03/2025

INFO Eduard is a monthly scale model-historical magazine published in Czech and English by Eduard Model Accessories since 2010. The magazine is available for free on the Triobo platform and can be downloaded in PDF format. Eduard is a manufacturer of plastic models and accessories with over 30 years of tradition. Throughout its history in the plastic modeling industry, Eduard has become one of the world's leaders. Further details about the company and its product range can be found at www.eduard.com. You can subscribe to the INFO magazine and receive product information for free at: https://www.eduard.com/cs/info-eduard/

• Strana 1

  e-magazine FREE Vol 24 March 2025

  INFO Eduard

  # 181

• Strana 2

  e-magazine FREE Vol 24 February 2025

  INFO Eduard

  # 181

  © Eduard - Model Accessories, 2025

  FREE FOR DOWNLOAD, FREE FOR DISTRIBUTION!

  This material may only be used for personal use. No part of the text

  or graphic presentations can be used in another publication in any other media

  form or otherwise distributed without the prior written

  permission of Eduard - Model Accessories and authors involved.

  Editorial and Graphics - Marketing department, Eduard - Model Accessories, Ltd.

• Strana 3

  eduard

  eduard

  MARCH 2025

  Published by Eduard-Model Accessories, spol. s.r.o.

  Mírová 170, Obrnice 435 21

  support@eduard.com www.eduard.com

  CONTENTS

  EDITORIAL

  KITS

  BRASSIN

  PHOTO

  -

  ETCHED SETS

  SPACE

  BUILT

  ON APPROACH

  –

  April 2025

  TAIL END CHARLIE

  ARTICLES

  BOXART STORY

  PACIFIC STAR Limited 1/48

  P-51B Mustang Malcolm Hood canopy ProfiPACK 1/48

  Bf 109G-6 Weekend 1/72

  Kübelwagen type 82 1/48

  Flying Knights in Australia

  GALLERY DB 605 D / Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-10

  Aerial War in Ukraine

  -

  When Losses Are Confir-

  med Retroactively by Courts...

  Dogfight over Rennes

  From the Mediterranean to Germany

  4

  8

  28

  30

  46

  58

  64

  74

  80

  98

• Editorial

  Dear Friends,

  spring is slowly approaching and with it the start

  of the new show season. This year, it promises to

  be very eventful, with three shows lined up for

  March alone. Next week we will be in Verona,

  a week later in Bytom and the week after that

  in Prosek, hosts of the Panthers Cup. In addition

  to Verona, where we will be in possession of our

  already announced new items for this month,

  we will have along something brand new in Poland

  and in Prosek. In mid-March we will take the

  Kamikaze Tokkotai Limited Edition kit to the shows,

  which is already attracting more and more people

  thanks to an intensive promotional campaign.

  It didn't look like that even two weeks ago. In the

  meantime, we released the marking options for

  the kit and images of the plastic, and lo and behold,

  the situation changed almost overnight, so at the

  moment it looks like this Limited Edition item will

  be an instant hit and will be one of those products

  that sell out very quickly. After all, what else would

  we expect from an item with such a name, right?

  In Bytom and Prosek we will also have our 1:72nd

  scale MiG-21bis plastic, which will then have their

  premiere a month later. For Czechs and Slovaks,

  the new MiG will have its premiere at Easter in

  Prostejov, and for foreign customers, including

  our friend Gabor, a week later in Moson in Hungary.

  I am sure that Gabor is already sharpening his

  teeth to chew this kit apart and spit it out, but there

  will be no Gabaresque issues with the intake this

  time around. We have remodeled the entire front

  part of the fuselage, the nose is based on scans

  of the real thing that flew in East Germany, and

  we addressed everything we could, even adding

  missiles and pylons in the process, as well as other,

  fine details. There are more antennas on this thing

  than you can shake a stick at. They are terribly tiny

  little things, but they should cover the entire range

  of avionics that were used on that aircraft from

  air force to air force. I would say that this shows

  the power of freedom and democracy, because

  it seems that after the dissolution of the Warsaw

  Pact, every user installed whatever they wanted or

  could in their aircraft, when the Russians could no

  longer dictate what client states could and could

  not do. In our case, it shows how far tooling has

  advanced and how fine a detail we can achieve in

  plastic nowadays. And we don't even need to go

  back to square one with the molds. We probably

  won't please Gabor, but he will have to accept it. Oh,

  and someone has already complained that the bis

  will not be riveted. That has to simply be accepted,

  too, just as we have done. We would like to give

  it our current touch in terms of surface treatment,

  but given that the bis is a continuation of the MiG-

  21PF, PFM and MF series, which are not riveted to

  the extent we’d like, it seems stupid to suddenly

  change the appearance style in the middle of the

  release scheme and rivet the three remaining

  versions. I'm talking about three versions, because

  we have two more ready, the R and the SMT.

  And while we're on the subject of MiG-21s,

  I think we could begin showing something of the

  48th MiG-21F in Prostejov and Moson. We already

  have all eight molds at advanced states, five

  of them are already milled, and I assume that

  in the next two months we will have at least half

  of the molds completely finished and we will

  slowly show the resulting plastic. I must admit

  that I am looking forward to this MiG. Although

  it was the first mass-produced MiG-21 version,

  this counterpart in kit form somewhat illogically

  closes out the MiG-21 development line in our

  catalog, which we started almost fifteen years

  ago. The difference in the technology between our

  first MiG-21MF and now is pretty massive, I would

  even go so far as to say insane. I almost feel like

  going back to the MF and retooling it, but I'm afraid

  that it might just remain a temptation. Although,

  they do say ‘never say never’. Might be a good point

  of discussion at the E-day Q & A.

  And having mentioned E-day, I’ll drop a few

  bits of information on that theme as well. Last

  week we signed a contract with the Zahrada Cech

  Exhibition Center in Litomerice. So there's no

  turning back and this year's E-day will definitely

  be at that venue. It’s a great venue and the event

  promises to be awesome. To tell the truth, we have

  the ambition and desire to make it the best E-day

  of all time, and to surpass the legendary first

  E-days in Pilsen and those that were held in the

  Butovice garages, which more and more people

  remember with a strong nostalgia. Certain details

  are still being ironed out. We have resolved the

  catering, which looks very promising for both the

  main Saturday program and the Friday evening

  pre-party. Things look promising with the displays

  of historical technology. This year, it will probably

  replace the flight program, which looks like it will

  not happen this time around. Nevertheless, we are

  exploring this possibility as well, albeit chances

  are pretty low at this point. Flight demonstrations

  could return to the program provided that we

  extend E-day again to Sunday, making it two days.

  We will decide whether to do this in the fall, after

  this year’s event and the main argument for the

  decision whether to extend or not will be dictated

  by your feedback.

  Jindra Sterbacek will return to moderate the Pot

  Q & A. We are working together on a plan to change

  the Pot format, intending to make it more dynamic,

  and involve you, the participants, more with your

  questions, and I think that the whole thing will be

  up to date and correspondingly interesting. We

  will try to get representatives of other companies

  involved, too. We’ve run it up the flagpole, and we

  seem to be getting some salutes. There should

  be plenty to choose from, and we are already

  registering increased interest from companies

  from the Czech Republic and abroad, and it looks

  like the participation of model companies will

  also be record-breaking this year. According to

  the first responses from modelers, it could be the

  same with the exhibiting participants. By the way,

  the main prize in the competition will again be an

  ultrasonic knife, courtesy of the Annetra company.

  E-day has always been largely about new

  products, especially premieres. This year, the

  48th scale MiG-21F-13 will premiere at E-day. You

  already know that, but we are working on other

  projects, and if everything goes well, two more

  kits may premiere at the event. I won't reveal them

  to you just yet, but I won't keep you waiting until

  October either. As soon as we are sure that we can

  finish these projects on time, we will present them

  before E-day while meeting modelers in Prague

  and Prostejov.

  For now, check the map to see how to get to

  Litomerice, check out the city's website for what

  there is to see in and around it, of which there is

  plenty, and if possible, arrange a day off for Friday

  so you don't miss anything. This year's E-day will

  be worth it!

  I won't keep you waiting any longer. I'll just

  remind you that next week we will publish another

  episode of our sit-together podcast with Katka

  Borecka, myself and Kuba Nademlejnský. We

  have loosened up a bit and the podcast will be

  a little longer than the last one, but I still believe

  that you will not be bored. Next week, we are

  recording another podcast, dedicated to the

  Limited Edition kit Kamikaze Tokkotai, conceived

  out of a conversation on the topic of the Kamikaze

  between an expert and an informed enthusiast.

  I am the latter, while Honza Bobek is the former.

  It is of course a serious topic, but I believe that you

  will enjoy it.

  And with that, I wish you all, my friends,

  a pleasant few hours with this issue of our

  newsletter.

  Happy Modelling,

  Vladimir Sulc

  EDITORIAL

  INFO Eduard4

  March 2025

• Strana 5

• Strana 6

  NEW ONLINE

  MAGAZINE!

  PAID ATTACHMENT

  OF INFO EDUARD

  With every issue you purchase 10% off in the Eduard webstore!

  ZERO ISSUE FREE

  Cover for secret missions

  HISTORY / by Peter Kaššák

  “Little friends“, as bomber crews used to call their fighter cover, were essential

  part of most bombing raids flown by USAAF in Europe. Since North American P-51

  Mustang fighters entered service, operational range was not a problem anymore.

  Fighter pilots might operate all the way to and back from target, protecting bomber

  formations from enemy fighter attacks, and also fulfill strafing missions including

  liquidation of any aircraft, vehicles, locomotives and carts, ships and small storage

  buildings located on the ground. But few of the Fighter Groups had privilege to join

  special Secret Missions to enemy occupied territory. Two of these took place in

  Slovakia in 1944.”

  Lend-Lease

  HISTORICAL REFLECTION / by Jan Bobek

  “Our individual understanding of historical events is often shaped by fragments of

  stories passed down from those closest to us. There are various accounts of the Red

  Army's arrival in Prague in May 1945. My grandmother, for instance, recalled see-

  ing Soviet armored vehicles with white stars—American stars. She also mentioned

  how, after the fighting had ended, their crews washed their vehicles in the local

  creek, using luxurious women's underwear. I’m not sure what kind of unit it was,

  but the fact that the Red Army didn’t have time to repaint their American vehicles

  seems, to me, a reflection of the chaotic nature of the war effort in its final days. For

  my ancestors, the sight of the Soviets using American equipment was a surprising

  revelation.“

• Strana 7

  In the March issue of Eduard Modeller's Den

  you can read among other things

  Current Japanese Naval Forces

  CURRENT AFFAIRS / by Petr Uzsák

  “Japan is often associated with modern technology, gastronomy, martial arts, and its

  traditional imperial system, along with the formal etiquette deeply ingrained in its

  culture. Military history enthusiasts are likely familiar with the Japanese samurai

  and the country's air and naval campaigns in the Pacific and Indian Oceans during

  World War II. However, the contemporary Japanese navy does not enjoy the same

  level of global recognition.“

  A Record Day Ranger Mission

  HISTORY / by Marko Jeras

  “It was Wednesday, 11. October 1944. The citizens of Zagreb, capital of the Indepen-

  dent State of Croatia, were having a peaceful morning. That changed at 9.55 hours

  when the first siren for air raid awareness was sounded. The citizens of Zagreb had

  luck for once, not a single bomb was dropped on Zagreb. But something else was

  striken. With a Mosquito sting precision.

  The RAF Station Manston in Kent, England, was base of RAF No. 605 Squadron

  of Air Defence of Great Britain. Equipped with Mosquito fighter-bomber aeroplanes,

  with primary task of protecting the aerial space of England. But the unit wanted

  to give more to war effort and started conducting Night Intruder and Day Ranger

  missions on targets in German Reich and enemy occupied territory. Their target was

  more than 1000 kilometres away.”

  Luck’s a Fortune

  HISTORY / by Douglas Norrie

  “Fighter pilots rely on a slice of luck to survive the deadly game of aerial combat, and some of

  them enjoy much more luck than others. Australian Kittyhawk pilot E.P. ‘Ted’ Oakley was defi-

  nitely one of the lucky ones. Ted was amongst the hundreds of Australian pilots to serve with

  distinction in the Middle East during the Second World War. Throughout his time in the Middle

  East, battle-hardened German fighter aces and anti-aircraft gunners had Ted in their sights on

  numerous occasions…”

  The Lorient Submarine Base

  HISTORY / by Vladimír Šulc

  “The city of Lorient dates back to the latter half of the 17th century, when in 1664,

  Jean-Baptiste Colbert, the first minister under King Louis XIV, founded the French

  East India Company. The rise of fishing and the development of the fish trade at

  the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries led to the construction of a modern fishing

  port on Cape Kéroman in 1920. After the defeat in the Battle of France in June, 1940,

  the victorious Germans began construction of a submarine base in its place. The first

  German submarine, U-30, sailed into Lorient on July 7th, 1940, and the last, U-155,

  departed on September 9th, 1944. In total, 203 different German submarines and two

  Japanese submarines passed through the submarine base at Lorient during World

  War II. The monumental concrete submarine docks still stand in Lorient today.”

• Flying Knights in Australia

  HISTORY

  From USA to Australia

  This fighter unit was established

  in June 1940 in the United States as

  the 49th Pursuit Group (Interceptor).

  At that time, only its Headquarters and

  Headquarters Squadron existed. In December,

  the 7th, 8th, and 9th Pursuit Squadrons were

  assigned to the group as its fighter squadrons.

  The unit was officially activated in January

  1941, with a cadre of pilots, some with prior ex-

  perience, drawn from the 31st Pursuit Group, a

  unit that had itself been in existence for only a

  year. The 49th PG was initially equipped with

  outdated P-35 aircraft, which its airmen used

  for training at the unit level and during military

  exercises.

  After the Japanese attack on the United Sta-

  tes in December 1941, Maj. P. B. Wurthsmith, a

  pilot who had earned his air badge in 1928 and

  had seen combat against the Japanese in the

  Philippines with the 17th PG, was appointed

  commander of the 49th PG. On Christmas Day,

  his newly assigned unit learned that it would

  be deployed to the Pacific. More than 1,100 of

  its members departed in a convoy from San

  Francisco to Melbourne, Australia, on January

  11, 1942. They arrived safely at their destinati-

  on on February 1, 1942, making the 49th PG the

  first unit of the U.S. Army Air Corps to reach a

  combat zone after Japan declared war.

  From the outset, the 49th Pursuit Group (PG)

  was stationed at three different bases and

  was joined by Capt. Boyd "Buzz" Wagner of the

  17th Pursuit Squadron (PS), who had become

  the first fighter ace of the U.S. Army Air Corps

  during the battles over the Philippines in De-

  cember.

  Each squadron was equipped with 25 P-40E

  Warhawks, requiring pilots to transition to new

  aircraft. Only after arriving at Australian ba-

  ses did they begin to familiarize themselves

  with the Warhawk. Due to the engine's charac-

  terictics, taxiing proved challenging, leading

  to numerous incidents, with several dozen

  aircraft sustaining minor or major damage in

  crashes.

  At the time, there was growing concern in

  Australia over the Japanese advance on New

  The 49th Fighter Group was one of the most significant fighter units of the U.S. Army

  Air Forces in the Pacific Theater. Its airmen achieved 664 victories while flying P-40s,

  P-38s, and P-47s over Australia, New Guinea, and the Philippines. Among its top aces

  were "Dick" Bong, the most successful American fighter pilot of World War II, with 40

  victories, and "Jerry" Johnson, with 22 victories. Both flew P-38 Lightnings as part of

  the 9th Fighter Squadron, known as the "Flying Knights," continuing the legacy of their

  predecessors, who first took off against the enemy in March 1942 in Curtiss P-40E

  Warhawks. Their early missions were anything but easy.

  Text: Jan Bobek

  On the box art by Adam Tooby, two aircraft from the 9th Fighter Squadron, 49th Fighter

  Group are depicted flying over northern Australia. Capt. Ben S. Irvin is piloting

  "The Rebel", while Lt. Robert Harry Vaught is flying "Bob’s Robin". “Bitchin’ Ben” Irvin

  was a veteran of the battles in the Philippines and Java.

  INFO Eduard8

  March 2025

• Strana 9

  HISTORY

  Guinea, particularly toward the strategic Port

  Moresby base, as well as the potential for

  a Japanese landing on the Australian mainland.

  These fears intensified after the Japanese

  carrier raid on Darwin on February 19, 1942,

  launched from the carriers Akagi, Hiryū, Sōryū,

  and Kaga. This attack, the first and largest air

  raid on Australian territory during World War II,

  is often referred to as "Australia’s Pearl Har-

  bor."

  The defenders mistakenly identified the

  incoming Japanese attackers as a formati-

  on of P-40s from the 33rd Pursuit Squadron,

  which had been forced to turn back from an

  attempted transfer to Java due to bad weather.

  Having learned from the Pearl Harbor raid,

  the Japanese airmen did not focus solely on

  attacking vessels but also targeted land infra-

  structure. The first raid was soon followed by

  a second, carried out by 54 twin-engine naval

  bombers from bases in Indonesia, which con-

  centrated on airfields and other key facilities.

  Despite losing four aircraft, the Japane-

  se forces managed to sink 10 Allied ships,

  including the destroyer USS Peary, destroy

  23 aircraft, devastate both military and civi-

  lian infrastructure in Darwin, and ensure an

  unopposed landing on Timor.

  Horn Island and the 7th Pursuit

  Squadron Interlude

  In early March 1942, Maj. Wurthsmith asked

  Lt. Morrissey, commander of the 7th Pursuit

  Squadron (PS), whether he had enough experi-

  enced pilots to form a detachment for deploy-

  ment to Horn Island, located in the Torres Strait

  between northern Queensland, Australia, and

  Papua New Guinea. Morrissey assembled

  a group of twelve airmen, who departed for the

  island immediately. However, only nine pilots

  reached their destination—arriving without

  ground personnel or essential equipment.

  On March 14, 1942, eight G4M Betty bom-

  bers, accompanied by twelve A6M2 Zero Model

  21 fighters, launched an air raid on this base.

  All the aircraft belonged to the 4th Kōkūtai.

  While the bombers, led by Lt. Shigeo Yamaga-

  ta, took off from Rabaul, their fighter escort,

  under the command of Lt. Shirō Kawai, depar-

  ted from the recently captured Lae airbase in

  New Guinea. Lt. Morrissey received an advan-

  ce warning of the approaching attack and man-

  aged to get his pilots into the air in time.

  The Betty bomber crews dropped their

  payload on the base undisturbed and with

  precision from an altitude of 7,000 meters

  (23,000 feet). Ten minutes later, a “Hurricane”

  fighter attacked the formation, and the bom-

  bers’ gunners claimed to have shot it down.

  The American aircraft was likely piloted by 2nd

  Lt. Harold J. Martin, who was later credited

  with shooting down one of the bombers.

  Archerfield, Queensland, Australia, early 1942. Uncrating a United States Army Air Corps P-40E aircraft

  (AC-5336) for one of American Pursuit Groups. Photo: Australian War Memorial

  Assembling a United States Army Air Corps P40E aircraft at Archerfield, Queensland, Australia.

  Photo: Australian War Memorial

  Part of the P-40 Kittyhawk aircraft at the crash site on the slopes of Mount Imlay. The Warhawk belonged to 49th

  PG. Another Kittyhawk from the same Squadron crashed at Wonboyn on the same day. Both pilots, 2nd Lieutenant

  John Musial and Neal Takala were both killed. On March 28, 1942, Takala and three other pilots was on a routine

  training exercise from Fairbairn Airbase to the Snowy Mountains, but encountered dense fog over the coast near

  Eden. Two surviving pilots Lts. Namola and Fielder were later to lose their lives also, in the defence of Darwin, on

  16 and 23 June 1942. Photo: Australian War Memorial

  INFO Eduard

  9

  March 2025

• Strana 10

  HISTORY

  The raid resulted in the destruction of

  one twin-engine Hudson aircraft, damage

  to another, and inflicted significant damage

  to buildings, tents, a water tank, and vehicles.

  On their return flight, the bomber crews stra-

  fed an Allied vessel.

  The Japanese fighter escorts kept most of

  the American pilots engaged and claimed ei-

  ght aircraft shot down. Among the Japanese

  pilots was Hiroyoshi Nishizawa, who would la-

  ter become the most successful Japanese na-

  val fighter pilot of the war. However, only four

  American aircraft sustained damage and the

  only complete loss was a P-40 whose pilot lost

  his bearings and had to bail out. He was later

  rescued by two young Aboriginal Australians.

  During the battle, the Americans claimed

  four Zeros shot down. Among the Japanese ca-

  sualties was Lt. (jg) Nobuhiro Iwasaki, whose

  aircraft was later recovered, allowing Allied

  intelligence to gather valuable information,

  particularly from component nameplates. Iwa-

  saki’s likely victor was Lt. Morrissey, who fired

  on the enemy from a distance of 200 yards. One

  of Iwasaki’s wingmen during the engagement

  was Nishizawa.

  The second Japanese pilot shot down was

  PO1c Genkichi Oishi. In his case, there is no

  doubt about his victor. Lt. A. T. House attacked

  a Zero that was attempting to get behind Morri-

  ssey. However, when House tried to fire, his

  machine guns malfunctioned, and not a single

  shot was fired.

  Thinking quickly, he decided to ram the Zero

  by striking its fuselage with the right wingtip

  of his aircraft, killing Oishi in the cockpit. The

  P-40 then entered uncontrollable, erratic ma-

  neuvers, but House managed to regain control

  at 4,000 feet and successfully landed back at

  the base at high speed, without deploying flaps.

  For this daring action, he was rightfully

  awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.

  Shortly after this battle, the 7th Pursuit Squad-

  ron was withdrawn from Horn Island, and Hou-

  se soon found himself in the hospital—but not

  due to combat. While on leave in Sydney, a taxi

  driver ran over his foot. Well, as the saying

  goes, those destined to hang will never drown.

  The Threat of Invasion

  Concerns about a potential Japanese invasi-

  on of Australia grew even more in early March

  1942. On March 3, Broome Airfield in Western

  Australia was attacked by nine Zeros from the

  3rd Kōkūtai. The Japanese airmen strafed the

  base and its surroundings, killing nearly 90

  soldiers and civilians and destroying 23 air-

  craft.

  While returning to Koepang, three Zero pi-

  lots spotted a Dutch DC-3 transport aircraft.

  Because it was camouflaged, they assumed it

  was a legitimate target and opened fire, hitting

  the fuselage, right wing, and right engine.

  The aircraft went into a spin, but to the Japa-

  nese pilots' surprise, the pilot managed to re-

  cover just above the ground and successfully

  executed an emergency landing. That pilot was

  Ivan Smirnoff, a Russian fighter ace from World

  War I. Later that day, eight more Zeros from the

  same unit attacked Wyndham Base, destroying

  one aircraft and damaging several buildings.

  The very next day, on March 4, 1942, nine

  Zeros from the 3rd Kōkūtai attacked the RAAF

  base in Darwin. They successfully destroyed

  one Hudson bomber and damaged several buil-

  dings. All Japanese aircraft returned safely to

  base, although three sustained minor damage

  from anti-aircraft fire.

  At the time, the main Allied focus was on the

  battle for Java, leaving Australian bases tem-

  porarily unprotected. With the urgent need to

  secure fighter defenses for Port Moresby in

  New Guinea, the American military allocated 25

  P-40 Warhawks to form No. 75 Squadron RAAF,

  which was officially established on March 4.

  The squadron relocated to Port Moresby on

  March 21, where its commander, "Old John"

  Jackson, faced extreme challenges. Despite

  the harsh conditions, he successfully led and

  motivated his pilots, transforming them from

  a group of inexperienced rookies into formida-

  ble challengers against the battle-hardened

  Japanese Navy pilots.

  By April, Allied fighter strength in the Port

  Moresby area was bolstered with the arri-

  val of American Airacobras. Additionally, No.

  76 Squadron RAAF at Archerfield and No. 77

  Squadron RAAF at Pearce, Western Australia,

  were gradually equipped with P-40E Warhawks.

  9th Pursuit Squadron Deploys to

  Darwin

  Immediately after the Japanese attacks in

  Western Australia, the American 9th Pursuit

  41-5509, 1Lt. Joseph J. Kruzel, 17th PS (Provisional), 4th CG, Java, February 1942

  Joseph John Kruzel was born on February 17, 1918, in Pennsylvania. He entered the Air Force in May 1940 and was

  assigned to the 2nd Observation Squadron in the Philippines in December of that year. He was then transferred to

  the 17th PS in September 1941. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the invasion of the Philippines, the

  17th PS moved to Australia and Kruzel subsequently took part in the fighting in the Dutch East Indies. He achieved

  his first kill on February 17, 1942, when he shot down a Ki-27 over Palembang. This was followed by two A6M

  kills on February 19 and 20. In March he joined the 9th FS in Australia, where his wingman was George Preddy.

  He served with the unit until his return home in December 1942. In November 1943, he moved with the 361st FG

  to England to Bottisham Base, where the group received its P-47Ds. In Europe, Kruzel achieved three more kills

  plus one shared. This brought his total to 6.5 kills and one damaged aircraft. He returned to the US in January

  1945 and held a number of important positions postwar, achieving the rank of Major General. He retired on August

  1, 1970 and died on July 10, 2002 at the age of 84. His P-40 from when he was still with the 17th PS sported the

  drawing of a dragon breathing fire on both sides of the nose. A similar drawing then adorned another P-40E that

  Kruzel used in Australia. This one, however, was camouflaged in British colors, and Kruzel’s Flight was named

  “Dragon Flight” after it.

  41-5647, 1Lt. John Landers, 9th FS, 49th FG, Darwin, Australia, 1942

  John Dave Landers was one of the fighter pilots who achieved victories in two different theatres of war during WW

  II. He scored his first six kills in the Pacific and added the rest to his total of 14.5 kills in Europe. Born in Oklahoma

  on August 23, 1920, he moved to Texas at the age of eighteen. He entered the Army Air Cadet program in April 1941,

  was commissioned as a First Lieutenant on December 12 and shipped to Australia as early as January 1942. He joi

  -

  ned the 9th FS/49th FG after delivering one P-40E to Darwin on April 3. He scored two kills the very next day, then

  added two more victories on June 14 and July 30 before taking off on December 26 for his last combat flight in the

  Pacific. That day he firstly scored two kills, then was shot down over New Guinea and had to find his way through

  the jungle. In February 1943 he returned to the USA and was sent on his second operational tour, this time in Euro

  -

  pe (where he later completed a third tour as well). The first of Lander’s P-40s is portrayed here. On the left side of

  the fuselage behind the cockpit, it bore a drawing of a hawk in a yellow field, as a mark of affiliation with the Andy

  Reynolds Flight, who was the first to use this decoration. The decals provide the Hawk in black and dark brown

  version, as it is not sure which color was used. On the nose, Skeeter inscription and the drawing of a mosquito

  holding a machine gun were painted. It is not sure the mosquito was painted on the starboard side as well.

  INFO Eduard10

  March 2025

• Strana 11

  HISTORY

  Squadron (PS), under the command of Capt.

  James C. Selman, was assigned the task of de-

  fending Darwin. The ground personnel and tech-

  nical equipment were transported by land from

  Melbourne, while 25 pilots began the 2,000-mile

  journey in their aircraft over unfamiliar terrain,

  departing in succession on March 8.

  Severe storms and technical issues delayed

  their arrival, and it took two weeks for the first

  pilots to reach their destination. However, Dar-

  win Base was too heavily damaged to be a via-

  ble operational hub, so the Americans relocated

  to the more southerly Batchelor Field. By the

  end of the month, 21 of the original 25 aircraft

  and their pilots had successfully completed the

  journey and assembled at the new airfield.

  At this time, the 9th PS was reinforced

  with experienced pilots who had already

  seen combat against the Japanese. Lt. Jo-

  seph J. Kruzel had three confirmed victo-

  ries, Lt. Ben S. Irvin had shot down a bomber

  and a Zero, and Lt. Andrew J. Reynolds had

  three Zero kills and a shared victory over

  a twin-engine aircraft, which he identified as a

  "Me 110."

  The First Air Battles

  The 7th Pursuit Squadron achieved its

  first aerial victory on March 22, 1942. A Ja-

  panese formation from the 3rd Kōkūtai con-

  sisted of a C5M Babs reconnaissance air-

  craft, escorted by three A6M2 Zero Type21s.

  After completing its mission, the reconnai-

  ssance aircraft separated from its escort,

  a fatal mistake. The Americans, flying at 20,000

  feet, spotted the lone aircraft 1,000 feet below

  and gave it no chance.

  The attack was carried out by 2nd Lt. Clyde

  L. Harvey, Jr. and 1st Lt. Stephen Poleschuk.

  Under their combined fire, the C5M Babs

  crashed southwest of Bathurst Island, killing

  both crew members, PO1c Shigiki Mori and

  PO1c Shinobu Nagasawa. This victory, credited

  to Poleschuk, marked the first confirmed aeri-

  al kill for the 9th Pursuit Squadron.

  The 9th Pursuit Squadron achieved its first

  victory against enemy bombers on March 28,

  1942, during a raid by seven G4M Betty bom-

  bers from the Takao Kōkūtai. The bomber for-

  mation flew without escort and successfully

  hit the runway at Darwin Airfield from an al-

  titude of 18,000 feet, damaging one aircraft.

  The Japanese crews claimed to have shot down

  three P-40s, but in reality, none were lost.

  However, one Japanese bomber, commanded

  by Ensign Taketoshi Asahiro, was shot down,

  and the entire crew perished.

  On the American side, 2nd Lt. Clyde L. Har-

  vey, Jr., 1st Lt. William D. Sells, and 1st Lt. Ro-

  bert Harry Vaught each scored confirmed kills,

  while 1st Lt. Stephen Poleschuk was credited

  with a probable victory.

  In the next raid, which took place on March

  30, the Japanese launched their attack with

  fighter escort. This time, seven G4M Betty

  bombers from the Takao Kōkūtai were accom-

  panied by twelve Zeros from the 3rd Kōkūtai.

  The bombing raid caused minimal damage

  in Darwin, but the fighter escorts effectively

  protected the bombers. The Japanese pilots

  claimed to have shot down six P-40s and pro-

  bably destroyed two more, but in reality, only

  two P-40s were damaged. Lt. McComsey was

  forced to bail out of a third aircraft.

  April Air Raids

  During the April 2, 1942, raid on Darwin, the

  9th Pursuit Squadron (PS) pilots were unable

  to inflict any damage on the attackers. Ho-

  wever, two days later, the situation changed.

  On April 4, six G4M Betty bombers from the

  Takao Kōkūtai, escorted by six Zeros from the

  3rd Kōkūtai, launched an air raid targeting

  both the RAAF base and the civilian airfield.

  At the time, two separate American forma-

  tions were airborne, each consisting of seven

  P-40 Warhawks. However, only one of the

  groups managed to engage the Japanese for-

  ces.

  During the April 4 raid, one G4M Betty bom-

  ber was shot down by anti-aircraft defenses,

  while two others fell victim to American figh-

  ters—resulting in the loss of all crew members.

  The remaining bombers managed to return to

  base, though all sustained various degrees of

  damage. The airmen of the 9th Pursuit Squad-

  ron reported a total of eight kills. The confir-

  med victories were as follows: 2nd Lt. Grover

  A6M2 Zero Type 21, Lt. Zenjirō Miyano, 3. Kōkūtai, Poeleti airfield, Timor, March 1942

  This aircraft, manufactured by Mitsubishi, was photographed in April 1942 in Rabaul with partially repainted mar-

  kings that originally belonged to Lieutenant Miyano. The bands and stripes may have been in dark blue or black

  color. Zenjirō Miyano served from 1939 with the 12th Kōkūtai in China and was appointed as a Buntaichō with the

  3rd Kōkūtai in October 1941. He participated in the campaigns in the Philippines and the Dutch East Indies. During

  a raid on Broome, Australia, on March 3, 1942, Miyano attacked a Dutch civil DC-3. The pilot was Capt. Ivan Smir

  -

  noff, a World War I Russian fighter ace, despite one engine on fire, he managed to make an emergency landing,

  but the Zero pilots killed four passengers on the ground. In April 1942 Miyano was transferred to the 6th Kōkūtai,

  which was to be based at Midway. Part of his unit was on the way to Midway aboard the carrier Jun´yō, which

  participated in the attack against Dutch Harbor in the Aleutians. Miyano also participated in the raid. His unit was

  based at Rabaul from August 1942 and was redesignated Kōkūtai 204 in November. From March 1943 Miyano took

  position of Hikōtaichō. He was a combat tactics innovator and was the first to introduce the finger-four formation

  in Japanese naval aviation. Miyano achieved a total of 16 victories and was killed on June 16, 1943, over Guadalca

  -

  nal during escort of dive bombers.

  P-40E-1, 41-25164, Capt. Ben S. Irvin, 9th FS, 49th FG, Darwin, Australia, 1942

  INFO Eduard

  11

  March 2025

• Strana 12

  HISTORY

  J. Gardner, 2nd Lt. John A. Kelting, and 2nd Lt.

  John D. Livingstone, Jr. each shot down one

  bomber, 2nd Lt. John Dave Landers claimed

  two bombers, while 2nd Lt. Andrew Jackson

  Reynolds and 2nd Lt. John S. Sauber each shot

  down one bomber and one Zero. In this engage-

  ment, the Americans successfully executed

  their well-rehearsed attack tactics, diving

  from above and striking the bombers head-on.

  If conditions allowed, they would then launch

  follow-up attacks from the rear.

  However, the G4M Betty bombers pro-

  ved to be a new and challenging adversary.

  The American pilots quickly learned that their

  opponents had a dangerous surprise, a 20mm

  cannon mounted in the rear turret, making

  attacks from rear risky.

  The Japanese fighters suffered no losses

  and scored four victories. Two P-40s were

  actually lost, but not due to Zeroes. Appro-

  aching the base with their landing gear exten-

  ded, pilots Garder and Livingstone came under

  fire from their own anti-aircraft defenses.

  Gardner managed to bail out, but Livingstone

  was killed while attempting to land at another

  airfield.

  In mid-April, a decision was made on the

  Japanese side to withdraw air units from Ko-

  epang to Kendari and to temporarily limit air

  raids on Australia because of other priorities.

  However, two more air raids were planned on

  Darwin before the troops were moved.

  The first raid took place on April 25, 1942,

  and was carried out by 27 Betty bombers from

  Takao Kōkūtai, accompanied by nine Zeros

  from the 3rd Kōkūtai. Three bombers aborted

  the mission due to technical issues, and one

  was lost on its return. As usual, the Japane-

  se executed a precise high-altitude attack on

  the RAAF base, but this time, they encountered

  greater resistance than in previous operations.

  On this day, the entire 49th Pursuit Group

  took to the air for the first time, with the 7th,

  8th, and 9th Pursuit Squadrons deploying

  a total of 50 aircraft. In the ensuing battle,

  four Betty bombers were shot down, with all

  crew members killed. One bomber suffered

  a structural failure, causing its wing to collap-

  se and leading to a mid-air collision with

  another aircraft. Additionally, 20 bombers

  sustained damage, three of which lost the use

  of one engine. One Zero was also shot down,

  the first lost in combat against the 49th PG

  over Darwin. Its pilot was PO1c Shirō Murakami.

  The bomber gunners claimed three downed

  P-40s, while the escort fighters reported ano-

  ther seven. However, none of the American

  aircraft were actually shot dow, only two P-40

  pilots were forced to make emergency lan-

  dings. Zeros were credited to 2nd Lt. William

  J. Hennon of the 9th Pursuit Squadron, while

  his colleagues from the 8th Pursuit Squadron

  claimed ten bombers and one Zero.

  Two days later, on April 27, the same Japa-

  nese units returned to Darwin. This time, only

  17 bombers participated, but the fighter escort

  was larger, led by Lt. Takeo Kurosawa at the

  head of 21 Zeros. Once again, the 49th Pursuit

  Group deployed all three squadrons against

  the attackers, but this time they did not esca-

  pe without losses. Four P-40 pilots were shot

  down, including the commander of the 8th Pur-

  suit Squadron, Capt. Allison W. Strauss, who

  was killed. One of the local airfields was later

  named in his honor, like in the case of the un-

  fortunate Livingstone.

  After a fierce battle, the Americans claimed

  several victories. 2nd Lt. Stephen Wallace

  Andrew of the 7th Pursuit Squadron reported

  downing one bomber and one Zero, while his

  colleagues from the 8th Pursuit Squadron clai-

  med three bombers, four Zeros, and one additi-

  onal Zero as probably shot down.

  In reality, the Japanese lost only one bomber,

  though ten others were damaged. Additionally,

  two Zeros returned to base with damage, but

  none were actually shot down. The bomber

  gunners claimed one P-40 destroyed, while

  the Japanese fighter escort optimistically re-

  ported shooting down thirteen P-40s with six

  more probable kills. The discrepancies in both

  sides' reports highlight the confusion and in-

  tensity of the aerial combat.

  Australian Winter

  The period from June to August is considered

  winter in Australia, and in the Darwin area, it is

  characterized by slightly cooler temperatures

  and, most notably, significantly less rainfall.

  After the battles in April, the 49th Pursuit

  Group took advantage of the favorable weather

  and a temporary pause in Japanese air raids

  to recover from losses, enhance combat rea-

  diness, and implement several administrative

  changes. The unit was officially redesignated

  as the 49th Fighter Group, and its squadrons

  were renamed Fighter Squadrons. Additiona-

  lly, the pilots selected combat names and em-

  blems for their squadrons.

  The 9th Fighter Squadron adopted the win-

  ged helmet as its emblem and began using

  the combat name "Flying Knights." Members

  of the 8th Fighter Squadron, initially nickna-

  med the "Eight Balls," later chose the fighting

  name "Black Sheep," a reference to their air-

  craft procurement. Unlike other units, they

  rarely received new planes and instead took

  over well-used aircraft from other squadrons.

  The 7th Fighter Squadron selected the Bunyip,

  a mythical Australian predator, as its emblem.

  It was painted on the aircraft rudders by Bill

  Hennon, a veteran of combat over the Philippi-

  nes and Java.

  In mid-June, the Japanese once again fo-

  cused their attacks on Darwin. On June 13,

  15, and 16, a total of 27 Betty bombers from

  Takao Kōkūtai carried out each raid, with their

  escorts varying in size. The first raid was

  accompanied by as many as 45 Zeros from 3rd

  Kōkūtai, while the following two raids were

  escorted by 21 and 27 Zeros, respectively.

  A different type of Japanese attack took

  place on June 14. That day, 27 Zeros from 3rd

  Kōkūtai were tasked with strafing the base

  in Darwin. Radar operators initially believed

  the incoming aircraft were escorting appro-

  ximately nine bombers, but it appears that no

  bombers were operating in the area. Instead,

  the Japanese fighters' mission was not only to

  attack the RAAF station but also to inflict lo-

  sses on enemy fighters.

  P-40E, Lt. Robert Harry Vaught, 9th FS, 49th FG, Darwin, Australia, 1942

  INFO Eduard12

  March 2025

• Strana 13

  HISTORY

  During the ensuing battle, pilots from the

  9th Fighter Squadron claimed one Zero each:

  2nd Lt. I.B. Jack Donalson, 2nd Lt. John Dave

  Landers, and 2nd Lt. Andrew Jackson Rey-

  nolds. Additionally, Capt. Nathaniel H. Blanton

  from the 7th Fighter Squadron claimed one

  Zero as definitely shot down and another as

  probably destroyed.

  Over four days of intense fighting, the 49th

  Fighter Group claimed 13 Zeros certainly shot

  down and one probably destroyed, as well as

  one bomber confirmed, one probably downed,

  and three damaged. The Americans lost nine

  P-40s, with one pilot not surviving.

  The Japanese officially lost only two Zero

  pilots, who went missing on June 13, though

  it is possible they lost their bearings while

  returning to base. During the three bombing

  raids, approximately 20 G4M Betty bombers

  were damaged, and two crew members were

  killed. Meanwhile, Zero pilots claimed 19 con-

  firmed victories and 12 probable victories in

  these engagements.

  After a six-week pause, the Japanese launch-

  ed another raid on July 30, 1942. Takao Kōkūtai

  sent 26 bombers to attack the RAAF base at

  Darwin, approaching the target at 26,000 feet.

  They were escorted by 27 Zeros from the 3rd

  Kōkūtai. After receiving a warning from Aus-

  tralian radar operators, 36 aircraft from the

  49th Fighter Group took to the air to intercept.

  Once again, the Japanese crews struck their

  target with precision. One Australian aircraft

  was damaged, and hits were recorded on the

  runway, fuel supplies, and water pipes.

  Pilots from the 9th Fighter Squadron clai-

  med several victories. 1st Lt. I. B. Jack Donal-

  son, 2nd Lt. John Dave Landers, 1st Lt. Andrew

  Jackson Reynolds, and 1st Lt. Clay Tice Jr. each

  shot down one Zero. 2nd Lt. Clyde L. Harvey

  Jr. claimed a bomber as destroyed and was

  also credited with the probable destruction of

  a Zero. Their colleagues from the 7th Fighter

  Squadron claimed two Zeros and two bombers

  confirmed shot down, as well as one Zero as

  a probable kill.

  The battle was apparently chaotic once

  again, as only two Zeros were lost. One was

  shot down during the engagement, and its pilot,

  PO1c Shigeru Mukumoto, was killed. The other

  was lost near its base in Koepang due to an

  engine failure, forcing its pilot, PO2c Masashi

  Tomita, to ditch the aircraft. Japanese fighters

  claimed 16 victories, including three probable

  kills, but in reality, only one P-40 from the 7th

  Fighter Squadron was shot down.

  Within the 49th Fighter Group at this time,

  it wasn't just pilots who were achieving vic-

  tories. Among such airmen was a certain 2/

  Lt. George Earl Preddy, Jr. who served with

  the 9th FS "Flying Knights". During air combat

  training on July 12, 1942, Preddy was flying

  in a formation of four aircraft led by 2nd Lt.

  John Sauber. He piloted his personal aircraft,

  P-40E "Tarheel" (41-5509), number 85. During

  a practice attack on Preddy, Sauber misjudged

  the distance, resulting in a mid-air collision.

  Sauber likely lost consciousness upon impact

  and perished in his aircraft. However, despite

  his injuries, Preddy managed to bail out of his

  Warhawk, and his colleagues guided an ambu-

  lance to the crash site.

  Fortunately, he was found before nightfall.

  He suffered multiple fractures, and the doc-

  tor later stated that he would have bled to

  Lt. Robert Harry Vaught and his plane "Bob´s Robin“.

  INFO Eduard

  13

  March 2025

• Strana 14

  HISTORY

  death by morning. However, what concerned

  Preddy most at the time was the huge anthill

  near where he landed. After recovering, he

  was transferred to Europe, where he beca-

  me the second-highest-scoring fighter ace of

  the 352nd Fighter Group, the "Blue-nosed Ba-

  stards of Bodney."

  Australia itself exposed both its inhabi-

  tants and visiting aviators to various dangers,

  primarily due to the local wildlife. On July 16,

  1942, Robert H. Vaught, a colleague of Preddy,

  narrowly escaped death during a flight. For

  details on the origin of his nickname, "Snake

  Bite Bob," see the historical text on his aircraft

  in the Pacific Star kit featured in this issue of

  INFO magazine.

  In July, the Japanese launched night raids

  on Australian targets, for which neither the

  Australians nor the Americans had yet deve-

  loped an effective countermeasure. In Sep-

  tember, one 49th Fighter Group pilot attempted

  an unauthorized night fighter mission but

  was punished after landing—not only for the

  unauthorized action but also for forcing one of

  the airfields to turn on its runway lights.

  Final Battle and Move to New Guinea

  The last encounter between the 49th Figh-

  ter Group and enemy forces over Australia

  took place on August 23, 1942. As usual, 27

  Betty bombers from Takao Kōkūtai, escorted

  by 27 Zeros from the 3rd Kōkūtai, launched an

  attack—this time targeting Hughes Field, south

  of Darwin. One bomber was forced to return

  early due to a malfunction.

  The raid was intercepted by 24 P-40s from

  the 7th and 8th Fighter Squadrons. Before

  the bombers could reach their target, several

  were forced out of formation. Two bombers

  sustained moderate damage, one was severely

  damaged, and another took several harmless

  hits. The only American loss was a P-40, who-

  se pilot, while chasing the bombers, stopped to

  check his fuel level and inadvertently ended up

  in the sea.

  This time, the Japanese fighter escort suf-

  fered a heavy defeat. Among those killed was

  Buntaichō Lieutenant Tadatsune Tokaji, a ve-

  teran of the 12th China War Kōkūtai. Also lost

  were PO2c Nobutoshi Furukawa, PO2c Itsuzō

  Shimizu, and PO3c Yoshiyuki Hirata.

  The Americans reported eight Zeros con-

  firmed as shot down and one damaged. Seven

  Japanese bombers were claimed as destroy-

  ed including one bomber credited to Captain

  George Edward Kiser. Additionally one Betty

  was claimed probably destroyed and two as

  damaged.

  The fighter pilots of the 49th Fighter Group

  ended their Australian campaign as seasoned

  veterans, having scored nearly 80 victories

  against a battle-hardened enemy in less than

  six months.

  The 7th Fighter Squadron was the first to re-

  locate to New Guinea in September, while the

  8th Fighter Squadron had to repair and prepa-

  re its aging aircraft before moving. Meanwhile,

  the 9th Fighter Squadron remained in Darwin,

  training Australian colleagues.

  The 49th FG’s first engagement on the new

  battlefield took place on November 1, 1942,

  when sixteen P-40Es from the 8th Fighter

  Squadron escorted Mitchells and Bostons du-

  ring a raid on Lae. Shortly before the battle, a

  large number of Zeros from Kōkūtai 251, for-

  merly the Tainan Kōkūtai, had arrived at the

  airfield, along with Zeros from Kōkūtai 202,

  which was in fact the well known 3rd Kōkūtai,

  just under a new designation.

  1st Lt. William Charles Day Jr. and 1st Lt. Ri-

  chard H. Dennis each claimed one Zero shot

  down. However, in reality, only PO1c Toshio Ka-

  neko of Kōkūtai 251 was shot down and killed,

  though seven other Zeros sustained damage.

  One American pilot remained missing after the

  action.

  The pilots of the 49th Fighter Group had ho-

  ped for the opportunity to fly the new P-38 Li-

  ghtning, but to their disappointment, they were

  instead re-equipped with the P-40K. While this

  version had some improvements over the P-

  -40E, it still struggled in combat against the

  maneuverable Japanese aircraft, making en-

  gagements in the Warhawk particularly cha-

  llenging.

  The "Flying Knights" joined the fighting in

  New Guinea in December 1942. At that time, the

  9th Fighter Squadron was under the command

  of Maj. J. C. Peaslee, who had succeeded Capt.

  B. S. Irvin in November. Unbeknownst to its

  members at the time, the 9th FS became the

  first unit to engage the Nakajima Ki-43 Army

  aircraft in combat on this battlefield.

  This event took place on December 26, 1942,

  when 15 pilots flying Ki-43-I aircraft from the

  11th Hikō Sentai arrived in the Buna-Dobodura

  area. The Japanese pilots from the unit’s 1st

  Chūtai were led by Captain Shigenori Miyaba-

  yashi, and they reached Pongani Airfield just

  as Australian Hudson bombers were present

  on the runway.

  However, twelve P-40s from the 9th Fighter

  Squadron were patrolling the area. Ground

  controllers called in White Flight, led by 1st

  Lt. "Big John" Landers. With his four-aircraft

  formation, he attacked the incoming planes,

  which were mistakenly identified as "Zekes"

  (A6M Zeros). However, he immediately came

  under accurate fire from two Japanese pilots

  and was forced to bail out of his aircraft. The

  plane he lost was the original "The Rebel", for-

  merly flown by Capt. Ben Irvin during the ba-

  ttles over Australia. The Japanese pilots also

  shot down one Hudson bomber, and after the

  engagement, they claimed six P-40s destroyed.

  The Americans managed to shoot down one

  aircraft, whose pilot, Sgt. Maj. Ryō-ichi Ima-

  mura, was killed. 1st Lt. Charles Steven Gallup

  and 2nd Lt. Carl G. Planck Jr. each claimed one

  Zeke (Zero), while 1st Lt. William Frees Haning

  Jr. was credited with one probable kill.

  During the same action, a Ki-43-I flown by

  Sgt. Maj. Hiro-ichi Fujii was damaged, likely by

  the gunner of one of the Hudson bombers. Fujii

  attempted to return north along the coast, fly-

  ing at low altitude and reduced speed. In this

  vulnerable state, he was spotted by the crew of

  a Wirraway from No. 4 Squadron, RAAF, which

  immediately launched a head-on attack from

  higher altitude. The damaged aircraft crashed

  into the sea.

  Initially, the Control Officer refused to belie-

  ve that the Australian pilot, Pilot Officer John

  Archer, had shot down a Zero, but after multi-

  P-40E, Capt. George E. Kiser, 8th FS, 49th FG, Darwin, Austrálie, 1942

  INFO Eduard14

  March 2025

• Strana 15

  HISTORY

  A lineup of 7th Fighter Squadron aircraft in Darwin. Aircraft No. 51, "L'Ace", was piloted by Lt. James Bruce Morehead, who added five more victo-

  ries over Australia to the two he had achieved with the 17th PS over Java. He later served in the Mediterranean, flying P-38s with the 1st FG. Capt.

  Hennon is seated in the cockpit of P-40 No. 36.

  P-40E, Capt. William J. Hennon, 7th FS, 49th FG, Darwin, Austrálie, 1942

  ple eyewitness confirmations, Archer and his

  gunner, Sergeant James Coulston, were re-

  warded with six bottles of beer.

  Meanwhile, John Landers found himself in

  a very different situation. He had bailed out of

  his aircraft at approximately 1,000 feet over

  the jungle. He wandered through the unk-

  nown terrain for three days, eventually coming

  across a stream, which led him to a native

  village. The village elders provided him with

  shelter and food, and the next day, the villagers

  escorted him to Pongani Airfield, where he

  was evacuated on December 31, 1942, aboard

  an A-24 dive bomber bound for Port Moresby.

  Although Landers later achieved further

  victories flying the long-awaited P-38 Light-

  ning, it was not with the 49th Fighter Group. In

  the summer of 1944, he joined the 55th Fighter

  Group, where he participated in combat over

  Europe. Meanwhile, his former colleagues in

  the 49th Fighter Group were rearmed with

  P-38 fighters, contributing to its reputation as

  a legendary aircraft.

  Sources:

  CLARINGBOULD, Michael J., INGMAN, Peter:

  South Pacific Air War, Volume 2

  CLARINGBOULD, Michael J.: Pacific Profiles

  Volume 1, Japanese Army Fighters, New Guinea

  & the Solomons 1942 -1943

  CLARINGBOULD, Michael J.: Pacific Adversa-

  ries, Volume 1, Japanese Army Air Force vs The

  Allies, New Guinea 1942 – 1944

  CLARINGBOULD, Michael J., INGMAN, Peter:

  South Pacific Air War, Volume 5, Crisis in papua,

  September – December 1942

  HATA, Ikuhiko, IZAWA, Yasuho, SHORES,

  Christopher: Japanese Naval Aces 1932 – 1945

  HESS, William N.: 49th Fighter Group, Aces

  of the Pacific

  ICHIMURA, Hiroshi: Ki-43 Oscar Aces of

  World War 2

  JACAR: Tactical operational records of 3. Kō-

  kūtai

  JACAR: Tactical operational records of Takao

  Kōkūtai

  LEWIS, Tom: The Empire Strikes South, Ja-

  pan´s Air War Against Northern Australia 1942

  – 1945

  McDOWELL, Ernest R.: 49th Fighter Group

  MOLESWORTH, Carl: P-40 Warhawk Aces of

  the Pacific

  OLYNYK, Frank: Stars & Bars, A Tribute to the

  American Fighter Ace 1920 - 1973

  INFO Eduard

  15

  March 2025

• Strana 16

  HISTORY

  GALLERY DB 605 D

  Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-10

  Bf 109 G-10/U4 WNr. 611943,

  equipped with a DB 605 D

  engine, is currently part

  of the Planes of Fame Air

  Museum collection in Arizona.

  This aircraft displays the

  distinctive features of the

  WNF production series. It

  was captured in May 1945

  after the group flight and

  surrender of II/JG 52 from

  Austria to Neubiberg, Bavaria.

  This Bf 109 probably bore the

  designation "Gelbe 13" (Yellow

  13) and its serial number

  indicates that it belonged

  to the Hungarian 101. Unit

  Vadászezred.

  INFO Eduard16

  March 2025

• Strana 17

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard

  17

  March 2025

• Strana 18

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard18

  March 2025

• Strana 19

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard

  19

  March 2025

• Strana 20

  HISTORY

  Renders of 3D printed accessory set for Bf 109 G-10 in 1/72 scale by Eduard.

  Bf 109G-10 WNF motor PRINT 1/72 672399

  Bf 109G-10 Mtt Regensburg motor PRINT 1/72 672400

  Bf 109G-10 Erla motor PRINT 1/72 672402

  INFO Eduard20

  March 2025

• Strana 21

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard

  21

  March 2025

• Strana 22

  REVI č.146/2025 54 REVI č.146/2025

  va. „Vúter ý 20.č ervence t.r. p o 16. hodi ně bylo nu ceno pro por uchu

  motoru n ouzově přistáti na polích blíže okresní sil nice ke Krchlebům

  dopravní létadlo německé Lufth ansy linky Mnichov– Praha– Vratislav,

  zn. Siberfuchs (si c.) D- UBIQ apře sto, že vtě chto mís tech je vel mi nepř í-

  znivý teren, přistálo bez nejmenší neho dy. Vlétadle se nalézali 2 letci

  a2 pa sažéři, kteří ovšem museli další cestu nastoupit r ychlíkem. Oba

  letci, jakož ilétadlo bylo ihn ed podrobeno prohlídce zdejšího četnict va.

  Přistání bylo zřejmě senzací nejen pro Staňkováky, ale lidi ze širokého

  okolí, kteří se sbíhali na místo přistání až do večerních hodin ai ve

  středu ave čtvrtek, kdy kovový pták byl rozebrán avlakem odveze n do

  Mnichova. Letecké přistání nenatropilo na polích tolik škod, jako sami

  zvěda vci, jak už při podo bných ne hodách bývá. Vkr átké dob ě po přist á-

  ní se dostavili na místo zástu pci vojenského iokresního úřadu .“

  Zfotografií vyplývá, že stroj byl na m ístě demontován azřejmě po

  železnici vrácen do Něme cka. Vkvětnu 1940 přešel kLuf twaffe azpo-

  čátku sloužil uJagdfliegerschule 3 vGrove, později slouž il ke kurýrním

  letům u štábu Jagdgeschwader 27 vRusku. Pro nedostatek ná hradních

  dílů byl odstaven na letišti Ljuban uLening radu vzáří1941, kde byl za-

  nechán při ústupu na jaře 1942.

  Náhradní stroj odstartoval zMnichova o dva dny později v6.15 ráno

  22.července1936. Stroj Ju 160 D-0 W.Nr. 4246 měl instalovaný motor

  BMW Hor net 132E-2 W.Nr. 59570. Společností Lufthansa byl letoun

  převzat teprve 24. dubna1936 a nesl pojmenování „Hyäne“. V 7.30

  přistál na let išti Praha-Kb ely, kde vystoupili 4 cestující. V7.50 pok račo-

  val vdalším letu do Vratislavi. Na palubě zů stala jen dvoučlenná osádka.

  Další okolnosti zachycuje v yšetřovací spis č.j. 333/63 založený

  5. srpna 1936 referentem Ing. Františ kem Chváta lem z oddělen í Bb

  odboru letecké skupiny Ministerst va veřejných prací.

  Spis začíná rukou psaným dokumentem: „Dne 22.července t.r. sdě lilo

  do odd Bb, asi o 11 h., ředitelství st. leti ště „Praha“, že uHořic vPod-

  krkonoší havarovalo dopravní letadlo něm. spole čnosti Luf thansa při

  letu zPrahy d o Vratislavy. Při ha várii zahynuli oba letci… Odd Bb po

  dohodě s přednostou letecké sk upiny k místu nehody vyslalo ihned

  komisi za účelem vyšetření ka tastrofy. Komise sestávala: vrch. techn .

  komisař Ing. F. Chvátal, pře dseda, v.t. kom. Ing. V. Verner azkuš. pilot

  Jar. Mareš.“ Brzy odpoledne ve 13.15 ob drželi voddělení Bb ještě tele-

  fonát Dr. Dočkala zMinisterstva vnitra sdalšími detaily: „Dn es 22.čer-

  vence1936 startovalo německé letadlo zn . „DULUR“ v7.50 hod. ze

  Gbel do Breslau . Pilotoval Neubrand , telegrafista Haupt – bez cestují-

  cích. V8.14 hod. zachytily Gbely volá ní SOS tohoto letadla… V11 hod.

  hlásilo četnictvo zHra dce Král., že letadlo se zřítil o na kotě 463 uobce

  Chlomek. Obě dvě osob y byly zabity, letadlo úplně roztří štěno.“

  Spis byl uzavřen a založen

  4.září1936. Obsahoval samostatný

  vyšetřovací spis z 3. sr pna 1936

  vypracovaný Ministerstvem pošt

  a telegrafů, pod které spadala

  pražská zaměřovací stanice. Dále

  hlášení Velitelství četnické letecké

  hlídky v Hradci Králové z 23.čer-

  vence 1936, pri márně adresované

  nadřízenému Min isterstvu vnitra ,

  azápis z výslechu svědků havárie,

  který provedla četnická stanice

  v Cerekvicích, a fotografickou

  přílohu. Závěrečný třístrán kový

  protokol podepsaný techniky Ing. F. Chvátalem a Ing. V. Vernerem

  shrnuj e: „Komis e ministers tva veřejný ch prací pro vyšetření havárie

  letadla dostavila se na místo nehody 22 .července v 15. hod . Trosky

  letadla nebyly již ve stavu, ja k letadlo dopadlo na zem, nýbr ž byly– prý

  zrozkazu nějakého pána zokresního úřadu– shrnuty na několik hromad

  amotor svrtulí byl ze země vykop án.“

  Další text obsahuje popis místa havárie: „Místo nehody je mladš í les

  zvaný Buk ovina… Letad lo vlétlo do lesa asi 200 m od již ního okraje.

  Směr vlétnutí je jihovýcho dní. Prvá stopa je na 10 m vysoké borovici jíž

  je uražena kor una. Dále ve směru vlétnutí jsou přeráženy st romy stále

  níže a asi 12m od zmíněné borovice je vzemi asi 1,5m hluboká jáma

  široká asi 2,5m. Zní byly vykopány trosky motor u avrtule přeražená na

  dva kusy. Dále ve směr u vlétnutí d o vzdálenosti asi 30m od jámy jsou

  stromy p řeráženy u země, jiné jen odřeny aohn uty a mezi nimi jsou

  trosky leta dla– spleť zohýbaných a pomačkaných plechů propletená

  zbytky různých ve dení a armatur. Rozbité části předku trupu, kabiny

  apodvozku nacházejí se úplně vpředu , části nosného systému aocas-

  ních ploch po celé délce místa dopadu… Roztříš těná těla pilota ateleg-

  rafisty byla nalezena m ezi troskami vpředku trupu abyl o velmi obtížno

  určit kolik a osobá m náleže jí. Pal ubní př ístroj e byly úp lně zni čeny. Na le-

  zeny byly zmačklé hodink y pilota atelegrafisty. Ručičky prvých hod inek

  Celkem je známo 47 vyrobených kusů, ale objevují se ta ké

  neurčité údaje o pokračování výroby upravené vojenské

  verze Ju 160 C-0.

  Osudy dvou strojů zpředposlední, dubnové dodávky se

  na lince Mnichov – Pra ha – Vratislav fatálně proťaly

  sčeskou historií. Ráno 20.července1936 odstartoval zMnichova dopravn í Junkers

  Ju 160 Silberfuchs společnosti Deutsche Lufthansa kpravidelnému letu přes Prahu

  do Vratislav i. Pro techn ickou závadu byl al e nucen nouzově př istát vpol i uStaňko-

  Nouzové přistání 20. července 1936 u Staňkova v západních

  Čechách zachycuje série fotografií.

  V květnu 1940 převzala „Silberfuchs“ Luftwaffe a obdržel kmenové označení

  RC + KO. Jak snímek kuriózně prokazuje, tradiční pojmenování „Silberfuchs“

  bylo ponecháno i v období vojenské služby.

  Na starém drážďanském letišti Heller vznikla

  série reklamních fotografií čerstvě dodaného

  stroje D-UVOX „Rotfuchs“.

  20 REVI č.146/2025

  20 REVI č.146/2025

  REVI č.146/2025 21

  REVI č.146/2025 21

  Ing. Pavel Vančata

  Sestřelen u Arrasu

  Jedním z novousedlíků voblasti kanadských prér ijních provincií se

  vlétě 1906 stal Fran k Pawlitza narozený 31.července1886 ve slezské

  obci Šumbark, která je dnes jednou změstských čá stí Havířova. Vroce

  1910 získal kanadské občanství a17. května1915 se ve městě Swift

  Current oženil sA nnou Tucek (* 20.srpna1889 ve Zruči nad Sázavou).

  Vlétě 1916 spolu se synem Albertem (* 4.února1916) žil i na vlastn í

  farmě v katastru obc e Pittville vprovincii Saskat chewan. Vnásledují-

  cích letech do rodiny přibyli ještě tři potomci: Vera Rose (* 1.l istopa-

  du 1917), Elvyn Joseph (* 30. září 1921) a Francis Ha rold

  (* 30.ledna1924).

  Nás budou zajímat osudy syna Elvyna, který v letech 1927 až 1935

  navštěvoval základní školu v Baxtervi lle a další tři roky studoval

  zdomova formou distančn í výuky. To již rodina vlastnila farmu v obci

  Abbey, stále vprovincii Saskatchewan, na k teré po ukončení školní do-

  cházky zůstal pomáhat .

  Dne 6. února1942 si tento dvacetiletý mladík modrých očí asvětle

  hnědých vlasů měřící 180 cm podal př ihlášku do Royal Canad ian Air

  Force (RCAF). Přísahu složil 1.května1942 vNo. 5 Recruiting Centre

  ve městě Regina vprovinci i Saskatchewan, odkud ještě t éhož dne odjel

  kNo. 2 Manning Depot sídlícímu v Brandonu vsousední provincii Ma-

  nitoba. Zde se zněj stal nováček se služebním číslem R163640 vhodnos-

  ti Aircraftman 2

  nd

  Class (AC2) a byl zař azen do skupiny určené do

  výcviku na pilota s alternativou na navigátora. Od 29. srpna dostal

  měsíční neplacené volno, aby mohl pomoci skl idit úrodu na rodinné

  farmě. Následně 23. října odjel do Edmontonu v provincii Alberta, kde

  tři dny nat o zahájil základ ní výcvik u No. 4 Initia l Traini ng School

  vrámci kurz u č. 65, který končil 1.ledna1943, kdy byl povýšen do hod-

  nosti Leadi ng Aircraft man (LAC). S výsledným hodnoc ením 74 % se

  umístil až na 90. m ístě mezi 105 nováčky: „Než narukoval, pracoval na

  otcově farmě. Jeho bratr slouží jako rotmistr uarmády. Prů měrný spor-

  tovec. Český půvo d– 2. generace. Mlad ík zfarmy– amb iciózní– bude

  se hodně snažit. Pom alu se učí– upravený. Doporučen na po ddůstojní-

  ka. Alternat ivně radiotelegrafista-střelec.“ Jeho sen stát se pilotem se

  rozplynul, neboť nehledě na uvedené doporuče ní byl př eřazen do výcviku

  na bombometčíka.

  Na zařazení do další fáze výcviku vyčkával v Edmontonu, a než

  kněmu stačilo dojít, byl 30.ledna hospital izován vnemocnici na základ-

  ně a26. února nastoupil dvoutýdenní zdravotní dovolenou. Na několik

  dnů se vrátil kNo. 4 ITS, odkud 21.března odjel na řádnou dovolenou.

  Zní se 3.dubna hl ásil uNo. 7 Bombing & Gunner y School (B & GS) na

  základně Paulson vprovincii Ma nitoba.

  Kurz pro bombometčí ky č. 79 zde probíha l mezi 5. dubnem až

  25. červnem 1943. Během prakt ického bombardování na létal na dvou-

  motorových letounech Avro Anson 46 h 50 min ve dne a4 h 30 min

  vnoci a shodil celkem 121 pum ve dne a 16 vnoci. P ři bombardování

  zmalé v ýšky dosahoval prů měrné odchylky 61 ya rdů (56 m) az velké

  výšky 167 yardů (153 m). Vrámci střeleckého výcviku strávil 16 h mani-

  pulací se střeleckými věžemi na zemi apoté dalších 15 h 5 min nalétal na

  letounech Bristol Fairchild Bolingbroke, přičemž vyst řílel 3 700 ran

  a dosáhl průměrné úspěšnost i 10 % zásahů. S hod nocením 77,5 %

  skončil na 9. místě mezi 38 kadety. Podle i nstruktorů byl průměrným

  bombometčíkem astřelcem apo dokončení výcvik u ho doporučili ke

  jmenování do důstojnické hodnosti.

  ZPaulsonu odjel vden ukončení kurzu a druhý den se h lásil uNo. 1

  Air Observer School vMaltonu, Onta rio. Vtamní m navigačním kurz u

  č. 79 probíhajícím od 28. června do 6.srpna 1943 si vedl velm i dobře

  (obdržený počet bodů/maximá lní možný počet bodů): základy letecké

  navigac e (161/200), rozpoz návání let ounů (211/250), pr aktick á signali za-

  ce (250 /250), te orie let eckého průzk umu (113/150) , teori e leteck ého foto -

  graf ování (111/150) , prakt ická nav igace ve dne (219/30 0), prak tická na vi-

  gace v noc i (140/200), bombardování (215/300), praktické lete cké

  fotografování (133/200). Zpozemních předmětů obdržel známku 84,6 %

  spolu shodnocením: „ Nadprůměrný. Jasně chápe vše, co se od něj vy-

  žaduje . Navigac e dobrá.“ Jeho práci ve vzduchu po odlétání 26 h 45 min

  ve dne a17 h 20 min vnoci na Ansonech instruktoři ohodnoti li známkou

  70,7 % s doplňujícím komentář em: „Nadpr ůměrný. Dobrý navigátor

  vnoci. Pracoval velmi d obře.“ Slavnostní předán í odznaků novopeče-

  ným bombometčíkům proběhlo 5. srpna az dvaatřiceti absolventů jich

  dvanáct dostalo doporučení ke jmenování do důstojnické hodnost i. LAC

  Pawlitza byl podle svého služebního záz namu dnem 6. srpna 1943

  zařazen do odbornosti Air Bomber a ke stejnému dni byl povýšen do

  hodnosti Sergeant (Sgt). Nicméně 30.srpna byl se zpětnou platností o d

  6.srpna jmenován do důstojnické hodnosti P ilot Officer (P/O) aobdržel

  nové důstojnické služební číslo J28966.

  Ve dnech 7. až 20. srpna čerpal dovolenou p řed odjezdem do zámo ří

  apoté zamí řil kNo. 1 „Y“ Depot do př ístavu Halifax. Zde se 26.srpna

  nalo dil aub ritsk ých břeh ů přist ál oše st dnů poz ději. Od 2.zář í se nac há-

  zel ve stavu No. 3 (RCAF) Personnel Reception Cent re vjihoanglickém

  Bournemouthu.

  Mezi 2. listopadem a20. prosi ncem 1943 prodělal P/OPawlitza dopl-

  ňující výcvik na letounech Anson u No. 1 (Observer) Advanced F lying

  Unit na letišti Wigtown ve Skotsku. Následujícího dne se hlásil do kurzu

  č. 13 uNo. 82 Operational Training Unit (OTU) na základ ně Ossington,

  kde operační výcvik probíhal na dvoumotorových bombardérech Vickers

  Wellington B Mk.III a Mk.X. Z de se stal členem šestičlenné osádky

  složené zpříslušníků RCAF, kteří se sice všichn i narodili vKanadě, a le

  většina znich měla kořeny vEvropě:

  pilot P/O William Wallace Proudfoot (J27626) – rodiče pochá zeli ze

  Skotska;

  navigátor P/OJoseph Art hur Murph y (J28035)– rodi če byli rodi lí Kana-

  ďané;

  bombometčík P/OElvyn Joseph Pawlitza (J28966)– rodiče měli český

  původ;

  radiotelegrafista Sgt Enrico Joseph Simonato (R183691) – rodič e emi-

  grovali zItálie;

  střelec P/OAlbert Edward Hall (J37151)– otec pocházel zAnglie, matka

  zNizozemska;

  střelec P/O Peter Koleda (J37149) – rodiče se naro dili v západní část i

  Uk raji ny.

  Během cvičných letů osádku P/OProudfoota potkala d robná nehoda.

  Vsobotu 18.března1944 ve 20.25 Wellington B M k.X LN543 utrp ěl

  lehké poškozen í během pojíždění ke startu knoční mu cvičnému letu,

  osádka vyvázla nezraněn a: „Letoun zahájil pojíždění stlakem 140 liber

  vbrzdá ch a vyjel ze stojánky (č. 33). Po přejetí vzletové a přistávací

  dráhy zastavil . Poté pokračoval po pojezdové dráze vedoucí p aralelně

  se vzletovou apřistávací dráhou 22 , kde opět zastavil, aby dal př ednost

  jinému letounu. Dále jel směrem kmístu pro kontrolu podvozku, kde se

  mu nepodař ilo zastavit a pokračoval v jízdě zm írného svahu ještě asi

  70 yardů přímým směrem, dokud jed no kolo podvozku nenarazilo d o

  4 stopy vysoké zídk y, okterou se zastavil. Po in cidentu bylo zjištěno, že

  tlak v brzdách klesl na 10 liber.“ Velitel Training Wing No. 82 OTU

  W/Cdr W. D. Ferris označil za viníka nehody P/OProudfoota, který měl

  nalétáno sa mostatně 207 h, z toho 66 h na Wellingtonech: „Pilot e vi-

  dentně běhe m pojíždění příliš používa l brzdy a nekon troloval tlak

  vbrzdách. Spotřeba vzduchu byla normální , tj. 7 lb/sq. in. Lze se dom ní-

  vat, že pilot při po užívání brzd a kontrole tlak u nebyl dosta tečně obe-

  zřetný, zvláště když pojezdová dráha vtomto místě kles á, apojížděl moc

  rychle.“ Současně doporuči l vepsat do jeho zápisníku letů pokárání za

  „hrubou nedbalost“.

  Zbývající část operačního výcviku do 2.dubna proběhla už bez mimo-

  řádných událostí. P/OPawlitza na Wellingtonech nalétal 56 h 10 min ve

  dne a40 h 5 min vnoci a během té doby provedl: sedm cvičných bom-

  bardování ve dne (28 pum) adalších osm cvičení za t my (28 pum); čtyři

  cvičné střelby ve dne (jedna na terč tažený za dru hým letounem atři na

  cíl vm oři, cel kem 1 200 ra n) atři cvičné střelby za tmy na cí l vmoři (600

  Department of National Defence/Library and Archives Canada, PL-31182

  Library and Archives Canada

  Chris McLean collection

  Library and Archives Canada

  ▲ Na snímku pořízeném v roce 1944 na letecké základně „kdesi v Anglii“ je

  zachycen LAC Frank Thompson, motospojka od No. 427 Squadron RCAF, ve

  společnosti tří sličných příslušnic umělecké jednotky „RCAF Blackouts“ pořáda-

  jící představení pro spojenecké vojáky. V pozadí stojí bombardér Handley Page

  Halifax jedné z kanadských perutí spadající pod velení No. 6 (RCAF) Group.

  ◀ Vyrovnaná řada letounů Avro Anson

  zachycená pravděpodobně na letišti

  Malton, kde sídlila No. 1 AOS. Vpo-

  předí parkuje Anson sériového čísla

  RCAF 6044 sindividuálním písmenem

  „D“, dříve sloužil vRAF pod sériovým

  číslem R3470. No. 1 AOS jej obdržela

  21.května 1940, mezi 15. červencem

  a25. zářím 1942 prošel generální opra-

  vou u firmy de Havilland Canada, po

  níž se vrátil zpět kjednotce. V násle-

  dujících letech ho kvýcviku používaly

  ještě No. 4 AOS aNo. 31 B & GS. Na

  konci války měl nalétáno 3 359 h 45 min.

  Druhý Anson vřadě za ním nese na pří-

  di individuální písmeno „A“ spolu se

  znakem No. 1 AOS.

  Elvyn Joseph Pawlitza na oficiálních portrétech RCAF, vlevo jako nováček, vpravo

  v důstojnické hodnosti P/O po dokončení výcviku bombometčíka v Kanadě.

  32 REVI č.146/2025

  Martin Pospíšil

  REVI č.146/2025 33

  Mustangy na konci světa

  Mustangy na konci světa

  - 311. Fighter Group v Barmě a Číně

  - 311. Fighter Group v Barmě a Číně

  1. cást

  1. cást

  Jedinou stíhací sk upinou USAAF, která během 2. světové války ope-

  račně používala většinu verzí letounu North American Mustang, byla

  311. Fighter Bomber Group později přejmenovaná na 311. Fighter Group.

  Vjejí výzbroji se postupně vyst řídaly verze A-36A aP-51A s motory

  Allison, P-51B/C/D/Kiprůzkumné F-6C/D/Ksmotory Merlin. Vnašich

  končinách nepříliš známá skupina působila bě hem války vjihovýchodní

  Asii vprostoru nazývaném CBI (China Bur ma India).

  Skupina byla založena k28. lednu 1942 na zá kladně Will Rogers Field

  vOklahomě jako 311. Bomb Group (Light) anásledně včervenci přezna-

  čena na 311. Bomb Group (Dive). Orok později 30.září1943 přišla další

  změna označen í tentokrát na 311. Fighter Bomber Group. Nový název

  odpovídal novému určení skupiny ijejí výzbroji, kterou od prosince1942

  tvořily letouny A-36A doplněné v červnu 1943 o P-51A. Podobnou

  změnou názvu prošly itř i ze čtyř podřízených perut í, unichž se navíc

  měnilo také číselné označení, t akže z382. BS se od září stala 528. FBS,

  z383. BS se stala 529. FBS az384. BS se stala 530. FBS. Poslední –

  čtvrtá 385. BS byla 30.září1943 zr ušena ajejí personál byl kompletně

  převeden kčerstvě vzniklé 459. FS spadající pod 80. FG.

  Výcvik skupiny vUSA probíhal zpočátku na dvoumíst ných střemhla-

  vých bombardérech Vultee Vengeance, proto bylo vnáz vu skupiny slovo

  Dive. Jednalo se o dosti neoblíbené letouny, na nichž došlo během

  výcviku k několika smr telným nehodám aani velení sjejich bojovým

  nasazením nepočítalo. Proto se stěmito letouny na bojiště skupina nikdy

  nevydala apřešla na daleko bojeschopnější Mustangy.

  Jako první vprosinci 1942 obdržela střemhlavé bombardéry A-36A

  1)

  .

  Jednalo se oprvní sériovou verzi stavěnou pro USAAF, protože předtím

  se vyráběly pouze Mustangy IaIA

  2)

  určené pro br itskou RAF. Celkem

  bylo vyrobeno adodáno 500 letounů A-36A, tovární označení NA-97.

  Mimo motoru Allison V1710-87 je cha rakterizovaly výklopné aerodyna-

  mické brzdy vkřídle určené ke snížení r ychlosti ve střemh lavém letu.

  Výzbroj byla tvořena dvojicí kulometů vpřídi adalšími čt yřmi vkřídle.

  Jednalo se první verzi Mustangu vyráběnou se závěsníky pro pumy nebo

  přídavné nádrže. Do výzbroje ji zařad ily 86. FBG (listopa d 1942)

  a27. F BG (první polovina roku 1943), obě působící vseverní Africe,

  aprávě 311. FBG. Posledně jmenovaná jednotka použila vbojích celkem

  40 kusů této verze.

  Druhou verzí Mustangu použ ívanou u 311. FBG byla ve stejném

  období verze P-51A (továr ní označení NA-99). To byla posled ní, nyní již

  čistě stíhací, verze Mustangu s motorem Allison (varia nta V1710-81)

  původně objed naná v počtu 1 200 kusů. Nakonec jich bylo vyrobeno

  pouze 310, protože se mezitím začaly vy rábět Mustangy verze P-51B

  smotory Merlin. P-51A měl výzbroj čtyř kulometů vkřídle azávěsníky

  již byly standardní výbavou. V rá mci USAAF je obdržela nejprve

  311. FBG anásledně 23. FG a1. Air Com mando Group. Tedy všechny

  uUSAAF operačně používané Mustangy verze P-51A sloužily voblasti

  CBI.

  Přechod na A-36A na konci roku 1942 zn amenal, že od 311. BG odešli

  všichni palubní střelci apiloti zahájili intenz ivní výcvik na nových jed-

  nomístných strojích. Na konci ledna1943 se skupina zúčast nila prvního

  velkého cvičení na území USA akoncem února byla prohlášena za boje-

  schopnou. Nicméně vzápětí přišel rozkaz převést co nejvíce personálu ke

  skupinám na africkém bojišti. Proto například u382. BS zbyli na začátk u

  dubna pouze dva piloti. Skupina byla doplněna nováčky, výcvik začal

  vpodstatě od nuly atrva l až do léta. Přesun skupiny na bojiště tak byl

  zahájen až na konci července1943, kdy přes Austr álii dorazila koncem

  září do Indie na zákla dnu Nawadihj.

  Zde byla 30.září přejmenov ána na 311. FBG apo té násled ovalo rozd ě-

  lení skupiny mezi několi k základen vúdolí Assam (oblast podél ř eky

  Brahmaputry známá především pěstováním čaje) na východě Indie. Ve-

  litelství a 530. FBS se počátkem října přesunuly na zákla dnu Dinjan,

  528. FBS na základnu Sookerating a529. FBS na základnu Mohannbarj.

  Letouny byly mezi perutěmi rozděleny tak, že 528. FBS měla všechny

  A-36A a529. spolu s530. FBS pak P-51A. Nicméně piloti často létali na

  strojích jiných perutí. 530. FBS sloužila především jako stíhací, ato jak

  kochraně vlastních A-36A/P-51A, tak ijako doprovodná pro bombardé-

  ry. Proto také její piloti dosáh li největšího počtu sestřelů vrámc i skupiny.

  Navíc Musta ngům s Allisony hrálo do karet i to, že stíhací operace

  v oblasti CBI probíhaly ve výrazně menších výškách než vz ápadní

  Evropě nebo Středomoří, aproto se z nich na tomto bojišti postupem

  času stala smrtící zbraň.

  Vté době byla fronta vBar mě stabilizovaná, především proto, že z de

  od července do října panovalo období

  monzunů, které výr azně omezilo

  většinu bojových operací. Nicméně

  obě strany se intenzivně připravovaly

  na další kolo bojů. V rámci USAA F

  odpovídala za letecké op erace

  voblasti Indie aBarmy 10. Air Force.

  Byla založena vúnoru 1942 aa ž do

  března 1943 odpovídala za celou

  oblast CBI. Založen ím 14. Air Force

  vČíně vbř eznu 1943 došlo kr ozděle-

  ní odpovědnosti. Většina skupin

  původní 10. AF zůstala v Číně abyla

  převedena ke 14. AF. Ztoho důvodu

  se 10. AF musela začít budovat vpod-

  statě od nuly.

  Stíhací složka 10. A F se od

  podzimu 1943 sklá dala z311. F BG

  s Mustang y a 80. FG vyzbrojené

  P-40N (88., 89. a90. FS) aP-38 (459.

  FS, ta byla 80. FG sice administrativ-

  ně podřízená, ale operovala sa mo-

  statně). Bombardovací sk upiny

  zastupovaly 7. a308. BG(H) s B-24

  (ta dr uhá byla dočasně zapůjčena od 14. AF) a 341. BG(M) s B-25.

  Pozadu sdoplňováním nezůstali ani Britové, jejichž squadrony spadající

  pod South East Asia Com mand byly přezbrojovány na Spitfiry Mk.Vc,

  Mosquita aBeaufightery.

  Hlavním ajed iným protivníkem spojeneckého let ectva voblasti bylo

  japonské a rmádní letectvo, jehož standa rdní st íhačkou v Barmě byly

  letouny Nakajima Ki-43-II Hayabusa patřící 50. a64. Sentai. Koncem

  roku je doplnily ještě 33. a204. Sentai. Lehké avelmi obratné Ki-43 byly

  vté době již z a zenitem své největší slávy asvým i výkony aslabou vý-

  zbrojí se nemohly měřit s novými spojeneckými letouny. Nicméně dí ky

  zkušeným pilotů m byly ještě stále nebezpečnými protivníky. Japonské

  bombardovací útvary byly vyzbrojeny typy Mitsubishi Ki-21 aKawasaki

  Ki-48. Také japonské armádní lete ctvo využilo přestávky vbojích kdo-

  plnění stavů, takže se voblasti objevily další typy letadel, jako stí hací

  Nakajima Ki-44 Shóki, Kawasaki Ki-45 Toryú (21. Sentai) nebo krátce

  v období cca dvou měsíců bombardér y Nakajima Ki-49 Donryú od

  62. Sentai.

  Hlavním cílem Spojenců voblasti bylo ochránit dopravní trasy mezi

  Indií aČí nou tak, aby bylo možné zásobovat čínské armády, které, byť

  nebyly b ojově příl iš efektivn í, na sebe váza ly 25 japonských divizí.

  Velká část zásob byla dopravována letecky přes Himaláje (letecký most

  známý jako The Hump, tedy Hrb), což nebylo dlouhodobě ud ržitelné,

  aproto mělo na podzim 1943 dojít k několika ofenzivním a kcím, které

  Ilustrace/colour proles: Václav Hochmuth

  Rekonstrukce barevných schémat atext: Martin Pospíšil

  ▲ Údržba P-51A (v. č. 43-6109) od 311. Fighter Bomber Group na indické

  základně Kurmitola. Stroj má podvěšené dvě 75galonové přídavné nádrže nejstar-

  šího typu s vystouplými plnícími hrdly.

  USAAF

  ▲ Osobní letoun Jamese J. Englanda P-51A č. 75 (43-6077) pojmenovaný „Jackie“ je znám v několika podobách a některé detaily změn markingu se objeví i na fotogra-

  fiích v tomto článku. Jedná se o stroj 530. FBS (později 530. FS), pro kterou byly typické žluté vrtulové kužely a evidenční čísla od 61 do 90. Mustang zpočátku neměl

  na SOP číslo 75, následně se měnila poloha a tvar sestřelů před kabinou a stejně tak měnilo polohu i jméno pilota. Bokorys představuje letoun v podobě z období někdy

  po 14. květnu 1944, kdy England dosáhl svého osmého a posledního sestřelu v kabině P-51A (zbylé dva pak na P-51C). Tento a další Mustangy, kterým jsou věnované

  bokorysy v tomto díle, si můžete postavit díky obtiskům od firmy DKdecals (aršík č. 72093 nazvaný 10

  th

  AF Mustangs).

  USAAF

  Englandův P-51A č. 75 (43-6077) „Jackie“ v péči pozemního personálu. Za

  povšimnutí stojí číslo 75 na SOP, které na rozdíl od většiny ostatních strojů

  530. FBS není perforované.

  (Pokračování z REVI č. 145)

  Vdalších dnech naopak vzlétly Brandenburgy Fliegerkompagnie 19

  kpronásledování nepřátelských letadel. Napří klad 20. dubna 1917 letěl

  Lt.i.d.Res. Pürer za pozorovatelským kulometem letounu Hansa Bran-

  denburg C.I (Ph) 129.03 a o den později seděl vkokpitu prot otypu 20.09.

  Oba tyto lety však ambiciózní Pürer označil jako neúspěšné a ani je mezi

  bojové lety nepočítal, stejně tak jako start kpr ůzkumu na tr ase Görz –

  Merna 24. dubna 1917 sBrandenburgem 129.10, jelikož průzkumná mise

  nemohla být pro nízkou oblačnost uskutečněna, ačkoli letoun byl ve

  vzduchu 40 minut a uletěl 90 kilomet rů. Týž den se stejným letadlem se

  již podařilo průzkum provést, takže tento posled ní bojový let vdubno -

  vém výkazu bojových letů nesl teprve číslo 16.

  Do boje spř esilou italských stíhaček se BO Pürer do stal 3. června

  1917. Osádky tří Brandenburg ů C.I Flik 19 protivníka identifikovaly jako

  šest Nieuportů a jeden Spad. Společně se podař ilo jeden Nieuport poslat

  k zemi za nepřátelskými liniem i poblíž Sober-Savogna. Josef Pü rer

  (4. vítězství) letěl ve stroji neznámého čísla s pilotem FP Zugsf. Karlem

  Reithoferem (2. sestřel), Brandenburg C.I (öAlb) 29.64 pilotoval

  FP Hptm. Adolf Heyrowsky (10. vítězství; pozorovatel BO Oblt. László

  Hauser, jeho 2. sestřel) a ve třetím blíže neident ifikovaném Brandenbur-

  gu seděli FF Korp. Eduard Szajkovits (1. vítězst ví) a d alší budoucí

  letecké eso BO Lt. Sándor Tahy (4. potvrzený sestřel).

  Průzkumný úkol pro 14. Infanteried ivision plnila letecká setnina č. 19

  také 19. června dopoledne. Formace tří Bra ndenburgů C.I sice neučinila

  nad f rontou žádná zásadní pozorování, nicméně byla napadena pěticí

  stíhaček Nieuport. Lt.i.d.Res. Püre r tehdy sdílel kokpit letounu 29.63

  společně sFP Zugs. Istvánem Fejésem, osádku Hansa Brandenburgu C.I

  (Ph) 129.42 tvořili FF Korp. Josef Schantl a BO Lt.i.d.Res. Michael

  Sawczuk, se strojem vojenského čísla 129.60 letěli FF Korp. E duard

  Szajkovits a BO Lt.i.d.Res. Friedrich Dechant. Po střetu se jeden zpro-

  tivníků zřítil za ita lskými pozicemi u Sober (Vertojba), podíl na sestřelu

  Podoba stroje Hansa Brandenburg C.I (öAlb) 29.64, s nímž získal BO Lt.i.d.Res. Josef Pürer 17. dubna 1917

  u Flik 19 své třetí vítězství. Během tohoto letu jej pilotoval FP Hptm. Adolf Heyrowsky, který v jeho kokpitu

  zaznamenal od dubna do června 1917 celkem pět potvrzených sestřelů, čímž z něj učinil nejen nejúspěšnější stroj

  své jednotky, ale podle dosavadních zjištění zřejmě vůbec nejúspěšnější Hansa Brandenburg C.I. Letoun dodaný

  k Flik 19 počátkem roku 1917 zaznamenal u setniny v průběhu služby několik úprav. Ještě v zimě létal stroj

  s držákem dynama pod vrtulí, bez stojanu pro hlaveň kulometu pozorovatele, který měl perforovaný plášť původně vodního chladiče hlavně, zatímco na pozdějších sním-

  cích je kulomet již zcela bez vodního chladiče, letoun má doplněný stojan kulometu a stejně jako 29.63 na horním křídle upravenou schránku pro dva kulomety, nikoli

  však identickou. V čelním krytu motoru také přibyly dva podélné výřezy pro lepší chlazení motoru, který tentokráte poháněla vrtule značky Germania. Stroj po většinu

  své bojové kariéry u Flik 19 létal také v původní barvě materiálu se zřetelným logem Albatros na kýlovce. Brandenburg 29.64 se ve stavu Flik 19/D nacházel ještě v říjnu

  1917. V březnu 1918 byl letoun zničen při havárii během školního letu u Flik 69/D, to však již nesl kamufláž na části povrchu.

  38 REVI č.146/2025 REVI č.146/2025 39

  Ilustrace/colour proles: Václav Hochmuth

  Rekonstrukce barevných schémat atext: Petr Aharon Tesař

  Josef Pürer, zapomenutý hrdina z Bad Schönau

  Josef Pürer, zapomenutý hrdina z Bad Schönau

  Esa k.u.k. LFT známá neznámá

  Petr Aharon Tesar

  ˇ

  Italský Nieuport 17, zachycený počátkem roku 1917 nad horským terénem. Právě

  nad stíhačkami typu Nieuport zaznamenal Josef Pürer od dubna do června 1917 tři

  potvrzená a jedno nepotvrzené vítězství.

  A stíhačkami Nieuport byl 19. června 1917 spolu s FP Zugsf. Fejésem donucen

  v Brandenburgu 29.63 k nouzovému přistání u Schönpass… Jedním z vítězů tohoto

  souboje bylo italské eso od 81ª Squadriglia sottotenente Flavio Torello Baracchini

  (na fotografii). Šlo o jeho 7. vítězství z celkem 21+11 a je velmi pravděpodobné, že

  toho dne letěl právě v kokpitu tohoto stroje Nieuport 17 s černým štítem na trupu.

  Dobový tisk přinášel zprávy zfron-

  ty, letectvo nevyjímaje, jednak

  o hrdinských činech a udělených

  vyznamenáních, jednak o ztrátách

  v boji. Celou půlstranu (s výjim-

  kou reklamy na cigaretový papír)

  věnoval vídeňský týdeník Das In-

  teressante Blatt z28. června1917

  letcům Fliegerkompagnie 19, sa-

  mozřejmě bez uvedení čísla setni-

  ny. Vlevé části můžeme pod por-

  tréty šesti příslušníků jednotky číst:

  „1. Leutn. Alexander Tahy, sestřelil

  tři letouny, vyznamenán Stříbrnou

  medailí za udatnost 1. třídy aSig-

  num laudis; 2. Hauptmann Adolf

  Heyrowsky, porazil čtyři nepřá-

  telské letouny, Řád železné koruny

  3. třídy, Vojenský záslužný kříž atři-

  krát Signum laudis; 3. Oberleutn.

  Artur Klose-Kuschel, sestřelil jeden

  Nieuport, Signum laudis; 4. Ober-

  leutn. Oskar Zeisberger, sestřelil

  jedno letadlo, Řád železné koruny

  3. třídy, Vojenský záslužný kříž 3. tř.

  advakrát Signum laudis; 5. Ober-

  leutn. Ladislaus Hauser, porazil

  dva nepřátelské aparáty, Vojenský

  záslužný kříž s válečnou dekorací

  a Signum laudis; 6. Leutn. Josef

  Pürer, sestřelil dva italské stroje,

  Signum laudis.

  Letecká setnina Hauptmanna Adolfa

  Heyrowskyho, která obzvláště vy-

  nikla během desáté Bitvy oSoču; letci útočili na nastupující Italy tím, že sestoupili na nejnižší možnou výšku aostřelovali nepřátelské řady kulometnou palbou.“

  Vpravé části se pak pod větším portrétem dozvídáme, že syn generála pěchoty von Langa, Oberleutnant Karl von Lang zletecké setniny Hauptm. Heyrowskyho sestřelil

  během Bitvy na Soči jedno nepřátelské letadlo aneporažen padl hrdinskou smrtí. Zdostupných zdrojů pak můžeme doplnit podrobnější informace, že pozorovatel Oblt.

  Karl Eugen von Lang získal svůj jediný potvrzený sestřel vkokpitu Brandenburgu 29.63, když 20.května1917 snejvětší pravděpodobností zasáhl stíhačku Spad 7 č. 4703

  italského esa tenente Fulco Ruffo di Calabria. Pilot letounu 29.63 FP Zugsf. István Fejés získal při téže příležitosti již svůj 3. sestřel. Oblt. von Lang zahynul ošest dní

  později. Během bombardovacího letu došlo ksamovznícení jedné zleteckých pum na palubě a osádka Brandenburgu 129.10 se zřítila na nepřátelské území poblíž Ver-

  tojba. Spolu svon Langem zahynul 26.května1917 ipilot FP Zugsf. Gyula Schmidt (3 potvrzená vítězství).

  „Type 29.64, Kontrollflug, Oblt. Laný, Oblt. v. Loeser, Flugfeld Aspern, 1917,“ uvádí popiska na zadní straně jedné z kopií této fotografie. Kontrolní let při převzetí

  Brandenburgu 29.64 uskutečnili důstojníci Fliegerarsenalu (Flars) pilot Oblt. Antal Lányi-Lanczendorfer a pozorovatel Oblt. Ewald von Loeser. Nový letoun byl stan-

  dardně vybaven dynamem pod vrtulí.

  sbírka Petr Aharon Tesař

  sbírka Petr Aharon Tesař

  sbírka Petr Aharon Tesař

  Österreichische Nationalbibliothek

  16 REVI č.146/2025 REVI č.146/2025 17

  Chukar II amožná i BQM-74C Chukar III. Osvědčily se nejen jako

  návnady, ale ijako průzkumné. Vjejich prospěch hovořila především

  cena, Chukar totiž stál výr azně méně než Firebee. Také vyžadoval méně

  obslužného personálu. Malé rozměr y ztěžovaly jejich případný sestřel,

  proto byly používány nad zvláště nebezpečnými oblastmi. Na straně

  druhé právě malé r ozměry omezovaly možnosti zástavby dodatečného

  vybavení anavíc měly Chuka ry poměrně malý dolet – cca 265 km. P ro

  lepší ří zení Chuka rů vyv inula firm a Elta naváděcí po čítač, který měl

  větší přesnost a spolehlivost než st arší systém, a navíc byl navržen pro

  nové činnosti, jako byl právě průzkum.

  Po zbytek se dmdesátých let Chu kary i nadále prováděly pr ůzkumné

  lety, ale byly používány ive své původní roli cvičných cílů. Ve cvičných

  scénářích byly jejich hlavní mi protivníky iz raelské baterie protiletadlo -

  vých systémů Hawk. Dále fungovaly jako rušičky elektron ických

  systémů protivníka, ale ani otét o činnosti nejsou známy podrobnosti.

  Podruhé byly Chukary masivněji pou žity vroce 1982 během První li-

  banonské vál ky. Známá je př edevším jejich účast na potlačení syrské

  protivzdušné obrany nad libanonským údolím Bikáa. Tentokrát byly

  před hlavn ími útočným i vlnami stí hacích bombar dérů nejprve zPh anto-

  mů aSkyhawků vypuštěny klam né cíle IMI Samson

  5)

  , po nich následo-

  valy Firebee a Chuka ry. Na rozdíl od Války Jom-Kippur izr aelské

  letouny nyní přilétly hned po vlně kla mných cílů apodařilo se jim zcela

  rozvrátit syrskou PVO vLibanonu.

  Význam Chukarů pro Cheyl Ha’Avir začal klesat spříchodem nové ge-

  nerace malých bezpilotn ích prostředků, kt eré vroce 1990 zc ela převzaly

  jejich průzkumnou roli. Vroli cvičných cílů pak dosloužily vroce 1995.

  Jako zajímavost na závěr je třeba uvést, že na zá kladě Chuka ru byla

  vyvinuta izraelská střela s plochou drá hou letu IMI Delilah. Střela je

  schopna vyčkávat vcílovém prostoru před potvrzením cíle. Její navádění

  je možné přes GPS ainerciální navigační systém. Do služ by byla zavedena

  vroce 1995 apoprvé byla bojově použita včervnu 2006 nad Libanonem.

  Bojové použití vUSA

  Druhým letectvem, které použilo Chukary

  v b oji bylo tr ochu překvapivě USAF. To

  použilo jako návnady verzi BQM-74C během

  Války vPerském zálivu vroce 1991 při úvod-

  ních leteckých útocích na Irák. Celý z načně

  improvizovaný projekt inspirovaný používá-

  ním Chukarů vIzra eli dostal kódové označení

  „Project Scathe Mean“.

  Chukary provozovalo pouze US Navy avté

  době k jejich vypouštění používalo několi k

  málo letounů DC-130 a dále lodní odpa lovací

  zařízení. Proč nebyly poskyt nuty Herculesy

  nebo proč US Navy nepoužilo lodě ke start u

  dronů, není z e zdrojů příliš jasné, ale pravdě-

  podobně nebylo možné do oblasti ty to pr o-

  středky dostat včas. Pro to US Navy poskytlo

  letectvu 44 BQM-74C, dvanáct provozuschop-

  ných pozemních odpalovacích zař ízení arake -

  tové startovací motory byly získány zBelgie.

  Čtyřicetičlenný tým specialistů USAF pro

  obsluhu dronů pocházel zpřed nedávnem rozpuštěných jednotek odpalo-

  vaných řízených střel (pře devším z 868. Tactical M issile Training

  Group). Během několika dní pak vznik la jednotka označená 4468. TRG

  (Tactical Reconnaissance Group). Vybavení útvaru se t aké řešilo tak ří-

  kajíc „ na koleně“, protože byla vybavena 26 upravenými n ákladními

  vozy získanými od ka lifornské komerční přepravní fi rmy, sady nář adí

  byly zakoupeny vhobbymarkete ch apoln í vybavení pocházelo zobchodu

  sválečnými p řebytky. Týmy prošly rychlým výcvikem a jednot ka byla

  vybavena upravenými BQM-74C, které lépe simulovaly pilotovaný

  letoun.

  Skupina byla naložena do tří C-5 advou C-141, které ji včetně komplet-

  ního vybavení přepravily na saúdskoarabskou zá kladnu K ing Kha lid.

  Odtud se přemístila ki ráckým hranicím , kde 7.listopadu 1990 zaujala

  pozice. Byla rozdělena na dva tý my, ten severní byl u místěn tak , aby

  ◀ ▲ ▶ Čtveřice fotografií BQM-74E nesených letounem DC-130A

  (BuNo 570497) na této a protější straně byla pořízena v roce 1992 během zkou-

  šek u Missile Targets Division of the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division

  (základna NAS Point Mugu). (NARA a Northrop Grumman)

  ▲ ▶ Během operace Pouštní bouře v roce 1991 operovalo s BQM-74C jako klam-

  nými cíli poněkud netradičně USAF. Dvojice fotografií z operace ukazuje postave-

  ní 4468. TFG v poušti a odpal BQM-74C.

  Northrop Grumman Northrop Grumman

  Dvouměsíčník o letadlech a letcích

  REVI – BI-MONTHLY MAGAZINE ABOUT AIRCRAFT AND PILOTS has been published since 1994.

  The latest issue, number 146, has just been published.

  You will find articles about the Junkers Ju 160 “Hyäne” crash in 1936, as well as Northrop Chukar, the

  311th Fighter Group in Burma and China, Josef Pürer – the unknown ace of the Austro-Hungarian Air

  Force, British Austers in the Czech sky – an article about warbirds that still fly today, a model section that

  regularly brings information about new products on the model aircraft market … and much more.

  You can order not only the latest issue, but also older issues of the magazine here:

  More information about REVI magazine can be found at www.revi.cz, on Facebook or ask directly at the

  editorial office: redakce@revi.cz

  REVI Publishing also offers several publications, which you can also order from the above-mentioned

  e-shops or directly from the publisher.

  www.modelimex.cz

  www.eshop.aml.cz

  www.mn-modelar.cz

  www.arturmodel.cz

  www.mpmshop.cz

  www.intermodel.cz

  Cena: 199 Kč

  146

  Northrop Chukar • Mustangy na konci světa

  Britské Austery na české obloze • Sestřelen u Arrasu • Konec Hyäne

  Dvouměsíčník o letadlech a letcích Cena: 199 Kč

  1/144 Scale

  Focke-Wulf Fw 189 A-1 Uhu

  Cat. No. l-3001

  Included

  colour profiles

  K.u.k. Luftfahrtruppe

  K.u.k. Luftfahrtruppe

  Photo Album 1914 -18

  Photo Album 1914 -18

  Volume 1

  Volume 1

  Petr Aharon Tesaø

  Petr Aharon Tesaø

  ISBN: 80-85957-13-2

  Petr Aharon TesaøPetr Aharon TesaøK.u.k. Luftfahrtruppe Photo Album 1914 -18 Volume 1K.u.k. Luftfahrtruppe Photo Album 1914 -18 Volume 1

  Nakajima Ki-44

  Nakajima Ki-44

  Shóki

  Shóki

  Martin Ferkl

  Martin Ferkl

  Cat. No. II-4005

  Cat. No. lI-4004

  Colour profiles

  included

  Messerschmitt Bf 110

  Messerschmitt Bf 110

  Volume 1 – C, D, E variants

  Cat No lI 4004

  – 1/72 and 1/48 scale drawings

  – colour profiles

  – colour photographs

  – Wolfgang Falck in focus

  Bf 110 obalka.indd 1 1.4.09 13:26

• Strana 23

  REVI č.146/2025 54 REVI č.146/2025

  va. „Vúter ý 20.č ervence t.r. p o 16. hodi ně bylo nu ceno pro por uchu

  motoru n ouzově přistáti na polích blíže okresní sil nice ke Krchlebům

  dopravní létadlo německé Lufth ansy linky Mnichov– Praha– Vratislav,

  zn. Siberfuchs (si c.) D- UBIQ apře sto, že vtě chto mís tech je vel mi nepř í-

  znivý teren, přistálo bez nejmenší neho dy. Vlétadle se nalézali 2 letci

  a2 pa sažéři, kteří ovšem museli další cestu nastoupit r ychlíkem. Oba

  letci, jakož ilétadlo bylo ihn ed podrobeno prohlídce zdejšího četnict va.

  Přistání bylo zřejmě senzací nejen pro Staňkováky, ale lidi ze širokého

  okolí, kteří se sbíhali na místo přistání až do večerních hodin ai ve

  středu ave čtvrtek, kdy kovový pták byl rozebrán avlakem odveze n do

  Mnichova. Letecké přistání nenatropilo na polích tolik škod, jako sami

  zvěda vci, jak už při podo bných ne hodách bývá. Vkr átké dob ě po přist á-

  ní se dostavili na místo zástu pci vojenského iokresního úřadu .“

  Zfotografií vyplývá, že stroj byl na m ístě demontován azřejmě po

  železnici vrácen do Něme cka. Vkvětnu 1940 přešel kLuf twaffe azpo-

  čátku sloužil uJagdfliegerschule 3 vGrove, později slouž il ke kurýrním

  letům u štábu Jagdgeschwader 27 vRusku. Pro nedostatek ná hradních

  dílů byl odstaven na letišti Ljuban uLening radu vzáří1941, kde byl za-

  nechán při ústupu na jaře 1942.

  Náhradní stroj odstartoval zMnichova o dva dny později v6.15 ráno

  22.července1936. Stroj Ju 160 D-0 W.Nr. 4246 měl instalovaný motor

  BMW Hor net 132E-2 W.Nr. 59570. Společností Lufthansa byl letoun

  převzat teprve 24. dubna1936 a nesl pojmenování „Hyäne“. V 7.30

  přistál na let išti Praha-Kb ely, kde vystoupili 4 cestující. V7.50 pok račo-

  val vdalším letu do Vratislavi. Na palubě zů stala jen dvoučlenná osádka.

  Další okolnosti zachycuje v yšetřovací spis č.j. 333/63 založený

  5. srpna 1936 referentem Ing. Františ kem Chváta lem z oddělen í Bb

  odboru letecké skupiny Ministerst va veřejných prací.

  Spis začíná rukou psaným dokumentem: „Dne 22.července t.r. sdě lilo

  do odd Bb, asi o 11 h., ředitelství st. leti ště „Praha“, že uHořic vPod-

  krkonoší havarovalo dopravní letadlo něm. spole čnosti Luf thansa při

  letu zPrahy d o Vratislavy. Při ha várii zahynuli oba letci… Odd Bb po

  dohodě s přednostou letecké sk upiny k místu nehody vyslalo ihned

  komisi za účelem vyšetření ka tastrofy. Komise sestávala: vrch. techn .

  komisař Ing. F. Chvátal, pře dseda, v.t. kom. Ing. V. Verner azkuš. pilot

  Jar. Mareš.“ Brzy odpoledne ve 13.15 ob drželi voddělení Bb ještě tele-

  fonát Dr. Dočkala zMinisterstva vnitra sdalšími detaily: „Dn es 22.čer-

  vence1936 startovalo německé letadlo zn . „DULUR“ v7.50 hod. ze

  Gbel do Breslau . Pilotoval Neubrand , telegrafista Haupt – bez cestují-

  cích. V8.14 hod. zachytily Gbely volá ní SOS tohoto letadla… V11 hod.

  hlásilo četnictvo zHra dce Král., že letadlo se zřítil o na kotě 463 uobce

  Chlomek. Obě dvě osob y byly zabity, letadlo úplně roztří štěno.“

  Spis byl uzavřen a založen

  4.září1936. Obsahoval samostatný

  vyšetřovací spis z 3. sr pna 1936

  vypracovaný Ministerstvem pošt

  a telegrafů, pod které spadala

  pražská zaměřovací stanice. Dále

  hlášení Velitelství četnické letecké

  hlídky v Hradci Králové z 23.čer-

  vence 1936, pri márně adresované

  nadřízenému Min isterstvu vnitra ,

  azápis z výslechu svědků havárie,

  který provedla četnická stanice

  v Cerekvicích, a fotografickou

  přílohu. Závěrečný třístrán kový

  protokol podepsaný techniky Ing. F. Chvátalem a Ing. V. Vernerem

  shrnuj e: „Komis e ministers tva veřejný ch prací pro vyšetření havárie

  letadla dostavila se na místo nehody 22 .července v 15. hod . Trosky

  letadla nebyly již ve stavu, ja k letadlo dopadlo na zem, nýbr ž byly– prý

  zrozkazu nějakého pána zokresního úřadu– shrnuty na několik hromad

  amotor svrtulí byl ze země vykop án.“

  Další text obsahuje popis místa havárie: „Místo nehody je mladš í les

  zvaný Buk ovina… Letad lo vlétlo do lesa asi 200 m od již ního okraje.

  Směr vlétnutí je jihovýcho dní. Prvá stopa je na 10 m vysoké borovici jíž

  je uražena kor una. Dále ve směru vlétnutí jsou přeráženy st romy stále

  níže a asi 12m od zmíněné borovice je vzemi asi 1,5m hluboká jáma

  široká asi 2,5m. Zní byly vykopány trosky motor u avrtule přeražená na

  dva kusy. Dále ve směr u vlétnutí d o vzdálenosti asi 30m od jámy jsou

  stromy p řeráženy u země, jiné jen odřeny aohn uty a mezi nimi jsou

  trosky leta dla– spleť zohýbaných a pomačkaných plechů propletená

  zbytky různých ve dení a armatur. Rozbité části předku trupu, kabiny

  apodvozku nacházejí se úplně vpředu , části nosného systému aocas-

  ních ploch po celé délce místa dopadu… Roztříš těná těla pilota ateleg-

  rafisty byla nalezena m ezi troskami vpředku trupu abyl o velmi obtížno

  určit kolik a osobá m náleže jí. Pal ubní př ístroj e byly úp lně zni čeny. Na le-

  zeny byly zmačklé hodink y pilota atelegrafisty. Ručičky prvých hod inek

  Celkem je známo 47 vyrobených kusů, ale objevují se ta ké

  neurčité údaje o pokračování výroby upravené vojenské

  verze Ju 160 C-0.

  Osudy dvou strojů zpředposlední, dubnové dodávky se

  na lince Mnichov – Pra ha – Vratislav fatálně proťaly

  sčeskou historií. Ráno 20.července1936 odstartoval zMnichova dopravn í Junkers

  Ju 160 Silberfuchs společnosti Deutsche Lufthansa kpravidelnému letu přes Prahu

  do Vratislav i. Pro techn ickou závadu byl al e nucen nouzově př istát vpol i uStaňko-

  Nouzové přistání 20. července 1936 u Staňkova v západních

  Čechách zachycuje série fotografií.

  V květnu 1940 převzala „Silberfuchs“ Luftwaffe a obdržel kmenové označení

  RC + KO. Jak snímek kuriózně prokazuje, tradiční pojmenování „Silberfuchs“

  bylo ponecháno i v období vojenské služby.

  Na starém drážďanském letišti Heller vznikla

  série reklamních fotografií čerstvě dodaného

  stroje D-UVOX „Rotfuchs“.

  20 REVI č.146/2025

  20 REVI č.146/2025

  REVI č.146/2025 21

  REVI č.146/2025 21

  Ing. Pavel Vančata

  Sestřelen u Arrasu

  Jedním z novousedlíků voblasti kanadských prér ijních provincií se

  vlétě 1906 stal Fran k Pawlitza narozený 31.července1886 ve slezské

  obci Šumbark, která je dnes jednou změstských čá stí Havířova. Vroce

  1910 získal kanadské občanství a17. května1915 se ve městě Swift

  Current oženil sA nnou Tucek (* 20.srpna1889 ve Zruči nad Sázavou).

  Vlétě 1916 spolu se synem Albertem (* 4.února1916) žil i na vlastn í

  farmě v katastru obc e Pittville vprovincii Saskat chewan. Vnásledují-

  cích letech do rodiny přibyli ještě tři potomci: Vera Rose (* 1.l istopa-

  du 1917), Elvyn Joseph (* 30. září 1921) a Francis Ha rold

  (* 30.ledna1924).

  Nás budou zajímat osudy syna Elvyna, který v letech 1927 až 1935

  navštěvoval základní školu v Baxtervi lle a další tři roky studoval

  zdomova formou distančn í výuky. To již rodina vlastnila farmu v obci

  Abbey, stále vprovincii Saskatchewan, na k teré po ukončení školní do-

  cházky zůstal pomáhat .

  Dne 6. února1942 si tento dvacetiletý mladík modrých očí asvětle

  hnědých vlasů měřící 180 cm podal př ihlášku do Royal Canad ian Air

  Force (RCAF). Přísahu složil 1.května1942 vNo. 5 Recruiting Centre

  ve městě Regina vprovinci i Saskatchewan, odkud ještě t éhož dne odjel

  kNo. 2 Manning Depot sídlícímu v Brandonu vsousední provincii Ma-

  nitoba. Zde se zněj stal nováček se služebním číslem R163640 vhodnos-

  ti Aircraftman 2

  nd

  Class (AC2) a byl zař azen do skupiny určené do

  výcviku na pilota s alternativou na navigátora. Od 29. srpna dostal

  měsíční neplacené volno, aby mohl pomoci skl idit úrodu na rodinné

  farmě. Následně 23. října odjel do Edmontonu v provincii Alberta, kde

  tři dny nat o zahájil základ ní výcvik u No. 4 Initia l Traini ng School

  vrámci kurz u č. 65, který končil 1.ledna1943, kdy byl povýšen do hod-

  nosti Leadi ng Aircraft man (LAC). S výsledným hodnoc ením 74 % se

  umístil až na 90. m ístě mezi 105 nováčky: „Než narukoval, pracoval na

  otcově farmě. Jeho bratr slouží jako rotmistr uarmády. Prů měrný spor-

  tovec. Český půvo d– 2. generace. Mlad ík zfarmy– amb iciózní– bude

  se hodně snažit. Pom alu se učí– upravený. Doporučen na po ddůstojní-

  ka. Alternat ivně radiotelegrafista-střelec.“ Jeho sen stát se pilotem se

  rozplynul, neboť nehledě na uvedené doporuče ní byl př eřazen do výcviku

  na bombometčíka.

  Na zařazení do další fáze výcviku vyčkával v Edmontonu, a než

  kněmu stačilo dojít, byl 30.ledna hospital izován vnemocnici na základ-

  ně a26. února nastoupil dvoutýdenní zdravotní dovolenou. Na několik

  dnů se vrátil kNo. 4 ITS, odkud 21.března odjel na řádnou dovolenou.

  Zní se 3.dubna hl ásil uNo. 7 Bombing & Gunner y School (B & GS) na

  základně Paulson vprovincii Ma nitoba.

  Kurz pro bombometčí ky č. 79 zde probíha l mezi 5. dubnem až

  25. červnem 1943. Během prakt ického bombardování na létal na dvou-

  motorových letounech Avro Anson 46 h 50 min ve dne a4 h 30 min

  vnoci a shodil celkem 121 pum ve dne a 16 vnoci. P ři bombardování

  zmalé v ýšky dosahoval prů měrné odchylky 61 ya rdů (56 m) az velké

  výšky 167 yardů (153 m). Vrámci střeleckého výcviku strávil 16 h mani-

  pulací se střeleckými věžemi na zemi apoté dalších 15 h 5 min nalétal na

  letounech Bristol Fairchild Bolingbroke, přičemž vyst řílel 3 700 ran

  a dosáhl průměrné úspěšnost i 10 % zásahů. S hod nocením 77,5 %

  skončil na 9. místě mezi 38 kadety. Podle i nstruktorů byl průměrným

  bombometčíkem astřelcem apo dokončení výcvik u ho doporučili ke

  jmenování do důstojnické hodnosti.

  ZPaulsonu odjel vden ukončení kurzu a druhý den se h lásil uNo. 1

  Air Observer School vMaltonu, Onta rio. Vtamní m navigačním kurz u

  č. 79 probíhajícím od 28. června do 6.srpna 1943 si vedl velm i dobře

  (obdržený počet bodů/maximá lní možný počet bodů): základy letecké

  navigac e (161/200), rozpoz návání let ounů (211/250), pr aktick á signali za-

  ce (250 /250), te orie let eckého průzk umu (113/150) , teori e leteck ého foto -

  graf ování (111/150) , prakt ická nav igace ve dne (219/30 0), prak tická na vi-

  gace v noc i (140/200), bombardování (215/300), praktické lete cké

  fotografování (133/200). Zpozemních předmětů obdržel známku 84,6 %

  spolu shodnocením: „ Nadprůměrný. Jasně chápe vše, co se od něj vy-

  žaduje . Navigac e dobrá.“ Jeho práci ve vzduchu po odlétání 26 h 45 min

  ve dne a17 h 20 min vnoci na Ansonech instruktoři ohodnoti li známkou

  70,7 % s doplňujícím komentář em: „Nadpr ůměrný. Dobrý navigátor

  vnoci. Pracoval velmi d obře.“ Slavnostní předán í odznaků novopeče-

  ným bombometčíkům proběhlo 5. srpna az dvaatřiceti absolventů jich

  dvanáct dostalo doporučení ke jmenování do důstojnické hodnost i. LAC

  Pawlitza byl podle svého služebního záz namu dnem 6. srpna 1943

  zařazen do odbornosti Air Bomber a ke stejnému dni byl povýšen do

  hodnosti Sergeant (Sgt). Nicméně 30.srpna byl se zpětnou platností o d

  6.srpna jmenován do důstojnické hodnosti P ilot Officer (P/O) aobdržel

  nové důstojnické služební číslo J28966.

  Ve dnech 7. až 20. srpna čerpal dovolenou p řed odjezdem do zámo ří

  apoté zamí řil kNo. 1 „Y“ Depot do př ístavu Halifax. Zde se 26.srpna

  nalo dil aub ritsk ých břeh ů přist ál oše st dnů poz ději. Od 2.zář í se nac há-

  zel ve stavu No. 3 (RCAF) Personnel Reception Cent re vjihoanglickém

  Bournemouthu.

  Mezi 2. listopadem a20. prosi ncem 1943 prodělal P/OPawlitza dopl-

  ňující výcvik na letounech Anson u No. 1 (Observer) Advanced F lying

  Unit na letišti Wigtown ve Skotsku. Následujícího dne se hlásil do kurzu

  č. 13 uNo. 82 Operational Training Unit (OTU) na základ ně Ossington,

  kde operační výcvik probíhal na dvoumotorových bombardérech Vickers

  Wellington B Mk.III a Mk.X. Z de se stal členem šestičlenné osádky

  složené zpříslušníků RCAF, kteří se sice všichn i narodili vKanadě, a le

  většina znich měla kořeny vEvropě:

  pilot P/O William Wallace Proudfoot (J27626) – rodiče pochá zeli ze

  Skotska;

  navigátor P/OJoseph Art hur Murph y (J28035)– rodi če byli rodi lí Kana-

  ďané;

  bombometčík P/OElvyn Joseph Pawlitza (J28966)– rodiče měli český

  původ;

  radiotelegrafista Sgt Enrico Joseph Simonato (R183691) – rodič e emi-

  grovali zItálie;

  střelec P/OAlbert Edward Hall (J37151)– otec pocházel zAnglie, matka

  zNizozemska;

  střelec P/O Peter Koleda (J37149) – rodiče se naro dili v západní část i

  Uk raji ny.

  Během cvičných letů osádku P/OProudfoota potkala d robná nehoda.

  Vsobotu 18.března1944 ve 20.25 Wellington B M k.X LN543 utrp ěl

  lehké poškozen í během pojíždění ke startu knoční mu cvičnému letu,

  osádka vyvázla nezraněn a: „Letoun zahájil pojíždění stlakem 140 liber

  vbrzdá ch a vyjel ze stojánky (č. 33). Po přejetí vzletové a přistávací

  dráhy zastavil . Poté pokračoval po pojezdové dráze vedoucí p aralelně

  se vzletovou apřistávací dráhou 22 , kde opět zastavil, aby dal př ednost

  jinému letounu. Dále jel směrem kmístu pro kontrolu podvozku, kde se

  mu nepodař ilo zastavit a pokračoval v jízdě zm írného svahu ještě asi

  70 yardů přímým směrem, dokud jed no kolo podvozku nenarazilo d o

  4 stopy vysoké zídk y, okterou se zastavil. Po in cidentu bylo zjištěno, že

  tlak v brzdách klesl na 10 liber.“ Velitel Training Wing No. 82 OTU

  W/Cdr W. D. Ferris označil za viníka nehody P/OProudfoota, který měl

  nalétáno sa mostatně 207 h, z toho 66 h na Wellingtonech: „Pilot e vi-

  dentně běhe m pojíždění příliš používa l brzdy a nekon troloval tlak

  vbrzdách. Spotřeba vzduchu byla normální , tj. 7 lb/sq. in. Lze se dom ní-

  vat, že pilot při po užívání brzd a kontrole tlak u nebyl dosta tečně obe-

  zřetný, zvláště když pojezdová dráha vtomto místě kles á, apojížděl moc

  rychle.“ Současně doporuči l vepsat do jeho zápisníku letů pokárání za

  „hrubou nedbalost“.

  Zbývající část operačního výcviku do 2.dubna proběhla už bez mimo-

  řádných událostí. P/OPawlitza na Wellingtonech nalétal 56 h 10 min ve

  dne a40 h 5 min vnoci a během té doby provedl: sedm cvičných bom-

  bardování ve dne (28 pum) adalších osm cvičení za t my (28 pum); čtyři

  cvičné střelby ve dne (jedna na terč tažený za dru hým letounem atři na

  cíl vm oři, cel kem 1 200 ra n) atři cvičné střelby za tmy na cí l vmoři (600

  Department of National Defence/Library and Archives Canada, PL-31182

  Library and Archives Canada

  Chris McLean collection

  Library and Archives Canada

  ▲ Na snímku pořízeném v roce 1944 na letecké základně „kdesi v Anglii“ je

  zachycen LAC Frank Thompson, motospojka od No. 427 Squadron RCAF, ve

  společnosti tří sličných příslušnic umělecké jednotky „RCAF Blackouts“ pořáda-

  jící představení pro spojenecké vojáky. V pozadí stojí bombardér Handley Page

  Halifax jedné z kanadských perutí spadající pod velení No. 6 (RCAF) Group.

  ◀ Vyrovnaná řada letounů Avro Anson

  zachycená pravděpodobně na letišti

  Malton, kde sídlila No. 1 AOS. Vpo-

  předí parkuje Anson sériového čísla

  RCAF 6044 sindividuálním písmenem

  „D“, dříve sloužil vRAF pod sériovým

  číslem R3470. No. 1 AOS jej obdržela

  21.května 1940, mezi 15. červencem

  a25. zářím 1942 prošel generální opra-

  vou u firmy de Havilland Canada, po

  níž se vrátil zpět kjednotce. V násle-

  dujících letech ho kvýcviku používaly

  ještě No. 4 AOS aNo. 31 B & GS. Na

  konci války měl nalétáno 3 359 h 45 min.

  Druhý Anson vřadě za ním nese na pří-

  di individuální písmeno „A“ spolu se

  znakem No. 1 AOS.

  Elvyn Joseph Pawlitza na oficiálních portrétech RCAF, vlevo jako nováček, vpravo

  v důstojnické hodnosti P/O po dokončení výcviku bombometčíka v Kanadě.

  32 REVI č.146/2025

  Martin Pospíšil

  REVI č.146/2025 33

  Mustangy na konci světa

  Mustangy na konci světa

  - 311. Fighter Group v Barmě a Číně

  - 311. Fighter Group v Barmě a Číně

  1. cást

  1. cást

  Jedinou stíhací sk upinou USAAF, která během 2. světové války ope-

  račně používala většinu verzí letounu North American Mustang, byla

  311. Fighter Bomber Group později přejmenovaná na 311. Fighter Group.

  Vjejí výzbroji se postupně vyst řídaly verze A-36A aP-51A s motory

  Allison, P-51B/C/D/Kiprůzkumné F-6C/D/Ksmotory Merlin. Vnašich

  končinách nepříliš známá skupina působila bě hem války vjihovýchodní

  Asii vprostoru nazývaném CBI (China Bur ma India).

  Skupina byla založena k28. lednu 1942 na zá kladně Will Rogers Field

  vOklahomě jako 311. Bomb Group (Light) anásledně včervenci přezna-

  čena na 311. Bomb Group (Dive). Orok později 30.září1943 přišla další

  změna označen í tentokrát na 311. Fighter Bomber Group. Nový název

  odpovídal novému určení skupiny ijejí výzbroji, kterou od prosince1942

  tvořily letouny A-36A doplněné v červnu 1943 o P-51A. Podobnou

  změnou názvu prošly itř i ze čtyř podřízených perut í, unichž se navíc

  měnilo také číselné označení, t akže z382. BS se od září stala 528. FBS,

  z383. BS se stala 529. FBS az384. BS se stala 530. FBS. Poslední –

  čtvrtá 385. BS byla 30.září1943 zr ušena ajejí personál byl kompletně

  převeden kčerstvě vzniklé 459. FS spadající pod 80. FG.

  Výcvik skupiny vUSA probíhal zpočátku na dvoumíst ných střemhla-

  vých bombardérech Vultee Vengeance, proto bylo vnáz vu skupiny slovo

  Dive. Jednalo se o dosti neoblíbené letouny, na nichž došlo během

  výcviku k několika smr telným nehodám aani velení sjejich bojovým

  nasazením nepočítalo. Proto se stěmito letouny na bojiště skupina nikdy

  nevydala apřešla na daleko bojeschopnější Mustangy.

  Jako první vprosinci 1942 obdržela střemhlavé bombardéry A-36A

  1)

  .

  Jednalo se oprvní sériovou verzi stavěnou pro USAAF, protože předtím

  se vyráběly pouze Mustangy IaIA

  2)

  určené pro br itskou RAF. Celkem

  bylo vyrobeno adodáno 500 letounů A-36A, tovární označení NA-97.

  Mimo motoru Allison V1710-87 je cha rakterizovaly výklopné aerodyna-

  mické brzdy vkřídle určené ke snížení r ychlosti ve střemh lavém letu.

  Výzbroj byla tvořena dvojicí kulometů vpřídi adalšími čt yřmi vkřídle.

  Jednalo se první verzi Mustangu vyráběnou se závěsníky pro pumy nebo

  přídavné nádrže. Do výzbroje ji zařad ily 86. FBG (listopa d 1942)

  a27. F BG (první polovina roku 1943), obě působící vseverní Africe,

  aprávě 311. FBG. Posledně jmenovaná jednotka použila vbojích celkem

  40 kusů této verze.

  Druhou verzí Mustangu použ ívanou u 311. FBG byla ve stejném

  období verze P-51A (továr ní označení NA-99). To byla posled ní, nyní již

  čistě stíhací, verze Mustangu s motorem Allison (varia nta V1710-81)

  původně objed naná v počtu 1 200 kusů. Nakonec jich bylo vyrobeno

  pouze 310, protože se mezitím začaly vy rábět Mustangy verze P-51B

  smotory Merlin. P-51A měl výzbroj čtyř kulometů vkřídle azávěsníky

  již byly standardní výbavou. V rá mci USAAF je obdržela nejprve

  311. FBG anásledně 23. FG a1. Air Com mando Group. Tedy všechny

  uUSAAF operačně používané Mustangy verze P-51A sloužily voblasti

  CBI.

  Přechod na A-36A na konci roku 1942 zn amenal, že od 311. BG odešli

  všichni palubní střelci apiloti zahájili intenz ivní výcvik na nových jed-

  nomístných strojích. Na konci ledna1943 se skupina zúčast nila prvního

  velkého cvičení na území USA akoncem února byla prohlášena za boje-

  schopnou. Nicméně vzápětí přišel rozkaz převést co nejvíce personálu ke

  skupinám na africkém bojišti. Proto například u382. BS zbyli na začátk u

  dubna pouze dva piloti. Skupina byla doplněna nováčky, výcvik začal

  vpodstatě od nuly atrva l až do léta. Přesun skupiny na bojiště tak byl

  zahájen až na konci července1943, kdy přes Austr álii dorazila koncem

  září do Indie na zákla dnu Nawadihj.

  Zde byla 30.září přejmenov ána na 311. FBG apo té násled ovalo rozd ě-

  lení skupiny mezi několi k základen vúdolí Assam (oblast podél ř eky

  Brahmaputry známá především pěstováním čaje) na východě Indie. Ve-

  litelství a 530. FBS se počátkem října přesunuly na zákla dnu Dinjan,

  528. FBS na základnu Sookerating a529. FBS na základnu Mohannbarj.

  Letouny byly mezi perutěmi rozděleny tak, že 528. FBS měla všechny

  A-36A a529. spolu s530. FBS pak P-51A. Nicméně piloti často létali na

  strojích jiných perutí. 530. FBS sloužila především jako stíhací, ato jak

  kochraně vlastních A-36A/P-51A, tak ijako doprovodná pro bombardé-

  ry. Proto také její piloti dosáh li největšího počtu sestřelů vrámc i skupiny.

  Navíc Musta ngům s Allisony hrálo do karet i to, že stíhací operace

  v oblasti CBI probíhaly ve výrazně menších výškách než vz ápadní

  Evropě nebo Středomoří, aproto se z nich na tomto bojišti postupem

  času stala smrtící zbraň.

  Vté době byla fronta vBar mě stabilizovaná, především proto, že z de

  od července do října panovalo období

  monzunů, které výr azně omezilo

  většinu bojových operací. Nicméně

  obě strany se intenzivně připravovaly

  na další kolo bojů. V rámci USAA F

  odpovídala za letecké op erace

  voblasti Indie aBarmy 10. Air Force.

  Byla založena vúnoru 1942 aa ž do

  března 1943 odpovídala za celou

  oblast CBI. Založen ím 14. Air Force

  vČíně vbř eznu 1943 došlo kr ozděle-

  ní odpovědnosti. Většina skupin

  původní 10. AF zůstala v Číně abyla

  převedena ke 14. AF. Ztoho důvodu

  se 10. AF musela začít budovat vpod-

  statě od nuly.

  Stíhací složka 10. A F se od

  podzimu 1943 sklá dala z311. F BG

  s Mustang y a 80. FG vyzbrojené

  P-40N (88., 89. a90. FS) aP-38 (459.

  FS, ta byla 80. FG sice administrativ-

  ně podřízená, ale operovala sa mo-

  statně). Bombardovací sk upiny

  zastupovaly 7. a308. BG(H) s B-24

  (ta dr uhá byla dočasně zapůjčena od 14. AF) a 341. BG(M) s B-25.

  Pozadu sdoplňováním nezůstali ani Britové, jejichž squadrony spadající

  pod South East Asia Com mand byly přezbrojovány na Spitfiry Mk.Vc,

  Mosquita aBeaufightery.

  Hlavním ajed iným protivníkem spojeneckého let ectva voblasti bylo

  japonské a rmádní letectvo, jehož standa rdní st íhačkou v Barmě byly

  letouny Nakajima Ki-43-II Hayabusa patřící 50. a64. Sentai. Koncem

  roku je doplnily ještě 33. a204. Sentai. Lehké avelmi obratné Ki-43 byly

  vté době již z a zenitem své největší slávy asvým i výkony aslabou vý-

  zbrojí se nemohly měřit s novými spojeneckými letouny. Nicméně dí ky

  zkušeným pilotů m byly ještě stále nebezpečnými protivníky. Japonské

  bombardovací útvary byly vyzbrojeny typy Mitsubishi Ki-21 aKawasaki

  Ki-48. Také japonské armádní lete ctvo využilo přestávky vbojích kdo-

  plnění stavů, takže se voblasti objevily další typy letadel, jako stí hací

  Nakajima Ki-44 Shóki, Kawasaki Ki-45 Toryú (21. Sentai) nebo krátce

  v období cca dvou měsíců bombardér y Nakajima Ki-49 Donryú od

  62. Sentai.

  Hlavním cílem Spojenců voblasti bylo ochránit dopravní trasy mezi

  Indií aČí nou tak, aby bylo možné zásobovat čínské armády, které, byť

  nebyly b ojově příl iš efektivn í, na sebe váza ly 25 japonských divizí.

  Velká část zásob byla dopravována letecky přes Himaláje (letecký most

  známý jako The Hump, tedy Hrb), což nebylo dlouhodobě ud ržitelné,

  aproto mělo na podzim 1943 dojít k několika ofenzivním a kcím, které

  Ilustrace/colour proles: Václav Hochmuth

  Rekonstrukce barevných schémat atext: Martin Pospíšil

  ▲ Údržba P-51A (v. č. 43-6109) od 311. Fighter Bomber Group na indické

  základně Kurmitola. Stroj má podvěšené dvě 75galonové přídavné nádrže nejstar-

  šího typu s vystouplými plnícími hrdly.

  USAAF

  ▲ Osobní letoun Jamese J. Englanda P-51A č. 75 (43-6077) pojmenovaný „Jackie“ je znám v několika podobách a některé detaily změn markingu se objeví i na fotogra-

  fiích v tomto článku. Jedná se o stroj 530. FBS (později 530. FS), pro kterou byly typické žluté vrtulové kužely a evidenční čísla od 61 do 90. Mustang zpočátku neměl

  na SOP číslo 75, následně se měnila poloha a tvar sestřelů před kabinou a stejně tak měnilo polohu i jméno pilota. Bokorys představuje letoun v podobě z období někdy

  po 14. květnu 1944, kdy England dosáhl svého osmého a posledního sestřelu v kabině P-51A (zbylé dva pak na P-51C). Tento a další Mustangy, kterým jsou věnované

  bokorysy v tomto díle, si můžete postavit díky obtiskům od firmy DKdecals (aršík č. 72093 nazvaný 10

  th

  AF Mustangs).

  USAAF

  Englandův P-51A č. 75 (43-6077) „Jackie“ v péči pozemního personálu. Za

  povšimnutí stojí číslo 75 na SOP, které na rozdíl od většiny ostatních strojů

  530. FBS není perforované.

  (Pokračování z REVI č. 145)

  Vdalších dnech naopak vzlétly Brandenburgy Fliegerkompagnie 19

  kpronásledování nepřátelských letadel. Napří klad 20. dubna 1917 letěl

  Lt.i.d.Res. Pürer za pozorovatelským kulometem letounu Hansa Bran-

  denburg C.I (Ph) 129.03 a o den později seděl vkokpitu prot otypu 20.09.

  Oba tyto lety však ambiciózní Pürer označil jako neúspěšné a ani je mezi

  bojové lety nepočítal, stejně tak jako start kpr ůzkumu na tr ase Görz –

  Merna 24. dubna 1917 sBrandenburgem 129.10, jelikož průzkumná mise

  nemohla být pro nízkou oblačnost uskutečněna, ačkoli letoun byl ve

  vzduchu 40 minut a uletěl 90 kilomet rů. Týž den se stejným letadlem se

  již podařilo průzkum provést, takže tento posled ní bojový let vdubno -

  vém výkazu bojových letů nesl teprve číslo 16.

  Do boje spř esilou italských stíhaček se BO Pürer do stal 3. června

  1917. Osádky tří Brandenburg ů C.I Flik 19 protivníka identifikovaly jako

  šest Nieuportů a jeden Spad. Společně se podař ilo jeden Nieuport poslat

  k zemi za nepřátelskými liniem i poblíž Sober-Savogna. Josef Pü rer

  (4. vítězství) letěl ve stroji neznámého čísla s pilotem FP Zugsf. Karlem

  Reithoferem (2. sestřel), Brandenburg C.I (öAlb) 29.64 pilotoval

  FP Hptm. Adolf Heyrowsky (10. vítězství; pozorovatel BO Oblt. László

  Hauser, jeho 2. sestřel) a ve třetím blíže neident ifikovaném Brandenbur-

  gu seděli FF Korp. Eduard Szajkovits (1. vítězst ví) a d alší budoucí

  letecké eso BO Lt. Sándor Tahy (4. potvrzený sestřel).

  Průzkumný úkol pro 14. Infanteried ivision plnila letecká setnina č. 19

  také 19. června dopoledne. Formace tří Bra ndenburgů C.I sice neučinila

  nad f rontou žádná zásadní pozorování, nicméně byla napadena pěticí

  stíhaček Nieuport. Lt.i.d.Res. Püre r tehdy sdílel kokpit letounu 29.63

  společně sFP Zugs. Istvánem Fejésem, osádku Hansa Brandenburgu C.I

  (Ph) 129.42 tvořili FF Korp. Josef Schantl a BO Lt.i.d.Res. Michael

  Sawczuk, se strojem vojenského čísla 129.60 letěli FF Korp. E duard

  Szajkovits a BO Lt.i.d.Res. Friedrich Dechant. Po střetu se jeden zpro-

  tivníků zřítil za ita lskými pozicemi u Sober (Vertojba), podíl na sestřelu

  Podoba stroje Hansa Brandenburg C.I (öAlb) 29.64, s nímž získal BO Lt.i.d.Res. Josef Pürer 17. dubna 1917

  u Flik 19 své třetí vítězství. Během tohoto letu jej pilotoval FP Hptm. Adolf Heyrowsky, který v jeho kokpitu

  zaznamenal od dubna do června 1917 celkem pět potvrzených sestřelů, čímž z něj učinil nejen nejúspěšnější stroj

  své jednotky, ale podle dosavadních zjištění zřejmě vůbec nejúspěšnější Hansa Brandenburg C.I. Letoun dodaný

  k Flik 19 počátkem roku 1917 zaznamenal u setniny v průběhu služby několik úprav. Ještě v zimě létal stroj

  s držákem dynama pod vrtulí, bez stojanu pro hlaveň kulometu pozorovatele, který měl perforovaný plášť původně vodního chladiče hlavně, zatímco na pozdějších sním-

  cích je kulomet již zcela bez vodního chladiče, letoun má doplněný stojan kulometu a stejně jako 29.63 na horním křídle upravenou schránku pro dva kulomety, nikoli

  však identickou. V čelním krytu motoru také přibyly dva podélné výřezy pro lepší chlazení motoru, který tentokráte poháněla vrtule značky Germania. Stroj po většinu

  své bojové kariéry u Flik 19 létal také v původní barvě materiálu se zřetelným logem Albatros na kýlovce. Brandenburg 29.64 se ve stavu Flik 19/D nacházel ještě v říjnu

  1917. V březnu 1918 byl letoun zničen při havárii během školního letu u Flik 69/D, to však již nesl kamufláž na části povrchu.

  38 REVI č.146/2025 REVI č.146/2025 39

  Ilustrace/colour proles: Václav Hochmuth

  Rekonstrukce barevných schémat atext: Petr Aharon Tesař

  Josef Pürer, zapomenutý hrdina z Bad Schönau

  Josef Pürer, zapomenutý hrdina z Bad Schönau

  Esa k.u.k. LFT známá neznámá

  Petr Aharon Tesar

  ˇ

  Italský Nieuport 17, zachycený počátkem roku 1917 nad horským terénem. Právě

  nad stíhačkami typu Nieuport zaznamenal Josef Pürer od dubna do června 1917 tři

  potvrzená a jedno nepotvrzené vítězství.

  A stíhačkami Nieuport byl 19. června 1917 spolu s FP Zugsf. Fejésem donucen

  v Brandenburgu 29.63 k nouzovému přistání u Schönpass… Jedním z vítězů tohoto

  souboje bylo italské eso od 81ª Squadriglia sottotenente Flavio Torello Baracchini

  (na fotografii). Šlo o jeho 7. vítězství z celkem 21+11 a je velmi pravděpodobné, že

  toho dne letěl právě v kokpitu tohoto stroje Nieuport 17 s černým štítem na trupu.

  Dobový tisk přinášel zprávy zfron-

  ty, letectvo nevyjímaje, jednak

  o hrdinských činech a udělených

  vyznamenáních, jednak o ztrátách

  v boji. Celou půlstranu (s výjim-

  kou reklamy na cigaretový papír)

  věnoval vídeňský týdeník Das In-

  teressante Blatt z28. června1917

  letcům Fliegerkompagnie 19, sa-

  mozřejmě bez uvedení čísla setni-

  ny. Vlevé části můžeme pod por-

  tréty šesti příslušníků jednotky číst:

  „1. Leutn. Alexander Tahy, sestřelil

  tři letouny, vyznamenán Stříbrnou

  medailí za udatnost 1. třídy aSig-

  num laudis; 2. Hauptmann Adolf

  Heyrowsky, porazil čtyři nepřá-

  telské letouny, Řád železné koruny

  3. třídy, Vojenský záslužný kříž atři-

  krát Signum laudis; 3. Oberleutn.

  Artur Klose-Kuschel, sestřelil jeden

  Nieuport, Signum laudis; 4. Ober-

  leutn. Oskar Zeisberger, sestřelil

  jedno letadlo, Řád železné koruny

  3. třídy, Vojenský záslužný kříž 3. tř.

  advakrát Signum laudis; 5. Ober-

  leutn. Ladislaus Hauser, porazil

  dva nepřátelské aparáty, Vojenský

  záslužný kříž s válečnou dekorací

  a Signum laudis; 6. Leutn. Josef

  Pürer, sestřelil dva italské stroje,

  Signum laudis.

  Letecká setnina Hauptmanna Adolfa

  Heyrowskyho, která obzvláště vy-

  nikla během desáté Bitvy oSoču; letci útočili na nastupující Italy tím, že sestoupili na nejnižší možnou výšku aostřelovali nepřátelské řady kulometnou palbou.“

  Vpravé části se pak pod větším portrétem dozvídáme, že syn generála pěchoty von Langa, Oberleutnant Karl von Lang zletecké setniny Hauptm. Heyrowskyho sestřelil

  během Bitvy na Soči jedno nepřátelské letadlo aneporažen padl hrdinskou smrtí. Zdostupných zdrojů pak můžeme doplnit podrobnější informace, že pozorovatel Oblt.

  Karl Eugen von Lang získal svůj jediný potvrzený sestřel vkokpitu Brandenburgu 29.63, když 20.května1917 snejvětší pravděpodobností zasáhl stíhačku Spad 7 č. 4703

  italského esa tenente Fulco Ruffo di Calabria. Pilot letounu 29.63 FP Zugsf. István Fejés získal při téže příležitosti již svůj 3. sestřel. Oblt. von Lang zahynul ošest dní

  později. Během bombardovacího letu došlo ksamovznícení jedné zleteckých pum na palubě a osádka Brandenburgu 129.10 se zřítila na nepřátelské území poblíž Ver-

  tojba. Spolu svon Langem zahynul 26.května1917 ipilot FP Zugsf. Gyula Schmidt (3 potvrzená vítězství).

  „Type 29.64, Kontrollflug, Oblt. Laný, Oblt. v. Loeser, Flugfeld Aspern, 1917,“ uvádí popiska na zadní straně jedné z kopií této fotografie. Kontrolní let při převzetí

  Brandenburgu 29.64 uskutečnili důstojníci Fliegerarsenalu (Flars) pilot Oblt. Antal Lányi-Lanczendorfer a pozorovatel Oblt. Ewald von Loeser. Nový letoun byl stan-

  dardně vybaven dynamem pod vrtulí.

  sbírka Petr Aharon Tesař

  sbírka Petr Aharon Tesař

  sbírka Petr Aharon Tesař

  Österreichische Nationalbibliothek

  16 REVI č.146/2025 REVI č.146/2025 17

  Chukar II amožná i BQM-74C Chukar III. Osvědčily se nejen jako

  návnady, ale ijako průzkumné. Vjejich prospěch hovořila především

  cena, Chukar totiž stál výr azně méně než Firebee. Také vyžadoval méně

  obslužného personálu. Malé rozměr y ztěžovaly jejich případný sestřel,

  proto byly používány nad zvláště nebezpečnými oblastmi. Na straně

  druhé právě malé r ozměry omezovaly možnosti zástavby dodatečného

  vybavení anavíc měly Chuka ry poměrně malý dolet – cca 265 km. P ro

  lepší ří zení Chuka rů vyv inula firm a Elta naváděcí po čítač, který měl

  větší přesnost a spolehlivost než st arší systém, a navíc byl navržen pro

  nové činnosti, jako byl právě průzkum.

  Po zbytek se dmdesátých let Chu kary i nadále prováděly pr ůzkumné

  lety, ale byly používány ive své původní roli cvičných cílů. Ve cvičných

  scénářích byly jejich hlavní mi protivníky iz raelské baterie protiletadlo -

  vých systémů Hawk. Dále fungovaly jako rušičky elektron ických

  systémů protivníka, ale ani otét o činnosti nejsou známy podrobnosti.

  Podruhé byly Chukary masivněji pou žity vroce 1982 během První li-

  banonské vál ky. Známá je př edevším jejich účast na potlačení syrské

  protivzdušné obrany nad libanonským údolím Bikáa. Tentokrát byly

  před hlavn ími útočným i vlnami stí hacích bombar dérů nejprve zPh anto-

  mů aSkyhawků vypuštěny klam né cíle IMI Samson

  5)

  , po nich následo-

  valy Firebee a Chuka ry. Na rozdíl od Války Jom-Kippur izr aelské

  letouny nyní přilétly hned po vlně kla mných cílů apodařilo se jim zcela

  rozvrátit syrskou PVO vLibanonu.

  Význam Chukarů pro Cheyl Ha’Avir začal klesat spříchodem nové ge-

  nerace malých bezpilotn ích prostředků, kt eré vroce 1990 zc ela převzaly

  jejich průzkumnou roli. Vroli cvičných cílů pak dosloužily vroce 1995.

  Jako zajímavost na závěr je třeba uvést, že na zá kladě Chuka ru byla

  vyvinuta izraelská střela s plochou drá hou letu IMI Delilah. Střela je

  schopna vyčkávat vcílovém prostoru před potvrzením cíle. Její navádění

  je možné přes GPS ainerciální navigační systém. Do služ by byla zavedena

  vroce 1995 apoprvé byla bojově použita včervnu 2006 nad Libanonem.

  Bojové použití vUSA

  Druhým letectvem, které použilo Chukary

  v b oji bylo tr ochu překvapivě USAF. To

  použilo jako návnady verzi BQM-74C během

  Války vPerském zálivu vroce 1991 při úvod-

  ních leteckých útocích na Irák. Celý z načně

  improvizovaný projekt inspirovaný používá-

  ním Chukarů vIzra eli dostal kódové označení

  „Project Scathe Mean“.

  Chukary provozovalo pouze US Navy avté

  době k jejich vypouštění používalo několi k

  málo letounů DC-130 a dále lodní odpa lovací

  zařízení. Proč nebyly poskyt nuty Herculesy

  nebo proč US Navy nepoužilo lodě ke start u

  dronů, není z e zdrojů příliš jasné, ale pravdě-

  podobně nebylo možné do oblasti ty to pr o-

  středky dostat včas. Pro to US Navy poskytlo

  letectvu 44 BQM-74C, dvanáct provozuschop-

  ných pozemních odpalovacích zař ízení arake -

  tové startovací motory byly získány zBelgie.

  Čtyřicetičlenný tým specialistů USAF pro

  obsluhu dronů pocházel zpřed nedávnem rozpuštěných jednotek odpalo-

  vaných řízených střel (pře devším z 868. Tactical M issile Training

  Group). Během několika dní pak vznik la jednotka označená 4468. TRG

  (Tactical Reconnaissance Group). Vybavení útvaru se t aké řešilo tak ří-

  kajíc „ na koleně“, protože byla vybavena 26 upravenými n ákladními

  vozy získanými od ka lifornské komerční přepravní fi rmy, sady nář adí

  byly zakoupeny vhobbymarkete ch apoln í vybavení pocházelo zobchodu

  sválečnými p řebytky. Týmy prošly rychlým výcvikem a jednot ka byla

  vybavena upravenými BQM-74C, které lépe simulovaly pilotovaný

  letoun.

  Skupina byla naložena do tří C-5 advou C-141, které ji včetně komplet-

  ního vybavení přepravily na saúdskoarabskou zá kladnu K ing Kha lid.

  Odtud se přemístila ki ráckým hranicím , kde 7.listopadu 1990 zaujala

  pozice. Byla rozdělena na dva tý my, ten severní byl u místěn tak , aby

  ◀ ▲ ▶ Čtveřice fotografií BQM-74E nesených letounem DC-130A

  (BuNo 570497) na této a protější straně byla pořízena v roce 1992 během zkou-

  šek u Missile Targets Division of the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division

  (základna NAS Point Mugu). (NARA a Northrop Grumman)

  ▲ ▶ Během operace Pouštní bouře v roce 1991 operovalo s BQM-74C jako klam-

  nými cíli poněkud netradičně USAF. Dvojice fotografií z operace ukazuje postave-

  ní 4468. TFG v poušti a odpal BQM-74C.

  Northrop Grumman Northrop Grumman

  Dvouměsíčník o letadlech a letcích

  REVI – BI-MONTHLY MAGAZINE ABOUT AIRCRAFT AND PILOTS has been published since 1994.

  The latest issue, number 146, has just been published.

  You will find articles about the Junkers Ju 160 “Hyäne” crash in 1936, as well as Northrop Chukar, the

  311th Fighter Group in Burma and China, Josef Pürer – the unknown ace of the Austro-Hungarian Air

  Force, British Austers in the Czech sky – an article about warbirds that still fly today, a model section that

  regularly brings information about new products on the model aircraft market … and much more.

  You can order not only the latest issue, but also older issues of the magazine here:

  More information about REVI magazine can be found at www.revi.cz, on Facebook or ask directly at the

  editorial office: redakce@revi.cz

  REVI Publishing also offers several publications, which you can also order from the above-mentioned

  e-shops or directly from the publisher.

  www.modelimex.cz

  www.eshop.aml.cz

  www.mn-modelar.cz

  www.arturmodel.cz

  www.mpmshop.cz

  www.intermodel.cz

  Cena: 199 Kč

  146

  Northrop Chukar • Mustangy na konci světa

  Britské Austery na české obloze • Sestřelen u Arrasu • Konec Hyäne

  Dvouměsíčník o letadlech a letcích Cena: 199 Kč

  1/144 Scale

  Focke-Wulf Fw 189 A-1 Uhu

  Cat. No. l-3001

  Included

  colour profiles

  K.u.k. Luftfahrtruppe

  K.u.k. Luftfahrtruppe

  Photo Album 1914 -18

  Photo Album 1914 -18

  Volume 1

  Volume 1

  Petr Aharon Tesaø

  Petr Aharon Tesaø

  ISBN: 80-85957-13-2

  Petr Aharon TesaøPetr Aharon TesaøK.u.k. Luftfahrtruppe Photo Album 1914 -18 Volume 1K.u.k. Luftfahrtruppe Photo Album 1914 -18 Volume 1

  Nakajima Ki-44

  Nakajima Ki-44

  Shóki

  Shóki

  Martin Ferkl

  Martin Ferkl

  Cat. No. II-4005

  Cat. No. lI-4004

  Colour profiles

  included

  Messerschmitt Bf 110

  Messerschmitt Bf 110

  Volume 1 – C, D, E variants

  Cat No lI 4004

  – 1/72 and 1/48 scale drawings

  – colour profiles

  – colour photographs

  – Wolfgang Falck in focus

  Bf 110 obalka.indd 1 1.4.09 13:26

  INFO Eduard

  23

  March 2025

• Aerial War in Ukraine

  Miro Barič

  When Losses Are Confirmed Retroactively by Courts...

  Another year has begun. In this continuation of the series, we will look at events that took

  place from January 1, 2025, to January 31, 2025. While nothing significant happened in the

  air, the political scene was on the verge of an earthquake.

  Aerial War in Ukraine

  Russia continued its offensive in the Donbas,

  making progress at the cost of heavy losses.

  According to Estonian military intelligence, in

  January 2025, the Russian army paid for every

  square kilometer of captured Ukrainian terri-

  tory with the lives of 100 soldiers. On the most

  critical front near Pokrovsk, Russian forces

  became exhausted, and their advance stalled.

  Ukrainians even began launching localized

  counterattacks.

  A similar situation unfolded in Russia’s

  Kursk region, where, despite Putin’s promises,

  Russian forces struggled to expel Ukrainians

  who had unexpectedly occupied part of Russi-

  an territory last year. Ukraine is likely holding

  this land as a bargaining chip for upcoming ne-

  gotiations, which have gained momentum since

  U.S. President Trump took office again in Janu-

  ary. However, at the time of writing, it appears

  that Trump leans more towards Putin, posing

  a risk that Ukraine may be abandoned. This

  serves as a wake-up call for Europe, which

  still stands behind Kyiv.

  The biggest challenge for the Ukrainian Ar-

  med Forces appears to be a shortage of sol-

  diers on the front lines. Poor command de-

  cisions contributed to this, as new brigades

  were formed with insufficient training and

  low morale instead of reinforcing experienced

  units. Another controversial decision was the

  attempt to rotate frontline units by deploying

  specialists—such as MiG-29 aircraft techni-

  cians and mobile anti-aircraft teams, which

  had been highly effective in defending against

  Russian Shahed drones.

  The aerial campaign saw little change. After

  Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities continued

  through Christmas, nightly air raids persisted,

  mainly using Shahed drones, with occasional

  missile strikes. Most attacks targeted civilian

  energy infrastructure. Meanwhile, the Kremlin

  cynically continued to claim it was not terro-

  rizing civilians and was only striking military

  targets.

  Ukraine also intensified its drone campaign

  against Russian strategic targets. Initially al-

  ternating between airfields, ammunition de-

  pots, and other facilities, Ukraine refocused

  on Russian oil infrastructure—refineries and

  fuel depots—during this period. As expected,

  Moscow officially denied any damage, insisting

  that the massive fires observed were merely

  caused by "falling debris from downed drones."

  Only One Loss

  During the observed period, there was only

  one confirmed aerial equipment loss on the Ru-

  ssian side. On Wednesday, January 1, a Mi-28NM

  helicopter was destroyed under unknown circu-

  mstances in the Kamensky district of the Voro-

  nezh region, which borders Ukraine’s Luhansk

  region. The crew—Captain Danila Kuznetsov and

  Lieutenant Alexander Korolev—perished. Some

  A damaged Russian Mi-24VM helicopter with the registration RF-13029 and bort number "red 53" is being loaded onto a trailer. The photograph surfaced during the monito-

  red period, but there are no known details about the incident.

  UKRAINE

  INFO Eduard24

  March 2025

• Strana 25

  sources suggest they were shot down by their

  own air defense, but this remains unconfirmed.

  On the Ukrainian side, one loss is known

  through court documents. These reveal that

  a Mi-8 helicopter crashed in the Dnipropet-

  rovsk region due to possible violations of flight

  regulations and improper operation. The crew

  suffered various injuries, and the helicopter

  sustained severe damage. Investigators se-

  cured the wreckage—bearing fuselage number

  153—along with its flight recorder on Thursday,

  January 16, likely the date of the crash. The court

  documents indicate the wreckage was seized

  for expert analysis as part of further investiga-

  tion, but additional details remain unknown.

  A few days later, photographs surfaced of an

  unidentified Mi-8 helicopter crash. One image

  shows the aircraft overturned on its side, while

  another captures it being lifted by a crane. No

  further details were provided. This incident may

  be related to the January 16 crash, or it could be

  an entirely separate, previously undocumented

  event.

  Verdicts

  Court documents, this time from Russia, also

  provide details on several past incidents.

  Friendly Fire: A Mi-8 Helicopter Shot Down by

  Russian Air Defense

  During the observed period, a military court

  in Sevastopol issued a verdict regarding the

  loss of a Mi-8 helicopter and its crew, which

  was mistakenly shot down by Russian air defen-

  se. The incident occurred on October 18, 2023,

  at 6:30 AM. Captain Igor Pashkov, from the air

  defense command in Crimea, misread the iden-

  tification data of a slow and low-flying aircraft,

  reporting it as hostile. He ignored additional in-

  formation indicating it was a friendly helicopter

  with its navigation lights on. Two minutes later,

  the aircraft was struck by missiles from a Tor-

  -M2DT air defense system.

  The downed aircraft was a Mi-8MTV-5-1 from

  the 98th Independent Mixed Aviation Regiment

  of the Russian Naval Aviation. It was on a pat-

  rol mission over the sea, monitoring Ukrainian

  naval drones. All three crew members—Major

  Grigory Azanov, Captain Maxim Pasechnik, and

  Captain Alexei Kontievsky—were killed.

  The military court sentenced Pashkov to

  three years in a penal colony. Additionally,

  he was ordered to pay 5 million rubles ($56,000)

  to the Ministry of Defense and 3 million rubles

  ($34,000) to the families of the deceased crew

  members. The ministry initially sought 200 mil-

  lion rubles ($2.3 million) in compensation for

  the destroyed helicopter, but the court dismi-

  ssed this claim.

  A Truck Crash Destroys

  a Su-25SM3 Jet

  Russian media also reported on another

  court ruling concerning a past incident at the

  Gvardeiskoye airbase in Crimea. The date of

  the event was not disclosed.

  The incident involved Alexander Erlich,

  a conscript from the Chelyabinsk region, who

  was driving a KAMAZ military truck across the

  airfield without a driver’s license and excee-

  ding the speed limit. As a result, he crashed

  into a Su-25SM3 aircraft, which was in the

  process of towing a Ural-4320 APA-5D utility

  truck.

  The impact caused irreparable damage to

  the Su-25SM3, and the Russian Ministry of De-

  fense estimated the loss at 387 million rubles

  ($4.4 million). In its court submission, the mini-

  stry also claimed that the incident impaired the

  The crew of a Russian Mi-8 helicopter that was shot down by a friendly fire on October 18, 2023. Captain Igor

  Pashkov has been sentenced for it.

  Photos of the wreckage removal of a Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopter. It is possible that this relates to an incident that occurred on January 16.

  UKRAINE

  INFO Eduard

  25

  March 2025

• Strana 26

  unit’s ability to carry out planned air operati-

  ons due to the lack of a reserve aircraft.

  Erlich was sentenced to one year in prison,

  suspended for one and a half years. He was

  also ordered to pay the ministry 10 million

  rubles (about $113,000). Erlich appealed the

  ruling, requesting that the financial penalty

  be reduced to 300,000 rubles ($3,400), but the

  appellate court upheld the original verdict.

  Life Sentence for "Terrorism"

  In another case, a Russian court ruled that

  evidence collected by the Main Military Investi-

  gative Directorate of the Russian Investigative

  Committee was sufficient to charge Colonel

  Mykola Dziaman, commander of the 138th An-

  ti-Aircraft Missile Brigade of the Ukrainian Ar-

  med Forces, with terrorism. An arrest warrant

  was issued against him in the summer of 2024.

  His brigade had shot down a Russian Beriev

  A-50U airborne early warning and control air-

  craft on February 23, 2024. The plane crashed

  in Russia’s Krasnodar region near the village of

  Trudovaya Armeniya, killing all 10 crew mem-

  bers.

  According to the Russian indictment, Dzia-

  man committed an act of terrorism by knowin-

  gly targeting an unarmed A-50 aircraft flying

  over Russian territory that was not directly en-

  gaged in combat operations in Ukraine. Despi-

  te this, he allegedly ordered his troops to fire

  Patriot missiles at the aircraft. As a result, he

  was sentenced to life in prison in absentia.

  The court verdict confirmed several things.

  First, it provided official acknowledgment that

  Ukraine had indeed shot down the A-50, con-

  tradicting earlier Russian propaganda claims

  that Ukraine lacked the capability to do so.

  Previously, Moscow had suggested the aircraft

  was mistakenly hit by Russian air defense. Se-

  cond, labeling the attack as "terrorism" highli-

  ghts the hypocrisy of Russian rhetoric—A-50

  aircraft were being used to coordinate Russian

  airstrikes on Ukrainian targets, including civi-

  lian infrastructure. Yet, according to the Russi-

  an court, Ukraine's defensive actions amoun-

  ted to terrorism.

  Notably, this was the second A-50 aircraft

  Russia lost in the same region. The first was

  shot down over the Sea of Azov on January 14,

  2024, also killing its entire crew. These highly

  specialized personnel are irreplaceable. Fur-

  thermore, these two aircraft are the only ai-

  rborne early warning and control planes ever

  destroyed in combat operations in global mili-

  tary aviation history. Both belonged to Russia,

  and both were downed by Ukraine.

  UKRAINE

  Wreckage of the Russian Beriev A-50U airplane, which was shot down on February 23, 2024. A Russian court

  has now sentenced for „terrorism“ (in absentia) the commander of the Ukrainian unit that had hit it with a Patriot

  missile.

  According to Russian authorities, this is not terrorism. During a Russian attack during the night of January 27-28,

  even such a "military target" as the automobile museum in Kyiv was hit. Nine vintage cars were destroyed,

  and another 27 were damaged.

  INFO Eduard26

  March 2025

• Strana 27

  UKRAINE

  A Ukrainian modification of the old Soviet 9K33 Osa anti-aircraft system for the use of R-73 air-to-air missiles.

  The Ukrainians produce the fake targets in large numbers. This, for example, is a mock-up of a Leopard 2A6 tank.

  Ukrainians are producing decoys against the Russian missiles and drones in the form of mock-up F-16 fighter jets.

  INFO Eduard

  27

  March 2025

• Strana 28

  UKRAINE

  Mi-24V helicopters supplied

  to Ukraine by North Mace

  -

  donia.

  In the foreground, there is a former Czech Mi-24V helicopter, while in the background there

  is a Ukrainian Mi-24P.

  Ex-Czech Mi-24 helicopters

  in the Ukrainian service.

  The Ukrainian 114th Tactical Aviation Brigade has

  released photos of a MiG-29 fighter jet with an

  attractive insignia.

  INFO Eduard28

  March 2025

• Strana 29

  UKRAINE

  Hundreds of Flights of the Ukrainian

  Mi-8 Helicopter Pilot

  By the time you read this article, three years

  will have passed since the full-scale Russian

  invasion began. We will cover this sad anniver-

  sary in the next part, but today, we bring you

  a memory from February 24, 2022. This is the

  story of Mi-8 helicopter pilot Mykhailo, nickna-

  med "Carnage," derived from the English word

  meaning massacre.

  Mykhailo had served in the Ukrainian Air For-

  ce even before the Russian invasion. He flew on

  a UN mission in Congo and operated in the Do-

  netsk and Luhansk regions, where his helicopter

  was fired upon multiple times. He carried out

  dozens of medical evacuations, deployed pa-

  ratroopers and special forces, and transported

  weapons and ammunition.

  All of this was supposed to end on February

  24, 2022. That day, Mykhailo's contract was set

  to expire. He was expecting his final military

  flight, followed by a job in a private company

  and peaceful moments with his family. However,

  that "final flight" turned out to be completely

  different from what was planned—followed by

  200 more missions, 132 of which involved live

  combat engagements. (This data is from the end

  of August 2024, when the Ukrainian Armed For-

  ces published his story.)

  On that morning, Mykhailo "Carnage" was

  assigned a helicopter that had been in sto-

  rage for six months. According to regulations,

  it was supposed to undergo a thorough pre-fli-

  ght inspection. But there was no time for that.

  The helicopter took off at dawn, followed by

  a fleet of Mi-8 and Mi-2 helicopters. The mission

  was to evacuate and rescue equipment.

  The very next day of the war, during a flight,

  he rescued a pilot who ejected right before his

  eyes. "We were flying to a designated point, and

  two MiG-29 fighter jets were flying toward us.

  But only one returned. We looked carefully and

  saw that the second one was going down, and

  the pilot ejected. Without hesitation, we decided

  to pick him up. We landed and waved at him:

  'Come to us, we are from Ukraine!' It turned out

  that he was a classmate of my navigator. He was

  in shock because he didn't even have time to re-

  port his situation before help arrived," Mykhailo

  recalled with a smile, adding that the fighter pi-

  lot quickly returned to duty.

  On the third day of the war, they rescued

  the crew of a Su-24. This time, the operation

  followed proper protocols. The pilots repor-

  ted their coordinates after landing, and Mi-8

  crews set out on a search-and-rescue mission.

  "We found them in the middle of a field—exhaus-

  ted, disoriented, and injured. But they immedia-

  tely reassured us: 'We will fly again soon!' Alt-

  hough the chances of returning to active service

  Mykhailo "Karnazh"

  in front of a Mi-8

  helicopter carrying

  the "Orca Hunter"

  markings.

  Mykhailo wears an

  impressive mask

  on his helmet.

  INFO Eduard

  29

  March 2025

• Strana 30

  after such an incident are slim, they kept their

  word. We later saw them at an operational air-

  field," Mykhailo recounted.

  In the early weeks of the war, he primarily

  focused on these types of missions—rescuing

  pilots, evacuating the wounded, and trans-

  port flights. Later in the spring, Air Force he-

  licopter pilots joined ground attack operations,

  and Mykhailo fired his weapons for the first time.

  The attacks involved launching unguided roc-

  kets in a ballistic arc, similar to a flying rocket

  launcher. "During my first combat flight, I was

  trained by Vitaliy Pliak from the Army Aviati-

  on. He was a funny guy, covered in tattoos, and

  constantly joked with me. Unfortunately, he is

  no longer with us. We did an excellent job and

  destroyed a mortar battery near Dovhenke.

  I couldn't keep up with him. He had an Mi-8MT

  with some 'hypersonic speed,' while I had a slo-

  wer Mi-8MSB," Mykhailo recalled his first live

  combat mission.

  That first day, he flew again, and the next

  day, he flew three more sorties. Firing unguided

  rockets required great accuracy—finding the

  right angle and pressing the trigger at the per-

  fect moment. "Carnage" openly admitted that

  his accuracy was lacking at first. Sometimes,

  however, he missed the intended target but hit

  another, even more valuable one. He and other

  pilots trained in this tactics while flying the

  combat missions. In the first two weeks alone,

  he completed 21 flights.

  A major motivation to improve accuracy was

  the risk of being shot down. If they flew a com-

  bat mission but missed the target, they had to

  return and attempt the attack again—putting

  themselves at risk once more.

  Mykhailo also recalled how he "gifted" his

  100th rocket launch to his navigator. He set eve-

  rything up, aimed, and let his navigator press

  the trigger in a symbolic moment. He also re-

  membered the Kharkiv campaign, during which

  he fought for the liberation of his hometown,

  Izium. At that time, they would strike a target,

  return to base, and receive a new target—only

  to realize it was much deeper into enemy te-

  rritory. His crew asked whether the coordina-

  tes were correct, and they were—such was the

  speed of the Ukrainian forces’ advance.

  "I admit that after years of war, I feel tired

  and exhausted... But when you see from the

  sky the destroyed cities that you remember as

  beautiful and flourishing…" he paused, adding

  that he no longer thinks about leaving the ar-

  med forces—not until victory. "What will I do

  first? I've never been abroad with my family,

  and my wife reminds me of it regularly. But to

  be honest, I'm afraid of flying... as a passenger,"

  joked the helicopter pilot, who has been awar-

  ded the Order for Courage (III and II degrees),

  the Bohdan Khmelnytsky Order, and the Silver

  Cross for his actions.

  UKRAINE

  By the end of August last year, Mykhailo "Karnazh" had carried out 132 such attacks

  with unguided rockets.

  A shot from the training of Ukrainian paratroopers on Mi-8 helicopters. Mykhailo

  also conducted flights with special forces.

  These two photos of a Mi-8MSB helicopter with the "Orca Hunter"

  markings had already surfaced in May 2022. However, based on the

  camouflage pattern and other details, it is a different aircraft than the

  one Mykhailo "Karnazh" was photographed in front of.

  ®

  The Premier Source for Eduard in the USA

  AIRCRAFT | ARMOR | SHIPS | FIGURES | SCI-FI | BOOKS | PAINT

  Now Located Near Chattanooga, TN

  www.squadron.com

  Introducing the Latest

  In Quality Airbrush Paint

  Since 1968 Squadron has been offering model kits

  and accessories from top manufacturers from

  around the world. Today, now located in Ringgold, GA

  Squadron continues the tradition of quality selection

  and service for today’s model Kit building community.

  Head over to Squadron.com to see why modelers

  choose Squadron time and time again!

  INFO Eduard30

  March 2025

• Strana 31

  ®

  The Premier Source for Eduard in the USA

  AIRCRAFT | ARMOR | SHIPS | FIGURES | SCI-FI | BOOKS | PAINT

  Now Located Near Chattanooga, TN

  www.squadron.com

  Introducing the Latest

  In Quality Airbrush Paint

  Since 1968 Squadron has been offering model kits

  and accessories from top manufacturers from

  around the world. Today, now located in Ringgold, GA

  Squadron continues the tradition of quality selection

  and service for today’s model Kit building community.

  Head over to Squadron.com to see why modelers

  choose Squadron time and time again!

• Strana 32

  #82176BOXART STORY

  On the morning of June 6, 1944, when the Allies

  landed in Normandy, the Luftwaffe was prepared

  for the situation. A plan was in place to reinforce

  the six Jagdgruppen (day fighter groups) opera-

  ting in France under Luftflotte 3. Defensive pre-

  parations were conducted under the codename

  Dr. Gustav West (Drohende Gefahr West – Threat

  Approaching from the West). By the evening of

  June 6, two reconnaissance Gruppen, five bom-

  ber Gruppen, two ground Schlachtgruppen, and

  one Geschwaderstab were to be relocated from

  Germany to France, along with eight night fighter

  Gruppen, two Geschwaderstabs, two day fighter

  Jagdstaffeln, and nineteen Jagdgruppen with five

  Geschwaderstabs. Of these nineteen, eight were

  assigned to II. Fliegerkorps as fighter-bombers,

  while the remaining units were placed under II.

  Jagdkorps. Meanwhile, Luftflotte Reich retained

  only four fighter Gruppen and "Wilde Sau" units

  alongside second-line formations.

  Luftwaffe command first needed to confirm that

  the landings in Normandy were a full-scale in-

  vasion and not a probing attack similar to the 1942

  Dieppe Raid. Consequently, orders for redeploy-

  ment to France were only issued around noon on

  June 6. Not all Jagdgruppen were transferred as

  planned, and by the evening of June 7, only seven-

  teen Jagdgruppen had reached the combat area,

  equating to a nominal strength of about 1,100 air-

  craft. However, the actual number of operational

  fighters was just a quarter of that, 278 aircraft.

  Many units had only half or even les of their air-

  craft, and not all of these were airworthy due to

  the hasty deployment, lack of proper ground supp-

  ort, and general chaos at most French airfields.

  Luftwaffe in France faced superiority from the

  Allies, their airfields were regularly targeted by

  low-level strafing attacks and strategic bombing

  raids. The Luftwaffe was unable to regain control

  of the skies. German pilots, whether fresh recruits

  or veterans who had spent months or years figh-

  ting against Allied heavy bomber formations, stru-

  ggled to conduct effective ground-attack missions

  using bombs. As a result, the eight units were

  relieved of fighter-bomber duties by June 12 and

  reassigned to 5. Jagddivision under Oberst Hent-

  schel, which reported to II. Jagdkorps. The II. Flie-

  gerkorps, which had been responsible for ground

  attack strikes, was disbanded on June 28, and in

  the following weeks, fighter pilots relied solely

  on onboard weapons or 210mm BR 21 rockets for

  ground attacks.

  With around twenty Jagdgruppen under its co-

  mmand, 5. Jagddivision lacked the capability to

  micromanage their operations. As a result, most

  combat orders in June 1944 consisted of free

  hunting, intercepting low-flying strafers, and en-

  gaging artillery spotter aircraft. Only rarely were

  German fighters directed against Allied bomber

  formations, as 5. Jagddivision lacked the nece-

  ssary numbers for such operations. The priority

  remained defending German ground forces from

  strafing attacks. Fighter missions conducted in

  formations smaller than 20 aircraft were highly

  risky. On average, each operational fighter flew

  two sorties daily, with operations running from 6

  AM to 11 PM. In each sortie, Luftwaffe units typica-

  lly lost about 30% of their aircraft. For every Allied

  aircraft shot down, the Germans lost two to three

  of their own. When German units managed to exe-

  cute missions successfully with minimal losses,

  it was usually due to bad weather.

  This period is depicted in the box art by Piotr

  Forkasiewicz, which portrays Major George E.

  Preddy’s aircraft from the 487th FS, 352nd FG, du-

  ring a dogfight on June 12, 1944. Preddy’s unit was

  escorting American bombers targeting the railway

  junction in Rennes, Brittany. At the time, a funeral

  was taking place in the city for victims of a previ-

  ous bombing raid carried out by RAF bombers on

  June 9.

  The German adversaries were Bf 109 pilots

  from II./JG 53. After the engagement, they repor-

  ted five victories over Liberators, one confirmed

  kill and four aircraft forced to abandon formation.

  However, the Germans lost three of their own

  aircraft, and two pilots were wounded. One pilot,

  while engaged with a P-51, was even hit by his

  own flak. These losses closely matched the con-

  firmed victories recorded by the Americans: 1st Lt.

  Glennon T. Moran was credited with one kill, whi-

  le 1st Lt. Lawrence E. McCarthy and 1st Lt. John

  Francis Thornell Jr. shared another. Major Preddy

  claimed the third Bf 109.

  Four American bombers sustained damage,

  additionally one bomber was lost each by 448th

  BG and 446th BG. Six American aircrew members

  were killed, one was captured, but the remaining

  survivors were rescued by the French. The two

  bombing raids caused massive destruction to the

  city’s infrastructure and resulted in the deaths of

  122 civilians. Rennes was eventually liberated in

  early August 1944.

  Text: Jan Bobek

  Piotr Forkasiewicz

  Dogfight over Rennes

  INFO Eduard32

  March 2025

• Strana 33

  #7475

  BOXART STORY

  By April 1943, no part of Jagdgeschwa-

  der 27 (JG 27) fighter unit remained in Africa.

  Its I. Gruppe, which had gained fame due to fi-

  ghter ace Hans-Joachim Marseille, had been wi-

  thdrawn to Germany in November 1942 and was

  engaged in combat operations in France from

  January 1943. The JG 27 headquarters and its II./

  JG 27 were operating from Sicily, while the III. and

  IV. Gruppe were based in occupied Greece or on

  its islands. The burden of intense aerial combat

  in Tunisia was now borne by JG 53, JG 77, and II./

  JG 51. All these units were equipped with Messer-

  schmitt Bf 109 fighters, primarily the G-6 variant.

  A change in command of JG 27 occurred

  on April 22, 1943. Until then, it had been led by

  32-year-old Oberstleutnant Eduard Neumann,

  a veteran of the Spanish Civil War, where he had

  achieved two aerial victories. During World War II,

  he added another eleven to his record. After the

  war, Neumann became a key figure in the unit’s

  veterans’ organization. At the helm of JG 27, he

  was succeeded by Major Gustav Rödel, who had

  previously commanded II./JG 27 and had over 70

  confirmed kills. With his promotion, a new com-

  mander was needed for II. Gruppe. The choice fell

  on Hauptmann Werner Schroer, at this time the

  commander of 8./JG 27, stationed on Crete. Sch-

  roer had 63 victories to his name and was already

  a recipient of the Knight’s Cross.

  In April 1943, Schroer’s new unit II./JG 27 was

  based in Trapani, Sicily, primarily escorting con-

  voys and transport aircraft on routes to Tunisia.

  Losses of Ju 52 and Me 323 transports were so

  severe that even Bf 110 crews were tasked with

  fuel supply missions for German forces in Tunisia.

  During March and April, II./JG 27 lost 21 aircraft

  in combat, while another 39 were written off due

  to accidents.

  Schroer achieved his first victories with his

  new unit on April 29, shooting down two Lightning

  fighters near Marettimo, west of Sicily. On May

  5, in the same area, he downed a B-24 bomber,

  though given the combat conditions, there may be

  a typo in the victory records and his victim was

  possibly B-25 Mitchell.

  On May 9, II./JG 27 engaged a formation of 26

  Liberators with a fighter escort of Lightnings be-

  tween Capo San Vito and Capo Gallo. Schroer’s

  unit claimed three B-17s, likely a misidentificati-

  on, and two P-38s. Schroer himself claimed one

  B-24, but Allied records do not confirm these

  losses.

  After the Tunisian campaign ended, II./JG 27

  increasingly engaged four-engine bombers whi-

  le defending Sicily. The American fighter escorts,

  provided by three P-38 Fighter Groups, were still

  refining their tactics. On the German side at Sicily,

  both fighter vectoring and air combat strategies

  were in an improvised state against four engine

  bombers operating in high altitudes. Luftwaffe

  command exerted immense pressure on the pi-

  lots, threatening court-martial for unsatisfactory

  performance.

  Between April and July 1943, Schroer scored

  20 victories, half of them four-engine bombers.

  Under his command, II./JG 27 claimed nearly

  100 victories, but at a steep cost, 41 pilots were

  killed, missing, captured, or wounded, represen-

  ting nearly 100% losses in its personnel strength.

  Additionally, between May and July 1943, the unit

  lost 74 fighters in combat and another 47 due to

  other causes.

  In early August 1943, Schroer’s unit transferred

  its 17 remaining Bf 109s to other units in Italy and

  withdrew to Germany, relocating to the Wiesba-

  den-Erbenheim airbase. By late August, II./JG 27

  had moved to Eschborn, equipped with new air-

  craft, and prepared to defend Vaterland against

  American bomber raids. Their first engagement

  in this theatre occurred on September 6, during

  an attack targeting the Stuttgart area. This was

  the first deep penetration raid into Germany sin-

  ce the Schweinfurt-Regensburg mission, with

  over 300 bombers participating, the largest force

  deployed by the U.S. Army Air Forces at that time.

  The mission was later officially labeled a “Cost-

  ly Fiasco” by the American command, as 45 B-17s

  were lost due to various reasons and 10 more

  were written off after landing due to damage.

  Schroer’s unit claimed nine victories over B-17s.

  Schroer himself was credited with one confirmed

  kill and forced two other bombers out of forma-

  tion, marking his 86th to 88th victories. This air

  battle is the subject of Antonis Karydis’ box art

  illustration.

  Antonis Karydis

  From the Mediterranean to Germany

  Text: Jan Bobek

  INFO Eduard

  33

  March 2025

• Strana 34

  #11185

  PACIFIC STAR P-40E Warhawk

  1/48

  The Limited edition kit of the US fighter aircraft P-40E Warhawk in 1/48 scale.

  The kit offers markings for 10 aircraft. The box contains plastic sprues for two

  complete kits, from which it is possible to build aircraft flying in USAAF, RAAF

  and RNZAF in Pacific Theater of Operations.

  plastic parts: Eduard

  marking options: 10

  decals: Eduard

  PE parts: yes, pre-painted

  painting mask: yes

  KITS 03/2025

  Dual Combo

  Product page

  INFO Eduard34

  March 2025

• Strana 35

  P-40E-1, 41-25164, Capt. Ben S. Irvin, 9th FS, 49th FG, Darwin, Australia, 1942

  P-40E, Lt. Robert Harry Vaught, 9th FS, 49th FG, Darwin, Australia, 1942

  Lt. Ben S. “Bitchin’ Ben” Irvin served in the Phili-

  ppines and after the Japanese invasion he conti-

  nued fighting in Java with the 17th PS (Provisional).

  He managed to shoot down a Japanese bomber on

  February 18, 1942, during defense of the Dutch na-

  val base at Soerabaja and added one Zero a week

  later. He left Java for Australia and joined the 9th

  FS of 49th FG on March 17. He was promoted to

  the rank of Captain as he took command of the 9th

  FS on August 28 and led the unit until October 31.

  During that time, the 9th FS moved from Austra-

  lia to New Guinea. Just a few days after the Flying

  Knights, as the 9th FS was nicknamed, settled at

  the base near Port Moresby, the order was recei-

  ved that all the pilots who took part in Philippines

  and Java campaigns, should return to USA. Thus,

  Irvin relinquished the command of 9th FS on No-

  vember 1, 1942, and returned home, leaving behind

  his personal P-40E-1, which was adorned with

  a large Pegasus on the left side and named “The

  Rebel”. The pilot who inherited the plane added the

  name “Bessie” on the vertical tail port side. On De-

  cember 26, 1942, 1/Lt John D. Landers took off with

  “The Rebel” as one of twelve P-40s. He led White

  Flight on a patrol mission over Dobodura and was

  shot down in an ensuing combat with Japanese Ki-

  -43-I Oscars from 11 Hikō Sentai. Pilot bailed out

  and the plane crashed into the jungle, where it

  rests until today.

  The way of “The Rebel“ into the ranks of 49th FG

  was rather tortuous, as it was built for Lend-Lease

  contract for RAF as ET488, but delivered to USAAF,

  which planned to hand the plane over to NIEAF,

  but instead, it ended with the RAAF as Kittyhawk

  A29-92. But this serial was cancelled two days

  later and the plane returned to the USAAF, whe-

  re it was assigned to 9th FS (known as the “Flying

  Knights“) of the 49th FG. Irvin decorated his P-40E

  with Pegasus on the port side of the fuselage and

  named it “The Rebel“. He flew it during the time

  he led the 9th FS from September 19 to November

  3, 1942.

  Lt. Robert Harry Vaught was born on June 15,

  1918, in Johnson City, Tennessee. He served as

  a Flying Cadet from February 21 to October 31,

  1941 and joined 49th PS of 14th PG after he was

  rated a pilot on October 31. He changed the unit

  for 49th PG on December 16 and moved to Aus-

  tralia. His first victory came on March 28, 1942

  (Mitsubishi 97 bomber), two Mitsubishi 96 went

  down under his guns on December 7. Vaught’s

  nickname “Snake Bite Bob” came from an inci-

  dent which occurred on July 16, 1942. That day

  he took off from Livingston Strip and found out

  he had a snake on the floor ready to bite him.

  He conducted several violent maneuvers, which

  immobilized his passenger, so he was able to

  grab it behind the head and realizing it was

  a venomous one, he threw it from the cabin.

  Vaught’s ill-fated day came on March 5, 1943,

  when, now with P-38G-13-LO, he took off from

  Dobodura Airfield on a mission over Salamaua.

  He shot down two Zeros but, as one engine of

  his P-38 was damaged in the combat, he deci-

  ded to divert to Wau. On the final approach, the

  other engine failed as well and the pilot was

  seriously injured in the ensuing crash. Vaught

  was sent back to USA and did not return to flying,

  although he stayed in service until 1959, retiring

  as Lieutenant Colonel. He died in June 1978. His

  P-40E was decorated with the shark mouth and

  “Flying Skull“. The name “Bob’s Robin” was pain-

  ted on both sides of the fuselage. A red circle

  of the older national insignia slightly showed on

  fuselage as well as on the wing.

  KITS 03/2025

  INFO Eduard

  35

  March 2025

• Strana 36

  P-40E, Col. Bruce K. Holloway, CO of 23rd FG, Kweilin, China, 1942

  P-40E, Lt. Col. John S. Chennault, 11th FS, 343rd FG, Umnak Island,

  Aleutian Islands, autumn 1942

  Bruce Keener Holloway was born on September

  1, 1912, in Knoxwille, Tennessee and graduated

  from the United States Military Academy (West

  Point) in 1937 and received his pilot wings in

  1938. Holloway then served with 6th PS, 18th PG,

  in Hawaii prior to his studies in aeronautical en-

  gineering. After that, he was sent to Chungking,

  China, to begin his combat experience as a figh-

  ter pilot with the Flying Tigers of the American

  Volunteer Group. When the AVG was disbanded

  in July 1942, the 23rd FG was formed and Ho-

  lloway assumed command of the group in Ja-

  nuary 1943 from Robert L. Scott. During his stay

  in China, Holloway shot down 13 enemies and

  returned to USA in 1944. He stayed in the service,

  graduated from the National War College in 1951

  and progressed through ranks and key positions

  of USAF. Already a General, he took command

  of the U.S. Air Forces in Europe in July 1965 and

  stayed there until his assignment as Vice Chief

  of Staff of the United States Air Force, positi-

  on he held from August 1, 1966. Still not at the

  end of his career, he became commander-in-

  -chief of the Strategic Air Command on August 1,

  1968, and kept that post until retirement on April

  30, 1972. General Holloway passed away at the

  age of 87 in Orlando, Florida on September 30,

  1999. His P-40E portrayed here sported several

  repairs and changes to the original markings,

  including fresh overpaints by British camouflage

  colors and repair by Olive Drab on the starboard

  side of the nose, including the spinner.

  As one of ten children of famous Claire Lee Che-

  nnault, the leader of the Flying Tigers of Ameri-

  can Volunteer Group, John Stephen “Jack” Che-

  nnault, born on May 20, 1913, in Eudora, Arkansas,

  followed the steps of his father and became CO

  of the 343rd Fighter Group. The unit was activa-

  ted on September 3, 1942, in Alaska and Lt. Col.

  John Chennault became its first commander ei-

  ght days later. He kept the position until Novem-

  ber 16 of the same year. He managed to shoot

  down one Zero and also heavily damaged a Ja-

  panese submarine. However, he probably achie-

  ved both victories flying P-38. The 343rd FG

  became well-known as the Aleutian Tigers with

  stylized tiger heads adorning the noses of their

  P-40s. In a baren and small outpost on the edge

  of the Pacific, the 343rd was tasked with the

  elimination of the Japanese from the Attu and

  Kiska islands in the western Aleutians. Under

  Chennault’s command, the 343rd FG showcased

  remarkable effectiveness in air combat, embo-

  dying the same spirit of adaptability and tactical

  ingenuity his father had demonstrated. John

  Chennault passed away on December 4, 1977,

  at the age of 64.

  KITS 03/2025

  INFO Eduard36

  March 2025

• Strana 37

  41-36396, P-40E-1, Lt. Robert E. Smith, 16th FS, 23rd FG, China, autumn 1942

  P-40E, Capt. George E. Kiser, 8th FS, 49th FG, Darwin, Australia, 1942

  Robert Eugene Smith, nicknamed “Gene”, en-

  tered Army Air Force prior to World War II.

  The move was rather purposive as he intended

  to pay back for his previous studies but he quick-

  ly became one of the most successful pilots in

  the early days of the 16th FS, 23rd FG, shooting

  down four enemies. During one mission his pla-

  ne went down near a small village. The villagers,

  not knowing who or what he was, started to

  come after him. Luckily, he had a small flag that

  he waived letting them know that he was an

  American and on their side. In the spring 1944

  Smith was then with the 394th Fighter Squad-

  ron, 367th Fighter Group, in England. He claimed

  a Bf 109 damaged on June 17, 1944, but five days

  later he was killed when his P-38 was shot

  down by flak near Cherbourg in France during

  a strafing mission. His plane crashed on the

  beach in Normandy with Smith in the cockpit.

  During his stay with 23rd FG, he flew P-40E-1

  which carried the obligatory shark mouth and

  also the name KatyDid on its nose.

  Born on May 8, 1918, in Pocatello, Idaho, George

  Edward Kiser joined the Army Reserves and

  was commissioned a 2nd Lt and rated a pilot

  on December 20, 1940. He joined 17th PG of 4th

  Composite Group on December 31. After esca-

  ping Philippines, where he managed to shoot

  down two Zeros, he served in Java with 17th

  PS (Prov) and subsequently joined the “Black

  Sheep” Squadron, as the 8th FS of 49th FG was

  nicknamed. Kiser’s day of fame came on April 27,

  1942, when he intercepted an enemy formation

  of twenty-four bombers near Darwin. Although

  chased by escort fighters, he engaged the bom-

  bers, disrupted their formation and destroyed

  two of them. In ensuing fighting with the enemy

  fighters, he shot down one. This bravery ensured

  him the Distinguished Service Cross alongside

  other decorations he was awarded in the cour-

  se of his service. Altogether he amassed nine

  aerial victories. After the war he transferred to

  the USAF and retired as a U.S. Air Force Colonel.

  George Kiser passed away on April 1, 1991 (aged

  72). The P-40E from his days with 49th FG was

  in standard Olive Drab/Neutral Gray camouflage,

  sporting on the port side of the fuselage a carto-

  onish lion with a praying Japanese pilot in right

  front paw, while the left one was stepping on

  a destroyed Zero.

  KITS 03/2025

  INFO Eduard

  37

  March 2025

• Strana 38

  P-40E, Capt. William J. Hennon, 7th FS, 49th FG, Darwin, Australia, 1942

  P-40E, A29-78, No. 76 Squadron RAAF, Gurney Airfield, New Guinea, August 1942

  William Joseph Hennon was born on Jun 13, 1919,

  in Hennepin County, Minnesota. He received his

  pilot wings at Kelly Field, Texas, in 1941 and had

  been in the Philippines with the 21st Fighter

  Squadron when the war started. Over Java he

  shot down five Japanese aircraft. Escaping to

  Australia from the Java campaign he was allo-

  cated to the 7th FS, 49th FG, where he added two

  more victories. On the rudder of his Warhawk,

  there was a cartoonish Bunyip applied by ground

  crews in recognition of the support that the lo-

  cal Aboriginal community had given in rescuing

  pilots from crash sites all around the Northern

  Territory. The Bunyip is a mythological water

  dwelling fearsome beast that lives in creeks,

  rivers and billabongs. Later in 1942 the 7th Figh-

  ter Squadron adopted the “screaming demon” as

  their unit emblem and they applied it to the tails

  of their Warhawks and later P-38 Lightnings for

  the remainder of the War. It is not known what

  color vas the front of the propeller cone. We

  tend to the Insignia Blue, but a red color is also

  a possible option. “Bill” Hennon returned to the

  USA with other veterans of Philippines and Java

  campaigns at the end of 1942 and joined 326th

  FG but transferred to 21st FS of 352nd FG as

  its CO on December 28, 1942. On March 31, 1943,

  he was on a routine flight with a BT-14 trai-

  ner from Farmington to Groton, Connecticut

  (a distance of a mere 75 miles), to pick up fellow

  pilot Frank Greene, who had just been released

  from the hospital. Hennon disappeared enroute

  and was never found. He was 23 at the time.

  No. 76 Squadron was formed at Archerfield Ai-

  rport, Queensland, on March 14, 1942, as the se-

  cond RAAF’s unit operating P-40s. The squadron

  completed its training in June, when it received

  its full complement of 24 fighters for 38 pilots.

  The squadron deployed to the front lines of the

  New Guinea Campaign during July 1942 and pi-

  lots flew their first combat mission on July 22

  under the leadership of Squadron Leader Peter

  Turnbull (who died in a crash on August 27 that

  year). The portrayed aircraft was obtained from

  USAAF in standard Olive Drab/Neutral Gray ca-

  mouflage. To mimic the British camouflage, the

  upper surfaces received additional fields of

  Earth Brown, and the nose was adorned with the

  name “Bloody Mary”. The insignias, originally US

  ones, were replaced by British cockades, these

  were changed on the upper surfaces for the

  Australian ones at the time the aircraft was sent

  to New Guinea. The flash on the vertical fin was

  at the same time lowered by fresh camouflage

  paint on the upper part. The aircraft was destro-

  yed in a ground collision with Hudson (A16-218)

  on No. 1 Strip on August 15, 1942.

  KITS 03/2025

  INFO Eduard38

  March 2025

• Strana 39

  P-40E, A29-63, No. 82 Squadron RAAF, Bankstown, Australia, 1943

  P-40E-1, NZ 3095, No. 15 Sqn RNZAF, New Zealand, 1944

  No. 82 Squadron was formed on June 18, 1943,

  and was armed with P-40s, as RAAF had recei-

  ved 399 of these aircraft so five new Kittyhawk-

  -equipped squadrons could be formed. It opera-

  ted from bases in Queensland and New Guinea.

  The squadron conducted training at Bankstown

  until April 1944, then moved to Townsville for

  further training. The move to Port Moresby came

  at the end of August 1944 with another move to

  Noemfoor in mid-September. There, the No. 82

  Squadron, which just became operational, joi-

  ned Nos. 76 and 77 Squadrons forming No. 81

  Wing. Its pilots then usually conducted attack

  missions against Japanese ground targets.

  In March 1945 the unit moved to Morotai, pro-

  viding escorts to Allied convoys. The relegation

  of First Tactical Air Force to areas of operati-

  on bypassed by the main Allied thrust towards

  the Philippines and Japan led to poor morale,

  culminating in the so-called Morotai Mutiny in

  April 1945. The aircraft portrayed here was used

  during training in Bankstown in 1943. It sported

  the painting of an Aboriginal man throwing his

  boomerang, downing a Zero with it. The aircraft

  was camouflaged with RAAF colors of Foliage

  Green and Dark Earth with white tail. Period

  photos show the aircraft nicely polished with

  minimum weathering.

  In October 1942, No. 15 Squadron RNZAF was

  sent to Tonga to take over 23 P-40s from the

  USAAF 68th Fighter Squadron, thus releasing

  the American squadron for frontline service.

  These P-40Es (NZ 3091 - NZ 3098, NZ 3100 and

  NZ 3108) and P-40K-15s (NZ 3090 and NZ 3099)

  were ex-RAF contract aircraft kept by the USA-

  AF at the beginning of the Pacific war and were

  in a sorry state of repair (five never received

  RNZAF serials). Most of the serviceable aircraft

  were sent forward to defend Espiritu Santo in

  the New Hebrides Islands in February 1943 and

  ten survivors returned to New Zealand later

  that year. These aircraft became known as the

  “Tonga” P-40s. After their return to New Zealand,

  they were repainted in Foliage Green and (NZ)

  Sky Grey as were many locally based aircraft at

  this time.

  KITS 03/2025

  INFO Eduard

  39

  March 2025

• Strana 40

  481155 P-40E landing flaps (PE-sets)

  FE1498 P-40E seatbelts STEEL (PE-sets)

  644295 P-40E LööK (Brassin)

  6481057 P-40E wheels diamond tread (Brassin)

  6481058 P-40E wheels cross tread (Brassin)

  6481059 P-40E wheels block tread (Brassin)

  6481060 P-40 exhaust stacks rounded PRINT (Brassin)

  6481061 P-40 exhaust stacks fishtail PRINT (Brassin)

  6481064 P-40 seat w/ integral belts Type 1 PRINT (Brassin)

  6481065 P-40 seat w/ integral belts Type 2 PRINT (Brassin)

  6481066 P-40E radio compartment PRINT (Brassin)

  6481067 P-40 wheel bays PRINT (Brassin)

  6481068 P-40 wheel bays with canvas PRINT (Brassin)

  6481069 P-40E engine PRINT (Brassin)

  6481076 P-40 1000lb US bomb (Brassin)

  6481084 P-40 75gal drop tank PRINT (Brassin)

  3DL48208 P-40E SPACE (3D decal)

  EX1088 P-40E (mask)

  EX1089 P-40E TFace (mask)

  For P-40E Warhawk 1/48

  RECOMMENDED:

  OVERTREES

  #82241X

  P-40E Warhawk

  1/48

  OVERLEPT

  #11185-LEPT1

  PACIFIC STAR

  1/48

  Product page Product page

  #6481069

  #6481066

  #6481067

  #6481076

  KITS 03/2025

  INFO Eduard40

  March 2025

• Strana 41

• Strana 42

  #82176

  P-51B Mustang Malcolm Hood canopy

  1/48

  The ProfiPACK edition kit of US WWII fighter aircraft P-51B Mustang

  in 1/48 scale. The kit offers 6 markings of Mustangs with Malcolm Hood

  canopy.

  plastic parts: Eduard

  marking options: 6

  decals: Eduard

  PE parts: yes, pre-painted

  painting mask: yes

  resin parts: no

  stránka produktu

  KITS 03/2025

  INFO Eduard42

  March 2025

• Strana 43

  P-51B-10-NA, s/n 42-106451, Maj. George E. Preddy, 487th FS, 352nd FG, 8th AF,

  Bodney, Great Britain, June 1944

  P-51B-15-NA, s/n 42-106924, 2nd Lt. Ralph K. Hofer, 334th FS, 4th FG,

  8th AF, Debden, Great Britain, June 1944

  Preddy’s first personal Mustang was a natural

  metal finish aircraft with blue nose adorned

  with the yellow inscription “Cripes A’Mighty”.

  The application of invasion stripes overlapped

  the HO

  -

  P fuselage code which was partially

  showing through under the white paint. So, an

  individual letter P was added to the tail surfaces

  as it was obscured by the invasion stripes on the

  fuselage. At the time of the invasion, Preddy’s

  Mustang already had a new type Malcolm Hood

  cockpit canopy installed. The nose of Preddy’s

  Mustang was decorated with 12 German crosses

  as symbols of his victories. Preddy made his last

  flight in a P-51B on June 12, 1944, six days after

  the invasion of France, when he claimed another

  destroyed Bf 109. He then took over the brand

  new P-51D-5 “Cripes A’Mighty 3rd“. In August

  1944, Major Preddy was sent to the United Sta-

  tes for retirement, and upon his return in Oc-

  tober he assumed command of one of the sub-

  ordinate squadrons of the 352nd FG, 328th FS.

  On December 25, in the early hours of the mor-

  ning, while chasing an Fw 190 over the front,

  Preddy’s aircraft was accidentally hit by Ame-

  rican anti-aircraft fire. He still attempted an

  emergency landing near an anti-aircraft batte-

  ry but, as he was fatally wounded, he crashed.

  In total George Earl Predddy achieved 25 victo-

  ries and four shared, 22+4 when flying Mustangs

  (including 5+2 victories in P-51Bs).

  Light-hearted, perhaps undisciplined, but all

  the more courageous and charismatic was “Kid”

  Hofer, one of the USAAF’s most successful figh-

  ters. The nickname was based on his youthful

  appearance and his flowing and by Army stan-

  dards long hair as well as his prevailing good

  humor. Until his death, he destroyed 15 enemy

  aircraft in the air, damaging two and destroying

  another 14 on the ground. On July 2, 1944, “Kid”

  participated in the escort of bombers to Buda-

  pest from the Italian base Foggia. Prior to rea-

  ching the target area, a group of Bf 109 entered

  the scene, and the aerial battle started. Hofer’s

  leader had to make an emergency landing due

  to a malfunction and watched from the ground

  as a Hungarian Bf 109, sitting on the tail of his

  Wingman, opened fire. Hofer’s Mustang was ap-

  parently only damaged, so he tried to return to

  the base. Near Mostar, he decided to strafe a

  German airfield, his P-51B “Salem Representa-

  tive” was hit by flak and “Kid” Hofer was killed.

  KITS 03/2025

  INFO Eduard

  43

  March 2025

• Strana 44

  P51B-10-NA, s/n 42-106462, Capt. John B. England, 362nd FS, 357th FG, 8th AF,

  Leiston, Great Britain, June 1944

  P51B-15-NA, s/n 43-24823, Lt. William B. Overstreet, 363rd FS, 357th FG, 8th AF,

  Leiston, Great Britain, July 1944

  The Mustang named U’ve Had It was assigned

  to the 357th FG at the end of the first week

  of March 1944 and became the personal aircraft

  of Capt. John England. It was one of several

  P-51Bs that received a hasty “half” camouf-

  lage paint job on the upper fuselage and wings

  in anticipation of operations from continen-

  tal forward field airfields which ultimately did

  not occur due to the Mustangs’ extraordinary

  range and endurance. England flew the U’ve Had

  It until June 1944, scoring three kills out of eight

  achieved in P-51B cockpits. In July, he received

  a new type, the P-51D. In all, England scored 19

  kills during his wartime career, three of them in

  cooperation. The Mustang U’ve Had It remained

  with the 357th FG and was taken over by Eric

  Wooley. Its fate was fulfilled on October 4, 1944,

  when the tail section separated during a high-

  -speed dive training flight and 2nd Lt. Richard

  Potter had to bail out with great difficulty.

  P-51B Mustang s/n 43-24283 was origina-

  lly assigned to Bud Anderson as the third and

  last P-51B he flew in combat. Like his previous

  P-51s, this one was also named Old Crow. When

  Anderson completed his tour with the 363rd

  FS in July 1944, the aircraft was assigned to Lt.

  William Overstreet. Overstreet had the name

  Berlin Express painted on the left side of the

  engine cowling and a drawing of a winged Mus-

  tang horse in a circle on the right side of the

  cowling. The identification letter was changed

  from S to O. Bill Overstreet became particu-

  larly famous for his story of chasing a German

  Bf 109 through the arches of the Eiffel Tower.

  The duel was supposed to have taken place

  sometime in the spring of 1944, but it is ques-

  tionable whether the passage through the Ei-

  ffel Tower actually happened, nor is the exact

  date of the duel known, there is no mention

  in German records of such a strange event as

  a fighter plane crashing into the streets of Paris.

  Nevertheless, Overstreet was an aggressive and

  capable pilot and, for example, on September 3,

  1944, he took part in a top-secret mission in

  which a remote-controlled four-engine bomber

  attacked a heavily defended German submarine

  base protected by cliffs. He subsequently flew

  other secret missions in support of the French

  Resistance, often landing behind enemy lines.

  KITS 03/2025

  INFO Eduard44

  March 2025

• Strana 45

  P-51B-7-NA, s/n 43-6964, 1st. Lt. James H. Clark, 382nd FS, 363rd FG, 9th AF,

  Maupertus, France, July 1944

  P-51B-1-NA, s/n 43-12434, Capt. Richard Turner, CO 356th FS, 354th FG,

  9th AF, Lashenden, Great Britain, May 1944

  The very colorful Mustang that was flown by

  James Clark had probably its wings replaced.

  The new ones came from another P-51 and

  did not carry camouflage paint. Where it was

  planned to apply invasion stripes prior to D-

  -Day, a base camouflage paint in the shade Olive

  Drab / Neutral Grey was applied to the wing and

  the invasion stripes were subsequently painted.

  Lt. James Clark flew 70 missions during the war,

  including escorting gliders on the D

  -

  Day Nor-

  mandy landings. He achieved a total of five kills.

  He married a girl named Marjorie, and it was her

  nickname, Midge, that he painted on the nose of

  his Mustang.

  The Mustang named Short-Fuse-Sallee was as-

  signed to Dick Turner in December 1943. Turner

  scored eight aerial victories with it between

  January 5 and April 11, 1944, plus 1.5 aircraft de-

  stroyed on the ground. This made him one of the

  most successful pilots in the 356th FS. In March

  1944, Turner’s Mustang was one of the first in

  the 356th FS to receive a new cockpit canopy

  called the Malcom Hood. In late May 1944, to

  the chagrin of Turner himself, Short-Fuse-

  -Sallee was turned over to the 369th FS, which

  at the time was changing to P-51 Mustangs

  from the P-47 Thunderbolts. Here the aircraft

  was assigned to Charles Stanley and renamed

  Dunquerque. Stanley flew 74 missions (300

  hours) with it, but unlike Richard Turner, failed

  to achieve any confirmed kills, although he was

  credited with damaging ten enemy aircraft du-

  ring escort missions. Upon Stanley’s return to

  the US in August 1944, the Mustang was handed

  over to Thomas Burr, who flew it until he rece-

  ived a P-51D.

  KITS 03/2025

  INFO Eduard

  45

  March 2025

• Strana 46

  OVERTREES

  #82105X

  P-51B/C Mustang w/o dorsal fin

  & Malcom Hood canopy 1/48

  OVERLEPT

  #82176-LEPT1

  P-51B Mustang Malcolm

  Hood canopy 1/48

  Product page Product page

  FE1449 P-51B/C seatbelts STEEL (PE-sets)

  644268 P-51B/C LööK (Brassin)

  644278 P-51B/C framed canopy LööKplus (Brassin)

  644279 P-51B/C Malcolm Hood canopy LööKplus (Brassin)

  648986 P-51B/C wheels diamond tread (Brassin)

  648987 P-51B/C wheels oval tread (Brassin)

  648988 P-51B/C wheels cross tread (Brassin)

  648989 P-51B/C wheels block tread (Brassin)

  648990 P-51B/C wheels diamond tread 2 (Brassin)

  648991 P-51B/C wheels block tread 2 (Brassin)

  648992 P-51B/C exhaust stacks (Brassin)

  648993 P-51B/C exhaust stacks w/fairing (Brassin)

  648994 P-51B/C undercarriage legs BRONZE (Brassin)

  648997 P-51B/C gun bays PRINT (Brassin)

  6481001 P-51B/C 108gal drop tanks PRINT (Brassin)

  6481002 P-51B/C seat Type 1 PRINT (Brassin)

  6481003 P-51B/C seat Type 2 PRINT (Brassin)

  6481004 P-51B/C engine (Brassin)

  6481005 P-51B/C 75gal drop tank early PRINT (Brassin)

  6481006 P-51B/C Hamilton Standard propeller (Brassin)

  6481007 P-51B/C Hamilton Standard propeller uncuffed (Brassin)

  6481008 P-51B/C bazooka rocket launcher (Brassin)

  6481009 P-51B/C/D seat Type 3 PRINT (Brassin)

  6481010 P-51B/C wheel bay PRINT (Brassin)

  6481031 P-51B/C gun sights PRINT (Brassin)

  6481032 P-51B Malcolm Hood canopy cockpit PRINT (Brassin)

  6481033 P-51B Birdcage canopy cockpit PRINT (Brassin)

  6481039 P-51B/C seat w/ integral belts Type 1 PRINT (Brassin)

  6481040 P-51B/C seat w/ integral belts Type 2 PRINT (Brassin)

  6481041 P-51B/C seat w/ integral belts Type 3 PRINT (Brassin)

  3DL48177 P-51B/C SPACE (3Ddecal)

  D48118 P-51B stencils (decal)

  EX1036 P-51B/C framed canopy TFace (mask)

  EX1037 P-51B/C Malcolm Hood canopy TFace (mask)

  EX1038 P-51B/C US national insignia (mask)

  For P-51B Mustang Malcolm Hood canopy 1/48

  RECOMMENDED:

  #6481004

  #6481032

  #6481010

  KITS 03/2025

  INFO Eduard46

  March 2025

• Strana 47

  #7475

  Bf 109G-6

  The Weekend edition kit of the German WWII fighter plane Bf 109G-6

  in 1/72 scale. From the kit it is possible to build Messerschmitts with

  standard canopy and standard rudder.

  plastic parts: Eduard

  marking options: 4

  decals: Eduard

  PE parts: no

  painting mask: no

  resin parts: no

  Product page

  1/72

  KITS 03/2025

  INFO Eduard

  47

  March 2025

• Strana 48

  Bf 109G-6/R6, Hptm. Werner Schroer, CO of II./JG 27, Eschborn, Germany, September 1943

  Bf 109G-6, Hptm. Heinrich Ehrler, CO of 6./JG 5, Alakurtti, Finland, June 1943

  Werner Schroer was born on February 12, 1918.

  In 1937, he joined the Luftwaffe as ground per-

  sonnel. Later, he completed flight training and

  was assigned to I./JG 27 in August 1940. This unit

  was transferred to North Africa, where Schroer

  achieved his first aerial victory on April 19, 1941.

  In June 1942, he was appointed Staffelkapitän of

  8./JG 27. In April 1943, he was appointed Grupp-

  enkommandeur of II./JG 27. At the end of 1942,

  II./JG 27 was relocated to Germany, and in March

  1943, it received new Bf 109G-6 aircraft. After

  several months of deployment in Italy, the unit

  was transferred back to Germany. The box art

  depicts the unit’s first fight against a formation

  of B-17 bombers, which occurred on September

  6, 1943, during an American raid on Stuttgart.

  Werner Schroer’s command aircraft had a whi-

  te rudder with 84 victory markings painted on

  its left side. Following this battle, three more

  B-17 kills were added. Both variants are inclu-

  ded on the decal sheet. In March 1944, Schroer

  was appointed commander of III./JG 54, and in

  February 1945, he assumed command of JG 3.

  He achieved a total of 114 aerial victories, inclu-

  ding 26 four-engine bombers. He was awarded

  the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak

  Leaves and Swords. He passed away on Febru-

  ary 10, 1985.

  Heinrich Ehrler began his military career in

  1935 within the anti-aircraft artillery and fought

  in the Spanish Civil War as a member of 3.F/88.

  He completed fighter training in early 1940 and

  was assigned to 4./JG 77, which was later re-

  designated 4./JG 5, based in Norway. In late

  May 1942, Ehrler was transferred to 6./JG 5 at

  Petsamo and became its commander in August.

  He achieved his 100th victory on June 8, 1943.

  During this period, he flew a Bf 109G-6 Yellow 12

  in Erla factory camouflage, with the symbols of

  his aerial victories painted on the left side of the

  rudder. As the Kommodore of JG 5, Ehrler was

  responsible for cover of the Tirpitz battleship,

  which was anchored in Norway. After its sinking,

  he was wrongly convicted, but the sentence was

  commuted. On February 27, 1945, he joined JG

  7, flying Me 262 jets. In combat with Liberator

  bombers on April 4, 1945, he managed to shoot

  down two B-24s and rammed a third. According

  to witnesses who heard Ehrler’s last words,

  he carried out a suicide attack. His number of

  victories thus stopped at 208, and for these

  achievements, he was decorated with the Kni-

  ght’s Cross with Oak Leaves.

  KITS 03/2025

  INFO Eduard48

  March 2025

• Strana 49

  Bf 109G-6/R6/Trop, W.Nr. 1607xx, Obfw. Herbert Rollwage,

  5./JG 53, Wien-Seyring, Austria, December 1943

  Bf 109G-6/U4/R6/Trop, W.Nr. 440180, Fw. Friedrich Ungar,

  9./JG 54, Lüneburg, Germany, March 1944

  Herbert Rollwage was born on September 24,

  1916. In 1936, he joined the Luftwaffe. In 1941,

  he was assigned to 5./JG 53. On the first day

  of Operation Barbarossa, Rollwage achie-

  ved his first aerial victory. By October 5, 1941,

  he had recorded 11 victories. After a brief stay

  in the Netherlands, II./JG 53 moved to Sicily in

  December 1941 to participate in the campaign

  against Malta. During raids on the island, Roll-

  wage achieved 20 victories by October 1942. On

  July 10, 1943, during the Allied landings on Sicily,

  Rollwage was wounded in dogfight but managed

  to land back at base. In mid-October 1943, II./JG

  53 was relocated to Austria for Reich defense.

  The white rudder of Rollwage's new aircraft,

  which he received after recovering in Novem-

  ber 1943, featured 47 victory markings on the

  left side. In May 1944, he was promoted to the

  rank of Leutnant, and in August, he became the

  CO of 5./JG 53. In December, he assumed com-

  mand of the training unit 2./JG 106. During his

  service with JG 53, Rollwage achieved 70 aerial

  victories. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of

  the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. After the war,

  he served in the Bundeswehr and retired in 1968

  with the rank of Hauptmann. He passed away on

  January 4, 1980.

  Friedrich Ernst Willi Ungar was born on Fe-

  bruary 21, 1920. After training with JG 107 and

  Jagdgruppe West, he was assigned to 9./JG 54

  in Germany in October 1943, flying Bf 109G-6

  aircraft. On March 6, 1944, he was shot down

  in his Yellow 6 near Homfeld, likely by Lt. Bar-

  ney Casteel (P-47D, 56th FG) or 2/Lt. Marvin H.

  Becker (356th FG). Ungar crash-landed with

  leg injuries, and his Bf 109G-6 sustained 30%

  damage. On October 9, 1943, he was shot down

  in Yellow 10 over Nakskov, Denmark, but crash-

  -landed uninjured. In late December 1944, he

  received Fw 190D-9 W.Nr. 210008 White 3 and

  downed a Typhoon from No. 439 Sq. RCAF. Ungar

  was among the few pilots of III./JG 54 to survive

  encounters with Allied fighters on December 29,

  1944. At that time, III./JG 54 operated under JG

  26, later becoming IV./JG 26 in spring. In 1958, he

  founded an aero club and served as chief flight

  and navigation instructor for 17 years. He contri-

  buted to building Oldenburg-Hatten airfield and

  conducted its first flight in March 1966. In 1980,

  he received the German Aero Club's FA1 badge

  for motor flight in gold and its Gold Honor Pin

  in 1985. He passed away on December 16, 2012.

  KITS 03/2025

  INFO Eduard

  49

  March 2025

• Strana 50

  BRASSIN

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard and STEEL seat

  belts for F-35C in 1/48 scale. Easy to assemble, replaces

  plastic parts. Recommended kit: Tamiya

  Set contains:

  - resin: 1 part,

  - decals: no,

  - photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted,

  - painting mask: no.

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard and STEEL seat

  belts for P-47D Bubbletop in 1/72 scale. Easy to assemble,

  replaces plastic parts. Recommended kit: Tamiya

  Set contains:

  - resin: 1 part,

  - decals: no,

  - photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted,

  - painting mask: no.

  644299

  F-35C LööK

  1/48 Tamiya

  674025

  P-47D Bubbletop LööK

  1/72 Tamiya

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard50

  March 2025

• Strana 51

  674026

  P-51D LööK

  1/72 Tamiya

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard and

  STEEL seat belts for P-51D in 1/72 scale. Easy to

  assemble, replaces plastic parts. Recommended

  kit: Tamiya

  Set contains:

  - resin: 2 parts,

  - decals: no,

  - photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted,

  - painting mask: no.

  BRASSIN

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard and STEEL seat

  belts for Spitfire Mk.V in 1/72 scale. Easy to assemble,

  replaces plastic parts. Recommended kit: Tamiya

  Set contains:

  - resin: 2 parts,

  - 3D tisk: 1 part,

  - decals: no,

  - photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted,

  - painting mask: no.

  674027

  Spitfire Mk.V LööK

  1/72 Tamiya

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  51

  March 2025

• Strana 52

  BRASSIN

  644298

  P-40E w/ rounded exhaust stacks LööKplus

  1/48 Eduard

  Collection of 4 sets for P-40E in 1/48 scale.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  - LööK set (pre-painted Brassin dashboard & Steelbelts),

  - undercarriage wheels,,

  - exhaust stacks,

  - painting mask.

  Product page

  Collection of 4 sets for Spitfire Mk.VIII in 1/24 scale.

  Recommended kit: Airfix

  - LööK set (pre-painted Brassin dashboard & Steelbelts),

  - undercarriage wheels,,

  - exhaust stacks,

  - painting mask.

  Product page

  634050

  Spitfire Mk.VIII LööKplus

  1/24 Airfix

  INFO Eduard52

  March 2025

• Strana 53

  BRASSIN

  6481057

  P-40E wheels diamond tread

  1/48 Eduard

  Brassin set - the undercarriage wheels for P-40E in 1/48

  scale. The set consists of the main wheels and a tail wheel.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - resin: 4 parts,

  - 3D print: 2 parts,

  - decals: no,

  - photo-etched details: yes,

  - painting mask: yes.

  Product page

  Brassin set - the undercarriage wheels for P-40E in 1/48

  scale. The set consists of the main wheels and a tail wheel.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - resin: 4 parts,

  - 3D print: 2 parts,

  - decals: no,

  - photo-etched details: yes,

  - painting mask: yes.

  6481059

  P-40E wheels block tread

  1/48 Eduard

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  53

  March 2025

• Strana 54

  BRASSIN

  6481065

  P-40 seat w/ integral belts Type 2 PRINT

  1/48 Eduard

  Brassin set - pilot seat with seat belts designed as a integral part

  of the seat for P-40E in 1/48 scale. Made by direct 3D printing.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 1 part,

  - decals: no,

  - photo-etched details: no,

  - painting mask: no.

  Product page

  Brassin set - pilot seat with seat belts designed

  as a integral part of the seat for P-40E in 1/48 scale.

  Made by direct 3D printing. Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 1 part,

  - decals: no,

  - photo-etched details: no,

  - painting mask: no.

  Product page

  6481064

  P-40 seat w/ integral belts Type 1 PRINT

  1/48 Eduard

  INFO Eduard54

  March 2025

• Strana 55

  BRASSIN

  6481066

  P-40E radio compartment PRINT

  1/48 Eduard

  Brassin set - radio compartment for P-40E

  in 1/48 scale. Made by direct 3D printing.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 9 parts,

  - decals: no,

  - photo-etched details: yes,

  - painting mask: no.

  Product page

  Brassin set - main wheel bays for P-40E in 1/48 scale.

  Made by direct 3D printing. Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 4 parts,

  - decals: no,

  - photo-etched details: no,

  - painting mask: no.

  6481067

  P-40 wheel bays PRINT

  1/48 Eduard

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  55

  March 2025

• Strana 56

  BRASSIN

  Brassin set - gun bay for rotary cannon for A-10C in 1/48

  scale. Set consists of the gun with ammo drum, gun bay

  and bay covers. Made by direct 3D printing.

  Recommended kit: Academy

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 23 parts,

  - decals: no,

  - photo-etched details: yes,

  - painting mask: no.

  Product page

  6481072

  A-10C rotary cannon bay PRINT

  1/48 Academy

  6481076

  P-40 1000lb US bomb

  1/48 Eduard

  Brassin set - 1000lb US bomb for P-40E in 1/48 scale.

  Set consists of 1 bomb. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic

  parts. Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - resin: 2 parts,

  - decals: yes,

  - photo-etched details: yes,

  - painting mask: no.

  Product page

  INFO Eduard56

  March 2025

• Strana 57

  6481084

  P-40 75gal drop tank PRINT

  1/48 Eduard

  Brassin set - 75gal fuel drop tank for P-40E in 1/48 scale.

  Set consists of 1 tank. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic

  parts. Made by direct 3D printing.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 2 parts,

  - decals: no,

  - photo-etched details: no,

  - painting mask: no.

  Product page

  BRASSIN

  Brassin set - ejection seat for F-35C in 1/48 scale.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Tamiya

  Set contains:

  - resin: 9 parts,

  - decals: yes,

  - photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted,

  - painting mask: no.

  6481086

  F-35C seat PRINT

  1/48 Tamiya

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  57

  March 2025

• Strana 58

  BRASSIN

  Brassin set - the undercarriage wheels for Mosquito

  in 1/72 scale. The set consists of the main wheels and

  a tail wheel. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Tamiya

  Set contains:

  - resin: 3 parts,

  - 3D print: 2 parts,

  - decals: no,

  - photo-etched details: no,

  - painting mask: yes.

  Product page

  672403

  Mosquito wheels

  1/72 Tamiya

  672404

  Mosquito exhaust stacks PRINT

  1/72 Tamiya

  Brassin set - exhaust stacks for Mosquito in 1/72 scale.

  Made by direct 3D printing. Easy to assemble, replaces

  plastic parts. Recommended kit: Tamiya

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 4 parts,

  - decals: no,

  - photo-etched details: no,

  - painting mask: no.

  Product page

  INFO Eduard58

  March 2025

• Strana 59

  672405

  Bf 109G-6 wheels

  1/72 Tamiya

  Brassin set - the undercarriage wheels for Bf 109G-6 in

  1/72 scale. The set consists of the main wheels and a tail

  wheel. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Tamiya

  Set contains:

  - resin: 3 parts,

  - decals: no,

  - PE-set details: no,

  - painting mask: yes.

  Product page

  BRASSIN

  Brassin set - exhaust stacks for Bf 109G-6 in 1/72

  scale. Made by direct 3D printing. Easy to assem-

  ble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Tamiya

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 2 parts,

  - decals: no,

  - photo-etched details: no,

  - painting mask: no.

  672406

  Bf 109G-6 exhaust stacks PRINT

  1/72 Tamiya

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  59

  March 2025

• Strana 60

  Collection of 3 sets for P-38F in 1/48 scale.

  Recommended kit: Tamiya

  - starboard engine,

  - port engine,

  - turbochargers.

  All sets included in this BIG SIN are available separately,

  but with every BIG SIN set you save up to 30 %.

  SIN648136

  P-38F ENGINES

  1/48 Tamiya

  Product page

  BRASSIN

  INFO Eduard60

  March 2025

• Strana 61

  Product page

  Collection of 6 sets for F-35C in 1/48 scale.

  Recommended kit: Tamiya

  - AIM-120C AMRAAM (2 sets),

  - AIM-9X,

  - AIM-132 ASRAAM,

  - GBU-12 bomb,

  - GBU-31(V)1/B JDAM.

  All sets included in this BIG SIN are available separately, but

  with every BIG SIN set you save up to 30%.

  SIN648137

  F-35C armamen

  1/72 Eduard

  BRASSIN

  INFO Eduard

  61

  March 2025

• Strana 62

  MARCH 2025

  USS Wasp LHD-1 part 4

  1/350 Trumpeter

  #53321

  PHOTO

  -

  ETCHED

  INFO Eduard62

  March 2025

• Strana 63

  M11A3

  1/35 Italeri

  #36533

  PHOTO

  -

  ETCHED

  INFO Eduard

  63

  March 2025

• Strana 64

  B-24D undercarriage

  F4F-4 landing flaps

  1/48 Hobby Boss

  1/48 Academy

  #481156

  #481157

  PHOTO

  -

  ETCHED

  INFO Eduard64

  March 2025

• Strana 65

  F4F-4

  1/48 Academy

  #491507

  #FE1507

  #FE1508

  PHOTO

  -

  ETCHED

  INFO Eduard

  65

  March 2025

• Strana 66

  B-24D cockpit and engines

  1/48 Hobby Boss

  #491509

  #FE1509

  #FE1510

  PHOTO

  -

  ETCHED

  INFO Eduard66

  March 2025

• Strana 67

  Ki-43-II

  1/72 Arma Hobby

  #73844

  PHOTO

  -

  ETCHED

  INFO Eduard

  67

  March 2025

• Strana 68

  easy

  application

  3DL48211 F4F-4 SPACE 1/48 Academy

  3DL48212

  F-35C SPACE 1/48 Tamiya

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard68

  March 2025

• Strana 69

  SPACE

  3DL48213 A-10A SPACE 1/48 Great Wall Hobby

  3DL48214

  B-24D SPACE 1/48 Hobby Boss

  SPACE

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  69

  March 2025

• Strana 70

  SPACE

  3DL72057 BV 222 SPACE 1/72 Revell

  3DL72058

  Ki-43-II SPACE 1/72 Arma Hobby

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard70

  March 2025

• Strana 71

  www.eduard.com/bfc

  BUNNY BUNNY FIGHTERFIGHTER

  CLUB

  Eduard's special membership club for all modeling enthusiasts!

  15% Permanent Club discount at Eduard Store – you will receive permanent 15% discount on all Eduard

  products and also discount on various other non-Eduard products. Fixed, permanent, forever!

  Unique valuable Club kits and accessories – you will gain access to unique and nowhere else to be sold

  products, specially made for BFC members.

  Even better prices at Eduard events stand – do you know that Eduard usually has huge discounts on

  their products at fairs and events all over the world? BFC members will have even higher discount at

  these events.

  Club T-shirt – you will receive fancy BFC T-shirt with unique design and special barcode

  (used for event discounts). This exclusive T-shirt will be only available

  to the members of BFC.

  Free entry fee on E-day – you will not have to pay a penny to visit Eduard's E-day.

  That means lot of fun at E-day for two days and entry kit, absolutely free!

  * E-day - INTERNATIONAL SCALE KIT EXHIBITION - IPMS Czech Republic Championship

  BOX CONTENT:

  Plastic parts, Marking options 6, Decal Set, PE parts, Maska, Brassin

  parts (two different types of wheels, landing flaps, dust filter with

  eyelid, intake ring and RP-3 60lb rockets), 3D decals for main and si

  -

  dewalk instrument and control panels with photo-etched details and

  seat belts.

  BOX CONTENT:

  Plastic parts, Marking options 4, Decal Set, PE parts, Maska, Brassin

  parts (undercarriage wheels, cockpit, exhaust nozzle, FOD).

  How to become a member of BFC?How to become a member of BFC?

  Simply by purchasing the Activation product. You will be given 15% discount on (almost) every Eduard

  product in your shopping cart. To apply this discount, the Activation product has to be in your shopping

  cart. Activation product is excluded from this calculation.

  Activation products:Activation products:

  Tempest Mk. V + T-shirt 1/48MiG-21MF + T-shirt 1/72

• Strana 72

  BIG ED

  All sets included in this BIG ED are available separately,

  but with every BIG ED set you save up to 30%.

  BIG5375 USS Midway CV-41 1/350 Trumpeter

  BIG2406

  Spitfire Mk.VIII 1/24 Airfix

  BIG49439

  F-86A 1/48 Clear Prop

  53314 USS Midway CV-41 part 1 1/350

  53315 USS Midway CV-41 part 2 1/350

  53316 USS Midway CV-41 part 3 1/350

  53317 USS Midway CV-41 part 4 1/350

  23040 Spitfire Mk.VIII 1/24

  23041 Spitfire Mk.VIII landing flaps 1/24

  23042 Spitfire Mk.VIII engine & undercarriage 1/24

  23043 Spitfire Mk.VIII seatbelts STEEL 1/24

  LX009 Spitfire Mk.VIII 1/24

  491488 F-86A 1/48

  FE1489 F-86A seatbelts STEEL 1/48

  EX1076 F-86A 1/48

  Product page

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard72

  March 2025

• Strana 73

  BIG ED

  BIG49440 F4U-2 1/48 Hobby Boss

  BIG49441

  MiG-35 1/48 Hobby Boss

  491492 F4U-2 1/48

  FE1493 F4U-2 seatbelts STEEL 1/48

  EX1080 F4U-2 1/48

  491490 MiG-35 1/48

  FE1491 MiG-35 seatbelts STEEL 1/48

  EX1078 MiG-35 1/48

  Product page

  Product page

  All sets included in this BIG ED are available separately,

  but with every BIG ED set you save up to 30%.

  INFO Eduard

  73

  March 2025

• Strana 74

  MASKS

  EX1094 F4F-4

  1/48 Academy

  EX1095 F4F-4 TFace

  1/48 Academy

  EX1096 F-35C

  1/48 Tamiya

  EX1097 F-35C TFace

  1/48 Tamiya

  EX1098 F-35C RAM panels

  1/48 Tamiya

  EX1099 A-10A

  1/48 Great Wall Hobby

  EX1100 A-10A TFace

  1/48 Great Wall Hobby

  EX1101 B-24D

  1/48 Hobby Boss

  EX1102 B-24D TFace

  1/48 Hobby Boss

  CX684 BV 222

  1/72 Revell

  CX685 Ki-43-II

  1/72 Arma Hobby

  CX686 Vengeance Mk.I

  1/72 Dora Wings

  CX687 Bf 109G-6 classic canopy

  1/72 Eduard

  EX1095 F4F-4 TFace

  EX1097 F-35C TFace

  EX1099 A-10 TFace

  EX1102 B-24D TFace

  EX1099 A-10 TFace

  EX1102 B-24D TFace

  EX1095 F4F-4 TFace

  EX1097 F-35C TFace

  EX1094 F4F-4

  EX1096 F-35C

  EX1098 A-10

  EX1101 B-24D

  IT FITS!

  INFO Eduard74

  March 2025

• Strana 75

  MASKS

  CX684 BV 222

  CX685 Ki-43-II

  CX686 Vengeance Mk.I

  CX684 BV 222

  CX685 Ki-43-II

  CX686 Vengeance Mk.I

  INFO Eduard

  75

  March 2025

• Strana 76

  MARCH 2025

  KITS

  PE

  -

  SETS

  ZOOMS

  MASKS

  11185 PACIFIC STAR P-40E Warhawk DUAL COMBO 1/48 Royal Class

  82176 P-51B Mustang Malcolm Hood canopy 1/48 ProfiPACK

  7475 Bf 109G-6 1/72 Weekend

  53321 USS Wasp LHD-1 part 4 1/350 Trumpeter

  36533 M113A1 1/35 Italeri

  481156 B-24D undercarriage 1/48 Hobby Boss

  481157 F4F-4 landing flaps 1/48 Academy

  491503 F-35C 1/48 Tamiya

  491505 A-10A 1/48 Great Wall Hobby

  491507 F4F-4 1/48 Academy

  491509 B-24D cockpit & engines 1/48 Hobby Boss

  72742 P-51D tail antennas STEEL 1/72

  73843 BV 222 1/72 Revell

  73844 Ki-43-II 1/72 Arma Hobby

  FE1503 F-35C 1/48 Tamiya

  FE1504 F-35C seatbelts STEEL 1/48 Tamiya

  FE1505 A-10A 1/48 Great Wall Hobby

  FE1506 A-10A seatbelts STEEL 1/48 Great Wall Hobby

  FE1507 F4F-4 1/48 Academy

  FE1508 F4F-4 seatbelts STEEL 1/48 Academy

  FE1509 B-24D 1/48 Hobby Boss

  FE1510 B-24D seatbelts STEEL 1/48 Hobby Boss

  SS843 BV 222 1/72 Revell

  EX1094 F4F-4 1/48 Academy

  EX1095 F4F-4 TFace 1/48 Academy

  EX1096 F-35C 1/48 Tamiya

  EX1097 F-35C TFace 1/48 Tamiya

  EX1098 F-35C RAM panels 1/48 Tamiya

  EX1099 A-10A 1/48 Great Wall Hobby

  EX1100 A-10A TFace 1/48 Great Wall Hobby

  EX1101 B-24D 1/48 Hobby Boss

  EX1102 B-24D TFace 1/48 Hobby Boss

  CX684 BV 222 1/72 Revell

  CX685 Ki-43-II 1/72 Arma Hobby

  CX686 Vengeance Mk.II 1/72 Dora Wings

  CX687 Bf 109G-6 classic canopy 1/72 Eduard

  BIG-EDBIG-ED

  BIG ED

  BIG5375 USS Midway CV-41 1/350 Trumpeter

  BIG2406 Spitfire Mk.VIII 1/24 Airfix

  BIG49439 F-86A 1/48 Clear Prop

  BIG49440 F4U-2 1/48 Hobby Boss

  BIG49441 MiG-35 1/48 Hobby Boss

  RELEASES

  INFO Eduard76

  March 2025

• Strana 77

  BRASSIN

  LöökPLUS

  BIG SIN

  SPACE

  644299 F-35C LööK 1/48 Tamiya

  674025 P-47D Bubbletop LööK 1/72 Tamiya

  674026 P-51D LööK 1/72 Tamiya

  674027 Spitfire Mk.V LööK 1/72 Tamiya

  6481057 P-40E wheels diamond tread 1/48 Eduard

  6481059 P-40E wheels block tread 1/48 Eduard

  6481064 P-40 seat w/

  integral belts Type 1 PRINT 1/48 Eduard

  6481065 P-40 seat w/

  integral belts Type 2 PRINT 1/48 Eduard

  6481066 P-40E radio compartment PRINT 1/48 Eduard

  6481067 P-40 wheel bays PRINT 1/48 Eduard

  6481072 A-10C rotary cannon bay PRINT 1/48 Academy

  6481076 P-40 1000lb US bomb 1/48 Eduard

  6481084 P-40 75gal drop tank PRINT 1/48 Eduard

  6481086 F-35C seat PRINT 1/48 Tamiya

  672403 Mosquito wheels 1/72 Tamiya

  672404 Mosquito exhaust stacks PRINT 1/72 Tamiya

  672405 Bf 109G-6 wheels 1/72 Tamiya

  672406 Bf 109G-6 exhaust stacks PRINT 1/72 Tamiya

  634050 Spitfire Mk.VIII LööKplus 1/24 Airfix

  644298 P-40E w/

  rounded exhaust stacks LööKplus 1/48 Eduard

  SIN648136 P-38F ENGINES 1/48 Tamiya

  SIN648137 F-35C armament 1/48 Tamiya

  3DL48211 F4F-4 SPACE 1/48 Academy

  3DL48212 F-35C SPACE 1/48 Tamiya

  3DL48213 A-10A SPACE 1/48 Great Wall Hobby

  3DL48214 B-24D SPACE 1/48 Hobby Boss

  3DL72057 BV 222 SPACE 1/72 Revell

  3DL72058 Ki-43-II SPACE 1/72 Arma Hobby

  MARCH 2025

  RELEASES

  INFO Eduard

  77

  March 2025

• Strana 78

  BUILT

  Tamiya 1/48

  Kübelwagen type 82

  built by Tomáš Pavlík

  accessories used:

  48463 Kübelwagen type 82 (PE-set)

  INFO Eduard78

  March 2025

• Strana 79

  BUILT

  INFO Eduard

  79

  March 2025

• Strana 80

• Strana 81

  1 Bristol Beaufighter £13.00

  2 Blackburn Buccaneer £13.00

  3 Junkers Ju 87 Stuka £13.00

  4 North American F-100 Super Sabre £13.00

  5 Hawker Typhoon £13.00

  6 Avro Shackleton £14.00

  7 Junkers Ju 88 £13.00

  8 Hawker Hunter £17.00

  9 Grumman F4F Wildcat/Martlet £13.00

  10 Vickers Wellington £13.00

  11 de Havilland Sea Vixen £13.00

  12 Fairey Swordfish £15.00

  13 Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor £14.00

  14 BAC Lightning £18.00

  15 Short Stirling £14.00

  16 Hawker Sea Fury £13.00

  17 Gloster Javelin £14.00

  18 Douglas Skyraider £14.00

  19 de Havilland Hornet and Sea Hornet £14.00

  20 Supermarine Seafire (Griffon engine) £15.00

  21 Armstrong Whitworth Whitley £14.00

  22 Gloster Meteor £20.00

  23 Fairey Gannet £15.00

  24 Dornier Do 217 £14.00

  25 Short Sunderland £14.00

  26 Bristol Blenheim £15.00

  27 de Havilland Vampire £20.00

  28 Fairey Firefly £17.00

  29 Hawker Sea Hawk £15.00

  30 Avro Vulcan £16.00

  31 RAF/RN Phantoms £17.00

  32 Douglas A-20 Boston/Havoc £17.00

  33 Heinkel He 177 £14.00

  34 Avro Lincoln £16.00

  35 Fairey Barracuda £15.00

  36 Handley Page Victor £16.00

  37 Gloster Gladiator £17.00

  38 Republic F-105 Thunderchief £15.00

  39 Supermarine Walrus £13.00

  40 Canadair/Commonwealth Sabre £16.00

  41 Fairey Fulmar £15.00

  42 Boulton Paul Defiant £13.00

  43 Lockheed F-104 Starfighter £18.00

  44 de Havilland Venom £15.00

  45 Martin B-57 Canberra £16.00

  46 Handley Page Halifax £17.00

  47 McDonnell F-101 Voodoo £15.00

  48 Westland Lysander £15.00

  49 Fiat G.91 £15.00

  50 Bristol Beaufort £15.00

  51 Lockheed Neptune £16.00

  52 Fairey Albacore £15.00

  53 Avro Anson £16.00

  54 Westland Whirlwind F.Mk I £13.00

  55 Hawker Tempest £14.00

  56 Blackburn Firebrand £14.00

  57 Handley Page Hampden £14.00

  58 Supermarine Swift £14.00

  59 Lockheed Hudson £14.00

  60 English Electric Canberra £20.00

  61 Savoia Marchetti S.79 Sparviero £14.00

  62 Handley Page Hastings £14.00

  63 Vickers Valiant £14.00

  64 Convair F-102 £15.00

  65 Westland Wessex £17.00

  66 Bristol Bulldog £13.00

  67 Folland Gnat and Ajeet £13.00

  68 Bristol Brigand £13.00

  69 Martin B-26 Marauder £14.00

  70 Vought Corsair £18.00

  71 Armstrong Whitworth 650/660 Argosy £14.00

  72 Vickers Supermarine Merlin Seafire £14.00

  73 North American B-25 Mitchell £15.00

  74 Hawker Siddeley Harrier £17.00

  75 BAe Sea Harrier £15.00

  76 Grumman Tracker/Trader/Tracer £17.00

  77 Curtiss P-40 £15.00

  78 Aer Macchi C.202-205 Folgore-Veltro £15.00

  79 Consolidated PBY Catalina £17.00

  80 Saab Draken £17.00

  81 Junkers Ju 52 £14.00

  82 BAC Jet Provost £17.00

  83 Fairey Battle £17.00

  84 Grumman F6F Hellcat £18.00

  85 Supermarine Scimitar £15.00

  86 Vickers Wellesley £15.00

  87 Grumman Avenger £18.00

  88 Lockheed T-33A £15.00

  89 Avro Lancaster £18.00

  90 Boeing B-17 £18.00

  91 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 'Fishbed' £27.00

  92 Grumman HU-16 Albatross £17.00

  93 Messerschmitt Me 262 £15.00

  94 Supermarine Attacker £15.00

  95 Westland Sea King £18.00

  96 Consolidated B-24 Liberator £27.00

  97 North American RA-5C Vigilante £18.00

  98 Avro York £17.00

  99 McDonnell Demon £17.00

  100 Republic F-84F and RF-84F £20.00

  101 de Havilland D.H.82 Tiger Moth £16.00

  102 Convair B-36 £16.00

  103 Avro Manchester £14.00

  104 General Dynamics F-111 & EF-111A £20.00

  105 Sopwith Pup £14.00

  106 Sikorsky S-55/H-19 & Westland Whirlwind £18.00

  107 Ilyushin Il-2 ‘Sturmovik’ £15.00

  108 Martin Mariner & Marlin £17.00

  109 Douglas C-54/R5D Skymaster & DC-4 £21.00

  110 Westland Scout & Wasp £16.00

  111 Vought OS2U Kingfisher £16.00

  112 Douglas A3D Skywarrior £20.00

  113 Panavia Tornado ADV £17.00

  114 McDonnell F4 Phantom II £25.00

  115 Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle £14.00

  116 Hawker Fury and Nimrod £17.00

  117 Douglas F4D/F-6 Skyray & F5D Skylancer £15.00

  118 NAA B-45 Tornado £16.00

  119 Grumman F9F Panther £15.00

  120 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 £17.00

  121 Douglas A-4 Skyhawk £26.00

  122 Albatros D.I - D.III £16.00

  123 de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk £15.00

  124 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 £17.00

  125 Bristol Britannia plus Argus & Yukon £17.00

  126 Grumman F-14 Tomcat £26.00

  127 Cessna T-37 ‘Tweet’ & A-37 ‘Dragonfly’ £21.00

  128 Bristol Scout £15.00

  129 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3 £18.00

  130 Ilyushin Il-28 £18.00

  131 Auster

  in British Military & foreign air arm service

  £18.00

  132 Boeing B-52A-F Stratofortress £25.00

  133 Douglas C-47 Skytrain/Dakota

  £25.00

  134 Aero L-29 Delfin £21.00

  135 DH.89 Dragon Rapide & Dominie

  £17.00

  136 Airspeed Oxford & Consul £18.00

  137 Douglas SBD Dauntless

  £28.00

  138 Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk £18.00

  139 de Havilland (Canada) DHC-2 Beaver £18.00

  140 North American OV-10 Bronco £28.00

  141 Vickers Viking, Valetta & Varsity £19.00

  142 Dassault Mirage F1 £19.00

  143 Boeing B-29 and B-50 Superfortress £25.00

  144 Mil Mi-4 Hound £20.00

  145 H-P Pembroke, Prince & Sea Prince £17.00

  146 Grumman A-6 Intruder & EA-6B Prowler £19.00

  Warpaint Specials

  No.1 Republic P-47 Thunderbolt £19.00

  No.2 Messerschmitt Bf 109 £25.00

  No.3 de Havilland Mosquito £25.00

  No.4 Cessna Bird Dog £12.00

  No.5 NAA P-51 Mustang and Derivatives £22.00

  No.6 Dambusters and the Lancaster £20.00

  WHAT’S IN A WARPAINT BOOK?

  All major credit cards accepted. Orders can be placed by mail, telephone, fax or through the website.

  (www.guidelinepublications.co.uk) Plus postage and packing on all orders.

  Overseas readers pay postage at air mail printed paper rate.

  For more information and secure ordering please visit:

  www.guidelinepublications.co.uk

  WWAARRPPAAIINNTT BBOOOOKKSS

  Boeing

  BB--2299

  and

  BB--5500

  Superfortress

  By Kev Darling

  B-29 Superfortress 44-70072 X-55 named Limber Richard of the 5th

  Bombardment Squadron, 9th Bombardment Group, flying toward Japan

  with other squadron bombers in 1945. The bombing missions against

  Japan a 3,500 mile round trip, could last as long as sixteen hours. Also

  shown is at least one B-29 of the 1st BS of the same group, complete

  with black and yellow rear fuselage and fin bands. (USAF via DRJ)

  WARPAINT SERIES No.143

  aster 21/06/2024 14:48 Page 118

  Mil

  MMii--44 HHoouunndd

  By Jakub Fojtík

  Ph.D.

  Aeroflot departments all over the large territory of the

  USSR were provided with standard Mi-4 and Mi-4As,

  without the underbelly gondola with machine gun and

  IFF device . Thes e heli copters were occa sionally

  referred to as Mi-4SP (SP stands for Serial and

  Passeng er) and retain ed milita ry-style circular

  windows but were equipped with a passenger interior.

  WARPAINT SERIES No.144

  paint Master 20/08/2024 15:00 Page 86

  PPeemmbbrrookkee

  PPrriinnccee

  &&

  SSeeaa PPrriinnccee

  By Adrian M. Balch

  WV701 was one of the last Pembroke C.1s in

  RAF service with No.60 Squadron at RAF

  Wildenrath, Germany in July 1977. (MoD photo)

  WARPAINT SERIES No.145

  Hunting-Percival

  qxp_Warpaint Master 16/10/2024 16:52 Page 46

  Grumman

  AA--66

  IInnttrruuddeerr

  &&

  EEAA--66BB

  PPrroowwlleerr

  By Andy Evans

  Grumman A-6E Intruder Buno 155678 of VA-85

  Black Falcons based at NAS Oceana, seen

  onboard USS Ameri ca whi le anc hored i n

  Stokes Bay, 25 September

  WARPAINT SERIES No.146

  er.qxp_Warpaint Master 22/12/2024 11:32 Page 58

  COMPLETE AND DETAILED HISTORY

  AIRCRAFT IN DETAIL PHOTOS

  AIRCRAFT COLOUR AND CAMOUFLAGE DRAWINGS

  AIRCRAFT COMPLETE PRODUCTION LISTS

  INDIVIDUAL AIRCRAFT, UNITS, SQUADRONS, SERIALS AND CODES

  AIRCRAFT COMPREHENSIVE SPECIFICATIONS

  Guideline Publications Limited, Dunstable Business Centre, Office Suite No.2,

  Blackburn Road, Houghton Regis, Bedfordshire LU5 5BQ

  Telephone: +44 (0)1582 668411, Email: kim@guidelinepublications.co.uk

  Warpaint Books Advert No 146.qxp_Warpaint Books Full List Advert 06/01/2025 11:45 Page 1

• Strana 82

  ON APPROACH

  APRIL 2025

  644301

  F4F-4 LööK

  1/48 Academy

  644302

  A6M5 LööK

  1/48 Eduard

  BIG33165 MC.205 Veltro 1/32 Italeri

  BIG49442 Junkers F.13 1/48 MiniArt

  BIG49443 Chipmunk T.20 1/48 Airfix

  644301 F4F-4 LööK 1/48 Academy

  644302 A6M5 LööK 1/48 Eduard

  674030 F4U-1 LööK 1/72 Tamiya

  674031 Mosquito NF Mk.II LööK 1/72 Tamiya

  624007 Spitfire Mk.VIII/Mk.IX seat PRINT 1/24 Airfix

  6481075 P-40E gun bays PRINT 1/48 Eduard

  6481079 P-40 500lb M64 US bomb 1/48 Eduard

  6481083 P-40 100lb M30 US bomb PRINT 1/48 Eduard

  6481085 P-40 52gal drop tank PRINT 1/48 Eduard

  6481087 F-35C exhaust nozzle PRINT 1/48 Tamiya

  6481088 F4F-4 exhausts PRINT 1/48 Academy

  6481089 F4F-4 wheels early 1/48 Academy

  6481090 F4F-4 wheels late 1/48 Academy

  6481092 F4F-4 gun barrels PRINT 1/48 Academy

  6481093 A6M5/7 500kg bomb PRINT 1/48 Eduard

  6481094 A6M5 seat PRINT 1/48 Eduard

  672407 Spitfire Mk.V wheels 1/72 Tamiya

  672408 Spitfire Mk.V three-stacks exhaust rounded PRINT 1/72 Tamiya

  672409 Spitfire Mk.V three-stacks exhaust fishtail PRINT 1/72 Tamiya

  672410 Spitfire Mk.V six-stacks exhaust fishtail PRINT 1/72 Tamiy

  644300 P-40E w/ fishtail exhaust stacks LööKplus 1/48 Eduard

  674028 Bf 109G-6 LööKplus 1/72 Tamiya

  SIN67230 Bf 109G-10 WNF 1/72 Eduard

  SIN67231 Bf 109G-10 Mtt Regensburg 1/72 Eduard

  SIN67232 Bf 109G-10 Erla 1/72 Eduard

  BIG ED (April)

  BRASSIN (April)

  LöökPlus (April)

  BIGSIN (April)

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard and STEEL seat

  belts for A6M5 Zero in 1/48 scale. Easy to assemble, replaces

  plastic parts. Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - resin: 4 parts,

  - decals: no,

  - photo-etched details:

  yes, pre-painted,

  - painting mask: no.

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard and STEEL seat

  belts for F4F-4 in 1/48 scale. Easy to assemble, replaces

  plastic parts. Recommended kit: Academy

  Set contains:

  - resin: 1 part,

  - decals: no,

  - photo-etched details:

  yes, pre-painted,

  - painting mask: no.

  674030

  F4U-1A LööK

  1/72 Tamiya

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard and STEEL seat

  belts for F4U-1A in 1/72 scale. Easy to assemble, replaces

  plastic parts. Recommended kit: Tamiya

  Set contains:

  - resin: 1 part,

  - decals: no,

  - photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted,

  - painting mask: no.

  INFO Eduard82

  March 2025

• Strana 83

  674031

  Mosquito NF Mk.II LööK

  1/72 Tamiya

  6481075

  P-40E gun bays PRINT

  1/48 Eduard

  6481076

  P-40 500lb M64 US bombs

  1/48 Eduard

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard and STEEL seat belts

  for Mosquito NF Mk.II in 1/72 scale. Easy to assemble, replaces

  plastic parts. Recommended kit: Tamiya

  Set contains:

  - resin: 1 part,

  - decals: no,

  - photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted,

  - painting mask: no.

  Brassin set - the wing gun bays for P-40E in 1/48 scale.

  The set consists of both wings bays. Made by 3D direct print.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 30 parts,

  - decals: yes,

  - photo-etched details: no,

  - painting mask: no.

  Brassin set - 500lb US bombs for P-40E in 1/48 scale. Set

  consists of 3 bombs. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - resin: 3 parts,

  - 3D print: 7 parts,

  - decals: yes,

  - photo-etched details: yes,

  - painting mask: no.

  ON APPROACHAPRIL 2025

  INFO Eduard

  83

  March 2025

• Strana 84

  ON APPROACH

  APRIL 2025

  6481083

  P-40 100lb M30 US bombs PRINT

  1/48 Eduard

  6481085

  P-40 52gal drop tank PRINT

  1/48 Eduard

  6481087

  F-35C exhaust nozzle PRINT

  1/48 Tamiya

  Brassin set - 100lb US bombs for P-40E in 1/48 scale.

  Set consists of 3 bombs. Made by direct 3D printing.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 6 parts,

  - decals: yes,

  - photo-etched details: yes,

  - painting mask: no.

  Brassin set - 52gal fuel drop tank for P-40E in 1/48 scale.

  Set consists of 1 tank. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic

  parts. Made by direct 3D printing.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 2 parts,

  - decals: no,

  - photo-etched details: no,

  - painting mask: no.

  Brassin set - exhaust nozzle for F-35C in 1/48 scale.

  Made by direct 3D printing.

  Recommended kit: Tamiya

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 4 parts,

  - decals: no,

  - photo-etched details: no,

  - painting mask: no.

  INFO Eduard84

  March 2025

• Strana 85

  6481088

  F4F-4 exhausts PRINT

  1/48 Academy

  6481089

  F4F-4 wheels early

  1/48 Academy

  6481090

  F4F-4 wheels late

  1/48 Academy

  Brassin set - exhaust ducts for F4F-4 in 1/48 scale.

  Made by direct 3D printing.

  Recommended kit: Academy

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 1 part,

  - decals: no,

  - photo-etched details: no,

  - painting mask: no.

  Brassin set - the undercarriage wheels for F4F-4 in 1/48

  scale. The set consists of the main wheels and 3 types of a tail

  wheel. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Academy

  Set contains:

  - resin: 5 parts,

  - decals: no,

  - photo-etched details: no,

  - painting mask: yes.

  Brassin set - the undercarriage wheels for F4F-4 in 1/48

  scale. The set consists of the main wheels and 3 types of a tail

  wheel. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Academy

  Set contains:

  - resin: 5 parts,

  - 3D print: 2 parts,

  - decals: no,

  - photo-etched details: yes,

  - painting mask: yes.

  ON APPROACHAPRIL 2025

  INFO Eduard

  85

  March 2025

• Strana 86

  ON APPROACH

  6481092

  F4F-4 gun barrels PRINT

  1/48 Academy

  6481093

  A6M5/7 500kg bomb PRINT

  1/48 Eduard

  6481094

  A6M5 seat PRINT

  1/48 Eduard

  Brassin set - gun barrels for F4F-4 in 1/48 scale.

  The set consists of 6 barrels. Made by direct 3D printing.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Academy

  Set contains:

  - resin: 4 parts,

  - decals: no,

  - photo-etched details: no,

  - painting mask: no.

  Brassin set - 500kg bomb for A6M5 Zero in 1/48 scale.

  Set consists of 1 bomb. Made by direct 3D printing. Easy to

  assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 4 parts,

  - decals: yes,

  - photo-etched details: yes,

  - painting mask: no.

  Brassin set - pilot seat for A6M5 Zero in 1/48 scale.

  Made by direct 3D printing. Easy to assemble,

  replaces plastic parts. Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 1 part,

  - decals: no,

  - photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted,

  - painting mask: no.

  APRIL 2025

  INFO Eduard86

  March 2025

• Strana 87

  672407

  Spitfire Mk.V wheels

  1/72 Tamiya

  672408

  Spitfire Mk.V three-stacks exhaust rounded PRINT

  1/72 Tamiya

  672409

  Spitfire Mk.V three-stacks exhaust fishtail PRINT

  1/72 Tamiya

  Brassin set - the undercarriage wheels for Spitfire

  Mk.V in 1/72 scale. The set consists of the main wheels

  and a tail wheel. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic

  parts. Recommended kit: Tamiya

  Set contains:

  - resin: 3 parts,

  - decals: no,

  - photo-etched details: yes,

  - painting mask: yes.

  Brassin set - exhaust stacks for Spitfire Mk.V in 1/72 scale.

  Made by direct 3D printing. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic

  parts. Recommended kit: Tamiya

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 2 parts,

  - decals: no,

  - photo-etched details: no,

  - painting mask: no.

  Brassin set - exhaust stacks for Spitfire Mk.V in 1/72 scale.

  Made by direct 3D printing. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic

  parts. Recommended kit: Tamiya

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 2 parts,

  - decals: no,

  - photo-etched details: no,

  - painting mask: no.

  ON APPROACHAPRIL 2025

  INFO Eduard

  87

  March 2025

• Strana 88

  ON APPROACH

  644300

  P-40E w/ fishtail exhaust stacks LööKplus

  1/48 Eduard

  Collection of 4 sets for P-40E in 1/48 scale.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  - LööK set (pre-painted Brassin dashboard & Steelbelts),

  - undercarriage wheels,

  - exhaust stacks,

  - painting mask.

  APRIL 2025

  672410

  Spitfire Mk.V six-stacks exhaust fishtail PRINT

  1/72 Tamiya

  Brassin set - exhaust stacks for Spitfire Mk.V in 1/72

  scale. Made by direct 3D printing. Easy to assemble,

  replaces plastic parts. Recommended kit: Tamiya

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 2 parts,

  - decals: no,

  - photo-etched details: no,

  - painting mask: no.

  INFO Eduard88

  March 2025

• Strana 89

  ON APPROACH

  674028

  Bf 109G-6 LööKplus

  1/72 Eduard

  Collection of 4 sets for Bf 109G-6 in 1/72 scale.

  Recommended kit: Tamiya

  - LööK set (pre-painted Brassin dashboard & Steelbelts),

  - undercarriage wheels,

  - exhaust stacks,

  - painting mask.

  APRIL 2025

  INFO Eduard

  89

  March 2025

• Strana 90

  ON APPROACH

  SIN67230

  Bf 109G-10 WNF

  1/72 Eduard

  Collection of 4 sets for Bf 109G-10 manufactured by Wiener Neustädter

  Flugzeugwerke in 1/72 scale. Recommended kit: Eduard

  - engine,

  - cockpit,

  - undercarriage wheels,

  - propeller.

  All sets included in this BIG SIN are available separately,

  but with every BIG SIN set you save up to 30 %.

  APRIL 2025

  INFO Eduard90

  March 2025

• Strana 91

  SIN67231

  Bf 109G-10 Mtt Regensburg

  1/72 Eduard

  Collection of 4 sets for Bf 109G-10 manufactured by Messerschmitt

  factory in Regensburg in 1/72 scale. Recommended kit: Eduard

  - engine,

  - cockpit,

  - undercarriage wheels,

  - propeller.

  All sets included in this BIG SIN are available separately,

  but with every BIG SIN set you save up to 30 %.

  BRASSIN 02/2022BRASSIN 02/2022

  ON APPROACHAPRIL 2025

  INFO Eduard

  91

  March 2025

• Strana 92

  ON APPROACH

  SIN67232

  Bf 109G-10 Erla

  1/72 Eduard

  Collection of 4 sets for Bf 109G-10 manufactured by Erla factory in Leipzig in 1/72 scale.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  - engine,

  - cockpit,

  - undercarriage wheels,

  - propeller.

  All sets included in this BIG SIN are available separately,

  but with every BIG SIN set you save up to 30 %.

  APRIL 2025

  INFO Eduard92

  March 2025

• Strana 93

  INFO Eduard

  93

  March 2025

• Strana 94

  FOTOLEPTY

  53322 USS Wasp LHD-1 part 5 1/350 Trumpeter

  481158 B-24D bomb racks 1/48 Hobby Boss

  481159 B-24D bomb bay 1/48 Hobby Boss

  481160 A6M5 Zero landing flaps 1/48 Fine Molds

  491510 B-24D nose interior 1/48 Hobby Boss

  491511 F-14D 1/48 Great Wall Hobby

  491513 A6M5 Zero 1/48 Fine Molds

  491515 Lysander Mk.I/III 1/48 Airfix

  491517 MH-60L 1/48 ICM

  491518 MH-60L cargo seatbelts STEEL 1/48 ICM

  491519 B-24D radio compartment 1/48 Hobby Boss

  72743 E-2C/C+ undercarriage 1/72 Heller

  73845 A-6E TRAM 1/72 Trumpeter

  73846 MiG-29 9-13 1/72 Great Wall Hobby

  73847 E-2C 1/72 Heller

  73848 E-2C+ 1/72 Heller

  ZOOMY

  FE1511 F-14D 1/48 Great Wall Hobby

  FE1512 F-14D seatbelts STEEL 1/48 Great Wall Hobby

  FE1513 A6M5 Zero 1/48 Fine Molds

  FE1514 A6M5 Zero seatbelts STEEL 1/48 Fine Molds

  FE1515 Lysander Mk.I/III 1/48 Airfix

  FE1516 Lysander Mk.I/III seatbelts STEEL 1/48 Airfix

  FE1517 MH-60L 1/48 ICM

  FE1518 MH-60L seatbelts STEEL 1/48 ICM

  SS845 A-6E TRAM 1/72 Trumpeter

  SS847 E-2C 1/72 Heller

  SS848 E-2C+ 1/72 Heller

  MASKY

  EX1103 F-14D 1/48 Great Wall Hobby

  EX1104 A6M5 Zero 1/48 Fine Molds

  EX1105 A6M5 Zero TFace 1/48 Fine Molds

  EX1106 MH-60L 1/48 ICM

  EX1107 MH-60L TFace 1/48 ICM

  EX1108 Lysander Mk.I/III 1/48 Airfix

  EX1109 Lysander Mk.I/III TFace 1/48 Airfix

  EX1110 Spitfire Mk.II 1/48 Eduard

  EX1111 Spitfire Mk.II TFace 1/48 Eduard

  EX1112 A6M2-K TFace 1/48 Eduard

  EX1113 A6M5 Zero TFace 1/48 Eduard

  CX688 E-2C 1/72 Heller

  CX689 A-6E TRAM 1/72 Trumpeter

  CX690 MiG-29 9-13 1/72 Great Wall Hobby

  SPACE

  3DL48215 F-14D SPACE 1/48 Great Wall Hobby

  3DL48216 A6M5 Zero SPACE 1/48 Fine Molds

  3DL48217 MH-60L SPACE 1/48 ICM

  3DL48218 Lysander Mk.I/III SPACE 1/48 Airfix

  3DL48219 A6M2-K SPACE 1/48 Eduard

  3DL48220 A6M5 Zero SPACE 1/48 Eduard

  3DL72059 E-2C SPACE 1/72 Heller

  3DL72060 E-2C+ SPACE 1/72 Heller

  3DL72061 A-6E TRAM SPACE 1/72 Trumpeter

  3DL72062 MiG-29 9-13 SPACE 1/72 Great Wall Hobby

  OBTISKY

  D48119 P-40E stencils 1/48 Eduard

  D72054 P-51D-5 "15th AF" 1/72 Eduard

  ON APPROACH

  APRIL 2025

  INFO Eduard94

  March 2025

• Strana 95

  ON APPROACH

  KAMIKAZE TOKKÔTAI 1/48

  #11184

  APRIL 2025

  IJN Special Attack Units

  Dual Combo

  A6M5 Zero Type 52, probably c/n 4271, Lt.

  Yukio Seki, 1st Kamikaze Tokubetsu Kōgekitai,

  Shikishima-tai, Mabalacat airfield, Phillipines,

  October 1944

  A6M5 Zero Type 52, Hikōtai 165, Kōkūtai 653,

  IJN Zuihō, Ōita base, Japan, September 1944

  A6M5 Zero Type 52, Kōkūtai 210, Meiji Base, Japan, winter 1944-1945

  INFO Eduard

  95

  March 2025

• Strana 96

  ON APPROACH

  APRIL 2025

  A6M5 Zero Type 52, Lt. (jg) Seizō Yasunori,

  Kamikaze Tokubetsu Kōgekitai, Dai 7 Shōwa-

  -tai, Kanoya Base, Japan, May 1945

  A6M2-K, Ensign Kōzō Koizumi, Kamikaze

  Tokubetsu Kōgekitai, Dai 7 Shōwa-tai, Kanoya

  Base, Japan, April 1945

  A6M2-K, Lt. (jg) Tamotsu Kaneko, Kamikaze

  Tokubetsu Kōgekitai, Dai 1 Tsukuba-tai, Kanoya

  Base, Japan, April 1945

  A6M5 Zero Type 52, Lt. Nao Sugisaki, Kōkūtai

  352, Ōmura Base, Japan, March 1945

  A6M2-K, Kasumigaura Kōkūtai, Sentōki Toku-

  betsu Kōgekitai, Chitose Base, Japan, July 1945

  A6M2-K, Tsukuba Kōkūtai,

  Tsukuba Base, Japan, 1944

  A6M2-K, Tsukuba Kōkūtai, Tsukuba Base, Japan, 1944

  INFO Eduard96

  March 2025

• Strana 97

  ON APPROACH

  Spitfire Mk.IIa 1/48

  #84206

  APRIL 2025

  P7966, W/Cdr Douglas R. S. Bader, CO of Tangmere Wing,

  RAF Tangmere, United Kingdom, March - July 1941

  P8084, F/Lt James J. O´Meara, No. 64 Squadron,

  RAF Drem, United Kingdom, September - October 1941

  P8088, P/O Alec S. C. Lumsden, No. 118 Squadron,

  RAF Ibsley, United Kingdom, April - August 1941

  P7619, S/Ldr Brian J. E. Lane, CO of No. 19 Squadron,

  RAF Duxford/RAF Fowlmere, United Kingdom,

  January-June 1941

  P7542, S/Ldr Adolph G. Malan, CO of No. 74 Squadron,

  RAF Biggin Hill, United Kingdom, December 1940-March 1941

  INFO Eduard

  97

  March 2025

• Strana 98

  ON APPROACH

  P-51D-5 Mustang

  1/72

  #7476

  APRIL 2025

  44-13691, Lt. Arval J. Roberson,

  362nd FS, 357th FG, 8th AF, Leiston,

  United Kingdom, September 1944

  44-13309, Maj. Evan McCall, 380th FS,

  363rd FG, 9th AF, Maupertus airfield,

  Cherbourg, France, July 1944

  44-13737, Lt. Anton Walace, 486th FS,

  352nd FG, 8th AF, Bodney, UK, June 1944

  P-51D-5, 44-13494, Lt. Walter J. Goehausen Jr., 308th FS, 31st FG, 15th AF,

  San Severo, Italy, summer 1944

  INFO Eduard98

  March 2025

• Strana 99

  ON APPROACH

  Allied Airfield with PSP cover 1/48

  #8804

  APRIL 2025

  INFO Eduard

  99

  March 2025

• TEC - Don't whimper and print!

  Last week, I came across an interview with

  the famous Czech 3D printer manufacturer

  Mr. Prusa on the Seznam news server. The in-

  terview intrigued me and brought to my mind

  thoughts that I could not shake over the next se-

  veral days. Mr. Prusa had interesting thoughts,

  considerations and claims in the interview, and

  since we at Eduard use 3D printers extensive-

  ly, know something about them and 3D printing

  as a whole, partially founding our business on

  them, my thoughts began to turn into some

  uncertainties. The truth is that we only have

  nine printers, but if we disregard for a moment

  quantity and deal instead with our experiences,

  setbacks, successes and plans for the future,

  we can safely conclude that we also have so-

  mething to say on the topic.

  The interview devoted a lot of space to Chi-

  nese 3D printer manufacturers and their unfair

  practices. It discussed spying on customers,

  state subsidies and cheap loans, copying Wes-

  tern products and technologies, and pointed

  out things that generally are known about the

  Chinese. Until recently, we had no experience

  with Chinese 3D printers. Bravely and patrio-

  tically, we equipped ourselves with American

  and Australian printers, first printing masters

  for casting resin sets on them, and then mass

  production of 3D printed parts proper. This step

  eliminated American printers from our selecti-

  on, because the business conditions dictated by

  the manufacturer were so demanding that we

  ruled out equipping our print shop with them.

  What bothered us most was that the supplier

  forced us to use only their printing resin, with

  each batch of material being accompanied by

  a chip slayed to the printer and only then could

  printing be done. No chip, no printing. You might

  argue that this was a fair business practice, but

  to us, it was a piss-poor one that, naturally, also

  carried with it a high price tag of production.

  It was exceptionally expensive, and we had

  some doubts about it also being correspondin-

  gly good in terms of quality. Cheaper material

  seemed to yield equal and even better results,

  and the comparisons did not bode well for the

  American conditions dictated. So, out the win-

  dow went that company and their printers.

  Given the scope of our requirements, I am sure

  that they were not in any way dependent on be-

  ing our supplier, but I am equally sure that we

  weren’t the only ones to tell them where they

  can stick their printers, resin, practices and

  customer appreciation.

  We also eliminated Chinese and Taiwanese

  printers because at that time their print quality

  was not at the level of the American and Aus-

  tralian units. We also eliminated those of the

  aforementioned Mr. Prusa, who’s printers were

  not suitable for our production needs. The Aus-

  tralians stayed in contention, and at the time of

  purchase, they were at the top of their class.

  We bought them, successfully introduced 3D

  mass production on them and we were com-

  fortable, happy and satisfied. Unfortunately,

  the projectors of the printers we bought later

  started to fail after about two thousand hours.

  Considering that the first two printers we bou-

  ght at that time still had their original projec-

  tors with a mileage more than double that of

  the new broken machines, we were surprised.

  Replacing the projectors was not cheap, yet the

  manufacturer refused to admit the mistake and

  insisted that we had to buy replacement pro-

  jectors. Apparently the fault was on our side.

  OK, we bought them, but the problems keep on

  recurring, even though we adjusted the opera-

  ting conditions according to the printer manu-

  facturer's recommendations.

  That’s not the worst of it. The current state

  of technological development is interesting. At

  the time of purchase, we expected rapid techno-

  logical development and the arrival of printers

  with higher resolution. This happened, but to our

  surprise, not with our Australian investment,

  but with the Chinese. They approach things di-

  fferently than the Australians and Americans,

  their printers do not have a projector, but an LCD

  display. They also do not have pressure sensors,

  they print more slowly and have trouble prin-

  ting high-quality materials with a higher density.

  On the other hand, they are cheap, and for the

  price of one Australian printer you can buy on

  average about eighteen Chinese or Taiwanese

  printers. In the upper range of higher-quality

  and more powerful printers, you can even get

  as many as fifty cheaper Chinese machines. You

  will print slower on those Chinese printers, but

  you will make up for it in quantity, given the

  number of printers in the production process.

  But most importantly, your, prints will not be

  worse off for it. The Australians still have 4K

  printers, while the Chinese are already at 16K.

  The Australians promised 8K and later 12K prin-

  ters, but somehow it didn't work out. They're

  DON'T WHIMPER AND PRINT!

  INFO Eduard100

  March 2025

• Strana 101

  not talking much about the higher K numbers

  anymore, to say nothing of 16K. On the contra-

  ry, in Asia, China and Taiwan, development has

  picked up a frantic pace. Printers are evolving

  in innovation steps measured by months, while

  the lifespan of printers, especially the key ele-

  ments like the LCD display, is longer than the

  innovation cycle. So new, better quality and

  cheaper machines are coming to the market so

  quickly that it's not worth repairing the old ones.

  And the notion of more Australian machines is

  not even worth the discussion. Refurbishing an

  Australian projector costs twice as much as

  a new Chinese printer. Meanwhile, the Austra-

  lians still have 4K resolution, while a new LCD

  printer of the most expensive Chinese class

  already achieve 16K. Additionally, Chinese prin-

  ters have up to twice the build area. An Austra-

  lian printer today has got to be one tough sell.

  Under current conditions, even the Great Horst

  Fuchs would probably not sell an Australian

  printer.

  This is the situation that has put us on the

  edge of a dilemma, so to speak. Okay, the Chine-

  se are said to copy and steal. But the Taiwanese

  also produce very similar and probably equally

  high-quality printers in the same price range.

  They are also Chinese, but democratic and ho-

  nest, respecting the rules. The descendants of

  Chiang Kai-shek do not copy and steal, only the

  descendants of Mao Zedong and Chou En-lai do

  that, when you really think about it. Of course,

  we can buy a Czech printer, because Mr. Pru-

  sa neither copies nor steals, but unfortunately

  he does not have printers on the level of the

  Australians or the Chinese, regardless of their

  geographical origin. Pragmatically, we have no

  choice but to buy Taiwanese. They are in the

  same league in every way, no?

  And if you really delve into this a little deeper,

  doubt begins to creep in regarding those Chine-

  se vices. Who are they copying from when they

  manage to outperform their competitors at a

  better price? Maybe they have a time machine,

  but the question is who they copied that from.

  To tell the truth, I also have a problem with the

  spying. I'm not an IT guy and I don't brag that

  I understand everything, but I think that in or-

  der for someone to spy on me on the net, I have

  to have the offending tools that enable it on my

  own devices. Australian and American printers

  are connected to the net. But it's different with

  the Chinese, their printers are not connected,

  the data is transferred to them via a flash drive.

  Honestly, it's a bummer, transferring data over

  a network is better, and personally I would

  risk the snooping. There is a proven way to spy

  around the internet, most of them are based in

  Ireland and speak ‘American’, and if some Chi-

  nese James Bond is looking at our 1/48 scale

  bombs and rockets, I'm completely stumped.

  So there's still the possibility that the Chinese

  are snooping even without being connected to

  the internet. God knows, their technological

  progress is really fast, maybe they have gotten

  that capability by now.

  To sum it up, my final impression of Mr. Pru-

  sa after listening to his interview twice and

  thinking about his thoughts for a week is that

  I would recommend that he stop whining about

  Chinese competition, get off his ass and come

  up with something, or copy something from the

  Chinese, so that he doesn't have to switch his

  new American factory from producing printers

  to popping out toasters (pun intended). Because

  those Chinese printers will be better and che-

  aper than his, even if the world's top customs

  officer, President T., imposed a 100% tariff on

  them. He would still have a few dozen percent

  of margin left. Mr. Prusa doesn't produce many

  printers of our type, I think he only has one type.

  His domain is line printers. But as it turns out,

  the situation in this market segment is similar

  to that of projector and LCD printers. The Chine-

  se also dominate line printers, with BambuLab

  having the largest market share, over 40%, and

  Prusa having 3%. I'm not familiar with filament

  printers, we don't use them, but if you browse

  the internet, look at prices and compare pro-

  ducts, it looks like Prusa’s flagship unit costs

  twice as much as the flagship of his Chinese

  competitor. And that’s gotta be a kick in the

  nads….

  We are currently testing how Chinese prin-

  ters handle different materials. We also have

  material from Prusa. We hope that Mr. Prusa’s

  resin material works well. If it is cheaper and

  better than the Chinese equivalents, we will be

  happy to buy from him, and the quantities will

  not be small.

  So, what’s our takeaway from all this? My opi-

  nion is that most of what is said about the Chi-

  nese and their industry is already ten to fifteen

  years outdated. Today, the situation is complete-

  ly different. The Chinese no longer have anyone

  to copy from in most fields, they are a steamship

  ahead of the competition in many of them. This

  ultimately applies to our field as well. Who can

  they copy from, when at least three quarters of

  all molds for newly released plastic models are

  custom-made in China? It's time to stop lying to

  ourselves about our European and American

  technological superiority, stop whining about

  Chinese injustices and instead work our asses

  off to catch up with their technological lead. And

  it's not just about 3D printers.

  INFO Eduard

  101

  March 2025

• Strana 102

• Strana 103

  15. 03. 2025

  O stít

  mesta

  jihlavy

  KPM Jihlava

  si Vás dovoluje pozvat

  na modelářskou soutěž

  www.kpmjihlava.

  estranky.cz

  29 soutěžních kategorií

  19 speciálních cen

  PŘEKVAPENÍ

  Historické přednášky

  prodej modelů

  a modelářských potřeb

  dko jihlava

  tolstého 1455, Jihlava

  JUBILEJNÍ

  50. ROCNÍK

  pro registrované

  přítomné modeláře!

• Strana 104

• Strana 105

  14. ročník modelářské soutěže

  PANTHERS CUP

  Hlavní téma: VÍTĚZSTVÍ

  Kdy: 22. 3. 2025

  Kde: Novoborská 2, Praha 9

  Další informace: www.pantherscup.cz

  ať už je to vítìzný závodní vůz,

  triumfální letadlo nebo jakýkoliv jiný

  symbol úspìchu.

  Téma letošního

  pantherscupu

  je

  vítìzství

  KDY JINDY NEŽ TENTO ROK

  MŮŽETE NA PROSEKU VYHRÁT

  DOKONCE DVAKRÁT NAJEDNOU!

• Strana 106

• Strana 107

  Karlovarský kit klub p.s. ve spolupráci s Krajskou knihovnou Karlovy Vary

  pořádá soutěžní výstavu plastikových modelů

  12. 4. 2025

  Sál hlavní budovy Krajské knihovny Karlovy Vary

  8:00 Přihlašování a příprava expozice vystavovaných modelů.

  9:00 až 15:30 Otevření výstavy pro veřejnost.

  Bližší informace a propozice na facebookové stránce Karlovarského kit klubu.

• Strana 108

• Editorial

  Dear Friends,

  spring is slowly approaching and with it the start of the new show season. This year, it promises to be very eventful, with three shows lined up for March alone. Next week we will be in Verona, a week later in Bytom and the week after that in Prosek, hosts of the Panthers Cup. In addition to Verona, where we will be in possession of our already announced new items for this month, we will have along something brand new in Poland and in Prosek. In mid-March we will take the Kamikaze Tokkotai Limited Edition kit to the shows, which is already attracting more and more people thanks to an intensive promotional campaign. It didn't look like that even two weeks ago. In the meantime, we released the marking options for the kit and images of the plastic, and lo and behold, the situation changed almost overnight, so at the moment it looks like this Limited Edition item will be an instant hit and will be one of those products that sell out very quickly. After all, what else would we expect from an item with such a name, right?

  In Bytom and Prosek we will also have our 1:72nd scale MiG-21bis plastic, which will then have their premiere a month later. For Czechs and Slovaks, the new MiG will have its premiere at Easter in Prostejov, and for foreign customers, including our friend Gabor, a week later in Moson in Hungary. I am sure that Gabor is already sharpening his teeth to chew this kit apart and spit it out, but there will be no Gabaresque issues with the intake this time around. We have remodeled the entire front part of the fuselage, the nose is based on scans of the real thing that flew in East Germany, and we addressed everything we could, even adding missiles and pylons in the process, as well as other, fine details. There are more antennas on this thing than you can shake a stick at. They are terribly tiny little things, but they should cover the entire range of avionics that were used on that aircraft from air force to air force. I would say that this shows the power of freedom and democracy, because it seems that after the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact, every user installed whatever they wanted or could in their aircraft, when the Russians could no longer dictate what client states could and could not do. In our case, it shows how far tooling has advanced and how fine a detail we can achieve in plastic nowadays. And we don't even need to go back to square one with the molds. We probably won't please Gabor, but he will have to accept it. Oh, and someone has already complained that the bis will not be riveted. That has to simply be accepted, too, just as we have done. We would like to give it our current touch in terms of surface treatment, but given that the bis is a continuation of the MiG-21PF, PFM and MF series, which are not riveted to the extent we’d like, it seems stupid to suddenly change the appearance style in the middle of the release scheme and rivet the three remaining versions. I'm talking about three versions, because we have two more ready, the R and the SMT.

  And while we're on the subject of MiG-21s, I think we could begin showing something of the 48th MiG-21F in Prostejov and Moson. We already have all eight molds at advanced states, five of them are already milled, and I assume that in the next two months we will have at least half of the molds completely finished and we will slowly show the resulting plastic. I must admit that I am looking forward to this MiG. Although it was the first mass-produced MiG-21 version, this counterpart in kit form somewhat illogically closes out the MiG-21 development line in our catalog, which we started almost fifteen years ago. The difference in the technology between our first MiG-21MF and now is pretty massive, I would even go so far as to say insane. I almost feel like going back to the MF and retooling it, but I'm afraid that it might just remain a temptation. Although, they do say ‘never say never’. Might be a good point of discussion at the E-day Q & A.

  And having mentioned E-day, I’ll drop a few bits of information on that theme as well. Last week we signed a contract with the Zahrada Cech Exhibition Center in Litomerice. So there's no turning back and this year's E-day will definitely be at that venue. It’s a great venue and the event promises to be awesome. To tell the truth, we have the ambition and desire to make it the best E-day of all time, and to surpass the legendary first E-days in Pilsen and those that were held in the Butovice garages, which more and more people remember with a strong nostalgia. Certain details are still being ironed out. We have resolved the catering, which looks very promising for both the main Saturday program and the Friday evening pre-party. Things look promising with the displays of historical technology. This year, it will probably replace the flight program, which looks like it will not happen this time around. Nevertheless, we are exploring this possibility as well, albeit chances are pretty low at this point. Flight demonstrations could return to the program provided that we extend E-day again to Sunday, making it two days. We will decide whether to do this in the fall, after this year’s event and the main argument for the decision whether to extend or not will be dictated by your feedback.

  Jindra Sterbacek will return to moderate the Pot Q & A. We are working together on a plan to change the Pot format, intending to make it more dynamic, and involve you, the participants, more with your questions, and I think that the whole thing will be up to date and correspondingly interesting. We will try to get representatives of other companies involved, too. We’ve run it up the flagpole, and we seem to be getting some salutes. There should be plenty to choose from, and we are already registering increased interest from companies from the Czech Republic and abroad, and it looks like the participation of model companies will also be record-breaking this year. According to the first responses from modelers, it could be the same with the exhibiting participants. By the way, the main prize in the competition will again be an ultrasonic knife, courtesy of the Annetra company.

  E-day has always been largely about new products, especially premieres. This year, the 48th scale MiG-21F-13 will premiere at E-day. You already know that, but we are working on other projects, and if everything goes well, two more kits may premiere at the event. I won't reveal them to you just yet, but I won't keep you waiting until October either. As soon as we are sure that we can finish these projects on time, we will present them before E-day while meeting modelers in Prague and Prostejov.

  For now, check the map to see how to get to Litomerice, check out the city's website for what there is to see in and around it, of which there is plenty, and if possible, arrange a day off for Friday so you don't miss anything. This year's E-day will be worth it!

  I won't keep you waiting any longer. I'll just remind you that next week we will publish another episode of our sit-together podcast with Katka Borecka, myself and Kuba Nademlejnský. We have loosened up a bit and the podcast will be a little longer than the last one, but I still believe that you will not be bored. Next week, we are recording another podcast, dedicated to the Limited Edition kit Kamikaze Tokkotai, conceived out of a conversation on the topic of the Kamikaze between an expert and an informed enthusiast. I am the latter, while Honza Bobek is the former. It is of course a serious topic, but I believe that you will enjoy it.

  And with that, I wish you all, my friends, a pleasant few hours with this issue of our newsletter.

   

  Happy Modelling,

   

  Vladimir Sulc

• Flying Knights in Australia

  On the box art by Adam Tooby, two aircraft from the 9th Fighter Squadron, 49th Fighter

  Group are depicted flying over northern Australia. Capt. Ben S. Irvin is piloting

  "The Rebel", while Lt. Robert Harry Vaught is flying "Bob’s Robin". “Bitchin’ Ben” Irvin

  was a veteran of the battles in the Philippines and Java.

  
  

  Text: Jan Bobek

  The 49th Fighter Group was one of the most significant fighter units of the U.S. Army Air Forces in the Pacific Theater. Its airmen achieved 664 victories while flying P-40s, P-38s, and P-47s over Australia, New Guinea, and the Philippines. Among its top aces were "Dick" Bong, the most successful American fighter pilot of World War II, with 40 victories, and "Jerry" Johnson, with 22 victories. Both flew P-38 Lightnings as part of the 9th Fighter Squadron, known as the "Flying Knights," continuing the legacy of their predecessors, who first took off against the enemy in March 1942 in Curtiss P-40E Warhawks. Their early missions were anything but easy.

   

  From USA to Australia

  This fighter unit was established in June 1940 in the United States as the 49th Pursuit Group (Interceptor). At that time, only its Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron existed. In December, the 7th, 8th, and 9th Pursuit Squadrons were assigned to the group as its fighter squadrons. The unit was officially activated in January 1941, with a cadre of pilots, some with prior experience, drawn from the 31st Pursuit Group, a unit that had itself been in existence for only a year. The 49th PG was initially equipped with outdated P-35 aircraft, which its airmen used for training at the unit level and during military exercises.

   Photo: Australian War Memorial

  Archerfield, Queensland, Australia, early 1942. Uncrating a United States Army Air Corps P-40E aircraft (AC-5336) for one of American Pursuit Groups.

  Photo: Australian War Memorial

  Assembling a United States Army Air Corps P40E aircraft at Archerfield, Queensland, Australia.

  Photo: Australian War Memorial

  Part of the P-40 Kittyhawk aircraft at the crash site on the slopes of Mount Imlay. The Warhawk belonged to 49th PG. Another Kittyhawk from the same Squadron crashed at Wonboyn on the same day. Both pilots, 2nd Lieutenant John Musial and Neal Takala were both killed. On March 28, 1942, Takala and three other pilots was on a routine training exercise from Fairbairn Airbase to the Snowy Mountains, but encountered dense fog over the coast near Eden. Two surviving pilots Lts. Namola and Fielder were later to lose their lives also, in the defence of Darwin, on 16 and 23 June 1942.

  
  

  After the Japanese attack on the United States in December 1941, Maj. P. B. Wurthsmith, a pilot who had earned his air badge in 1928 and had seen combat against the Japanese in the Philippines with the 17th PG, was appointed commander of the 49th PG. On Christmas Day, his newly assigned unit learned that it would be deployed to the Pacific. More than 1,100 of its members departed in a convoy from San Francisco to Melbourne, Australia, on January 11, 1942. They arrived safely at their destination on February 1, 1942, making the 49th PG the first unit of the U.S. Army Air Corps to reach a combat zone after Japan declared war.

  From the outset, the 49th Pursuit Group (PG) was stationed at three different bases and was joined by Capt. Boyd "Buzz" Wagner of the 17th Pursuit Squadron (PS), who had become the first fighter ace of the U.S. Army Air Corps during the battles over the Philippines in December.

  Each squadron was equipped with 25 P-40E Warhawks, requiring pilots to transition to new aircraft. Only after arriving at Australian bases did they begin to familiarize themselves with the Warhawk. Due to the engine's characterictics, taxiing proved challenging, leading to numerous incidents, with several dozen aircraft sustaining minor or major damage in crashes.

  41-5509, 1Lt. Joseph J. Kruzel, 17th PS (Provisional), 4th CG, Java, February 1942

  Joseph John Kruzel was born on February 17, 1918, in Pennsylvania. He entered the Air Force in May 1940 and was assigned to the 2nd Observation Squadron in the Philippines in December of that year. He was then transferred to the 17th PS in September 1941. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the invasion of the Philippines, the 17th PS moved to Australia and Kruzel subsequently took part in the fighting in the Dutch East Indies. He achieved his first kill on February 17, 1942, when he shot down a Ki-27 over Palembang. This was followed by two A6M kills on February 19 and 20. In March he joined the 9th FS in Australia, where his wingman was George Preddy. He served with the unit until his return home in December 1942. In November 1943, he moved with the 361st FG to England to Bottisham Base, where the group received its P-47Ds. In Europe, Kruzel achieved three more kills plus one shared. This brought his total to 6.5 kills and one damaged aircraft. He returned to the US in January 1945 and held a number of important positions postwar, achieving the rank of Major General. He retired on August 1, 1970 and died on July 10, 2002 at the age of 84. His P-40 from when he was still with the 17th PS sported the drawing of a dragon breathing fire on both sides of the nose. A similar drawing then adorned another P-40E that Kruzel used in Australia. This one, however, was camouflaged in British colors, and Kruzel’s Flight was named “Dragon Flight” after it.  

     

  At the time, there was growing concern in Australia over the Japanese advance on New Guinea, particularly toward the strategic Port Moresby base, as well as the potential for a Japanese landing on the Australian mainland. These fears intensified after the Japanese carrier raid on Darwin on February 19, 1942, launched from the carriers Akagi, Hiryū, Sōryū, and Kaga. This attack, the first and largest air raid on Australian territory during World War II, is often referred to as "Australia’s Pearl Harbor."

  The defenders mistakenly identified the incoming Japanese attackers as a formation of P-40s from the 33rd Pursuit Squadron, which had been forced to turn back from an attempted transfer to Java due to bad weather.

  Having learned from the Pearl Harbor raid, the Japanese airmen did not focus solely on attacking vessels but also targeted land infrastructure. The first raid was soon followed by a second, carried out by 54 twin-engine naval bombers from bases in Indonesia, which concentrated on airfields and other key facilities.

  Despite losing four aircraft, the Japanese forces managed to sink 10 Allied ships, including the destroyer USS Peary, destroy 23 aircraft, devastate both military and civilian infrastructure in Darwin, and ensure an unopposed landing on Timor.

   

  Horn Island and the 7th Pursuit Squadron Interlude

  In early March 1942, Maj. Wurthsmith asked Lt. Morrissey, commander of the 7th Pursuit Squadron (PS), whether he had enough experienced pilots to form a detachment for deployment to Horn Island, located in the Torres Strait between northern Queensland, Australia, and Papua New Guinea. Morrissey assembled a group of twelve airmen, who departed for the island immediately. However, only nine pilots reached their destination—arriving without ground personnel or essential equipment.

  On March 14, 1942, eight G4M Betty bombers, accompanied by twelve A6M2 Zero Model 21 fighters, launched an air raid on this base. All the aircraft belonged to the 4th Kōkūtai. While the bombers, led by Lt. Shigeo Yamagata, took off from Rabaul, their fighter escort, under the command of Lt. Shirō Kawai, departed from the recently captured Lae airbase in New Guinea. Lt. Morrissey received an advance warning of the approaching attack and managed to get his pilots into the air in time.

  The Betty bomber crews dropped their payload on the base undisturbed and with precision from an altitude of 7,000 meters (23,000 feet). Ten minutes later, a “Hurricane” fighter attacked the formation, and the bombers’ gunners claimed to have shot it down. The American aircraft was likely piloted by 2nd Lt. Harold J. Martin, who was later credited with shooting down one of the bombers.

  41-5647, 1Lt. John Landers, 9th FS, 49th FG, Darwin, Australia, 1942

  John Dave Landers was one of the fighter pilots who achieved victories in two different theatres of war during WW II. He scored his first six kills in the Pacific and added the rest to his total of 14.5 kills in Europe. Born in Oklahoma on August 23, 1920, he moved to Texas at the age of eighteen. He entered the Army Air Cadet program in April 1941, was commissioned as a First Lieutenant on December 12 and shipped to Australia as early as January 1942. He joined the 9th FS/49th FG after delivering one P-40E to Darwin on April 3. He scored two kills the very next day, then added two more victories on June 14 and July 30 before taking off on December 26 for his last combat flight in the Pacific. That day he firstly scored two kills, then was shot down over New Guinea and had to find his way through the jungle. In February 1943 he returned to the USA and was sent on his second operational tour, this time in Europe (where he later completed a third tour as well). The first of Lander’s P-40s is portrayed here. On the left side of the fuselage behind the cockpit, it bore a drawing of a hawk in a yellow field, as a mark of affiliation with the Andy Reynolds Flight, who was the first to use this decoration. The decals provide the Hawk in black and dark brown version, as it is not sure which color was used. On the nose, Skeeter inscription and the drawing of a mosquito holding a machine gun were painted. It is not sure the mosquito was painted on the starboard side as well.  

  
  

  The raid resulted in the destruction of one twin-engine Hudson aircraft, damage to another, and inflicted significant damage to buildings, tents, a water tank, and vehicles. On their return flight, the bomber crews strafed an Allied vessel.

  The Japanese fighter escorts kept most of the American pilots engaged and claimed eight aircraft shot down. Among the Japanese pilots was Hiroyoshi Nishizawa, who would later become the most successful Japanese naval fighter pilot of the war. However, only four American aircraft sustained damage and the only complete loss was a P-40 whose pilot lost his bearings and had to bail out. He was later rescued by two young Aboriginal Australians.

  During the battle, the Americans claimed four Zeros shot down. Among the Japanese casualties was Lt. (jg) Nobuhiro Iwasaki, whose aircraft was later recovered, allowing Allied intelligence to gather valuable information, particularly from component nameplates. Iwasaki’s likely victor was Lt. Morrissey, who fired on the enemy from a distance of 200 yards. One of Iwasaki’s wingmen during the engagement was Nishizawa.

  The second Japanese pilot shot down was PO1c Genkichi Oishi. In his case, there is no doubt about his victor. Lt. A. T. House attacked a Zero that was attempting to get behind Morrissey. However, when House tried to fire, his machine guns malfunctioned, and not a single shot was fired.

  Thinking quickly, he decided to ram the Zero by striking its fuselage with the right wingtip of his aircraft, killing Oishi in the cockpit. The P-40 then entered uncontrollable, erratic maneuvers, but House managed to regain control at 4,000 feet and successfully landed back at the base at high speed, without deploying flaps.

  For this daring action, he was rightfully awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. Shortly after this battle, the 7th Pursuit Squadron was withdrawn from Horn Island, and House soon found himself in the hospital—but not due to combat. While on leave in Sydney, a taxi driver ran over his foot. Well, as the saying goes, those destined to hang will never drown.

   

  The Threat of Invasion

  Concerns about a potential Japanese invasion of Australia grew even more in early March 1942. On March 3, Broome Airfield in Western Australia was attacked by nine Zeros from the 3rd Kōkūtai. The Japanese airmen strafed the base and its surroundings, killing nearly 90 soldiers and civilians and destroying 23 aircraft.

  While returning to Koepang, three Zero pilots spotted a Dutch DC-3 transport aircraft. Because it was camouflaged, they assumed it was a legitimate target and opened fire, hitting the fuselage, right wing, and right engine. The aircraft went into a spin, but to the Japanese pilots' surprise, the pilot managed to recover just above the ground and successfully executed an emergency landing. That pilot was Ivan Smirnoff, a Russian fighter ace from World War I. Later that day, eight more Zeros from the same unit attacked Wyndham Base, destroying one aircraft and damaging several buildings.

  The very next day, on March 4, 1942, nine Zeros from the 3rd Kōkūtai attacked the RAAF base in Darwin. They successfully destroyed one Hudson bomber and damaged several buildings. All Japanese aircraft returned safely to base, although three sustained minor damage from anti-aircraft fire.

  A6M2 Zero Type 21, Lt. Zenjirō Miyano, 3. Kōkūtai, Poeleti airfield, Timor, March 1942

  This aircraft, manufactured by Mitsubishi, was photographed in April 1942 in Rabaul with partially repainted markings that originally belonged to Lieutenant Miyano. The bands and stripes may have been in dark blue or black color. Zenjirō Miyano served from 1939 with the 12th Kōkūtai in China and was appointed as a Buntaichō with the 3rd Kōkūtai in October 1941. He participated in the campaigns in the Philippines and the Dutch East Indies. During a raid on Broome, Australia, on March 3, 1942, Miyano attacked a Dutch civil DC-3. The pilot was Capt. Ivan Smirnoff, a World War I Russian fighter ace, despite one engine on fire, he managed to make an emergency landing, but the Zero pilots killed four passengers on the ground. In April 1942 Miyano was transferred to the 6th Kōkūtai, which was to be based at Midway. Part of his unit was on the way to Midway aboard the carrier Jun´yō, which participated in the attack against Dutch Harbor in the Aleutians. Miyano also participated in the raid. His unit was based at Rabaul from August 1942 and was redesignated Kōkūtai 204 in November. From March 1943 Miyano took position of Hikōtaichō. He was a combat tactics innovator and was the first to introduce the finger-four formation in Japanese naval aviation. Miyano achieved a total of 16 victories and was killed on June 16, 1943, over Guadalcanal during escort of dive bombers.

  
  

  At the time, the main Allied focus was on the battle for Java, leaving Australian bases temporarily unprotected. With the urgent need to secure fighter defenses for Port Moresby in New Guinea, the American military allocated 25 P-40 Warhawks to form No. 75 Squadron RAAF, which was officially established on March 4. The squadron relocated to Port Moresby on March 21, where its commander, "Old John" Jackson, faced extreme challenges. Despite the harsh conditions, he successfully led and motivated his pilots, transforming them from a group of inexperienced rookies into formidable challengers against the battle-hardened Japanese Navy pilots.

  By April, Allied fighter strength in the Port Moresby area was bolstered with the arrival of American Airacobras. Additionally, No. 76 Squadron RAAF at Archerfield and No. 77 Squadron RAAF at Pearce, Western Australia, were gradually equipped with P-40E Warhawks.

   

  9th Pursuit Squadron Deploys to Darwin

  Immediately after the Japanese attacks in Western Australia, the American 9th Pursuit Squadron (PS), under the command of Capt. James C. Selman, was assigned the task of defending Darwin. The ground personnel and technical equipment were transported by land from Melbourne, while 25 pilots began the 2,000-mile journey in their aircraft over unfamiliar terrain, departing in succession on March 8.

  Severe storms and technical issues delayed their arrival, and it took two weeks for the first pilots to reach their destination. However, Darwin Base was too heavily damaged to be a viable operational hub, so the Americans relocated to the more southerly Batchelor Field. By the end of the month, 21 of the original 25 aircraft and their pilots had successfully completed the journey and assembled at the new airfield.

  At this time, the 9th PS was reinforced with experienced pilots who had already seen combat against the Japanese. Lt. Joseph J. Kruzel had three confirmed victories, Lt. Ben S. Irvin had shot down a bomber and a Zero, and Lt. Andrew J. Reynolds had three Zero kills and a shared victory over a twin-engine aircraft, which he identified as a "Me 110."

   

  The First Air Battles

  The 7th Pursuit Squadron achieved its first aerial victory on March 22, 1942. A Japanese formation from the 3rd Kōkūtai consisted of a C5M Babs reconnaissance aircraft, escorted by three A6M2 Zero Type21s. After completing its mission, the reconnaissance aircraft separated from its escort, a fatal mistake. The Americans, flying at 20,000 feet, spotted the lone aircraft 1,000 feet below and gave it no chance.

   

  The attack was carried out by 2nd Lt. Clyde L. Harvey, Jr. and 1st Lt. Stephen Poleschuk. Under their combined fire, the C5M Babs crashed southwest of Bathurst Island, killing both crew members, PO1c Shigiki Mori and PO1c Shinobu Nagasawa. This victory, credited to Poleschuk, marked the first confirmed aerial kill for the 9th Pursuit Squadron.

  The 9th Pursuit Squadron achieved its first victory against enemy bombers on March 28, 1942, during a raid by seven G4M Betty bombers from the Takao Kōkūtai. The bomber formation flew without escort and successfully hit the runway at Darwin Airfield from an altitude of 18,000 feet, damaging one aircraft. The Japanese crews claimed to have shot down three P-40s, but in reality, none were lost. However, one Japanese bomber, commanded by Ensign Taketoshi Asahiro, was shot down, and the entire crew perished.

  On the American side, 2nd Lt. Clyde L. Harvey, Jr., 1st Lt. William D. Sells, and 1st Lt. Robert Harry Vaught each scored confirmed kills, while 1st Lt. Stephen Poleschuk was credited with a probable victory.

  In the next raid, which took place on March 30, the Japanese launched their attack with fighter escort. This time, seven G4M Betty bombers from the Takao Kōkūtai were accompanied by twelve Zeros from the 3rd Kōkūtai.

  The bombing raid caused minimal damage in Darwin, but the fighter escorts effectively protected the bombers. The Japanese pilots claimed to have shot down six P-40s and probably destroyed two more, but in reality, only two P-40s were damaged. Lt. McComsey was forced to bail out of a third aircraft.

  P-40E-1, 41-25164, Capt. Ben S. Irvin, 9th FS, 49th FG, Darwin, Australia, 1942

   

  April Air Raids

  During the April 2, 1942, raid on Darwin, the 9th Pursuit Squadron (PS) pilots were unable to inflict any damage on the attackers. However, two days later, the situation changed. On April 4, six G4M Betty bombers from the Takao Kōkūtai, escorted by six Zeros from the 3rd Kōkūtai, launched an air raid targeting both the RAAF base and the civilian airfield.

  At the time, two separate American formations were airborne, each consisting of seven P-40 Warhawks. However, only one of the groups managed to engage the Japanese forces.

  During the April 4 raid, one G4M Betty bomber was shot down by anti-aircraft defenses, while two others fell victim to American fighters—resulting in the loss of all crew members. The remaining bombers managed to return to base, though all sustained various degrees of damage. The airmen of the 9th Pursuit Squadron reported a total of eight kills. The confirmed victories were as follows: 2nd Lt. Grover J. Gardner, 2nd Lt. John A. Kelting, and 2nd Lt. John D. Livingstone, Jr. each shot down one bomber, 2nd Lt. John Dave Landers claimed two bombers, while 2nd Lt. Andrew Jackson Reynolds and 2nd Lt. John S. Sauber each shot down one bomber and one Zero. In this engagement, the Americans successfully executed their well-rehearsed attack tactics, diving from above and striking the bombers head-on. If conditions allowed, they would then launch follow-up attacks from the rear.

  However, the G4M Betty bombers proved to be a new and challenging adversary. The American pilots quickly learned that their opponents had a dangerous surprise, a 20mm cannon mounted in the rear turret, making attacks from rear risky.

  The Japanese fighters suffered no losses and scored four victories. Two P-40s were actually lost, but not due to Zeroes.  Approaching the base with their landing gear extended, pilots Garder and Livingstone came under fire from their own anti-aircraft defenses. Gardner managed to bail out, but Livingstone was killed while attempting to land at another airfield.

  In mid-April, a decision was made on the Japanese side to withdraw air units from Koepang to Kendari and to temporarily limit air raids on Australia because of other priorities. However, two more air raids were planned on Darwin before the troops were moved.

  P-40E, Lt. Robert Harry Vaught, 9th FS, 49th FG, Darwin, Australia, 1942 

  Lt. Robert Harry Vaught and his plane "Bob´s Robin“. 

  
  

  The first raid took place on April 25, 1942, and was carried out by 27 Betty bombers from Takao Kōkūtai, accompanied by nine Zeros from the 3rd Kōkūtai. Three bombers aborted the mission due to technical issues, and one was lost on its return. As usual, the Japanese executed a precise high-altitude attack on the RAAF base, but this time, they encountered greater resistance than in previous operations.

  On this day, the entire 49th Pursuit Group took to the air for the first time, with the 7th, 8th, and 9th Pursuit Squadrons deploying a total of 50 aircraft. In the ensuing battle, four Betty bombers were shot down, with all crew members killed. One bomber suffered a structural failure, causing its wing to collapse and leading to a mid-air collision with another aircraft. Additionally, 20 bombers sustained damage, three of which lost the use of one engine. One Zero was also shot down, the first lost in combat against the 49th PG over Darwin. Its pilot was PO1c Shirō Murakami.

  The bomber gunners claimed three downed P-40s, while the escort fighters reported another seven. However, none of the American aircraft were actually shot dow, only two P-40 pilots were forced to make emergency landings. Zeros were credited to 2nd Lt. William J. Hennon of the 9th Pursuit Squadron, while his colleagues from the 8th Pursuit Squadron claimed ten bombers and one Zero.

  Two days later, on April 27, the same Japanese units returned to Darwin. This time, only 17 bombers participated, but the fighter escort was larger, led by Lt. Takeo Kurosawa at the head of 21 Zeros. Once again, the 49th Pursuit Group deployed all three squadrons against the attackers, but this time they did not escape without losses. Four P-40 pilots were shot down, including the commander of the 8th Pursuit Squadron, Capt. Allison W. Strauss, who was killed. One of the local airfields was later named in his honor, like in the case of the unfortunate Livingstone.

  After a fierce battle, the Americans claimed several victories. 2nd Lt. Stephen Wallace Andrew of the 7th Pursuit Squadron reported downing one bomber and one Zero, while his colleagues from the 8th Pursuit Squadron claimed three bombers, four Zeros, and one additional Zero as probably shot down.

  In reality, the Japanese lost only one bomber, though ten others were damaged. Additionally, two Zeros returned to base with damage, but none were actually shot down. The bomber gunners claimed one P-40 destroyed, while the Japanese fighter escort optimistically reported shooting down thirteen P-40s with six more probable kills. The discrepancies in both sides' reports highlight the confusion and intensity of the aerial combat.

   

  Australian Winter

  The period from June to August is considered winter in Australia, and in the Darwin area, it is characterized by slightly cooler temperatures and, most notably, significantly less rainfall.

  After the battles in April, the 49th Pursuit Group took advantage of the favorable weather and a temporary pause in Japanese air raids to recover from losses, enhance combat readiness, and implement several administrative changes. The unit was officially redesignated as the 49th Fighter Group, and its squadrons were renamed Fighter Squadrons. Additionally, the pilots selected combat names and emblems for their squadrons.

  The 9th Fighter Squadron adopted the winged helmet as its emblem and began using the combat name "Flying Knights." Members of the 8th Fighter Squadron, initially nicknamed the "Eight Balls," later chose the fighting name "Black Sheep," a reference to their aircraft procurement. Unlike other units, they rarely received new planes and instead took over well-used aircraft from other squadrons. The 7th Fighter Squadron selected the Bunyip, a mythical Australian predator, as its emblem. It was painted on the aircraft rudders by Bill Hennon, a veteran of combat over the Philippines and Java.

  In mid-June, the Japanese once again focused their attacks on Darwin. On June 13, 15, and 16, a total of 27 Betty bombers from Takao Kōkūtai carried out each raid, with their escorts varying in size. The first raid was accompanied by as many as 45 Zeros from 3rd Kōkūtai, while the following two raids were escorted by 21 and 27 Zeros, respectively.

  A different type of Japanese attack took place on June 14. That day, 27 Zeros from 3rd Kōkūtai were tasked with strafing the base in Darwin. Radar operators initially believed the incoming aircraft were escorting approximately nine bombers, but it appears that no bombers were operating in the area. Instead, the Japanese fighters' mission was not only to attack the RAAF station but also to inflict losses on enemy fighters.

  During the ensuing battle, pilots from the 9th Fighter Squadron claimed one Zero each: 2nd Lt. I.B. Jack Donalson, 2nd Lt. John Dave Landers, and 2nd Lt. Andrew Jackson Reynolds. Additionally, Capt. Nathaniel H. Blanton from the 7th Fighter Squadron claimed one Zero as definitely shot down and another as probably destroyed.

  Over four days of intense fighting, the 49th Fighter Group claimed 13 Zeros certainly shot down and one probably destroyed, as well as one bomber confirmed, one probably downed, and three damaged. The Americans lost nine P-40s, with one pilot not surviving.

  The Japanese officially lost only two Zero pilots, who went missing on June 13, though it is possible they lost their bearings while returning to base. During the three bombing raids, approximately 20 G4M Betty bombers were damaged, and two crew members were killed. Meanwhile, Zero pilots claimed 19 confirmed victories and 12 probable victories in these engagements.

  P-40E, Capt. George E. Kiser, 8th FS, 49th FG, Darwin, Australia, 1942

  
  

  After a six-week pause, the Japanese launched another raid on July 30, 1942. Takao Kōkūtai sent 26 bombers to attack the RAAF base at Darwin, approaching the target at 26,000 feet. They were escorted by 27 Zeros from the 3rd Kōkūtai. After receiving a warning from Australian radar operators, 36 aircraft from the 49th Fighter Group took to the air to intercept. Once again, the Japanese crews struck their target with precision. One Australian aircraft was damaged, and hits were recorded on the runway, fuel supplies, and water pipes.

  Pilots from the 9th Fighter Squadron claimed several victories. 1st Lt. I. B. Jack Donalson, 2nd Lt. John Dave Landers, 1st Lt. Andrew Jackson Reynolds, and 1st Lt. Clay Tice Jr. each shot down one Zero. 2nd Lt. Clyde L. Harvey Jr. claimed a bomber as destroyed and was also credited with the probable destruction of a Zero. Their colleagues from the 7th Fighter Squadron claimed two Zeros and two bombers confirmed shot down, as well as one Zero as a probable kill.

  The battle was apparently chaotic once again, as only two Zeros were lost. One was shot down during the engagement, and its pilot, PO1c Shigeru Mukumoto, was killed. The other was lost near its base in Koepang due to an engine failure, forcing its pilot, PO2c Masashi Tomita, to ditch the aircraft. Japanese fighters claimed 16 victories, including three probable kills, but in reality, only one P-40 from the 7th Fighter Squadron was shot down.

  Within the 49th Fighter Group at this time, it wasn't just pilots who were achieving victories. Among such airmen was a certain 2/Lt. George Earl Preddy, Jr. who served with the 9th FS "Flying Knights". During air combat training on July 12, 1942, Preddy was flying in a formation of four aircraft led by 2nd Lt. John Sauber. He piloted his personal aircraft, P-40E "Tarheel" (41-5509), number 85. During a practice attack on Preddy, Sauber misjudged the distance, resulting in a mid-air collision. Sauber likely lost consciousness upon impact and perished in his aircraft. However, despite his injuries, Preddy managed to bail out of his Warhawk, and his colleagues guided an ambulance to the crash site.

  Fortunately, he was found before nightfall. He suffered multiple fractures, and the doctor later stated that he would have bled to death by morning. However, what concerned Preddy most at the time was the huge anthill near where he landed. After recovering, he was transferred to Europe, where he became the second-highest-scoring fighter ace of the 352nd Fighter Group, the "Blue-nosed Bastards of Bodney."

  Australia itself exposed both its inhabitants and visiting aviators to various dangers, primarily due to the local wildlife. On July 16, 1942, Robert H. Vaught, a colleague of Preddy, narrowly escaped death during a flight. For details on the origin of his nickname, "Snake Bite Bob," see the historical text on his aircraft in the Pacific Star kit featured in this issue of INFO magazine.

  In July, the Japanese launched night raids on Australian targets, for which neither the Australians nor the Americans had yet developed an effective countermeasure. In September, one 49th Fighter Group pilot attempted an unauthorized night fighter mission but was punished after landing—not only for the unauthorized action but also for forcing one of the airfields to turn on its runway lights.

   

  Final Battle and Move to New Guinea

  The last encounter between the 49th Fighter Group and enemy forces over Australia took place on August 23, 1942. As usual, 27 Betty bombers from Takao Kōkūtai, escorted by 27 Zeros from the 3rd Kōkūtai, launched an attack—this time targeting Hughes Field, south of Darwin. One bomber was forced to return early due to a malfunction.

  The raid was intercepted by 24 P-40s from the 7th and 8th Fighter Squadrons. Before the bombers could reach their target, several were forced out of formation. Two bombers sustained moderate damage, one was severely damaged, and another took several harmless hits. The only American loss was a P-40, whose pilot, while chasing the bombers, stopped to check his fuel level and inadvertently ended up in the sea.

  This time, the Japanese fighter escort suffered a heavy defeat. Among those killed was Buntaichō Lieutenant Tadatsune Tokaji, a veteran of the 12th China War Kōkūtai. Also lost were PO2c Nobutoshi Furukawa, PO2c Itsuzō Shimizu, and PO3c Yoshiyuki Hirata.

  The Americans reported eight Zeros confirmed as shot down and one damaged. Seven Japanese bombers were claimed as destroyed including one bomber credited to Captain George Edward Kiser. Additionally one Betty was claimed probably destroyed and two as damaged.

  The fighter pilots of the 49th Fighter Group ended their Australian campaign as seasoned veterans, having scored nearly 80 victories against a battle-hardened enemy in less than six months.

  The 7th Fighter Squadron was the first to relocate to New Guinea in September, while the 8th Fighter Squadron had to repair and prepare its aging aircraft before moving. Meanwhile, the 9th Fighter Squadron remained in Darwin, training Australian colleagues.

  The 49th FG’s first engagement on the new battlefield took place on November 1, 1942, when sixteen P-40Es from the 8th Fighter Squadron escorted Mitchells and Bostons during a raid on Lae. Shortly before the battle, a large number of Zeros from Kōkūtai 251, formerly the Tainan Kōkūtai, had arrived at the airfield, along with Zeros from Kōkūtai 202, which was in fact the well known 3rd Kōkūtai, just under a new designation.

  1st Lt. William Charles Day Jr. and 1st Lt. Richard H. Dennis each claimed one Zero shot down. However, in reality, only PO1c Toshio Kaneko of Kōkūtai 251 was shot down and killed, though seven other Zeros sustained damage. One American pilot remained missing after the action.

  The pilots of the 49th Fighter Group had hoped for the opportunity to fly the new P-38 Lightning, but to their disappointment, they were instead re-equipped with the P-40K. While this version had some improvements over the P-40E, it still struggled in combat against the maneuverable Japanese aircraft, making engagements in the Warhawk particularly challenging.

  The "Flying Knights" joined the fighting in New Guinea in December 1942. At that time, the 9th Fighter Squadron was under the command of Maj. J. C. Peaslee, who had succeeded Capt. B. S. Irvin in November. Unbeknownst to its members at the time, the 9th FS became the first unit to engage the Nakajima Ki-43 Army aircraft in combat on this battlefield.

  This event took place on December 26, 1942, when 15 pilots flying Ki-43-I aircraft from the 11th Hikō Sentai arrived in the Buna-Dobodura area. The Japanese pilots from the unit’s 1st Chūtai were led by Captain Shigenori Miyabayashi, and they reached Pongani Airfield just as Australian Hudson bombers were present on the runway.

  However, twelve P-40s from the 9th Fighter Squadron were patrolling the area. Ground controllers called in White Flight, led by 1st Lt. "Big John" Landers. With his four-aircraft formation, he attacked the incoming planes, which were mistakenly identified as "Zekes" (A6M Zeros). However, he immediately came under accurate fire from two Japanese pilots and was forced to bail out of his aircraft. The plane he lost was the original "The Rebel", formerly flown by Capt. Ben Irvin during the battles over Australia. The Japanese pilots also shot down one Hudson bomber, and after the engagement, they claimed six P-40s destroyed.

  P-40E, Capt. William J. Hennon, 7th FS, 49th FG, Darwin, Australia, 1942

  Photo: Australian War Memorial

  A lineup of 7th Fighter Squadron aircraft in Darwin. Aircraft No. 51, "L'Ace", was piloted by Lt. James Bruce Morehead, who added five more victories over Australia to the two he had achieved with the 17th PS over Java. He later served in the Mediterranean, flying P-38s with the 1st FG. Capt. Hennon is seated in the cockpit of P-40 No. 36.

  
  

  The Americans managed to shoot down one aircraft, whose pilot, Sgt. Maj. Ryō-ichi Imamura, was killed. 1st Lt. Charles Steven Gallup and 2nd Lt. Carl G. Planck Jr. each claimed one Zeke (Zero), while 1st Lt. William Frees Haning Jr. was credited with one probable kill.

  During the same action, a Ki-43-I flown by Sgt. Maj. Hiro-ichi Fujii was damaged, likely by the gunner of one of the Hudson bombers. Fujii attempted to return north along the coast, flying at low altitude and reduced speed. In this vulnerable state, he was spotted by the crew of a Wirraway from No. 4 Squadron, RAAF, which immediately launched a head-on attack from higher altitude. The damaged aircraft crashed into the sea.

  Initially, the Control Officer refused to believe that the Australian pilot, Pilot Officer John Archer, had shot down a Zero, but after multiple eyewitness confirmations, Archer and his gunner, Sergeant James Coulston, were rewarded with six bottles of beer.

  Meanwhile, John Landers found himself in a very different situation. He had bailed out of his aircraft at approximately 1,000 feet over the jungle. He wandered through the unknown terrain for three days, eventually coming across a stream, which led him to a native village. The village elders provided him with shelter and food, and the next day, the villagers escorted him to Pongani Airfield, where he was evacuated on December 31, 1942, aboard an A-24 dive bomber bound for Port Moresby.

  Although Landers later achieved further victories flying the long-awaited P-38 Lightning, it was not with the 49th Fighter Group. In the summer of 1944, he joined the 55th Fighter Group, where he participated in combat over Europe. Meanwhile, his former colleagues in the 49th Fighter Group were rearmed with P-38 fighters, contributing to its reputation as a legendary aircraft.

   

  Sources:

  CLARINGBOULD, Michael J., INGMAN, Peter: South Pacific Air War, Volume 2

  CLARINGBOULD, Michael J.: Pacific Profiles Volume 1, Japanese Army Fighters, New Guinea & the Solomons 1942 -1943

  CLARINGBOULD, Michael J.: Pacific Adversaries, Volume 1, Japanese Army Air Force vs The Allies, New Guinea 1942 – 1944

  CLARINGBOULD, Michael J., INGMAN, Peter: South Pacific Air War, Volume 5, Crisis in papua, September – December 1942

  HATA, Ikuhiko, IZAWA, Yasuho, SHORES, Christopher: Japanese Naval Aces 1932 – 1945

  HESS, William N.: 49th Fighter Group, Aces of the Pacific

  ICHIMURA, Hiroshi: Ki-43 Oscar Aces of World War 2

  JACAR: Tactical operational records of 3. Kōkūtai

  JACAR: Tactical operational records of Takao Kōkūtai

  LEWIS, Tom: The Empire Strikes South, Japan´s Air War Against Northern Australia 1942 – 1945

  McDOWELL, Ernest R.: 49th Fighter Group

  MOLESWORTH, Carl: P-40 Warhawk Aces of the Pacific

  OLYNYK, Frank: Stars & Bars, A Tribute to the American Fighter Ace 1920 - 1973

• Aerial War in Ukraine

  A damaged Russian Mi-24VM helicopter with the registration RF-13029 and bort number "red 53" is being loaded onto a trailer. The photograph surfaced during the monitored period, but there are no known details about the incident.

  When Losses Are Confirmed Retroactively by Courts...

   

  TEXT: Miro Barič

  Another year has begun. In this continuation of the series, we will look at events that took place from January 1, 2025, to January 31, 2025. While nothing significant happened in the air, the political scene was on the verge of an earthquake.

  Russia continued its offensive in the Donbas, making progress at the cost of heavy losses. According to Estonian military intelligence, in January 2025, the Russian army paid for every square kilometer of captured Ukrainian territory with the lives of 100 soldiers. On the most critical front near Pokrovsk, Russian forces became exhausted, and their advance stalled. Ukrainians even began launching localized counterattacks.

  A similar situation unfolded in Russia’s Kursk region, where, despite Putin’s promises, Russian forces struggled to expel Ukrainians who had unexpectedly occupied part of Russian territory last year. Ukraine is likely holding this land as a bargaining chip for upcoming negotiations, which have gained momentum since U.S. President Trump took office again in January. However, at the time of writing, it appears that Trump leans more towards Putin, posing a risk that Ukraine may be abandoned. This serves as a wake-up call for Europe, which still stands behind Kyiv.

  The biggest challenge for the Ukrainian Armed Forces appears to be a shortage of soldiers on the front lines. Poor command decisions contributed to this, as new brigades were formed with insufficient training and low morale instead of reinforcing experienced units. Another controversial decision was the attempt to rotate frontline units by deploying specialists—such as MiG-29 aircraft technicians and mobile anti-aircraft teams, which had been highly effective in defending against Russian Shahed drones.

  The aerial campaign saw little change. After Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities continued through Christmas, nightly air raids persisted, mainly using Shahed drones, with occasional missile strikes. Most attacks targeted civilian energy infrastructure. Meanwhile, the Kremlin cynically continued to claim it was not terrorizing civilians and was only striking military targets.

  Ukraine also intensified its drone campaign against Russian strategic targets. Initially alternating between airfields, ammunition depots, and other facilities, Ukraine refocused on Russian oil infrastructure—refineries and fuel depots—during this period. As expected, Moscow officially denied any damage, insisting that the massive fires observed were merely caused by "falling debris from downed drones."

  Photos of the wreckage removal of a Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopter. It is possible that this relates to an incident that occurred on January 16.

   

  Only One Loss

  During the observed period, there was only one confirmed aerial equipment loss on the Russian side. On Wednesday, January 1, a Mi-28NM helicopter was destroyed under unknown circumstances in the Kamensky district of the Voronezh region, which borders Ukraine’s Luhansk region. The crew—Captain Danila Kuznetsov and Lieutenant Alexander Korolev—perished. Some sources suggest they were shot down by their own air defense, but this remains unconfirmed.

  On the Ukrainian side, one loss is known through court documents. These reveal that a Mi-8 helicopter crashed in the Dnipropetrovsk region due to possible violations of flight regulations and improper operation. The crew suffered various injuries, and the helicopter sustained severe damage. Investigators secured the wreckage—bearing fuselage number 153—along with its flight recorder on Thursday, January 16, likely the date of the crash. The court documents indicate the wreckage was seized for expert analysis as part of further investigation, but additional details remain unknown.

  A few days later, photographs surfaced of an unidentified Mi-8 helicopter crash. One image shows the aircraft overturned on its side, while another captures it being lifted by a crane. No further details were provided. This incident may be related to the January 16 crash, or it could be an entirely separate, previously undocumented event.

  The crew of a Russian Mi-8 helicopter that was shot down by a friendly fire on October 18, 2023. Captain Igor Pashkov has been sentenced for it.

   

  Verdicts

  Court documents, this time from Russia, also provide details on several past incidents.

  Friendly Fire: A Mi-8 Helicopter Shot Down by Russian Air Defense

  During the observed period, a military court in Sevastopol issued a verdict regarding the loss of a Mi-8 helicopter and its crew, which was mistakenly shot down by Russian air defense. The incident occurred on October 18, 2023, at 6:30 AM. Captain Igor Pashkov, from the air defense command in Crimea, misread the identification data of a slow and low-flying aircraft, reporting it as hostile. He ignored additional information indicating it was a friendly helicopter with its navigation lights on. Two minutes later, the aircraft was struck by missiles from a Tor-M2DT air defense system.

  The downed aircraft was a Mi-8MTV-5-1 from the 98th Independent Mixed Aviation Regiment of the Russian Naval Aviation. It was on a patrol mission over the sea, monitoring Ukrainian naval drones. All three crew members—Major Grigory Azanov, Captain Maxim Pasechnik, and Captain Alexei Kontievsky—were killed.

  The military court sentenced Pashkov to three years in a penal colony. Additionally, he was ordered to pay 5 million rubles ($56,000) to the Ministry of Defense and 3 million rubles ($34,000) to the families of the deceased crew members. The ministry initially sought 200 million rubles ($2.3 million) in compensation for the destroyed helicopter, but the court dismissed this claim.

  Wreckage of the Russian Beriev A-50U airplane, which was shot down on February 23, 2024. A Russian court has now sentenced for „terrorism“ (in absentia) the commander of the Ukrainian unit that had hit it with a Patriot missile.

   

  A Truck Crash Destroys a Su-25SM3 Jet

  Russian media also reported on another court ruling concerning a past incident at the Gvardeiskoye airbase in Crimea. The date of the event was not disclosed.

  The incident involved Alexander Erlich, a conscript from the Chelyabinsk region, who was driving a KAMAZ military truck across the airfield without a driver’s license and exceeding the speed limit. As a result, he crashed into a Su-25SM3 aircraft, which was in the process of towing a Ural-4320 APA-5D utility truck.

  The impact caused irreparable damage to the Su-25SM3, and the Russian Ministry of Defense estimated the loss at 387 million rubles ($4.4 million). In its court submission, the ministry also claimed that the incident impaired the unit’s ability to carry out planned air operations due to the lack of a reserve aircraft.

  Erlich was sentenced to one year in prison, suspended for one and a half years. He was also ordered to pay the ministry 10 million rubles (about $113,000). Erlich appealed the ruling, requesting that the financial penalty be reduced to 300,000 rubles ($3,400), but the appellate court upheld the original verdict.

   

  Life Sentence for "Terrorism"

  In another case, a Russian court ruled that evidence collected by the Main Military Investigative Directorate of the Russian Investigative Committee was sufficient to charge Colonel Mykola Dziaman, commander of the 138th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, with terrorism. An arrest warrant was issued against him in the summer of 2024.

  His brigade had shot down a Russian Beriev A-50U airborne early warning and control aircraft on February 23, 2024. The plane crashed in Russia’s Krasnodar region near the village of Trudovaya Armeniya, killing all 10 crew members.

  According to the Russian indictment, Dziaman committed an act of terrorism by knowingly targeting an unarmed A-50 aircraft flying over Russian territory that was not directly engaged in combat operations in Ukraine. Despite this, he allegedly ordered his troops to fire Patriot missiles at the aircraft. As a result, he was sentenced to life in prison in absentia.

  The court verdict confirmed several things. First, it provided official acknowledgment that Ukraine had indeed shot down the A-50, contradicting earlier Russian propaganda claims that Ukraine lacked the capability to do so. Previously, Moscow had suggested the aircraft was mistakenly hit by Russian air defense. Second, labeling the attack as "terrorism" highlights the hypocrisy of Russian rhetoric—A-50 aircraft were being used to coordinate Russian airstrikes on Ukrainian targets, including civilian infrastructure. Yet, according to the Russian court, Ukraine's defensive actions amounted to terrorism.

  Notably, this was the second A-50 aircraft Russia lost in the same region. The first was shot down over the Sea of Azov on January 14, 2024, also killing its entire crew. These highly specialized personnel are irreplaceable. Furthermore, these two aircraft are the only airborne early warning and control planes ever destroyed in combat operations in global military aviation history. Both belonged to Russia, and both were downed by Ukraine.

  According to Russian authorities, this is not terrorism. During a Russian attack during the night of January 27-28, even such a "military target" as the automobile museum in Kyiv was hit. Nine vintage cars were destroyed, and another 27 were damaged.

  A Ukrainian modification of the old Soviet 9K33 Osa anti-aircraft system for the use of R-73 air-to-air missiles.

  Ukrainians are producing decoys against the Russian missiles and drones in the form of mock-up F-16 fighter jets.

   The Ukrainians produce the fake targets in large numbers. This, for example, is a mock-up of a Leopard 2A6 tank.

  Mi-24V helicopters supplied to Ukraine by North Macedonia.

  Ex-Czech Mi-24 helicopters in the Ukrainian service.

  In the foreground, there is a former Czech Mi-24V helicopter, while in the background there is a Ukrainian Mi-24P.

  The Ukrainian 114th Tactical Aviation Brigade has released photos of a MiG-29 fighter jet with an attractive insignia.

  
  

  Hundreds of Flights of the Ukrainian Mi-8 Helicopter Pilot

  By the time you read this article, three years will have passed since the full-scale Russian invasion began. We will cover this sad anniversary in the next part, but today, we bring you a memory from February 24, 2022. This is the story of Mi-8 helicopter pilot Mykhailo, nicknamed "Carnage," derived from the English word meaning massacre.

  Mykhailo had served in the Ukrainian Air Force even before the Russian invasion. He flew on a UN mission in Congo and operated in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, where his helicopter was fired upon multiple times. He carried out dozens of medical evacuations, deployed paratroopers and special forces, and transported weapons and ammunition.

  All of this was supposed to end on February 24, 2022. That day, Mykhailo's contract was set to expire. He was expecting his final military flight, followed by a job in a private company and peaceful moments with his family. However, that "final flight" turned out to be completely different from what was planned—followed by 200 more missions, 132 of which involved live combat engagements. (This data is from the end of August 2024, when the Ukrainian Armed Forces published his story.)

  Mykhailo "Karnazh" in front of a Mi-8 helicopter carrying the "Orca Hunter" markings.

  
  

  On that morning, Mykhailo "Carnage" was assigned a helicopter that had been in storage for six months. According to regulations, it was supposed to undergo a thorough pre-flight inspection. But there was no time for that. The helicopter took off at dawn, followed by a fleet of Mi-8 and Mi-2 helicopters. The mission was to evacuate and rescue equipment.

  The very next day of the war, during a flight, he rescued a pilot who ejected right before his eyes. "We were flying to a designated point, and two MiG-29 fighter jets were flying toward us. But only one returned. We looked carefully and saw that the second one was going down, and the pilot ejected. Without hesitation, we decided to pick him up. We landed and waved at him: 'Come to us, we are from Ukraine!' It turned out that he was a classmate of my navigator. He was in shock because he didn't even have time to report his situation before help arrived," Mykhailo recalled with a smile, adding that the fighter pilot quickly returned to duty.

   Mykhailo wears an impressive mask on his helmet.

  
  

  On the third day of the war, they rescued the crew of a Su-24. This time, the operation followed proper protocols. The pilots reported their coordinates after landing, and Mi-8 crews set out on a search-and-rescue mission. "We found them in the middle of a field—exhausted, disoriented, and injured. But they immediately reassured us: 'We will fly again soon!' Although the chances of returning to active service after such an incident are slim, they kept their word. We later saw them at an operational airfield," Mykhailo recounted.

  In the early weeks of the war, he primarily focused on these types of missions—rescuing pilots, evacuating the wounded, and transport flights. Later in the spring, Air Force helicopter pilots joined ground attack operations, and Mykhailo fired his weapons for the first time. The attacks involved launching unguided rockets in a ballistic arc, similar to a flying rocket launcher. "During my first combat flight, I was trained by Vitaliy Pliak from the Army Aviation. He was a funny guy, covered in tattoos, and constantly joked with me. Unfortunately, he is no longer with us. We did an excellent job and destroyed a mortar battery near Dovhenke. I couldn't keep up with him. He had an Mi-8MT with some 'hypersonic speed,' while I had a slower Mi-8MSB," Mykhailo recalled his first live combat mission.

  By the end of August last year, Mykhailo "Karnazh" had carried out 132 such attacks with unguided rockets.

  That first day, he flew again, and the next day, he flew three more sorties. Firing unguided rockets required great accuracy—finding the right angle and pressing the trigger at the perfect moment. "Carnage" openly admitted that his accuracy was lacking at first. Sometimes, however, he missed the intended target but hit another, even more valuable one. He and other pilots trained in this tactics while flying the combat missions. In the first two weeks alone, he completed 21 flights.

  A shot from the training of Ukrainian paratroopers on Mi-8 helicopters. Mykhailo also conducted flights with special forces.

  A major motivation to improve accuracy was the risk of being shot down. If they flew a combat mission but missed the target, they had to return and attempt the attack again—putting themselves at risk once more.

  Mykhailo also recalled how he "gifted" his 100th rocket launch to his navigator. He set everything up, aimed, and let his navigator press the trigger in a symbolic moment. He also remembered the Kharkiv campaign, during which he fought for the liberation of his hometown, Izium. At that time, they would strike a target, return to base, and receive a new target—only to realize it was much deeper into enemy territory. His crew asked whether the coordinates were correct, and they were—such was the speed of the Ukrainian forces’ advance.

  These two photos of a Mi-8MSB helicopter with the "Orca Hunter" markings had already surfaced in May 2022. However, based on the camouflage pattern and other details, it is a different aircraft than the one Mykhailo "Karnazh" was photographed in front of.

  "I admit that after years of war, I feel tired and exhausted... But when you see from the sky the destroyed cities that you remember as beautiful and flourishing…" he paused, adding that he no longer thinks about leaving the armed forces—not until victory. "What will I do first? I've never been abroad with my family, and my wife reminds me of it regularly. But to be honest, I'm afraid of flying... as a passenger," joked the helicopter pilot, who has been awarded the Order for Courage (III and II degrees), the Bohdan Khmelnytsky Order, and the Silver Cross for his actions.

• Dogfight over Rennes

  
  

  Text: Jan Bobek

  Illustration: Piotr Forkasiewicz

   

  On the morning of June 6, 1944, when the Allies landed in Normandy, the Luftwaffe was prepared for the situation. A plan was in place to reinforce the six Jagdgruppen (day fighter groups) operating in France under Luftflotte 3. Defensive preparations were conducted under the codename Dr. Gustav West (Drohende Gefahr West – Threat Approaching from the West). By the evening of June 6, two reconnaissance Gruppen, five bomber Gruppen, two ground Schlachtgruppen, and one Geschwaderstab were to be relocated from Germany to France, along with eight night fighter Gruppen, two Geschwaderstabs, two day fighter Jagdstaffeln, and nineteen Jagdgruppen with five Geschwaderstabs. Of these nineteen, eight were assigned to II. Fliegerkorps as fighter-bombers, while the remaining units were placed under II. Jagdkorps. Meanwhile, Luftflotte Reich retained only four fighter Gruppen and "Wilde Sau" units alongside second-line formations.

  Luftwaffe command first needed to confirm that the landings in Normandy were a full-scale invasion and not a probing attack similar to the 1942 Dieppe Raid. Consequently, orders for redeployment to France were only issued around noon on June 6. Not all Jagdgruppen were transferred as planned, and by the evening of June 7, only seventeen Jagdgruppen had reached the combat area, equating to a nominal strength of about 1,100 aircraft. However, the actual number of operational fighters was just a quarter of that, 278 aircraft. Many units had only half or even les of their aircraft, and not all of these were airworthy due to the hasty deployment, lack of proper ground support, and general chaos at most French airfields.

  Luftwaffe in France faced superiority from the Allies, their airfields were regularly targeted by low-level strafing attacks and strategic bombing raids. The Luftwaffe was unable to regain control of the skies. German pilots, whether fresh recruits or veterans who had spent months or years fighting against Allied heavy bomber formations, struggled to conduct effective ground-attack missions using bombs. As a result, the eight units were relieved of fighter-bomber duties by June 12 and reassigned to 5. Jagddivision under Oberst Hentschel, which reported to II. Jagdkorps. The II. Fliegerkorps, which had been responsible for ground attack strikes, was disbanded on June 28, and in the following weeks, fighter pilots relied solely on onboard weapons or 210mm BR 21 rockets for ground attacks.

  With around twenty Jagdgruppen under its command, 5. Jagddivision lacked the capability to micromanage their operations. As a result, most combat orders in June 1944 consisted of free hunting, intercepting low-flying strafers, and engaging artillery spotter aircraft. Only rarely were German fighters directed against Allied bomber formations, as 5. Jagddivision lacked the necessary numbers for such operations. The priority remained defending German ground forces from strafing attacks. Fighter missions conducted in formations smaller than 20 aircraft were highly risky. On average, each operational fighter flew two sorties daily, with operations running from 6 AM to 11 PM. In each sortie, Luftwaffe units typically lost about 30% of their aircraft. For every Allied aircraft shot down, the Germans lost two to three of their own. When German units managed to execute missions successfully with minimal losses, it was usually due to bad weather.

   

  This period is depicted in the box art by Piotr Forkasiewicz, which portrays Major George E. Preddy’s aircraft from the 487th FS, 352nd FG, during a dogfight on June 12, 1944. Preddy’s unit was escorting American bombers targeting the railway junction in Rennes, Brittany. At the time, a funeral was taking place in the city for victims of a previous bombing raid carried out by RAF bombers on June 9.

  The German adversaries were Bf 109 pilots from II./JG 53. After the engagement, they reported five victories over Liberators, one confirmed kill and four aircraft forced to abandon formation. However, the Germans lost three of their own aircraft, and two pilots were wounded. One pilot, while engaged with a P-51, was even hit by his own flak. These losses closely matched the confirmed victories recorded by the Americans: 1st Lt. Glennon T. Moran was credited with one kill, while 1st Lt. Lawrence E. McCarthy and 1st Lt. John Francis Thornell Jr. shared another. Major Preddy claimed the third Bf 109.

  Four American bombers sustained damage, additionally one bomber was lost each by 448th BG and 446th BG. Six American aircrew members were killed, one was captured, but the remaining survivors were rescued by the French. The two bombing raids caused massive destruction to the city’s infrastructure and resulted in the deaths of 122 civilians. Rennes was eventually liberated in early August 1944.

• From the Mediterranean to Germany

  
  

  Text: Jan Bobek

  Illustration: Antonis Karydis

   

  By April 1943,  no part of Jagdgeschwader 27 (JG 27) fighter unit remained in Africa. Its I. Gruppe, which had gained fame due to fighter ace Hans-Joachim Marseille, had been withdrawn to Germany in November 1942 and was engaged in combat operations in France from January 1943. The JG 27 headquarters and its II./JG 27 were operating from Sicily, while the III. and IV. Gruppe were based in occupied Greece or on its islands. The burden of intense aerial combat in Tunisia was now borne by JG 53, JG 77, and II./JG 51. All these units were equipped with Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters, primarily the G-6 variant.

  A change in command of JG 27 occurred on April 22, 1943. Until then, it had been led by 32-year-old Oberstleutnant Eduard Neumann, a veteran of the Spanish Civil War, where he had achieved two aerial victories. During World War II, he added another eleven to his record. After the war, Neumann became a key figure in the unit’s veterans’ organization. At the helm of JG 27, he was succeeded by Major Gustav Rödel, who had previously commanded II./JG 27 and had over 70 confirmed kills. With his promotion, a new commander was needed for II. Gruppe. The choice fell on Hauptmann Werner Schroer, at this time the commander of 8./JG 27, stationed on Crete. Schroer had 63 victories to his name and was already a recipient of the Knight’s Cross.

  In April 1943, Schroer’s new unit II./JG 27 was based in Trapani, Sicily, primarily escorting convoys and transport aircraft on routes to Tunisia. Losses of Ju 52 and Me 323 transports were so severe that even Bf 110 crews were tasked with fuel supply missions for German forces in Tunisia. During March and April, II./JG 27 lost 21 aircraft in combat, while another 39 were written off due to accidents.

  Schroer achieved his first victories with his new unit on April 29, shooting down two Lightning fighters near Marettimo, west of Sicily. On May 5, in the same area, he downed a B-24 bomber, though given the combat conditions, there may be a typo in the victory records and his victim was possibly B-25 Mitchell.

  On May 9, II./JG 27 engaged a formation of 26 Liberators with a fighter escort of Lightnings between Capo San Vito and Capo Gallo. Schroer’s unit claimed three B-17s, likely a misidentification, and two P-38s. Schroer himself claimed one B-24, but Allied records do not confirm these losses.

  After the Tunisian campaign ended, II./JG 27 increasingly engaged four-engine bombers while defending Sicily. The American fighter escorts, provided by three P-38 Fighter Groups, were still refining their tactics. On the German side at Sicily, both fighter vectoring and air combat strategies were in an improvised state against four engine bombers operating in high altitudes. Luftwaffe command exerted immense pressure on the pilots, threatening court-martial for unsatisfactory performance.

  Between April and July 1943, Schroer scored 20 victories, half of them four-engine bombers. Under his command, II./JG 27 claimed nearly 100 victories, but at a steep cost, 41 pilots were killed, missing, captured, or wounded, representing nearly 100% losses in its personnel strength. Additionally, between May and July 1943, the unit lost 74 fighters in combat and another 47 due to other causes.

  In early August 1943, Schroer’s unit transferred its 17 remaining Bf 109s to other units in Italy and withdrew to Germany, relocating to the Wiesbaden-Erbenheim airbase. By late August, II./JG 27 had moved to Eschborn, equipped with new aircraft, and prepared to defend Vaterland against American bomber raids. Their first engagement in this theatre occurred on September 6, during an attack targeting the Stuttgart area. This was the first deep penetration raid into Germany since the Schweinfurt-Regensburg mission, with over 300 bombers participating, the largest force deployed by the U.S. Army Air Forces at that time.

  The mission was later officially labeled a “Costly Fiasco” by the American command, as 45 B-17s were lost due to various reasons and 10 more were written off after landing due to damage. Schroer’s unit claimed nine victories over B-17s. Schroer himself was credited with one confirmed kill and forced two other bombers out of formation, marking his 86th to 88th victories. This air battle is the subject of Antonis Karydis’ box art illustration.

• Marking Options P-40E Pacific Star 1/48

  P-40E-1, 41-25164, Capt. Ben S. Irvin, 9th FS, 49th FG, Darwin, Australia, 1942
  

  
  

  Lt. Ben S. “Bitchin’ Ben” Irvin served in the Philippines and after the Japanese invasion he continued fighting in Java with the 17th PS (Provisional). He managed to shoot down a Japanese bomber on February 18, 1942, during defense of the Dutch naval base at Soerabaja and added one Zero a week later. He left Java for Australia and joined the 9th FS of 49th FG on March 17. He was promoted to the rank of Captain as he took command of the 9th FS on August 28 and led the unit until October 31. During that time, the 9th FS moved from Australia to New Guinea. Just a few days after the Flying Knights, as the 9th FS was nicknamed, settled at the base near Port Moresby, the order was received that all the pilots who took part in Philippines and Java campaigns, should return to USA. Thus, Irvin relinquished the command of 9th FS on November 1, 1942, and returned home, leaving behind his personal P-40E-1, which was adorned with a large Pegasus on the left side and named “The Rebel”. The pilot who inherited the plane added the name “Bessie” on the vertical tail port side. On December 26, 1942, 1/Lt John D. Landers took off with “The Rebel” as one of twelve P-40s. He led White Flight on a patrol mission over Dobodura and was shot down in an ensuing combat with Japanese Ki-43-I Oscars from 11 Hikō Sentai. Pilot bailed out and the plane crashed into the jungle, where it rests until today.       

  The way of “The Rebel“ into the ranks of 49th FG was rather tortuous, as it was built for Lend-Lease contract for RAF as ET488, but delivered to USAAF, which planned to hand the plane over to  NIEAF, but instead, it ended with the RAAF as Kittyhawk A29-92. But this serial was cancelled two days later and the plane returned to the USAAF, where it was assigned to 9th FS (known as the “Flying Knights“) of the 49th FG. Irvin decorated his P-40E with Pegasus on the port side of the fuselage and named it “The Rebel“. He flew it during the time he led the 9th FS from September 19 to November 3, 1942.

   

  P-40E, Lt. Robert Harry Vaught, 9th FS, 49th FG, Darwin, Australia, 1942

  
  

  Lt. Robert Harry Vaught was born on June 15, 1918, in Johnson City, Tennessee. He served as a Flying Cadet from February 21 to October 31, 1941 and joined 49th PS of 14th PG after he was rated a pilot on October 31. He changed the unit for 49th PG on December 16 and moved to Australia. His first victory came on March 28, 1942 (Mitsubishi 97 bomber), two Mitsubishi 96 went down under his guns on December 7. Vaught’s nickname “Snake Bite Bob” came from an incident which occurred on July 16, 1942. That day he took off from Livingston Strip and found out he had a snake on the floor ready to bite him. He conducted several violent maneuvers, which immobilized his passenger, so he was able to grab it behind the head and realizing it was a venomous one, he threw it from the cabin. Vaught’s ill-fated day came on March 5, 1943, when, now with P-38G-13-LO, he took off from Dobodura Airfield on a mission over Salamaua. He shot down two Zeros but, as one engine of his P-38 was damaged in the combat, he decided to divert to Wau. On the final approach, the other engine failed as well and the pilot was seriously injured in the ensuing crash. Vaught was sent back to USA and did not return to flying, although he stayed in service until 1959, retiring as Lieutenant Colonel. He died in June 1978. His P-40E was decorated with the shark mouth and “Flying Skull“. The name “Bob’s Robin” was painted on both sides of the fuselage. A red circle of the older national insignia slightly showed on fuselage as well as on the wing.   

   

  P-40E, Col. Bruce K. Holloway, CO of 23rd FG, Kweilin, China, 1942

  
  

  Bruce Keener Holloway was born on September 1, 1912, in Knoxwille, Tennessee and graduated from the United States Military Academy (West Point) in 1937 and received his pilot wings in 1938. Holloway then served with 6th PS, 18th PG, in Hawaii prior to his studies in aeronautical engineering. After that, he was sent to Chungking, China, to begin his combat experience as a fighter pilot with the Flying Tigers of the American Volunteer Group. When the AVG was disbanded in July 1942, the 23rd FG was formed and Holloway assumed command of the group in January 1943 from Robert L. Scott. During his stay in China, Holloway shot down 13 enemies and returned to USA in 1944. He stayed in the service, graduated from the National War College in 1951 and progressed through ranks and key positions of USAF. Already a General, he took command of the U.S. Air Forces in Europe in July 1965 and stayed there until his assignment as Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, position he held from August 1, 1966. Still not at the end of his career, he became commander-in-chief of the Strategic Air Command on August 1, 1968, and kept that post until retirement on April 30, 1972. General Holloway passed away at the age of 87 in Orlando, Florida on September 30, 1999. His P-40E portrayed here sported several repairs and changes to the original markings, including fresh overpaints by British camouflage colors and repair by Olive Drab on the starboard side of the nose, including the spinner.    

   

  P-40E, Lt. Col. John S. Chennault, 11th FS, 343rd FG, Umnak Island, Aleutian Islands, autumn 1942

  
  

  As one of ten children of famous Claire Lee Chennault, the leader of the Flying Tigers of American Volunteer Group, John Stephen “Jack” Chennault, born on May 20, 1913, in Eudora, Arkansas, followed the steps of his father and became CO of the 343rd Fighter Group. The unit was activated on September 3, 1942, in Alaska and Lt. Col. John Chennault became its first commander eight days later. He kept the position until November 16 of the same year. He managed to shoot down one Zero and also heavily damaged a Japanese submarine. However, he probably achieved both victories flying P-38. The 343rd FG became well-known as the Aleutian Tigers with stylized tiger heads adorning the noses of their P-40s. In a baren and small outpost on the edge of the Pacific, the 343rd was tasked with the elimination of the Japanese from the Attu and Kiska islands in the western Aleutians. Under Chennault’s command, the 343rd FG showcased remarkable effectiveness in air combat, embodying the same spirit of adaptability and tactical ingenuity his father had demonstrated. John Chennault passed away on December 4, 1977, at the age of 64. 

   

  41-36396, P-40E-1, Lt. Robert E. Smith, 16th FS, 23rd FG, China, autumn 1942

  
  

  Robert Eugene Smith, nicknamed “Gene”, entered Army Air Force prior to World War II. The move was rather purposive as he intended to pay back for his previous studies but he quickly became one of the most successful pilots in the early days of the 16th FS, 23rd FG, shooting down four enemies. During one mission his plane went down near a small village. The villagers, not knowing who or what he was, started to come after him. Luckily, he had a small flag that he waived letting them know that he was an American and on their side. In the spring 1944 Smith was then with the 394th Fighter Squadron, 367th Fighter Group, in England. He claimed a Bf 109 damaged on June 17, 1944, but five days later he was killed when his P-38 was shot down by flak near Cherbourg in France during a strafing mission. His plane crashed on the beach in Normandy with Smith in the cockpit. During his stay with 23rd FG, he flew P-40E-1 which carried the obligatory shark mouth and also the name KatyDid on its nose. [if !supportLineBreakNewLine] [endif]

  
  

  P-40E, Capt. George E. Kiser, 8th FS, 49th FG, Darwin, Australia, 1942

  
  

  Born on May 8, 1918, in Pocatello, Idaho, George Edward Kiser joined the Army Reserves and was commissioned a 2nd Lt and rated a pilot on December 20, 1940. He joined 17th PG of 4th Composite Group on December 31. After escaping Philippines, where he managed to shoot down two Zeros, he served in Java with 17th PS (Prov) and subsequently joined the “Black Sheep” Squadron, as the 8th FS of 49th FG was nicknamed. Kiser’s day of fame came on April 27, 1942, when he intercepted an enemy formation of twenty-four bombers near Darwin. Although chased by escort fighters, he engaged the bombers, disrupted their formation and destroyed two of them. In ensuing fighting with the enemy fighters, he shot down one. This bravery ensured him the Distinguished Service Cross alongside other decorations he was awarded in the course of his service. Altogether he amassed nine aerial victories. After the war he transferred to the USAF and retired as a U.S. Air Force Colonel. George Kiser passed away on April 1, 1991 (aged 72). The P-40E from his days with 49th FG was in standard Olive Drab/Neutral Gray camouflage, sporting on the port side of the fuselage a cartoonish lion with a praying Japanese pilot in right front paw, while the left one was stepping on a destroyed Zero.  

   

  P-40E, Capt. William J. Hennon, 7th FS, 49th FG, Darwin, Australia, 1942

  
  

  William Joseph Hennon was born on Jun 13, 1919, in Hennepin County, Minnesota. He received his pilot wings at Kelly Field, Texas, in 1941 and had been in the Philippines with the 21st Fighter Squadron when the war started. Over Java he shot down five Japanese aircraft. Escaping to Australia from the Java campaign he was allocated to the 7th FS, 49th FG, where he added two more victories. On the rudder of his Warhawk, there was a cartoonish Bunyip applied by ground crews in recognition of the support that the local Aboriginal community had given in rescuing pilots from crash sites all around the Northern Territory. The Bunyip is a mythological water dwelling fearsome beast that lives in creeks, rivers and billabongs. Later in 1942 the 7th Fighter Squadron adopted the “screaming demon” as their unit emblem and they applied it to the tails of their Warhawks and later P-38 Lightnings for the remainder of the War. It is not known what color vas the front of the propeller cone. We tend to the Insignia Blue, but a red color is also a possible option. “Bill” Hennon returned to the USA with other veterans of Philippines and Java campaigns at the end of 1942 and joined 326th FG but transferred to 21st FS of 352nd FG as its CO on December 28, 1942. On March 31, 1943, he was on a routine flight with a BT-14 trainer from Farmington to Groton, Connecticut (a distance of a mere 75 miles), to pick up fellow pilot Frank Greene, who had just been released from the hospital. Hennon disappeared enroute and was never found. He was 23 at the time.

  
  

  P-40E, A29-78, No. 76 Squadron RAAF, Gurney Airfield, New Guinea, August 1942

  
  

  No. 76 Squadron was formed at Archerfield Airport, Queensland, on March 14, 1942, as the second RAAF’s unit operating P-40s. The squadron completed its training in June, when it received its full complement of 24 fighters for 38 pilots. The squadron deployed to the front lines of the New Guinea Campaign during July 1942 and pilots flew their first combat mission on July 22 under the leadership of Squadron Leader Peter Turnbull (who died in a crash on August 27 that year). The portrayed aircraft was obtained from USAAF in standard Olive Drab/Neutral Gray camouflage. To mimic the British camouflage, the upper surfaces received additional fields of Earth Brown, and the nose was adorned with the name “Bloody Mary”. The insignias, originally US ones, were replaced by British cockades, these were changed on the upper surfaces for the Australian ones at the time the aircraft was sent to New Guinea. The flash on the vertical fin was at the same time lowered by fresh camouflage paint on the upper part. The aircraft was destroyed in a ground collision with Hudson (A16-218) on No. 1 Strip on August 15, 1942.     

   

  P-40E, A29-63, No. 82 Squadron RAAF, Bankstown, Australia, 1943

  
  

  No. 82 Squadron was formed on June 18, 1943, and was armed with P-40s, as RAAF had received 399 of these aircraft so five new Kittyhawk-equipped squadrons could be formed. It operated from bases in Queensland and New Guinea. The squadron conducted training at Bankstown until April 1944, then moved to Townsville for further training. The move to Port Moresby came at the end of August 1944 with another move to Noemfoor in mid-September. There, the No. 82 Squadron, which just became operational, joined Nos. 76 and 77 Squadrons forming No. 81 Wing. Its pilots then usually conducted attack missions against Japanese ground targets. In March 1945 the unit moved to Morotai, providing escorts to Allied convoys. The relegation of First Tactical Air Force to areas of operation bypassed by the main Allied thrust towards the Philippines and Japan led to poor morale, culminating in the so-called Morotai Mutiny in April 1945. The aircraft portrayed here was used during training in Bankstown in 1943. It sported the painting of an Aboriginal man throwing his boomerang, downing a Zero with it. The aircraft was camouflaged with RAAF colors of Foliage Green and Dark Earth with white tail. Period photos show the aircraft nicely polished with minimum weathering. 

   

  P-40E-1, NZ 3095, No. 15 Sqn RNZAF, New Zealand, 1944

  
  

  In October 1942, No. 15 Squadron RNZAF was sent to Tonga to take over 23 P-40s from the USAAF 68th Fighter Squadron, thus releasing the American squadron for frontline service.  These P-40Es (NZ 3091 - NZ 3098, NZ 3100 and NZ 3108) and P-40K-15s (NZ 3090 and NZ 3099) were ex-RAF contract aircraft kept by the USAAF at the beginning of the Pacific war and were in a sorry state of repair (five never received RNZAF serials). Most of the serviceable aircraft were sent forward to defend Espiritu Santo in the New Hebrides Islands in February 1943 and ten survivors returned to New Zealand later that year. These aircraft became known as the “Tonga” P-40s. After their return to New Zealand, they were repainted in Foliage Green and (NZ) Sky Grey as were many locally based aircraft at this time. 

• Marking Options P-51B Malcolm Hood 1/48

  P-51B-10-NA, s/n 42-106451, Maj. George E. Preddy, 487th FS, 352nd FG, 8th AF, Bodney, Great Britain, June 1944
  

  
  

  Preddy’s first personal Mustang was a natural metal finish aircraft with blue nose adorned with the yellow inscription “Cripes A’Mighty”. The application of invasion stripes overlapped the HO-P fuselage code which was partially showing through under the white paint. So, an individual letter P was added to the tail surfaces as it was obscured by the invasion stripes on the fuselage. At the time of the invasion, Preddy’s Mustang already had a new type Malcolm Hood cockpit canopy installed. The nose of Preddy’s Mustang was decorated with 12 German crosses as symbols of his victories. Preddy made his last flight in a P-51B on June 12, 1944, six days after the invasion of France, when he claimed another destroyed Bf 109. He then took over the brand new P-51D-5 “Cripes A’Mighty 3rd“. In August 1944, Major Preddy was sent to the United States for retirement, and upon his return in October he assumed command of one of the subordinate squadrons of the 352nd FG, 328th FS. On December 25, in the early hours of the morning, while chasing an Fw 190 over the front, Preddy’s aircraft was accidentally hit by American anti-aircraft fire. He still attempted an emergency landing near an anti-aircraft battery but, as he was fatally wounded, he crashed. In total George Earl Predddy achieved 25 victories and four shared, 22+4 when flying Mustangs (including 5+2 victories in P-51Bs).

   

  P-51B-15-NA, s/n 42-106924, 2nd Lt. Ralph K. Hofer, 334th FS, 4th FG, 8th AF, Debden, Great Britain, June 1944

  
  

  Light-hearted, perhaps undisciplined, but all the more courageous and charismatic was “Kid” Hofer, one of the USAAF’s most successful fighters. The nickname was based on his youthful appearance and his flowing and by Army standards long hair as well as his prevailing good humor. Until his death, he destroyed 15 enemy aircraft in the air, damaging two and destroying another 14 on the ground. On July 2, 1944, “Kid” participated in the escort of bombers to Budapest from the Italian base Foggia. Prior to reaching the target area, a group of Bf 109 entered the scene, and the aerial battle started. Hofer’s leader had to make an emergency landing due to a malfunction and watched from the ground as a Hungarian Bf 109, sitting on the tail of his Wingman, opened fire. Hofer’s Mustang was apparently only damaged, so he tried to return to the base. Near Mostar, he decided to strafe a German airfield, his P-51B “Salem Representative” was hit by flak and “Kid” Hofer was killed.   

   

  P51B-10-NA, s/n 42-106462, Capt. John B. England, 362nd FS, 357th FG, 8th AF, Leiston, Great Britain, June 1944

  
  

  The Mustang named U’ve Had It was assigned to the 357th FG at the end of the first week of March 1944 and became the personal aircraft of Capt. John England. It was one of several P-51Bs that received a hasty “half” camouflage paint job on the upper fuselage and wings in anticipation of operations from continental forward field airfields which ultimately did not occur due to the Mustangs’ extraordinary range and endurance. England flew the U’ve Had It until June 1944, scoring three kills out of eight achieved in P-51B cockpits. In July, he received a new type, the P-51D. In all, England scored 19 kills during his wartime career, three of them in cooperation. The Mustang U’ve Had It remained with the 357th FG and was taken over by Eric Wooley. Its fate was fulfilled on October 4, 1944, when the tail section separated during a high-speed dive training flight and 2nd Lt. Richard Potter had to bail out with great difficulty.

   

  P51B-15-NA, s/n 43-24823, Lt. William B. Overstreet, 363rd FS, 357th FG, 8th AF, Leiston, Great Britain, July 1944

  
  

  P-51B Mustang s/n 43-24283 was originally assigned to Bud Anderson as the third and last P-51B he flew in combat. Like his previous P-51s, this one was also named Old Crow. When Anderson completed his tour with the 363rd FS in July 1944, the aircraft was assigned to Lt. William Overstreet. Overstreet had the name Berlin Express painted on the left side of the engine cowling and a drawing of a winged Mustang horse in a circle on the right side of the cowling. The identification letter was changed from S to O. Bill Overstreet became particularly famous for his story of chasing a German Bf 109 through the arches of the Eiffel Tower. The duel was supposed to have taken place sometime in the spring of 1944, but it is questionable whether the passage through the Eiffel Tower actually happened, nor is the exact date of the duel known, there is no mention in German records of such a strange event as a fighter plane crashing into the streets of Paris. Nevertheless, Overstreet was an aggressive and capable pilot and, for example, on September 3, 1944, he took part in a top-secret mission in which a remote-controlled four-engine bomber attacked a heavily defended German submarine base protected by cliffs. He subsequently flew other secret missions in support of the French Resistance, often landing behind enemy lines.

   

  P-51B-7-NA, s/n 43-6964, 1st. Lt. James H. Clark, 382nd FS, 363rd FG, 9th AF, Maupertus, France, July 1944

  
  

  The very colorful Mustang that was flown by James Clark had probably its wings replaced. The new ones came from another P-51 and did not carry camouflage paint. Where it was planned to apply invasion stripes prior to D-Day, a base camouflage paint in the shade Olive Drab / Neutral Grey was applied to the wing and the invasion stripes were subsequently painted. Lt. James Clark flew 70 missions during the war, including escorting gliders on the D-Day Normandy landings. He achieved a total of five kills. He married a girl named Marjorie, and it was her nickname, Midge, that he painted on the nose of his Mustang.

  
  

  P-51B-1-NA, s/n 43-12434, Capt. Richard Turner, CO 356th FS, 354th FG, 9th AF, Lashenden, Great Britain, May 1944

  
  

  The Mustang named Short-Fuse-Sallee was assigned to Dick Turner in December 1943. Turner scored eight aerial victories with it between January 5 and April 11, 1944, plus 1.5 aircraft destroyed on the ground. This made him one of the most successful pilots in the 356th FS. In March 1944, Turner’s Mustang was one of the first in the 356th FS to receive a new cockpit canopy called the Malcom Hood. In late May 1944, to the chagrin of Turner himself, Short-Fuse-Sallee was turned over to the 369th FS, which at the time was changing to P-51 Mustangs from the P-47 Thunderbolts. Here the aircraft was assigned to Charles Stanley and renamed Dunquerque. Stanley flew 74 missions (300 hours) with it, but unlike Richard Turner, failed to achieve any confirmed kills, although he was credited with damaging ten enemy aircraft during escort missions. Upon Stanley’s return to the US in August 1944, the Mustang was handed over to Thomas Burr, who flew it until he received a P-51D.

• Marking Options Bf 109G-6 1/72

  Bf 109G-6/R6, Hptm. Werner Schroer, CO of II./JG 27, Eschborn, Germany, September 1943
  

  
  

  Werner Schroer was born on February 12, 1918. In 1937, he joined the Luftwaffe as ground personnel. Later, he completed flight training and was assigned to I./JG 27 in August 1940. This unit was transferred to North Africa, where Schroer achieved his first aerial victory on April 19, 1941. In June 1942, he was appointed Staffelkapitän of 8./JG 27. In April 1943, he was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of II./JG 27. At the end of 1942, II./JG 27 was relocated to Germany, and in March 1943, it received new Bf 109G-6 aircraft. After several months of deployment in Italy, the unit was transferred back to Germany. The box art depicts the unit’s first fight against a formation of B-17 bombers, which occurred on September 6, 1943, during an American raid on Stuttgart. Werner Schroer’s command aircraft had a white rudder with 84 victory markings painted on its left side. Following this battle, three more B-17 kills were added.  Both variants are included on the decal sheet. In March 1944, Schroer was appointed commander of III./JG 54, and in February 1945, he assumed command of JG 3. He achieved a total of 114 aerial victories, including 26 four-engine bombers. He was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. He passed away on February 10, 1985.

   

  Bf 109G-6, Hptm. Heinrich Ehrler, CO of 6./JG 5, Alakurtti, Finland, June 1943     

  
  

  Heinrich Ehrler began his military career in 1935 within the anti-aircraft artillery and fought in the Spanish Civil War as a member of 3.F/88. He completed fighter training in early 1940 and was assigned to 4./JG 77, which was later redesignated 4./JG 5, based in Norway. In late May 1942, Ehrler was transferred to 6./JG 5 at Petsamo and became its commander in August. He achieved his 100th victory on June 8, 1943. During this period, he flew a Bf 109G-6 Yellow 12 in Erla factory camouflage, with the symbols of his aerial victories painted on the left side of the rudder. As the Kommodore of JG 5, Ehrler was responsible for cover of the Tirpitz battleship, which was anchored in Norway. After its sinking, he was wrongly convicted, but the sentence was commuted. On February 27, 1945, he joined JG 7, flying Me 262 jets. In combat with Liberator bombers on April 4, 1945, he managed to shoot down two B-24s and rammed a third. According to witnesses who heard Ehrler’s last words, he carried out a suicide attack. His number of victories thus stopped at 208, and for these achievements, he was decorated with the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves.             

   

  Bf 109G-6/R6/Trop, W.Nr. 1607xx, Obfw. Herbert Rollwage, 5./JG 53, Wien-Seyring, Austria, December 1943

  
  

  Herbert Rollwage was born on September 24, 1916. In 1936, he joined the Luftwaffe. In 1941, he was assigned to 5./JG 53. On the first day of Operation Barbarossa, Rollwage achieved his first aerial victory. By October 5, 1941, he had recorded 11 victories. After a brief stay in the Netherlands, II./JG 53 moved to Sicily in December 1941 to participate in the campaign against Malta. During raids on the island, Rollwage achieved 20 victories by October 1942. On July 10, 1943, during the Allied landings on Sicily, Rollwage was wounded in dogfight but managed to land back at base. In mid-October 1943, II./JG 53 was relocated to Austria for Reich defense. The white rudder of Rollwage's new aircraft, which he received after recovering in November 1943, featured 47 victory markings on the left side. In May 1944, he was promoted to the rank of Leutnant, and in August, he became the CO of 5./JG 53. In December, he assumed command of the training unit 2./JG 106. During his service with JG 53, Rollwage achieved 70 aerial victories. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. After the war, he served in the Bundeswehr and retired in 1968 with the rank of Hauptmann. He passed away on January 4, 1980.

   

  Bf 109G-6/U4/R6/Trop, W.Nr. 440180, Fw. Friedrich Ungar, 9./JG 54, Lüneburg, Germany, March 1944          

        

  Friedrich Ernst Willi Ungar was born on February 21, 1920. After training with JG 107 and Jagdgruppe West, he was assigned to 9./JG 54 in Germany in October 1943, flying Bf 109G-6 aircraft. On March 6, 1944, he was shot down in his Yellow 6 near Homfeld, likely by Lt. Barney Casteel (P-47D, 56th FG) or 2/Lt. Marvin H. Becker (356th FG). Ungar crash-landed with leg injuries, and his Bf 109G-6 sustained 30% damage. On October 9, 1943, he was shot down in Yellow 10 over Nakskov, Denmark, but crash-landed uninjured. In late December 1944, he received Fw 190D-9 W.Nr. 210008 White 3 and downed a Typhoon from No. 439 Sq. RCAF. Ungar was among the few pilots of III./JG 54 to survive encounters with Allied fighters on December 29, 1944. At that time, III./JG 54 operated under JG 26, later becoming IV./JG 26 in spring. In 1958, he founded an aero club and served as chief flight and navigation instructor for 17 years. He contributed to building Oldenburg-Hatten airfield and conducted its first flight in March 1966. In 1980, he received the German Aero Club's FA1 badge for motor flight in gold and its Gold Honor Pin in 1985. He passed away on December 16, 2012.

• TEC - Don't whimper and print!

  
  

  Last week, I came across an interview with the famous Czech 3D printer manufacturer Mr. Prusa on the Seznam news server. The interview intrigued me and brought to my mind thoughts that I could not shake over the next several days. Mr. Prusa had interesting thoughts, considerations and claims in the interview, and since we at Eduard use 3D printers extensively, know something about them and 3D printing as a whole, partially founding our business on them, my thoughts began to turn into some uncertainties. The truth is that we only have nine printers, but if we disregard for a moment quantity and deal instead with our experiences, setbacks, successes and plans for the future, we can safely conclude that we also have something to say on the topic.

  The interview devoted a lot of space to Chinese 3D printer manufacturers and their unfair practices. It discussed spying on customers, state subsidies and cheap loans, copying Western products and technologies, and pointed out things that generally are known about the Chinese. Until recently, we had no experience with Chinese 3D printers. Bravely and patriotically, we equipped ourselves with American and Australian printers, first printing masters for casting resin sets on them, and then mass production of 3D printed parts proper. This step eliminated American printers from our selection, because the business conditions dictated by the manufacturer were so demanding that we ruled out equipping our print shop with them. What bothered us most was that the supplier forced us to use only their printing resin, with each batch of material being accompanied by a chip slayed to the printer and only then could printing be done. No chip, no printing. You might argue that this was a fair business practice, but to us, it was a piss-poor one that, naturally, also carried with it a high price tag of production. It was exceptionally expensive, and we had some doubts about it also being correspondingly good in terms of quality. Cheaper material seemed to yield equal and even better results, and the comparisons did not bode well for the American conditions dictated. So, out the window went that company and their printers. Given the scope of our requirements, I am sure that they were not in any way dependent on being our supplier, but I am equally sure that we weren’t the only ones to tell them where they can stick their printers, resin, practices and customer appreciation.

  We also eliminated Chinese and Taiwanese printers because at that time their print quality was not at the level of the American and Australian units. We also eliminated those of the aforementioned Mr. Prusa, who’s printers were not suitable for our production needs. The Australians stayed in contention, and at the time of purchase, they were at the top of their class. We bought them, successfully introduced 3D mass production on them and we were comfortable, happy and satisfied. Unfortunately, the projectors of the printers we bought later started to fail after about two thousand hours. Considering that the first two printers we bought at that time still had their original projectors with a mileage more than double that of the new broken machines, we were surprised. Replacing the projectors was not cheap, yet the manufacturer refused to admit the mistake and insisted that we had to buy replacement projectors. Apparently the fault was on our side. OK, we bought them, but the problems keep on recurring, even though we adjusted the operating conditions according to the printer manufacturer's recommendations.

  That’s not the worst of it. The current state of technological development is interesting. At the time of purchase, we expected rapid technological development and the arrival of printers with higher resolution. This happened, but to our surprise, not with our Australian investment, but with the Chinese. They approach things differently than the Australians and Americans, their printers do not have a projector, but an LCD display. They also do not have pressure sensors, they print more slowly and have trouble printing high-quality materials with a higher density. On the other hand, they are cheap, and for the price of one Australian printer you can buy on average about eighteen Chinese or Taiwanese printers. In the upper range of higher-quality and more powerful printers, you can even get as many as fifty cheaper Chinese machines. You will print slower on those Chinese printers, but you will make up for it in quantity, given the number of printers in the production process. But most importantly, your, prints will not be worse off for it. The Australians still have 4K printers, while the Chinese are already at 16K. The Australians promised 8K and later 12K printers, but somehow it didn't work out. They're not talking much about the higher K numbers anymore, to say nothing of 16K. On the contrary, in Asia, China and Taiwan, development has picked up a frantic pace. Printers are evolving in innovation steps measured by months, while the lifespan of printers, especially the key elements like the LCD display, is longer than the innovation cycle. So new, better quality and cheaper machines are coming to the market so quickly that it's not worth repairing the old ones. And the notion of more Australian machines is not even worth the discussion. Refurbishing an Australian projector costs twice as much as a new Chinese printer. Meanwhile, the Australians still have 4K resolution, while a new LCD printer of the most expensive Chinese class already achieve 16K. Additionally, Chinese printers have up to twice the build area. An Australian printer today has got to be one tough sell. Under current conditions, even the Great Horst Fuchs would probably not sell an Australian printer.

  This is the situation that has put us on the edge of a dilemma, so to speak. Okay, the Chinese are said to copy and steal. But the Taiwanese also produce very similar and probably equally high-quality printers in the same price range. They are also Chinese, but democratic and honest, respecting the rules. The descendants of Chiang Kai-shek do not copy and steal, only the descendants of Mao Zedong and Chou En-lai do that, when you really think about it. Of course, we can buy a Czech printer, because Mr. Prusa neither copies nor steals, but unfortunately he does not have printers on the level of the Australians or the Chinese, regardless of their geographical origin. Pragmatically, we have no choice but to buy Taiwanese. They are in the same league in every way, no?

  And if you really delve into this a little deeper, doubt begins to creep in regarding those Chinese vices. Who are they copying from when they manage to outperform their competitors at a better price? Maybe they have a time machine, but the question is who they copied that from. To tell the truth, I also have a problem with the spying. I'm not an IT guy and I don't brag that I understand everything, but I think that in order for someone to spy on me on the net, I have to have the offending tools that enable it on my own devices. Australian and American printers are connected to the net. But it's different with the Chinese, their printers are not connected, the data is transferred to them via a flash drive. Honestly, it's a bummer, transferring data over a network is better, and personally I would risk the snooping. There is a proven way to spy around the internet, most of them are based in Ireland and speak ‘American’, and if some Chinese James Bond is looking at our 1/48 scale bombs and rockets, I'm completely stumped. So there's still the possibility that the Chinese are snooping even without being connected to the internet. God knows, their technological progress is really fast, maybe they have gotten that capability by now.

  To sum it up, my final impression of Mr. Prusa after listening to his interview twice and thinking about his thoughts for a week is that I would recommend that he stop whining about Chinese competition, get off his ass and come up with something, or copy something from the Chinese, so that he doesn't have to switch his new American factory from producing printers to popping out toasters (pun intended). Because those Chinese printers will be better and cheaper than his, even if the world's top customs officer, President T., imposed a 100% tariff on them. He would still have a few dozen percent of margin left. Mr. Prusa doesn't produce many printers of our type, I think he only has one type. His domain is line printers. But as it turns out, the situation in this market segment is similar to that of projector and LCD printers. The Chinese also dominate line printers, with BambuLab having the largest market share, over 40%, and Prusa having 3%. I'm not familiar with filament printers, we don't use them, but if you browse the internet, look at prices and compare products, it looks like Prusa’s flagship unit costs twice as much as the flagship of his Chinese competitor. And that’s gotta be a kick in the nads….

  We are currently testing how Chinese printers handle different materials. We also have material from Prusa. We hope that Mr. Prusa’s resin material works well. If it is cheaper and better than the Chinese equivalents, we will be happy to buy from him, and the quantities will not be small.

  So, what’s our takeaway from all this? My opinion is that most of what is said about the Chinese and their industry is already ten to fifteen years outdated. Today, the situation is completely different. The Chinese no longer have anyone to copy from in most fields, they are a steamship ahead of the competition in many of them. This ultimately applies to our field as well. Who can they copy from, when at least three quarters of all molds for newly released plastic models are custom-made in China? It's time to stop lying to ourselves about our European and American technological superiority, stop whining about Chinese injustices and instead work our asses off to catch up with their technological lead. And it's not just about 3D printers.