 26, 2024 — Anthony Boyle in “Masters of the Air”

In 2020, Goetzman produced “Greyhound,” a movie that Apple TV+ distributed and starred Tom Hanks as a destroyer commander in the US Navy during World War II who was escorting a convoy across the Atlantic.

Masters of the Air: a salute to the brave men of the 8th Air Force

“‘Masters of the Air’ is a salute to the brave men of the 8th Air Force, who, through their courage and brotherhood, helped defeat Nazi Germany in World War II,” said executive producer Gary Goetzman in an Apple TV+ press release. “Tom and Steven have always wanted to visualize cinematically what our author Don Miller has called, this ‘singular event in the history of warfare.’ We’re thrilled that Apple TV+ has given us the opportunity to combine the efforts of so many talented people, on-screen and behind the camera, to tell this important story.”

New Apple TV+ Series About ‘Mighty Eighth’ Air Force in WWII, to premiere globally Friday, Jan. 26, 2024 — Rafferty Law in “Masters of the Air”

“Masters of the Air,” which is based on the same-titled book by Donald L. Miller and was written by John Orloff, follows the men of the 100th Bomb Group, also known as the “Bloody Hundredth,” as they engage in dangerous bombing raids over Nazi Germany and deal with the extreme cold, oxygen shortage, and sheer terror of combat at 25,000 feet in the air. The central theme of “Masters of the Air” is the psychological and emotional cost these young men endured while helping to bring an end to the tragedy of Hitler’s Third Reich. Some were wounded or killed, while others were shot down and captured. And a few were lucky enough to return home. Whatever each person’s achievement, a cost was imposed on them all.

The 100th Bomb Group

“Masters of the Air” highlighted the intense aerial combat of the war. More than 26,000 soldiers of the “Mighty Eighth” Air Force lost their lives during the bombing campaign, which is around 30% higher than the total number of Marines who died during World War II, according to Air & Space Forces Magazine.

“Masters of the Air” is a true cinematic masterpiece, vast in scope and scale, and it depicts a unique and significant period in world history. Its locations range from the picturesque fields and villages of southeast England to the harsh restrictions of a German prisoner-of-war camp.

B-17 crew member — Austin Butler in “Masters of the Air”

The 100th Bomb Group lives on today as the 100th Air Refueling Wing, a KC-135 aerial refueling tanker unit at Royal Air Force Mildenhall in the United Kingdom. The unit still sports the iconic ‘Square D’ badge first used on B-17 Flying Fortress bombers during World War II.

This article features promotional images of the show released by Apple.

April 11, 2024 0 comment

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