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{"cz":"Info EDUARD"}
{"cz":"Měsíčník o historii a plastikovém modelářství.","en":"Monthly magazine about history and scale plastic modeling."}
04/2024
Good evening, dear Friends, We've had a hectic March. I understand that it might not seem that way to you, but every bar looks different from the dining room than it does from the kitchen. In order for the view from the dining room, in other words, from you, the customers, to be positive, the staff in the kitchen (us), has little choice but to be very busy. So, hectic is good.
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e-magazine FREE Vol 23 April 2024INFO Eduard# 170Page 2
INFO Eduard# 170e-magazine FREE Vol 23 April 2024© Eduard - Model Accessories, 2024FREE FOR DOWNLOAD, FREE FOR DISTRIBUTION!This material may only be used for personal use. No part of the textor graphic presentations can be used in another publication in any other mediaform or otherwise distributed without the prior writtenpermission of Eduard - Model Accessories and authors involved.Editorial and Graphics - Marketing department, Eduard - Model Accessories, Ltd.Page 3
eduardeduardAPRIL 2024CONTENTSPublished by Eduard-Model Accessories, spol. s.r.o.Mírová 170, Obrnice 435 21support@eduard.com www.eduard.comEDITORIALKITSBRASSINPHOTO-ETCHED SETSSPACEBUILTON APPROACH–May 2024TAIL END CHARLIEARTICLESBOXART STORYGustav pt.2 Limited 1/72F4F-4 Wildcat late ProfiPACK 1/48Fokker E.III Weekend 1/48MiG-21PFM ProfiPACK 1/48 Re-releaseF6F-5 Hellcat ProfiPACK 1/72 Re-releaseAlbatros D.III 1/48Sparviero 1/48Spitfire Mk.VcGardening the DanubeAll About the BaysAir War in Ukraine-Summary of the Second Year of Conflict1/72ND SCALE MODEL KIT L-410 TURBOLETBY GAVIA AND KPHartmann's GustavAfrican intermezzo"My dear Fokker"A Hell of a Morning463944667890100106122Page 4
EDITORIALGood evening, dear Friends,We've had a hectic March. I understand thatit might not seem that way to you, but everybar looks different from the dining room thanit does from the kitchen. In order for the viewfrom the dining room, in other words, from you,the customers, to be positive, the staff in thekitchen (us), has little choice but to be very busy.So, hectic is good. The goal of the kitchen staff isto have a dining room full of satisfied guests, andthat is also the case with us. A proven method isto bring new ideas and new stimuli to the table.In our case, we also launched a mobile canteen,with which we went to one exhibition every weekthrough March. We've never done that in the past.There was some doubt as to whether or not itwas even manageable, and it turned out to bejust that. So we set out for Verona, Bytom, Prosekand Prostejov, and all in all, the time and effortinvested was well worth it, certainly at least forthose of us who attended and prepared thoseexhibitions. Our customers liked it, they lookedsatisfied, no one complained, so we will continuewith our event participation program. The rest ofthe year will be a little more subdued and in April,we are going to only one exhibition, in Moson.But I won't be there, I'm going to a wedding onthe same date. Martina Kurakovais gettingmarried, and she is a shareholder in Eduard,making her my business partner, and is also thechief technologist of our tool shop, the lady whois largely responsible for the appearance of ourkits. She is marrying Mr. Ladislav Jonáš. This isthe man who designed, among others, the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 and all the Spitfires that Eduardhas produced. He is also responsible for theMiG-21s, including the upcoming MiG-21F. Nowhe's constructing another sweet little item, butI won't tell you what that is just yet. We will haveplenty of time for that later.In Prostějov, our exhibition and productionactivities were closely related. During March,we completed all the molds for the P-51BMustang in 1:48th, we also completed otheroperations necessary for the release of kits,such as the design and start of production ofdecals, instructions, photoetched, masks and thebasic Brassin sets. So right now we're ready torelease the Mustang, and we've been hitting themarket in March to see what customers think.And customers like it, which is very positivenews after two years of no one ripping downwalls to get at new kits. This is also new toour operations. At the beginning of March, pre-orders of the Royal Class P-51B took place withan unexpectedly good result, which saw us reachalmost 4000 ordered items. This is significantlymore than the usual sales of kits of this seriesreleased so far. It shows that the modellers'demand for the restoration of the Royal Class linehas a solid foundation and that I was wrong tounderestimate the call. We then took a hundredboxes of this tasty little Mustang morcel in whiteboxes to Prostejov, where we sold them all, plus54 Overtrees. In Moson, similar activities will berepeated, because the new releases for May willbe on sale there, and they will again be mainlyabout the Mustang!April ReleasesIn April, we are releasing another Gustav,a Limited Edition kit dedicated to the late versionsof the Bf 109 G-6 and Bf 109 G-14. I understand thatthe 72nd scale kits are perhaps getting a little oldfor some people who see them as nothing special,but I'd say that the opposite is, in fact, true. Theversion of the Bf 109 G, which the kit is dedicatedto, has not been taken seriously by anyone yet,really. There are some G-14 kits out there, butthey are quite old, and the late G-6 versions,the Erla canopy and tall rudder machines, ora combination of the two, have been more orless avoided by most serious manufacturers.However, we will not be accused of droppingthe ball on these aircraft. If we're going to makethese Messerschmitts, we're going to make themproperly. As well as the Wildcat, one more ofwhich, the late version F4F-4, we are releasingin Profipack form (1/48th) also in April, along withthe Fokker E.III in the Weekend line, and again, in1:48th. Plus a lot of photoetched, masks, Brassinsand other accessories, as you will see as youscroll down the pages of this month’s newsletter.HyperscaleAs promised, I started a discussion onHyperscale. The beginning was quite a rush, andI admit that I found it difficult to keep up, but nowthings have simmered down a bit. I'd say we getalong with the modelers rather nicely, I've onlyhad two minor misunderstandings so far, andthat's better than it was in my early days otherforums. The only snag is one thread where weare dealing with how the wing should look onthe Mustang. It's about whether it should becompletely smooth or whether it can have panelINFO Eduard4April 2024Page 5
lines like we have. This is a vast topic that wouldbe worth an in-depth article. So I have quitea lot of background for this, to tell the truth,I have been dealing with the topic for almostten years. I have hundreds, maybe thousands,of photos reviewed, lots of articles and othersources, 48 Mustangs that we went over in greatdetail and one flight in a Mustang in the backseat. I admit that at the time, I didn't really look athow this particular machine’s wing surface wastreated, because when I climbed into it, my mainconcern was to shove my 190 cm and 120 kilosframe into that slot behind the pilot's seat, andwhen I was climbing out of the cockpit after theflight, I really couldn’t see straight for a whileand it was all I could do to stand on my feet. Youcan see from this that the priorities of historicalresearch can be different at different times, andit was kind of the same with that wing surface onthe Mustang. I'd say in general it was that theypolished the wing first on most units and thenthey dropped the practice in general becausethey had other things to worry about, plus theyfound out that if you hang additional tanks underthe wing, you can polish to your heart’s content,but it won't fly any faster anyway. You can do thesame for your models. If you don't like our panellines, putty, sand, polish and spray paint them.This will make your building experience all themore authentic because you will be working justlike the workers and technicians on the NorthAmerican production line. If you note that wehave panel lines on the wing of our releases, thenour Mustang is actually no different from otherkits already released, and I recommend that youtake a good look at the kit first and do not makehasty judgments, because I am sure that thereare some very fundamental differences betweenours and theirs. It's just something completelydifferent than what you get from anyone else.I admit that I had the urge to write an article onthe subject of Mustang wings, but I have alreadypromised our editor-in-chief so much that I don'tknow when I will deliver all that I have alreadycommitted to. So I will stick to my original plansand not jump to other topics. We're not going tomake any changes to our Mustang wing now, andwe couldn’t even if we wanted to, and we don’t,because we are confident that our interpretationis the best, given available references.ArticlesThat brings me to today's articles. We haveanother installment of the Air War over Ukraineseries by Mira Barič. The author confided in usthat he receives various hateful and aggressiveletters. It is clear that they are not fromsupporters of Ukraine. We are supporters ofUkraine and we stand behind our author. At thesame time, we also express our sincere regretfor the victims of the terrorist attack on theMoscow concert hall and express our sincerecondolences to the survivors and the victims ofthis barbaric act. At the same time,however, we also think that if theRussian security forces can arresta person on the street with a banneror a quote from the constitution ina matter of minutes, they shouldalso be able to take action againstterrorists in less than an hour. Herein the decadent West, our securityforces can do that. On the otherhand, quoting the Constitution orprotesting against the governmentare fundamental rights for us.We also have two historical articles in thisissue of our newsletter. The Danube articleby Peter Kaššák is about mine laying in theDanube in 1944, the other by Jan Bobek is aboutthe downing of Erich Hartmann and one of hisBf 109s. In addition, we have three shorter butengaging Boxart stories, about the Wildcat, theHellcat and about the Fokker E.III. And I wrotea travelogue about a research trip to Italy in whichI participated as the main driver and expeditionleader, Jakub Nademlejnský as the coordinatorand Stan Archman as the main researcher. In thisway, I think we achieved par with the recognizedstandard makeup of various expeditions of otherinstitutions, whether sporting or academic.And that is it from me today.Happy Modelling!Vladimir SulcEDITORIALINFO Eduard5April 2024Gardening the Danube
With a length of 2,845 km, the Danube is the second-longest river in Europe after the Volga. On almost 2,415 km (from Kelheim to Sulina) the river is navigable for international cargo transport. On its way from the Black Forest (Germany) to the Black Sea (Romania and Ukraine), the Danube passes by or through ten riparian states, which makes it the most international river in the world.
ARTICLESPeter KaššákWith a length of 2,845 km, theDanube is the second-longestriver in Europe after the Volga.On almost 2,415 km (fromKelheim to Sulina) the riveris navigable for internationalcargo transport. On itsway from the Black Forest(Germany) to the Black Sea(Romania and Ukraine), theDanube passes by or throughten riparian states, whichmakes it the most internationalriver in the world.The complex of oil refineriessituated near Vienna was one ofthe biggest in Austria and dueto its strategic position close tothe River Danube guaranteedeasy access for the importationof crude oil from Romania andelsewhere. Floridsdorf, WienerNeustadt, Moosbierbaum,Lobau, Schwechat and Kagranbecame infamously known tocrews of the American 15thUnited States Army Air Force.In 1944, approximately 88Heavy Flak Batteries protectedthis complex, with 604 heavyflak and 840 light flak gunsaimed at the American combatboxes of bombers. Operatingat maximum efficiency, it threwinto the air against US planessome 600 shells every threeseconds.But it was not only Austrianrefineries that were usingthe Danube as a transportroute. The Apollo oil refinery inBratislava represented in 1944an important oil-producingfacility as did oil refineriesin Hungary such as Szony,Pétfürdő, Almásfűzűtő, Pét andrefineries in Budapest (Fanto,Shell, Koolaz and HungaryPetroleum Co.). Furtherdownstream were the Kuçovërefinery, Doiceşti and the oilstorage depot at Targoviste,Bulgaria, Brod refinery inYugoslavia, and finally the well-known refinery and depots atPloesti, in Romania.The smooth functioning of theDanube transport system wascrucial for Germany, so itsdisruption was highly desirablefor the Allies. Two main optionspresented themselves to theallied planners in Italy. Oneinvolved the destruction of theoil refineries, port facilitiesand other infrastructure. Theother required the interdictionof Danube river traffic bymining. Both options would beresorted to as the USAAF andRAF sought to cut Germanyoff from its much-neededRomanian oil.Ground crew of 70 squadron B flight posing at their base with the ‘cucumbers’.Gardening the Danubemining the Europe’s secondlargest river in April 1944INFO Eduard6April 2024Page 7
ARTICLESDuring the first period during which themoon was full or near full, mining operationswere planned on eight nights, but sorties flownon only three, weather conditions makingaccurate minelaying impossible on the rest.The first operation, on 8/9 April, was carriedout as planned, but that on the following night,described in the 205 Group Operations RecordBook as ‘Completion of Mining in Danube’ wascancelled, as was what would have again beena ‘Completion’ on 10/11 April. On 12/13 April,mining was successfully carried out, but a repeatthe next night was cancelled. Success cameagain on 14/15 April, but yet another repeat, on15/16 April, had to be cancelled. The cancellationof the early ‘Completion’ drops was unfortunate,in that it gave the German authorities time tobegin planning counter-measures.205 Group scheduled a major raid on theTököl airfield, Budapest, on 8/9 April 1944,but this was cancelled late in the day, so theGroup’s first mining operation was the only oneundertaken that night. Two Wings operated, 231Wing dispatching twenty Wellingtons from 37 and70 Squadrons, and 240 Wing three Liberatorsof 178 Squadron, their designated ‘beds’ in theDanube lying between Bazias and Belgrade.Preparation for what was, for 205 Group,an entirely new operational experience was notwithout its difficulties, the Group OperationsRecord Book April summary stating:‘Gardening’ operations commenced in April1944, and the River Danube was mined withapproximately 200 mines, Mark IV and V. Difficultywas experienced in obtaining the necessaryslings, suspension bands, and bomb beams; andthe necessary experienced electrical personnelspecialized in the preparation of the mines.The electrical personnel were eventually flownfrom the Middle East the day prior to the operation.It seems likely that the ‘electrical personnel’came from squadrons in Egypt specializing inminelaying and anti-shipping operations, suchas 38 Squadron, though the actual briefing wascarried out by Royal Navy personnel.Ten Wellingtons of 37 Squadron were detailedto mine the Danube, laying ‘cucumbers’ ina three-mile bed east of Belgrade, but one did notoperate because of magneto failure. The othernine were airborne at Tortorella between 20:20and 20:27 hours. Three crews, LN920 “C” of W/OJ.C. Bailey (RAAF), MF139 “K” of Lt. M. Britz (SAAF)and ME872 of F/Sgt. H.C.M. Johnson (RAAF), wereforced to abandon their tasks, F/Sgt. Johnson’sencountering severe electrical storms, whileW/O. Bailey’s and Lt. Britz’s crews were unable toidentify crucial pinpoints. All three brought theirmines back. F/O. Pagram’s crew laid its minessix miles west of the prescribed bed. The rest,LP182 of F/Sgt. G.D.E. Adamson, HE518 of F/Lt.R.M. Cranchey, HZ814 of W/O. E.D. Upson (RAAF),JA522 of F/Sgt. J.C. Macallum (RAAF) and JA531of F/Lt. C.H. Muggeridge, did so in the prescribedareas east of Belgrade between 22:27 and 23:21hours from between 400 and 500 feet. F/Sgt.Johnson’s aircraft landed at Tortorella at 23:35,the remainder between 00:48 and 01:47.Ten Wellingtons of 70 Squadron were detailedto mine the Danube and took off from Tortorellabetween 20:20 and 20:41. In fairly good weather,though some cloud, nine crossed the DinaricAlps and pinpointed the River Sava and Belgrade.LP130 “D” (F/Sgt. G.J. Custance) experiencedengine overheating and rising oil temperaturesthat developed almost immediately after takeoff. The crew turned back and landed at Celone at22:30, as instructed, with mines on board. Sevenplanes, LN640 “A” of F/Lt. H.C. Bownas, MF194“F” of F/Sgt. D.C. Twigg (RAAF), LN985 “K” of F/O.C.O. Ellison (RAAF), HE694 “L” of F/Sgt. P.D. Nihill(RAAF), LN489 “O” of F/Sgt. R.P.F. Gelle (RAAF),LN870 “U” of F/Sgt. H. Pollard and LP126 “Z” ofF/Sgt. A.S.R. Ross (RAAF) claimed to have plantedtheir ‘cucumbers’ in the correct gardens, seeingparachutes and noting the splashes, but F/Lt. L.M.Mason and crew in LN851 “Y” slightly overshotand may have planted in a neighbouring garden.Mining was carried out between 22:29 and 23:10from a height of 250 to 500 feet, crews plantingsixteen 1600lb Mk.III and IV mines.Four rear gunners strafed barges, Sgt. M.W.Maddick in LN640 firing 2000 rounds nearOmoljica and Starčevo, Sgt. A. Roberts in LM8701000 rounds at Ritopek, and Sgt. Graysmark, reargunner in HE694, 1000 rounds at a fair-sizedvessel near a neighbouring garden. The greatestsuccess, however, was achieved by Sgt. E.R.Butcher in LN985, who opened fire on six bargesbeing towed by a tug. The tug cast off its tow onbeing attacked, which appeared to cause someconsternation on the barges.P/O. Gibson and crew failed to return.The remaining eight crews landed at Tortorellabetween 00:39 and 01:40.Vickers Wellington B.Mk.X LP139 “B” of 70Squadron ditched in the Danube after having thestarboard engine set on fire by light flak whilemining between Belgrade and Bazias. Two ofthose who died, navigator F/O. Jeffrey J.K. Burrand air gunner Sgt. Clifford J. Selby, were buriedlocally, but reinterred post-war in Belgrade WarCemetery, the former in grave 9.A.A4 and thelatter in 9.A.B.5. But W. Operator F/Sgt. FrankDadd, also interred locally at the time, at Pencevo,is buried in Cassino War Cemetery, graveXVII.C.22. It seems F/Sgt. Dadd was recoveredfrom Pencevo by the American Military, whobelieved he was an USAAF pilot, and buried in theNaples US Military Cemetery. Later, however, thebody was identified as that of F/Sgt. Dadd and inVickers Wellington LN640 ‘A’ of 70 Squadron. In the background a B-17 of the 15th Air Force is landing.INFO Eduard7April 2024Page 8
1948 was handed over to the British authoritiesfor re-burial.The two survivors, pilot P/O. J.A. Gibson andair bomber F/O. W.R. Elvin, made contact withChetnik irregulars , and forty days later wereevacuated from Yugoslavia by C-47, returning totheir squadron. Both went on to complete theirtour of operations with 70 Squadron.Air bomber Elwin reported upon return andreport has been filled as follows:“Whilst on a mining operation over the Danube,East of Belgrade at approximately 22:45 hours,aircraft while losing height to 200 feet over theriver, was hit by a light gun believed situatedon an Island near Pancevo. Fire broke out in thestarboard engine, and the Captain decided toditch. The two mines on board were immediatelyjettisoned (in the correct “bed”), and beforethe bomb doors could be closed, the aircrafthit the water in a shallow dive. It immediatelyfilled with water and within a few minutes wascompletely submerged. There was no time totake up ditching stations, and only the captainP/O Gibson and Bomb-aimer F/O Elvin areknown to have survived. They escaped throughthe pilot´s escape hatch, P/O Gibson sufferingonly slight facial abrasion, though F/O Elvin haddislocated one shoulder and sprained the otherarm. It was extremely dark and by the time thetwo men came to the surface the aircraft hadcompletely submerged. P/O Gibson found thedinghy floating, right side up, and managed toswim to it whilst F/O Elvin floated in his “MaeWest”. After a struggle, they both succeeded inclimbing aboard and then attempted to find theW/Op F/S Dadd whose cries they had heard aftersurfacing. By this time, however, they had floateda considerable way downstream and nothingcould be heard or seen of the W/Op. Of the othertwo members of the crew, nothing was heardafter the aircraft submerged, nor did the twosurvivors hear anything further whilst they werewith the villagers in the district. They did hearrumors, however, that Germans were working tosalvage the aircraft from its position in the centerof the river.As they had great difficulty in steering thedinghy, they blew whistles as they were stillin the center of the river, and eventually weresighted by a man who came out in a punt andcollected them and their dinghy. They tried toprevail on him to search for other members ofthe crew, but failed, and learnt later that he wasunwilling to risk being seen by Germans from theleft (i.e. North) bank.They were taken to the nearest village wherethey rested for a time in the school room, beingtreated quite well by the villagers throughconversation was extremely limited as they hadno interpreter. Fortunately, the B/A thought itbetter to discover the local political sympathiesbefore asking to be taken to Tito, for as theylater discovered, these villagers on the southof Belgrade were overwhelmingly Chetniksupporters and bitter opponents on the partisans.About 1 am. A Chetnik N.C.O. entered, had themtake off their clothing and don local garbs, anddrove them by bullock cart to the Chetnik districtleader in another village. This leader and his staff– one of whom spoke French with P/O Gibson –treated them very well, fed them, and introducedthem to the local brew of plum juice.The following morning, to avoid any possibilityof detection, they were taken into the hills,where they met an American divinity studentwho told them he had been studying for theOrthodox Priesthood for some time. He actedas their interpreter for two days, during whichtime they were often questioned about Britain´sattitude towards the Chetnik and Partisans, thegeneral complaint apparently being that suppliesof arms and ammunition were no longer beingdropped to the Chetniks. Later on, they foundthat the Chetniks, whilst well disposed to Britain,dared not openly resist the Germans for fear ofreprisals on their villages, though they kept asharp look-out and were always well informedof German movements. Above all, they seemedto hate and to fear the Partisans and tookevery opportunity of fighting against them. It isinteresting to note that during the whole timethey were in Yugoslavia, P/O Gibson and F/O Elvinsaw only one German truck, as they kept awayfrom main roads, using secondary roads whosesurfaces were indescribably bad and weretherefore avoid by the Germans.With their interpreter, they travelled by bullockcart to a village some seven hours journeySouth West where F/O Elvin was attended bya local doctor who did not cure the dislocation– not put right until he reached the British party.All medical supplies seemed to be very limited.At this village they stayed two nights, living asusual in a local commandant´s house.The following day the Major, who appearedduring the evening of previous day, sent themwith a strong escort to the boundary of his district,after which two bodyguards continued with them,continuing South-West and putting up at villageseach evening, travelling often on foot thoughsometimes by cart or horseback. Everywherethey were well treated, until eventually theyreached a British Mission H.Q. who passed detailsof their escape to the outside world.Apparently a number of these Missions werebeing recalled at this time, and plans werediscussed for leaving the country. The proposalto make their way across country was turneddown, as the Chetniks would not allow them topass into regions controlled by the Partisans,and indeed disapproved of their intention to leavethe country and of Britain´s increasing supportThe Partisans were organized on the initiative ofTito following the Axis invasion of Yugoslavia inApril 1941, and began an active guerrilla campaignagainst occupying forces after Germany invadedthe Soviet Union in June. A large-scale uprisingwas launched in July, later joined by DražaMihailović's Chetniks, which led to the creation ofthe short-lived Republic of Užice. More information:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ChetniksARTICLESINFO Eduard8April 2024Page 9
of Tito. The next alternative was escape by air.P/O Gibson was taken to a level patch of pastureon a hill top and asked whether he consideredit practicable for use as a night landing groundfor Lysander. He considered that it was, but assome hitch occurred in the pans for receivingLysander co-operation, he eventually heard thatthree transport aircraft were to attempt the job.Gooseneck flares etc. were dropped to them,M.A.P.R.W. aircraft took photos of the landingground, and Gibson was made officer in chargeof night flying.The party now consisted of 109 men, as severalAmerican airmen had bailed out nearby and joinedthe “mission”. After three nights work – most ofit interesting and exciting as aircraft were takingoff on a short improvised landing ground (filled tocapacity) – the whole party was safely evacuated.P/O Gibson boarded the last transport togetherwith the British C.O.”As a last Squadron airborne that night forGardening mission was 178 Squadron. ThreeLiberator crews took off from Celone between20:50 and 21:00 hours, detailed to mine theRiver Danube near what the geographically-challenged compiler of the squadron OperationsRecord Book said was Bucharest, but whichwas actually Belgrade. Between 23:28 and 23:39hours, from a height of between 125 and 500 feetthe three crews dropped 12 x 1000 lb. Mk.V minesas designated, the Liberators, on this first miningraid, carrying only four mines each, instead of thesix that were carried thereafter.On debriefing, W/Cdr. D.C. Smythe and hiscrew, flying in BZ947 “N”, described in detail thesequence they followed in this, the squadron’sfirst mining operation:“23:15 hours – arrived at target area. Orbitedto port and lost height to 2500 ft flying up riveras far as the island of Cibulski [44°48N: 21°12E].Turned to port again and flew back along Danubeheading west losing height to 200 ft near islandof Okilova [44°46N: 21°12E]. 23:28 hours, 180 ft –mining run on heading 210°. IAS [Indicated AirSpeed] 170 mph. All mines dropped in one stickwith three second spacing... All four parachutesseen to open and splashes observed as mines fellin Danube, making fountains of water.”F/Lt. J.H.C. Lewis and his crew (plane BZ930“S”) also dropped in one stick, but S/Ldr. R.A.Brown (in plane BZ929), making his first run at23:32, found he could only drop two mines beforethe aircraft passed over land, and so turned toport and flew down river again in order to repeatthe mining run, dropping his second pair of minesat 23:39. Interestingly, there seems to have beenno hard and fast requirement as to the height atwhich the mines were dropped, or a prescribedspeed, since while W/Cdr. Smythe dropped from180 feet at 170 mph, S/Ldr. Brown chose to dropfrom 300 feet at 180 mph, and F/Lt. Lewis wentlowest of all at 125 feet. Crews experienced slightmachine gun or antiaircraft fire from barges andtugs north and west of Dubovic and DubovskaAda islands and the crew of BZ930 decided toinvestigate after turning away from its miningrun. Observing several small vessels, the crewattacked from 200 feet, the tail gunner fired about1000 rounds, the mid upper gunner 400 roundsand the beam gunner 200 rounds. All observedthe rounds ricocheting off the vessels. The crewslanded at Celone between 01:20 and 02:00.In the morning of 9 April 1944, river trafficon the Danube was paralyzed. Among the firstvictims was the 650 hp. passenger steamerTulln of the D.D.S.G, which was sunk at kilometermarker 1150 at 07:45. Six of those on board died.D.D.S.G. also lost a tug on the 9th, but this wasjust the beginning. ‘Gardening’ was to badly affectthis large transporting company in the next sevenmonths. Another death was reported on tanker Xof the Slovak company S.D.P., which was sunk atkm 1128 along with a Serbian police boat.After three nights on which mining wasplanned, but abandoned, better weather meantthat mining operations could be resumed on the12th by the three squadrons involved in the firstmining operation on 8/9 April. 205 Group’s majorscheduled operation that night was an attackby sixty-five crews from the three Wellingtonwings on the Ferencváros Marshalling Yardsat Budapest, but seventeen Wellingtons from231 Wing and twelve Liberators from 240 Wingwere detailed to mine between Backa Palankaand Futog, east of Novi Sad, while five 231 WingWellingtons mined further east, between Baziasand Belgrade.Eleven Wellingtons of 37 Squadron took offfrom Tortorella between 22:30 and 22:40, sevendetailed to lay mines in the Danube betweenGardinovci, near Novi Sad, and Surnik, and fourbetween Bazias and Belgrade, near Dubravica.Seven crews, including crews of W/O. J.C.Bailey (RAAF) in Wellington LN920 “C”, F/Sgt. J.Photo taken in Yugoslavia in 1944. From left to right are standing unknownchetnick, pilot Jacobsen (unidentified crew), William Elvin and anotherunknown chetnick.Photo of the 37 Squadron crew, in which flew W.R. Elwin – standing as secondfrom right.Personal photo of William R. Elwin taken in 1945upon return from the war.ARTICLESINFO Eduard9April 2024Page 10
Calvert-Fisher in LN958, Lt. M. Britz (SAAF) inLN924, F/Sgt. H.C.M. Johnson (RAAF) in ME572,F/Lt. J.F. Fisher in MF196, Lt. D.R. Hjelm (SAAF)in LP182 and F/Sgt. J. Evans (RAAF) flying inLN799 successfully laid twelve 1000 lb. mines inthe Danube in the area between Gardinovci andSurnik from a height of between 100 and 200feet. HF477 (W/O. E.D. Upson (RAAF)) and ME875(F/Lt. R.M. Cranchey) both had a mine hang up andon return, at 04:20, landed at Foggia Main, with itslonger runway, with the mines on board.The four crews detailed to mine between Baziasand Belgrade all did so successfully, laying theirmines from a height of 300 to 500 feet.Pilot P/O. D.C. Burcham (plane JA472)described his feelings as he undertook his firstmining operation:“It turned out to be one of the most exhilaratingof trips. Having crossed the mountains at 10,000feet, we then pinpointed our ‘garden’ and diveddown to 2000 feet above the hazily moon-lit river,feeling rather vulnerable as we had no idea whatwas cooking-up along the dark river banks. In theevent nothing happened and we were able to dropour two mines!(Macdonald pp. 15–16)The Operations Record Book states that therear gunner of JA531, Sgt. Blyth, fired 200 roundsat barges, but Maurice Lihou, who was captainingJA531, recalls, in It’s Dicey Flying WimpeysAround Italian Skies, pp. 68–9, that the air bomber,Sgt. Antiel, also attacked the barges from thefront turret:“In the brilliant moonlight they found theirvegetable patch (target area). Flying low alongthe Danube with the riverbanks rising on eitherside of them, they could clearly see motor trafficwith dimmed headlight moving along; they mustbelong to an enemy convoy they concluded. Theylaid their deadly traps and continued flying lowat 200 feet over the river. To Lee [Lihou] it wasa tremendous thrill.‘Lets see if we can find some barges to shootup’, suggested Lee. ‘Want to go into the frontturret, Len?’‘OK. Skipper’. It wasn’t long before the firstbarges came into sight sitting low in the river,chugging along leaving a telltale wake of whitefoam behind them. They were much bigger thanLee had expected, he counted eight of them, fourlots of two side by side.‘Got them in your sights Len? Then go to it first.Are you ready at the back, Jock?’Len needed no second bidding, the burst ofmachine gun fire filled the aircraft and as theyflew on over the barges it was Jock’s turn in therear gunner’s turret to have a go, he also let rip.‘What about a second run chaps?’ asked Lee.‘OK by us Skipper’.They turned, flew alongside of the riverbank,turned again and flew on them from the rear.There seemed to be no one on board. They dida second run over them, both turrets in action.They flew on for a few more miles, but no morewere sighted.‘Better head for home now, Lee’, said Riggy.”Nine crews landed at Tortorella between 03:11and 04:20.Ten aircraft of 70 Squadron, LF640 “A” pilotedby F/Sgt. G.B. Sinclair (RAAF), LN699 “C” withLt. N.K. Weekes (SAAF), LP130 “D” with F/Sgt.G.J. Custance (RAAF), MF194 “F” with Sgt. D.H.R.McPherson (RAAF), LN985 “K” with F/Sgt. H.Pollard, HE694 “L” F/Sgt. K.E. Turley (RAAF),LN479 “O” with F/Sgt. R.P.F. Gelle (RAAF), NP135“T” with F/Sgt. J.R. Turvey (RNZAF), LN870 “U”with F/Sgt. B.E. Marstin (RAAF), LP126 “Z” withF/Sgt. R.P. Case and LN851 “Y” manned by crewof F/Lt. K.G. Hubbard, were detailed to plantmines between Palanka and Stari Futag, westof Novi Sad. In addition, F/Sgt. Custance andcrew, foiled on the earlier mining raid by engineproblems, were detailed to plant in the ‘old’bed east of Belgrade. All eleven crews took offfrom Tortorella between 22:40 and 22:54 andapproached the target in good weather, admiringthe snow-capped Dinaric Alps en route. Between01:00 and 01:45 hours crews successfully planteda total of twenty 1000 lb. Mk.V and two 1600 lb.Mk.VI mines from 80 to 400 feet successfully.Two crews, F/Sgt. Turvey’s and F/Sgt.Custance’s, encountered opposition south ofMasbar, which, although slight, was sufficientlyaccurate to hole F/Sgt. Turvey’s aircraft in severalplaces and damage the intercom. Nonetheless,he and his crew successfully completed theirmining run.Crews landed at Tortorella between 03:05 and04:35.Detailed to mine the River Danube betweenBacka Palanka and Futog, west of Novi Sad,twelve Liberators of 178 Squadron took off fromCelone between 23:59 and 00:31, each carryingsix mines. Eleven crews located the designatedbeds and between 02:55 and 03:46 sixty-five1000 lb. Mark V mines were laid successfullyfrom a height of between 80 and 500 feet. Thecrew of Lt. W.J. Van der Merwe (SAAF) flying inBZ932 had one mine hang up. It was jettisonedsafe over the Adriatic. Several crews reporteddifficulty in identifying the drop zone because offlooding, and F/Lt. D.A. Eardley and his crew inEV939 abandoned the operation after searchingfor the drop zone at 1500 feet for more than thirtyminutes. Two of its six mines were jettisoned safeover the Adriatic.Seven crews strafed barges, reporting hits,the .5 inch machine guns carried by the Liberatorshaving much more penetrative power thanthe .303 inch machine guns of the Wellingtons.Several crews made prolonged strafing attacks,Lt. Van der Merwe’s crew, for instance, rakingbarges with machine gun fire for 12 minutes.The most spectacular results, however, wereobtained by the crews of EV820 “R” (Lt. T.E. Knight(SAF)) and EV822 “V” (F/Lt. J.H.C. Lewis). In thelatter Lt. Knight’s mid upper and beam gunnersattacked and set fire to a 100 ft. long vessel,believed to be a tanker, which blew up. EV820’sgunners attacked another tanker, which alsoblew up, setting fire to a row of six ships, leavingthe river covered in burning oil and the resultingexplosions visible 85 miles away.On the return flight over the Adriatic, Lt. N.E.Hayman’s crew (in EV962) spotted red veryflares fired from the sea, which they reportedat debriefing. Group Flying Control was advisedand the outcome was the rescue the followingmorning of S/Ldr. C.F. Mervyn-Jones and his40 Squadron crew, returning from an attack onthe Ferencvaros Marshalling Yards, Budapest,which had ditched out of fuel after flak damage.Rear Gunner of 37 Squadron. [Photo: E. Robertson]F/Sgt. B.E. Marstin RAAF, who captained LN870on this raid. [Photo: AWM]ARTICLESINFO Eduard10April 2024Page 11
Other participating crews which were notmentioned due to nonproblematic flights were Lt.J.N. Hall (SAAF) in BZ928, Lt. G.C.E. Gibson (SAAF)in BZ929, Lt. J.G. Schuurman (SAAF) in BZ930 “S”,Lt. J.F. Young (SAAF) in BZ946 “L”, W/O. J. Strenach(RAAF) in BZ947 “N”, F/Lt. E.F.S. May in EV825 “D”and F/Sgt. A.L. Steele in EV841. All crews landedat Celone between 05:43 and 06:30.Newly planted ‘cucumbers’, as the mineswere often called in the RAF slang, found theirvictims again. On the 13th, seven ships were sunk,including B.L. tanker 778, N.F.R’s Hotin and theM.F.T.R. tug Grof Szapary Gyula lost at km 1466.Aboard the tug ten people lost their lives.Originally, for the night 14/15 April 1944 the205 Group scheduled a major attack on the TurnuSeverin Marshalling Yards in Romania, but this wascancelled, and in its place modest-sized raids bythe three Wellington wings were mounted againstshipping and harbor installations at Piombino,San Stefano and Leghorn. One Wellington from236 Wing was also detailed to carry out a leafletdrop (‘nickelling’) over Romania. It was thereforeonly the Liberators of 240 Wing that operatedupon what was to be the final mining operationof the first full moon period, and easily the leastsuccessful.Between 22:00 and 00:01, 178 Squadrondispatched eleven crews to mine the Danube nearJiul, in Romania, with six of them detailed to dropleaflets over Romanian cities prior to mining. Twoaircraft crashed shortly after take-off and of theremaining nine only one, EV959 “T” of F/Lt. D.A.Eardley, managed to locate the designated bedwith any certainty. Of the rest, two (BZ932 “Y” of Lt.W.J. Van der Merwe and BZ946 “L” of Lt. J.F. Young,both SAAF) mined the Danube, though uncertainas to where, while W/O. Strenach’s crew (in BZ930“S”) dropped their mines 15 miles south of Craiovain the river Jiul after they could not locate theDanube. In all, thirty Mk. 5A mines were laidbetween 03:20 and 03:44 from a height of 50 to200 feet. The other crews of Lt. H. Hosken (SAAF)in BZ947 “N”, F/Sgt. A.L. Steele in BZ929 andF/Sgt. W.A. Molyneux in EV822 “V were defeatedby a combination of haze and a waning moon lowin the sky, conditions worsening as the nightprogressed, with crews unable later to identifythe Danube, despite having used it successfullyas a pinpoint earlier, en route to nickelling. Twoaircraft successfully dropped leaflets overPloesti, and one each over Bucharest and Craiova.Returning crews all highlighted the difficultweather conditions and the efforts they hadmade to locate the designated drop zone.S/Ldr. R.A. Brown’s crew, flying in B-24 BZ928, forinstance, reported:“Tried to find Danube after dropping ‘nickels’but unsuccessful. A town brightly lit up and allpinpoints coincided with Turnu Măgurele butDanube could not be located. Moon was givingpoor illumination as it shone just above haze.Orbited to find Danube but still unsuccessful.Flew South and made astrosight which gaveaircraft at 43°05’N: 22°47’E at 03:05 hours. Thisgave aircraft too far South of Danube to minebefore 03:20 hours. Decided to abandon operation.Fifteen minutes later another astrofix confirmedthe other one. 04:16 hours – two mines jettisonedfrom rear bay at position 42o04’N: 18o32’E from9000 feet on heading 260°.”W/O. Strenach and his crew had to contend notonly with difficult weather, but also with enemyopposition:“01:54 hours made a complete circuit ofPloesti – searchlight shot up and caught aircraftstraight away. Light stayed on for approx. 30secsthen moved off then another repeated. Mastersearchlight held aircraft, the others swingingtowards aircraft’s course passing on to the master.Evasive action taken and searchlights lost. 02:20hours en route back to Danube. A single radial-engined aircraft (unidentified) observed flyingsame way as ‘S’. ‘S’ turned to port. Height 4000ft – fighter’s height 3000 ft. Unidentified aircraftthen lost. After losing unidentified aircraft spentat least one hour searching for Danube. Aircraftflew at 300 ft following rivers to see if theyflowed into the Danube but was unable to find it.03:44 hours, 200 ft – mines dropped in Jiul Riverfrom Craiova which is fairly large. Unable to findDanube owing to evasive action, bad visibility,black night and haze.Returning aircraft landed at Amendolabetween 05:50 and 06:40.”Two aircraft of the 178 Squadron were lost thatnight. Consolidated Liberator B.Mk.VI EV825 “D”took off normally but crashed shortly afterwards,one kilometer east of San Marco. The cause wasnever established. All crewmembers, includingpilot Lt. Harold E. Rogan (SAAF), navigator Sgt.Denis A. Bennett, Air Bomber Sgt. Bernard E.Hart, Wireless Operator Sgt. John C.W. Martin,Flight Engineer Sgt. George H. Evans, Air GunnerM.F.T.R. tug Grof Szapary Gyula lost on 13 April 1944 at km 1466.178 Squadron RAF Liberator being armed with mines.ARTICLESINFO Eduard11April 2024Page 12
Sgt. James Atkinson and Air Gunner Sgt. John B.Baskerville were killed and are buried in Bari WarCemetery, Lt. Rogan in grave XV.C.7, Sgt. Bennettin XV.B.38, Sgt. Hart in XV.C.38, Sgt. Martin inXV.C.6, Sgt. Evans in XV.C.13, Sgt. Atkinson inX.C.33 and Sgt. Baskerville in XV.B.39.Consolidated Liberator B. Mk.VI EV820 “R” tookoff at approximately at 23:50 hours and was lastseen climbing away from the runway. About twohours later navigator Sgt. J. Patterson, arrivedat the aerodrome on foot. It appears that almostimmediately after take-off the aircraft lostheight and crashed, killing three men includingpilot Lt. Keith Shaw (SAAF), Air Bomber P/O.Michael Wishak (RCAF) and Flight Engineer Sgt.Raymond H. Birch. Patterson, who was badly cutabout the head, was knocked out, and when hecame to consciousness, he found he was lying onthe ground alongside the aircraft.After doing what he could for the other injuredmembers of the crew he saw the aerodromeBeacon flashing about 2 miles away and startedto walk towards it. On his arrival, the ambulancewith Medical Officer and crash tender leftimmediately for the scene of the crash. It wasfound that three members of the crew hadbeen killed. The aircraft did not catch fire and itcrashed in open country, which accounted for thecrash not having been discovered earlier.Beside navigator, survivors of the crash wereWireless Operator Sgt. R.C. Pain, Air Gunner Sgt.H.F. Pollington, and Air Gunner Sgt. E. Gollings.The dead are buried in Bari War Cemetery,Lt. Shaw in grave XV.C.8, P/O. Wishak (who islisted in the 178 Squadron ORB as Warrant Officer,the unit not having then been advised of hiscommissioning) in grave XV.C.2, and Sgt. Birch ingrave XV.C.9.The newly laid mines made the Danube evenmore dangerous, since previously laid mineshad yet not been swept and the list of victimswas growing every day. Among the victims ofthe newly laid mines were the M.F.T.R. passengersteamer Erszebet Kiralyne lost on 15 April, themotor barge Ressel lost on the 30th and the S.O.R.tug Vojvoda Putnik lost on 2 May.Being inspected by the pilot, Liberator EV962 “F” of 178 Squadron suffered minor repairable damage.This plane flew a ‘gardening’ operation on 14/15 April 1944.Crew of B-24 EV820 “R”. Upper row right Sgt.Pollington, in the middle row left Sgt. Patterson andright Sgt. Pain. Below them are sitting left 2nd Lt.Shaw and right W/O Wishak. It is a cut off from biggerphot, and the upper left airman was not a member ofthe crew. [credit: Wishak family via P. Vančata].Pilot Officer Michael Wishak was born inCzechoslovakia in 1921. His parents moved to Canada,where in August 1941 Michael joined the RCAF. On 17March 1944 he was assigned to 178 Squadron.ARTICLESINFO Eduard12April 2024Page 13
The first mining in April apparently caught theenemy unprepared, as minesweeping equipmentwas totally inadequate. Traffic came to a haltover the greater part of the river, and, althoughthe enemy succeeded in developing its countermeasures within a few weeks, subsequentmining in May and June again increased theproblem. It appears that the enemy experiencedlittle difficulty in his actual sweeping operations,as the mines in use were not of a complicated orparticularly modern type, but the intensificationof mining after mid-July made it impossiblefor the available sweepers to meet the strainimposed upon them.There can be no doubt as to the outstandingsuccess of 205 Group ‘Gardening’ operations.Overall, between April and August 1944, thevolume of traffic on the Danube was reduced bysome 60 to 70 per cent. The enemy was forcedto deploy, along a considerable length of theriver, great quantities of anti-aircraft equipment,including balloons and guns as well as trainedcrews to man them. Skilled minesweeping crews,both naval and air, were diverted to the Danubeat a time when their services could ill-be sparedelsewhere. Finally–and most important of all,considerable aid was given to the Russian Forcesin their westward drive, when the transport ofGerman reinforcements to the Eastern Frontsuffered long delays.The 1000 h.p. motor barge D.D.S.G. Ressel, which was lost on 30 April 1944 at km 1552,0.M.F.T.R. passenger steamer Erszebet Kiralyne.(a slightly modified and enriched excerpt of a textfrom book: “Gardening by Moonlight” from PeterKaššák and David Gunby, available at lulu.com)ARTICLESINFO Eduard13April 2024All About the Bays
Don’t panic people, I am not going into detailed descriptions surrounding the Battle of the Bay of Biscay, Danzig Bay or even the Bay of Pigs. They’re not the type of Bays I have in mind. I am more geared towards a good discussion of the wheel bays of our new 48th scale P-51B Mustang.
AllAbout the BaysVladimír ŠulcBefore leaving Most, we washed our company van,nicknamed Mayer. Our colleagues did not hand itover to us in a completely presentable condition.Don’t panic people, I am not going into detaileddescriptions surrounding the Battle of the Bayof Biscay, Danzig Bay or even the Bay of Pigs.They’re not the type of Bays I have in mind. I ammore geared towards a good discussion of thewheel bays of our new 48th scale P-51B Mustang.The 3D design of our P-51B Mustang in 1:48thwas led by our chief designer Stan Archmanwho worked on it together with designers TomášFikar and Robert Theiner. The construction wascompleted at the beginning of last summer,and the files were transferred over to ourtechnologists, elevating the project to the nextstage, allowing Stan to focus his attention on theP-40 Warhawk project. Part of the preparationincluded scanning several aircraft in Texas,which we combined with our trip to the IPMS USANationals in San Marcos. This is a town locatedjust north of San Antonio. The first USS Texas, anironclad of 1892, was renamed the San Marcosin 1911 to allow her original name to be used forthe new USS Texas, a New York-class battleshipthat survives to this day and was in for repairsat the Galveston docks at the time of our visit.The first USS Texas, already under the nameUSS San Marcos, ended up worse, shot up asa practice target on the shoal of Theang Straitin Chasepeake Bay, but I already wrote aboutthat once. Interestingly, a significant moment inthe development of our 48th scale P-51B projectoccurred at San Marcos.Stan was showing off a 3D model of theMustang in San Marcos, and on that occasionhe learned from one of the modelers, JohnFerdico, that his wheel well design suffereda major flaw. He had based it around the well ofthe P-51A, or rather all Mustangs with the Alisonengine. But the P-51B did not have wheel bayslike the P-51A, in fact having more in commonwith the wells of the P-51D, though not beingidential. It basically comes down to the engine.The hoses leading from the radiator to the engineare routed lower on the Alison powered aircraftthan those using the Packard Merlin, where theywere higher up, closer to the ceiling of the wheelbay. Thus, it was clear that we had a problemARTICLESStanda Archman constructing.INFO Eduard14April 2024Page 15
Standa Archman after work at the hotel in Varese.Jakub Nademlejnsky in CH-47 Chinook in Volandia. The author at an artistic pizza in Varese.A cement truck overturned acrossthe highway, stranding bothdirections until the spilled loadwas removed.A nice four-hour traffic jamon the way to Bergamo.and that we needed to find documentation for theP-51B wheel wells. Not that we didn't have suchdocumentation before, but our sources featuredP-51A bays. Getting photos and drawings of theright bay was not easy, but thanks to John Ferdic,Ed Mautner, Billy Crisler and Brian Niklas, wegot access to some during September. And so,shortly after E-day, Stan was able to begin theredesign of those damn wheel wells.But another complication arose. As the workon tooling up progressed, the time for theredesign of the wells began to get away from usa bit. If we were to complete the entire project byApril and officially release the first kit of the newMustang in May, the tooling for the last mold, theone incorporating the parts of the protagonist ofthis essay, the wheel well, had to be finished byOctober. The basic prerequisite for meeting thisdeadline was the completion of the redesign inthe first week of October. And that was exactlythe time we were scheduled to travel to Italy.There we needed to see another P-40, in this casea P-40F, and above all, we had an appointment toscan a Macchi C.205 at the Leonardo factory nearVarese, a visit to the museum in Vigna di Valle,where they also have other Macchi fighters, andwe were supposed to end the Italian part of thetrip at a local model exhibit in Bergamo. It waspractically impossible to cancel the trip.Stan decided to work on the redesign duringthe course of the trip. He bought a 12V voltageconverter for the car's electrical system to220V, which is needed to power his laptop.We loaded the scanner, boxes of kits neededfor the exhibition, our luggage and a supply ofcoffee, and the team of Vladimír Šulc, JakubNademlejnský and Stanislav Archman headedout on the first leg of our trip, Cheb-Munich-Bregenz-Vaduz-Varese. From the driver's pointof view, the first part of the journey from Most tothe German border beyond Cheb went smoothly,only strange mouse clicks and dark cursingcould be heard from the back of the car. BeforeRegensburg, however, the situation calmeddown, and during a break in Vadus, Stan lookedrelatively optimistic, and it seemed that the wellwould acquire the right proportions during thejourney, but a wrench was occasionally throwninto the mix. For example, he reduced thesensitivity of the mouse to the lowest possiblelevel, because hitting an icon while movingthe mouse inside of a moving car, noting thatthe Siemens NX program utilizes such icons,is really a very difficult activity. We normal non-designers do not notice the tiny vibrations drivingcan generate or how relevant they can be in suchan endeavor. Another problem was unexpectedbraking, because he didn't have the laptop fixedto anything, and it had a tendency to drift awayuncontrollably when braking. The laptop alsohad a tendency to heat up significantly, anotherthing that one doesn't fully realize when workingwith a laptop normally.ARTICLESINFO Eduard15April 2024Page 16
During the trip, we received word that theC.205 scan was being moved up by a day.So we extended our stay in Varese, which wasn'texactly easy because there was some apparentlyimportant cycling event going on in Varesethe next day and the hotel was full of racers,coaches and service team members. We used theextra free day to visit the Volandia Museum onthe grounds of the former Caproni factory nearMilan’s Malpensa Airport and the town of Stresaon Lake Maggiore, where I completed one matterthat I had not managed to during my stay inStresa two years earlier. Stan did not go with us.He stayed at the hotel and worked on his wheelbay design. Unfortunately, at that time his newdesign team, we can call it the ‘P-40 OperationalGroup’, was already starting the design of the 3Dmodel of the P-40E, and they urgently neededto go over some things. This took up four hours,so after Jakub and I returned from Stresa, thewell was still not finished. So we went to dinner.We placed our faith in a ‘modernist’ pizzeriawith design-oriented types of pizza whosenames none of us have ever heard before andwill probably never hear again. Colleagues didn'tlike their pizzas, and I forgot what I actuallyhad on mine. There were definitely anchovies,and even got extras in a can. There are alwayscrossroads of decisions with any design stuff.Truth is, the box, with only two anchovies left init, looked a bit like the wheel well of the Mustangin Stan’s background photos. Actually, the thingresembled the wheel well of a Mustang whose oilcooler had been shredded by flak while strafingsomewhere over Germany. But that also couldhave been the wine. In any case, we still didn'tLanding gear bay for P-51ALanding gear bay for P-51B/CThe Ansaldo SVA 5 in Volandia is a scaled-down replica (90%), built by ProfessorAntonio Angelucci in 2001. It was built after the original, machine serial number11721, which is in the collections of the museum in Vigna di Valle. This exhibit hasbeen in Volandia since July 2022, when it was donated to the museumby Professor Angelucci's son Giuseppe.We have already met a Macchi C.205 in Volandia.In this case it is a fiberglass replica.The Savoia-Marchetti S.55 flying boat is of great importance to Italian aviation notonly because of its unique design (it was a flying catamaran), but especially becauseof the long-distance flights that the crews of these machines undertook both aloneand in large groups. The first of such flights was the "flight of the four continents",in which Colonel Francesco de Pinedo and his crew flew across Africa to SouthAmerica, from there to the USA and back to Europe via Canada. The route of theflight was 46 960 km long. This was followed by flights of large aircraft formations,led by Marshal Balbo. The first flight across the Mediterranean (25 May - 2 June1928) involved 61 flying boats, 10 of which were of the S.55 type. These were laterfollowed up by Balbo's transatlantic flights, the first of which was a flight of 14 S.55sin 1930. S. 55A, crewed by Umberto Maddalena and Stefano Cagna, madea significant contribution to the rescue of General Umberto Nobile's expedition thatwas wrecked in the Arctic in the summer of 1928.The exhibit in Volandia is a 1:1 scale replica that is still being worked onARTICLESINFO Eduard16April 2024Page 17
have our well and time was running out.The next day, October 4th, the Macchi C.205Veltro was scanned. A beautifully restoredexample stands in the entrance hall of theadministrative building at Leonardo, formerlyAermacchi, on the outskirts of VenegonoSuperiore. The machine is repaired to essentiallyan airworthy condition, but it is evidently notexpected to ever fly again. Aermacchi owned anairworthy Veltro that was severely damaged ina crash. The crash damage prevented themachine from being repaired to airworthycondition again, so it was refurbished for staticdisplay purposes for the museum, and thecompany traded it with the National TechnicalMuseum of Milan (Museo nazionale scienzae technologia Leonardo da Vinci) for anotherVeltro that was in good airworthy condition.However, after the repair work was completeThe Volandia Museum is built on the siteof the Caproni factory, founded in 1910.Jakub Nademlejnsky got some additionaldata about SF-260 for our colleaguesat Special Hobby.In the lobby of Leonardo's office building is, of course, the original Macchi C. 205V. Working on such a machine isa sheer joy!ARTICLESINFO Eduard17April 2024Page 18
at Aermacchi, the management of the companydid not allow any further flying, given therare nature of the specimen, and the Veltroended up in the entrance of the administrationbuilding, where we spent a good half day with it.We scanned the critical parts, which is theusual procedure, because it doesn't make sensefor us to scan the entire plane. We do the mainpart of the design work of the basic 3D modelaccording to drawings, but we verify the shapesof critical parts, such as the nose, tail section,wing-fuselage transition, wingtip shapes andwheel wells according to the data obtained byscanning. We use the scanner in the next stagesof the development of the kit, especially whenchecking the finished mold, when we scanthe mold and compare the shape of the partswith the 3D pattern model. The introduction ofthis method saves us tens to lower hundredsof working hours that we used previously fornecessary fine tuning. The scan, interrupted bylunch in the cafeteria and carried out with theenthusiastic interest of the local staff, did notfinish until after four in the afternoon, we saidgoodbye to our hosts and set off south to thePiana delle Orme area near Anzio.Since we were leaving Venogona Superioreafter four in the afternoon and had almost 750kilometers to go, it was clear to us that weweren't going to arrive at our hotel at any decenthour before midnight, and we didn't.. But theadministrator was kind to us. Stan, who hadbeen designing very responsibly even duringthis leg of the journey, declared that he wantedto live in a single room by himself and that hewould continue to do the work at hand, becausetomorrow, which at that moment meant today,our technologists needed to have the designin their computers. Otherwise, there would bea problem in meeting the time schedule. In themorning at breakfast it was clear that he hadreally been plugging away through the night. Atbreakfast, Stan reported that he uploaded thefiles to the company network at half past four inthe morning.A P-40L was waiting for us at the museumin Piana delle Orme. We didn't do any scanningthere, we just needed to take a good look at thenose and compare it to the nose of the P-40Eand N. It's all about the engine; as you know, theThe Veltro has beautifully detailed workmanship.The Mustang's undercarriage shaft design was a walkin the park compared to the Veltro shaft.A good old measure tools always comes in handy when working on such a project.The undercarriage legs are articulated parts with lots of fine details. They are alwaysa challenge for the designer.ARTICLESINFO Eduard18April 2024Page 19
P-40F and L had a Packard Merlin engine, versusthe Alison engine that powered the other P-40s.So we assumed that there would be a differentcowling on the F/L and we needed to verify that.The museum at Pianna delle Orme is dedicatedto the history of the Allied landings at Anzio, butalso has a section dedicated to the developmentof agricultural technology and a sectiondedicated to post-war aviation with a largeproportion of aircraft of the Italian FinancialGuard (Guardia di Finanza), an armed branchin Italy with significant air and naval assets.The exhibits dedicated to the Anzio landings areinterestingly designed as dioramas and containa number of significant exhibits, of which wewere, of course, particularly interested in theaforementioned P-40L. It is also displayed aspart of a diorama. This is a wreck recoveredfrom the sea in very good condition.The exhibitions in the Piana delle Orme museum are designed as large dioramas. Such is the case for the halls dedicated to the Anzio landings.The outdoor display features aircraft of thepost-war Italian Air Force. The aircraft arein very good condition, this licensed FiatF-86K Sabre serial number MM53-8299is beautifully restored. Before becominga museum exhibit, it served for manyyears as a gate guard at Milano-BergamoOrio Airport.The diorama also incorporates the P-40L. A P-40L-15CU, serial number 42-10857,with tactical designation X49, belonging to the 86th FS/ 79th FG (12th AF), named"Gipsy Rose Lee," landed for engine failure on the beach at Capoportiere on31 January 1944. The pilot, Lt. M. Mauritz was captured. The aircraft laid in thesea off the coast for many decades. In 1998 it was recovered from the sea,and is now the only surviving example of the P-40L.ARTICLESINFO Eduard19April 2024Page 20
A P-40L-15CU, Serial Number 42-10857, codedX49, belonging to the 86th FS/ 79th FG (12thAF) and named ‘Gipsy Rose Lee’, landed due toengine failure on the beach at Capoportiere onJanuary 31st, 1944. The pilot Lt.M.Mauritz wascaptured. The aircraft lay in the sea off the coastfor decades, was recovered in 1998, and today itis the only preserved example of a P-40L.From Pianna delle Orme, we moved 120kilometers north to the edge of the town of Vignadi Valle on the shores of Lake Lago di Braciano,to the Museum of the History of Military Aviation(Museo storico dell` Aeronautica Militare diVigna di Valle).Here too, we were interested in Macchifighters, and this museum boasts all three maintypes of Macchi series fighters, the C.200, C.202and C.205. In the case of these exhibits, there issome doubt about their 100% authenticity, whilein the case of C.205 these doubts are certainlyjustified. Our plan for this summer's trip to theLockheed PV-2 Harpoon, serial number MM80074, ex US NAVY N7486C, is apparently the only surviving Harpoon in museums outside the United States.The outdoor exhibit includes a collection of machines from the Italian Financial Guard,Guardia di Finanza. This Piaggio P-166 visited Prague on October 17, 2007. As an ownerand rider of a Piaggio scooter, I have a personal relationship with this brand!Collection of Macchi M racing seaplanes M.39, M.57 and M.72Also from the Financial Guard is this Breda-Nardi NH-500MC licensed helicopter.Another machine of the same type and in the same colouring, but of course witha different fuselage marking, is in the collections of the Volandia Museum.ARTICLESINFO Eduard20April 2024Page 21
United States is to scan critical parts of C.200and C.202s in American museums. There’sa C.200 in Dayton, Ohio, and a C.202 at theNASM in Washington, DC. For many years ithung in a museum building in the city, near theNational Mall, and is currently scheduled to bedismantled at Steven F. Udwar-Házy at DullesAirport in Chantilly. We are already very familiarwith this facility.In any case, the museum in Vigna di Valleis worth a visit regardless of the condition ofthe machines mentioned above. After all, youwouldn't know anything was wrong with themas a regular visitor anyway, the planes arevery nicely restored and in excellent condition.However, I am sure that as modelers, you wouldsuspect this in our kits, especially if you weregiven the necessary information by an experttaken at his word, and that word may even begiven prior to a kit release, as it often is.The C.200-205 series fighters are not the onlyMacchi aircraft in Vigna di Valle. They have thisstunning collection of three Macchi M.39, M.57and M.72 floatplanes racers. These are wonderfulmachines, built for the then famous SchneiderCup. On October 23rd, 1934, pilot FrancescoAgello set a world record of 709.209 km/h in anM.72 with two counter-rotating propellers andpowered by a twenty-four-cylinder Fiat AS.6engine with an output of 2,300hp. However, themaximum speed of this machine is stated to be711.426 km/h! These Macchi birds aren't the onlyseaplanes in the museum, after all the museumis built on the grounds of a former seaplane base.Here you will also find another Fiat C.29 racer,as well as a huge three-engine Cant Z.206 anda wonderful Austro-Hungarian Lohner L-1, whichcan be taken as one of the themes in Vigna diValle with a Czech or Czechoslovak connection.Another such item is a replica of the gondolaof the airship Italia, which in 1928 underthe command of Umberto Nobile set out ona journey to the North Pole, only to be wreckedin a storm on May 25th, 1928, about 100 kmnorth of Northeast Land, one of the islands ofthe Svalbard archipelago. Of the sixteen crewmembers, eight people were saved duringa dramatic rescue operation in which the famousNorwegian polar explorer Roald Amundsendisappeared without a trace, along with theoperation’s commander Umberto Nobile, his dogand the mascot of the expedition, a Fox Terriernamed Titina and the Czech scientist FrantišekBěhounk. I was mesmerized by Běhounk'sbook ‘Castaways of the Polar Sea’ as a boy andI wanted to be a polar explorer, which I was latersomewhat introduced to by the Italian-Sovietfilm ‘Red Tent’ from 1969, with Peter Finch in therole of Nobile and Sean Connery in the role ofAmundsen. My later experiences with wintermaneuvers in Šumava during my military servicewere completely brought out. In Vigna di Valle,they also have a documentation center of thisfascinating story of human courage, the desirefor knowledge and sacrifice to save human lives,where various remains of Nobile's expedition,his personal library and archives, are stored. Wedidn't have time to do that, and you can only gothere after prior ordering, so I have to go thereat least once more.The third, but this time Czechoslovak or, moreprecisely, Slovak connection, is the Caproni Ca-3three-engine bomber. One of the founders of thefirst Czechoslovak Republic, a Slovak scientist,aviator and the first Minister of Defense of thenewly formed Czechoslovakia, General MilanRastislav Štefánik, died on this type of aircraftwhile returning to his homeland. They don'tmention this much in Vigna di Valle, and if theydo, I missed it. But even so, this exhibit hasan incredible history behind it. This machine,a survivor of World War I, was bought afterits retirement by its pilot Casimiro Buttini,reportedly for 30,000 lire, stored in a barn,from where it was purchased by the Italian AirForce for museum purposes in 1958. I confess atthis point that this plane is one of my all timefavorites. I've admired it like a ravenous catseveral times in Dayton, Ohio, and I'll be gazinginto its gorgeous eyes again this year, and we'veeven started designing it as a kit at Eduard.The design is in progress but momentarily hiddenin a drawer with our designer Karel Mišák.The Lohner L-1 is associated with the most successful Austro-Hungarian naval aviator Gotfried von Banfield,who scored 6 kills in a Lohner L-1 with fuselage designation L16. The machine in the museum in Vigna di Valle,with the fuselage designation L127, reached Italy on 3 June 1918 after the defection of its two-man crew, whichlanded in the port of Fano. The machine is very well preserved, having undergone a complete refurbishment in1988. A total of 93 aircraft of this type were built, the L127 being one of 24 produced in Hungary by UFAG.The Caproni Ca-3 heavy three-engined bomber on display at Vigna di Valle was purchased by its pilot, CasimiroButtini, after his retirement from the Italian Air Force, reportedly for 30 000 lire and stored in his barn, fromwhere it was bought by the Italian Air Force for museum purposes in 1958. Another original piece of this type isin the USAF museum at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio, and a replica, built at the Aircraft Repair Shop inTrencin, is on display at the museum in Piešt'any, Slovakia.ARTICLESINFO Eduard21April 2024Page 22
ARTICLESAnd there are so many more treasures toexplore, including such one-of-a-kind piecesas Italy's first Caproni-Campini jet from 1942 orthe SPADA engine that killed Francesco Barraca,and they also have a Fiat CR-32, which is anotheraviation love of mine. As you can see, I ama multiple bigamist when it comes to airplanes,and as I see now, many of my loves are Italianladies. I strangely didn't realize that before. Eitherway, I have plenty of reasons to keep comingback to Vigna di Valle, and I highly recommendyou all go there when the opportunity presentsitself in your own travels. Take a look at thephoto gallery for inspiration.From Vigna di Valle we left for Viterbo forthe evening, we slept in the small historic townof San Martino al Cimino, and the next day wepassed through Viterbo, another historical gemof Bagnoregio and one absolutely perfect four-hour Italian traffic jam, caused by a cementtruck overturned all along the highway, tarrivingin Bergamo shortly before midnight. Stand hadstopped his design work by then, the wheelbay was already in the possession of and beingworked by technologist Venca Pospíšil, and Stanwas able to use his technological skills to trackdown the owner of our room, who only left anangry message on the doorbell saying that heonly accepts guests until 5:00 p.m. This was alsosuccessful, the angry lodger turned out to bea very friendly piano teacher who devotedly tookcare of us for the rest of our stay in Bergamo.The modeling competition was small but nice.The Italian modelers gave us a warm and friendlywelcome, and the closing party with them anda local mountain band is unforgettable andindescribable. If you want to experience it, goto the competition in Bergamo in October, andwhen you're gluing the wheel well into your newMustang, put on some Italian classics, preferablyBella Ciao by Goran Bregovic or some Pavarotti!The Hispano-Suisa 8a engine from SPAD VII, which was used to kill the mostsuccessful Italian fighter of WWI, Francesco Barraca.The Macchi M.72 reached a top speed of 711.426 km/h.The Fiat CR-32 Chirri on display at Vigna di Valle is a Hispano HA-132L built in Spain.INFO Eduard22April 2024Page 23
ARTICLESFiat CR-42 FalcoWe will be equally interested in the Macchi C.202 Folgore at the Steven F. UdwarHazy Center in Washington DC.The Macchi C.200 Saetta will be of great interest to us again this summerat the USAF Museum in Dayton, Ohio.Macchi C.205 Veltro in Vigna di Valle is not completely restored. For example,both wing halves have the same span. In fact, each half of the wing of C.205 hada different span. It was a solution to eliminate the effect of propeller torque,a characteristic of Macchi's C.200/202/205 series fighters.INFO Eduard23April 2024Page 24
A view of the Badoni hangar. Behindthe Macchi C.205 and C.202 is thethree-engined Fiat G.212 transport.Fiat G.55 CentauroSavoia-Marchetti S.79 Sparviero unfortunately blendsin the display due to its all-green paint.Vigna di Valle also hasa very valuable collectionof jet aircraft.Not to be missed is the perhapsubiquitous SF-260 in Italy.The CANT Z-506S Airone makes a monumental impression in the museum display.This multi-purpose seaplane, introduced in 1935, lasted in service for almost a quarterof a century despite its wooden construction, the last examples being retired fromservice in 1959.ARTICLESINFO Eduard24April 2024Page 25
www.eduard.comThe famous twin-engined supersonic jet F-5E Tiger IIin the markings of the US Air Force, US Navy, US Marines,South Vietnam, Democratic Republic of Vietnam, Braziland Thai Air Forces.• Freedom Tiger F-5E• Plastic parts AFV Club• Brassin 3D print parts for added detail73-00878, 63rd Tactical Wing, RVNAF, Bien Hoa,South Vietnam, 197473-00878, Socialist Republic of Vietnam, 2023renovation at The Aviation Museum Kbely,Prague, Czech RepublicVFC-13 „Fighting Saints“, US Navy, NAS Fallon,Nevada, USA, 1998Maj. Lenny Bucko, NSFTIP, US Marines, MCAS Miramar,California, USA, 1983F-5E, 73-00897, USAF, 57th Fighter Weapons Wing,65th Fighter Weapons Squadron, Nellis AFB, 1981VFA-127 „Royal Blues“, US Navy, NAS Fallon,Nevada, USA, 1993425th Squadron, 58th TFTW, Luke AFB, US Air Force,Arizona, USA, late 70sBf 108 1/48 #8078Spitfire Mk.IXc 1/48 #8281Bf 109G-2 1/72 #70156Fw 190A-5 1/48 #841181º/14º GAV „Esquadrão Pampa“, FAB,Canoas AB, Brazil, 2005211 Squadron, Wing 21, Royal Thai Air Force, Ubon AB,Thailand, late 90s• Photo-etched pre-painted parts• Die-cut masks for easy painting• Decals for 8 marking options#11182Air War in Ukraine - Summary of the Second Year of Conflict
Two years have passed since the senseless war began, bringing nothing but devastation, bloodshed, and ruin to all involved. Therefore, in today's continuation, we will look not only at the traditional monthly period (this time from February 1st to February 29th) but also at the summary of what happened in Ukraine in the second year of the conflict. But first, allow me a personal address.
Miro BaričAir War in UkraineSummary of the Second Year of ConflictResidential building in Avdiivka destroyed by a Russian rocket.During these two years, I've learned a lotabout various people around me, but alsoabout myself. For example, that I am a warinstigator, relishing in senseless killing, andam an activist paid by the West to spreadWestern propaganda.Well, perhaps I am a war instigator in thesense that from the beginning of the war, I haveinsisted that the aggressor cease attacking,which would lead to immediate peace. Unlikecalls for the capitulation of defenders, whichwould only lead to the destruction of Ukraineand Ukrainians themselves.There's no point in reacting to various"whataboutisms". However, I insist that liesare not opinions, and I certainly won't respectthem. I also reject claims that relativize thetruth by saying that none of us were there, sowe don't know how it was. I wasn't in Auschwitzeither, yet I know who was the embodiment ofevil there and who was the victim – the sameapplies to Bucha or Mariupol.And if you don't like my alleged "Westernpropaganda," there's a simpler solution – followthe spokesman for the Russian Ministry ofDefense, Konashenkov. In the summer of 2022,he announced the destruction of 40 HIMARS -out of less than 20 that were delivered at thattime. By the way, in the last observed period,the first evidence appeared that the Russiansat least damaged two HIMARS with a missile.At the beginning of March, they managed todemonstrably destroy the very first HIMARS -but that will be in the next installment of thearticle. It won't be missing from it because myalleged "Western propaganda" doesn't concealit...Two years have passed since the senseless war began,bringing nothing but devastation, bloodshed, and ruin toall involved. Therefore, in today's continuation, we will looknot only at the traditional monthly period (this time fromFebruary 1st to February 29th) but also at the summary ofwhat happened in Ukraine in the second year of the conflict.But first, allow me a personal address.ARTICLESINFO Eduard26April 2024Page 27
On February 10, Antonov An-124-100M named "Bebrave like Okhtyrka" landed at Harrisburg InternationalAirport in Pennsylvania. The aircraft with registrationUR-82008 belongs to Antonov Airlines. It broughttwo M142 HIMARS rocket launchers for repair to theUSA. One of them likely had its right front wheel tornoff by a mine explosion and damaged the lower partof the cabin. The other one has at least 16 shrapnelimpacts in the cabin, both front windows cracked,and both front tires damaged. These are the first twodemonstrably damaged HIMARS out of 39 delivered.March 2023During this period, Poland and Slovakiadelivered MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine.Warsaw provided at least four aircraft in March,with another 10 scheduled to be delivered thefollowing month. Slovakia provided 13 units,three of which were without engines andsuitable only as a source of spare parts. Onlyfour out of the remaining ten aircraft flew toUkraine under their own power (numbers 2123,6124, and 6627 in gray-green camouflage and0921 in digital camouflage). The flight fromSliač took place on March 23rd. The remainingaircraft were transported by ground.A serious incident between Russian andWestern armed forces occurred on March14th. Two Russian Su-27 fighters attacked anAmerican MQ-9 Reaper drone in internationalairspace over the Black Sea and caused it tocrash by hitting its propeller.April 2023Kyiv became the target of rocket shellingagain on April 28th after 51 days of peace. Thishappened on the day when the Slovak PresidentZuzana Čaputová and the Czech President PetrPavel were visiting the Ukrainian capital. Bothhad to take cover in an air raid shelter.In addition to Ukraine, Russia alsobombed its own territory when on April 20th,a Su-34 mistakenly dropped bombs on the cityof Belgorod.Ukrainian drones attacked the fuel depot ofthe Black Sea Fleet in the city of Sevastopolon April 29th, destroying approximately half ofthe tanks.May 2023At the end of the previous month, twoPatriot system batteries arrived in Ukraineand were involved in the defense of the capitalfrom the beginning of May. The first Russian"undestructible" missile Ch-47M2 Kinzhal wasshot down on May 4th in the early morningover Kyiv. The Russians tried to overwhelmthe Patriot with a large number of missiles todestroy it. In such a mass attack on May 16th,Ukrainians shot down another six Kinzhals.Ukrainians also used the Patriot defensively,and on May 13th, they set a trap for a Russiangroup flying to bomb the Ukrainian Chernihivregion with gliding bombs. However, the wholegroup was shot down on their side of the border,in the Russian Bryansk region. It includedone Su-34, one Su-35, and at least two Mi-8helicopters modified for electronic warfare.Such losses were admitted by the Russiansthemselves. According to the Ukrainians,another Mi-8 helicopter was shot down -a total of five aircraft at once.In May, there was also the first use ofUkrainian MiG-29 fighter jets showcasing blue-yellow paint on their underside.ARTICLESINFO Eduard27April 2024Page 28
British-French Storm Shadow / SCALP-EGcruise missiles. Ukrainians launch themfrom modified Su-24 aircraft. They also usedADM-160 MALD decoys alongside them.At the end of May, the Russians managedto capture the ruins of the destroyed city ofBakhmut, which had been fought over foralmost 10 months. However, Ukrainians begancounterattacks around the city, and fightingfor Klyshchivka, located south of Bakhmut,continues to this day.June 2023In the early days of June, the Ukrainiancounteroffensive began in the south of thecountry in the Zaporizhia region. However, itprogressed slowly from the start against well-fortified Russian positions with numerousminefields. Two days after its start, on June6th, fearing a possible crossing of the DnieperRiver, the Russians blew up the KachovskaDam north of the city of Kherson. This causeda huge humanitarian and ecological disaster.At the end of the month, mercenaries fromthe Wagner group who led the main charge(and also the losses) in the battle for Bakhmut,rebelled. Their leader, Prigozhin, seizedRostov-on-Don on June 23rd. He hoped tocapture Russian Defense Minister Shoigu andChief of the General Staff Gerasimov, whomhe had long publicly criticized. However, theymanaged to escape from Rostov just before.On the next day, Wagner's columns headedtowards Moscow. They occupied one city afteranother and shot down six Russian helicoptersand one Il-22M aircraft - a flying command post.However, Prigozhin halted his mercenaries200 km from Moscow. Shortly afterward, theyalso withdrew from Rostov in exchange foran alleged promise of impunity. As a result,the coup failed, and Wagner's forces asa significant force came to an end.July 2023The Kerch Strait Bridge leading to theoccupied Crimea became the target of anothernaval drone attack on July 17th. At least oneroad section was damaged. At the same time,the grain agreement, which allowed the exportof Ukrainian agricultural products to theworld, expired. Russia began attacking graindepots and port infrastructure not only on theUkrainian coast of the Black Sea but also on theDanube River near the borders with Romania.During his month, Ukraine began receivingcluster munitions from the USA for its artillery.August 2023Denmark, the Netherlands, and subsequentlyNorway announced this month that they wouldsupply F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. However,after the necessary training of pilots and groundpersonnel, Ukrainians will start receivingthem only in 2024. Altogether, it could be about70 aircraft in the F-16AM Block 20 MLU version.In August, the Crimean Peninsula becamethe target of serious Storm Shadow missileattacks. Several bridges were hit, and at leasttwo S-400 system batteries were destroyed.Ukrainian drones also attacked airports onRussian territory. At Soltsy-2 base, a Tu-22M3bomber caught fire, and at the Pskov airport,two Il-76 transport aircraft were destroyed,and two more were damaged.Exactly two months after the attemptedcoup by Wagner mercenaries, revenge came.During a flight from Moscow to St. Petersburg,a civilian Embraer EMB-135BJ Legacy 600 wasshot down. Prigozhin and other Wagner leadersdied aboard. Two surface-to-air missileslikely hit the plane, although the officialRussian version is that the passengers wereplaying with a grenade during the flight, whichexploded.Two-seater MiG-29UB from the Ukrainian 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade taking off from a highway.Ukrainian Mi-24P helicoptersduring a combat mission.Loading of the unguided rockets into Mi-24Phelicopters.ARTICLESINFO Eduard28April 2024Page 29
September 2023Ukraine scored a strategic victory overRussia in the Black Sea. It managed to liftthe Russian blockade and resume grainexports independently. It continues to do sotoday and in greater volume than before thegrain agreement allowed. On September 13th,the Minsk landing ship and the Rostov-on-Don submarine were destroyed by StormShadow missiles in the dry dock at the port ofSevastopol. Subsequently, on September 22nd,the Sevastopol headquarters of the Black SeaFleet was also destroyed in the same way. Itpreferred to move its ships further east.Russia began using Lancet drones withlonger range, hitting several Ukrainianaircraft at airports near the cities of KryvyiRih and Mykolaiv. The results of the attackswere monitored by Russian reconnaissancedrones. Their operations dozens of kilometersbehind the front line continue to causeproblems for Ukrainians to this day.October 2023The month began with another terribleRussian war crime. During a mourninggathering held at the funeral of a soldier inthe village of Hroza in the Kharkiv region,an Iskander missile was launched. It killed59 people - 36 women, 22 men, and one child.A UN investigation confirmed that all victimswere civilians, and Russia bears responsibilityfor their deaths.Ukraine received ATACMS missiles witha longer range, and on October 17th, they wereused against Russian helicopter airfields inBerdiansk and Luhansk. Russian armed forceslost 46 helicopters.On the ground, a stalemate occurred.The Ukrainian advance to the south haltedin the Robotyne and Verbove areas afterreaching the third - main Russian defense line.Conversely, the Russians launched their ownmassive attack on Avdiivka near Donetsk.November 2023In the port of Kerch on the occupied Crimea,the Russian corvette Askold was destroyedby Storm Shadow missiles on November 4th.In November, Russians increased the intensityof attacks with Iranian Shahed drones. Theyhelped them map Ukrainian air defensepositions. Allies were strengthening it beforewinter. Germany supplied the IRIS-T systemand another Patriot, while Norway providedadditional NASAMS systems. Results fromthe FrankenSAM program, which combineselements of various systems - such asAmerican missiles with Soviet launchers orSoviet radars with Western launchers, beganarriving from the USADecember 2023The Patriot system delivered from Germanybecame very active. On December 5th,a Russian Su-24M was shot down near theSnake Island while attempting to attack Odesa.Both crew members died. The identity of one ofthem was confirmed only now, he was CaptainYevgeny Baterin. Subsequently, on December17th, a Russian Su-25 was shot down, and onDecember 22nd, three Su-34s were shot downat once. On Christmas Eve, December 24th,Ukrainians announced another Su-34 and oneSu-30 shot down.The destruction of the Black Sea FleetFormer Czech Kub system in UkraineStorm Shadow missile on the pylon of a UkrainianSu-24.Mobile machine gun in action against drones.Night time interception of the drones.Shot down Iranian-made Shahed drone sporting blackpaint for night missions.ARTICLESINFO Eduard29April 2024Page 30
continued as Storm Shadow missileswere launched on December 26th at theNovocherkassk landing ship in the port ofFeodosia. The explosion of carried ammunitionand subsequent fire contributed to its sinking.At the end of December, Russia launchedthe largest rocket attacks on Ukrainian citiessince the beginning of the war. 18 strategicbombers participated in the raids on December29th. In total, Russians launched 122 missilesand cruise missiles and 36 drones. The attackclaimed 58 human lives and injured more than160 people.January 2024Russian attacks on Ukrainian citiescontinued. For example, on January 2nd,a total of 134 missiles and drones werelaunched. This attack also involved 16 Tu-95MSbombers. However, Russians did not onlybomb Ukrainian targets. Their own munitionsincreasingly fell accidentally on their owncities and towns.Russians suffered a significant loss in theair on January 14th when an early warning andcontrol aircraft, Beriev A-50, was destroyed.It crashed into the Sea of Azov. Along with it, theairborne command and communication postIl-22M was also hit. Despite being pepperedwith shrapnel and having casualties on board,it managed to make an emergency landing.However, the aircraft is now considereda write-off. Additionally, on January 24th,a transport Il-76M crashed in the Belgorodregion after being hit by an anti-aircraftmissile. It is still unclear what or who it wascarrying.February 2024In the last month covered, two significantevents occurred. Ukrainian PresidentVolodymyr Zelensky dismissed popularGeneral Valeriy Zaluzhny from the positionof the highest commander of the Ukrainianarmed forces on Thursday, February 8th. Hewas replaced by the former commander ofground forces, General Oleksandr Syrsky.Syrsky lead a successful defense of Kyiv in thespring of 2022 and a rapid counteroffensive inthe Kharkiv region in the fall of 2022. However,he also led the battles around Bakhmut, wheremany soldiers criticized him for mistakes inrotation at the beginning of 2023. Zaluzhny isto become the new Ukrainian ambassador toGreat Britain at his own request.The second significant event was theUkrainian retreat from Avdiivka, which wascompleted on Saturday, February 17th. It is thefirst such success of the Russian army sinceMay 2023 when Bachmut fell. Russia paid forit with tens of thousands of dead and woundedsoldiers and hundreds of destroyed pieces ofequipment. The fall of Avdiivka was mainlycontributed to by two factors - the limitationof ammunition supplies from the West andRussian aerial bombing.The decision to withdraw from Avdiivka wasmade earlier and began to be implementedwhen Valeriy Zaluzhny was the commander ofthe Ukrainian army. Ukrainians moved the 3rdassault brigade to Avdiivka under the pretextof rotation and strengthening the defense.However, its real task was to cover the retreatof other units. When the Russians realized whatwas happening, they threw all their forces intothe attack. The result was chaos over whichneither side had any control. Small units mixedin the ruins of the city and often had to fightsurrounded. Several wounded Ukrainians hadto be left behind during the retreat becausethey couldn't move and couldn't be carriedaway. Some fell into captivity, but others weremassacred by the Russians.While last summer, Ukrainian artillerymanaged to overcome the Russian in someareas, in Avdiivka in the last period, it had toremain silent due to a lack of ammunition. Itsdeliveries from the EU are delayed, and thosefrom the USA have completely stopped due todomestic disputes in Congress.Russian mass attacks on Avdiivka, whichbegan in October 2023, seriously disruptedartillery even before Russian soldiersapproached within the range of small arms.Therefore, especially during the initial attacks,Russians suffered significant losses. However,nothing like this happened in the last weeksbefore the fall of Avdiivka. Russian formationscould prepare for the attack undisturbed, andUkrainian infantry in defense could rely onlyon their own weapons and the support ofBradley armored vehicles, which emergedfrom shelters to help them.The second significant factor was Russianaerial bombing. Shortly before the Ukrainianretreat, around 50 glide bombs fell on Avdiivkadaily. Their accuracy was not high, but witha weight of 500 kg, they caused damagewherever they fell. In Avdiivka, they mainlydestroyed tall apartment buildings used byUkrainians for battlefield observation anddefense.This mobile machine gun shows 15 Shahed drones andone Lance drone kill marks. It is not known whetherthese are the achievements of one gun or the entire unit.The erodynamic shields‘ test during the pre-flightpreparation of a Russian Su-25.A Russian rescue unit, which on February 17, pickedup the downed pilot of a Su-35 fighter jet with a Mi-24helicopter.An image of the Russian A-50.Captain Fyodor Graboveckiy, who was less fortunateon February 19 and died in the Azov Sea after hisSu-35 was shot down.ARTICLESINFO Eduard30April 2024Page 31
After the Ukrainian retreat, this bombingbegan on the new defensive line and also nearBachmut, where the Russians renewed theirefforts to advance westward. The number ofdropped bombs began to reach up to 100 daily,and new glide bombs with a weight of up to1500 kg appeared.Russian Bombing and LossesThe insufficient deliveries of weapons andammunition also relate to Russia's ability tobomb Avdiivka undisturbed for a long time.Ukrainians do not have enough air defensesystems to effectively defend the entire frontline. Batteries of air defense systems weremoved to Avdiivka only in the second half of themonth to cover the end of the retreat. Amongthem, the third battery of the Patriot systemstood out, which was supplied from Germanyat the end of last year. Ukraine previously hadtwo batteries, one deployed for the defense ofKyiv and the other for the defense of Odessa.The advantage of the third German battery isthat its individual components are mounted ontrucks. American Patriot systems are mountedon trailers, and even the highly trained crewtakes 30-40 minutes to prepare them forrelocation. The German battery can be movedalmost immediately. According to Austrianmilitary expert Tom Cooper, Ukrainiansmay have further divided this battery intosmaller components by adding other guidanceradars to several launchers. Based on theFrankenSAM program, it may also includeradars from originally Soviet systems, suchas the S-300. This division of the battery intosmaller elements allows coverage of a largersection of the front.Ukrainians already announced the downingof two Su-34s and one Su-35 on Saturday,February 17th. Claims continued almost ona daily basis - on February 18th, anotherSu-34 was claimed, on February 19th, oneSu-34 and one Su-35, on February 21st,another Su-34, on February 27th, two Su-34s,and during February 29th, three Su-34s wereclaimed consecutively. In total, twelve aircraftwere claimed to be shot down, but verifyingtheir downing poses a challenge. Russian socialmedia confirmed the loss of only two Su-35s.Ukraine provided blurry videos as evidence ofthe downing of two Su-34s. However, the fateof the remaining eight claimed Sukhoi aircraftremains uncertain. A definitive answer willhave to wait, similar to previous installmentsof this series. In practically every part, somephotographic confirmation of loss fromprevious months is mentioned - on both sides.In the currently monitored period, damagedSu-34s after emergency landings appeared infootage, indicating events that surely occurredsometime in the past, although it is unknownwhich event they are linked to.However, some insight into Russian lossesmay be gleaned from satellite image analysisof Russian airfields. It suggests that duringthe period when Ukrainians claimed theaforementioned shootdowns, six Su-34s didnot return to their bases.Let's take a closer look at the confirmedlosses. On Saturday, February 17th, a Su-35was shot down over eastern Ukraine.Tail section of an A-50 that was shot down on February 23.Major Valeriy Borovikov commanded the shot-downA-50.On February 11, in the Voronezh region, thetransportation of a crashed Su-34 was filmed.The circumstances of the incident are unknown.Ukrainian Su-25M1K with tail number "blue 21".ARTICLESINFO Eduard31April 2024Page 32
The pilot ejected, and he was rescued bya Mi-24 helicopter crew on a combat searchand rescue mission (CSAR). After successfullyrescuing the Su-35 pilot, the helicopter unittook a group photo, essentially confirming thedowning of the Russian fighter jet.The second Su-35 was shot down two dayslater, on Monday, February 19th. This time,it crashed into the Sea of Azov near the villageof Rybacke, south of Mariupol. It was pilotedby Captain Fedor Graboveckyi. Although hemanaged to successfully eject from the fallingaircraft, he died in the cold water beforerescue helicopters could reach him.Another A-50During this reporting period, in addition tofighters and fighter-bombers, the Ukrainian airdefense was also successful in shooting downanother airborne early warning and controlaircraft, a Beriev A-50. Its demise on Friday,February 23, was captured by several videos.In one of them, the aircraft is seen descendingand releasing decoy targets, with two missilesaiming at it. One missile managed to divertaway and exploded far behind the aircraft.However, the second missile hit it, causing theaircraft to fall in flames. Subsequent videosshowed a strong fire after the crash and thedetached tail of the aircraft on the ground,confirming its identity immediately.The A-50 crashed near the village ofTrudovaya Armenia on the Russian side of theSea of Azov, more than 200 km from the nearestUkrainian positions. The Ukrainian secretservice stated that it was shot down with thehelp of a modified S-200 missile. After the firstA-50 was shot down in January, these Russianaircraft began to move further away from thefront line. Ukrainians therefore sought ways tosuccessfully target them. Although old S-200missiles had been retired, some versions ofthis missile have a range of up to 300 km.The downed A-50 had the designationRF-50610 and the fuselage number "red 42".It belonged to the 610th Center for CombatTraining and Retraining of Air Personnel. Therewere at least 10 crew members on board, butnone of them survived. Among them wereMajor Valeriy Borovikov, Major AlexanderRuluk, Captain Alexander Provalov, LieutenantValeriy Telmanov, and Sergeant DmitryKhrulev. For Russia, this is a significant lossbecause it is not easy to manufacture such anaircraft, and its crew consisted of specialistswith years of training that cannot be replaced.Ukrainian LossesMoving the air defense closer to the frontline carries increased risks, and Ukrainianspaid dearly for it. During the period underreview, they lost an S-300 battery, and onFebruary 26, the first NASAMS launch devicewas destroyed in the Zaporizhzhia region.During the period under review, Ukrainedemonstrably lost two aircraft. Firstly, onWednesday, February 7, a Su-25 from the 299thTactical Aviation Brigade was destroyed duringa combat flight. Its pilot, Major VladyslavRykov, was killed. He was most likely shotdown by an R-37 missile fired from a RussianSu-35 fighter.On Tuesday, February 13, a Mi-17V-5helicopter of the Ukrainian Army Aviationwas shot down in the Robotyne area of theZaporizhzhia region. Two crew memberswere killed (one of them was named VadimPokatajev), and a third crew member wascritically injured.Additionally, the death of a Russian pilot,Captain Maxim Kuzminov, who defected to theUkrainian side, may be mentioned. On August9, he defected to the Ukrainian side witha Mi-8AMTŠ helicopter marked RF-04428 andfuselage number "red 62". Two other crewmembers had no idea about his intention todefect and were shot after landing. Kuzminovwas labeled a traitor in Russia, and intelligenceservices sentenced him to death. In Ukraine,he received half a million dollars and threeoptions to choose from: to fight for Ukraine, tostay in Ukraine as a civilian, or to live abroad.Kuzminov chose the last option and settledin Spain. However, he violated the rules ofsecrecy when he contacted his girlfriend. Thislikely led to his location being traced, and hewas shot. By the way, during the period underreview, the identities of the remaining twoOn February 7th, Major Vladyslav Rykov from the 299thTactical Aviation Brigade perished in a shot downUkrainian Su-25.One of the confirmed casualties of the shot downMi-17V-5 is Vadim Pokatayev.On February 17, near Robotyne, a Ukrainian Mi-17V-5 helicopter was shot down and two crew members were killed.ARTICLESINFO Eduard32April 2024Page 33
crew members who died during his defectionwere also revealed. They were CaptainChushbacht Tursunov and Lieutenant NikitaKiryanov. Kuzminov's killing indicates thatUkrainian efforts to persuade other Russianpilots to defect are likely to be ineffective.Ships at the BottomDuring the period under review, thedestruction of the Russian Black Sea Fleetcontinued using naval drones. On Thursday,February 1, a Tarantul-class missile corvette,Ivanovec, was sent to the bottom, The shipwas attacked by a pack of Magura V5 drones,which harassed her like voracious predators.Gradually, two drones hit its rear section,likely disabling its propulsion. Subsequently,one drone caused a large hole on the portside, into which the fourth drone then flew andexploded inside the ship. The video also showsan explosion on the starboard side. Thus, thecorvette was hit by at least five drones. At theend of the video, published by the Ukrainianmilitary intelligence GUR, only the silhouetteof the sinking ship protruding vertically abovethe water is visible.Subsequently, on Wednesday, February14, the same way, the landing ship CézarKunikov was destroyed off the coast of Crimea.It was carrying cargo from Novorossiyskto Sevastopol when it was tracked down bya swarm of Magura V5 drones. After severalexplosions, the ship overturned and sank.The ship belonged to the Ropucha class andsank exactly 81 years after the death of MajorCézar Kunikov, after whom it was named.He had been fatally wounded in the battles forNovorossiysk and died on February 14, 1943.The Mi-8AMTŠ helicopter with registration RF-04428 and tail number "red 62", in which Russian pilot CaptainMaxim Kuzminov defected to the Ukrainian side on August 9, 2023.Maxim Kuzminov was shot dead in Spain in February.Lieutenant Nikita Kiryanov, who died during Kuzminov's defection.Captain Chushbacht Tursunov, who died during Kuzminov's defection.ARTICLESINFO Eduard33April 20241/72ND SCALE MODEL KIT L-410 TURBOLET BY GAVIA AND KP
In March of this year, the L-410 Turbolet kit in 1/72 scale was released under the Kovozávody Prostějov (KP) brand and entered the market. Upon comparing this kit's mouldings with those of the Gavia kit of the same type and scale, we have concluded that the KP kit is a direct copy of the Gavia kit released in 1997. The KP kit was created using plastic parts of Gavia kit based on master model made by Michal Vlačilík and Petr Podvala, the owners of Gavia company. The author of the KP kit most likely utilized mouldings that were acquired several years ago by owner of KP, Mr. Petr Muzikant as part of a delivery from the toolmaking company Pavel Vandělík.
1/72ND SCALE MODEL KITL-410 TURBOLETBY GAVIA AND KPMichal VláčilíkPetr PodvalaPavel VandělíkVladimír ŠulcIn March of this year, the L-410 Turbolet kit in1/72 scale was released under the KovozávodyProstějov (KP) brand and entered the market.Upon comparing this kit's mouldings with thoseof the Gavia kit of the same type and scale, wehave concluded that the KP kit is a direct copyof the Gavia kit released in 1997. The KP kit wascreated using plastic parts of Gavia kit basedon master model made by Michal Vlačilík andPetr Podvala, the owners of Gavia company.The author of the KP kit most likely utilizedmouldings that were acquired several yearsago by owner of KP, Mr. Petr Muzikant as part ofa delivery from the toolmaking company PavelVandělík.The ownership rights to the Gavia L-410Turbolet 1/72 scale model, moulds, and mouldingsare outlined as follows:The master model was created by MichalVláčilík and Petr Podvala in 1997, and they holdthe copyright to it.• The mould was made by Pavel Vandělík andis owned by his toolmaking company registeredunder his name.• The authority to use the mould for mouldingproduction is held by EDUARD-MODELACCESSORIES, spol. s r.o. (Eduard) undercontracts with companies Gavia and PavelVandělík.• In practice, this ownership structure workson the principle that if a third party, such asMr. Muzikant a few years ago, wishes to purchasemouldings of this or another Gavia kit, theycan acquire them directly from company PavelVandělík with the consent of Eduard.• Should someone desire to utilize the originalmaster or mouldings for modification and createa new master for mould production, they mayonly do so with the agreement of the copyrightowners, i.e., Michal Vláčilík and Petr Podvala.The mere purchase of mouldings does notgrant the purchaser the right to modify them,create their own set of moulds based on a copy ofthem, or sell their own kit based on the originalmouldings. We deem such practices unethicaland deceptive, particularly misrepresentinga kit created in this manner as the author's ownproject.Michal Vláčilík, one of the authors of the Gaviakit, assessed the level of similarity between theGavia and KP kits:“A couple of days ago, I acquired a new plastickit of the Let L-410 Turbolet aircraft in 1:72scale, released under the brand KovozávodyProstějov, located at Nad vápenkou 364, Křeniceu Říčan, 250 84, Praha - východ, with the IDNo.: 43643060. According to the trade register,it belongs to the self-employed person PetrMuzikant. Even before comparing both products,I received information indicating that thesemouldings closely resemble our kit of the sameaircraft and scale, which we introduced in 1997under our brand GAVIA. This kit marked ourinaugural release and shortly after its launch,it received the Model of the Year award at the1998 MODEL HOBBY show.The original master model for our kit wasdeveloped in our studio specifically for thepurposes of plastic kit production, as it wascommissioned by Let Kunovice, the companymanufacturing the actual L-410 aircraft. Thecreation of the master model for our kit involvedcollaboration with Let Kunovice's designdepartment and was based on drawings providedby the aircraft manufacturer.I opted to compare the mouldings of both kitswith the aim of describing the differences orsimilarities between the two products. Here'swhat I discovered:1. Fuselage: Besides a slight alteration in thebow side plan and a few engraved lines, themouldings are virtually identical.2. The similarity in the shape of the windowson the fuselages of both kits provides a cluefor assessing whether the KP mouldings area replica of the Gavia mouldings. These windowswere individually shaped by hand on the Gaviakit mould, each possessing a unique shape.Replicating these shapes precisely becomesnearly impossible, but it appears that thepositions and shapes of the windows on both kitsare identical.3. However, the KP kit features technicallyprimitive holes for affixing the windows tothe fuselage, accompanied with distinctiveflashings. This aspect, on one hand, complicatesthe comparison of the fuselage parts of bothkits, albeit it is not impossible. On the other hand,it renders the task of cleanly affixing thewindows to the fuselage essentially impossible.The presence of flashings on the parts serves asone of the indicators of a poorly executed copy ofARTICLESINFO Eduard34April 2024Page 35
the original Gavia kit.4. Wings: the only change is the joining ofthe upper halves of the wing into one piece,otherwise the mouldings are identical.5. Horizontal tail surfaces: minor changes inengraving, otherwise the mouldings are identical.6. Landing gear nacelles: mouldings areidentical in shape and surface details.7. Engine nacelles: mouldings are identical inshape and surface details.8. Interior (dashboard, floor, fuselagebulkheads, seats, seat bases): the mouldings areidentical, only the floor of the KP kit is modified,it is cut, while the floor of the cockpit is mouldedseparately.9. Small parts (propeller blades, propellersleeves, propeller covers): the mouldings areidentical.In my assessment, upon comparing the twosets of mouldings, it becomes quite apparentthat the KP mouldings are derived from a copy ofour (Gavia) original 1997 mouldings. Throughoutmy career, I've developed numerous plastic kitprototypes and encountered various instancesof more or less disguised copies of plastickits. However, in this instance, I must concludethat the author of the KP kit either exhibitedsignificant laziness or lacked the capabilityto conceal his process. Essentially, he utilizedour original mouldings without making anysubstantial alterations or attempting to maskthe fact that he copied mouldings from a kit thatis 27 years old.Following the release of the kit, testimoniesfrom associates of Mr. Muzikant surfaced online,admitting to the method used in creating theKP kit. Among other claims, they assert thatMr. Muzikant “corrected and improved” theoriginal Gavia mouldings. Upon examining theKP mouldings, I must assert that the mould fromwhich they are produced exhibits considerablyinferior technical parameters than our mould.It fails to produce mouldings as clean as thosestill achievable from the original mould of ourkit, which was created 27 years ago. There is noroom for discussion regarding any improvementor correction of our original work.I never anticipated that a manufacturerof plastic kits would engage in evaluatingcompetitors' products. However, in thisparticular instance, I feel compelled to providea brief assessment of the L-410 Turbolet 1:72 kitmarketed under the brand Kovozávody Prostějov:I am utterly dismayed by Mr. Muzikant'sapproach to creating his L-410 Turbolet 1/72 kit.Not only does he show blatant disregard for ourrights and shamelessly exploit our work for hispersonal gain, but he also deceives consumersby claiming to offer a completely new kit madefrom new moulds. While the moulds may indeedbe new, the resulting product is far from beinga genuinely new kit. It is, in fact, a low-qualityimitation of our own product, a kit produced byour company, Gavia.”Dear modelers and traders,We implore you to carefully weigh the addedvalue of purchasing a KP kit and to contemplatewhether you wish to support an entrepreneurwho unscrupulously utilizes copies of others'kits without the consent of their authors andowners to develop his own products.To scale modelling journalists and reviewers,we request not to shy away from reviewing KPkits. We urge you to truthfully and accuratelydepict the distinctions and resemblancesbetween Gavia and KP kits in your evaluations.Equally, we encourage you to candidly describethe disparities in quality between the twoproducts.Thank you for your attention and for adoptinga responsible approach to reviewing both kits!Michal Vláčilík and Petr Podvala, owners of theformer Gavia company and authors of the GaviaL-410 Turbolet 1/72 kit.Pavel Vandělík, owner of the toolmakingcompany Pavel Vandělík, creator and owner ofthe mould for production of plastic parts for theL-410 Turbolet 1/72 Gavia kit.Vladimír Šulc, managing director of Eduard,company with the rights to use the mouldings ofthe L-410 Turbolet 1/72 Gavia kit.Gavia KPKPGavia2. The similarity in the shape of the windows on the fuselages of both kits provides a clue for assessing whether the KP mouldings are a replica of the Gavia mouldings.These windows were individually shaped by hand on the Gavia kit mould, each possessing a unique shape. Replicating these shapes precisely becomes nearly impossible,but it appears that the positions and shapes of the windows on both kits are identical.3. However, the KP kit features technically primitive holes for affixing the windows to the fuselage, accompanied with distinctive flashings. This aspect, on one hand,complicates the comparison of the fuselage parts of both kits, albeit it is not impossible. On the other hand, it renders the task of cleanly affixing the windows to thefuselage essentially impossible. The presence of flashings on the parts serves as one of the indicators of a poorly executed copy of the original Gavia kit.4. Wings: the only change is the joining of the upper halves of the wing into one piece, otherwise the mouldings are identical.ARTICLESINFO Eduard35April 2024Page 36
GaviaGaviaGaviaKPKPKP7. Engine nacelles: mouldings are identical in shape and surface details.8. Interior (dashboard, floor, fuselage bulkheads, seats, seat bases): the mouldings are identical, only the floor of the KP kit is modified, it is cut, while the floor of the cockpitis moulded separately.The only change made to the fuselage is approximatelya 2 mm extension of the KP part. The KP moldis placed under the Gavia's.ARTICLESINFO Eduard36April 2024Page 37
Hartmann's Gustav
With 352 victories to his credit, Erich Hartmann is a fighter pilot whose name is known even to people who are not interested in the Luftwaffe. A significant topic is the number of his victories and their credibility. Of Erich Hartmann's first 100 victories, 38 claimed kills can be compared in detail with Soviet losses, as the time and place of these kills are known. I am basing this on a summary prepared by Danny Case and Nick Hector. For these 38 victories, it is impossible to trace on the opposing side 13 losses that match the circumstances of the alleged shootdowns.
With 352 victories to his credit, Erich Hartmann isa fighter pilot whose name is known even to peoplewho are not interested in the Luftwaffe. A significanttopic is the number of his victories and theircredibility. Of Erich Hartmann's first 100 victories,31 claimed kills can be compared in detail withSoviet losses, as the time and place of these kills areknown. I am basing this on a summary prepared byDanny Case and Nick Hector. For these 31 victories,it is impossible to trace on the opposing side10 losses that match the circumstances of the allegedshootdowns. In contrast, the 21 casualties that canbe identified represent more than 60% credibilityof Hartmann's victories from this period. A similaranalysis was prepared by Ivan Lavrinenko, focusingon the 35 victories Hartmann claimed in the fightingover Romania between May 31 and June 6, 1944.The analysis revealed that, unlike many of Hartmann'scolleagues whose claims were very accurate,in reality, this darling of propaganda shot down onlyone aircraft in the above period, and another six toseven Soviet aircraft may have fallen victim to eitherHartmann or other German pilots.Hartmann's results in the battles over Hungary atthe turn of 1944 and 1945 were similar. Authors Danand Gábor Horváth published a detailed analysis ofthese in their book “Verified Victories: Top JG 52 Acesover Hungary 1944-45”. Their work shows that ofthe 34 victories claimed by Hartmann in the battlesover Hungary, only seven can be documented thathe definitely achieved or may have participated in.This is no more than a 22% credibility of his claims.By comparison, Gerhard Barkhorn's claims wereas accurate as 79% in the same period, and HelmutLipfert's victories have up to 93% accuracy comparedto Soviet losses. Interestingly these two airmen hadlower accuracy of their claims in the earlier period,as documented by Ivan Lavrinenko in his book on thefighting over Crimea in the period 1943-1944.I would venture to say that the credibilityof Hartmann's victories declined as his careerprogressed, and his claimed victories were leastaccurate when some significant milestone in hiskills was approaching and there was a film crew andphotographers on the airfield. Günther Rall recallsin his memoirs that he never wanted to appointHartmann to command a Staffel, and when Rall, asKommandeur III/JG 52, was on leave, another officerappointed Hartmann to command 9./JG 52 in Rall'sabsence.One of the Luftwaffe fighter units that foughtin Hungary in early 1945 was I./JG 53 under thecommand of Maj. Jürgen Harder. He led thisJagdgruppe for almost a year and reformed it intoone of the most successful units in southern Europe.However, on January 22, he had to leave it becausehe was appointed Kommodore of JG 11 with bases inGermany. The unit was briefly led by Hptm. Ernst, butat the end of January Hptm. Erich Hartmann, whountil then had led 4./JG 52 in Hungary as part ofII./JG 52, was appointed commander of I./JG 53. Thecommand of I./JG 53 was his first opportunity to takecommand of a Jagdgruppe. Strangely enough, hewas appointed to such a position outside of JG 52, forhe soon returned to his “home” unit, as commanderof I./JG 52 in Silesia.During his short service with I./JG 53, Hartmannimmediately ordered the upper surfaces of I./JG 53aircraft to be repainted with washable white paint,but he showed little interest in combat activity. Thiswas disappointing to his new subordinates. But theyexplained it by the fact that Hartmann apparentlydid not see much importance in further combat and,moreover, he had already achieved all the militaryhonours. After a fortnight, Hartmann handed overcommand of I./JG 53 to Hptm. Lipfert, who waspreviously in command of 6./JG 52.An interesting topic is the personal aircraftthat Hartmann used during this period. MarekRyś depicted it on the box art of the Gustav part2 kit. At the beginning of January 1945, I./JG 53 hadtwo Bf 109 G-6/U4s, ten G-14/U2 (U2 is an error inunit´s monthly summary), sixteen G-14/U4 version,and two G-10/U4s. In several photos of Hartmann'smachine, the battery cover at the rear of the cockpitis clearly visible, which should indicate the G-14version. Erich Somavilla was using this plane as welland his logbook notes this aircraft as a G-6 version.Somavilla's personal aircraft was the G-14/AS version.A photograph of Hartmann's Bf 109 that I discoveredyears ago in the Preussischer Kulturbesitz digitalarchive shows that the machine has no intakes onthe sides of the cockpit under the windscreen of thecockpit overlay, which identifies the Erla plant as itsmanufacturer. According to some researchers, it isa Bf 109 G-6 of the Erla factory of the 412xxx or 413xxxseries. I dare not confirm whether this is the caseor not. Production of these series ended in August1944, and both the Bf 109 G-6/U2 and Bf 109 G-14 wereproduced in the blocks mentioned. Anyway, whenbuilding scale model of this Hartmann´s aircraft asper the instructions in the kit manual, use the correctwindscreen and also the bulge on the right side ofthe engine cowling. Photos of the Hartmann aircraftcan be found on the Falke Eins blog by Neil Page.Erich Hartmann pictured in the spring of 1944 afterbeing awarded the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross.Photo: Narodowe Archiwum CyfroweTulip markings were introduced by Hermann Graf on his aircraft in 1943. After he became Kommodore ofJG 52 in the autumn of 1944, this pattern also appeared on several of Erich Hartmann's aircraft, as well ason the machines of the Stab JG 52. During Hartmann's brief tenure with I./JG 53, the black tulip also adornedhis personal aircraft with the Gruppe commander's markings. Following Hartmann's departure from the units,some of his tulip-patterned aircraft were reassigned and utilized by other pilots.Hartmann'sGustavARTICLESINFO Eduard38April 2024Page 39
Whoever stood on board the escort carrierUSS Cabot in April 1945 and had the opportuni-ty to see the Hellcat flown by VF-29 commanderLt. Cdr. “Bill” Eder, probably stared in disbeliefat the score that was marked on both sides ofthe fuselage under the cockpit overlay. In addi-tion to the symbols of nearly forty bombing mi-ssions, there were seven Japanese aircraft shotdown, nine other Japanese planes destroyed onthe ground, and, rather unusually, three Frenchflags added.Behind Eder was clearly a successful combatcareer that had taken him beyond the Pacific.From VF-29, which was reformed in the springof 1944, he built an outstanding unit that notched113 certain victories and lost only five missingand two killed pilots. Eder was not only the com-mander of VF-29 at the time, but he also led theentire Carrier Air Group of the USS Cabot.Willard Ernest Eder was born on September27, 1916, in Buffalo, Wyoming. He was descendedfrom German immigrants on his father's side.Grandfather Olof was from Darmstadt, UpperHesse, and grandmother Dorothea, née Rehder,was born in Holstein. On his mother's side, Ederhad Irish and probably German ancestry.In 1938 he graduated from the University ofWyoming with a degree in political science, in-terrupted his service in the Army and joinedthe Navy. At the beginning of the Pacific War, heserved in VF-3 aboard the USS Saratoga. Aftershe was torpedoed he was transferred to theUSS Lexington. This gave him the opportunity totrain and fight with the best naval fighter avia-tors of the time, as the unit commander was Lt.John S. Thach and other officers included EdwardH. O'Hare.During the Battle of Bougainville on February20, 1942, Eder shared destruction of G4M Bettyof 4th Kōkūtai´s 2nd Chūtai, led by Lt. MasayoshiNakagawa. The formation of nine bombers wascompletely destroyed and Eder received a DFC.The legendary combat fought by Lt. O'Hare on thesame day, took place during a skirmish with the1st Chūtai of the 4th Kōkūtai.Eder became a member of VF-2 aboard theUSS Lexington in April 1942 and received theNavy Cross for his performance in the Battle ofthe Coral Sea, during which he scored one Zeroin combat with fighters from Shōkaku on May 8,1942, and also scored one probable kill of a fixedgear aircraft.Eder's next unit became VGF-29, which wasestablished in July 1942 at NAS Norfolk under thecommand of Lt. J. T. Blackburn, who later beca-me commander of VF-17, a unit with Corsair fi-ghters in the Solomon Islands area. VGF-29 em-barked aboard the escort carrier USS Santee inearly October 1942 and became part of the taskforce involved in the North African landings.Allied forces landed in North Africa as part ofOperation Torch on November 8, 1942, includingFree French forces. Canada, the Netherlands andAustralia also participated with their naval ve-ssels. The landings occurred in northwest Moro-cco and in the Oran and Algiers areas of Algeria.The aim of the operation was not only to land andopen a second front on African soil, but also topressure the forces of Vichist France to changesides. The Americans were in a very strange si-tuation. Not only were the French their traditio-nal ally, but the U.S. government in 1940, unlikethe British, recognized the Vichy government. Inthe Moroccan area, their opponents were Frenchpilots with Curtiss H.75 fighters, and the Ame-ricans soon noticed emblem of a Sioux head ontheir fuselages, the symbol of the American La-fayette Squadron of World War I.Experienced U.S. Navy aviators aboard fouraircraft carriers met unexpected resistance andlost 46 aircraft during the three days of fighting,albeit in part due to accidents or crews losingtheir bearings. For instance Tom Blackburnspent two days at sea after running out of fuel.The USS Santee's suffered the highest losses,losing ten Wildcats, four Dauntlesses, and se-ven Avengers. One airman was killed, two werewounded, and four were taken prisoner. Threefighter pilots from VGF-29 received Silver Starsfor this operation, including “Bill” Eder, who de-stroyed three French bombers on the ground.VGF-29, later redesignated VF-29, participated inanti-submarine patrols in the South Atlantic forone year beginning in December 1942.A large number of Vichy units switched tothe Allied side in the second half of November1942. , but some naval officers, for example, didnot share this decision. The commander of thesubmarine Le Tonnant attempted to torpedo anAmerican aircraft carrier, probably the USS Ran-ger. The submarine then headed for Cadiz, Spain,where its crew sank it.Text: Jan BobekIllustration: Piotr ForkasiewiczAfrican intermezzo#82203BOXART STORYINFO Eduard39April 2024Page 40
BOXART STORYFokker monoplanes had become a significantchallenge for their opponents since the summerof 1915 thanks to their synchronization device,which bolstered the highly aggressive behaviorof their pilots. Fighter aces flying monoplanessuch as Wintgens, Boelcke, and Immelmannbecame synonymous with what Britishadversaries termed the “Fokker Scourge”.However, Fokker's superiority was seriouslychallenged in the spring of 1916 with theintroduction of new fighters like the Nieuport11 and Airco DH.2.One of the airmen who experienced thistransition period was Josef Jacobs. In August1914, at twenty years old, he enlisted in theair service. After training with FEA 3, he wasassigned to Feldflieger-Abteilung 11 in July1915. From December 1915 onwards, he pilotedthe Fokker A.I (A210/14) and the E.I (63/15)equipped with an 80 hp engine. In January1916, he conducted several training flights with63/15, and on 13 January, he engaged a pair ofenemy aircraft. He attacked one of them froma distance of 100 meters. Subsequently, histarget rapidly descended in a spiral nearChoisy-au-Bac, though the victory was notconfirmed. He encountered the enemy againon February 1, 1916. Once more, he was notofficially credited with a victory, yet it appearsthat the French indeed suffered a loss duringthis encounter. Reportedly, it was a Caudronfrom Escadrille C 28, and its crew, Sgt JosephJ. Hiriat and Sgt René Jean, were taken prisonerafter crashing between German trenches.In late February, Jacobs' Fokker wasequipped with a new 100 hp engine. However,in early March, this machine suffered anengine fire during a dogfight with a Farmancrew. Fortunately, he managed to land in timeto extinguish the fire. Another life-threateningincident occurred on 13 March. While pursuinga Caudron, Jacobs' Fokker was thrownoff balance by a gust of wind. The aircraftplummeted tail-first, its engine died, and itssprings were broken. Despite the damage,Jacobs eventually regained control andperformed an emergency landing in a freshlyploughed field, causing his Fokker to flip overonto its back. It was later revealed that the“gust of wind” was actually caused by a Germananti-aircraft shell that narrowly missed Jacobs.During that period, Jacobs was also pilotingthe new Fokker E.III (608/15), and on March1916, he successfully downed an enemy balloon.However, his victory was apparently not officiallyrecognized, and Jacobs did not mention it in hisdiary, which was unusual given the meticulouscare with which he maintained it. Nevertheless,the balloon was indeed destroyed, belongingto the 66° Cie d' Aérostiers, and the observer,Sgt Armand Legube, sustained injuries.By the end of March 1916, several fightermonoplanes were detached from FFA 7, 11, and39. From 1 April, a provisional FokkerstaffelWest was established at La Ferme du Faux.Jacobs joined this unit upon his return froman extended leave in early May. Upon joiningthe new unit, he was reunited with his 608/15machine, which he affectionately referred to inhis diary as “my dear Fokker”. He had used thisterm previously, suggesting that he may havebeen flying 608/15 since February 1916 with FFA11.With this aircraft, he also achieved hisfirst confirmed victory by shooting downa Caudron G.4 of Escadrille C 30 on May 12,1916. Although anti-aircraft gunners attemptedto claim the victory, only Fokker machine gunhits were found in the wreckage of the Caudron.Furthermore, Jacobs' claim was corroboratedby a French airman, MdL Hulin, after he wascaptured the following day.Jacobs received a new aircraft, a FokkerE.III (339/16), on 9 June, but flew it only until16 June when the engine was damaged due toa lack of oil. Therefore, the situation depictedon the box art by Adam Tooby regarding thismachine is rather hypothetical. Subsequently,Jacobs flew with his old 608/15 until 8 July.It appears that on 1 July, he attempted to attackan enemy balloon with this Fokker, but due topropeller damage, the attack was unsuccessful.The E.III 339/16 was back with a new engine on8 July. However, by August 1, 1916, Jacobs wastransferred to another aviation unit, much tohis displeasure. He returned to his original unit,FFA 11, on 1 September.For more detailed information on Jacobsand his service on Eindeckers, I recommendreferring to the publications “Blue Max AirmenVol. 20” by Lance J. Bronnenkant and “KEKs andFokkerstaffels” by Johan Ryheul. Additionally,Jacobs' diary, with comments by StephenLawson, can be found in Cross & CockadeInternational Vol. 27, No. 2.Illustration: Adam Tooby"My dear Fokker"Text: Jan Bobek#8419INFO Eduard40April 2024Page 41
At first glance, there is nothing remarkableabout the illustration depicting Hellcats createdin 2011 by our colleague Petr Štěpánek. A group ofHellcats from VF-27, led by Lt. “Brownie” Brown,circles above the mothership USS Princeton. Thisboxart, however, is tied to one of the most dramaticmoments in the history of the U.S. Navy's aviationunits. Twenty-seven-year-old Carl Allen Brown,Jr. hailed from Texarkana, Texas, and joined theNavy in 1941. After serving in the Aleutian area, hewas assigned to VF-27 aboard the USS Princetonin May 1944. He scored 5.5 confirmed aerialvictories in the air battles over Marianas, overPhilippines, and off Taiwan by mid-October 1944.The first combat action for VF-27, however,was Operation Torch in North Africa in November1942 aboard the USS Suwannee. Unit thenmoved to the Pacific, operating from a landbase on Guadalcanal from February to July1943 and scoring 12 victories. During her secondoperational tour, VF-27 was reorganized at NASAlameda and embarked aboard USS Princetonin May 1944. The toughest test awaited Brownand his carrier during the Battle of Leyte Gulf inOctober 1944.It was the largest naval battle in human history,involving two hundred thousand personnel onboard, some 300 vessels on the Allied side, andapproximately 70 warships of the Japanese Navy.The Allied objective was to secure a landing onthe Philippine island of Leyte. The battle occurredduring several engagements between 23 Octoberand 26 October 1944. The Japanese failed toprevent the landing and lost the aircraft carrierZuikaku, three light carriers, three battleships,ten cruisers and eleven destroyers. The Americanslost one light carrier, two escort carriers, twodestroyers, and two escort destroyers. The battlewas overwhelmingly affected by the numericalsuperiority of the US naval aircraft and theexperience of its aviators. The Japanese navaland army air forces, weakened by the recentfighting off Taiwan, were unable to counter thisonslaught, although the naval units resorted toKamikaze airmen tactics for the first time.However, this was a hard won victory asshown by the fate of VF-27 and USS Princeton. This carrier, nicknamed “Sweet Pea”, was partof Task Force 38.3. Japanese naval aviatorsmanaged to locate the American force during thefirst night , and at dawn of 24 October, a strikegroup was sent against TF 38.3. A total of 105 A6MZero fighters, six more Zeros as fighter-bombers,21 N1K George fighters, 38 D3A Val dive bombersand 12 D4Y Judy bombers attacked. The Japanesestrike group, which was divided into severalformations, was met primarily by airmen fromVF-27 and VF-15 (USS Essex). It was in this fightthat Cdr. David McCampbell of VF-15 achievednine victories. VF-27, which was outnumbered1 to 10 early in the fight, destroyed 36 enemyfighters, with one pilot achieving six victoriesin this engagement and three other airmen,including Lt. Brown, claiming five kills. Brown,however, had to break away from the fight witha badly damaged machine, two shrapnel woundsin his left leg and four Zeros behind him.Returning to his mother ship, he was horrifiedto find the “Sweet Pea” in flames. At 10:00 a.m shehad been hit by a bomb launched by the crew ofa lone dive-bomber Judy. Brown was successivelyrefused landing by the USS Lexington and theUSS Langley. However, he managed to contactUSS Princeton, which was trying to coordinatea pickup by a destroyer if Brown ditched.Eventually, colleagues from the USS Essex got intouch and offered to allow Brown to land if he didso immediately. Brown landed with the hydraulicsdamaged, lowered the landing gear with theemergency system, managed to release thehook by hitting the ramp hard, and immediatelyafterwards caught the first wire. For this action,he was awarded the Navy Cross.The bomb hit the hangar of the USS Princeton,where the Avenger bombers were refuelled andarmed. Sixteen Hellcats were on board, but theynever had a chance to take off. The other nine,which were still in flight at this time, landed onother carriers. The light cruiser USS Birmingham,commanded by Capt. Thomas B. Inglis and threeother vessels tried to help with the rescue andfirefighting. But collisions with the aircraftcarrier and other explosions aboard damaged hersaviours. After eight hours of raging fire, the USSPrinceton eventually sank following a last largeexplosion. Total 108 of her crew were killed, but241 men aboard the USS Birmingham were alsokilled and 412 others were injured. When Capt.Inglis was asked if he would have done the sameif he had known the risk to his cruiser, he replied,“I should take the same action – providing thesame factors were involved and I had no crystalball.”Text: Jan BobekIllustration: Petr ŠtěpánekA Hell of a Morning#7077BOXART STORYINFO Eduard41April 2024Page 42
USS PRINCETON – 24. 10. 1944The light aircraft carrier USS Princeton (CV-23) was originally intended as theCleveland-class light cruiser Tallahassee. However, in early 1942, the purpose of thevessel changed to that of an Independence-class light aircraft carrier. The Navy tookher over in early 1943, and in the fall of that year, she engaged with her carrier airgroup in combat in the Pacific. Her battle name served as a reminder of the Battle ofPrinceton, which occurred on January 3, 1777. It became one of two minor victoriousengagements that boosted the morale of Americans at the beginning of the War ofIndependence. This photo shows her on her shakedown cruise in the summer of 1943with Hellcat and Dauntless aircraft on deck. Fighters from VF-27 earned a total of134 confirmed victories during their service on this ship.Photo: Naval History and Heritage CommandPrinceton's port forward area, as seen fromUSS Birmingham (CL-62) during attempts tocontrol her fires during the afternoon of 24October. Note damage to Princeton's40mm gun position and catwalk, caused byBirmingham's Number Two 6/47 gun turretas the two ships grind together. Also noteflight deck tractor partially hung up onPrinceton's deck edge, F6F and TBM airplanesparked forward, floater nets and life rafts onBirmingham's gun turret.Photo: Naval History and Heritage CommandPrinceton burning soon after she was hit by a Japanese bomb while operating off thePhilippines on October 24, 1944. This photograph was taken from USS South Dakota(BB-57) at about 10:01 hrs. Crew of a D4Y Judy bomber that scored the fatal hit tookoff from Mabalacat airfield in Central Luzon.Photo: Naval History and Heritage CommandARTICLESINFO Eduard42April 2024Page 43
The U.S. Navy light cruiser USS Reno (CL-96) comes alongside the burning light aircraft carrier USSPrinceton to assist in fighting fires. USS Reno, at 17:46, took over the task of scuttling Princeton.Photo: Naval History and Heritage CommandLt. Carl Brown, Jr., flying the Hellcat“Paper Doll” of VF-27 aboard the USSEssex, returned from a combat flight onOctober 24, 1944, during which he shotdown five Zeros. The burning aircraftcarrier USS Princeton, from which Browntook off in the morning, can be seen in thebackground.Photo: US NavyThe deck crew of the aircraft carrier USS Essex pushesBrown's damaged Hellcat towards the other aircraft onboard to make space for the Hellcats belonging to theirown Carrier Air Group.Photo: US NavyARTICLESINFO Eduard43April 2024Page 44
#2145GUSTAV pt.21/72The Limited edition of the kit of the famous German WWII fighter aircraft Bf 109G in 1/72 scale. The kit offers aircraft of G-6 late and G-14versions. Marking selection covers all fronts of WWII where these “Gustavs” were fighting including airplanes from the Ilmavoimat (FinishAir Force), Italian Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana and Hungarian Air Force (Magyar Királyi Honvéd Légierő).plastic parts: Eduardmarking options: 10decals: EduardPE parts: yes, pre-paintedpainting mask: yesresin parts: noProduct pageKITS 04/2024Dual ComboINFO Eduard44April 2024Page 45
Bf 109G-6/R6, WNr. 160303, Hptm. Friedrich Eberle, CO of III./JG 1, Volkel,the Netherlands, November 1943 – January 1944Bf 109G-6/R1, Lt. Max-Bruno Fischer, Stab II./JG 3, Evreux-Fauville,France, June 1944Friedrich Eberle, the commanding officer of III.Gruppe of JG 1, was downed in this Bf 109G-6 onJanuary 30, 1944. The man who shot him downwas a Thunderbolt jockey, Lt. Robert Booth ofthe 369th FS, 359th FG, a fighter ace with a totalof eight kills to his credit. Booth himself wasdowned a few months later, on June 8, 1944 andbecame a POW. Eberle was injured but survivedthe encounter with Booth and led III. Gruppe untilApril 27, 1944. In July 1944, he was appointed theCO of III./JG 4. Eberle led this unit in OperationBodeplatte, the attack on Allied airfields, onJanuary 1, 1945. He was court martialed forcowardice but finally was acquitted of the chargeand survived the war with 33 kills. Eberle’saircraft had been marked with a double chevronbut in accordance with temporary orders, thismarking was painted over and the commander’saircraft was marked with a number. The JG 1crest was painted on the left side of the cowlingonly. The rear part of the fuselage was partiallyoverpainted with RLM 76 to tone it down.This aircraft was originally part of GeschwaderstabJG 3 “Udet” and bore the designation of one ofthe Kommodore’s wingmen. The white band onthe fuselage served as a quick identificationelement for JG 3 within fighter formations on theWestern European battlefield. In early June 1944Maj. Heinz Bär assumed command of JG 3 and hereplaced the aircraft in his Stab with Fw 190Asand transferred the original planes of his flightto Stab II./JG 3, commanded by Hptm. GustavFrielinghaus (74 victories). However, at thebeginning of the invasion, the CO of II./JG 3 wasunfit for combat activities, and the Gruppe wasled during the move to Normandy by his Adjutant,Lt. Max-Bruno Fischer. During the flight to Evreuxbase, Fischer was the sole II./JG 3 airman toarrive at the base due to poor weather conditions.He faced a field court martial threat for this,which was halted thanks to JG 2 Kommodore Maj.Bühlingen. From the very first day of deploymentin Normandy, II./JG 3 conducted strafing attacksagainst the invading forces. Fischer later becamethe Adjutant of III./JG 4 and achieved a total ofthree victories.KITS 04/2024INFO Eduard45April 2024Page 46
Bf 109G-6, Lt. Anton Hafner, CO of 10./JG 51, Tilsit-East,the Soviet Union, August 1944Bf 109G-14, Hptm. Erich Hartmann, CO of I./JG 53, Veszprém,Hungary, February 1945Anton Hafner achieved a total of 204 victories,all within the ranks of JG 51. He also fought withthe unit in Tunisia, where he was shot down andwounded, but the vast majority of his successeswere achieved on the Eastern Front. He wasawarded the Knight’s Cross on August 23, 1943,and received the Oak Leaves on April 11, 1944.He became the commander of 8./JG 51 (laterredesignated 10./JG 51) in mid-May 1944. At thattime, III./JG 51 completed the rearmament fromFw 190A to Bf 109G aircraft. Hafner, at the helmof his Staffel, achieved 68 victories. His last fatalengagement was on October 17, 1944, when he shotdown a Yak-9, but then crashed into trees east ofSchweizersfelde in East Prussia, apparently dueto a pilot’s error. He did not survive the impact.The Bf 109 shown is one of three Hafner aircraftthat are photographically documented fromthe summer and autumn of 1944, but its serialnumber is unknown. The original Stab markingson the sides of the fuselage appear to have beenpainted over.Erich Hartmann, the fighter ace with thehighest number of claimed victories in history,commenced his combat career with 7./JG52 on October 10, 1942. He remained loyal toJG 52 until the end of hostilities when he heldcommand of I./JG 52. His tally of claims ceasedat 352. In recognition of his achievements, hewas bestowed with the Knight's Cross with OakLeaves, Swords, and Diamonds on August 25,1944. Post-war, he was handed over to the Sovietsby the Americans and was not released until 1955.During the initial half of February 1945, he brieflyassumed command of I./JG 53. The young airmensought his guidance for experience and moralsupport, yet Hartmann remained notably passive,engaging in only one combat flight, during whichhe claimed his 337th victory. The standard RLM74 and RLM 75 camouflage had large whitepatches on the upper surfaces. A black, white-lined tulip graced the nose, while a heart bearingHartmann's wife's name was added under thecockpit on the left side. A yellow band denotedthe machines serving on the Eastern Front.Additionally, a large yellow V on the left wingdistinguished Bf 109 from Romanian machines inthe area, as Romania at the time fought on theAllied side.KITS 04/2024INFO Eduard46April 2024Page 47
Bf 109G-6, WNr. 165267, Majuri Eino Luukkanen, 1/HleLv 34,Taipalsaari airfield, Finland, July 1944Bf 109G-14, Oblt. Rolf Schlegel, 10./JG 4, Jüterbog-Damm,Germany, March 1945Eino Altero Luukkanen was born in 1909 inJaakkima and started his military aviationservice in 1930. In January 1938, he becameAdjutant of Lentorikmentti 1. During the WinterWar he commanded 3/LLv 24 and achieved2.5 victories in Fokker D.XXI. From the beginningof the Continuation War, he commanded 1/LLv24 on Brewsters and achieved 14.5 victories. FromMarch 1943 he led LeLv 34 with MesserschmittBf 109Gs at the rank of Major. Luukkanen wasawarded the Mannerheim Cross on June 18, 1944.In the Bf 109G-6 (WNr. 165267) Eino Luukkanenachieved his last, 56th confirmed victory.His victim was a Soviet Yak-7 over Narvi, Karelia,on August 5, 1944, during a battle with a formationof six Il-2s and six Yak-7s from the 12 KIAP, KBF.It was the only kill achieved with this aircraft,which was delivered to Finland on June 23, 1943.The original German WNr. is visible on the rudder.At that time, it also carried wing nacelles withMG 151/20 guns. It was written off after a crashon August 25, 1947.After completing his fighter training, he wasassigned to 11./JG 2. With this unit, he soon movedto the African battlefield, and before the end of1942, he was reassigned to II./JG 53. Here, hesuffered an injury, and after recuperation, he wasdirected to EKdo 16, a test unit designed to testthe Me 163 rocket fighter. By the summer of 1944,he was already serving with JG 4, specificallyits Sturmgruppe (II./JG 4), flying heavily armedFw 190A-8/R2s. Later, he flew with JG 4’sIII. Gruppe in Bf 109s. Before the end of the war,he was transferred to III./EJG 2, flying the Me262 jet, and his next unit was to be JG 7. In total,he achieved nine victories. The aircraft, in thetypical camouflage of the late Bf 109G-14sproduced in Leipzig at the Erla factory, had theoriginal markings repainted in fresh RLM 74 andbore the emblem of JG 4 on the nose. The widebands around the rear of the aircraft were anelement for quick identification of JG 4 within theunits fighting in Western Europe.KITS 04/2024INFO Eduard47April 2024Page 48
Bf 109G-14, WNr. 465437, Hptm. Franz Dörr, CO of III./JG 5,Gossen, Norway, May 1945Bf 109G-14/U4, WNr. 512382, Lt. Horst Schlick, 4./JG 77, Schönwalde,Germany, November 1944Franz Dörr was born in Mannheim in 1913.He served as a reconnaissance pilot duringthe Polish and Western campaigns in 1939 and1940. Dörr achieved his first kill as a memberof 1.(Erg.)/JG 3, shooting down a Wellington onSeptember 29, 1941. On January 1, 1942, this unitwas redesignated 7./JG 5, and in September1943, he became its commander. In early August1944, he took command of III. Gruppe JG 5 andheld that position until the end of the war. On thenorthern front, he scored 121 victories (althoughsome sources mention 127) in 437 combat sorties.His tally was marked on the rudder of his personalaircraft. He was awarded the Knight’s Cross onAugust 19, 1944. The aircraft, manufactured atthe Erla factory, bore distinctive features of localproduction such as distinct gun ducts on theengine cowling and a small bulge on the rightside of the engine cowling. Though the serialnumber is not proven, the camouflage matchesthe markings of the 465xxx series. Aircraft ofthis series are documented at Gossen, Norway inMay 1945. A small circle on the rear of the aircraftidentified it as serving with III Gruppe.Horst Schlick was born in 1921 in Bartenstein,East Prussia. From 1939, he served in I.(J)/LG 2,which was redesignated I./JG 77 in January 1942in Mariupol. Schlick was a seasoned veteranwho achieved two kills on the Eastern Frontand at least thirty more on the Mediterraneanand Western Fronts. He served most of the timeas a member of its 1. Staffel. Change came inSeptember 1944 when he took command of the4. Staffel, with which he achieved his last threevictories. In the spring of 1945, he was transferredfirst to training III./EJG 2, then to JG 7, equippedwith Me 262 jets. However, he achieved no furthersuccess here. During the war, he participated in480 combat sorties, during which he achieved33 kills. The color scheme depicts Schlick’sWNF-produced plane shortly after he achievedhis 31st kill. It is possible that this Bf 109 had theengine cowling used on the machines producedby Erla in Leipzig. The emblem on the rear ofthe fuselage was the new designation for the 4.Staffel aircraft, and the emblem on the nose wasJagdgeschwader 77.KITS 04/2024INFO Eduard48April 2024Page 49
Bf 109G-14, WNr. 464380, Maggiore Mario Bellagambi, CO of 5ª Squadriglia, 2° GruppoCaccia ANR, Osoppo, Italy, March 1945Bf 109G-14, WNr. 782205, Lt. Antal Szebeni, 101/5. Vadászszázad MKHL,Börgönd, Hungary, October 1944After the declaration of Italian Social Republicon September 18, 1943, a puppet state on theterritory of Italy occupied by German militaryunder the command of Benito Mussolini,Germany allowed this Republic to establish itsown military force consisting of four divisions.Its air force component called AeronauticaNazionale Repubblicana consisted of two fighterplane groups (Gruppo Caccia), torpedo groups(Gruppo Aerosiluranti Buscaglia) and severaltransportation squadrons. In 1945, both fighterplane squadrons flew Messerschmitts Bf 109G-6/G-10/G-14. The commander of 5aSquadriglia(called Diavoli Rossi) was Maggiore MarioBellagambi, a fighter ace with 14 victories. In 1949he was once again admitted to Italian air forcewhere he became Generale di brigata aerea priorto his retirement. He died in Florence on June 25,2001. Bellagambi’s 109 was camouflaged with RLM74/75/76 colors. The Verde Oliva Scuro 2 color isapplied to the stain under the red devil painting,the emblem of 5asquadriglia. The rudder wassupplied by one of the subcontractors and bearsa camouflage consisting of RLM 81 and RLM 82.The yellow outline of fuselage ANR marking waseither reversed or had yellow triangles aroundthe flag as compared to other aircraft.This aircraft was produced in September 1944at the Messerschmitt Regensburg plant andwas received by the Hungarian Fighter Group101/II. From the end of 1944, the unit was involvedin combat against the Soviet Air Force andoccasionally engaged with American forces. TheW0+58 was flown by Lt. Szebeni, who achieveda total of three victories by the end of the war.In the final months of the war, this unit alsoreceived Bf 109G-10 and G-10/U4 aircraft. Szebenicrashed one of these planes during a landingat Szombathely on March 25, 1945. The “Black4” rolled over on its back and was destroyed.Lieutenant Szebeni, however, escaped unharmed.He was also fortunate on April 14, 1945, duringa dogfight northeast of Vienna. A Soviet fighterhit his Bf 109G-10/U4 “Black 14”, causing it tocatch fire. Szebeni, flying low over the ground,was unable to bail out. Consequently, he firedthe magazines of his weapons before the bellylanding, inadvertently hitting a Yak-9 that passedin front of him. Szebeni managed to make anemergency landing at Grafenwörth and returnedto the unit uninjured.KITS 04/2024INFO Eduard49April 2024Page 50
Recommended:for GUSTAV pt.2 1/72#672347#672344672292 Luftwaffe rudder pedals PRINT (Brassin)672324 Bf 109 SC250 bomb (Brassin)672329 Bf 109 balance weights PRINT (Brassin)672338 Bf 109G undercarriage legs BRONZE (Brassin)672344 Bf 109G radio compartment PRINT (Brassin)672346 Bf 109G propeller PRINT (Brassin)672347 Bf 109G-5/G-6 cockpit PRINT (Brassin)672348 Bf 109G-5/G-6 wheels PRINT (Brassin)672352 Bf 109G-6 engine PRINT (Brassin)672355 Bf 109G-5/G-6 gun barrels PRINT (Brassin)OVERTREES#70160XBf 109G-5/6/14 late1/72Product pageOVERLEPT#2145-LEPT1Gustav pt.2PE-Set 1/72Product page#672352#672338#672329#672346KITS 04/2024INFO Eduard50April 2024Page 51
1/48F4F-4 Wildcat lateThe ProfiPACK edition kit of the US carrier based WWII fighter plane F4F-4 Wildcat late in 1/48 scale.From the kit it is possible to build Wildcats of the US Navy operating in the Atlantic and Pacific and alsoa fighter from the US Marine Corps.plastic parts: Eduardmarking options: 6decals: EduardPE parts: yes, pre-paintedpainting mask: yesresin parts: no#82203Product pageKITS 04/2024INFO Eduard51April 2024Page 52
Lt.(Jg) William E. Eder, VGF-29, USS Santee (CVE-29), November 1942BuNo.11992, Ens. Leroy Childs, VF-11, Guadalcanal,May 1943Prior to his assignment to VGF-29, William Ederfought with VF-3 at the Battle of Bougainvilleand with VF-2 at the Battle of the Coral Sea.He downed one Zero and shared a victory overa Betty bomber plus one probable kill of a Valbomber during these engagements. In all, Ederis credited with 6.5 kills of Japanese aircraft,and he destroyed another 10 of them on theground. He also destroyed three French aircraftduring Operation Torch. The Wildcat that Ederflew during Operation Torch wore standardcamouflage consisting of shades of Light Grayand Blue Gray, the insignia being complementedby a yellow border on the fuselage and undersideof the wing. Below the cockpit, two kills and theunit emblem were painted on both sides.VF-11 was established at NAS North IslandCalifornia on October 10, 1942 and was equippedwith Wildcats. To emphasize its fighting spiritand superiority over the Japanese, the squadronchose the name Sundowners. The emblemfeatured two Wildcats shooting down a risingsun. From April to July 1943, VF-11 Wildcatsshot down a total of 55 enemy aircraft in aerialcombat at Guadalcanal. After returning to theU.S. and rearming with the new F6F Hellcat,VF-11 embarked on the USS Hornet in October1944 and joined the fighting. By February 1945,her pilots had achieved 102 enemy kills in the airand destroyed dozens more on the ground. Withthis Wildcat was shot down Ens. Leroy Child onMay 6, 1943. He was last seen breaking away fromthe formation and his body was never recovered.He was posthumously awarded the Air Medal andthe Purple Heart. Wildcat number 16 was paintedin standard camouflage shades of Light Grayand Blue Gray with a diffuse gradient of colors.On both sides of the fuselage there were the whitelettering "JEANIE" and the unit emblem of VF-11painted. The aircraft had numerous camouflagerepairs to the fuselage and wings.KITS 04/2024INFO Eduard52April 2024Page 53
Lt. Philip H. Torrey Jr., CO VF-22, USS Independence (CVL-22), June 1943VC-13, USS Core (CVE-13), August-September 1943The VF-22 unit was activated on September30, 1942 and flew from the aircraft carrier USSIndenpedence (CVL-22) during World War II. Theunit was flew F4F Wildcats, later F6F Hellcats.The unit’s first commander was Lt. Philip H. TorreyJr. who commanded the unit until the summer of1943. During the summer of 1943, Torrey becamethe commanding officer of Fighting Squadron9 (VF-9), operating from the USS Essex (CV-9).In March 1944, he was transferred to Carrier AirGroup 9 (CAG-9) operating aboard USS Lexington(CV-16) with F6F Hellcats. On February 16, 1945,Torrey volunteered for his first mission whichwas to fly over Tokyo. Over the target, however,his Hellcat was shot down by a Japanese fighterand Torrey fatally crashed in the village of Habunear Narita. His Wildcat, which he flew withVF-22, had a non-standard camouflage witha third shade of Semi-Gloss Sea Blue applied tothe original older Blue Gray/Light Gray schemeon the upper fuselage and wings.The Tacoma-built Bogue-class escort carrier USSCore (CVE-13) was commissioned on December10, 1942, and named after Core Sound. USS Coreoperated on the west coast off San Diego, butsoon joined the Atlantic Fleet to take part inthe bloody war against submarines with TBF-1CAvengers and F4F-4 Wildcats on board. Core’sfirst combat cruise in the Atlantic lasted fromJune 27 to July 31, 1943, during which VC-13 hita pair of submarines. USS Core and VC-13 scoreda total of four submarine kills by the end of 1943,helping to end the good times of the GermanU-boat fleet. The Wildcats on USS Core carriedan interesting combination of colors from thefactory blue-grey NS through light grey NSas well as both the then-new ASWN I and IIschemes designed for the Atlantic. The aircraftshown, with the black identification number6 on the rudder, had a unique design of the unitemblem painted on the fuselage with the number13 inscribed on it. This made it a popularbackground for photographs of VC-13 pilots.KITS 04/2024INFO Eduard53April 2024Page 54
Lt. (jg) Dean S. Laird, USS Ranger (CV-4),Operation Leader, October 1943Dean Samuel “Diz” Laird was the only US Navyace with kills on both the Pacific and Europeanbattlefields. He also served in the Korean Warand Vietnam War after the World War II. Lairdshot down 5.75 enemy aircraft in combat anddamaged one. Two of his victims were GermanJu 88 and He 115 aircraft, shot down in October1943 near Norway during Operation Leader.The others were Japanese aircraft. Laird flew138 combat sorties during World War II and wasawarded the Distinguished Flying Cross andthe Congressional Gold Medal, among otherawards. He flew the F4F Wildcats and then theF6F Hellcats and was assigned to the aircraftcarrier USS Ranger (CV-4) from November 1942to March 1943. From November 1944 to March1945, he operated from the USS Essex (CV-9).In 1969, he was one of the three lead pilots in themovie Tora! Tora! Tora! Laird helped reenact theattack on Pearl Harbor during its filming and flewapproximately 164 hours during the production.VMF-441, Nanumea, November 1943Marine Fighting Squadron 441 (VMF-441) wasformed on October 1, 1942 at Tutuila, AmericanSamoa, from part of VMF-111 and flew F4FWildcats. By the end of May 1943, the entiresquadron moved to Funafuti in the Ellice Islands,followed by another move to Nanumea Base onSeptember 28, 1943. The squadron moved back toTutuila in December 1943, where it rearmed to theF4U-1 Corsair. VMF-441 was also known as “TheBlackjacks”. The unit was credited with a totalof 49 aircraft shot down during World War II andwas inactivated after the surrender of Japan onJuly 11, 1946. The Wildcat shown here wore non-standard camouflage with a third shade of Semi-Gloss Sea Blue added to the original older BlueGray/Light Gray scheme on the upper fuselageand wing surfaces. The nose of the aircraft wasdecorated with a white “Little Joe” inscription onthe left side of the engine cowling with a dicemotif.KITS 04/2024INFO Eduard54April 2024Page 55
481093 F4F-4 landing flaps (PE-Set)FE1290 F4F seatbelts STEEL (PE-Set)644164 F4F-4 LööK (Brassin)648769 F4F gun barrels PRINT (Brassin)648779 F4F undercarriage legs BRONZE (Brassin)648803 F4F-4 cockpit PRINT (Brassin)648815 F4F-4 wheels early (Brassin)648816 F4F-4 wheels late (Brassin)648817 F4F-4 landing flaps PRINT (Brassin)648818 F4F-4 folding wings PRINT (Brassin)648820 F4F-4 exhausts PRINT (Brassin)648828 F4F-4 engine PRINT (Brassin)648829 F4F-4 wheel bay PRINT (Brassin)648853 F4F-4 gun bays PRINT (Brassin)3DL48090 F4F-4 SPACE (3D Decal Set)EX904 F4F-4 TFace (Mask)Recommended: forF4F-4 Wildcat late 1/48OVERTREES#82203XF4F-4 Wildcat late1/48Product pageOVERLEPT#82203-LEPT1F4F-4 Wildcat latePE-Set 1/48Product page#648829#648818#648779KITS 04/2024INFO Eduard55April 2024Page 56
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E339/16, Lt. Josef Jacobs, Fokkerstaffel West, June 1916E105/15, Ernst Udet, KeK Habsheim, 1916The advent of Fokker monoplanes armedwith synchronized machine guns broughta fundamental change to the course of airwarfare from the summer of 1915. The originalassignment of these monoplanes to FFA(Feldflieger Abteilung) field aviation unitschanged in early 1916 when the first Germanfighter units were formed. The KampfeinsitzerKommando (KeK) was a grouping of pilots stillbelonging to the respective FFA but assignedto fight enemy aircraft. Later, these pilots wereallocated to the official fighter units, the Staffeln,in which many future aces grew up. One of themwas Josef Carl Peter Jacobs, who spent the firstyear of his flying career as an observation pilotin FFA 11, only to join Fokkerstaffel West in April1916. He achieved his first confirmed victory inMay when he shot down a two-seat Caudron andpossibly an observation balloon. His Eindeckerwas given a coat of green paint on upper and sidesurfaces, which was complemented by brownpatches, which camouflaged the aircraft not onlyin the air but also on the ground. By the end of thewar, his tally stood at 48 victories. Jasta 12 wasformed from the Fokkerstaffel West personnelon October 6, 1916, but Jacobs was transferred toJasta 22 just a month later.The most successful surviving fighter of WorldWar I was Ernst Udet, who started his flyingcareer with Feldflieger Abteilung 206, fromwhere he moved to FFA 68. There he was givenhis first Eindecker, but he destroyed it due to anengine malfunction during take-off. He was thenassigned an older example of the same type.On March 18, 1916, Udet achieved his first aerialvictory. Later that year, FAA 68 was transformedinto Kampfeinsitzer Kommando Habsheim andthen became Jasta 15 on September 28. Udet’sE.III was given paint of unspecified shade ofgreen, which was complemented by an obliqueblack and white stripe. For this, the black sectionwas later overpainted with a different shade ofgreen. The color scheme and decals offer bothvariations.KITS 04/2024INFO Eduard57April 2024Page 58
Gotthard Sachsenberg, MFFA I, April–November 1916Austro-Hungarian Navy, Abwehrflugstation Altura, Austro–Hungaria, 1918The second most successful fighter of theGerman Navy started his flying career as anobserver in the Freiwilliges Marine-Fliegerkorps.In December 1914, he was transferred toMarine-Feldflieger-Abteilung I. In the first halfof April 1916, the unit took over this D.III numberLF196 and it most likely became the aircraft ofthe then newly trained fighter pilot GotthardSachnsenberg. The aircraft was left in graduallyaccumulated oil stains and other dirt and,according to photographs, was put "on its nose"by its pilot during an emergency landing nearOstend. We do not know when this happened,but the aircraft was subsequently taken to theairfield in a dismantled state and continued to flyuntil the end of November, when most E.IIIs wereretired in favor of new Halberstadts.Within the Austro-Hungarian Air Force andNavy served Fokker E.IIIs with the designationA.III. Some of them had the Austro-HungarianSchwarzlose machine gun installed instead ofthe original German LMG. However, this was notthe case with this aircraft. This one was armedwith the LMG machine gun, but it was the Navyversion with simple gunsight and a slightlydifferent perforation of the barrel housing.The A.III Fokkers were gradually withdrawn totraining units, where they served during thelast year of the war. This was also the case withthis aircraft, which served for training at Alturaairfield. There, on February 24, 1918, the Brnonative Leodegar Ustynek fatally crashed duringa training flight. When shooting on a target,the engine failed, the aircraft lost speed andcrashed from a height of about 50 m. Interestingly,there are two types of crosses used on theaircraft. While on the wings there was an oldertype, on the fuselage a newer one was used.For the bottom surfaces, historians are inclinedtowards a light blue color.KITS 04/2024INFO Eduard58April 2024Page 59
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921 Fighter Regiment, Vietnamese People’s Army Air Force,Noi Bai airfield, Democratic Republic of Vietnam, 1968No. 7909, 11 Fighter Air Regiment, Czechoslovak Air Force, Žatec airfield,Czech and Slovak Federative Republic, March 1991Baurnal Higher Air Force School, Kamen na Obi/Slavgorod airbases,the Soviet Union, ca 1988This aircraft was flown by 921 Fighter Regiment“Sao Do” (Red Star) in 1968. The first examplesof MiG-21PFM were delivered to this unit duringthat year. Some sources say that this particularaircraft was flown by Nguyen Van Coc, a fighterace credited with nine kills. The B&W photos ofthis aircraft can be interpreted in several ways.One of the theories says that green splotcheswere sprayed on the upper sides. The splotcheswere not sharp-edged, and the surrounding areawas also covered by the thin layer of the greencolor. This gave this area light-green appearance.The canopy frame and the antenna were left innatural metal finish.The No. 7909 MiG-21PFM was delivered toCzechoslovakia on January 29, 1969. At thebeginning it was assigned to 9 slp (9th FighterAir Regiment); from April 1973 served with 1 slp.From December 1982 onwards this aircraft wasflown by 11 slp. It was put out of operation in March1991 and consequently flown to the disposalsite at the Vodochody airfield on March 20, 1991.The coat of arms of Žatec town was painted onthe nose, the yellow band on the tail identifiedthe aircraft which was to be put out of operation.The rest of the aircraft remained in natural metalfinish, which was a common practice regardingthis type.Three-digit numbers were used for aircraft flownby Air Force schools in Soviet Union. The White105 served with Barnaul Highter Air Force Schoolin late 80ties. The exact Regiment that flew thisMiG is not known. It belonged either to 59 UAP(59th Training Air Regiment) based in Kamen naObi AFB or to 96 UAP that used Slavgorod AFBas its home. The colorful camouflage was appliedduring the service in the school. Note the largearea of the brown camouflage color under thewhite fuselage number, where the former two-digit number used by the frontline unit, theprevious operator, was overpainted.KITS 04/2024INFO Eduard60April 2024Page 61
Egyptian Air Force, Inshas air base, Arab Republic of Egypt, early 80´s1 Eskadra of the 62 Pułk Lotnictwa Myśliwskiego,Polish Air Force, Poznan – Krzesiny AB, Poland, 1994This aircraft is one of the few MiG-21PFMs flownby Egyptian Air Force following the Six-Day War.Prior to this Arab–Israeli conflict, total of 235various MiG-21s were delivered to Egypt but onlyabout ten of them survived the war. The firstand surprising Israeli aerial attack on Egyptianairbases on June 5, 1967, known as the OperationMoked, cost Egyptians about 90 of their MiG-21sitself. This aircraft was delivered to Egypt around1970 and took part in the US–Egyptian militaryexercise Bright Star in 1982.This aircraft had been delivered to Poland onApril 5, 1968 and served with 34. Pułk LotnictwaMyśliwskiego (34th Fighter Air Regiment). Thisprofile depicts the 6910 how it looked duringthe service with 62. PLM. The tail marking wasapplied in connection with 40th anniversaryof the unit establishment (1954 – 1994). In 1995the unit designation was changed to 3. PLM andaccording to this the number 62 in the unit badgeon the A/C nose was replaced with the new one.This PFM was armed with GP-9 gun pod andMonsun rack for two R-3S missiles. The aircraftwas oversprayed with thin layer of aluminiumcoat.Recommended:for MiG-21PFM 1/4849658 MiG-21PFM interior (PE-Set)648026 MiG-21 wheels (Brassin)648049 MiG-21 wheel wells (Brassin)648064 MiG-21 late airbrakes (Brassin)648080 MiG-21 undercarriage legs BRONZE (Brassin)644090 MiG-21PFM LööK (Brassin)644099 MiG-21PFM grey LööK (Brassin)644102 MiG-21PFM LööKplus (Brassin)644109 MiG-21PFM grey LööKplus (Brassin)3DL48172 MiG-21PFM grey SPACE (3D Decal Set)3DL48173 MiG-21PFM turquoise SPACE (3D Decal Set)D48018 MiG-21PFM stencils (Decal Set)EX638 MiG-21PFM TFace (Mask)OVERTREES#8239XMiG-21PFM1/48Product pageOVERLEPT#8237-LEPT1MiG-21PFMPE-Set 1/48Product pageKITS 04/2024INFO Eduard61April 2024Page 62
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BuNo 70143, Cdr. David McCampbell, CO of CAG-15 USS Essex (CV-9),October 1944Lt. Carl A. Brown Jr., VF-27, USS Princeton (CVL-23), October 1944David McCampbell, commander of the Carrier AirGroup 15, was the most successful fighter pilotwithin the US Navy. He achieved at least 20 of his34 victories flying this Hellcat. During the GreatMarianas Turkey Shoot on June 19, 1944, he shotdown seven Japanese aircraft and a few dayslater, on October 24, another nine during fightagainst a large Japanese numerical advantage.He was twice awarded the Congressional Medalof Honor. “Minsi III” was lost in December 1944 inan accident when flown by another pilot.“Paper Doll” was the personal mount of Lt. (jg)Robert Burnell. The distinctive shark mouthpainting was used on the earlier aircraft bythe squadron, and it appears here in a simplerform. On October 24, 1944, during the Battle ofLeyte Gulf, Lt. Carl A. Brown intercepted a largeformation of enemy aircraft at a time when theUSS Princeton had suffered serious damage.During the intercept, Lt. Brown was able todown five of the Japanese aircraft but was hitand injured himself. He landed on the USS Essex(CV-9), as the Princeton was out of action. “PaperDoll” was pushed overboard to make room forother landing aircraft.KITS 04/2024INFO Eduard63April 2024Page 64
BuNo 72534, Ens. Donald McPherson, Bill Kingston, Jr., Lyttleton Ward,VF-83, USS Essex (CV-9), May 1945Lt. Leo Bob McCuddin, VF-20, USS Enterprise (CV-6), October 1944Starting from the end of January 1945, US Navyaircraft in the Pacific carried striking geometricsymbols. Two white triangles belonged to aircraftof the USS Essex. White 115 also sported anemblem consisting of a skull and crossbonesand the inscription “Death and Destruction”.The victory marks painted on the cockpit sidespossibly included all the success achieved bythe pilots who flew the plane. White 115 wasmostly flown by Ensigns Donald McPherson,Bill Kingston, Jr., and Lyttleton Ward. The lastmentioned downed three Alfs and one Oscarduring one of the most concentrated kamikazeattacks on TF-58 ships on May 4, 1945. During thisevent Ward attained the ace statusFamous Navy pilot Leo Bob McCuddin flew thisaircraft on many of his combat sorties. He flewF6F Hellcats as a pilot with VF-20 from the USSEnterprise from April 1944. All five of his victorieswere gained during his combat tour withVF-20. He participated in the attack on the “Fuso”Class battleship and in the sinking of an escortdestroyer during the Battle of the Philippine Seaon October 24 and 25, 1944.OVERTREES#7077XF6F-5 / Hellcat Mk.II1/72Product pageOVERLEPT#7077-LEPT1F6F-5 HellcatPE-Set 1/72Product pageRecommended:for F6F-5 Hellcat 1/7273792 F6F-3 (PE-Set)672038 US 250lb bombs (Brassin)672203 F6F wheels (Brassin)672345 F6F wheel bays PRINT (Brassin)#672345#672203KITS 04/2024INFO Eduard64April 2024Page 65
www.eduard.com/bfcBUNNY BUNNY FIGHTERFIGHTERCLUBEduard's special membership club for all modeling enthusiasts!15% Permanent Club discount at Eduard Store – you will receive permanent 15% discount on all Eduardproducts 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 soldproducts, specially made for BFC members.Even better prices at Eduard events stand – do you know that Eduard usually has huge discounts ontheir products at fairs and events all over the world? BFC members will have even higher discount atthese 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 availableto 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 ChampionshipBOX CONTENT:Plastic parts, Marking options 6, Decal Set, PE parts, Maska, Brassinparts (two different types of wheels, landing flaps, dust filter witheyelid, intake ring and RP-3 60lb rockets), 3D decals for main and si-dewalk instrument and control panels with photo-etched details andseat belts.BOX CONTENT:Plastic parts, Marking options 4, Decal Set, PE parts, Maska, Brassinparts (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 Eduardproduct in your shopping cart. To apply this discount, the Activation product has to be in your shoppingcart. Activation product is excluded from this calculation.Activation products:Activation products:Tempest Mk. V + T-shirt 1/48MiG-21MF + T-shirt 1/72Page 66
BRASSINLööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboardand STEEL seatbelts for F-5E in 1/48 scale.Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.Recommended kit: AFV Club / EduardSet contains:- resin: 2 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted- painting mask: noLööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboardand STEEL seatbelts for F-35B in 1/48 scale.Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.Recommended kit: TamiyaSet contains:- resin: 1 part- decals: no- photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted- painting mask: no644258F-5E LööK1/48 AFV Club/Eduard644259F-35B LööK1/48 TamiyaProduct pageProduct pageINFO Eduard66April 2024Page 67
644260Sea King HU.5 LööKplus1/48 AirfixCollection of 3 sets for Sea King HU.5 in 1/48 scale.Recommended kit: Airfix- LööK set (pre-painted Brassin dashboards & Steelbelts)- TFace painting mask- undercarriage wheelsBRASSINCollection of 4 sets for TBF-1C in 1/48 scale.Recommended kit: Academy- LööK set (pre-painted Brassin dashboards & Steelbelts)- TFace painting mask- undercarriage wheels- seats644261TBF-1C LööKplus1/48 AcademyProduct pageProduct pageINFO Eduard67April 2024Page 68
BRASSINCollection of 4 sets for TBM-3 in 1/48 scale.Recommended kit: Academy- LööK set (pre-painted Brassin dashboards & Steelbelts)- TFace painting mask- undercarriage wheels- seatsLööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboardand STEEL seatbelts for Bf 109G-2 in 1/72 scale.Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.Recommended kit: EduardSet contains:- resin: 1 part- decals: no- photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted- painting mask: no644262TBM-3 LööKplus1/48 Academy674004Bf 109G-2 LööK1/72 EduardProduct pageProduct pageINFO Eduard68April 2024Page 69
BRASSINBrassin set - a cockpit for F-16C Block 42(pre-2006 production) in 1/48 scale.Made by direct 3D printing.Recommended kit: KineticSet contains:- 3D print: 14 parts- resin: 1 part, pre-painted- decals: yes- photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted- painting mask: noLööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboardand STEEL seatbelts for Bf 109G-4 in 1/72 scale.Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.Recommended kit: EduardSet contains:- resin: 1 part- decals: no- photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted- painting mask: no674005Bf 109G-4 LööK1/72 EduardProduct pageProduct page648970F-16C Block 42 till 2005 cockpit PRINT1/48 KineticINFO Eduard69April 2024Page 70
648971F-16C Block 42 from 2006 cockpit PRINT1/48 Kinetic648974F-16C wheel bays early PRINT1/48 KineticBRASSINBrassin set - a cockpit for F-16C Block 42(2006 onwards production) in 1/48 scale.Made by direct 3D printing.Recommended kit: KineticSet contains:- 3D print: 14 parts- resin: 1 part, pre-painted- decals: yes- photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted- painting mask: noBrassin set - wheel bays for F-16C in 1/48 scale.The set consists of nose and main wheel bays.Made by direct 3D printing. Recommended kit: KineticSet contains:- 3D print: 10 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: noProduct pageProduct pageINFO Eduard70April 2024Page 71
BRASSINBrassin set - airbrakes (an early production type)for Su-25 in 1/48 scale. Made by direct 3D printing.Recommended kit: ZvezdaSet contains:- 3D print: 4 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: no648981Su-25 airbrakes early PRINT1/48 ZvezdaBrassin set - gun muzzle for Su-25in 1/48 scale. Made by direct 3D printing.Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.Recommended kit: ZvezdaSet contains:- 3D print: 1 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: no648980Su-25 gun muzzle PRINT1/48 ZvezdaProduct pageProduct pageINFO Eduard71April 2024Page 72
BRASSINBrassin set - right engine for P-38Jin 1/48 scale. Made by direct 3D printing.Recommended kit: TamiyaSet contains:- 3D print: 48 parts- decals: yes- photo-etched details: yes- painting mask: noBrassin set - the undercarriage wheels for F4U-1Aand F4U-2 in 1/48 scale. The set consists of the mainwheels and a tail wheel. Easy to assemble, replacesplastic parts. Recommended kit: Magic FactorySet contains:- resin: 3 parts- 3D print: 2 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: yes648985F4U wheels1/48 Magic Factory648982P-38J right engine PRINT1/48 TamiyaProduct pageProduct pageINFO Eduard72April 2024Page 73
BRASSINBrassin set - engine for Bf 109G-2 and Bf 109G-4in 1/72 scale. The cownlings are included.Made by direct 3D printing.Recommended kit: EduardSet contains:- 3D print: 18 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: yes- painting mask: no672353Bf 109G-2/G-4 engine PRINT1/72 EduardProduct pageBrassin set - the undercarriage wheels for Me 410in 1/72 scale. The set consists of the main wheels.Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.Recommended kit: AirfixSet contains:- resin: 2 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: yes672354Me 410 wheels1/48 AirfixProduct pageINFO Eduard73April 2024Page 74
BRASSINBrassin set - gun barrels for Bf 109G-5 a Bf 109G-6in 1/72 scale. Made by direct 3D printing.Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.Recommended kit: EduardSet contains:- 3D print: 4 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: noBrassin set - exhaust stacks for Me 410in 1/72 scale. Made by direct 3D printing.Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.Recommended kit: AirfixSet contains:- 3D print: 8 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: no672356Me 410 exhaust stacks PRINT1/72 Airfix672355Bf 109G-5/G-6 gun barrels PRINT1/72 EduardProduct pageProduct pageINFO Eduard74April 2024Page 75
Dunstable Business Centre, Office Suite No.2, Blackburn Road, Houghton Regis, Bedfordshire LU5 5BQTel: +44 (0)1582 668411, Email: kim@guidelinepublications.co.ukAll major credit cards accepted.Orders can be placed by mail, telephone, email or through the website.(www.guidelinepublications.co.uk) Plus postage and packing on allorders. Overseas readers pay postage at air mail printed paper rate.Warpaint on the webFor more information and secure ordering please visit:www.guidelinepublications.co.uk1 Bristol Beaufighter £13.002 Blackburn Buccaneer £13.003 Junkers Ju 87 Stuka £13.004 North American F-100 Super Sabre £13.005 Hawker Typhoon £13.006 Avro Shackleton £14.007 Junkers Ju 88 £13.008 Hawker Hunter £17.009 Grumman F4F Wildcat/Martlet £13.0010 Vickers Wellington £13.0011 de Havilland Sea Vixen £13.0012 Fairey Swordfish £15.0013 Focke Wolfe Fw 200 Condor £14.0014 BAC Lightning £18.0015 Short Stirling £14.0016 Hawker Sea Fury £13.0017 Gloster Javelin £14.0018 Douglas Skyraider £14.0019 de Havilland Hornet and Sea Hornet £14.0020 Supermarine Seafire (Griffon engine) £15.0021 Armstrong Whitworth Whitley £14.0022 Gloster Meteor £20.0023 Fairey Gannet £15.0024 Dornier Do 217 £14.0025 Short Sunderland £14.0026 Bristol Blenheim £15.0027 de Havilland Vampire £20.0028 Fairey Firefly £17.0029 Hawker Sea Hawk £15.0030 Avro Vulcan £16.0031 RAF/RN Phantoms £17.0032 Douglas A-20 Boston/Havoc £17.0033 Heinkel He 177 £14.0034 Avro Lincoln £16.0035 Fairey Barracuda £15.0036 Handley Page Victor £16.0037 Gloster Gladiator £17.0038 Republic F-105 Thunderchief £15.0039 Supermarine Walrus £13.0040 Canadair/Commonwealth Sabre £16.0041 Fairey Fulmar £15.0042 Boulton Paul Defiant £13.0043 Lockheed F-104 Starfighter £18.0044 de Havilland Venom £15.0045 Martin B-57 Canberra £16.0046 Handley Page Halifax £17.0047 McDonnell F-101 Voodoo £15.0048 Westland Lysander £15.0049 Fiat G.91 £15.0050 Bristol Beaufort £15.0051 Lockheed Neptune £16.0052 Fairey Albacore £15.0053 Avro Anson £16.0054 Westland Whirlwind F.Mk I £13.0055 Hawker Tempest £14.0056 Blackburn Firebrand £14.0057 Handley Page Hampden £14.0058 Supermarine Swift £14.0059 Lockheed Hudson £14.0060 English Electric Canberra £20.0061 Savoia Marchetti S.79 Sparviero £14.0062 Handley Page Hastings £14.0063 Vickers Valiant £14.0064 Convair F-102 £15.0065 Westland Wessex £17.0066 Bristol Bulldog £13.0067 Folland Gnat and Ajeet £13.0068 Bristol Brigand £13.0069 Martin B-26 Marauder £14.0070 Vought Corsair £18.0071 Armstrong Whitworth 650/660 Argosy £14.0072 Vickers Supermarine Merlin Seafire £14.0073 North American B-25 Mitchell £15.0074 Hawker Siddeley Harrier £17.0075 BAe Sea Harrier £15.0076 Grumman Tracker/Trader/Tracer £17.0077 Curtiss P-40 £15.0078 Aer Macchi C.202-205 Folgore-Veltro £15.0079 Consolidated PBY Catalina £17.0080 Saab Draken £17.0081 Junkers Ju 52 £14.0082 BAC Jet Provost £17.0083 Fairey Battle £17.0084 Grumman F6F Hellcat £18.0085 Supermarine Scimitar £15.0086 Vickers Wellesley £15.0087 Grumman Avenger £18.0088 Lockheed T-33A £15.0089 Avro Lancaster £18.0090 Boeing B-17 £18.0091 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 'Fishbed' £27.0092 Grumman HU-16 Albatross £17.0093 Messerschmitt Me 262 £15.0094 Supermarine Attacker £15.0095 Westland Sea King £18.0096 Consolidated B-24 Liberator £27.0097 North American RA-5C Vigilante £18.0098 Avro York £17.0099 McDonnell Demon £17.00100 Republic F-84F and RF-84F £20.00101 de Havilland D.H.82 Tiger Moth £16.00102 Convair B-36 £16.00103 Avro Manchester £14.00104 General Dynamics F-111 & EF-111A £20.00105 Sopwith Pup £14.00106 Sikorsky S-55/H-19 & Westland Whirlwind £18.00107 Ilyushin Il-2 ‘Sturmovik’ £15.00108 Martin Mariner and Marlin £17.00109 Douglas C-54/R5D Skymaster & DC-4 £21.00110 Westland Scout & Wasp £16.00111 Vought OS2U Kingfisher £16.00112 Douglas A3D Skywarrior £20.00113 Panavia Tornado ADV £17.00114 McDonnell F-4 Phantom II £25.00115 Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle £14.00116 Hawker Fury and Nimrod £17.00117 Douglas F4D/F-6 Skyray & F5D Skylancer £15.00118 NAA B-45 Tornado £16.00119 Grumman F9F Panther £15.00120 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 £17.00121 Douglas A-4 Skyhawk £26.00122 Albatros D.I - D.III £16.00123 de Havilland (Canada) Chipmunk £15.00124 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 £17.00125 Bristol Britannia, Argus and Yukon £17.00126 Grumman F-14 Tomcat £26.00127 Cessna T-37 A/B/C and A-37 A/B £21.00128 Bristol Scout £15.00129 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3 £18.00130 Ilyushin Il-28 £18.00131 Auster in British Military & foreign air arm service £18.00132 Boeing B-52 Stratofortress £25.00133 Douglas C-47 Skytrain/Dakota £25.00134 Aero L-29 Delfin £21.00135 DH.89 Dragon Rapide & Dominie £17.00136 Airspeed Oxford & Consul £18.00137 Douglas SBD Dauntless £28.00138 Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk £18.00139 de Havilland (Canada) DHC-2 Beaver £18.00Warpaint SpecialsNo.1 Republic P-47 Thunderbolt £19.00No.2 Messerschmitt Bf 109 £25.00No.3 de Havilland Mosquito £25.00No.4 Cessna Bird Dog £12.00No.5 NAA P-51 Mustang and Derivatives £22.00No.6 Dambusters and the Lancaster £20.00The Vickers VC.1 Viking was a British twin-engine short-range airliner derived from the Vickers Wellingtonbomber and built by Vickers-Armstrongs Limited at Brooklands near Weybridge in Surrey. After the SecondWorld War, the Viking was an important airliner with British airlines, pending the development of turbopropaircraft like the Viscount. An experimental airframe was fitted with Rolls-Royce Nene turbojets and first flownin 1948 as the world's first pure jet transport aircraft. Military developments were the Vickers Valetta andthe Vickers Varsity. The Valetta was a military derivative of the Viking developed in transport andtraining variants for the Royal Air Force. The Varsity was a versatile twin piston-engined aircraftdeveloped from the Viking and Valetta but with a tricycle undercarriage and ventral pannier forbomb-aimer training, among other changes. It was brought into RAF service in 1951 for crewtraining as a replacement for the Wellington T10. The most outstanding quality of the Varsity was thatit could provide excellent training for pilots, flight engineers, radio operators, navigators and bombaimers simultaneously. The prototype Varsity T Mk I made its maiden flight on 17 July 1949. The RAFtook its first deliveries in October 1951 which went to No.201 Squadron, Advanced Flying School atSwinderby, Lincolnshire. Production of the Varsity T Mk I for the RAF ceased on 28 February 1954 after a total of 163 hadbeen built, the type serving the RAF faithfully until being withdrawn from use in 1976. This Warpaint relates the history of all three types,focussing on the military operators, as per the series title. It is profusely illustrated by over 100 top quality photographs, nearly all in colour from theauthor’s extensive photograph archive and supported by the excellent colour profiles and plans by Sam Pearson.VickersVVIIKKIINNGG,, VVAALLEETTTTAA && VVAARRSSIITTYYIn military serviceAdrian M. BalchVarsity T.1s, WL629-K & WJ917-AA, of RAF5 FTS near Oakington, Cambridgeshire in1968 (Author's collection)WARPAINT SERIES No.141ty.qxp_Warpaint Master 28/12/2023 10:10 Page 54The full story of the first true Multi-Role Combat Aircraft, the OV-10 Bronco, still flying operationally afternearly six decades of service, is told here for the first time in a bumper 104-page Warpaint. Detailed first-hand information gathered over many years has enabled the author to bring together the many facets ofthis remarkably versatile aircraft including pre-cursors, competitors and prototypes, through Vietnam andcombat service with some eleven US and foreign Air Arms, and its part in the development of modernprecision weapons, to its astonishing array of uses since. These include fighting drug cartels in Columbia,fires in California, mosquitos in South Carolina, and ISIS in Northern Iraq. Also, finally covered in full andaccurate detail are the German ‘jet’ Broncos. The world’s largest restoration project and current trainingof US and NATO JTACS bring the story up to date. De-classified information has made it possible todetail for the first time all the long-nose D model conversions and all the Broncos that served in DesertStorm, their preparation, the epic trans-continental deployment of one squadron by air, and the key roleplayed by the Broncos during the war. The detailed and revealing narrative is copiously illustratedthroughout with fully captioned photographs - many previously unseen- and backed by personalaccounts, Individual aircraft histories, airframe lists, scale plans and specially commissioned art workwith comprehensive colour scheme information.All these titles are available in printed format via our on demand printing service. Please contact our office for further information.£19.00Warpaint series No.141Orders from the world’s bookand hobby trade are invitedNewreleasePrevious Warpaint titles£28.00Warpaint series No.140GGUUIIDDEELLIINNEEPPUUBBLLIICCAATTIIOONNSSLLIIMM