08/2022

• Page 1

  INFO Eduard

  # 150

  e-magazine FREE Vol 21 August 2022

• Page 2

  INFO Eduard

  # 150

  e-magazine FREE Vol 21 August 2022

  © Eduard - Model Accessories, 2022

  FREE FOR DOWNLOAD, FREE FOR DISTRIBUTION!

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

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• Page 3

  eduardeduard

  AUGUST 2022

  CONTENTS

  EDITORIAL

  KITS

  BRASSIN

  PHOTO

  -

  ETCHED SETS

  BIG ED

  KITS

  ON APROACH

  –

  September 2022

  TAIL END CHARLIE

  HISTORY

  BOXART STORY

  F4F-3 Wildcat ProfiPACK 1/48

  Spitfire Mk.Vc ProfiPACK 1/48

  GUNN´s BUNNY Limited 1/72

  Sopwith F.1 Camel (Bentley) Weekend edition 1/48

  MiG-21MF interceptor ProfiPACK 1/72

  Fw 190A-8 ProfiPACK 1/48

  F4F-3 Wildcat 1/48

  Spitfire HF Mk.VIII 1/48

  Z-126 Trenér 1/48

  P-51D wheel bay PRINT 1/48

  Z-226 Trenér SPACE 1/48

  MEZEK 1/72

  GRUMMAN F4F-3 Wildcat

  Bugs Bunny in the South Pacific

  Air war over Ukraine Fifth month

  Green-Grey, Dark Green ...

  The worst moment of the war

  Protecting the Bostons

  Sudden attack

  Pappy’s“ guns

  Brandenburg fighters above the beach

  The last Sturmjäger

  4

  6

  30

  36

  60

  74

  78

  84

  96

  113

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

  Mírová 170, Obrnice 435 21

  support@eduard.com www.eduard.com

• Page 4

  Good day, Dear Friends

  Today’s intro to the newsletter will be

  a short affair, because I am putting it toge-

  ther last minute, and I need to get a move

  on to submit it on time. The reason for the

  last minute rush is not my procrastinati-

  on, but rather the delays in returning home

  from America. The time there itself was in-

  teresting as well as pleasant. We are very

  pleased that we were able to return to the

  US Nationals after a two year pause, and it

  was clear that our American friends felt the

  same. Interest in us and our new releases

  was enormous, and I have to say that I do

  not remember being as busy at any event

  as this one. Keep in mind, I have been going

  to events for thirty years! But I do realize

  that the heroes were not us. The star of the

  show had to be our new Wildcat, which we

  were able to complete in time thanks to our

  tool makers who sacrificed much to allow

  it to be that way, and also the star of Au-

  gust’s new releases and of this newsletter.

  Model Kits

  The Wildcat will be familiar to many of you,

  thanks in large part to its premiere in Oma-

  ha, it was released for sale for the After-

  party event that went on simultaneously

  with the Nats up to last Wednesday. I will

  just say that the first release of the Wild-

  cat is the F4F-3, and that the kit offers up

  six marking options, two of which are pre-

  war, and one of those is a typically striking

  aircraft of the American interwar scheme,

  while the other is already in an actual ca-

  mouflage scheme. The rest are actual war-

  time aircraft that took part in the opening

  battles of the Pacific War, from Wake Island

  through Coral Sea to the Battle of Midway.

  It is a ProfiPACK kit, with all of the items

  that belong to the line, and finally, I will add

  that it is in 1:48 scale, just in case there

  is anyone amongst you that still does not

  know this. The combat career of the Wild-

  cat is well laid out in the article by Tome

  Cleaver, that analyzes the defense of Wake

  Island, along with other important partici-

  pation of the Wildcat in the opening months

  of the war in the Pacific. Of course, there

  is mention of the famous battle of Butch

  O’Hare and of other events that turned the

  Wildcat into one of the most famous air-

  craft of all time.

  For August, we have two ProfiPACK kits,

  the second being a Spitfire Mk.Vc. It is also

  in 48th scale and another in our popular

  Spitfire line. That kit has five marking op-

  tions, two aircraft flown by Czechoslovak

  and Polish pilots fighting over Europe in

  the ranks of the RAF, one is from Malta,

  one is American and the last is French. For

  a British aircraft, it is an almost incredibly

  striking selection of birds. It is very note-

  worthy and should be looked at, same as

  the only Weekend Edition release for the

  month, that of the Sopwith Camel with

  a Bentley B.R. 1 engine. Although this last

  item drops down to four marking options,

  each is nicer than the last.

  The last of August’s new releases is the

  same, Gunn’s Bunny in 1:72nd. I confess

  EDITORIAL

  INFO Eduard4

  August 2022

• Page 5

  that commenting on the striking nature of

  the marking options in a given kit seems

  somewhat pointless, but on the other hand,

  wise marking choices play a big role in

  a kit. It’s one of the first go-to things the

  modeler examines on opening the box. And

  in this case, there is certainly something to

  look at. There are an even ten options, and

  choosing one will be a tough task for each

  owner of one of these kits. The kit’s name

  points to the father of the strafers, i.e., light

  bombers, and ground attackers equipped

  with major gunfire in the nose serving as

  deep penetration attack aircraft to gene-

  rally shoot up enemy airfields, ships, ports

  and entrenchments. One of the Mitchells

  offered in the kit, named Bug’s Bunny, is the

  focus of article by Rolf Stibbe.

  Besides the above mentioned kits, we are

  also re-releasing two older items, a 48th

  scale Fw 190A-8 and a 72nd MiG-21MF.

  Both of these are ProfiPACKs.

  Accessories

  We are releasing a bunch of items for the

  Wildcat. For August, you will find a TFace

  mask, covering both outer and inner sur-

  faces of the canopy, photoetched landing

  flaps, and pre-painted steel seatbelts. We

  also have LööK and Space sets among

  the new items, and several smaller prin-

  ted accessories in the Brassin line. These

  include exhausts, two types of wheels,

  bronze landing gears, and one larger prin-

  ted set, the cockpit with a reflector gun-

  sight for later production blocks of the

  F4F-3. A cockpit from earlier production

  blocks with telescopic gunsights and a list

  of other Brassin releases will follow in

  September and the months after. Besides

  these Wildcat sets, we have things for other

  kits as well, naturally. We have a Brassin

  engine for the S-199 in 1:72, obviously appli-

  cable to the CS-199 as well, several wheel

  sets for the Su-25 (Zvezda), A-1J (Tamiya)

  and the EA-18G (Meng). We’ve also got

  a seat for the latter. All are in 1:48th, as is

  a set of Luftwaffe rudder pedals. We re-

  leased a similar set in 1/72nd scale in July,

  and despite getting some comments on

  Facebook about us releasing useless kits,

  there is above average interest in it. The

  wheel well set for the Mustang is a very

  nice set. This item well illustrates the use-

  fulness of 3D printing and what it allows

  the modeler to do. Among all this aircraft

  stuff, we have two 1:350th scale sets for

  ship modelers. We plan on releasing items

  for this theme as we go forward, and it is

  part of the reason why we visited several

  ship museums while in the United States.

  You’ll note a rarity among the LööK items

  as we are releasing the first such set in

  1:72nd scale and it is for the Airfix Beaufort

  Mk.I. The rest are straight classics, cove-

  ring the P-51D and F4F-3 from Eduard, and

  Tamiya’s A-1J. It’s also straight classics in

  the Space line, and besides sets for our

  P-51D and Tamiya’s A-1J, we are releasing

  more ship sets in 1:350th. These include US

  Navy 12-inch searchlights and 5-inch/25

  caliber Mk.10 guns. There are ship sets

  among the Space sets that cover waterti-

  ght doors for US and Royal Navy vessels of

  World War Two. The remainder of the Spa-

  ce sets are quite common items, again for

  the F4F-3 and the Fw 190A-8 from Eduard,

  and two sets for the both old but very good

  Tamiya P-47Ds, all in 48th.

  I would like to direct your attention to

  the new decal sheet for the 1:48th Tamiya

  F-14A, as well as the BigEds and Big Sins

  for August. Besides traditional sets in the

  Big Ed line for Kinetic’s F-104C, we have

  two mixed sets of Remove Before Flight

  tags and two mixed sets of steel seatbelts,

  one of which covers Second World War

  Allied aircraft while the other covers Axis

  planes. There are two Big Sin sets, for the

  Tamiya F-4B and one for the Sopwith Ca-

  mel powered by the Clerget engine from

  Eduard. All of these are in 1:48th scale, as

  are the two sets of LöökPlus for Mk.VI and

  Mk. X Beaufighters from Tamiya.

  And that just about wraps it for me for to-

  day. The only thing I’d add is the article from

  Miro Barič, dedicated to the fifth month of

  the war in Ukraine. There is also an article

  covering the six stories depicted in the bo-

  xarts of August’s releases.

  Finally, I have also one bit of bad news. With

  respect to the climbing prices worldwide,

  first and foremost energy costs, it is vir-

  tually certain that we will not be able to

  avoid raising the prices of our products.

  As of now, it is not certain when this will

  exactly occur, but it looks like November

  1st, but could even be as early as Septem-

  ber. I thought I would mention that now and

  soften the blow a little.

  And despite that last bit, I wish you a plea-

  sant read of today’s newsletter.

  Happy Modelling!

  Vladimir Sulc

  INFO Eduard

  5

  August 2022

• Page 6

  GRUMMAN’S F4F-3 WILDCAT PART ONE

  By: Thomas McKelvey Cleaver

  The F4F-3 was the outcome of a develop-

  ment process by Grumman in response to

  a 1938 U.S. Navy requirement for a repla-

  cement for the F3F biplane fighters. The

  Navy was conservative in its planning;

  while the Brewster Aircraft Co. would

  create a monoplane, the XF2A-1, Grumman

  was asked to create another biplane figh-

  ter, the XF4F-1. Grumman convinced the

  Navy that, with a few modifications, the

  F3F-2 could meet the requirements of the

  XF4F-1; this became the F3F-3, and Gru-

  mman was able to proceed with its own

  monoplane design, the XF4F-2.

  How it was that the XF4-2, designed and

  built by the Navy‘s premier fighter design

  company, lost out to the XF2A-1, the first

  aircraft design by a company primarily

  known for building horse drawn buggies

  during the 19th century, with no experien-

  ce of aircraft production, is a bureaucra-

  tic mystery that has never been fully ex-

  plained. Luckily for the Navy and history,

  Grumman convinced the Bureau of Aero-

  nautics to allow them to rework the design

  a third time, resulting in the XF4F-3. It had

  marginally better performance than the

  F2A 1, which had just entered production;

  Brewster was already demonstrating its

  inability to meet production schedules,

  and the Navy was glad to be able to or-

  der the new fighter from the more reliable

  company.

  The first production F4F-3 flew in Februa-

  ry 1940, powered by a Pratt and Whitney

  R-1830-76 Twin Wasp with a two stage

  supercharger, with the second following

  that July. In April 1940, due to fears of

  production delays with the two stage su-

  percharger, the Navy asked Grumman to

  change the airplane to use the R-1830-90

  Twin Wasp with single stage superchar-

  ger. This became the F4F-3A, 55 of which

  were given to the Marines in 1941, when

  they did not have the necessary high al-

  titude performance with the single stage

  supercharger. The last 100 F4F-3s were

  powered by the R-1830-86 Twin Wasp with

  a two stage supercharger; these were vi-

  sually indentifiable from the early F4F-3s

  and F4F-3As by the absence of an intake

  on the upper cowling, that having been

  moved inside the cowl, and the presence

  of additional cowling flaps. (A further 100

  F4F-3s, which were produced in 1942 for

  the “Wildcatfish” floatplane fighter, were

  used as trainers following cancellation of

  that program.)

  VF-41 was the first to equip with the F4F-

  3, arriving aboard USS Ranger (CV-4)

  on 4 December 1940. VF-42 aboard USS

  Yorktown (CV-5) quickly followed along

  with VF-71 and VF-72 aboard USS Wasp

  (CV-7) in February 1941. VF-6 on USS En-

  terprise (CV-6) re-equipped with F4F-3s

  F4F-3 of VF-6 on hangar deck of USS Enter-

  prise (CV-6), fall 1941.

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard6

  August 2022

• Page 7

  GRUMMAN’S F4F-3 WILDCAT PART ONE

  By: Thomas McKelvey Cleaver

  The F4F-3 was the outcome of a develop-

  ment process by Grumman in response to

  a 1938 U.S. Navy requirement for a repla-

  cement for the F3F biplane fighters. The

  Navy was conservative in its planning;

  while the Brewster Aircraft Co. would

  create a monoplane, the XF2A-1, Grumman

  was asked to create another biplane figh-

  ter, the XF4F-1. Grumman convinced the

  Navy that, with a few modifications, the

  F3F-2 could meet the requirements of the

  XF4F-1; this became the F3F-3, and Gru-

  mman was able to proceed with its own

  monoplane design, the XF4F-2.

  How it was that the XF4-2, designed and

  built by the Navy‘s premier fighter design

  company, lost out to the XF2A-1, the first

  aircraft design by a company primarily

  known for building horse drawn buggies

  during the 19th century, with no experien-

  ce of aircraft production, is a bureaucra-

  tic mystery that has never been fully ex-

  plained. Luckily for the Navy and history,

  Grumman convinced the Bureau of Aero-

  nautics to allow them to rework the design

  a third time, resulting in the XF4F-3. It had

  marginally better performance than the

  F2A 1, which had just entered production;

  Brewster was already demonstrating its

  inability to meet production schedules,

  and the Navy was glad to be able to or-

  der the new fighter from the more reliable

  company.

  The first production F4F-3 flew in Februa-

  ry 1940, powered by a Pratt and Whitney

  R-1830-76 Twin Wasp with a two stage

  supercharger, with the second following

  that July. In April 1940, due to fears of

  production delays with the two stage su-

  percharger, the Navy asked Grumman to

  change the airplane to use the R-1830-90

  Twin Wasp with single stage superchar-

  ger. This became the F4F-3A, 55 of which

  were given to the Marines in 1941, when

  they did not have the necessary high al-

  titude performance with the single stage

  supercharger. The last 100 F4F-3s were

  powered by the R-1830-86 Twin Wasp with

  a two stage supercharger; these were vi-

  sually indentifiable from the early F4F-3s

  and F4F-3As by the absence of an intake

  on the upper cowling, that having been

  moved inside the cowl, and the presence

  of additional cowling flaps. (A further 100

  F4F-3s, which were produced in 1942 for

  the “Wildcatfish” floatplane fighter, were

  used as trainers following cancellation of

  that program.)

  VF-41 was the first to equip with the F4F-

  3, arriving aboard USS Ranger (CV-4)

  on 4 December 1940. VF-42 aboard USS

  Yorktown (CV-5) quickly followed along

  with VF-71 and VF-72 aboard USS Wasp

  (CV-7) in February 1941. VF-6 on USS En-

  terprise (CV-6) re-equipped with F4F-3s

  F4F-3 of VF-6 on hangar deck of USS Enter-

  prise (CV-6), fall 1941.

  in June, while VF-3 aboard USS Saratoga

  (CV-3) exchanged their F2A-1s for F4F-

  -3s in October 1941, as did VF-5. Marine

  squadrons VMF-121 and VMF-211 equipped

  with F4F-3s while VMF-111 flew F4F-3As

  that fall. In November 1941, the fighter re-

  ceived the emotive name „Wildcat,“ beco-

  ming the first of the Grumman “cats” that

  would dominate Navy fighter squadrons

  for the next 50 years.

  Opening Blow at Pearl Harbor

  The flight deck of Enterprise echoed with

  the command over the loudspeaker from

  the bridge: “Pilots! Man your planes!” Thir-

  ty-one year old Lt Richard H. “Dick” Best

  Jr., operations officer of Bombing-Six,

  watched the crews of the twelve Douglas

  SBD-3 Dauntlesses of Scouting-Six and

  five SBD-2s of Bombing-Six board their

  airplanes and wished he was one of the

  Bombing-Six crews, since he was eager

  to go on leave with his wife and four-year

  old daughter who were waiting for him in

  Honolulu.

  Soon the throbbing rumble of 18 R-1830

  radial engines filled the air. For the first

  time since November 28 when Task Force

  16 had departed Pearl Harbor, the sky was

  clear and the rising sun could be clearly

  seen. Enterprise had been scheduled to

  drop anchor in Pearl Harbor the previous

  afternoon, December 6, but was a day

  late after transporting 12 F4F-3 Wildcats

  of VMF-211 to Wake Island, due to heavy

  seas on the return. Here she was on Sun-

  day, December 7, 1941, launching a full-

  -scale search to ensure the safety of the

  ships as they returned to the major Ame-

  rican naval base in the Pacific. She tur-

  ned into the wind and commenced laun-

  ching aircraft At 0615 hours. At the same

  time, 500 miles to the north, six Japanese

  aircraft carriers that had departed Hok-

  kaido on November 26, began launching

  183 fighters, dive bombers and torpedo

  bombers.

  Best returned to his office near the Bom-

  bing-Six ready-room. The compartment

  had a speaker that relayed the radio

  messages from airborne aircraft. Short-

  ly after 0800 hours, his paperwork was

  forgotten when he heard Ensign Manuel

  Gonzalez’s high-pitched shout over the

  radio, “Don’t shoot! This is an American

  plane! Do not shoot!”

  Gonzalez and wingman Ensign Fred We-

  ber had been assigned the northernmost

  search area. Just as they finished, six

  strange aircraft with fixed landing gear

  appeared. Before rear seater Aviation Ra-

  dioman 3/c Leonard Kozalek could deploy

  his gun, the Dauntless was hit by fire from

  the strange planes and caught fire. As it

  headed toward the ocean below, carrying

  the first two Enterprise fliers to die in the

  Pacific War, Weber dived away and esca-

  ped his pursuers by flying 25 feet over the

  waves.

  Back aboard Enterprise, Admiral Halsey

  had just poured a second cup of coffee

  when his aide dashed into the cabin. “Ad-

  miral, there’s an air raid on Pearl!” Halsey

  told him to radio Pacific Fleet Comman-

  der Admiral Kimmel that the Army was

  “shooting down my own boys!” A second

  aide entered with a message direct from

  Admiral Kimmel: “AIR RAID PEARL HAR-

  BOR X THIS IS NO DRILL.”

  Officer of the Deck Lt John Dorsett or-

  dered General Quarters. Seaman Jim

  Barnill, one of Enterprise’s four buglers,

  sounded the staccato notes of “Boots and

  Saddles.” Boatswains Mate 1/c Max Lee

  played his pipe over the 1MC then called

  “General Quarters! General Quarters! All

  hands man your battle stations!” After the

  war, he remembered that he then turned

  to Dorsett and said “We’re at war and I’ll

  never get out of the Navy alive.”

  Dick Best came onto the flight deck mo-

  ments later and looked up. “The first thing

  I saw was the biggest American flag

  I had ever seen, flying from the masthead

  and whipping in the wind. It was the most

  emotional sight of the war for me.”

  Enterprise’s fighter commander, Lt Cdr

  Wade McCluskey, urged that his 18 F4F-3s

  be launched to help protect Pearl Harbor.

  Halsey refused; the Wildcats were needed

  to defend the ship. At 1645 hours, a sear-

  ch-and-strike mission by VT-6‘s TBD De-

  vastators, with an escort of six Wildcats

  was launched; they found nothing and

  the six Wildcats were ordered to fly on in

  to Ford Island. It was a fatal order. They

  arrived at night, with lights out and and

  maintaining radio silence. As Ford Island

  came into sight, they switched on their ru-

  nning lights. On the ground, trigger-happy

  gunners saw the lights and immediately

  opened fire. Two Wildcats went down with

  one pilot dead while the other four flew

  away from the storm of fire. Two pilots

  bailed out rather than try to land in the

  confused situation below and spent the

  night in the canefields where they tried

  to convince scared soldiers they were on

  the same side. The last pair managed to

  land on Ford Island. The gunners still fi-

  red at Ensign Gale Herman as he taxied

  in from the runway; 18 bullet holes were

  later found in the Wildcat.

  Defending Wake Island

  On Wake Island, 2,298 miles west of Ho-

  nolulu and only 1,991 miles southeast of

  Tokyo, it was Monday, December 8, 1941.

  The American force on Wake was piti-

  fully small to face the oncoming enemy:

  Island commander USN Cdr Cunningham

  with nine officers and 58 naval personnel;

  six officers and 173 men of the 1st Mari-

  ne Defense Battalion, fleshed out by nine

  officers and 200 men who had arrived on

  November 5, commanded by Major James

  P.S. Devereux; and 12 F4F-3 Wildcat figh-

  ters detached from VMF-211, commanded

  by Major Paul A. Putnam which had arri-

  ved four days earlier, supported by 47 Ma-

  rine ground support personnel from Ma-

  rine Air Group 21 (MAG-21) who had been

  dropped off by the seaplane tender USS

  Wright (AV-1) on November 28.

  There was a single paved runway, 5,000

  feet long, so narrow that aircraft could

  not take off while recently-landed aircraft

  turned around and taxied back on the

  runway. The protected revetments the ci-

  vilian workers had started the week be-

  USS California and other US battleships hit

  by Japanese attackers at Pearl Harbor, 7 De-

  cember 1941.

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard

  7

  August 2022

• Page 8

  fore were not finished. After participating

  in filming the popular aviation movie “Dive

  Bomber” the previous spring, VMF-211

  traded their F3F-2 biplanes for the Wild-

  cats at the end of September; the pilots

  had less than 20 hours’ flight experience

  in their new mount. None of the 47 ground

  support personnel were experienced

  airframe or engine mechanics; the two

  senior Gunnery Sergeants were both ord-

  nancemen. The island’s air-ground radio

  set consistently malfunctioned.

  Major Putnam was a veteran of the “ba-

  nana wars” in Nicaragua. Promoted Ma-

  jor in August, he had joined VMF-211 as

  Executive Officer in October. His acting

  executive officer was 36-year old Captain

  Henry T. Elrod, a Marine since 1927 and an

  aviator since 1935. Known to fellow Ma-

  rines as “Hammerin’ Henry,” he had been

  a squadron member since September

  1940.

  Since the Wildcats arrived, they had flown

  four-plane patrols at dawn and just befo-

  re sunset in hopes of spotting incoming

  Japanese attackers and providing war-

  ning in time to launch the other fighters.

  Word of the attack at Pearl arrived at

  0830 hours local time, Monday Decem-

  ber 8. Soon after, Major Putnam’s mor-

  ning patrol landed. Captain Elrod led 2nd

  Lieutenants Carl R. Davidson and John E.

  Kinney, and Tech Sergeant William Ha-

  milton on a second patrol. Climbing to

  12,000 feet through an overcast, they split

  in two, with Elrod and Davidson heading

  southeast while Kinney and Hamilton

  headed southwest. Any Japanese attack

  would most likely come from the Marshall

  Islands 600 miles to the south, the nea-

  rest Japanese-controlled territory.

  At about the time the Wildcats took off, 34

  G3M2 Type 96 bombers of the 24th Air Flo-

  tilla’s Chitose Kōkūtai, soon to be known

  to Allied fliers as “Nell,” descended from

  10,000 feet to 1,500 feet to approach Wake

  beneath the overcast behind a rain squall.

  By the time Elrod and Davidson reached

  their search limit and turned back toward

  Wake, the enemy had flown beneath them,

  out of sight under the cloud deck in the

  squall-filled sky.

  At 1158 hours, Major Putnam spotted dots

  in the sky to the south which quickly re-

  solved themselves as the bombers. The-

  re was no time to get the other Wildcats

  airborne; they were close together in the

  paved parking. Putnam wished the attack

  had been delayed two hours, when the

  sandbagged revetments would be rea-

  dy. Now, the eight Wildcats were sitting

  ducks.

  Marines and civilian workers ran for re-

  cently-dug slit trenches while the bom-

  bers wheeled around to approach their

  bombing point. Anti-aircraft Battery D

  opened up fire. The bombers couldn’t

  miss from 1,500 feet. In minutes, seven

  Wildcats were blown apart and set afire

  while bomb splinters savaged the eighth.

  The two 12,500-gallon aviation fuel tanks

  were set afire. The bombers came around

  again, lower; their gunners strafed repea-

  tedly. When they left 10 minutes later, fla-

  mes from the gas tanks flood the parking

  area, setting other gasoline drums on fire.

  The oxygen tanks exploded when the fla-

  mes reached them; tools and spares were

  smashed to pieces. The malfunctioning

  radio was wrecked beyond repair. Camp

  One, where the Marines lived, was wiped

  out along with the fresh food supplies.

  Wake’s aerial defenders had lost two-

  -thirds of their strength and most of

  the fuel needed to fly and fight. The four

  airborne Wildcats were unaware of the

  battle beneath the clouds until Lieutenant

  Kinney spotted the smoke from the bur-

  ning fuel supply rising through the clouds.

  Suddenly, the bombers emerged into clear

  air. Kinney, with Hamilton on his wing, di-

  ved after them, but lost them in the clouds.

  Short on fuel, they turned back to Wake.

  When Elrod landed, he bounced to the

  side of the runway and damaged his prop.

  Squadron maintenance officer Kinney and

  Sergeant Hamilton were put in charge

  of keeping the three remaining Wildcats

  flying. They set about salvaging eve-

  rything they could strip from the wrec-

  kage. Defensive works were created at

  a fever pitch. The three Wildcats were

  now protected by sandbagged revetments.

  Construction equipment was driven onto

  the airstrip when it was not in use, to pre-

  vent a possible Japanese air landing.

  Kinney and Hamilton, joined by Aviation

  Machinist’s Mate 1/c James F. Hesson,

  managed to replace the most heavily-

  -damaged blade on Elrod’s Wildcat; by

  dawn on December 9 they reported four

  Wildcats were available. The three wou-

  ld eventually work wonders of impro-

  visation in keeping airplanes in shape to

  fight throughout the battle. Major Put-

  nam wrote of them: “These three, with the

  assistance of volunteers among the civi-

  lian workmen, did a truly remarkable and

  almost magical job. With almost no tools

  and a complete lack of normal equipment,

  they performed all types of repair and re-

  placement work. They changed engines

  and propellers from one airplane to ano-

  ther, and even completely built new engi-

  nes and propellers salvaged from wrecks.

  They replaced minor parts and assemb-

  lies, and repaired damage to fuselages

  and wings and landing gear; all this in spi-

  te of the fact they were working with new

  types with which they had no previous

  experience and were without instruction

  manuals of any kind. In the opinion of the

  squadron commander, their performance

  was the outstanding event of the whole

  campaign.”

  General Quarters sounded at 0500 hours

  on December 9. Forty-five minutes later

  the four Wildcats took off for the dawn

  patrol, flying 80 miles to the south and

  returning at 0730 hours to report they

  had seen nothing. Major Putnam led two

  Wildcats off at 1100 hours, followed by 2nd

  Lieutenant David Kliewer and Sergeant

  Hamilton. The four fighters were at 14,000

  feet when 26 G3Ms were spotted approa-

  ching at 13,000 feet. Kliewer and Hamilton

  managed to dive on the formation’s stra-

  gglers and set one afire. As the bombers

  closed, Batteries D and E opened fire and

  the Wildcats pulled away. Twelve of 25

  bombers were holed by defending AA, but

  all returned to their base successfully .

  On December 10, the bombers arrived at

  1045 hours and focused their attack on

  outlying Wilkes Island. Captain Elrod led

  the defending Wildcats in a dive through

  the formation from rear to front. By the

  time he pulled out, two bombers were

  headed for the ocean below, wings wra-

  pped in fire.

  On December 11, the Japanese invasion

  force, composed of the light cruisers Yu-

  bari, Tenryū, and Tatsuta; destroyers Yayoi,

  Mutsuki, Kisaragi, Hayate, Oite, and Asa-

  nagi, and two older destroyers converted

  Wrecked F4F-3 Wildcats of VMF-211 photo-

  graphed after the fall of Wake Island, Decem-

  ber 23, 1941.

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard8

  August 2022

• Page 9

  fore were not finished. After participating

  in filming the popular aviation movie “Dive

  Bomber” the previous spring, VMF-211

  traded their F3F-2 biplanes for the Wild-

  cats at the end of September; the pilots

  had less than 20 hours’ flight experience

  in their new mount. None of the 47 ground

  support personnel were experienced

  airframe or engine mechanics; the two

  senior Gunnery Sergeants were both ord-

  nancemen. The island’s air-ground radio

  set consistently malfunctioned.

  Major Putnam was a veteran of the “ba-

  nana wars” in Nicaragua. Promoted Ma-

  jor in August, he had joined VMF-211 as

  Executive Officer in October. His acting

  executive officer was 36-year old Captain

  Henry T. Elrod, a Marine since 1927 and an

  aviator since 1935. Known to fellow Ma-

  rines as “Hammerin’ Henry,” he had been

  a squadron member since September

  1940.

  Since the Wildcats arrived, they had flown

  four-plane patrols at dawn and just befo-

  re sunset in hopes of spotting incoming

  Japanese attackers and providing war-

  ning in time to launch the other fighters.

  Word of the attack at Pearl arrived at

  0830 hours local time, Monday Decem-

  ber 8. Soon after, Major Putnam’s mor-

  ning patrol landed. Captain Elrod led 2nd

  Lieutenants Carl R. Davidson and John E.

  Kinney, and Tech Sergeant William Ha-

  milton on a second patrol. Climbing to

  12,000 feet through an overcast, they split

  in two, with Elrod and Davidson heading

  southeast while Kinney and Hamilton

  headed southwest. Any Japanese attack

  would most likely come from the Marshall

  Islands 600 miles to the south, the nea-

  rest Japanese-controlled territory.

  At about the time the Wildcats took off, 34

  G3M2 Type 96 bombers of the 24th Air Flo-

  tilla’s Chitose Kōkūtai, soon to be known

  to Allied fliers as “Nell,” descended from

  10,000 feet to 1,500 feet to approach Wake

  beneath the overcast behind a rain squall.

  By the time Elrod and Davidson reached

  their search limit and turned back toward

  Wake, the enemy had flown beneath them,

  out of sight under the cloud deck in the

  squall-filled sky.

  At 1158 hours, Major Putnam spotted dots

  in the sky to the south which quickly re-

  solved themselves as the bombers. The-

  re was no time to get the other Wildcats

  airborne; they were close together in the

  paved parking. Putnam wished the attack

  had been delayed two hours, when the

  sandbagged revetments would be rea-

  dy. Now, the eight Wildcats were sitting

  ducks.

  Marines and civilian workers ran for re-

  cently-dug slit trenches while the bom-

  bers wheeled around to approach their

  bombing point. Anti-aircraft Battery D

  opened up fire. The bombers couldn’t

  miss from 1,500 feet. In minutes, seven

  Wildcats were blown apart and set afire

  while bomb splinters savaged the eighth.

  The two 12,500-gallon aviation fuel tanks

  were set afire. The bombers came around

  again, lower; their gunners strafed repea-

  tedly. When they left 10 minutes later, fla-

  mes from the gas tanks flood the parking

  area, setting other gasoline drums on fire.

  The oxygen tanks exploded when the fla-

  mes reached them; tools and spares were

  smashed to pieces. The malfunctioning

  radio was wrecked beyond repair. Camp

  One, where the Marines lived, was wiped

  out along with the fresh food supplies.

  Wake’s aerial defenders had lost two-

  -thirds of their strength and most of

  the fuel needed to fly and fight. The four

  airborne Wildcats were unaware of the

  battle beneath the clouds until Lieutenant

  Kinney spotted the smoke from the bur-

  ning fuel supply rising through the clouds.

  Suddenly, the bombers emerged into clear

  air. Kinney, with Hamilton on his wing, di-

  ved after them, but lost them in the clouds.

  Short on fuel, they turned back to Wake.

  When Elrod landed, he bounced to the

  side of the runway and damaged his prop.

  Squadron maintenance officer Kinney and

  Sergeant Hamilton were put in charge

  of keeping the three remaining Wildcats

  flying. They set about salvaging eve-

  rything they could strip from the wrec-

  kage. Defensive works were created at

  a fever pitch. The three Wildcats were

  now protected by sandbagged revetments.

  Construction equipment was driven onto

  the airstrip when it was not in use, to pre-

  vent a possible Japanese air landing.

  Kinney and Hamilton, joined by Aviation

  Machinist’s Mate 1/c James F. Hesson,

  managed to replace the most heavily-

  -damaged blade on Elrod’s Wildcat; by

  dawn on December 9 they reported four

  Wildcats were available. The three wou-

  ld eventually work wonders of impro-

  visation in keeping airplanes in shape to

  fight throughout the battle. Major Put-

  nam wrote of them: “These three, with the

  assistance of volunteers among the civi-

  lian workmen, did a truly remarkable and

  almost magical job. With almost no tools

  and a complete lack of normal equipment,

  they performed all types of repair and re-

  placement work. They changed engines

  and propellers from one airplane to ano-

  ther, and even completely built new engi-

  nes and propellers salvaged from wrecks.

  They replaced minor parts and assemb-

  lies, and repaired damage to fuselages

  and wings and landing gear; all this in spi-

  te of the fact they were working with new

  types with which they had no previous

  experience and were without instruction

  manuals of any kind. In the opinion of the

  squadron commander, their performance

  was the outstanding event of the whole

  campaign.”

  General Quarters sounded at 0500 hours

  on December 9. Forty-five minutes later

  the four Wildcats took off for the dawn

  patrol, flying 80 miles to the south and

  returning at 0730 hours to report they

  had seen nothing. Major Putnam led two

  Wildcats off at 1100 hours, followed by 2nd

  Lieutenant David Kliewer and Sergeant

  Hamilton. The four fighters were at 14,000

  feet when 26 G3Ms were spotted approa-

  ching at 13,000 feet. Kliewer and Hamilton

  managed to dive on the formation’s stra-

  gglers and set one afire. As the bombers

  closed, Batteries D and E opened fire and

  the Wildcats pulled away. Twelve of 25

  bombers were holed by defending AA, but

  all returned to their base successfully .

  On December 10, the bombers arrived at

  1045 hours and focused their attack on

  outlying Wilkes Island. Captain Elrod led

  the defending Wildcats in a dive through

  the formation from rear to front. By the

  time he pulled out, two bombers were

  headed for the ocean below, wings wra-

  pped in fire.

  On December 11, the Japanese invasion

  force, composed of the light cruisers Yu-

  bari, Tenryū, and Tatsuta; destroyers Yayoi,

  Mutsuki, Kisaragi, Hayate, Oite, and Asa-

  nagi, and two older destroyers converted

  Wrecked F4F-3 Wildcats of VMF-211 photo-

  graphed after the fall of Wake Island, Decem-

  ber 23, 1941.

  to patrol boats - No. 32 and No. 33 - each

  carrying 225 Special Naval Landing For-

  ce (SNLF) troops, arrived off Wake before

  dawn. At 0500 hours, the cruisers opened

  fire. With shells exploding around them,

  the four Wildcats sped down the runway

  and lifted into the air. Kinney, Hamilton

  and Hesson had devised bomb racks and

  each carried two 100-pound high explosi-

  ve bombs.

  Yubari had fired one broadside when

  Battery A on Wake replied with four sal-

  voes. The third and fourth salvoes finally

  found their target when two 5-inch shells

  hit the cruiser at a range of 6,000 yards.

  Yubari belched smoke and steam and

  slowed as she disappeared over the ho-

  rizon.

  Tenryu, Tatsuta, three destroyers, whi-

  le the two destroyer-transports closed

  on Wilkes, where Battery L’s three guns

  took them on. At 0650 hours, the Marines’

  third salvo caught the destroyer Hayate

  amidships. She exploded and broke in

  two - the first Imperial Navy ship sunk by

  U.S. forces in the Pacific War. Destroyer

  Oite turned away and made smoke to hide

  from the sharpshooting artillerymen, but

  was hit before the smoke hid her. Battery

  L then hit one of the destroyer-transports,

  which turned away and made smoke.

  At a range of 9,000 yards, Tatsuta took

  a hit from Battery L that forced her to

  withdraw. On Peale, Battery B engaged

  three destroyers. The Marines scored hits

  on Yayoi, which turned away followed by

  the other two.

  After 45 minutes, the Japanese were

  retreating. Major Putnam and Captains

  Elrod, Freuler and Tharin strafed and

  bombed the ships relentlessly. One of

  Freuler’s bombs hit the transport Kongo

  Maru, while destroyer-transport Patrol

  Boat 33 was also hit. With their ammu-

  nition expended and the enemy in retre-

  at, the Wildcats landed. Two were quickly

  refueled and rearmed. Kinney took off in

  one and caught Kisaragi 20 miles offsho-

  re. His aim was perfect and the destroyer

  blew up at 0815 hours. Marine casualties

  were Freuler’s Wildcat, which took hits in

  the engine with damage to the oil cooler

  and one cylinder, and Elrod’s Wildcat that

  took a hit from shipboard AA that severed

  his fuel line. He crashed short of the run-

  way, wrecking his plane. The defenders

  were down to two Wildcats.

  Word of the successful defense of Wake

  electrified American newspapers. The

  Washington Post compared the Marines

  to the defenders of the Alamo. Sending a

  wave of pride through the country was the

  news the defenders had radioed “Send

  more Japs!” In fact, those words were

  padding to the real message that reported

  half their equipment had been destroyed

  and morale among the civilians was low.

  Japanese bombers arrived four hours

  after the invasion force withdrew. David-

  son and Kinney were airborne in the two

  surviving Wildcats when the 30 G3Ms

  were sighted. Da-

  vidson shot down

  two while Kinney

  downed a third; the

  AA batteries on

  Wake shot down

  a fourth and sent

  three heading south

  trailing smoke. Ne-

  vertheless, the

  bombers dropped

  more bombs on the

  defenses.

  On December 11,

  two H6K Type 97

  “Mavis” four-engine

  flying boats arrived

  over Wake at dawn.

  Flying solo mor-

  ning patrol, Captain

  Tharin downed one

  while the other

  bombed the runway

  without effect. That

  morning, Kinney’s

  trio managed to

  patch together ano-

  ther Wildcat from

  parts taken from

  the other wrecks.

  There were now

  three defenders.

  Everyone was ama-

  zed on December

  13 when the enemy

  failed to put in an appearance. However,

  one of the three Wildcats suffered a flat

  tire on takeoff and went off the runway,

  reducing the defense to two. The next

  morning, 30 G3Ms attacked. Their bombs

  killed two VMF-211 Marines and wounded

  a third, while also getting a direct hit on

  one of the Wildcats. Kinney, Hamilton and

  Hesson rebuilt the engine from that Wild-

  cat over the next two days, to return the

  force to two fighters.

  At Pearl Harbor, USS Saratoga’s task for-

  ce arrived from San Diego the evening of

  December 13, carrying VMF-221‘s F2A-3s.

  By December 15, the seaplane tender Tan-

  gier took aboard the 4th Marine Defense

  Battalion, with 9,000 5-inch rounds, 12,000

  3-inch rounds, and 3,000,000 .50-caliber

  rounds, as well as ammunition for mor-

  tars and other small arms. Two radar sets

  and their operators also came aboard.

  Admiral Fletcheer’s Lexington Task For-

  ce 11 departed Pearl on December 14 to

  make a diversionary raid on the Japanese

  base at Jaluit in the Marshalls and provi-

  de cover to the Wake Island relief mission.

  Saratoga’s Task Force 14 headed for Wake

  on December 15. Within a day, they were

  battling heavy seas in a midwinter Paci-

  fic storm, speed reduced so the old oiler

  Neches could keep up and provide fuel for

  the destroyers.

  On December 17, Kinney and his crew

  finished work on two more Wildcats.

  On December 19, 27 bombers arrived at

  1050 hours. When they departed 20 minu-

  tes later, they left only four of the 3-inch AA

  guns operational. Two Wildcats got airbor-

  ne in time to remain safe and the bombers

  missed the two newly returned from the

  graveyard. On December 20, a PBY Catali-

  na from Pearl landed in the lagoon at 1530

  hours, bringing word of the relief convoy

  that was expected to arrive in 72 hours.

  It took off at 0700 hours the next morning

  headed back to Hawaii. Ninety minutes la-

  ter, 29 D3A dive bombers, escorted by 18

  A6M2 Zero fighters, bombed and strafed

  all three islands, destroying the two

  newly-repaired Wildcats. Three hours la-

  ter, 33 G3Ms destroyed all defending AA

  but one 3-inch gun of Battery D.

  The reported attack by carrier-based

  bombers confirmed Navy communicati-

  ons intelligence that the carriers Sōryū

  and Hiryū had been detached from the

  Mobile Fleet to support a second landing

  attempt. Vice Admiral William S. Pye, ac-

  ting commander of the Pacific Fleet, can-

  celed the Jaluit attack and ordered Task

  Force 11 to cover Task Force 14 as it ne-

  ared Wake. There was concern a carrier

  battle could break out at any time. The

  next day, both task forces experienced

  difficulty refueling their destroyers in the

  heavy seas, slowing progress even more;

  Saratoga was forced to refuel her escorts

  that were unable to hook up with Neches.

  Task Force 14 still planned to arrive at

  Wake on December 23.

  Captain Freuler and Lieutenant Davidson

  were on patrol the morning of December

  Captain Henry T. “Hammerin’ Henry” Elrod was the most successful

  pilot of VMF-211 in opposing Japanese attacks on Wake Island.

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard

  9

  August 2022

• Page 10

  of Wake without air cover, or that the

  Japanese fleet that arrived at dusk was

  disposed around the atoll with no secu-

  rity measures against surface attack. The

  outcome could have been different.

  On Wake, the night of December 22-23

  was stormy, with rain squalls and high

  seas. The Marines were alerted to the

  presence of the enemy at 0200 hours on

  December 23 when Tenryū, and Tatsuta,

  which had missed the atoll in the stormy

  darkness, opened fire. At 0245 hours, Pa-

  trol Boats 32 and 33 ran through the reef

  and grounded on Wake. Marine machine

  guns opened up when flares fired from

  Peale illuminated the enemy. Lt Robert

  Hanna fired the last gun of Battery D, hit-

  ting Patrol Boat 33 14 times and breaking

  its back while killing seven and wounding

  25. He then took Patrol Boat 32 under fire,

  lit by the explosion of Patrol Boat 33, but

  the 1,000 men of the Maizuru 2nd SN LF

  were already ashore. The VMF-211 survi-

  vors, led by Major Putnam and Captain

  Elrod, defended Battery D, which fell after

  20 minutes of hard fighting, during which

  62 Japanese were killed as well as 14 of

  the 20 defending fliers. “Hammerin’ Henry”

  Elrod was killed by a SNLF trooper hiding

  beneath a pile of casualties as he rose to

  throw a grenade at the advancing enemy.

  Dive bombers from the carriers and gun-

  fire from the cruisers provided support to

  the invaders, who took 125 casualties be-

  fore Commander Cunningham, seeing the

  American situation was hopeless, orde-

  red Major Devereaux to surrender at 0700

  hours. Fighting continued throughout the

  morning on Wilkes and Peale, where the

  gunners of Battery L made a final stand.

  Major Devereaux reached Wilkes at 1330

  hours to find 25 Marines alive. They had

  killed all four Japanese officers and their

  90 troops who had landed that morning.

  The Marines lost 49 killed, two missing,

  and 49 wounded during the 16-day siege

  of Wake. Three Navy personnel and at

  least 70 US civilians were killed, including

  the 10 Chamorro employees left behind by

  Pan American, with 12 civilians wounded;

  433 Americans became Prisoners of War.

  22 when they spotted a large formation of

  33 B5N Type 97 level bombers escorted

  by six Zeros, from Sōryū and Hiryū. Freu-

  ler shot down one B5N, then a second in

  a fight so close that fragments from the

  exploded bomber damaged his controls.

  As he headed toward Wake a Zero clo-

  sed on his tail and he saw Davidson for

  the last time, chasing a Zero with a se-

  cond on his tail . A second Zero closed

  on Freuler and opened fire. Shot through

  the shoulder, he managed to crash land

  on the runway. Davidson was never seen

  again. Petty Officer 3/c Isao Tahara was

  credited with shooting down both Wild-

  cats. The bomb aimer of the second B5N

  Freuler shot down was Petty Officer 1/c

  Noburo Kanai, who had dropped the bomb

  that blew up USS Arizona (BB-39) at Pe-

  arl Harbor.

  Wake was now without air defense. The

  20 survivors of VMF-211 were issued ri-

  fles and ammunition. They were now “mud

  Marines.”

  At Pearl Harbor, the report of the raid

  by carrier-based aircraft confirmed the

  presence of Japanese carriers; a carri-

  er battle was now considered imminent.

  Admiral Pye could not risk two-thirds of

  his carriers and a majority of the Pacific

  Fleet’s remaining capital ships.

  Saratoga was 427 miles from Wake at

  0800 hours on December 22, when orders

  were received to return. Fletcher’s staff

  officers called for him to ignore the orde-

  rs; he went below so he would not officia-

  lly hear such “mutinous talk.” Pilots in re-

  ady rooms aboard Saratoga broke down

  in tears and the Marine pilots begged to

  be launched to fly in to Wake. Aboard Tan-

  gier, senior officers intervened to prevent

  the Marines from taking over the ship and

  sailing it to Wake in spite of orders. Ad-

  miral Halsey, who was aboard Enterprise,

  providing cover from the northeast with

  Task Force 8, later wrote he could not

  understand why the plan to send Tangier

  into Wake with the reinforcements was

  not carried out. No one knew that at the

  time the order was received, four Japa-

  nese heavy cruisers were patrolling east

  Japanese losses were 140 SNLF troops

  and four sailors aboard ships. Three Ja-

  panese destroyers were sunk by artillery

  and aerial bombing along with both inva-

  sion vessels; 28 Japanese aircraft were

  shot down or damaged.

  The next day, Christmas Eve of 1941, Sa-

  ratoga was 180 miles south of Midway

  Island. Captain Marion Carl and the other

  pilots of VMF-221 were launched to fly to

  the atoll, where they provided air defense

  for the next American Pacific possession

  in the line of fire after Wake.

  Enterprise Takes the Offensive

  On New Year’s Day 1942, Admiral Ches-

  ter Nimitz became Commander in Chief,

  Pacific Fleet. CNO Admiral King’s first or-

  der to Nimitz was to protect US shipping

  between the United States and Austra-

  lia, as far south as Samoa. At their first

  meeting on January 2, Nimitz‘s staff re-

  commended strikes against the Japane-

  se air bases in the Gilberts and Marshall

  Islands to delay attacks against Samoa.

  A convoy carrying 5,000 Marines to garri-

  son Samoa was forming, which would be

  covered by Admiral Fletcher’s Task For-

  ce 17 with the newly-arrived USS York-

  town. Admiral Halsey returned to Pearl

  Harbor aboard Enterprise on January 7

  and immediately volunteered to lead the

  operation. On January 9, Nimitz ordered

  Halsey to support Task Force 17; the two

  carriers would strike the Gilberts and

  Marshalls while Admiral Wilson Brown

  aboard Lexington with Task Force 11 wou-

  ld strike Wake as a diversion. Saratoga’s

  Task Force 14 would guard Hawaii.

  The plan changed drastically at noon on

  January 10 when Saratoga, 480 miles

  southwest of Oahu, was torpedoed by the

  submarine I-6. Three boiler rooms were

  flooded, six crewmen were killed, and her

  speed was reduced to 16 knots. Listing to

  port, Saratoga limped toward Pearl Har-

  bor. The overall plan of attack now chan-

  ged, with Lexington remaining off Hawaii.

  Task Force 8 arrived at Samoa on Janua-

  ry 18 and took up a defensive station to

  the north. The convoy arrived on Janua-

  ry 23. On January 25, the Enterprise and

  Yorktown task forces set course to the

  northwest. Yorktown would strike Makin

  in the Gilberts, and Jaluit and Mili atolls in

  the southern Marshalls. Enterprise would

  hit Wotje and Taroa in Maloelap Atoll in

  the northern Marshalls.

  At dusk on January 29, the task forces

  parted company to conduct their strikes;

  at dawn they crossed the International

  Date Line into January 31. While Enterpri-

  se steamed on to her combat debut, the

  men of Air Group Six worked feverishly to

  install boiler plate armor in their aircraft.

  USS Enterprise (CV-6) underway in summer

  of 1942. Note TBF-1 Avengers of VT-10 on the

  flight deck.

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard10

  August 2022

• Page 11

  of Wake without air cover, or that the

  Japanese fleet that arrived at dusk was

  disposed around the atoll with no secu-

  rity measures against surface attack. The

  outcome could have been different.

  On Wake, the night of December 22-23

  was stormy, with rain squalls and high

  seas. The Marines were alerted to the

  presence of the enemy at 0200 hours on

  December 23 when Tenryū, and Tatsuta,

  which had missed the atoll in the stormy

  darkness, opened fire. At 0245 hours, Pa-

  trol Boats 32 and 33 ran through the reef

  and grounded on Wake. Marine machine

  guns opened up when flares fired from

  Peale illuminated the enemy. Lt Robert

  Hanna fired the last gun of Battery D, hit-

  ting Patrol Boat 33 14 times and breaking

  its back while killing seven and wounding

  25. He then took Patrol Boat 32 under fire,

  lit by the explosion of Patrol Boat 33, but

  the 1,000 men of the Maizuru 2nd SN LF

  were already ashore. The VMF-211 survi-

  vors, led by Major Putnam and Captain

  Elrod, defended Battery D, which fell after

  20 minutes of hard fighting, during which

  62 Japanese were killed as well as 14 of

  the 20 defending fliers. “Hammerin’ Henry”

  Elrod was killed by a SNLF trooper hiding

  beneath a pile of casualties as he rose to

  throw a grenade at the advancing enemy.

  Dive bombers from the carriers and gun-

  fire from the cruisers provided support to

  the invaders, who took 125 casualties be-

  fore Commander Cunningham, seeing the

  American situation was hopeless, orde-

  red Major Devereaux to surrender at 0700

  hours. Fighting continued throughout the

  morning on Wilkes and Peale, where the

  gunners of Battery L made a final stand.

  Major Devereaux reached Wilkes at 1330

  hours to find 25 Marines alive. They had

  killed all four Japanese officers and their

  90 troops who had landed that morning.

  The Marines lost 49 killed, two missing,

  and 49 wounded during the 16-day siege

  of Wake. Three Navy personnel and at

  least 70 US civilians were killed, including

  the 10 Chamorro employees left behind by

  Pan American, with 12 civilians wounded;

  433 Americans became Prisoners of War.

  22 when they spotted a large formation of

  33 B5N Type 97 level bombers escorted

  by six Zeros, from Sōryū and Hiryū. Freu-

  ler shot down one B5N, then a second in

  a fight so close that fragments from the

  exploded bomber damaged his controls.

  As he headed toward Wake a Zero clo-

  sed on his tail and he saw Davidson for

  the last time, chasing a Zero with a se-

  cond on his tail . A second Zero closed

  on Freuler and opened fire. Shot through

  the shoulder, he managed to crash land

  on the runway. Davidson was never seen

  again. Petty Officer 3/c Isao Tahara was

  credited with shooting down both Wild-

  cats. The bomb aimer of the second B5N

  Freuler shot down was Petty Officer 1/c

  Noburo Kanai, who had dropped the bomb

  that blew up USS Arizona (BB-39) at Pe-

  arl Harbor.

  Wake was now without air defense. The

  20 survivors of VMF-211 were issued ri-

  fles and ammunition. They were now “mud

  Marines.”

  At Pearl Harbor, the report of the raid

  by carrier-based aircraft confirmed the

  presence of Japanese carriers; a carri-

  er battle was now considered imminent.

  Admiral Pye could not risk two-thirds of

  his carriers and a majority of the Pacific

  Fleet’s remaining capital ships.

  Saratoga was 427 miles from Wake at

  0800 hours on December 22, when orders

  were received to return. Fletcher’s staff

  officers called for him to ignore the orde-

  rs; he went below so he would not officia-

  lly hear such “mutinous talk.” Pilots in re-

  ady rooms aboard Saratoga broke down

  in tears and the Marine pilots begged to

  be launched to fly in to Wake. Aboard Tan-

  gier, senior officers intervened to prevent

  the Marines from taking over the ship and

  sailing it to Wake in spite of orders. Ad-

  miral Halsey, who was aboard Enterprise,

  providing cover from the northeast with

  Task Force 8, later wrote he could not

  understand why the plan to send Tangier

  into Wake with the reinforcements was

  not carried out. No one knew that at the

  time the order was received, four Japa-

  nese heavy cruisers were patrolling east

  Japanese losses were 140 SNLF troops

  and four sailors aboard ships. Three Ja-

  panese destroyers were sunk by artillery

  and aerial bombing along with both inva-

  sion vessels; 28 Japanese aircraft were

  shot down or damaged.

  The next day, Christmas Eve of 1941, Sa-

  ratoga was 180 miles south of Midway

  Island. Captain Marion Carl and the other

  pilots of VMF-221 were launched to fly to

  the atoll, where they provided air defense

  for the next American Pacific possession

  in the line of fire after Wake.

  Enterprise Takes the Offensive

  On New Year’s Day 1942, Admiral Ches-

  ter Nimitz became Commander in Chief,

  Pacific Fleet. CNO Admiral King’s first or-

  der to Nimitz was to protect US shipping

  between the United States and Austra-

  lia, as far south as Samoa. At their first

  meeting on January 2, Nimitz‘s staff re-

  commended strikes against the Japane-

  se air bases in the Gilberts and Marshall

  Islands to delay attacks against Samoa.

  A convoy carrying 5,000 Marines to garri-

  son Samoa was forming, which would be

  covered by Admiral Fletcher’s Task For-

  ce 17 with the newly-arrived USS York-

  town. Admiral Halsey returned to Pearl

  Harbor aboard Enterprise on January 7

  and immediately volunteered to lead the

  operation. On January 9, Nimitz ordered

  Halsey to support Task Force 17; the two

  carriers would strike the Gilberts and

  Marshalls while Admiral Wilson Brown

  aboard Lexington with Task Force 11 wou-

  ld strike Wake as a diversion. Saratoga’s

  Task Force 14 would guard Hawaii.

  The plan changed drastically at noon on

  January 10 when Saratoga, 480 miles

  southwest of Oahu, was torpedoed by the

  submarine I-6. Three boiler rooms were

  flooded, six crewmen were killed, and her

  speed was reduced to 16 knots. Listing to

  port, Saratoga limped toward Pearl Har-

  bor. The overall plan of attack now chan-

  ged, with Lexington remaining off Hawaii.

  Task Force 8 arrived at Samoa on Janua-

  ry 18 and took up a defensive station to

  the north. The convoy arrived on Janua-

  ry 23. On January 25, the Enterprise and

  Yorktown task forces set course to the

  northwest. Yorktown would strike Makin

  in the Gilberts, and Jaluit and Mili atolls in

  the southern Marshalls. Enterprise would

  hit Wotje and Taroa in Maloelap Atoll in

  the northern Marshalls.

  At dusk on January 29, the task forces

  parted company to conduct their strikes;

  at dawn they crossed the International

  Date Line into January 31. While Enterpri-

  se steamed on to her combat debut, the

  men of Air Group Six worked feverishly to

  install boiler plate armor in their aircraft.

  USS Enterprise (CV-6) underway in summer

  of 1942. Note TBF-1 Avengers of VT-10 on the

  flight deck.

  At 1830 hours, Enterprise began her run-

  -in to the launching point at 30 knots.

  At 0220 hours, the OOD reported sand

  blowing in his face. Halsey ordered the

  position be checked, since they were

  using old maps of questionable accura-

  cy and there was fear they could run into

  one of the numerous small islands at top

  speed. Moments later, the OOD realized

  the “sand” tasted sweet; the source was

  traced to a watchstander stirring sugar in

  his coffee. At 0300 hours, the ship went to

  General Quarters. Taroa and Wotje were

  less than 40 miles distant. Shortly befo-

  re 0400 hours, the command “Pilots! Man

  your planes!” echoed through the ship.

  At 0430 hours, Enterprise turned into the

  wind. At 0445 hours, six VF-6 F4F-3 Wild-

  cats were launched, followed by 18 VS-6

  SBD-3s and 17 VB-6 SBD-2s followed

  by nine VT-6 TBD Devastators. The 46

  aircraft headed for Kwajalein Atoll, 155

  miles distant.

  Sunrise was still an hour off when 12

  Wildcats were launched to hit Wotje and

  Taroa. Ensign David W. Criswell became

  disoriented in the darkness shortly after

  takeoff; his Wildcat stalled and plunged

  into the sea, taking him with it. The five

  surviving Wildcats, each with a 100-pound

  bomb under each wing, headed for their

  target.

  Those aboard Enterprise could see the

  attack on Wotje carried out by Fighting

  Six CO Wade McCluskey as his six F4F-3s

  made two high-speed bombing runs over

  the sleeping island, hitting the under-con-

  struction airfield, then strafing the island.

  VF-6 Executive Officer Lt James S. Gray’s

  five Wildcats found the most action at Ta-

  roa. Gray and wingman Lt(jg) Wilmer Ra-

  wie mistakenly bombed the unoccupied

  island of Tjan, which Gray misidentified as

  Taroa, at 0700 hours. They found Taroa 15

  miles away, already alert. They had been

  briefed to attack what was thought to be

  a lightly-defended seaplane base. Instead,

  they found a fully-operational air base

  with at least 30-40 G3M bombers on the

  ground. After dropping their bombs on the

  airfield, they turned back to strafe, With

  no incendiary ammunition, they were only

  able to set one airplane on fire.

  Gray’s wingman Rawie recovered from

  his pass and identified two A5M4 “Clau-

  de” fighters a mile ahead. Staying low, he

  crept up on them unawares and crippled

  one with a long bust of fire. The wingman

  turned on him. The enemy pilot didn’t

  turn away and Rawie clipped the “Clau-

  de” with the belly of his Wildcat, knocking

  the less-rugged fighter out of the sky. Six

  more “Claudes” managed to get airborne.

  Rawie’s four guns jammed on his second

  pass, as did Ensign Ralph Rich’s guns.

  Moments later, the guns on two more

  Wildcats jammed and the four pilots tur-

  ned back for the carrier.

  Gray was suddenly alone. Three of his

  guns jammed as he maneuvered to get

  away. He turned and fired at each “Clau-

  de” with his one gun as they streaked past.

  Finally he broke away from the enemy at

  0720 hours. When he landed back aboard

  Enterprise, there were 30 bullet holes in

  his fighter, making him the first of many

  pilots to owe his life to the Grumman Iron

  Works.

  With the strike aircraft back aboard, Hal-

  sey judged he had taken as many chances

  as was prudent and ordered the fleet to

  head north. At 1330, a “bogey” appeared on

  Enterprise’s radar, closing at high speed.

  Air Group 6 used oversize insignia on their F4F-3s and covered the upper wings while the aircraft were on deck to make them less con-

  spicuous to enemy snoopers.

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard

  11

  August 2022

• Page 12

  The CAP identified five G3Ms 15 miles

  out. The four Wildcats tried to attack, but

  jammed guns and cloud cover allowed the

  Nells to escape. Minutes later, they burst

  out of the clouds 3,500 yards off the ca-

  rrier’s bow, approaching in a shallow dive

  at 250 mph. The gunners opened fire but

  inexperience and battle stress allowed

  the enemy to evade the defenses. Captain

  George Murray ordered hard left rudder,

  followed quickly by hard right. Enterpri-

  se responded nimbly and “stepped aside“

  the on-coming bombers. The five bom-

  bers dropped three bombs each. All but

  one fell harmlessly in the sea to port, but

  the last exploded close aboard, severing

  a gas line, starting a small fire and morta-

  lly wounding Boatswain’s Mate 2/c George

  Smith, the first member of Enterprise’s

  ship’s company to die in the war.

  The Nells recovered from their dives 1,500

  feet above the ships and four sped away.

  The Nell flown by flight leader Lieutenant

  Kazuo Nakai turned sharply left and then

  circled back towards the carrier. Every

  gun that could bear opened fire but Nakai

  came on, clearly intending to crash the

  ship. At the last moment, Captain Murray

  ordered a hard right and the Nell failed to

  match the turn. Flashing mere feet above

  the flight deck aft, its right wing clipped

  the tail of a parked VS-6 Dauntless whose

  rear gunner, Aviation Machinist’s Mate 2/c

  Bruno Gaido, was firing at the enemy. The

  Nell’s wing snapped off and drenched the

  island and flight deck with gasoline befo-

  re it fell into a catwalk. Nakai and his crew

  went into the sea and disappeared. Gaido

  jumped out of the Dauntless with a fire

  extinguisher and fought the fire. With the

  flames extinguished, he realized he was

  in trouble for having left his battle station

  to man the Dauntless’s guns, and prompt-

  ly disappeared. Halsey ordered the runa-

  way be found and brought to him. When

  Gaido was presented, Halsey gave him

  a spot promotion to First Class Petty Offi-

  cer, telling him, “By god, sailor, we need

  men like you!”.

  Enterprise and her escorts took up

  a course to the north and increased speed

  to 30 knots. A wag recorded in the log-

  book that they were “Haulin’ ass with Hal-

  sey.”

  An hour after Nakai’s attack, two Wildcats

  on CAP intercepted a snooping H6K “Ma-

  vis” playing cat-and-mouse in the clouds

  before finally shooting it down. At 1600

  hours, two more G3Ms popped out of the

  clouds and made a bombing run. McClus-

  key and the other three pilots sent one

  Nell crashing into the sea in flames while

  the ship’s gunners got the other.

  Sunset at 1835 hours found 14 Wildcats

  still on patrol, with several pilots wea-

  ry as they flew their fifth mission of the

  day. The last Wildcat landed at 1902 hours,

  aided by a full moon that illuminated the

  fleet’s wakes. Halsey was grateful to find

  shelter under a damp cold front. Under

  cover of what would become known as

  „Enterprise weather,“ the carrier turned

  northeast shortly before midnight and the

  task forced headed for Pearl Harbor.

  Task Force 8 returned to Pearl Harbor on

  February 5 to celebration. The daring raid

  was the Navy’s first significant victory of

  the Pacific War and the publicity saw the

  beginning of Halsey’s public reputation

  as “America’s fightin’est Admiral.” Despi-

  te newspaper accounts that called the

  raid “Japan’s Pearl Harbor,” it was soon

  known that damage actually inflicted fell

  far short of initial estimates. One trans-

  port and two smaller vessels were sunk,

  with eight other ships damaged at Kwaja-

  lein, half the number originally reported

  sunk. Nine aircraft were destroyed on the

  ground at Taroa and Roi, with three A5Ms

  shot down at the cost of one Wildcat and

  five SBDs. Though hardly enough to stall

  the Japanese South Seas offensive, Hal-

  sey’s raid served notice that the Navy’s

  striking arm did not lie broken in the mud

  at Pearl Harbor.

  (to be continued...)

  Adapted from Thomas McKelvey Cleaver’s

  best-selling “I Will Run Wild: The Pacific War

  from Pearl Harbor to Midway,” from Osprey Pu-

  blishing.

  Credit all photos: USN Official

  Curtiss SOC-1 Seagull from USS Northamp-

  ton (CA-26) over Wotje Island spotting for the

  escorting cruisers when they shelled the is-

  land during the Kwajalein strike by USS En-

  terprise in February 1942.

  Douglas TBD-1 Devastator over Kwajalein

  during Enterprise strikes, February 1942.

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard12

  August 2022

• Page 13

  The CAP identified five G3Ms 15 miles

  out. The four Wildcats tried to attack, but

  jammed guns and cloud cover allowed the

  Nells to escape. Minutes later, they burst

  out of the clouds 3,500 yards off the ca-

  rrier’s bow, approaching in a shallow dive

  at 250 mph. The gunners opened fire but

  inexperience and battle stress allowed

  the enemy to evade the defenses. Captain

  George Murray ordered hard left rudder,

  followed quickly by hard right. Enterpri-

  se responded nimbly and “stepped aside“

  the on-coming bombers. The five bom-

  bers dropped three bombs each. All but

  one fell harmlessly in the sea to port, but

  the last exploded close aboard, severing

  a gas line, starting a small fire and morta-

  lly wounding Boatswain’s Mate 2/c George

  Smith, the first member of Enterprise’s

  ship’s company to die in the war.

  The Nells recovered from their dives 1,500

  feet above the ships and four sped away.

  The Nell flown by flight leader Lieutenant

  Kazuo Nakai turned sharply left and then

  circled back towards the carrier. Every

  gun that could bear opened fire but Nakai

  came on, clearly intending to crash the

  ship. At the last moment, Captain Murray

  ordered a hard right and the Nell failed to

  match the turn. Flashing mere feet above

  the flight deck aft, its right wing clipped

  the tail of a parked VS-6 Dauntless whose

  rear gunner, Aviation Machinist’s Mate 2/c

  Bruno Gaido, was firing at the enemy. The

  Nell’s wing snapped off and drenched the

  island and flight deck with gasoline befo-

  re it fell into a catwalk. Nakai and his crew

  went into the sea and disappeared. Gaido

  jumped out of the Dauntless with a fire

  extinguisher and fought the fire. With the

  flames extinguished, he realized he was

  in trouble for having left his battle station

  to man the Dauntless’s guns, and prompt-

  ly disappeared. Halsey ordered the runa-

  way be found and brought to him. When

  Gaido was presented, Halsey gave him

  a spot promotion to First Class Petty Offi-

  cer, telling him, “By god, sailor, we need

  men like you!”.

  Enterprise and her escorts took up

  a course to the north and increased speed

  to 30 knots. A wag recorded in the log-

  book that they were “Haulin’ ass with Hal-

  sey.”

  An hour after Nakai’s attack, two Wildcats

  on CAP intercepted a snooping H6K “Ma-

  vis” playing cat-and-mouse in the clouds

  before finally shooting it down. At 1600

  hours, two more G3Ms popped out of the

  clouds and made a bombing run. McClus-

  key and the other three pilots sent one

  Nell crashing into the sea in flames while

  the ship’s gunners got the other.

  Sunset at 1835 hours found 14 Wildcats

  still on patrol, with several pilots wea-

  ry as they flew their fifth mission of the

  day. The last Wildcat landed at 1902 hours,

  aided by a full moon that illuminated the

  fleet’s wakes. Halsey was grateful to find

  shelter under a damp cold front. Under

  cover of what would become known as

  „Enterprise weather,“ the carrier turned

  northeast shortly before midnight and the

  task forced headed for Pearl Harbor.

  Task Force 8 returned to Pearl Harbor on

  February 5 to celebration. The daring raid

  was the Navy’s first significant victory of

  the Pacific War and the publicity saw the

  beginning of Halsey’s public reputation

  as “America’s fightin’est Admiral.” Despi-

  te newspaper accounts that called the

  raid “Japan’s Pearl Harbor,” it was soon

  known that damage actually inflicted fell

  far short of initial estimates. One trans-

  port and two smaller vessels were sunk,

  with eight other ships damaged at Kwaja-

  lein, half the number originally reported

  sunk. Nine aircraft were destroyed on the

  ground at Taroa and Roi, with three A5Ms

  shot down at the cost of one Wildcat and

  five SBDs. Though hardly enough to stall

  the Japanese South Seas offensive, Hal-

  sey’s raid served notice that the Navy’s

  striking arm did not lie broken in the mud

  at Pearl Harbor.

  (to be continued...)

  Adapted from Thomas McKelvey Cleaver’s

  best-selling “I Will Run Wild: The Pacific War

  from Pearl Harbor to Midway,” from Osprey Pu-

  blishing.

  Credit all photos: USN Official

  Curtiss SOC-1 Seagull from USS Northamp-

  ton (CA-26) over Wotje Island spotting for the

  escorting cruisers when they shelled the is-

  land during the Kwajalein strike by USS En-

  terprise in February 1942.

  Douglas TBD-1 Devastator over Kwajalein

  during Enterprise strikes, February 1942.

  INFO Eduard

  13

  August 2022

• Page 14

  BUGS BUNNY

  BUGS BUNNY

  in the South Pacific

  in the South Pacific

  The wartime journey

  of Erwin Werhand

  During the autumn of 1944, Allied forces in the

  South Pacific had gained the upper hand against

  the once formidable Japanese Empire over the

  skies and waves, but their troops were bogged

  down in the bitter “Island Hopping” campaign.

  General Douglas MacArthur now aimed his forces

  towards the Philippines. The losses in men and

  equipment were considerable, necessitating the

  addition of more tactical air power in the continu-

  ed conflict.

  text Rolf Stibbe

  Flying in support of the military cam-

  paign in the Pacific Theatre were also the

  men of the 823rd Bomb Squadron of 38th

  Bomb Group. When they entered combat in

  October as part of Lt. General G. C. Kenney-

  ’s Fifth Air Force, the group called them-

  selves “The Sun Setters,” determined to put

  out the light of Imperial Japan’s rising sun.

  Amongst the rank and file of the 823rd BS

  stood 2nd Lt. Erwin Werhand. The farm boy

  from Medford, Wisconsin, never dreamed

  of the scenes which he was to face du-

  ring the Pacific War. Drafted into the US

  Army in July of 1941 and assigned to a me-

  dical unit supporting an infantry division,

  Erwin’s passion for flying was stirred by

  a training incident at Camp Lee, Virginia.

  He recalled it: “When we were hiking along

  on maneuvers one day, they came at us with

  a Lockheed Hudson bomber, and dropped

  sacks of flour on our heads to show us that

  we were not camouflaged properly. I’d ra-

  ther be dropping the flour than catching it!”

  In the wake of the Japanese attack on Pearl

  Harbor, the pilot requirements were rela-

  xed to allow non-college

  educated men to attain

  their wings. Werhand

  took immediate advan-

  tage of the change in policy by passing his

  physical and written exam to begin ground

  training in Orangeburg, South Carolina.

  He successfully completed his primary

  training in the PT-17 Stearman and progre-

  ssed through the AT-6 Texan at Marianna,

  Florida to earn his coveted pilot’s wings.

  After completing another training stint in

  the cockpit of Bell P-39 Airacobra and bai-

  ling out over San Francisco Bay when his

  plane suffered engine trouble, he transitio-

  ned to the North American B-25 Mitchell at

  Greenville, South Carolina and remarked:

  “I Liked the B-25 and was glad to get out of

  the fighter type aircraft. It had enough po-

  wer to do what you wanted and was quite

  maneuverable. I could really fly the thing.

  Sometimes I would come in on the appro-

  ach, cut the throttles and swoop over our

  airfield like a fighter.”

  After his assignment to the 823rd Bomb

  Squadron in Savannah, Georgia he

  flew with other crews westward

  to California to test their fuel con-

  sumption. Upon landing, the bombers

  were modified to accept the installation of

  an additional fuel tank in the radio com-

  partment. The aircrews were then briefed

  about their forthcoming “epic” flight deep

  into the heart of the South Pacific with end

  destination at New Guinea.

  Long trip

  The first leg of the journey took them from

  California to Hawaii. While the aircraft

  were serviced at Hickam Field, several of

  the airmen ventured to Pear Harbor and

  viewed the charred hulk of the battleship

  Arizona and overturned Oklahoma. “When

  you thought of all the men still down in

  there, in those ships, it was just horrible.

  It filled you with revenge. Let’s get this war

  over with!”

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard14

  August 2022

• Page 15

  BUGS BUNNY

  BUGS BUNNY

  Mitchells then set out for the seemingly en-

  dless journey passing through Christmas,

  Canton and Fiji Islands to Townsville, Aus-

  tralia, where the aircraft received further

  combat modifications. While in Australia,

  Lt. Werhand and his comrades managed

  to get some rest and explore their new su-

  rroundings. “When I went on R&R to Syd-

  ney, it was so much like America. We had

  flown a stripped-down currier B-25 na-

  med ‘Fat Cat’ used for crew rotations. The

  Australians were so thankful that we were

  in their country. I was in Sydney for about

  three weeks. The beer was good, and you

  could get liquor quite easily. We’d bring it

  back with us. The food was great with the

  steak and eggs they offered us. We even

  had Christmas dinner with several women.

  It was so much like life back in the States.”

  The last segment of the trip consisted of

  being sent, minus their aircraft, to Port

  Moresby, New Guinea and onward to the is-

  land of Biak. In October 1944 the war in the

  Pacific reached its crescendo as Admiral

  Bill Halsey sent one of his carrier groups

  to bomb the Japanese airbases on For-

  mosa and Okinawa as preparations were

  made to land US troops in Leyte Gulf in the

  Philippines. Werhand’s group reached Biak

  to begin their air operations and the “Sun

  Setters” were reunited with their Mitchells.

  As General Douglas MacArthur set foot on

  the island of Luzon during his triumphant

  return to the Philippines, Erwin and his fe-

  llow pilots continued to adjust to their new

  surroundings.

  “Our airfield was made up of tents and the

  living conditions were not good at all. The

  food we were served was all dehydrated

  and tasted bad. Many times, we’d leave the

  mess hall and just crack open a coconut.

  Things got so bad that we grabbed our

  Colts 45 and went hunting for Wallabies.

  We took Atabrin, these yellow-colored pills

  to fight off malaria since we didn’t have any

  Quinine. You could tell who were taking

  it since they got yellow eyeballs. There

  really wasn’t much recreation apart from

  a few people playing baseball. Music was

  played over the loudspeakers from Armed

  Forces Radio. We got mail pretty often, ho-

  wever it was always late.

  The new pilots that arrived on Biak were

  assigned to combat pilots for initial com-

  bat orientation. I flew as copilot on a few

  missions, even playing the role of bombar-

  dier. Each squadron had about 14 aircraft

  and a group would consist of about 45 to 50

  bombers. One squadron would stand down

  for maintenance unless it was a maximum

  effort.

  Eye for an Eye

  Our briefings would normally start around

  dusk however times could change based

  on new information received from Fifth Air

  Force intelligence. All of the aircrews that

  were going to fly out were assembled. The

  Lieutenant Colonel would give us the target

  briefing, and then came the weather and

  intelligence men. Intel would tell us where

  to find the enemy guns and what types they

  were.

  We’d usually get up the next morning at

  five o’clock after someone yelled out ‘The

  Red Coats are coming!’ After breakfast we

  would go out and meet the aircraft crew

  chief and go over the maintenance paper-

  work. Our fuel tanks were then topped off

  and all other fluids checked. The rest of my

  crew was then told what the target of the

  day was, and we all sat and sweated it out

  before takeoff.

  I always packed my .45 pistol and

  toothbrush for each mission. We were fly-

  ing over enemy territory so often, that we

  feared of being shot down. That scared the

  men the most, but I handled it pretty well.

  The last thing I wanted to do was to go down

  and be captured. We knew what the Japa-

  nese were doing to Allied prisoners and

  heard about the decapitations. ‘Tokyo Rose’

  also gave us the latest propaganda over the

  radio, and the bounties on all of our heads

  for 10,000 dollars each. Luckily, most of my

  flying time with B-25 was over water and

  I never had any apprehension about captu-

  re, I felt quite safe in my aircraft.”

  The Fifth Air Force’s Mitchells continued

  to provide tactical air support in the Allied

  drive to clear the Philippine islands of Ja-

  panese resistance. The 823rd BS was then

  deployed to the island of Morotai in the

  Dutch East Indies, closer to the action and

  within the range of enemy fighters. “Eye for

  an Eye” became the golden rule between

  skirmishes Werhand’s group and the Japa-

  nese had during the night.

  “During our assignment on Morotai, we

  got bombed by one or two Japanese air-

  craft every night. The Jap’s wanted us to

  keep awake. So, then we went over their

  airfields and dropped a couple of bombs

  on them every 15 to 20 minutes. It was my

  turn one night to return the favor, and sure

  enough I got lost! Our airstrip did not have

  a radio beam to home in on. Later the ra-

  dio at the base came up and I found my way

  home. Just as I touched down on the field,

  a Jap plane appeared and dropped a string

  of bombs across the center of the runway.

  I burned the tires and rims right of my B-25

  and stopped right in the nick of time. We

  heard that some of our aircraft suffered li-

  ght damage. Luckily this was the only time

  I had to face enemy aircraft. Our low-level

  flying protected us from interception.”

  The movie name

  The rugged bombers pressed home their

  attacks on Japanese shipping and enemy

  occupied territory. Werhand and his new

  faithful mount, affectionately named, “Bugs

  Bunny” soldiered onward into the winter of

  1944. The development of effective tactics

  ensured the 823rd BS continued success

  and above all, survival during the Philippi-

  ne Campaign. Werhand described his da-

  ring raids on enemy troop concentrations

  Not very good quality photograph of Erwin Werhand in

  front of Buggs Bunny, the Mitchell with which he spent

  a signicant part of his combat career in the Pacic.

  There were many times when we hit the enemy troops,

  that were out in the open and running for their lives.

  We strafed and killed a lot of them. You could see their

  bodies literally ‘evaporate’ after being hit with the .50

  caliber slugs.

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard

  15

  August 2022

• Page 16

  and “Tokyo Express” merchant convoys.

  “We’d try and hit the enemy from land to sea

  direction during our attacks on ground tar-

  gets. If I got hit, I could fly out to sea and be

  rescued by our submarines or Catalina fly-

  ing boats off the coast. Our group would fly

  behind the target at about 3,000 feet, make

  our turn and gain speed on the decent. Most

  of the time we’d ‘firewall’ it and cross the

  target at speed of over 300 mph. Our pro-

  blem was the ground fire since we flew at

  low altitudes. We had a camera mounted in

  the tail of our bomber and it automatically

  took photos when actuated by the opening

  of the bomb bay doors. We’d carry regular

  bombs, napalm, para-fragmentation and

  even 5-inch rockets under our wings. The

  rockets were not very accurate, but when

  going against ships, you’d probably score

  a good hit.

  The B-25’s we flew were the J models.

  Later they had to pull the side nose moun-

  ted guns outside my window, because the

  recoil was pulling out the rivets on the na-

  celles! My B-25 was ‘Bugs Bunny’ since he

  was in the cinema at the time. It was a very

  forgiving plane, that didn’t have a tendency

  to stall. I flew the ‘Bugs Bunny’ for several

  months, and then I was rotated to other air-

  craft. It would be very unusual for a crew to

  stay with one bomber the whole time. We

  didn’t get replacement airplanes quickly,

  and the ones we got had repair patches all

  over them. It seemed like the war in Europe

  had top priority over us.”

  Lingayen

  With MacArthur’s ground forces making

  successful penetrations on the island of

  Luzon in their drive to capture Manila, U.S.

  carrier and Fifth Air Force aircraft ba-

  ttered the Japanese held Clark Air Force

  Base. In desperation, the Japanese air for-

  ce stepped up the pace of their kamikaze

  attacks on the US Fleet with encouraging

  results. However, their losses in men and

  aircraft made them less of a threat over

  the islands. The 823rd BS continued its

  daily raids, unmolested by enemy fighter

  aircraft in February and March. Erwin’s

  group was then based at Lingayen, after

  the island of Luzon fell to American forces.

  The “Bugs Bunny” and rest of the Mitchell’s

  pressed home their attacks against Japa-

  nese ground forces, getting riddled with

  anti-aircraft fire.

  “On the Philippines we’d hit enemy convoys

  of trucks loaded with troops. I would say

  that we flew lower than 25 feet to strafe

  them. Luckily the Jap’s didn’t have many

  guns emplacements

  there. However, I did get pretty shot up

  over Manila one afternoon after dropping

  a load on a target. We were flying over

  what I thought was friendly territory, and

  I saw the infantrymen moving about on

  the ground below. All of a sudden, I got hit

  with a big 40mm shell, right between my

  left engine and the fuselage. Boy did I get

  out of that area in a hurry. Enough with the

  sightseeing!

  “One time I took ‘Bugs Bunny’ on a weather

  reconnaissance mission over Formosa.

  We left Lingayen early in the morning and

  flew out into the South China Sea. I then

  spotted a coral reef with a bunch of small

  boats lined up around it. There must have

  been at least 150 civilians standing on that

  reef. Off course it was open hunting sea-

  son on everything (human targets). So,

  I flew overhead and fired a short burst with

  my guns to show them what I had. Then

  I circled and waved to them from my coc-

  kpit window. I wasn’t really sure who they

  were, for all I know they could be ferrying

  supplies to the Japanese. ‘Bugs’ had enou-

  gh firepower to kill every person standing

  down there. However, I could not have lived

  with myself, and have been very thankful

  that I didn’t pull the trigger… Because then

  I wouldn’t have been much of a person.”

  There were many times when we hit the

  enemy troops, that were out in the open

  and running for their lives. We strafed and

  killed a lot of them. You could see their bo-

  dies literally ‘evaporate’ after being hit with

  the .50 caliber slugs.”

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard16

  August 2022

• Page 17

  Losses avoidable and

  unavoidable

  During the remainder of the Philippi-

  ne Campaign, Erwin’s B-25s began their

  air attacks against Japanese shipping,

  attempting to resupply their contingent of

  forces now trapped on Borneo. This island

  also provided Japanese with 40 percent

  of her fuel and oil supplies, and if it falls,

  would severely damage the Empire of

  Japan’s war effort. General MacArthur

  had believed that the island could provide

  a good Pacific base for the Royal Navy and

  new Allied airfields, contrary to the opini-

  ons of his Allied commanders who advised

  caution.

  With the absence in enemy air traffic, the

  American’s accidentally provided air action

  of their own over the island of Luzon. The

  consequences were to prove fatal in two

  instances.

  “One night a B-24 Liberator came flying

  over our base and every gun on Luzon and

  even the warships offshore were shoo-

  ting at this poor guy. This was just terrify-

  ing to watch as they just kept shooting at

  the Liberator. I would have hated to have

  been part of that crew! On another day

  I saw two Lockheed P-38 Lightnings come

  down as well. The two planes came screa-

  ming downward, like during dive bombing

  practice and both pilots flew right into the

  ground about a mile away from us. Maybe

  the speed of their dive froze their contro-

  ls, or they were playing a game of ‘chicken’

  who knows ...”

  The shipping lanes north of Borneo provi-

  ded a fertile hunting ground for the intre-

  pid “Sun Setters” over the next month. The

  B-25s flew daily in their quest to send the

  Japanese resupply effort to the bottom of

  the Pacific. Newly promoted First Lieute-

  nant Werhand vividly recollected one of

  the most memorable missions he’d flown

  during World War Two, while flying off the

  coast of mainland China to knock off trans-

  port ships at their source. Everything star-

  ted off perfectly until reaching the target

  area.

  “We left on a routine mission looking for

  shipping off the coast of China. The Japa-

  nese were shipping out from Borneo, and

  we had to find the ships without intelligen-

  ce reports. We found three ships that day,

  with two destroyer escorts and one trans-

  port among them. I led this flight with six

  B-25s and assigned two aircraft to each

  target. We were at about 3,000 feet and

  circled the ships out of the range of their

  AA guns.

  Shipping was the worst target of all since

  there wasn’t anything to hide behind! The

  enemy gunners can refine their lead on you

  when you make your approach. On ground

  attacks we’d be so low enough to hide be-

  hind trees or something else.

  We went in! My target was the destroy-

  er escort, which had been hit with the .50

  caliber guns in my nose. The flight leader

  who was supposed to go in and hit the

  transport goofed up and went for my ship

  instead. The transport was well armed, and

  we were in a sudden crossfire. This B-25

  got hit in the engine since he was flying too

  high. I got hit on the left side, and I could

  feel it. Fortunately, I didn’t lose flight con-

  trol but quickly corrected with my rudder

  and re-trimmed the plane. We were alright.

  But the other guy, who flew in error, headed

  inland. We had alternate airfields in China

  that were believed to be in ‘friendly territo-

  ry’ but we were never quite sure. The Jap’s

  probably had overrun some of them. We

  could not talk with the crippled bomber or

  stick around to see where he was going to

  land, because of the fuel situation. We ne-

  ver spoke amongst ourselves while in for-

  mation, because we did not want the Jap’s

  to hear us. Our uniform did have the ‘Blood

  Chits’ on them, to reward our captors with

  money for our safe return. But we never

  heard from that other flight crew again. The

  next day we found the remaining transport

  ship, I guess we sent the other two to the

  bottom.

  A way to victory

  While stationed on Lingayen, our pilot was

  treated to the friendliness and above all

  resourcefulness of their Philippine hosts.

  “During our stay on the Philippines, we paid

  some guys about 75 USD for a 20 × 20 foot

  beach house on stilts right on the beach.

  We laid the floor down after we got some

  wood from the Navy. The Filipinos were

  thankful for us being there. We had a hou-

  seboy who would even steal chickens for

  us. We’d trade them out t-shirts for eggs

  once in awhile to get something really good

  My B-25 was ‘Bugs Bunny’ since he was in the cine-

  ma at the time. Later they had to pull the side nose

  mounted guns outside my window, because the re

  -

  coil was pulling out the rivets on the nacelles!

  "The Sun Setters" on their way to the target

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard

  17

  August 2022

• Page 18

  HISTORY

  to eat. When we shipped out, the boy took

  our stove and cooking utensils, after all we

  owed it him for all that he did for us.”

  With the onset of April 1945, American for-

  ces undertook Operation Iceberg, the am-

  phibious assault on the island of Okinawa

  in the Ryukyu Archipelago. The Japanese

  continued to sacrifice their remaining pi-

  lots against the vast Allied forces in sui-

  cidal fashion. The Americans were feeling

  the bite of the Kamikaze’s “Divine Wind”

  first-hand, reminiscent of the typhoon

  which destroyed Kublai Khan’s attack fleet

  off the coast of Japan in 1281.

  The forward airfields on Formosa that

  provided this aerial menace over Okina-

  wa topped General Kenny’s Fifth Air Force

  target list accompanied by the vital alcohol

  production facilities and railway terminals.

  Erwin’s group were called into action to

  support the campaign, in an operation that

  Lt. Werhand earned the Purple Heart after

  his cockpit was riddled by Japanese AA

  fire.

  “Over Formosa our group was to attack

  the alcohol plants and airfields. The plants

  were top priority since the Jap’s had so

  many of them. To get these targets, we’d

  come in low below the smokestacks, pop

  up over the stack, release the loads and

  then get quickly back down on the deck

  again. You could see the tracer bullets

  coming up at you from the ground below.

  On this island we saw some enemy aircraft

  parked on their airfields, however they

  were already burned out and lying on the

  ground. We did hit some of the remaining

  planes in their revetments from time to

  time. We were flying so low on these mi-

  ssions that we’d discover rice in our bomb

  bay doors! One guy even came home with a

  chicken stuffed in one of his engine nacel-

  les! We were scared, and of course we flew

  very low just to survive.

  I believe that we were after an airfield when

  I got hit right in the face and in the arms

  with broken glass from the wind screen.

  I don’t know if the copilot had grabbed the

  controls from me, to help steer the B-25

  for that spilt second. We were so close to

  the ground that it could have been fatal. Our

  plane skidded and hit a bamboo tree that

  came between the engine and our cockpit

  fuselage.”

  In the wake of the atomic bomb raids on

  Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Japa-

  nese surrender to end the Second World

  War, Captain Werhand ventured over the

  mainland Japan in his aircraft to survey the

  destruction of these two cities, that made

  headlines around the world. It provided an

  indelible sight, similar in intensity to his

  previous visit to Pearl Harbor.

  “I flew over Nagasaki and Hiroshima after

  both bombs had been dropped. It was un-

  believable to see it. Our B-25s were dro-

  pping bombs of the size of firecrackers!

  I flew over each city and could not believe

  that one bomb had done all of that!”

  In the nuclear alert

  After the war, Werhand was assigned as an

  air operations officer on Okinawa. He was

  the right man for the job, after all he’d flown

  47 successful missions without being shot

  down. During the escalation and onset of

  the Korean War in the Fifties, Erwin flew

  the C-54 transport aircraft to evacuate the

  casualties. The most interesting job he had

  while being a member of the United States

  Air Force were flights northward to the

  Ice Cap in Greenland in the durable C-47

  Skytrain. He provided humanitarian aid to

  mountain climbers, dig teams and Eskimo

  villagers.

  With the dawn of the jet age, Major Erwin

  Werhand cross trained into Strategic Air

  Command’s Boeing B-47 Stratojet, tasked

  to deliver an 18-Megaton bomb in the event

  of Soviet aggression. He remained on alert

  status at Whiteman AFB, Missouri, until his

  retirement in 1961 in the rank of Colonel. He

  had relocated to Charlotte, North Caroli-

  na with his adoring wife and served as an

  active member of the local ‘Carolinas Avia-

  tion Historical Commission’ an organizati-

  on which still fosters the history and tradi-

  tions of military aviation, focused on those

  who laid down their lives to preserve the

  liberties and freedoms of the United Sta-

  tes. He passed away in 2002 after losing his

  final battle against cancer. Werhand was

  buried in Arlington National Cemetery with

  full military honors.

  Attacks on ships were among the most dangerous missions. There was nothing to hide behind ...

  We were ying so low on these missions that we’d dis-

  cover rice in our bomb bay doors! One guy even came

  home with a chicken stued in one of his engine nacel

  -

  les! We were scared, and of course we ew very low just

  to survive.

  INFO Eduard18

  August 2022

• Page 19

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• Page 20

  HISTORY

  The Ukrainian armed forces continued to

  destroy the ammunition and fuel dumps and

  the command centers on the Russian side of

  the front. Listing all of the hit target would

  make for the whole new article so let’s

  mention the most important ones. Ukraine

  deploys all available means of attack – from

  155mm caliber artillery to the drones. The

  most important one however are the M142

  HIMARS missile systems. It’s a highly mo-

  bile rocket launcher mounted on wheels.

  In June Ukraine received 12 of them an their

  impact was immediate. HIMARS is capable

  of launching the rockets with the range as

  long as 300 km but Ukraine received only

  227 mm caliber M30/M31 rockets with the

  70 km range. One M142 rocket launcher can

  fire six of them at the same time. Their great

  advantage is the accuracy – at the final flight

  stage they are guided by GPS. According to

  the Ukrainian claims 50 of them were fired

  in a week and all of them hit the target. Not

  single one missed! That’s a big difference

  compared to the Russian carpet shelling

  when the target area is deluged with the

  large number of projectiles hoping at least

  one hits something of the military importan-

  ce.

  HIMARS rocket launchers are able to over-

  come the AA defense which the Russians

  largely relocated to the vicinity of the front

  lines and in that manner limited the Ukrai-

  nian drones deployment (about that later).

  Their tactics depend on the intelligence - if

  the location of these AA systems is known

  or not. In the first case the M142 rocket sal-

  vo aims at the AA battery first. AA is able

  to shot down couple of rockets but not all

  of them and in the end it is eliminated. After

  its destruction HIMARS fires more missiles

  at the primary target (an ammunition de-

  pot for example) and retreats at high speed

  from the point of release. If the Russian AA

  battery location is not know the Ukrainians

  fire several rockets Tochka-U (maximum

  three) first. The Russian defense reacts to

  these, reveleas its location and the previous

  case scenario repeats itself – HIMARS over-

  powers and destroys AA system and conse-

  quently the main target as well.

  Out of many targets hit by these rockets

  let’s just mention some of them. On Friday

  June 24 the Russian armed forces 20th army

  command post in Donbas was destroyed.

  It was located in a school building and se-

  veral officers were killed. On Monday July 11

  another command post in Kherson was de-

  stroyed. Mostly officers from 20th motorized

  division lost their lives. They used to have

  daily meetings there at 18:00 sharp so there

  was no problem for the Ukrainians to target

  them with rockets. The Russians keep ma-

  king the same mistakes which cost them the

  Black Sea Fleet flaship. The cruiser Moscow

  used to patrol on the same route on the re-

  gular basis and the Ukrainians just waited

  for the right moment to attack it in April with

  missiles and sink it. Out of many successful

  attacks on the ammunition dumps let’s men-

  tion New Kakhowka near Kherson where on

  July 11 the great explosion took place. Accor-

  ding to the Russian propaganda the Ukrai-

  Text: Miro Barič

  Debris of buildings and wreckage of vehicles left after the Russian retreat from Snake Island.

  Air war

  over Ukraine

  Fifth month

  The Ukrainian conflict has lasted five months already and the

  number of casualties is rising. The period covered by this article

  ( from June 16 to July 16) only confirms the trend that the air

  war has transformed to the missile one. The aircraft on both si-

  des are used primarily as the missiles‘ launching platforms from

  the safe distance and also the AA equipment is primarily used

  against the rockets.

  INFO Eduard20

  August 2022

• Page 21

  HISTORY

  nians were attacking the civilian targets and

  hit the nitres storage used to make the arti-

  ficial fertilizer – despite the fact the videos

  clearly show the projectiles flying out of the

  hit and burning storage and the seconda-

  ry explosions still occured on the next day.

  The nitres shortages from this, and another

  storages resulted in the ten-fold drop in the

  Russian artillery activities.

  The Russians fail to trace and hit the highly

  mobile Ukrainian rocket launchers. In re-

  venge they shell the Ukrainian cities from

  the long distances. These Russian attacks

  however are very inaccurate and typically

  result in the civilian casualties. On Satur-

  day June 25 the Russian aircraft conducted

  an large attack from the north out of the

  Belorussian airspace. Alltogether they fired

  60 rockets at Kiev, Sum and Chernihov areas.

  The significant componet of the attack were

  six Tu-22M3 bombers which took off from

  the Shaikowka base in the Russian region of

  Kaluga. They crossed the Kaluzh and Smo-

  lensk areas into Belarus where they launch-

  ed Kh-22 rockets. We mentioned these out

  of date missiles in the previous article. They

  were designed in 1960s and are extreme-

  ly inaccurate. Their deployment confirms

  the more modern weapons shortage in the

  Russian inventory.

  It was the first Tu-22M3 bombers‘ deploy-

  ment from Belarus againts Ukraine. This

  Russian attack intended to deluge and at the

  same time bypass the Ukrainina AA defense

  which is primarily pointed towards east and

  south. Having launched Kh-22 rockets the

  bombers returned back to their base at Shai-

  kowka. Only about a month ago these bom-

  bers were dropping heavy aviation bombs on

  Azovstal steelworks where the last Mariupol

  defenders made their last stand. On Monday

  June 26, two days after this attack, the Kh-22

  rockets hit the city of Kremenchuk in the cen-

  tral Ukraine. The target were probably two

  railway stations though which, according to

  the Russians assumptions, weapons‘ delive-

  ries were being transferred to the frontlines.

  Kh-22 rockets missed however. One of them

  hit the emty factory hall and the other one

  hit the shopping center where at least 20

  civilians died and more than 50 were woun-

  ded. The Russian propaganda consequently

  started to release the series of contradictory

  information about what happened. First they

  claimed that the shopping center had been

  closed and empty for a long time. Then they

  claimed it had not been hit but the fire from

  the weapons storage in the neighboring fac-

  tory expanded to it. Security videos however

  clearly captured the rocket hit the shopping

  center and also that no ammunition fire in

  the neighboring hall occured.

  The greatest emotions were raised however

  by the Russian attack on the city of Vinnycya

  in the western Ukraine. On Thursday July 14

  the Russian submarine in the Black Sea fired

  the Kalibr cruise missiles on it. At least one

  A HIMARS rocket launcher in action.

  A Russian Tu-22M3 bomber carries three Ch-22 missiles.

  An office building and a parking lot in the center of Vinnytsia are destroyed. MiG-21 is a monument of the Ukrainian Air Force.

  INFO Eduard

  21

  August 2022

• Page 22

  HISTORY

  was shot down by the Ukrainian AA defen-

  se but three of them hit the city center. The

  Officers‘ House was targeted. It is a building

  where the cultural events used to take place

  but in the past couple of months mourning

  ceremonies for the fallen Ukrainina pilots

  were held there as well. Besides this cultu-

  ral establishment the neighboring adminis-

  trative building and the parking lot in front

  of it were hit. The Russian missiles killed 24

  civilians including three little children.

  There is nothing new about this. The roc-

  ket attacks on the Ukrainian cities were

  the Russian revenge for sinking the crui-

  ser Moscow – even though according to the

  official Russian statement the Ukrainians

  had nothing to do with it and the ship sank

  as a result of a fire caused by negligence.

  For fear of the Ukrainian rockets the

  Russians started to withdraw majority of

  their ships from Sevastopol in Crimea to

  Novorossiisk in the eastern part of the Black

  Sea. They also started to rehearse the Cri-

  mean bridge defense. This bridge connects

  the penninsula with the Russian mainland

  over the Kerch strait. The smoke screen

  they practiced raised the eyebrows though.

  The efficiency of such a screen against the

  moderna weapons that do not need the opti-

  cal guidence is rather questionable and then

  they somehow forgot to close the bridge for

  the civilian traffic resulting in several acci-

  dents due to the dense smoke.

  Small losses in the air

  The airplane losses on both sides corre-

  spond to the long range rocket shelling

  tactics. They dropped significantly in com-

  parison to the intense deployment during

  the first months of war. Not that they were

  deployed less but practically neither side

  crosses the frontlines. During the heaviest

  fighting for Severodonetsk and Lysychansk

  in Luhansk area the Ukrainian air force

  flew more than 20 missions daily in this

  sector – quite a decent number for an air

  force which according to the Russian claims

  was completely destroyed during the first

  days of war (and several times afterwards).

  However the Ukrainian helicopters and

  Su-25 fighter—bombers completely adop-

  ted the Russian tactics to fire their unguided

  missiles on the ballistic trajectory from the

  safe distance. They perform as an airborne

  rocket launcher. Needless to say such an

  application of the air unguided missiles is

  extremely inaccurate and its effect is rather

  phsycological – it boosts morale of the own

  troops who can see their air force in action

  and forces the enemy to take cover at least.

  During the month of our focus two confirmed

  aerial kills were scored, both on the Russian

  side. On June 18, in the vicinity of Svitlodar,

  the soldiers of the 72nd motorized divisi-

  on hit the Russian Su-25 with the portable

  rocket Igla. Pilot ejected and became POW.

  His name was Andrei Fedorchuk, a former

  Russian AF Major currently working as

  a mercenary for so called Wagners. His

  monthly pay was 205 000 rubles, an equi-

  valent of approximately 3500 USD. Out of

  curiosity - for a better orientation he had

  a Garmin GPS device taped in the cockpit

  and there was another navigational app on

  his smartphone. It is already third or fourth

  „Wagner’s“ Su-25 shot down by Ukrainians

  but for the first time they captured the mer-

  cenary pilot alive.

  Another Russian airplane hit, as recorded

  on video, was scored by the Ukrainian sol-

  diers on June 27 firing the British portable

  Martlet missile. They hit Ka-52 helicopter

  which deployment in Ukraine turned into its

  graveyard. At least 16 have been destroyed.

  During the last moth more losses were re-

  ported besides the aircraft shot down by the

  enemy. The effort to avoid the Ukrainian AA

  fire by flying as low as possible backfired on

  two Russian Su-25 and one Mi-8 helicopter

  which crashed after hitting the electrical li-

  nes. There are combat losses on the Ukrai-

  nian side as well, in all cases documented

  and therefore confirmed there were UAVs.

  On June 29, in the Russian Kursk area, T-141

  drone was destroyed and on July 3, in the

  same sector two Tu-143. There were the old,

  Soviet-era reconnaissance equipment. It is

  possible that Ukrainians intented to deploy

  them as kamikaze drones to attack impor-

  tonat ground targets. They have executed

  several missions like that.

  Kamikaze drones

  The Ukrainians use not only HIMARS rocket

  launchers but all available means to attack

  the ammunition and fuel dumps in Donbas

  or occupied territories in the south. Targets

  within the 155 mm caliber artillery range are

  shelled by howitzers. The drones are deplo-

  yed on more remote targets. While during

  the first months of war the Turkish Bayrak-

  tar TB2 was very successful there are dif-

  ferent conditions on the Donbas front. The

  Russians concentrated a lot of electronic

  warfare equipment there to jam the signals

  and also concentrated their AA defenses

  there. Previously Bayraktars easily achie-

  ved success against poorly defended Ru-

  ssian columns which is not possible in Don-

  bas. The electronic jamming eliminates the

  smaller drones and even thought Bayrak-

  tars make it through they are met by AA fire.

  Therefore the Ukrainains had to adapt. To

  attack they launch the kamikaze drones

  A Kalibr missile shot down by Ukrainian air defense forces during an attack on the town of Vinnytsia.

  Ukrainian Su-25 armed by missiles with inscriptions expressing revenge for the attack on Vinnytsia.

  INFO Eduard22

  August 2022

• Page 23

  HISTORY

  which are programmened for certain route

  and signal jamming does not affect them.

  There are old or cheap commercial dro-

  nes and their loss doesn’t hurt that much

  as in the case of the expensive Bayraktar.

  On Wednesday June 22 such a drone hit the

  oil refinery in the Russian Novoshakhtinsk in

  Rostov region. A small, propeller-driven UAV

  of the unknown type arrived over the oil fa-

  cility, crashed on it and caused the explosion

  followed by a fire. According to some sour-

  ces two or three drones had been launched

  for this mission but only one reached the

  target – which was quite sufficient. Drones

  were also deployed in the attack on the buil-

  ding used by the Russian occupying troops

  in the city of Enerhodar in Zaporozhye area.

  By the way the largest nuclear power stati-

  on in Europe is located there. The attacked

  building had belonged to the Ukrainian se-

  cret service SBU but after the occupation

  the Russian troops took it over. According

  to the Russian sources six kamikaze drones

  attacked it and three were shot down. The

  others hit the target.

  Battle of Snake Island

  The fact that Bayraktars were withdra-

  wn from the Donbas fighting doesn’t mean

  though that Ukraine cannot use them el-

  sewhere. They fly reconnaissance missi-

  ons and direct the artillery fire and heavily

  contributed to the great Ukrainian victory in

  the fighting for Snake Island. The Russians

  occupied it on the very first day of war and

  practically it was the only success of the afo-

  rementioned cruiser Moscow. The flagship

  defeated the garrison of 13 Ukrainian border

  guards who before that managed to sent

  her „to bloody hell“ over the radio. Sinking

  of Moscow in April however meant the sig-

  nificant weakening of the Black Fleet AA de-

  Interesting coloring of the Bayraktar of the Ukrainian Navy.

  Command vehicle of Ukrainian S-300 battery with symbols of shoot-downs:

  6 drones and 21 cruise missiles. These were recorded in the period from

  March 12 to July 5.

  The Ukrainian flag is flying over Snake Island again.

  INFO Eduard

  23

  August 2022

• Page 24

  HISTORY

  fense and enabled the Ukrainians to launch

  the attacks against the occupied island. The

  final campaign commenced during the night

  of June 16-17 by sinking the tugboat „Vasily

  Bech“. She was hit by two Harpoon missiles.

  The Russians understood that supplying the

  island by the surface vessels will no longer

  be possible.

  In the following days Snake Island became

  the target of Ukrainian rockets as well as the

  155 mm caliber howitzers. Besides the wea-

  pons delivered from West the Ukrainian self-

  -propelled howitzers Bohdana were to join

  the fight. Gradually the AA systems Pantsir-

  -S1, radars a various military vehicles were

  destroyed. The Russian side announced that

  on June 21 they destroyed all projectiles fi-

  red at the island, shot down 13 drones and

  repelled the landing attempt. Consequently,

  on June 27 they were to shot down 12 roc-

  kets and a Ukrainian Su-25. The Ukrainian

  side countered these claims by publishing

  the videos showing the island being heavily

  bombarded. By the way the explosion images

  were delivered by a Bayraktar drone which

  recorded the events unmolested despite the

  supposed successes of the Russian AA de-

  fense. On Wednesday June 29 the island was

  shelled again and according the Ukrainian

  statements one of four Russian helicopters

  that approached this small piece of rock was

  hit. The damaged helicopter crashed into

  the sea. Some sources state it was Ka-52,

  according to the others Mi-8. At any rate the

  kill remains unconfirmed.

  What is confirmed though is the escape of

  the Russian garrison from Snake Island. On

  June 30 in the morning the soldiers boarded

  two speedboats and disappeared leaving

  behind the abandoned equipment and island

  engulfed in smoke. Kremlin tried to present

  this as a „goodwill act“. The soldiers withd-

  rew „having completed all tasks“. Obviously

  not because on July 1 evening two Russian

  Su-30 arrived a dropped four incendiary

  bombs on the island in order to burn all what

  was left behind the fleeing soldiers. Their

  effort was hampered a bit by the fact that

  three of the bombs missed the island cople-

  tely and harmlessly plunged into water. The

  embarassment was recorded on video by

  a patrolling Bayraktar drone which the

  Russian Sukhoi pilots obviously missed.

  The real „goodwill act“ was delivered by the

  Ukrainians who on the following day helped

  Russians finish their job. By a precision fire

  they destroyed the vehicles left behind on

  the pier. Who else took care of it but Bayrak-

  tar drone. On July 4 a special Ukrainian unit

  landed on the island and hoisted the blue

  and yellow flag to symbolically end the occu-

  pation which lasted 126 days.

  Foreign supplies

  The Ukrainians continue not only deploying

  Bayraktars but also procuring, them even

  though their „star“ is currently overshado-

  wed by HIMARS rocket launcher media hype.

  In the beginning of July one drone was deli-

  vered to Ukraine from Lithuania. Its citizens

  raised 5.9 million EUR. Turkish manufacturer

  Baykar refused to accept the payment and

  delivered the drone free of charge. The rai-

  sed funds were allocated to the humanita-

  rian assistance. The Lithuanians named the

  drone Vanagas which means hawk. In the

  end of June the Ukrainians themselves rai-

  sed the funds to purchase three drones. Ul-

  timately in three days they raised money to

  pay for four UAVs. In this case Baykar com-

  pany decided to supply them free of charge

  as well. Another Bayraktar fund raising was

  launched in Poland.

  Details about the aircraft equipment de-

  livered to Ukraine in the previous period

  surfaced as well. One of the Czech Mi-24V

  combat helicopters could be identified ba-

  sed on the published photographs. It is the

  airframe coded 3370 which previously ca-

  rried the name Kosta and RAF 311 Czecho-

  slovak Squadron anniversary markings.

  Details about helicopters from Slovakia are

  also known. Mi-2 coded 3301 was donated as

  a source of the spare parts. Mi-17 code 0807

  and 0821 were delivered by ground trans-

  portation with the rotors removed. Mi-17

  coded 0844 and 0847 left for Ukraine with

  the fully armed blocks of the B-8-V20

  unguided missiles. As far as Slovakia is con-

  cerned the delivery of 11 Mig-29 fighters is

  being mentioned. The Slovak representati-

  ves did not exclude it however it is based on

  the new arrangement to protect the Slovak

  airspace. As of September 1 the Czech JAS

  30 Gripen should assume this role so Mig

  deliveries to Ukraine would be possible after

  this date.

  Originally Czech Mi-24V No. 3370 already in Ukraine.

  One of the Mi-17 helicopters from the USA. Originally intended for Afghanistan,

  it now flies in Ukrainian colours.

  INFO Eduard24

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  HISTORY

  The Lithuanians named the drone Vanagas, which means hawk.

  A donated Bayraktar drone was transported by a Lithuanian C-27J Spartan transport aircraft.

  INFO Eduard

  25

  August 2022

• Page 26

  The situation of paint materials used by

  the Czechoslovak aircraft industry in the

  immediate aftermath of the Second World

  War was far from ideal. Virtually all the

  industries in the Protectorate of Bohemia

  and Moravia were umbilically connected to

  the German war machinery and as such,

  was heavily dependent on material supp-

  lies from not only Germany, but also from

  other Nazi occupied territories. The erratic

  and increasingly dwindling supply chains

  seen as the war neared its end resulted

  in paint supplies falling to a trickle in the

  Text: Michal Ovčáčík

  Photos: collections of the author, Jaroslav Bartáček

  Miroslav Irra and Bohumír Kudlička; Aviation Research

  archives via Pavel Krejčí

  Green-Grey, Dark Green ...

  Part 1

  Paint Schemes of

  the S-199 in the

  Czechoslovak Air Force

  HISTORY

  Just as the history of the creation of this aircraft is unique, so is

  the development of the camouflage schemes applied to it. The

  schemes bypassed the standards of the day and developed along

  similar unique lines, making them look somewhat simple or dull.

  It may furthermore appear that when it comes to the looks of

  these aircraft, all has been said or written already, but a close

  study of not just period photographs, but also relevant archival

  materials, suggests otherwise. In the light of newly uncovered

  information, the notion of any monotony is dismantled and the

  S-199 offers some new secrets to be revealed...

  An interesting view of an S-199 with an unknown production number. The aircraft has evidently gone through repairs or an overhaul with a bubble canopy upgrade. The photograph

  reveals points of interest for the modeler with respect to the paint scheme: the front of the aircraft to the firewall has a light color (or is new), while the remainder of the fuselage,

  wings and tail surfaces yield shades consistent with the use of different materials. The fuselage has panel joints puttied over and is waiting on its base coat of paint. The control

  surfaces are fabric covered and are clearcoated.

  INFO Eduard26

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• Page 27

  Paint Schemes of

  the S-199 in the

  Czechoslovak Air Force

  HISTORY

  former Czechoslovakia to the point where

  they were completely exhausted over the

  following two or three years.

  Most of the domestic aircraft facilities (such

  as Aero, Mráz and Zlín) turned to available

  German RLM colors to satisfy renewed

  production efforts, or at least colors that

  had similar tones. Avia and Letov were two

  exceptions. These had significant warti-

  me stocks of paint available, made possi-

  ble by their production of training aircraft

  at the end of the war, notably the Arado

  Ar 96B, which had all its surfaces sprayed

  in an aluminum color, or more accurately,

  a clear coat with aluminum powder mixed

  in. It was necessary, then, to find an interim

  paint solution for the new S-199s coming off

  the assembly lines at Avia headed for the

  Czechoslovak Air Force from 1948. These

  paints would need to be produced quickly

  using local manufacturing facilities.

  Over the first months following the libera-

  tion of Czechoslovakia, Avia saw a logical

  decline in aircraft production. In order to

  preserve the firm’s usefulness and futu-

  re, focus was transferred to the repair of

  buses and postal vehicles – vehicles that

  were in high demand at the time due to

  the end of the war. The final paint coats

  on these vehicles were of several types,

  among which were light green-grey sha-

  des, similar to RLM 02 (also similar to the

  then-current RAL 7033). Although this paint

  was not intended for use on aircraft, it was

  the only decent quality and easily produced

  paint available.

  On the basis of recent research, it can be

  said with a high degree of certainty that this

  type of paint was, in fact, used on aircraft

  such as the fighter/trainer C-10/C-110 (Bf

  109G-10/G-12), combat fighters S-92/CS-92,

  S-99, and on the first Avia-built S-199, C-4

  (Bü 131D) biplanes and the first C-104 pro-

  duced by Aero. This can also be extended

  to the C-6/C-106 (Bü 181) and the first C-5

  (Zlín Z-26), and even some twin-engined

  B-36s (DH.98 Mosquito FB Mk.VI) modified

  to carry German machine guns.

  Nevertheless, the general goal of develo-

  ping a new paint system for the Czechoslo-

  vak Air Force was still a high priority matter

  and needed to be resolved through 1948. The

  resulting product is known as Smalt Avion

  2036, under which Paint 2036 Khaki MNO

  (a shade similar to an early Czechoslovak

  color called Khaki). This paint was conside-

  red for an overall covering of later S-199s,

  or after these types had gone through re-

  pairs or overhauls. We can also add that

  lower surfaces were to be painted Avion

  2036.65 Light Blue (not unlike the German

  RLM 65, as indicated in the paint’s designa-

  tion), but for reasons that are not yet clear,

  this shade was not applied to the S-199.

  Paints for Czechoslovak military aircraft

  are traditionally associated locally with the

  name of Libeň-Vysočany company TEBAS

  (Joint Stock Company for the Production

  of Industrial Paints TEBAS), traceable to

  Thurm und Beschke, from which the com-

  pany evolved into TEBAS in 1938. During

  the period of the Protectorate, the company

  filled orders under its original name for the

  Nazi war effort and after liberation, it fell

  under national administration. From 1947, it

  became a component of the Spojené továr-

  ny na barvy a laky (United Paint and Varnish

  Company), and later the successor national

  firm Pragolak, and later still, Barvy a Laky

  (Paints and Varnishes).

  To be continued

  A brand-new Avia S-199, Serial Number 167, made its acceptance flight by Avia’s test pilot Antonin Kraus on October 25, 1948. The aircraft is armed with two 17/7 9N wing guns

  of 7.92mm calibre. Despite the photograph being somewhat underexposed, it is possible to conclude that the scheme is the light green-grey type applied to early aircraft.

  This aircraft was coded KS-22 and was later attached to the 2nd Flight of the Air Regiment 4 bearing the name of Alois Vašátko, at Plzeň-Skvrňany, where it was damaged

  in a landing accident on February 11, 1949.

  Detailed view of the puttied and sanded

  joints, along with minor repairs on the

  central section of the fuselage of Avia

  S-199.260, EZ-11, belonging to the 3rd

  Flight of the Air Regiment 5 based at

  Plzeň. Other interesting details are worth

  noting: the canopy and its associated rail,

  head armor, the cover for the battery in

  the cockpit, the antenna mast and PR 16

  direction finding antenna on the fuselage

  spine, the whip antenna associated with

  the LR-25a identificatin equipement, and

  the stencil data with yellow triangle over

  the fuel tank filler cap (the fuel was 100

  Octane Aviation Fuel).

  INFO Eduard

  27

  August 2022

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  HISTORY

  Aero produced S-199.310. On May 30, 1949, this airplane, coded KT-3, made a forced landing not far from Boskovice while flown by rt. (Sgt) Karel Kessler. The code places the aircraft

  in the service of the 3rd Flight of the Air Regiment 7. This S-199 was only armed with the synchronized 131/13N fuselage machine guns, lacking the wing gun pods. After necessary

  repairs, the aircraft was updated with the rearward sliding bubble canopy and was equipped with reconnaissance equipment and reassigned to LP 1. In 1951, it served with the

  5 Air Training Regiment in Zvolen, where it was coded UL-51 and obtained yellow training bands. It was likely that the reconnaissance equipment had been removed by that time.

  White GY-37 was Avia S-199.40 (2nd Flight, 3 Fighter Air Regiment, 4 Air Division), and was already worn when it collided with the two-seat CS-199.510 (coded HX-70) at Černovice

  airfield in Brno on March 23, 1953. It sported multiple repairs with a darker green, with which it became one of the most interestingly painted S-199s in the Czechoslovak Air Force.

  In accordance with regulations from October 1947 (Avia Scheme Illustration for Type 210 “Stencil Data and National Markings” No. 109-Le62217), the aircraft carried a white border

  line to the national markings. The spinner was also white.

  INFO Eduard28

  August 2022

• Page 29

  HISTORY

  The apron at Kbely with 2nd Flight, 1 Air Regiment, 3 Air Division in April 1951. The nearest aircraft is Avia S-199.444 with a freshly applied fuselage code JW-38 in accordance with

  regulation VL number 0010941/51 dated March 15, 1951. The aircraft is Light Green-Grey with a white spinner, and the dark green wheel hubs and spinner base are also noteworthy.

  The label applied by the National Factory for Paints reads “Paints and Varnishes for All

  Uses in the Aviation Industry”. This was the company Tebas before it was nationalized,

  and it supplied paints used on the S-199.

  A reproduction of a page from the color chips of shades produced by the National Factory

  for Paints and Varnishes from 1950, with the original notes preserved. The top row con

  -

  tains samples of light green-grey (RAL equivalents) and Avion 2036.02 (RLM 02), while

  in the bottom right corner is a shade of blue for that component of the national marking

  (labeled as Flag) Shade 66 corresponds to RLM 66 Black-Grey (for interiors and wheel

  wells) and RLM 65 corresponding to shades used on the lower surfaces (Avion 2036.65).

  INFO Eduard

  29

  August 2022

• Page 30

  Elbert Scott McCuskey was one of the most

  prominent Wildcat pilots in the opening pha

  -

  se of the fighting in the Pacific. He distingui-

  shed himself during the Battles of the Coral

  Sea and of Midway. Details of his biography

  are included in the F4F-3 kit in the ProfiPACK

  edition, which is being released in August.

  Lt. (jg) McCuskey was assigned as a gunne

  -

  ry officer in the 2nd Division under VF-42

  aboard the USS Yorktown. This carrier sent

  several attack waves to Tulagi Island north

  of Guadalcanal during May 4, 1942. The Japa

  -

  nese were landing there, and the Americans

  assumed they had no fighter cover. There

  -

  fore, they sent torpedo and dive bombers

  without fighter escort. The Wildcats were put

  on hold to defend the carrier. The bombers

  managed to sink the destroyer Kikuzuki, the

  minesweeper Tama Maru, and the special

  minesweepers Wa1 and Wa2. The air strike

  was initially faced only by the crews of Mit

  -

  subishi F1M biplanes from floatplane tender

  Kyiokawa Maru. The SBD crews managed to

  shoot down two of them.

  After 1300, four fighter pilots aboard York

  -

  town were ordered to man the aircraft. They

  expected to taxi them to the hangar only.

  Surprisingly, they were ordered to launch,

  and from the chart they were shown before

  takeoff, they learned only the course and di

  -

  stance to their destination, which was Tulagi.

  The reason for sending them was the report

  of enemy aircraft threatening the bombers.

  The Wildcat pilots did not know the identities

  of the others before takeoff, some aircraft

  suffered radio malfunction, and one of them,

  McCuskey, was in the cockpit essentially by

  accident, having taken the place of another

  pilot who had left to get a lunch.

  The flight was led by Lt. (jg) Leonard, his

  wingman was Ens. Basset. The other pair

  was commanded by McCuskey and his

  wingman was Ens. Adams. The pairs split

  over the target. Leonard and Basset shot

  down three F1Ms from Kamikawa Maru. They

  had unexpected trouble in the dogfight, as

  the aggressively flown biplanes got behind

  F4Fs several times. McCuskey and Adams

  attacked the damaged Tama Maru, which

  sank two days later. Then all four pilots to

  -

  gether attacked the destroyer Yūzuki. They

  concentrated machine gun fire on the bridge,

  torpedo tubes and engine room. They woun

  -

  ded twenty crew members and killed nine

  others, including the skipper Lt. Cdr. Hirota

  Tachibana. The destroyer had to return to

  Shortland for repairs.

  On the return flight, the Wildcat pilots en

  -

  countered the lone Devastator from VT-5.

  Due to low cloud cover and radio commu

  -

  nication difficulties the flight was separated.

  Leonard and Basset landed safely on York

  -

  town. But McCuskey had no radio commu-

  nication with his wingman or the carrier.

  In addition, the Devastator ran out of fuel

  and its crew ditched. McCuskey feared he

  would have to do the same. He hadn't kept

  track of the takeoff time and the fuel gauge

  couldn't be relied upon. He decided to make

  an emergency landing on Guadalcanal. After

  his wingman landed nearby, McCuskey had

  “the worst moment of the war” as Adams

  told him that he had been in contact with the

  carrier the whole time, but McCuskey did

  -

  n't understand his signals. With the help of

  the natives they tried to damage the valu

  -

  able aircraft from falling into enemy hands

  and the destroyer USS Hammann rescued

  them. Their efforts lasted during high tide

  until dusk and became so complicated that

  it may be considered fortunate that no one

  was drowned.

  Four days later, on May 8, 1942, McCuskey

  was back in action, accompanying De

  -

  vastators of VT-5 in the attack on Shōkaku.

  He flew as wingman for Lt. (jg) Leonard.

  In the other pair, Lt. (jg) Woollen flew with

  Ens. Adams. The formation was attacked by

  five Zeros from Shōkaku. The Americans,

  however, managed to evade the fire by tur

  -

  ning in the direction of the attacks. During

  the fight, one of the Japanese pilots made

  a chandelle and McCuskey peppered the

  slowed, almost stationary Zero with fire that

  hit the entire wing and cockpit. The plane did

  not burn, and its guns fired continuously as

  it was falling into the sea. PO2c Hisashi Ichi

  -

  nose, was apparently killed instantly. It was

  the second Zero to be shot down by US Navy

  and US Marine Corps pilots in World War II.

  Wollen managed to shoot down one more

  Zero, piloted by PO1c Takeo Miyazawa and

  damaged another one. The torpedo planes

  survided. And so, McCuskey made up for his

  worst moment of the war.

  BOXART STORY #82201

  Text: Jan Bobek

  Illustration: Piotr Forkasiewicz

  The worst moment of the war

  INFO Eduard30

  August 2022

• Page 31

  #82158

  BOXART STORY

  The Spitfire of British fighter ace Ian Richard

  “Widge” Gleed is widely known thanks to peri

  -

  od photographs. This is especially true when

  it comes to the aircraft with the Aboukir filter.

  Gleed, however, used a total of four Spitfires

  as Wing Commander, all with the personal

  code IR

  -

  G. Two of them as commander of the

  Ibsley Wing (Mk.Vb; AA742 and Mk.Vc; AB380)

  and two as commander of No. 244 Wing

  in Tunisia (Mk.Vb; ER170 and Mk.Vb; AB502).

  All the aircraft Gleed flew had a drawing of

  a black cat, “Figaro”, a character from the

  story of Pinocchio, painted on the starboard

  side below the windshield. The attractive li

  -

  very of the aircraft as the interesting life

  of Ian Gleed himself made an easy choi

  -

  ce for the subject of the painting by Piotr

  Forkasiewicz. After the initial discovery that

  Gleed had not achieved any kills in Spitfire

  Mk.Vc; AB380; IR

  -

  G, we needed to find an ac

  -

  tion for the subject of the boxart that would

  add authenticity and dynamics to the dra

  -

  wing. We were intrigued by the date of June

  3, 1942, for which Ian Gleed has written in his

  flight notebook: “Circus No. 6, escort of six

  Bostons over Cherbourg in conjunction with

  a Czechoslovakian Wing which clashed with

  Fw 190s.” The boxart of the Spitfire Mk.Vc thus

  depicts Operation Circus No. 6, when the

  Ibsley Wing under Gleed’s command escor-

  ted six Bostons Mk.III of No. 107 Sqn. Altitude

  cover was provided by the Exeter Wing, i.e.,

  aircraft from No. 310 Sqn, No. 312 Sqn and

  No. 154 Sqn. This was the first encounter with

  the enemy for the Czechoslovaks since the

  formation of the the Exeter Wing. On that

  day, W/Cdr Alois Vašátko achieved a proba

  -

  ble kill of an Fw 190A from III/JG 2. More to it,

  F/O František Peřina shot down one Fw 190

  and damaged one, P/O Karel Pošta damaged

  two Fw 190s and F/O Ivo Tonder and Anto

  -

  nín Liška damaged one each. However, three

  Spitfires did not return from the fight...

  After tracking down all the information to

  make the scene, there was still one little

  thing to sort out. In mid-May, the British na

  -

  tional markings on the fuselage, lower side

  of the wing and the tail were revised from

  A/A1 to C/C1 type. There are photographs

  dating back to late May and early June 1942

  showing Spitfires with various combinations

  of these two types of insignia. It usually took

  a few days to apply the new markings to all

  the squadron Spitfires. For the boxart with

  Gleed’s Spitfire, we ended up using the new

  C1 marking type, however the kit also offers

  an earlier version with A/A1 markings.

  Ian Richard Gleed was born on July 3, 1916,

  in Finchley, London. He learned to fly at Hat-

  field in 1935 and joined the RAF in March

  1936. After completing his training in Decem

  -

  ber that year he was posted to No. 46 Sqn.

  In September 1939 he was transferred to

  No. 266 Sqn as a squadron leader of this

  Spitfire-equipped unit. While testing one of

  the aircraft on February 18, 1940, a myste

  -

  rious aircraft destruction occurred at 18,000

  feet (5,500 m). Gleed was hurled unconsci

  -

  ous from the cockpit and when he regained

  consciousness, he found himself hanging

  from the parachute. He spent time in hospi

  -

  tal and rejoined his unit in late April. In May,

  he was transferred to No. 87 Sqn as leader

  of the“A” Squadron. He scored seven kills

  in May during the fighting in France and re

  -

  mained with the unit throughout the Battle of

  Britain, during which he increased his sco

  -

  re by a further four kills. In late December

  1940 he took command of No. 87 Sqn and in

  November 1941 became commander of Ibsley

  Wing. He commanded it until July 1942, when

  he was posted to Fighter Command as Wing

  Commander Tactics.

  In January 1943, Ian Gleed was sent to the

  Middle East where he was briefly assigned

  to No. 145 Sqn and after gaining some ex

  -

  perience there, he was appointed Com-

  mander of No. 244 Wing in late January. He

  led the unit until April 16 when he was shot

  down during an afternoon patrol over the

  Cap Bon area. His probable defeater was

  Lt. Ernst-Wilhelm Reinet, ace of JG 77. After

  being hit, Gleed headed for the Tunisian coast

  with the damaged aircraft. His Spitfire AB502

  was found on the sand dunes near the sea on

  the west coast of Cap Bon, but his body was

  not found until later. In total, Ian Gleed’s com

  -

  bat records contain 16 kills, seven probable

  and four damaged. During the war years he

  wrote a book, "Arise to Conquer" (Gollancz,

  1942), in which he summarized his experi

  -

  ences of fighting in France and in the Battle

  of Britain. In 1978 Norman Franks published

  Gleed's biography "Fighter Leader".

  Text: Michal Krechowski

  Illustration: Piotr Forkasiewicz

  Protecting the Bostons

  INFO Eduard

  31

  August 2022

• Page 32

  Another day in the trenches, another day

  among barbed wire, where death lurks

  around every corner. Suddenly, the guns fall

  silent, the rain stops, and the timid trills of

  birds can be heard from no-man’s land. It is

  as if, for a brief moment, the horrors of war

  subsided. The sun, nearing sunset, breaks

  through the smoke screen left by the artille

  -

  ry shells explosions to the soaked and ex-

  hausted men in the trenches. They turn their

  faces to it, absorb its energy and thank God

  that they have survived another day in hell.

  But then two shadows flash past over the

  trenches. The calmness is broken by the roar

  of engines, the staccato of machine guns and

  several explosions around and inside the

  trenches. After a while the screams of an

  -

  gry German soldiers firing their small arms

  at the retreating invaders are replaced by the

  cries of the wounded...

  All of this could be found in the scene cap

  -

  tured by Adam Tooby in his boxart for the la-

  test edition of the Sopwith Camel B.R.1 engine

  version kit. The brightly colored aircraft in the

  foreground is the Camel of Walter George

  Raymond Hinchliffe, whom his fellow pilots

  called simply “Hinch”. He shot down six ene

  -

  my machines during the war and this Camel

  serial number B7190 served him to achieve

  his second and third victories. He also flown

  at least two bombing missions with it accor

  -

  ding to the records.

  Hinchliffe was a native of Munich, where he

  was born to British parents in 1893. The fa

  -

  mily returned home later, allowing young

  Walter to be educated at the University of

  Liverpool. There he joined the Officer Trai

  -

  ning Corps program, but first of all he stu-

  died medicine. More to it he also spoke four

  languages, was an avid reader, a talented

  artist, a good sportsman and proved himself

  to be also a skilled mechanic. A renaissance

  man, one might say, but nevertheless he joi

  -

  ned the army on March 20, 1912, with the rank

  of second lieutenant. He became a member

  of the logistical British Army Service Corps

  and shortly after his promotion to lieutenant

  the move to the artillery followed. There he

  served until 1916 when the path of his ca

  -

  reer took a different direction. He underwent

  pilot training, obtained his pilot’s license

  No. 3595 and served as an instructor at

  Cranwell with the rank of Second Lieutenant

  of the Royal Navy until the nd of 1917. Then,

  he finally joined a combat unit, No. 10 Squad-

  ron RNAS. It was in January 1918 and as

  early as February 3 he scored his first vic-

  tory when he shot down a German Albatros

  D.V near Rumbeke, Belgium. After this first

  success he flew the Camel B7190 for a time

  and shot down two observation aircraft. The

  first on March 10 near Roulers and the second

  on April 3 in the same area. By this time the

  unit had already been redesignated No. 210

  Squadron RAF following the merger of the

  RNAS and RFC which took place on April 1,

  1918. Hinch’s Camel was quite a colorful air

  -

  craft with blue and white stripes on the nose,

  which was the marking of the “C” Flight, and

  a blue fuselage top. The wheel discs were

  also blue, with a drawing of the devil on them.

  Behind the cockpit on the sides was the in

  -

  scription DONNERWETTER (Hinch was fluent

  in German) and on the fuselage ridge there

  was a symbol that appeared to represent

  a stylized combination of the letters W and H.

  Hinch scored three more kills in May, beco

  -

  ming an ace, however, on the night of June

  23, he was seriously injured in a crash that

  was not fully cleared up. According to some

  sources, it occurred while he was trying

  to return a Camel from an emergency lan

  -

  ding site at night, but he himself spoke of

  a night fight with Gothas in which he was hit

  in the forehead and subsequently crashed.

  He suffered multiple head injuries and lost

  his left eye. This ended his fighting career, but

  not his flying one. After the war, he took up

  a career as a commercial pilot. He flew main-

  ly for KLM and Imperial Airways and pionee-

  red many new flight routes. Then, in 1927, he

  received an offer from Elsie Mackay, dau-

  ghter of the Earl of Inchcape, who wanted

  to become the first woman to fly across the

  Atlantic. She bought a Stinson Detroiter,

  which she named Endeavour, and offered

  Hinchliffe a staggering £10,000 fee for ta

  -

  king part in the flight as a pilot. On March 13,

  1928, at 08.35, Endeavour took off from RAF

  Cranwell. Five hours later, the Hizen Head

  lighthouse at the southernmost tip of Ire-

  land reported the overfly of a monoplane

  heading over the ocean. A little later, a French

  steamer announced its position at sea. The

  daring pair planned to land at Mitchel Field

  on Long Island, USA, where five thousand

  people were waiting for them. But they never

  landed. Eight months later, a piece of landing

  gear, identified as part of the Endeavour, was

  washed up in northwest Ireland...

  BOXART STORY #8485

  Text: Richard Plos

  Illustration: Adam Tooby

  Sudden attack

  INFO Eduard32

  August 2022

• Page 33

  #2139

  BOXART STORY

  The Japanese machine gun nests are

  throwing fire and the Marines would like to

  dig into the ground they are lying on. Any

  advance is out of the question, he who rai

  -

  ses his head will lose it. The Japanese, in

  turn, cannot cease fire or the mass of re

  -

  solute men will rise from the mud and make

  a run for it. The deadlock is broken by a st-

  ream of bullets which the men spot even be-

  fore a pair of Mitchells emerge from behind

  the perimeter. Each of them is firing from

  eight machine guns in the nose, and also the

  gunner in the dorsal turret is doing his part.

  Thousands of bullets tear through the Ja

  -

  panese positions with the Mitchells leaving

  a phosphorus bomb salute as they pass. The

  machine guns calm down, the rumble of the

  engines fades into the distance and the Ma

  -

  rines rise. Now it´s their run!

  The planes that destroyed everything on the

  enemy side of ground in this way did not

  come about as a result of any thoughtful

  high-level planning by the General Staff, nor

  in the design offices of the then still young

  and dynamic North American Aviation com

  -

  pany, but in the mind of an aging “Mr. Pilot”

  George Irvin Gunn a man who had gotten into

  flying through his job as a mechanic in the

  naval air force during World War I. Because

  at 43 he was almost a generation older than

  many of his colleagues, and because he

  returned from the jungle one day after be

  -

  ing shot down with grey hair instead of his

  original dark hair, he earned the nickname

  “Pappy”.

  In the 1930s, Gunn was considered one of

  the best pilots in the ranks of the US Navy.

  Before the outbreak of the war, he reti-

  red and settled in Philippines, helping to

  establish an airline there, for which he also

  flew. After the war broke out, he helped eva

  -

  cuate American citizens and was eventu-

  ally called back into service. Even then, he

  had the idea of an attack plane with lots of

  machine guns to eliminate enemy ground

  forces. Gunn pushed his idea only a little

  later with the 3rd Attack Group, which re

  -

  ceived the new Douglas A-20s. Gunn advo-

  cated for their conversion to “strafers” as

  part of an exploration of the possibilities of

  a “Skip Bombing”. This was promoted by the

  commander of the 5th AF, General Kenney.

  Gunn received General’s full support, which

  enabled him to begin converting B-25s to

  “strafers” as well. The Mitchells were more

  suitable to this task because of their perfor

  -

  mance and ruggedness, and soon instruc-

  tions for modifying the aircraft were going

  out to all units with Mitchells in the Pacific.

  “Pappy” Gunn’s idea was then worked on di

  -

  rectly by the factory, and the B-25J version

  had already received a standardized solid

  machine gun nose instead of the various

  modifications to the glass nose. A total of

  eight nose .50 guns could be supplemented

  by four housed in the blisters on both sides

  of the fuselage, but these were often remo

  -

  ved due to the stress on the aircraft’s skin by

  the recoil of the firing guns. If they were left

  in place, an attacking B-25J could fire a total

  of 14 machine guns at a target (if the dorsal

  gunner was also engaged).

  The box of the Gunn's Bunny kit sports a dra

  -

  wing of Bugs Bunny B-25 by Antonis Kary-

  dis, while the background is a collage con-

  taining two important motifs. Firstly “Pappy”

  Gunn himself, who smiles at a passing B-25,

  secondly a Pacific infantryman, the one who

  has often seen nothing as welcome as a Mit

  -

  chell joining the fight. The motif of the “shot

  through” iron plate then illustrates the fire

  -

  power these mighty aircraft possessed.

  For “Pappy” Gunn, the war ended when

  he was seriously injured by fragments of

  a phosphorus bomb during the bombing of

  the airfield at Tacloban. He was taken to

  a hospital in Australia where he remained

  until the end of the hostilities. There he

  also reunited with his family, which survi

  -

  ved the war in Japanese captivity. General

  MacArthur personally sent his wife and

  children to Australia to see him after the li

  -

  beration in an airplane. Such was Paul Irvin

  “Pappy” Gunn’s reputation...

  After the war, he returned to work as a co

  -

  mmercial pilot for Philippine Air Lines and

  kept flying regular flights to USA. He often

  gave a ride to various officials from the

  military or government representatives.

  He flew for last time on October 11, 1957. On

  that occasion, he tried to avoid a tropical

  storm during the flight but crashed fatally.

  His remains were flown to the USA and bu

  -

  ried in the US Navy Cemetery at Pensacola

  Air Force Base.

  Text and collage: Richard Plos

  Illustration: Antonis Karydis

  Pappy’s“ guns

  Pappy’s“ guns

  INFO Eduard

  33

  August 2022

• Page 34

  There’s a sunny summer day and nothing

  disturbs the calm on the beaches of the

  Baltic Sea but the splashing of the waves

  and excited children's screams. But shortly

  after noon, it seems to thunder in the di

  -

  stance. The sky is almost cloudless, no one

  expects a thunderstorm, and the tourists

  look around in wonder. In the coming se

  -

  conds the sound intensifies into a loud roar

  and two fighters from the “Brandenburg Air

  Regiment" fly over the beach at a height of

  only a few dozen meters. Their return from

  live-firing the missiles over the Baltic Sea

  cheers the children and wakes up all the

  sleepers. "We are here to defend you, if ne

  -

  cessary!", that’s the meaning of the Polish

  pilots' low pass...

  Piotr Forkasiewicz’s drawings always have

  “something extra” in them, and this very

  dynamic picture of a pair of MiG-21MFs from

  the 11 BPLM is not different. What kind of unit

  was it and what were the fates of the aircraft

  in the foreground of the drawing?

  In the second half of the 1960s, the Po

  -

  lish Air Force underwent a reorganization.

  The 11 Pułk Lotnictwa Myśliwskiego (PLM;

  Fighter Air Regiment) stationed in Dębrz-

  no was transformed into the 9 PLM, while

  3 PLM, based at Strachowice, became the

  11 BPLM (Brandenburski Pułk Lotnictwa

  Myśliwskiego, Brandenburg Fighter Air Re

  -

  giment). In 1973, the unit was fully restored

  to its historical name and until September

  1991 was officially called 11 Brandenburski

  Pułk Lotnictwa Myśliwskiego im Osadników

  Ziemi Dolnośląskiej (Brandenburg Fighter

  Air Regiment in the name of the Settlers

  of Lower Silesia). In 1966, while it still had

  the designation 3 PLM, the first MiG-21F-13

  aircraft were taken over from other regi-

  ments converting to more modern versi-

  ons of this type. In the late 1960s and early

  1970s, the 11 BPLM was equipped with the

  first MiG-21PF and MiG-21PFM aircraft, and

  around 1980 the regiment was equipped with

  the first MiG-21M and MiG-21MF aircraft.

  In 1991, the 11 BPLM was equipped with 24

  MiG-21MFs, five MiG-21UMs and four TS-11

  Iskras training aircraft. In the late 1990s, the

  11 BPLM was part of BPLM 3 Korpus Oborony

  Powietrznej Kraju (OPK; Air Defence Force)

  with its headquarters in Wroclaw. It included

  only one other air unit, 62 PLM in Krzesiny.

  In the 1990s, after the 39 PLM in Mierzęcice

  was disbanded, the 2 eskadrą (Squadron) of

  the 11 BPLM was moved to this base, about

  100 km away. This echelon included, among

  others, the aircraft serial number 96007600.

  Its first user was 34 PLM based at the Gdy

  -

  nia-Babie Doły. In June 1980 this aircraft was

  transferred to the 26 PLM, but the following

  year it was handed over to the 10 PLM in

  Łask. In the period from February 27, 1986, to

  April 6, 1987, it underwent an overhaul at the

  WZL-3 Dęblin maintenance center and was

  subsequently handed over to the 11 BPLM,

  where it was assigned to the second squad

  -

  ron and later sent with it to the detachment

  in Mierzęcice. There it flew until October

  1998, after which it was handed over to the

  Army Property Agency, from which it was

  purchased in 1999 by the American collector

  George Gould. The aircraft was transported

  to Galveston Airport in Texas and loaned to

  the Lone Star Flight Museum there.

  When in the fall of 2008 Hurricane Ike star

  -

  ted to devastate the Texas coast, all of the

  museum’s aircraft in airworthy condition

  were flown to safer places. However, the

  MiG-21MF No. 7600 was not airworthy... The

  hangar in which it was kept was flooded by

  an 8.2 ft (2.5 m) wave and the aircraft was

  severely damaged. The owner subsequently

  donated it unrepaired to the Evergreen Avi

  -

  ation & Space Museum in Oregon. The resto-

  ration team in Marana, Arizona, had to find

  a new wing and tail for it. The Polish mar-

  kings were deleted and the aircraft was

  given two-tone green camouflage, Soviet

  insignia and the red, white-lined number

  84. This was the livery previously flown by

  Mig-21 in the US Air Force’s “Red Eagle”

  squadron. This unit conducted simulated

  dogfights with American aircraft, and this

  livery was chosen because one of the pilots

  of this unit was a member of the museum’s

  board. This, aircraft No. 7600 eventually sur

  -

  vived its original unit, albeit in a modified

  form and as a museum exhibit. In 1999, the

  11 BPLM was disbanded and all of its re-

  maining MiG-21MFs were transferred to the

  3 PLM (former 62 PLM) in Krzesiny and

  10 PLM in Łask. Thus, all MiG-21MFs of the

  Polish Air Force in use at that time were

  concentrated in these two regiments.

  BOXART STORY #70141

  Text: Richard Plos

  Illustration: Piotr Forkasiewicz

  Brandenburg fighters

  above the beach

  INFO Eduard34

  August 2022

• Page 35

  #82147

  BOXART STORY

  The Fw 190 depicted in combat with Ma-

  rauders on the boxart of the Fw 190 A-8

  kit, was found at the end of the war in Ne-

  ubiberg, Bavaria. It belonged to 6./JG 300,

  which was part of Jagdgeschwader 300. It

  was originally a night fighter unit fighting

  against British bombers with single-seat

  aircraft, whose pilots oriented themselves

  in combat by illumination from burning ci-

  ties or ground searchlights. This tactic was

  dubbed “Wilde Sau” (wild boar) and beca-

  me synonymous with JG 300 and its sis-

  ter units JG 301 and JG 302. Neil Page and

  Vladimír Šulc describe this topic in more

  detail in Eduard INFO 07/2021.

  In June 1944, JG 300 was transferred to

  the subordination of the Defense of the

  Reich for daytime combat against American

  four-engine bombers. Its II. Gruppe rece-

  ived Fw 190s with additional armor and

  30mm outer guns. This was the so-called

  Sturmgruppe, or attack group, and was de-

  signated II./(Sturm) JG 300. It was to attack

  and destroy bombers at close range, whi-

  le the other Gruppen of JG 300, armed

  with lighter Bf 109s, were tasked with

  protecting their heavier colleagues.

  The transition to day operations and diffe-

  rent operational conditions was handled

  very quickly by II. Gruppe. Its commander

  during this period was WWI twelve victory

  ace Major Alfred Lindenberger, at that time

  a nearly 50 years old veteran of the legen-

  dary Jasta Boelcke. He shot down three

  four-engine bombers and one Mustang

  in the fall of 1944. The II. Gruppe made its

  last combat deployment against bombers

  as part of the Defense of the Reich during

  the protection of the refineries on March

  2, 1945. The unit managed to shoot down

  four B-17s from the 385th BG but lost eight

  Fw 190s and four pilots after the Mustangs

  intervened.

  The last time II./(Sturm) JG 300 was deplo-

  yed as part of the Defense of the Reich was

  on March 24. The mission was to attack

  an American landing on the east bank of

  the Rhine as a part of the Allied Operation

  Vanity. Of the whole JG 300 it was

  II. Gruppe that suffered the heaviest losses.

  Its 32 pilots were to keep radio silence and

  fly in formation low over the ground to

  reach the Bocholt-Wesel sector and

  attack the gliders. However, near Göttin-

  gen they were attacked by Mustangs

  from the 353rd FG and only about ten

  Fw 190s returned to base. Most of the re-

  maining veterans were killed in the fight

  and the Sturmgruppe was taken out of ac-

  tion against bombers. During the last five

  weeks of the war, II./JG 300 was based in

  Bavaria and tasked with attacking enemy

  columns, fighter-bombers and observati-

  on aircraft.

  The most experienced airman left with

  the 6th Staffel was Ofw. Rudolf “Bulle”

  Zwesken, although some writers have spe-

  culated whether he even existed. He was

  born to Sudeten German family on August

  13, 1919, in Maršíkov (Marschendorf), in the

  district of Šumperk (Mährisch Schönberg)

  in the Moravian part of the Sudetenland

  of what was then Czechoslovakia. In 1943

  he apparently served with the 1./JG 52 but

  did not achieve any victories there. In April

  1944 he was transferred to 6./KG 51, which

  was then rearming to twin-engine Me 410s

  as part of a planned conversion to the Me

  262 jets. However, he was soon transfe-

  rred to 6./JG 300 and became one of unit's

  most successful pilots.

  From June 21, 1944, to the end of Decem-

  ber he shot down 15 aircraft. He told his

  wingmen that “it was better to be a live

  parachutist than a dead pilot” and did not

  hesitate to bail out of an undamaged air-

  craft in case he assessed that he had no

  chance of winning a dogfight. However, his

  feats included shooting down two bombers

  with a burning Fw 190 or colliding with

  a bomber and landing with aircraft which

  had more than a meter of its wing missing!

  Zwesken was nominated for the Knight's

  Cross in January 1945, which was awarded

  on March 21, 1945. In the last four mon-

  ths of fighting, he won at least five more

  victories and often led the airmen of the

  6th Staffel into battle. By some accounts

  he was captured after the war, other

  sources suggest he evaded capture.

  He died in 1946 or 1947.

  There is speculation of either suicide or

  a pub conflict with allied soldiers who shot

  him. His daughter collaborated on one of

  the publications that came out on JG 300.

  Text: Jan Bobek

  Illustration: Piotr Forkasiewicz

  The last Sturmjäger

  INFO Eduard

  35

  August 2022

• Page 36

  #82201

  F4F-3 Wildcat

  1/48

  ProfiPACK edition kit of US carrier based fighter F4F-3 Wildcat

  in 1/48 scale. Kit presents aircraft from United States Navy

  and Marine Corps.

  plastic parts: Eduard

  marking options: 6

  decals: Eduard

  PE parts: yes, pre-painted

  painting mask: yes

  resin parts: no

  Product page

  KITS 08/2022

  INFO Eduard36

  August 2022

• Page 37

  BuNo. 1850, Lt. Charles Shields, VF-41, USS Ranger (CV-4), December 1940

  VMF-111, Army-Navy maneuvers, Louisiana, United States, November 1941

  Lt. Edward H. O´Hare, VF-3, USS Lexington (CV-2), Hawaiian Islands, April 1942

  The first production block of the Wildcat resulted in

  49 aircraft and was delivered in a prewar scheme,

  meaning that the fuselage and lower wing surfaces

  were sprayed in aluminum, and the upper wing sur

  -

  faces were yellow. Wing markings were carried in

  all four positions, and on the fuselage they were ei

  -

  ther applied near the front or on the engine cowling.

  The color of the tail surfaces designated the aircraft’s

  home carrier. In this case, the carrier in question is

  the USS Ranger (CV-4), which was the first to receive

  Wildcats, followed by the USS Wasp (CV-7). The bands

  on the fuselage and wings, including the engine cowl

  ring, indicated which unit section the aircraft was

  flown by, and in the case of white, this would have

  been Section No. 2. Photographs of this aircraft show

  it prior to being delivered to the unit, and without

  weapons or its telescopic gunsight. The first nineteen

  aircraft within this production block had the engine

  cowl split into upper and lower halves.

  December 30, 1940, saw the implementation of

  a new camouflage scheme that was to replace the

  between-the-wars scheme. It required all aircraft

  flying off ships to be given an overall coat of FS

  36440 Light Gray. It was in this scheme that Marine

  Corps Wildcats from VMF-111 took part in large scale

  military exercises, and also sported red crosses on

  both upper and lower surfaces of the wings, as well

  as on both sides of the fuselage. These crosses were

  used to designate combat units during these mane

  -

  uvres.

  Edward Henry O’Hare was born on March 13, 1914 in

  St. Louis, Missouri, and after concluding his stint at

  the US Naval Academy in 1937, he was assigned to

  the battleship USS New Mexico (BB-40) as an Ensign.

  He initiated his pilot training in June 1939, which he

  successfully concluded in May 1940. This was fo

  -

  llowed by assignment to VF-3, operating off of the

  USS Saratoga (CV-3). In February 1942, the US Navy

  wanted to attack the base at Rabaul on the island

  of New Britain. The carrier Lexington led Task Force

  11, and VF-3 flew off of her. The ship was discove

  -

  red on her approach to the target, and the Japane-

  se sent two Betty units to intercept. The second of

  these units was only countered by ‘Butch‘ O’Hare and

  his wingman. O’Hare shot down three of the Bettys

  and seriously damaged another two, leading to the

  disruption of the attack force. The discovery of the

  attacking fleet caused the abandonment of the tar

  -

  get being Rabaul, and other targets were attacked...

  The Wildcat flown by O’Hare became a major point of

  interest on his return to the Hawaiian islands, and

  many photographs were taken of it. The plane’s lower

  surfaces were painted FS 36440 Light Gray, and upp

  -

  er and side surfaces were in FS 35189 Blue Gray. The

  national markings on the fuselage and in four positi

  -

  ons on the wings were complemented by thirteen red

  and white stripes on the rudder. Edward O’Hare did

  not see the end of the war, having likely been shot

  down flying a Hellcat during night combat on Novem

  -

  ber 26, 1943. His body was never found in the water,

  despite some witnesses claiming to have spotted

  a parachute. O’Hare settled in Chicago before the war,

  and in 1949 the city named its airport after him.

  KITS 08/2022

  INFO Eduard

  37

  August 2022

• Page 38

  BuNo. 4019, Capt. Henry T. Elrod, VMF-211, Wake Island, December 1941

  BuNo. 2531, Lt. Elbert S. McCuskey, VF-42, USS Yorktown (CV-5), May 1942

  BuNo. 4006 (4008), Capt. John F. Carey, VMF-221, Midway Island, June 1942

  The first Japanese attempt to occupy Wake Island was

  made December 11, 1941. After the first initial bombard-

  ments, VMF-211 possessed only four airworthy Wildcats.

  One of the pilots that played a role in deflecting the

  attack was Captain Henry Talmadge Elrod that earlier

  had shot down a pair of G3M Nells, and during a raid

  on the invading Japanese flotilla he hit the destroyer

  Kisaragi with a 45kg bomb, causing the ship to explode

  shortly thereafter. According to some sources, he hit

  a depth charge storage area, the detonation of which

  sent the destroyer to the bottom with all 157 men aboard.

  Incoming aircraft and fire from 5-inch coastal batteries

  persuaded the Japanese to withdraw. A second attempt

  was made by the Japanese on December 23, 1941, at

  a time when there wasn’t a single airworthy Wildcat on

  the island. For that reason, Capt. Elrod took part in the

  ground fighting, and led a Marine unit until he fell, for

  which he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

  Wildcat coded 211-F-11, on which he had gained his vic-

  tories, was painted FS 36440 Light Gray underneath and

  FS 35189 on the upper and side surfaces. The national

  markings were in only the two positions on the wings,

  and the fuselage markings were complemented by

  a small marking at the rear.

  Elbert Scott McCuskey was born February 8, 1915 in Little

  Rock, Arkansas, and after attending universities in Alabama

  and Arkansas, he signed up for naval aviation training on

  May 28, 1938. After successfully undergoing pilot training, he

  was assigned to VS-41 on the USS Ranger as an Ensign in

  October 1939. In July 1941, he was reassigned to VF-42 on the

  USS Yorktown, on which he would serve until July 1942. Then,

  until June 1943, he trained young Naval Aviators in the art

  of flying, floowing this up with a return to operational flying

  as a unit commander, first with VF-6, and then, from March

  1944, with VF-8. Both of these units were flying the Hellcat

  by then. During his combat career in the Second World War,

  he gained 13.5 kills. He remained loyal to the Navy after the

  war, not retiring until July 1965. He died of a heart attack on

  June 15, 1997. With this Wildcat, he shot down a Zero in the

  Battle of the Coral Sea. The aircraft was camouflaged in the

  same way as the Wildcat flown by Lt. Edward O’Hare, and

  even the markings were similar, with one difference being

  the application of large American markings on the fuselage

  and wings. An interesting facet to this aircraft was the origi-

  nal markings on the wings being visible under the new ones.

  During the pivotal Battle of Midway, which swung the

  fortunes of the war in the Pacific to the Americans

  from the Japanese, aircraft did not fly exclusively

  from aircraft carriers. Some flew off of Miday Island

  itself. One of the units to do so was VMF-221, which

  did so with their Wildcats and Buffalos. Wildcat coded

  22 was flown by John Francis Carey, who managed

  to shoot down a B5N Kate while intercepting the

  incoming Japanese force. His Wildcat was, however,

  damaged by an escorting Zero. Carey himself was

  wounded in the foot, but managed to put down at

  Midway safely. He returned to duty and survived the

  war, and remained faithful to the USMC after war’s

  end. He took part in the wars in Korea and Vietnam,

  and finally went into a well deserved retirement on

  June 30th, 1965 with the rank of Colonel. He passed

  away on December 12, 2004. The Wildcat with which

  Capt. Carey achieved the aforementioned kill, was

  camouflaged with Blue Gray and Light Gray, and

  the national markings, in accordance with an order

  dated May 15, 1942, had their red components remo-

  ved. Similarly, the red and white stripes on the ruder

  were overpainted with the appropriate camouflage

  colour.

  KITS 08/2022

  INFO Eduard38

  August 2022

• Page 39

  OVERTREES

  OVERLEPT

  #82201X F4F-3/3A Wildcat

  1/48

  Product page

  Product page

  Recommended:

  for F4F-3 Wildcat 1/48

  481086 F4F-3 landing flaps (PE

  -

  Set)

  FE1290 F4F seatbelts STEEL (PE

  -

  Set)

  648766 F4F-3 exhausts PRINT (Brassin)

  648767 F4F-3 wheels early (Brassin)

  648768 F4F-3 wheels late (Brassin)

  648769 F4F gun barrels PRINT (Brassin)

  648777 F4F-3 cockpit w/ reflector gun sight PRINT (Brassin)

  3DL48076 F4F-3 late SPACE (3D Decal Set)

  EX878 F4F-3 TFace (Mask)

  #82201-LEPT

  F4F-3 Wildcat LEPT

  1/48

  Cat. No. 648777

  Cat. No. 3DL48076

  Cat. No. 648769

  KITS 08/2022

  INFO Eduard

  39

  August 2022

• Page 40

  #82158

  Spitfire Mk.Vc

  1/48

  ProfiPACK edition kit of British fighter plane Spitfire Mk.Vc

  in 1/48 scale. Kit presents Spitfires from RAF, USAAF

  and Free French Air Force.

  plastic parts: Eduard

  marking options: 6

  decals: Eduard

  PE parts: yes, pre-painted

  painting mask: yes

  resin parts: no

  Product page

  KITS 08/2022

  INFO Eduard40

  August 2022

• Page 41

  AB380, W/Cdr Ian R. Gleed, CO of Ibsley Wing, RAF Ibsley, Surrey, Great Britain, April – July 1942

  AR548, F/Sgt Miroslav A. Liškutín, No. 312 (Czechoslovak) Squadron, RAF Churchstanton,

  Somerset, Great Britain, December 1942 – January 1943

  EE681, F/O Jerzy Zbrożek, No. 317 (Polish) Squadron, RAF Perranporth,

  Cornwall, Great Britain, September 1943

  In November 1941, Ian “Widge" Gleed was named com-

  mander of Ibsley Wing, a unit made up of three Spit-

  fire squadrons. Specifically, these were No. 66, 118

  and 501 Squadrons, RAF. He held this position until

  July 1942, when he was placed in the function of Wing

  Commander Tactics. All the aircraft that Gleed flew

  had a marking of the black cat “Figaro” under the

  cockpit on the right side of the plane. This character

  hails from the Pinocchio stories. It was no different

  with two other Spitfires that he flew as Ibsley Wing

  Commander (Mk.Vb AA742 and Mk.Vc AB380). Both

  carried Gleed‘s initials IR

  -

  G as their codes, rende

  -

  red in Sky. He was shot down on April 16, 1943, as

  No. 244 Wing Commander, over North Africa during

  a patrol flight near Cap Bon. He was likely the victim of

  Lt. Ernst-Wilhelm Reinert, an ace with JG 77. Over the

  course of his career, Gleed shot down sixteen air

  -

  craft, seven probables and four were damaged.

  Miroslav Antonín Liškutín was born August 23, 1919

  near Brno. He learned to fly in the Aero Club Brno, and

  was accepted for pilot training in a recruitment drive

  for 1,000 pilots in 1937. In July 1938, he joined the Air

  Regiment 2 in Olomouc as a student pilot, but his road

  to full fighter squadron membership was interrupted

  by the arrival of Hitler’s Wehrmacht. He escaped from

  his occupied homeland via Poland, Sweden and Great

  Britain to France, where he joined the Foreign Legion,

  and was sent to Africa for a six-month training peri

  -

  od. After the fall of France, he made his way to Great

  Britain, where he would complete his pilot training,

  and from August 1941, he flew with No. 145 Squadron

  RAF. He was later reassigned to No. 312 (Czechoslovak)

  Squadron RAF and in May 1945, to No. 313 (Czechoslo

  -

  vak) Squadron. He took part in the protection of na-

  val convoys and bomber escort missions over France,

  Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. He flew a total

  of 465 operational hours and 131 sorties over enemy

  territory, making him one of the busiest fighter pilots

  of World War Two. In aerial combat, according to either

  official records or his personal memoirs, he destroyed

  two aircraft and two V-1 rockets. He also was credi

  -

  ted with a probable kill, and three he damaged. After

  1948, he returned to Great Britain to become a Flight

  Instructor and a Commissioner for Pilot Evaluation.

  He passed away on February 19, 2018. Flying Spitfire

  AR548, which he did regularly at the end of 1942 and

  beginning of 1943, he shot down an Fw 190 on Novem

  -

  ber 7, 1942. On January 6, 1943, he crashed during lan-

  ding in inclement weather at Harrowbeer. Incredibly,

  he emerged from the wreckage unscathed.

  No. 317 ‘City of Wilno‘ (Polish) Squadron was formed on

  February 22, 1941, and achieved combat readiness two

  months later. As with most Fighter Command elements,

  the unit’s duties switched between offensive missions

  from bases in the south and defensive duties from the

  north. In June 1943, the unit was incorporated into

  No. 2 TAF (Tactical Air Force) and moved to RAF Hes-

  ton. During its preparations leading up to the invasion

  of Normandy, the unit conducted attacks in support

  of the landings. One of these was the deception named

  Operation Starkey, which saw the first use of black and

  white invasion stripes at the ends of the wings. After

  the invasion in June 1944, No. 317 (Polish) Squadron

  flew missions in support of the invading ground forces

  and moved onto the continent in August. From October

  1944, the unit operated from Belgium from the bases

  of B-70 Deurne, B-61 Sint-Denijs-Westrem, B-60

  Grimbergen and B-82 Grave. From April 1945, it flew

  from the German based B-101 Nordhorn, B-113 Varrel

  -

  busch and B-111 Ahlhorn, where it was a part of the

  Occupation Force until disbandment on December

  18, 1946. During its three month service with No. 317

  (Polish) Squadron, pilots flying Spitfire EE681 shot

  down two aircraft. The first was by P/O Zbygniew

  Makowski who downed an Fw 190 on July 14, 1943, and

  the second was by F/O J. Zbrożek who’s victim was

  a Bf 109 on September 8, 1943.

  EARLY

  LATE

  KITS 08/2022

  INFO Eduard

  41

  August 2022

• Page 42

  F/O James H. Montgomery, 4th FS, 52nd FG, 12th AF, Corsica, January – February 1944

  EF736, GR II/33 “Savoie”, Dijon, France, September 1944

  AR560, W/Cdr John M. Thompson, Luqa Wing, Malta, January – May 1943

  F/O James Henry Montgomery was one of many Ameri-

  can pilots flying the Spitfire, fighting in the Mediterra-

  nean within the ranks of the 12th AF. On August 6, 1943,

  he was shot down over the Mediterranean Sea near

  Palermo by a German Messerschmitt and spent an en

  -

  tire day in a life raft. He staved off hunger by catching

  fish and gutting them with his knife. The news of his

  experience reached the mainstream media back in the

  States, earning him the nickname “Robinson Crusoe of

  the Sky”. He didn’t have the same luck the second time

  around, when, on February 9, 1944, near the port city

  of Nice, his group of four Spitfires was ambushed by

  a section of Fw 190s. Two of the 190’s got Montgomery’s

  Spitfire in their sights, which took direct hits and burst

  into flames. He did not survive. F/O Montgomery flew

  Spitfires named “The Impatient Virgin” and “Impatient

  Virgin II”, each of which carried noseart of a scantily

  clad young lady.

  Spitfire Mk.Vc EF736 served with Groupe de Re

  -

  connaissance II/33 “Savoie”, one of the first Free

  French units to take delivery of the Spitfire. The

  aircraft carried a desert camouflage scheme with

  yellow identifiers in the form of wing bands and tail

  surfaces. The attractive look of the airplane was

  compounded by the shark mouth, which was a per

  -

  sonal marking, while the seagull behind the cockpit

  was a unit marking.

  John Marlow Thompson commanded No. 111 Squadron

  at the beginning of the war, and during the Battles

  of France and Britain, he claimed six confirmed kills

  and two shared. There were another three kills that

  went unconfirmed. In the spring of 1942, he was pro

  -

  moted to Wing Commander and on his own request,

  he was transferred to Malta, where between August

  1942 and June 1943, he commanded all Malta based

  Wings (Takali Wing, Hal Far Wing and Luqa Wing).

  He added a further two confirmed kills to his credit.

  In June he was sent to Malta Headquarters as the

  commander of the Training Wing. From March to

  February of 1944, he commanded the base Hal Far.

  Later, he led No. 338 Wing in Algeria, a part of which

  was made up of three squadrons of French Spitfires.

  Over the course of his career, Thompson shot down

  eight aircraft (plus three unconfirmed), two more

  were probables, and he damaged another seven.

  Spitfire AR560 was a rare example of a Malta Mk.V

  lacking the tropical filter. It was flown from Gibraltar

  to Malta on November 1, 1942. The aircraft carried the

  new Maltese camouflage scheme consisting of Deep

  Sky and Dark Slate Grey, used from mid-June 1942,

  on the upper surfaces. The lower surfaces remained

  in Azure Blue. The aircraft was first flown by seve

  -

  ral pilots from various squadrons and from January

  1943, it served as the personal aircraft of Luqa Wing

  Commander John M. Thompson. As allowed by order,

  Thompson used his position to use his initials, JM

  -

  T,

  as his fuselage code. This was applied in Azure Blue.

  In June, AR560 was handed down to the new com

  -

  mander of Luqa Wing, W/Cdr W. W. G. Duncan-Smith,

  who recoded the Spit DS.

  KITS 08/2022

  INFO Eduard42

  August 2022

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  OVERTREES

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  1/48

  Product page

  Product page

  Recommended:

  for Spitfire Mk.Vc 1/48

  481065 Spitfire Mk.V landing flaps (PE

  -

  Set)

  FE1207 Spitfire Mk.V seatbelts STEEL (PE

  -

  Set)

  644113 Spitfire Mk.V LööK (Brassin)

  648098 Spitfire wheels - 5 spoke (Brassin)

  648119 Spitfire wheels - 5 spoke, smooth tire (Brassin)

  648640 Spitfire Mk.V engine (Brassin)

  648663 Spitfire Mk.V cockpit (Brassin)

  648664 Spitfire Mk.V wheels (Brassin)

  648666 Spitfire Mk.Vc gun bays (Brassin)

  648667 Spitfire Mk.V three-stacks exhausts rounded (Brassin)

  648668 Spitfire Mk.V three-stacks exhausts fishtail (Brassin)

  648669 Spitfire Mk.V six-stacks exhausts fishtail (Brassin)

  648671 Spitfire Mk.Vc undercarriage legs BRONZE (Brassin)

  648738 Spitfire Mk.V landing flaps PRINT (Brassin)

  D48088 Spitfire Mk.V stencils (Decal)

  #82158-LEPT

  Spitfire Mk. Vc/ Vc Trop

  LEPT 1/48

  Cat. No. 648663Cat. No. 648671

  KITS 08/2022

  INFO Eduard

  43

  August 2022

• Page 44

  GUNN’s BUNNY

  1/72

  Limited edition kit of US WWII medium bomber B-25J Mitchell

  with solid nose in 1/72 scale. Kit presents machines from

  the Pacific and China Burma India Theater.

  plastic parts:Hasegawa

  marking options: 10

  decals: Eduard

  PE parts: yes, pre-painted

  painting mask: yes

  resin parts: yes, wheels

  Product page

  #2139

  KITS 08/2022

  INFO Eduard44

  August 2022

• Page 45

  B-25J-6, 43-27957, Capt. Ervin J. Werhand, 823rd BS, 38th BG, 5th AF, Kadena, Okinawa, July 1945

  B-25J-27, 44-30866, 1/Lt. Thomas Evans, 82nd BS, 12th BG, 10th AF, Fenny, India, spring 1945

  B-25J-27, 44-30583, 1/Lt. Don McKenzie, 100th BS, 42nd BG, 13th AF, Puerto Princesa, Palawan,

  Philippines, March 1945

  This ship was originally named Little Princess Deanna

  and was assigned to Capt. Zane E. Corbin. He was su

  -

  cceeded by Capt. Ervin J. “Joe” Wehrand who renamed

  the ship Bugs Bunny, an animated cartoon character

  best known for his starring roles in the Looney Tunes

  and Merrie Melodies series. The name of the 823rd BS

  was "Terrible Tigers," and the noses of their aircraft

  were decorated with a tiger painting. This unit, along

  with the 822nd BS, was activated in Australia in April

  1943 as replacements for two squadrons that had been

  withdrawn from the 38th BG “Sun Setters“ compositi

  -

  on. However, the 823rd Squadron did not reach its full

  strength until the end of June that year when it moved

  to Port Moresby, New Guinea. By August, the unit was

  already engaged in offensive action against the Ja

  -

  panese at Cape Gloucester, New Britain and received

  a Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC) for this activity. The

  second time they received DUC, in June 1944, it was for

  attacks on Japanese airfields, ports and ships on New

  Guinea. From October 1944, the "Terrible Tigers" opera

  -

  ted from the Maluku Archipelago in eastern Indonesia,

  from where they attacked targets in the Philippines in

  support of Operation Leyte. Then, on November 10, the

  pilots of the 823rd BS dispersed a large enemy convoy,

  for which they received their third DUC. In February 1945,

  the unit moved to Okinawa, from where it attacked tar

  -

  gets in southern Japan until the end of the war. It was

  then part of the occupation forces until September 1946,

  when it was inactivated as the 38th BG was transitioned

  to peacetime status with two squadrons.

  The ship with the name Sunday Punch was pur

  -

  chased thanks to the fundraising campaign con-

  ducted by employees of the Oak Ridge (K-25) plant

  in Tennessee. The plant was part of the Manhattan

  Project, and when each employee donated their

  two Sunday overtime pay checks, $250,000 was

  raised - enough to buy one Mitchell. Factory repre-

  sentatives then christened the plane with a bottle

  of champagne at McGhee Tyson Airport in Knoxville

  on March 18, 1945, with the name SUNDAY PUNCH. The

  name referred to the Sunday punch card paychecks.

  After shipment to India, the aircraft was assigned

  to the 82nd BS, where the staff added a drawing of

  a scantily clad girl to the lettering. And when one

  of the pilots, 1/Lt. Thomas Evans, learned that the

  ship had been purchased thanks to the campaign

  conducted in his home state, he requested her as

  -

  signment. By the end of the war, Evans had flown

  14 of his 28 combat missions with her. One of these was

  the May 27 attack on Takli Airfield in Thailand. In poor

  weather conditions, they made a total of 2,580 km

  (1,600 miles) flight and subsequent attack.

  The name of this ship from the 100th BS, part of the

  42nd BG “Crusaders” composition, refers to the poig

  -

  nant story of one of the best college football players

  of all time, George “Gipper” Gipp, who died at age

  25 of streptococcal throat infection and pneumonia.

  On his deathbed, he told visiting coach Knut Rockne,

  "I've got to go, Rock. It's all right. I'm not afraid. Some

  time, Rock, when the team is up against it, when

  things are wrong and the breaks are beating the

  boys, ask them to go in there with all they've got and

  win just one for the Gipper. I don't know where I'll be

  then, Rock. But I'll know about it, and I'll be happy."

  A movie was made about the legendary coach in

  1940, which includes this scene. The role of George

  Gipp was portrayed by Ronald Reagan, who years la

  -

  ter used the slogan “Win one for the Gipper” during

  his presidential campaign, as the role earned him the

  nickname Gipper. Crew Chief Sgt. William A. Bean was

  in charge of the aircraft honored with the slogan.

  KITS 08/2022

  INFO Eduard

  45

  August 2022

• Page 46

  B-25J-20, 44-29590, Capt. Link Piazzo, 17th RS, 71st RG, 5th AF, Lingayen, Philippines, 1945

  B-25J-22, 44-29577, 1/Lt. Albert J. Beiga, 498th BS, 345th BG, 5th AF, Luzon, Philippines, May 1945

  B-25J-30, 44-30934, 1/Lt. Charles E. Rice, Jr., 449th BS, 345th BG, 5th AF, Kadena, Okinawa, July

  The ship named My Buck belonged to the 17th RS

  (Reconnaissance Squadron) which was nicknamed

  “Reckoners”. It was a heavy reconnaissance squad

  -

  ron of the 71st Reconnaissance Group which was

  activated on March 2, 1942, and conducted anti-sub

  -

  marine patrols on the US West Coast until Septem-

  ber of that year. From April 2, 1943, the group was

  in process of rearming to B-25s and moved to New

  Guinea in January 1944. Although it was a reconnai

  -

  ssance squadron, the pilots also routinely conducted

  bombing and attack missions in support of ground

  troops. Even during long-range reconnaissance fli

  -

  ghts, their Mitchells were fully armed so they could

  attack ground targets they found enroute. The unit

  moved to the Philippines in November 1944 and flew

  reconnaissance missions over Luzon from there.

  On April 27, 1946, the unit was deactivated. The My

  Buck ship looks quite new for numerous mission

  symbols painted on the fuselage. Also, the border of

  the Olive Drab and Neutral Grey colors is unusually

  shaped. It is possible, therefore, that she received

  a new paint job at the unit for some reason.

  Paintings of scantily dressed girls by the famous

  painter Albert Vargas have decorated countless

  American aircraft, and not just during World War II.

  A particularly hilarious drawing of a January 1944

  calendar girl made its way onto several aircraft, and

  the drawing on a B-25J, named Lady Lil, is certainly

  one of the best. The name Lady Lil referred to the

  girlfriend of pilot Albert Beiga, who had this Mitchell

  assigned as the pilot-in-command. The ship was

  painted in Olive Drab originally but was decolorized

  to bare metal later, retaining only the stripe of olive

  color around the Indian's head on the left stabilizer

  and rudder. The rudder was later changed for one

  from another ship and the one was in olive color as

  well, making the whole left vertical surfaces looking

  quirky. Remnants of the olive paint were visible on

  the nose and behind the cabin for some time. The

  green and yellow falcon head on the nose, the sym

  -

  bol of the 498th BS bearing the name Falcons, was of

  course retained. This squadron was part of the 345th

  Bombardment Group, the famous Air Apaches.

  The most significant mission of the Mitchell named

  Betty's Dream was escorting two white Betty bom

  -

  bers aboard which Japanese peace envoys traveled

  to le Shima on August 21, 1945, after the previous

  surrender in Manila. The aircraft was assigned to

  1/Lt. Charles “Pop” Rice, Jr. who later became the

  unit's operations officer. The Betty's Dream ship was

  only briefly with the 449th BS, having been assigned

  to the unit in June 1945, so it showed just little sign

  of war wear and tear. The typical drawing of a bat on

  the nose referred to the unit's name, Bats Outa'Hell.

  KITS 08/2022

  INFO Eduard46

  August 2022

• Page 47

  B-25J-27, 44-30289, Lt. Ramonis I. Markwart, 822nd BS, 38th BG, 5th AF, Kadena,

  Okinawa, August 1945

  B-25J-10, 43-28136, 71st BS, 38th BG, 5th AF, Luzon, Philippines, 1945

  B-25J-10, 43-28150, 1/Lt. Chauncy Kershaw, 48th BS, 41st BG, 7th AF, Kadena, Okinawa, July 1945

  The 822nd BG was christened Black Panthers and

  this name was expressed in the form of the black

  panther´s head displayed on both sides of this uni

  -

  t's ship. The ship No. 289 (the last three digits of the

  serial number) was no exception. On the same day

  Paul Tibbets carried out the bombing of Hiroshima,

  this Mitchell was flown by Lt. Ramonis Markwart

  in the attack on Kagoshima on Kyūshū Island. After

  dropping napalm bombs, the Mitchell crews then

  strafed the remaining ground targets, whereupon

  they were mistakenly attacked by a trio of A-26s.

  Fortunately, their pilots recognized their mistake

  in time.

  This Mitchell originally served with the 388th BS,

  312th BG where it also received a drawing of a pink

  heart with a naked girl. At that time, it had a glass

  nose. In mid-June 1945 the ship was transferred to

  the 71st BS “Wolf Pack”, part of the 38th BG, and sub

  -

  sequently underwent conversion to a solid gun nose.

  The nose was then decorated on both sides with the

  unit's emblem, a drawing of a wolf's head. The air

  -

  craft was not assigned to any particular pilot, and,

  interestingly, there are no records of operational

  flights for either the 312th BG or the 38th BG. It is

  therefore possible that it served as a liaison aircraft

  for the needs of the staff. There is, on the other hand,

  a record of an accident in 1946. By that time, however,

  the aircraft had been stripped of both the wolf's head

  and pink heart artwork.

  The 41st BG was activated on January 15, 1941, with

  pilots training on B-18 Bolo and A-29 Hudson aircraft.

  Later, the group was equipped with Mitchells and

  patrolled the US West Coast during 1942 and 1943.

  In October 1943, it moved to the Hawaiian Islands,

  where it was assigned to the 7th Air Force. After

  completing the final phase of training, the unit then

  moved to the Gilbert Islands and conducted attacks

  on enemy positions and installations on the Marshall

  Islands. After February 1944, it moved several times,

  primarily conducting attacks on enemy vessels. After

  a break on Hawaii, where crews trained rocket firing,

  the 41st BG moved to Okinawa. This ship originally

  served as a glass-nose one and bore the name PER.

  She retained this name even after conversion to

  a solid-nose version, the renaming to RUFF'N REDDY

  did not occur until August 1945 when the aircraft was

  assigned to 1/Lt. Chauncy Kershaw. The pilot himself

  was the author of both the drawing and the name.

  While still a PER, the aircraft had fuselage machine

  guns fitted, but no longer has them in the pictures

  where it carries the girl's drawing.

  KITS 08/2022

  INFO Eduard

  47

  August 2022

• Page 48

  72425 B-25J bomb bay (PE

  -

  Set)

  672038 US 250lb bombs (Brassin)

  672039 US 500lb bombs (Brassin)

  672206 B-25 wheels (Brassin)

  672275 B-25J engines (Brassin)

  672244 US 1000lb bombs (Brassin)

  B-25J-32, 44-30921, 405th BS, 38th BG, 5th AF, Yonan, Okinawa, July 1945

  The original cadre of the 38th BG consisted of men

  transferred from the 22nd BG. Three bomber squad

  -

  rons (69th BG, 70th BG, and 71st BG) supplemented by

  one reconnaissance squadron (15th RS) were part of

  the group. In October 1941, the 38th BG received its

  first Marauders and ground echelon moved to Aus

  -

  tralia in early 1942. Two squadrons (69th and 70th)

  were sent to Hawaiian Islands and got involved in

  combat after arrival in May 1942. They were withdra

  -

  wn from the 38th BG composition, while the remain-

  der of the group arrived to Australia in August 1942. It

  became a part of the 5th AF and transferred to B-25s.

  Here the 405th BS, or Green Dragons as its members

  called themselves, was also incorporated into the

  38th BG. Their aircraft carried a green dragon head

  with yellow spikes and a red tongue or muzzle on the

  nose. This unit, along with the 71st BG, remained with

  the group until its deactivation in 1949 (from 1943 to

  1946, the 822nd BS and 823rd BS were also part of the

  38th BG). From bases in Australia, New Guinea and

  Biak, the 38th BG operated until October 1944. After

  moving to the Philippines in January 1945, it suppor

  -

  ted US Army units on Luzon, bombed industrial tar-

  gets on Formosa, and attacked ships along the China

  coast. After a brief stay on Palawan, the group then

  moved to Okinawa in July 1945, from where it carried

  out several attacks on targets in Japan before the

  war ended.

  OVERTREES

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  1/72

  #2139-LEPT

  GUNN´s BUNNY LEPT

  1/72

  Product page

  Product page

  Recommended:

  for B-25J 1/72

  KITS 08/2022

  INFO Eduard48

  August 2022

• Page 49

  Sopwith F.1 Camel (Bentley) 1/48

  Weekend edition kit of British WWI fighter aircraft Sopwith F.1 Camel

  with Bentley BR.1 rotary engine in 1/48 scale.

  plastic parts: Eduard

  marking options: 4

  decals: Eduard

  PE parts: no

  painting mask: no

  resin parts: no

  #8485

  Product page

  KITS 08/2022

  INFO Eduard

  49

  August 2022

• Page 50

  B7190, Capt. Walter G. R. Hinchliffe, C Flight, No. 10(N) Sqn RNAS, Téteghem, France, March 1918

  B6212, FSL William John MacKenzie, No. 13(N) Sqn RNAS, Dunkerque, France, February 1918

  B6401 F/Cdr. Leonard H. Rochford, No. 3(N) Sqn RNAS, Dunkerque, France, January 1918

  "Hinch", as Walter Hinchliffe was called, scored six kills

  during World War I, all when at controls of a Camel. He

  shot down his second and third victims on the one of

  serial number B7190. Hinchliffe served with the artillery

  at the start of the Great War, only joining the ranks of

  the RNAS (Royal Navy Air Service) in 1916. He comple

  -

  ted his pilot training and served as an instructor at the

  RNAS base at Cranwell afterwards. There he clocked an

  incredible 1,250 flight hours in thirteen months. It was

  not until January 1918 that he joined No. 10 Sqn RNAS. He

  scored his first kill on February 3 when he shot down an

  Albatros D.V., his last one occurred on May 19. On June 3

  he suffered serious head and facial injuries after a crash

  and lost his left eye. After the War he flew as an airline

  pilot. In 1928 he attempted to fly across the Atlantic. He

  took off from Cranwell Airport on March 13 with co-pilot

  Elsie Mackay. They have not been seen since... “Hinch's”

  Camel bore a striking livery with blue and white stripes

  on the nose and a blue fuselage spine. There was a dra

  -

  wing of a devil on the wheel discs, the German word DO-

  NNERWETTER behind the cockpit, possibly on both sides,

  and a symbol, which was, according to the only known

  photo of this part of the aircraft, probably stylized com

  -

  bination of the letters W and H on the ridge of the aft

  fuselage. Upper and sides were probably in PC10 color.

  Camel B7190 was built by the Clayton & Shuttleworth

  company and was powered by a Bentley B.R.1 engine.

  Camel B6212 was manufactured at the Sopwith parent

  factory and delivered to No. 11(N) Sqn RNAS on August

  22, 1917. However, as early as September 2, it was

  sent to the Dunkerque Air Park, from where it went

  to the Seaplane Defence Squadron (SDS) on October

  22, where it was given the code designation M in very

  ornate lettering. The aircraft was assigned to Flight

  Sub-Lieutenant W. J. MacKenzie, who named it “Black

  Prince” and crashed it at Bergues on February 19, 1918.

  At that time the unit was already designated No. 13(N)

  Squadron. The damaged aircraft went for repairs and

  was eventually assigned to No. 203 Sqn RAF (formerly

  No. 3(N) Sqn RNAS). William J. Mackenzie, a native of

  Memphis, USA, joined the ranks of the Royal Naval Air

  Service in Canada in April 1917 and, after moving to

  Britain and training, he was transferred to the SDS on

  November 30. From there he went to No. 9(N) Sqn on

  March 1 and was one of the pilots who took part in the

  fateful dogfight in which Manfred von Richthofen was

  shot down on April 21, 1918. MacKenzie was wounded

  in this combat and, after recovering, returned to his

  original unit, now being No. 213 Sqn RAF, on October

  8. He flew a total of 250 operational hours during the

  war and achieved eight aerial victories.

  Camel B6401 was built at the Sopwith factory and was

  sent to No. 3(N) Sqn on November 20, 1917. Here it was

  decorated with the symbols of the rising sun on the

  elevator and vertical fin, also playing cards (King of

  Spades) were painted on the upper side of the bottom

  wing and a royal crown in a maple leaf on the back

  ridge of the fuselage. Leonard W. Rochford attempted

  to join the RNAS ranks at the start of the war, but as he

  was not yet 18 years old, he was rejected. So, he lear

  -

  ned to fly at the Royal Aero Club and began his univer-

  sity studies. However, by May 14, 1916, he was already

  confirmed at the rank of Flight Sub-Lieutenant as an

  RNAS pilot and assigned to No. 3(N) Sqn. Here he scored

  his first three victories flying the Sopwith Pup, and by

  the end of the war he had added 26 more in fifteen

  different Camels. He flew this aircraft during January

  and February 1918, scoring two kills, which were his

  sixth and seventh. Later this aircraft was also flown at

  the No. 213 Sqn by its most successful pilot, Canadian

  Lt. George C. Mackay, who shot down one of his eigh-

  teen victims with it on August 12.

  KITS 08/2022

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• Page 51

  D3328, 2Lt Wilfried Reid May, No. 209 Sqn RAF, Bertangles, France, April 21, 1918

  Camel D3328 was built at the Clayton Shuttelworth

  factory and served with No. 9(N) Sqn RNAS from

  March 12, 1918. The unit was redesignated No. 209

  Sqn RAF from April 1. On April 21, 1918, "Wop" May was

  flying this Camel during the epic dogfight, which en

  -

  ded with the death of Manfred von Richthofen. May

  was to be the pilot the Red Baron attacked before

  he himself was hit by fire from Capt. Brown, ground

  machine gunners, or both... The coloring of the air

  -

  craft is a reconstruction, there is no photo of the

  whole aircraft, but one close-up photo shows May in

  the cockpit of the aircraft with the LUCY inscription.

  The photo was taken in the second half of April, it

  is therefore possible that D3328 was so named. In

  another photograph, the first in the line of the No.

  209 Sqn Camels is an aircraft with a combination of

  white fuselage stripes and a fuselage cockade. Some

  Camels of the Squadron only had stripes on the fuse

  -

  lage, we opted for a more attractive version for the

  D3328... The serial numbers of the aircraft which had

  them painted on the fin disappeared under the red

  color paint, which along with the red nose was the

  squadron´s distinctive coloring.

  Recommended:

  for Sopwith F.1 Camel (Bentley) 1/48

  FE1215 Sopwith Camel seatbelts STEEL (PE

  -

  Set)

  FE1292 Sopwith Camel F.1 Camel (Bentley) Weekend (PE

  -

  Set)

  644116 Sopwith Camel LööK (Brassin)

  648657 Sopwith Camel wheels type 1 (Brassin)

  648658 Sopwith Camel wheels type 2 (Brassin)

  648659 Sopwith Camel seat (Brassin)

  648660 Sopwith Camel Vickers Mk.I gun (Brassin)

  648661 Sopwith Camel US Colt Vickers gun (Brassin)

  648662 Sopwith Camel 20lb bomb carrier (Brassin)

  648674 Sopwith Camel Rotherham air pumps (Brassin)

  648677 Sopwith Camel Bentley engine PRINT (Brassin)

  3DL48038 Sopwith Camel SPACE (3D Decal Set)

  EX879 Sopwith Camel (Mask)

  Cat. No. 644116

  Cat. No. 648677

  Cat. No. 648659

  KITS 08/2022

  INFO Eduard

  51

  August 2022

• Page 52

  #70141

  MiG-21MF interceptor

  1/72

  ProfiPACK edition kit of Soviet Cold War

  aircraft MiG-21MF in 1/72 scale.

  plastic parts: Eduard

  marking options: 5

  decals: Eduard

  PE parts: yes, pre-painted

  painting mask: yes

  resin parts: no

  Product page

  Re-release

  KITS 08/2022

  INFO Eduard52

  August 2022

• Page 53

  C/n 96007600, No. 7600, 11. Pułk Lotnictwa Myśliwskiego, Mierzęcice, Poland, early 90´

  C/n 96004017, No. 4017, 9 slp/ 9 sbolp, Bechyně, Czechoslovakia, early 90´

  C/n 96002170, No. 784, Jagdfliegergeschwader 3, Preschen, German Democratic Republic, late 80´

  The aircraft with a production number 96007600 was

  handed over to the Polish Air Force in December 1975.

  Consecutively, it was sent to the 34 Pułk Lotnictwa

  Myśliwskiego (Air Fighter Regiment) at Gdynia-Ba

  -

  bie Doły Base. The aircraft later served with several

  other units. From May 13, 1989 to October 1998 it was

  used by 2 Eskadra Lotnictwa Myśliwskiego, located

  at Mierzęcice Air Base. After that, the aircraft was

  sold to the USA in 1999, where it could have been

  seen in Texas Lone Star Flight Museum in Galveston

  until its heavy damage caused by the hurricane in

  the autumn 2008. MiG-21MF No. 7600 was painted in

  aluminum paint with Polish national insignia on the

  aft surfaces and on the undersides of the wing. There

  was a symbol of the 2 ELM painted on the nose of

  the aircraft and its smaller version was repeated on

  the vertical stabilizer. There was an 11 PLM symbol as

  well, painted behind the red number 7600.

  This MiG-21MF of 1 slp (1st Fighter Air Regiment)

  based at the České Budějovice airbase was handed

  over to 9 slp operating form nearby Bechyně airbase

  in 1988. The aircraft technician Vladimír Daňo pain

  -

  ted an emblem of the squirrel onto the aircraft, as

  he did to the other aircraft, he was servicing (four

  MiG-21MFs, one MiG-21UM and L-29), but it did not win

  too much favor with the HQ of the unit. After the order

  to remove the painting, it was oversprayed by gray

  color, but the nose of the aircraft got another emblem,

  this time a duck with a sword. With this decoration,

  the aircraft was handed over from No. 1 Squadron of

  9 sbolp (9th Fighter-Bomber Air Regiment) to 82 sslt

  (82nd Independent Fighter Squadron) based at the

  Ostrava Mošnov airbase. After a short stay there, the

  plane was deposited to LOZ (Aviation Repair Facility)

  Líně. In 1999 it was upgraded to MiG-21MFN version

  and put back into operation service again.

  On December 14, 1954, the 3rd Kommando of the

  1st Aeroklub was established in Cottbus; on Au-

  gust 24, 1956, it was renamed Fliegergeschwader

  No. 3. The same year the unit changed their training

  aircraft Yak-11 and Yak-18 for MiG-15 jets. The first

  MiG-21s were delivered to the unit in 1962 as the F-13

  variant. On March 1, 1971, this unit was bestowed on

  the honorary name after Russian cosmonaut Vladi

  -

  mir Komarov, who died in the crash of the spacecraft

  Soyuz 1 in 1967 when returning from space. A sche

  -

  duled change of MiG-21MFs for MiG-29s was sche-

  duled for 1988, but only two of three Staffeln did so.

  The camouflage of the Eastern German aircraft

  No. 784 consisted of two shades of green on the

  upper surfaces, the undersides were in light blue.

  Underneath the cockpit there was so-called Q-mark

  painted. It was a marking of the aircraft, which was

  in a diligent care of the ground crew.

  KITS 08/2022

  INFO Eduard

  53

  August 2022

• Page 54

  C/n 96006721, No. 6721, Regimentul 71 Aviaţie Vânătoare, Câmpia Turzii Airbase, Romania, 90´

  C/n 96005512, No. TZ-356, Senou Airbase, the Republic of Mali, 2006

  The first MiG-21s of the MF version were supplied to

  then Socialistic Republic of Romania in 1972. These

  aircraft first served along with the older versions of

  MiG-21s and MiG-15s, which were gradually replaced

  by MiG-21s. From 1975, the aircraft produced in plant

  No. 21 in Gorky were supplied to Escadrila de Aviaţie

  Vânătoare, which was renamed to Regimentul 71 Avi

  -

  aţie Vânătoare on June 30, 1986. On June 9, 1987, this

  unit was transferred from Devesel Base to Câmpia

  Turzii Base from where the unit operates until today.

  On November 22, 2006, Cpt. Cdr. Dan Ghica, crashed

  this aircraft near the town of Beliu and died in the

  crash. Like other aircraft produced in the Gorky Plant

  21, this aircraft was finished on all surfaces in gray

  color. The Romanian national insignia were placed

  on traditional six positions on the aircraft and were

  accompanied by the last four digits of the production

  number painted in red on the nose of the aircraft.

  Following the elimination of the MiG-21s from the

  Czech Air Force in the mid-2005, the MiG-21MFs

  Nos. 5508 and 5512 were purchased by The Repub

  -

  lic of Mali along with the MiG-21UM No. 9341. After

  the transfer of the aircraft to the Senou Airbase, all

  three fighter planes were assembled and readied by

  a group of Czech technicians and two pilots. After

  the check-flights were these aircraft handed over

  to Malian Air Force. The final phase of the handover

  mission included the fly-by of TZ-356 MiG-21MF flown

  by Malian pilot above the capital city of Bamako. The

  TZ-356 aircraft, as the MiG-21MF No. 5512 was remar

  -

  ked, was painted in a camouflage consisting of two

  shades of green and two shades of brown colors on

  the upper surfaces and on the sides of the fuselage.

  The undersides were painted blue. The Malian natio

  -

  nal insignia were painted in six positions.

  KITS 08/2022

  INFO Eduard54

  August 2022

• Page 55

  OVERTREES

  OVERLEPT

  #70141X

  MiG-21MF interceptor

  1/72

  #70141-LEPT

  MiG-21MF interceptor

  1/72

  Product page

  Product page

  Recommended:

  for MiG-21MF interceptor 1/72

  72689 MiG-21MF (PE

  -

  Set)

  SS700 MiG-21MF interceptor Weekend (PE

  -

  Set)

  672180 MiG-21MF Interceptor cockpit (Brassin)

  672181 MiG-21MF exhaust nozzle (Brassin)

  672182 MiG-21MF wheels (Brassin)

  672184 MiG-21MF pylons (Brassin)

  672185 R-3S missiles for MiG-21 (Brassin)

  672186 R-3S missiles w/ pylons for MiG-21 (Brassin)

  672189 UB-16 rocket launchers for MiG-21 (Brassin)

  672190 UB-16 rocket launchers w/ pylons for MiG-21 (Brassin)

  672191 RS-2US missiles for MiG-21 (Brassin)

  672192 RS-2US missiles w/ pylons for MiG-21 (Brassin)

  672193 MiG-21MF airbrakes (Brassin)

  672195 SPS-141 ECM pod for MiG-21 (Brassin)

  672197 MiG-21MF ejection seat (Brassin)

  SIN67217 MiG-21MF armament (Brassin)

  3DL72002 MiG-21MF SPACE (3D Decal Set)

  D72015 MiG-21MF stencils (Decal Set)

  CX512 MiG-21MF TFace (Mask)

  Cat. No. 672180

  Cat. No. 672181

  KITS 08/2022

  INFO Eduard

  55

  August 2022

• Page 56

  #82147

  Fw 190A-8

  1/48

  ProfiPACK edition kit of German WWII fighter

  aircraft Fw 190A-8 in 1/48 scale.

  plastic parts: Eduard

  No. of decal options: 5

  decals: Eduard

  PE parts: yes, pre-painted

  painting mask: yes

  resin parts: no

  Product page

  Re-release

  KITS 08/2022

  INFO Eduard56

  August 2022

• Page 57

  WNr. 350189, 12./JG 5, Herdla, Norway, Spring 1945

  Ofhr. Walter Köhne, 3./JG 1, Bad Lippspringe, Germany, May 1944

  WNr. 960542, Stab/JG 4, Jüterbog-Damm, Germany, Spring 1945

  The end of the war found 9. and 12. Staffeln JG 5

  stationed at Herdla. While 9. Staffel flew a mix of

  Fw 190A-2/3/8s and even the odd Fw 190F-8 used

  exclusively in the fighter role, 12. Staffel was equi

  -

  pped with the Fw 190A-8. Fw 190s flown by 12./JG5

  carried the standard camouflage scheme consisting

  of RLM 74/75/76 and have been photographed on

  several occasions carrying the Defence of the Reich

  yellow and black band on the rear fuselage. The code

  was painted in blue, consistent with the Staffel, as

  were the cowl ring and spinner.

  Shortly after the attack on the Soviet Union, Walter

  Köhne was seriously wounded. Following a long peri

  -

  od of recuperation, he was assigned to 2./JG 1 on June

  4, 1943, at the time based at Deelen, Netherlands.

  He flew combat over western Europe up to the end

  of the war, achieving a total of thirty kills, the ma

  -

  jority of which were B-17 and B-24 heavy bombers.

  The standard camouflage scheme of this Fw 190A-8 is

  supplemented by Defense of the Reich JG 1 markings;

  a 900-mm wide red fuselage band, the JG 1 unit mar

  -

  king and a personal marking in the form of the name

  of the dog that was the 3. Staffel mascot.

  Stab of JG 4 used the Fw 190D-9 against the Allies

  and this Fw 190A-8 was likely a reserve aircraft. It

  was built under license by Norddeutsche Dornier in

  Wismar and was painted in the standard camouflage

  scheme consisting of RLM 74/75/76. The JG 4 aircraft

  that were integrated into the Defense of the Reich

  system carried a black-white-black fuselage band.

  The JG 4 unit marking appeared on the left side

  of the cowl.

  KITS 08/2022

  INFO Eduard

  57

  August 2022

• Page 58

  WNr. 171180, 6./JG 300, München-Neubiberg, Germany, April–May 1945

  WNr. 172733, Uffz. Ernst Schröder, 5./JG 300, Löbnitz, Germany, October 1944

  Fw 190A-8, WNr. 171180, built by the parent company,

  was discovered by the Allies at the end of the war

  at the airfield in Neubiberg, not too far from Munich.

  Damage sustained during taxiing on April 24, 1945,

  was never repaired. JG300, as a Defense of the Reich

  unit flying over Germany, marked its aircraft with

  a blue-white-blue 900 mm wide fuselage band in

  1945. The previous red fuselage band was disconti

  -

  nued in January 1945 and continued only on aircraft

  served with JG 1. The original fuselage crosses were

  overpainted and replaced with simplified versions in

  black. Similarly, the fuselage code was replaced with

  the yellow 4.

  The aircraft flown by Ernst Schröder in October 1944

  carried II. Gruppe markings in the form of a horizon

  -

  tal bar in the Staffel color behind the fuselage cross.

  The slogan Kölle alaaf with the Cologne Coat of Arms

  appeared on the left side of the fuselage, while the

  name of Schroder’s girlfriend, Edelgard appeared

  on the right. In November, the II. Gruppe marking di

  -

  sappeared under the 900 mm wide red band on the

  rear fuselage. At the same time, the coat of arms was

  complemented with shadowing as was the second

  part of the inscription. Also an exclamation point was

  added. The name of the girlfriend took on a fancier

  appearance.

  KITS 08/2022

  INFO Eduard58

  August 2022

• Page 59

  OVERTREES

  OVERLEPT

  #82147X Fw 190A-8 1/48

  #82147-LEPT

  Fw 190A-8 1/48

  Product page

  Product page

  Recommended:

  for Fw 190A-8 1/48

  48992 Fw 190A-8 (PE

  -

  Set)

  48993 Fw 190A-8 landing flaps (PE

  -

  Set)

  FE863 Fw 190A seatbelts STEEL (PE

  -

  Set)

  644015 Fw 190A-8 LööK (Brassin)

  648356 Fw 190A wingroot gun bays (Brassin)

  648366 Fw 190A propeller (Brassin)

  648381 Fw 190A exhaust stacks (Brassin)

  648461 Fw 190A-8 engine (Brassin)

  648462 Fw 190A-8 fuselage guns (Brassin)

  648463 Fw 190A-8 cockpit (Brassin)

  648464 Fw 190A-8 engine & fuselage guns (Brassin)

  648476 Fw 190A-8 undercarriage legs BRONZE (Brassin)

  SIN64861 Fw 190A-8 ESSENTIAL (Brassin)

  3DL48079 Fw 190A-8 SPACE (3D Decal Set)

  D48037 Fw 190A-8 national insignia (Decal Set)

  EX587 Fw 190A TFace (Mask)

  Cat. No. 648463

  Cat. No. 648461

  KITS 08/2022

  INFO Eduard

  59

  August 2022

• Page 60

  BRASSIN

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard

  and STEEL seatbelts for A-1J in 1/48 scale.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Tamiya

  Set contains:

  - resin: 1 part

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details:

  yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard

  and STEEL seatbelts for F4F-3 in 1/48 scale.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - resin: 1 part

  - 3D parts: 1 part

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  644165

  A-1J Löök

  1/48 Tamiya

  644172

  F4F-3 late LööK

  1/48 Eduard

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard60

  August 2022

• Page 61

  Collection of 4 sets for Beaufighter Mk.VI in 1/48 scale.

  Recommended kit: Tamiya

  - LööK set (pre-painted Brassin dashboards & Steelbelts)

  - TFace painting mask

  - undercarriage wheels

  - exhausts

  Collection of 4 sets for Beaufighter Mk.X in 1/48 scale.

  Recommended kit: Tamiya

  - LööK set (pre-painted Brassin dashboards & Steelbelts)

  - TFace painting mask

  - undercarriage wheels

  - exhausts

  644169

  Beaufighter Mk.VI LööKplus

  1/48 Tamiya

  644170

  Beaufighter Mk.X LööKplus

  1/48 Tamiya

  Product page

  Product page

  BRASSIN 02/2022

  BRASSIN

  INFO Eduard

  61

  August 2022

• Page 62

  BRASSIN

  Brassin set - the wheel bay for P-51D Mustang

  in 1/48 scale. Made by direct 3D printing.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D parts: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - the undercarriage wheels for A-1J

  in 1/48 scale. The set consists of the main wheels

  and a tail wheel. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Tamiya

  Set contains:

  - resin: 3 parts

  - 3D print: 1 part

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: yes

  648742

  P-51D wheel bay PRINT

  1/48 Eduard

  648761

  A-1J wheels

  1/48 Tamiya

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard62

  August 2022

• Page 63

  BRASSIN 02/2022

  BRASSIN

  Brassin set - the exhausts for F4F-3 in 1/48 scale.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Made by direct 3D printing. Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D parts: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - the undercarriage wheels for F4F-3

  in 1/48 scale. The set consists of the main wheels

  and a tail wheel. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - resin: 5 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: yes

  648766

  F4F-3 exhausts PRINT

  1/48 Eduard

  648767

  F4F-3 wheels early

  1/48 Eduard

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  63

  August 2022

• Page 64

  BRASSIN

  Brassin set - the undercarriage wheels for F4F-3

  in 1/48 scale. The set consists of the main wheels

  and a tail wheel. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - resin: 5 parts

  - 3D parts: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes

  - painting mask: yes

  648768

  F4F-3 wheels late

  1/48 Eduard

  648769

  F4F gun barrels PRINT

  1/48 Eduard

  Product page

  Product page

  Brassin set - the gun barrels for F4F in 1/48 scale.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Made by direct 3D printing. Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 6 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  INFO Eduard64

  August 2022

• Page 65

  BRASSIN 02/2022

  BRASSIN

  Brassin set - the ejection seats for EA-18G

  in 1/48 scale. The set consists of two seats.

  Recommended kit: Meng

  Set contains:

  - resin: 6 parts

  - decals: yes

  - photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - the undercarriage wheels for EA-18G

  in 1/48 scale. The set consists of the main wheels

  and nose wheels. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic

  parts. Recommended kit: Meng

  Set contains:

  - resin: 6 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: yes

  648773

  EA-18G ejection seats

  1/48 Meng

  648774

  EA-18G wheels

  1/48 Meng

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  65

  August 2022

• Page 66

  BRASSIN

  Brassin set - the cockpit for F4F-3 in 1/48 scale.

  Made by direct 3D printing. Easy to assemble,

  replaces plastic parts. Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 12 parts

  - decals: yes

  - photo-etched details:

  yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - the rudder pedals for Luftwaffe WW2

  a/c in 1/48 scale. The set consists of 3 pairs of pedals.

  Made by direct 3D printing.

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 6 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  648777

  F4F-3 cockpit w/ reflector gun sight PRINT

  1/48 Eduard

  648778

  Luftwaffe rudder pedals PRINT

  1/48

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard66

  August 2022

• Page 67

  BRASSIN 02/2022

  BRASSIN

  Brassin set - undercarriage legs for F4F in 1/48 scale.

  The legs are made of bronze. Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 4 parts

  - bronze: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - the undercarriage wheels for Su-25

  in 1/48 scale. The set consists of the main wheels

  and a nose wheel. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic

  parts. Recommended kit: Zvezda

  Set contains:

  - resin: 4 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes

  - painting mask: yes

  648779

  F4F undercarriage legs BRONZE

  1/48 Eduard

  648780

  Su-25 wheels

  1/48 Zvezda

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  67

  August 2022