10/2023

How did you like E-Day? Don’t worry, I’m not going to take up precious real estate thoroughly describing the event today, since that will be covered in a Special Edition of our newsletter, slated to come out the second week of October. However, in today’s issue you will find a basic photo gallery of what was there. This year, the second to be held in Milovice, confirmed the potential of the Tankodrom for an event of this type. With that, we can continue to evolve and develop the program to satisfy the concept that goes hand in hand with the venue.

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  INFO Eduard

  e-magazine FREE Vol 22 October 2023

  # 164

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  INFO Eduard

  e-magazine FREE Vol 22 October 2023

  # 164

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  eduardeduard

  OCTOBER 2023

  CONTENTS

  EDITORIAL

  KITS

  BRASSIN

  PHOTO

  -

  ETCHED SETS

  BIG ED

  BUILT

  ON APPROACH

  –

  November 2023

  TAIL END CHARLIE

  HISTORY

  BOXART STORY

  EVENTS

  Z-526 Trenér Master ProfiPACK 1/48

  ALBATROS Limited 1/72

  HRÁBĚ Limited 1/48

  S-199 bubble canopy Weekend 1/72

  F4F-3 Wildcat Weekend 1/48

  F6F-5 ProfiPACK 1/48 reedice

  Sopwith F.1 Camel (Clerget) 1/48

  Small but handy

  -

  American and British Escort

  Aircraft Carriers

  Air war over Ukraine -

  The promise of F-16s

  and Prigozhin’s downfall

  Avion fatal

  Those mistrusted

  Wings of Neutrality

  Against the Tsurugi Butai

  E

  -

  DAY 2023

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

  Mírová 170, Obrnice 435 21

  support@eduard.com www.eduard.com

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  28

  36

  64

  80

  90

  96

  98

  118

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  EDITORIAL

  How did you like E

  -

  Day? Don’t worry, I’m not going

  to take up precious real estate thoroughly describing

  the event today, since that will be covered in a Special

  Edition of our newsletter, slated to come out the second

  week of October. However, in today’s issue you will find

  a basic photo gallery of what was there. This year, the

  second to be held in Milovice, confirmed the potential of

  the Tankodrom for an event of this type. With that, we can

  continue to evolve and develop the program to satisfy the

  concept that goes hand in hand with the venue. My mind is

  centered around the Friday evening program, set aside for

  competing modelers and vendors. It’s a bit tough to come

  up with something that would be of interest and fit into

  the timeline of setting up and dinner time. Performance

  of Milan Mikulecký this year was undoubtedly interesting,

  but I did not find the attendance satisfactory. The

  performance of the CTU academic orchestra on Saturday

  morning, at the start of Saturday’s main program, inspired

  the idea of screening old aviation films on Friday evening

  and having that as a pleasant accompaniment to the

  evenings activities. One film would be enough, as there

  wouldn’t be time to screen more than one. It goes without

  saying that adequate refreshments would be provided,

  a good movie needs popcorn and, in our modelling

  environment, also plenty of beer. This year’s issue, the

  absence of any refreshments on Friday night, will not

  be repeated. I promise that next year, everything will

  be available, including coffee, if only because next year

  there will be a cafe right in the lobby. I hope that some

  bureaucratic trap composed of red tape will not prevent

  it. And if we are to cultivate culture, I would also like to

  start the Saturday program with a short performance by

  the CTU Academic Orchestra next year. This got a little

  lost in the hustle and bustle this year, so next year we will

  bring it downstairs, to the exhibition area. I must admit

  that I started compiling a repertoire for next year already

  on Sunday, and I’m already looking forward to discussing

  it with Mr. Šrámek, the conductor!

  The second point that is on my mind is the results

  announcement. Even I do not consider the current system

  to be perfect, and I want to change it. The problem is

  that I don’t quite know what the change should look like.

  We need to strike a balance between the dignity of the

  ceremony and its length, and these two are in a bit of

  a conflict with one another. However, the fact that the

  ceremony must be shorter is beyond dispute. I believe we

  will find a solution.

  New Releases

  To write extensively about October’s new items now

  that everyone already knows what they are and a good

  number already have them in their possession seems

  a little like carrying firewood into the forest, as a local

  saying goes. As always at this time, the news lineup is

  very much a domestic oriented affair, due to E-day and

  our dogged effort to have items there that appeal to the

  domestic market. That’s why we risked buying moldings

  for the Su-25K from Zvezda, for the Hrábě (pronounced

  ‘hrab-ye’ and translates into English as ‘rake’, given its

  pylons), a kit we planned long before the start of the

  Russian war against Ukraine. We also repaired the molds

  for the 72nd scale L-39 Albatros and prepared new

  canopy for the kit. Admittedly, we made it by the skin of

  our teeth, but we made it and the separate canopies we

  took to sell as stand alone sets, plus the complete models

  with them, were gone in no time. With a slight delay, the

  new canopy will also available as an Overtrees item in

  our e-shop. Both Limited Edtion kits, Hrábe/Rake and the

  Albatros, are a hit, being very popular at E-day and its

  corresponding Afterparty.

  Bundles

  In September, our new Bundle sets appeared for the

  first time during the launch of new products in our e-shop.

  For those who may not know what it is, I will remind you

  that they are sets combining a specific model with one of

  its dedicated accessory items or Overtrees at a discounted

  price. The price is designed so that the Bundle is always

  worth more than the purchase of the individual items

  separately, even during sales events. Additional discounts

  are prohibited on Bundles, so they are always sold at the

  same price, even during Afterparty events. It’s our attempt

  to get a somewhat stalled business going. It appears to be

  a successful attempt. Back in September, we still didn’t

  know which type of Bundles would be popular and which

  would fail. Of course, everyone who does something like

  this has their own ideas, and some of them come true

  and some don’t. With Bundles, we embarked on a learning

  curve. The first attempt, Weekend Bundles with masks,

  flopped. I admit that I kinda expected it. Shortly before the

  launch, we experienced a surge on modelling forums that

  indicated that modellers dearly wanted masks to go with

  the Weekend kits, and that they would be willing to pay for

  them. The experiment with the Mask Bundles showed that

  this was certainly not the case. On the other hand, they

  will gladly and willingly buy Overtrees. It’s no surprise,

  we know, that the Bundles make Overtrees even more

  attractive. What was surprising was that the Kurfirst

  Bundle with a Brassin engine sold so wildly that we

  sometimes had trouble keeping stock in our warehouse.

  In October, the results are looking similar, going by

  E-day and its Afterparty. The Su-25K Bundle with said kit

  and its 3D positive riveting set with additional weapons

  are selling very well. This one is going so fast that it is

  temporarily unavailable because we have to make new

  molds for the weapons set and production has been

  delayed by this. This Bundle will go back on sale sometime

  next week, unless all the Rakes are sold out by then.

  Bundles will always be on sale from when that

  month's new releases appear, until the following month's

  equivalents replace them. As more new products

  are introduced, the previous month's Bundles will be

  withdrawn from sale, some will remain in the range until

  stocks last. So, they will always be on sale for about

  a month. Some may return in a slightly modified form in

  the future. For example, the Kurfürst + engine Bundle will

  probably return in January as the Bf 109 K-4 + engine. It

  will always be a short term thing, though. In any case, the

  decision to buy should be made pretty quickly, because

  these will adhere to the concept of “you snooze, you lose”.

  Articles

  In this issue, we update the Air War over Ukraine

  by Miro Baric, and we have an article about US escort

  carriers in World War II by Jean Laffitte. As this one is

  rather long and complex, there are just Boxart Story

  articles to complement it in the content of this issue. Two

  were written by Jan Bobek, one by Richard Plos and the

  fourth one by owner of the aircraft portrayed in the boxart

  of Z-526, Radim Vojta. Then, we have a photo report from

  E

  -

  Day along with a picture gallery of the model of the top

  winner of this year’s Czech Model Masters and a report

  from this year’s Czech Plastic Modeling Championships.

  Where You Can Meet Us

  We will be attending some exhibitions in October. This

  week, our first little expedition takes us to Italy, and on the

  way back, we plan on hitting the museum in Piana delle

  Orme, where we want to have a close look at one exhibit,

  and we will stop off at an exhibition in Bergamo. A week

  later we will be in the Netherlands in Eindhoven and at the

  same time some of our people will be in Nitra, Slovakia.

  And while we’re on the subject of shows, I've got some

  pretty fresh news especially for our British friends: we’ll

  be in Telford this year.

  And that’s it for me this month.

  Happy Modelling!

  Vladimír Šulc

  INFO Eduard4

  October 2023

• Page 5

  Selected kits from the October offer can be

  purchased separately or in two variants of the

  discounted BUNDLE package. This BUNDLE

  offer is our limited time offer from

  21 September to 15 October 2023,

  or while stocks last.

  www.eduard.com

• Small but handy

  The smallest aircraft carriers were referred to as escort carriers. They were typically converted from vessels for other purposes and primarily provided protection to numerous supply convoys. Aircraft from their decks also took off for reconnaissance flights, amphibious operations support, and operated in coordination with large aircraft carriers, especially in the Pacific. They also played a significant role in anti-submarine warfare.

  HISTORY

  Due to their construction method, which

  usually involved conversion from existing

  sufficiently large ships, a large number of

  escort aircraft carriers could be built during

  World War II, and many of them continued to

  serve in the post-war period.

  The British Royal Navy experienced a

  shortage of aircraft carriers early in the war.

  At the outset, they had ships that had been

  converted during World War I. HMS Argus,

  which was built in 1914 and modified into an

  aircraft carrier towards the end of World War I,

  was reactivated from reserve, but her role was

  primarily for transport or escorting convoys.

  HMS Furious was also converted into an aircraft

  carrier during World War I, and in the 1920s,

  sister ships HMS Glorious and HMS Courageous

  were similarly modified. Another conversion,

  this time from the battleship Almirante

  Cochrane originally ordered by Chile, resulted

  in HMS Eagle. Although HMS Hermes was built

  from the beginning as an aircraft carrier, it was

  still based on the design of a light cruiser.

  The first British ship designed from the outset

  as an aircraft carrier was HMS Ark Royal. Six

  more British aircraft carriers were based on

  her design, with the only difference being the

  requirement for armor on the sides of the hull

  and flight and hangar decks. The armor plates

  for these carriers were supplied by Vítkovice

  Ironworks in then Czechoslovakia. This way,

  HMS Illustrious, Victorious, Formidable, and

  Indomitable were created. Two more were built

  during the war and entered service in 1944. The

  extensive use of armor became a characteristic

  of British ships, and their durability was

  especially evident during their service in the

  Indian and Pacific Oceans. However, given the

  small number of aircraft carriers in the early

  years of the war, the losses for the Royal Navy

  were significant. HMS Courageous was sunk

  by U-27 on September 17, 1939, while sister

  ship HMS Glorious was sunk by the German

  battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau during

  the Norwegian campaign on June 8, 1940. HMS

  Ark Royal and HMS Eagle were both sunk by

  German submarines. The first was lost to U-81

  on November 13, 1941, and the second to U-73 on

  August 1, 1942. HMS Hermes was sunk on April

  9, 1942, near Ceylon after being hit by dozens of

  Japanese dive bombers.

  Even without these losses, all British aircraft

  carriers would not have been able to protect

  convoys adequately, especially given the high

  risk of submarine torpedo attacks during convoy

  voyages. The number of convoys required

  a swift response. Aircraft taking off from the

  mainland could only provide air protection up

  The smallest aircraft carriers were referred to as escort carriers. They were

  typically converted from vessels for other purposes and primarily provided

  protection to numerous supply convoys. Aircraft from their decks also took off

  for reconnaissance flights, amphibious operations support, and operated in

  coordination with large aircraft carriers, especially in the Pacific. They also played

  a significant role in anti-submarine warfare.

  Text: Jean Lafitte

  AVG-30 (later CVE-30) USS Charger at anchor, May 12, 1942. She is painted in Camouflage Measure 12 (Modified).

  Photo: NHHC

  SMALL BUT HANDY

  British Aircraft

  Carriers

  AMERICAN AND

  BRITISH ESCORT

  AIRCRAFT

  CARRIERS

  INFO Eduard6

  October 2023

• Page 7

  Photo: NHHC

  HISTORY

  to a certain distance from the shores of Canada

  and the British Isles. Coastal Command aircraft

  also conducted reconnaissance over a large

  part of the Atlantic and later in the North Sea.

  Convoy routes along the northern route to the

  Soviet Union were constantly at risk of being

  detected by aerial reconnaissance and targeted

  by German bombers or torpedo planes because

  the routes were limited by the ice boundary and,

  in the winter months, led too close to Norway's

  North Cape. These convoy routes were easily

  reachable by Luftwaffe aircraft and too far for

  British aircraft from the Orkney Islands. The

  Soviet Naval Air Forces did not have enough

  resources to protect convoys since they had to

  primarily defend Soviet ports.

  CAM (Catapult Aircraft

  Merchant Ship)

  A quick solution was found in the form of CAM

  ships. Several merchant vessels were equipped

  with catapults that allowed aircraft to take off.

  However, each of these "catapults" was risky

  because they often led to the loss of the aircraft,

  as pilots usually had no choice but to land on the

  sea. In most cases, Hawker Hurricane aircraft

  borrowed from the RAF were used. Some ships

  could carry up to four of them. The launch was

  done from a metal structure on the bow, and

  rockets provided the energy for the catapult.

  These modified ships were called CAM (Catapult

  Aircraft Merchant Ship), and a total of eight

  privately-owned ships were converted, with two

  of them being sunk. Additionally, 27 ships of the

  Ministry of War Transport were converted, with

  ten of them being sunk. Although this solution

  may seem desperate at first glance, Hurricanes

  or “Catafighters,” as the modified Hurricanes

  were called for this role, achieved successes.

  The first success came on April 26, 1942, when

  a Hurricane from SS Empire Morn (convoy QP 12),

  piloted by F/O J. B. Kendal, chased away a Blohm

  & Voss BV 138 and shot down a Junkers Ju 88A-4

  “4D+IT” from III./KG 30. Unfortunately, Kendal

  was killed during the subsequent sea landing.

  Another successful engagement occurred on

  May 26, 1942, over convoy PQ 16 when Pilot P/O

  Hay, launched from SS Empire Lawrence, shot

  down two Heinkel He 111s. However, his Hurricane

  was shot down by Heinkel's defensive fire. Some

  sources suggest that it was "friendly" fire from

  the American ship Carlton. Given the massive

  attacks by both submarines and the Luftwaffe,

  it's not surprising that this happened, as convoy

  PQ 16 was under constant threat. The pilot was

  injured but was rescued by the escort destroyer

  HMS Volunteer. Among the seven ships sunk out

  of a total of 36, SS Empire Lawrence was one

  Drawing prepared by the Bureau of Ships for a camouflage scheme intended for escort aircraft carriers of the

  Casablanca class. This plan, showing the ship’s starboard side, forward flight deck end, and stern, is dated April

  13, 1944 and was approved by Captain Torvald A. Solberg.

  HMS Ark Royal was the first British carrier built for the purpose from the beginning. Armour steel

  plates were supplied by then Czechoslovak Vítkovice Steel company.

  Photo: Wikipedia

  INFO Eduard

  7

  October 2023

• Page 8

  of them. So, Hay may have been fortunate that

  he was rescued by HMS Volunteer, which was

  not among the sunken ships. The opportunity

  to reach a land base was utilized by F/O A. H.

  Burr on September 18, 1942, launched from SS

  Empire Morn. He first shot down two Heinkel

  He 111s and then headed for a Russian airfield.

  F/O N. Taylor shot down a Focke-Wulf Fw 200

  Condor on November 1, 1942, after taking off

  from SS Empire Heath as part of convoy HG 91.

  The last success of Hurricane catapult fighters

  occurred on the same day when F/O P. J. R. Flynn

  shot down a Fw 200.

  British Escort Aircraft Carriers

  The need for a large number of carriers and

  the impracticality of CAM ships led to the idea

  of converting suitable merchant vessels into

  aircraft carriers. The expected lower speed of

  such ships was not a significant issue given

  their role in protecting convoys, as convoy

  speeds were always determined by the slowest

  ship. The conversion of the first escort aircraft

  carrier used the originally German merchant

  ship Hannover, which the British captured in

  the West Indies in March 1940. They renamed

  it Sindibad, then SS Empire Audacity. It was

  refitted and put into service as HMS Empire

  Audacity, with the conversion taking place in

  Clyde shipyards. The first landing on its deck

  was performed by a Grumman Martlet Mk.I from

  No. 802 Naval Air Squadron (FAA) on July 10,

  1941. All six aircraft in its air group had to be

  stored on the flight deck because the expedited

  conversion to an escort carrier did not include

  a hangar deck. The Admiralty disliked its

  merchant name, so HMS Empire Audacity was

  renamed HMS Audacity on July 31, 1941.

  The short operational service demonstrated

  the effectiveness of this solution. During the

  sailing of convoy OG 74, one of the Condors was

  shot down by a Martlet. The most significant

  engagements occurred during the voyage of

  convoy OG 76. Four Condors were shot down

  during an attack by KG40, and Eric “Winkle”

  Brown claimed his first aerial victory. One

  Martlet was lost. During the voyage of the convoy

  HG 76, about twelve submarines attacked, and

  HMS Audacity had only four Martlets to fend off

  the aerial attacks. They managed to shoot down

  two Condors. During an attack on U-131 Type IXc,

  one Martlet was shot down, and its pilot was

  killed, but the submarine could not submerge

  after the attack and was sunk by its crew

  after further damage from the convoy escort's

  gunfire. Subsequently, 47 men from U-131 were

  captured.

  When HMS Audacity left the convoy on the

  night of December 21, 1941, a hasty signal from

  one merchant ship ignited a flare, revealing the

  silhouette to lurking submarines. Capturing an

  aircraft carrier was a valued prize for German

  Henry J. Kaiser presents President Franklin D. Roosevelt with a model of the escort carriers that he was

  constructing at Vancouver, Washington, on March 18, 1943. Kaiser built 50 of these Casablanca class carriers in

  1943–44.

  USS Long Island under conversion at Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. Yard, April 1, 1941. She had

  received the name Long Island on March 31, 1941. Note flight deck under construction and temporary retention

  of her neutrality MKGS open. Lighter YC-301 is in left background.

  Moored at Naval Air Station, North Island, California, on June 2, 1942, shortly before she sortied with Task Force

  ONE under Vice Admiral William S. Pye.

  Photo: NHHC

  Photo: NHHCPhoto: NHHC

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard8

  October 2023

• Page 9

  submariners, and the mistake to reveal the

  silhouette led to reports of the sinking of

  an Illustrious-class carrier, which German

  propaganda duly exploited.

  Other British Escort Aircraft Carriers have

  connections with those built in the United States,

  so let's cross the Atlantic westbound and look at

  the construction of the aircraft carriers in the

  USA.

  The largest production of escort aircraft

  carriers during the war unsurprisingly took

  place in shipyards in the United States. They

  built a total of 124 ships, 38 of them were

  delivered to the Royal Navy.

  The Long Island Class

  The first class of escort aircraft carriers

  produced in the USA was named after the first

  ship in the class, the Long Island. The basis for

  these carriers was the hulls and engines of

  standardized merchant ships Type C3 designed

  in the 1930s. Between 1939 and 1946, a total of 162

  of these ships were built. For conversion, the MS

  Rio de la Plata and MS Mormacmaild were used.

  The first completed ship supplied to the British

  was named HMS Archer. It was 150 meters long,

  and its wooden flight deck was 120 meters long.

  It was powered by four diesel engines driving

  a single propeller. The maximum speed was 16.5

  knots, equivalent to 30.6 km/h. The ship was

  equipped with one catapult and one elevator

  to the hangar. Its capacity was 15 aircraft with

  a combination of Grumman Martlet or Hawker

  Sea Hurricane and anti-submarine Fairey

  Swordfish or Grumman Avenger. The operational

  use of this vessel raised concerns in the Royal

  Navy due to its high rate of breakdowns.

  Eventually, HMS Archer was taken out of service

  and later returned to the USA. It underwent

  conversion into a merchant ship and continued

  sailing until the 1960s when it was scrapped in

  1961 after a fire.

  The second ship of this class (but the first

  one completed) was designated for the US Navy,

  named USS Long Island, and initially marked

  as AVG-1, then ACV-1, and finally CVE-1. Since

  Flight deck of USS Suwannee (CVE-27) 90 minutes after a Japanese suicide plane’s bomb had ripped a hole in it.

  Hole is patched and ship is ready to land aircraft. Note that only four wires, instead of eight, are being used. All

  landings were made without mishap.

  Sunk Escort Carriers

  CVE-56 USS Liscome Bay – sunk by a torpedo

  from the Japanese submarine I-175 on Novem-

  ber 24, 1943, near Butaritari (Makin).

  CVE-73 USS Gambier Bay – as mentioned ear-

  lier, sunk on October 25, 1944, during the Battle

  off Samar.

  CVE-63 USS St. Lo - sunk after a kamikaze

  attack on October 25, 1944, during the Battle of

  Leyte.

  CVE-79 USS Ommaney Bay – sunk on January 4,

  1945, after a kamikaze attack.

  CVE-95 USS Bismarck Sea - sunk on February

  21, 1945, after a kamikaze attack near Iwo Jima.

  Explosion on USS ST. Lo (CVE-63) after she

  was hit be a Kamikaze of Samar on October

  25, 1944.

  Photo: NHHC

  US Navy Escort

  Aircraft Carriers

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard

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  October 2023

• Page 10

  she entered service before the outbreak of

  the war in the Pacific, she could be used for

  testing, which later helped in organizing aircraft

  operations on CVE-class ships. Shortly after

  the Japanese attack, she was transferred with

  reinforcements to the Pacific. When she arrived

  in San Francisco on June 5, she immediately

  joined Admiral William S. Pye’s Task Force One

  (TF 1), which consisted of seven battleships,

  providing the air cover. TF 1’s task was to protect

  the US West Coast and potentially reinforce

  Admiral Chester Nimitz's forces during the

  Battle of Midway. Another important mission

  was the transport of nineteen Wildcats and

  Dauntlesses to Henderson Field during the

  Battle of Guadalcanal. Although she received

  the designation of an aircraft carrier, USS Long

  Island served the entire war as a transport ship

  and was eventually converted into a passenger

  ship.

  The Avenger Class

  Following the two ships of the Long Island

  class, there were four similar vessels referred

  to as the Avenger class. All of them were

  again conversions from C3-type cargo ships

  constructed by the Dry Sun Shipbuilding

  Company and Ch. Pennsylvania Shipbuilding

  Company. The parameters of these ships were

  similar to the previous class. Three of them

  were delivered to the Royal Navy as HMS

  Avenger, HMS Biter, and HMS Dasher. The fourth

  ship remained in the service with the United

  States Navy as the USS Charger.

  British ships were extensively used for convoy

  escort duties, especially to the USSR. Their

  most significant action was their participation

  in Operation Torch, the Allied landings in North

  Africa. All three Avenger-class ships were

  part of this operation. HMS Avenger was sunk

  west of Gibraltar on November 15, 1942, by the

  German submarine U-155 under the command

  of Kapitänleutnant Adolf Piening. A total of 516

  crew members lost their lives in the sinking.

  HMS Dasher sank due to an unexplained

  explosion near the Firth of Clyde base on March

  27, 1943. One of the possible explanations was

  a mishap involving one of the aircraft on board,

  leading to the ignition of gasoline fumes from

  leaking tanks. The loss of 379 out of 528 crew

  members was a tragedy, despite the swift

  assistance from other ships. Many sailors

  managed to escape the ship but succumbed to

  hypothermia or burns suffered during the fire.

  HMS Biter was returned to the US Navy in April

  1945. After undergoing repairs, it was loaned to

  the French Navy and renamed Dixmude (D97).

  From 1945 to 1949, it participated in several

  campaigns in French Indochina, primarily

  operating Douglas Dauntless aircraft as part of

  Flotille 3FB.

  The fourth ship of the Avenger class, USS

  Charger (CVE-30), served throughout the war

  in Chesapeake Bay as a training ship for pilots

  and carrier flight deck crews. After the war, it

  was converted into a passenger ship named

  Fairsea and mainly transported migrants to

  Australia. Notably, the Gibb family, including

  future Bee Gees members Barry, Maurice, and

  Robin, arrived in Australia on its deck, as did the

  parents of Kylie Minogue.

  The Sangamon Class

  Previous ships were constructed based

  on standardized C3 merchant ships, which

  were characterized by a propulsion system

  consisting of four diesel engines driving a single

  shaft and one propeller. This configuration

  limited their performance, which was not

  ideal for the operation expected from aircraft

  carriers. Merchant ships typically sail at an

  economical speed, whereas military vessels

  often require maximum speed. This disparity

  led to the mentioned high failure rate. The

  four aircraft carriers of the Sangamon class

  were built based on standardized T3 tankers,

  derived from the Cimarron class (T3-S2-A1).

  They were powered by four boilers driving two

  steam turbines and two propellers. This design

  allowed these ships to achieve speeds of up to 18

  knots (33 km/h). Their larger tanker hulls, with

  a length of 169 meters, enabled them to carry up

  to 32 aircraft in various combinations according

  to operational needs. Two flight deck elevators

  and one catapult facilitated flight operations.

  All four of these constructed ships served

  in the US Navy: CVE-26 USS Sangamon, CVE-

  27 USS Suwannee, CVE-28 USS Chenango, and

  CVE-29 USS Santee retained their names from

  the tankers from which they were converted.

  USS Sangamon initiated its service in the

  Atlantic during the first combat action of the

  First army P-40 fighter to take off from USS Chenango (CVE-28), to fly shore for combat operations in Morocco,

  about November 10, 1942. Note U. S. flag markings, and bridge from catapult behind the plane.

  ACV-16 (later CVE-16) USS Nassau underway in December of 1942. This photograph has been retouched

  by wartime censors to hide radar and other antennas on the ship’s mast.

  Photo: NHHC

  Photo: NHHC

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard10

  October 2023

• Page 11

  USA in the west, which was securing the Allied

  landings in North Africa in November 1942. Later

  she operated mainly in the Pacific. Initially, she

  spent eight months in the Solomon Islands

  area during the Guadalcanal campaign, and in

  November 1943, she supported the landings on

  Tarawa. On January 25, 1944, during the Battle

  of the Marshall Islands, one of the returning

  aircraft crashed upon landing, causing a fire

  that killed seven crew members. In June 1944,

  USS Sangamon participated in the Battle of

  the Marianas. The next phase of the American

  offensive was the Philippines. Before landing in

  Leyte Gulf on October 20, her aircraft attacked

  Japanese airfields, supporting the American

  landing, before being hit by a Japanese bomb,

  although the damage was not significant. The

  ship then participated in the subsequent battles

  in Leyte Gulf as part of Task Unit 77.4.3, also

  known as Taffy 1.

  At the end of January 1945, USS Sangamon

  left the shipyard where she underwent

  modernization, including upgrades to its

  aircraft handling and weaponry systems. After

  leaving the shipyard, she headed towards Japan

  and participated in the Battle of Okinawa. From

  March 21 onwards, she supported American

  amphibious operations and attacks on nearby

  Japanese airfields around Okinawa. During this

  time, the ship came under attack by kamikaze

  pilots. One of them managed to bypass the

  ship's anti-aircraft defenses and crashed into

  the flight deck, causing significant damage

  and killing at least eleven crew members. The

  damaged ship was subsequently withdrawn to

  the United States for repairs, although these

  repairs were not completed due to the war’s

  end.

  Similarly, to the others, USS Suwannee

  (CVE-27) began her military operations by

  participating in the North African landings

  during Operation Torch. Afterward, she moved

  to the Pacific. For the following seven months,

  she provided air escort for transport and supply

  ships, supporting the Marines on Guadalcanal,

  as well as forces occupying other islands in the

  Solomon Islands. She also operated as part of

  the air support group, with her aircraft bombing

  Tarawa. In 1944, she took part in actions at

  Roi and Namur islands in the northern part of

  the Kwajalein Atoll, and her planes conducted

  anti-submarine patrols. She was involved in

  campaigns at Palau islands and supported

  the battles at Hollandia by transporting

  replacement aircraft for larger carriers. It also

  supported the invasions of the Marianas and

  participated in campaigns against Saipan and

  Guam. During the Battle of the Philippine Sea, on

  June 19, 1944, one of her aircraft attacked and

  sank the Japanese submarine I-184.

  In the battles of Leyte, USS Suwannee faced

  kamikaze attacks. Although the ship’s anti-

  aircraft fire hit the attacking plane, it still

  crashed into the flight deck at 08:04, causing

  a hole approximately three meters in diameter.

  The bomb carried by the attacking aircraft

  exploded between the flight and hangar decks.

  However, within two hours, the flight deck

  was temporarily repaired, allowing to resume

  the flight operations. The following day, the

  ship had to confront more Kamikaze attacks.

  One Zero aircraft crashed into the flight deck

  at 12:40, simultaneously hitting a torpedo

  bomber that was being prepared for takeoff.

  Both aircraft exploded, as did nine others in

  the vicinity. A fire burned for several hours

  before being brought under control. During

  these two days, USS Suwannee suffered 107

  casualties and 160 wounded. At the beginning

  of 1945, repairs were carried out, and then she

  German Submarine Type IXC being attacked and sunk by USS Pope (DE-134), USS Chatelain (DE-149), USS Pillsbury

  (DE-133), and USS Flaherty (DE-135) assisted by aircraft of VC-58 from USS Guadalcanal (CVE-60) on April 9, 1944.

  Practice division formation and maneuver exercises in Hawaiian waters, January 13, 1944. Photographed

  from USS Manila Bay (CVE-61). Ships astern are: USS Coral Sea (CVE-57), USS Corregidor (CVE-58),

  USS Natoma Bay (CVE-62), and USS Nassau (CVE-16). These carriers all served in the Marshalls Operation

  a few weeks later.

  Photo: NHHC

  Photo: NHHC

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard

  11

  October 2023

• Page 12

  participated in operations around Okinawa.

  USS Chenango (ACV-28) managed to complete

  several months of service as an oil tanker

  before her conversion. She sailed across the

  Atlantic, Caribbean, and Pacific to Honolulu.

  AO-31 Chenango was located in the port of

  Aruba when a German submarine shelled

  one of the refineries on the island. In her role

  as an aircraft carrier, her first action was

  Operation Torch, during which she transported

  77 Warhawks from the 33rd Fighter Group of

  the United States Army Air Forces. After repairs

  of the damage caused by a hurricane, the ship

  was sent to the Pacific. In January 1943, she

  provided air cover for supply convoys heading

  to the Solomon Islands. In July 1943, she was

  reclassified as CVE-28 and during the following

  months underwent the reconstruction. Over the

  next two years, she participated in many major

  Pacific War campaigns, including invasions of

  Tarawa, Roi-Namur, Kwajalein, Eniwetok, Aitape,

  Hollandia, Pagan, Guam, Morotai, Leyte, and

  Okinawa. She also provided support during the

  final offensive against Japan.

  The Bogue Class

  This “mass-production” class of escort

  carriers was again constructed based on C3-

  S

  -

  A1 and C3-S

  -

  A2 transport ships. Initially, 22

  ships were ordered, half of which served in the

  US Navy: CVE-9 USS Bogue (ex-Steel Advocate),

  CVE-11 USS Card, CVE-12 USS Copahee, CVE-

  13 USS Core, CVE-16 USS Nassau, CVE-18 USS

  Altamaha, CVE-20 USS Barnes, CVE-21 USS

  Block Island, CVE-23 USS Breton, CVE-25 USS

  Croatan, and CVE-31 USS Prince William. The

  British Royal Navy received the other half,

  which they designated as the Attacker class.

  Here is a list of these ships, including their

  original names, sometimes with the names of

  the original transport ships:

  HMS Battler (ex CVE-6 Altamaha;

  ex-Mormacmail)

  HMS Attacker (ex CVE-7 Barnes;

  ex-Steel Artisan)

  HMS Hunter (ex CVE-8 Block Island;

  ex-Mormacpenn)

  HMS Chaser (CVE-10 Breton)

  HMS Fencer (ex CVE-14 Croatan)

  HMS Stalker (ex CVE-15 Hamlin)

  HMS Pursuer (ex CVE-17 St. George)

  HMS Striker (ex CVE-19 Prince William)

  HMS Searcher (ex AVG-22)

  HMS Ravager (ex AVG-24)

  HMS Tracker (ex BAVG-6).

  Due to the British Navy’s satisfaction with

  these, they ordered more vessels of the same

  specifications, sometimes referred to as the

  Ruler class:

  HMS Slinger (ex CVE-32 Chatham)

  HMS Atheling (ex CVE-33 Glacier)

  HMS Emperor (ex CVE-34 Pybus)

  HMS Ameer (ex CVE-35 Baffins)

  HMS Begum (ex CVE-36 Bolinas)

  HMS Trumpeter (CVE-37 Bastian)

  HMS Empress (ex CVE-38 Carnegie)

  HMS Khedive (ex CVE-39 Cordova)

  HMS Speaker (ex CVE-40 Delgada)

  HMS Nabob (ex CVE-41 Edisto)

  HMS Premier (ex CVE-42 Estero)

  HMS Shah (ex CVE-43 Jamaica)

  HMS Patroller (ex CVE-44 Keweenaw)

  HMS Rajah (ex CVE-45 Prince)

  HMS Ranee (ex CVE-46 Niantic)

  HMS Trouncer (ex CVE-47 Perdido)

  HMS Thane (ex CVE-48 Sunset)

  HMS Queen (ex CVE-49 St. Andrews)

  HMS Ruler (ex CVE-50 St. Joseph)

  HMS Arbiter (ex CVE-51 St. Simon)

  HMS Smiter (ex CVE-52 Vermillion)

  HMS Puncher (CVE-53 ex Willapa)

  HMS Reaper (CVE-54 Winjah).

  Given the large number of ships, we will focus

  on those with a connection to the “Wilder Cat”

  model kit, which was a Limited edition focused

  on the FM-2 Wildcat, a type typical for the use

  on these ships.

  HMS Pursuer

  The camouflage scheme “J” included in the

  model kit instructions represents the Wildcat

  Mk.VI, which took off from the HMS Pursuer’s

  deck in August 1944. The ship primarily served

  as an escort for convoys but also participated

  in several offensive operations. The Royal Navy

  had a continuous concern about the German

  battleship Tirpitz, hidden in Altenfjord, Norway.

  On April 3, 1944, during Operation Tungsten,

  aircraft from HMS Pursuer provided fighter

  support for the main airstrike. Convoys were

  organized not only by the Allies during World

  War II, but also by the German Navy, especially

  in the intricate coastal waters of Norway. On

  April 26, 1944, Wildcats from No 882 Squadron

  participated in a successful attack on a German

  convoy near Bodo in northern Norway. Bombs

  hit all four supply ships and one of the five

  escorting vessels. Three supply ships were set

  USS Tripoli (CVE-64) during a cruise in Atlantic.

  USS White Plains steaming in San Diego Harbor, California, upon her return from the central Pacific

  on March 8, 1944.

  Collection Richard M. Newman via Lyn McClain and NHHCPhoto: NHHC

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard12

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• Page 13

  ablaze, and the largest ran aground. While the

  attack was underway, other aircraft penetrated

  the port of Bodo, where one supply ship was

  bombed and set on fire amidst other vessels.

  Subsequently, HMS Pursuer was damaged by

  a storm and had to undergo repairs which took

  a month.

  During the D

  -

  Day landings in Normandy,

  she served as anti-submarine protection, and

  during Operation Dragoon, her aircraft once

  again provided air cover. After the war, she was

  returned to the United States and scrapped in

  1946.

  The Casablanca Class

  The largest number of escort aircraft carriers

  built during World War II was the Casablanca

  class. What was specific about the construction

  of these ships was that, prior to the war, the

  average construction time for an aircraft

  carrier was about 38 months. However, due to

  the wartime effort, this time was shortened to

  20 months. Then there was industrial magnate

  Henry J. Kaiser, who managed to reduce the

  construction time for cargo ships (Liberty

  ships) in his shipyards from over a year to less

  than 90 days. Kaiser pledged to build a fleet

  of 50 small aircraft carriers in less than two

  years! American naval authorities were initially

  skeptical and hesitant to approve the order. But

  the Allies desperately needed aircraft carriers

  to replace their initial wartime losses.

  Kaiser managed to build them as quickly

  as planned, and any opposition against these

  vessels quickly vanished because they proved

  their utility in defending convoys and providing

  air support for amphibious operations. This

  allowed larger aircraft carriers to focus on

  offensive air operations. The construction of

  these ships was highly efficient. Unlike the

  aforementioned classes, they were powered by

  two Skinner Unaflow steam engines supplied by

  steam from four Babcock & Wilcox boilers. Each

  ship was driven by two propellers, achieving

  a speed of 19 knots (35 km/h). The vessels

  measured 156 meters in length, with a flight

  deck that was 144 meters long and featured

  one catapult and two elevators. The air groups

  typically consisted of around 27 aircraft,

  depending on the types and units. Given that 50

  ships were built, let's focus on those relevant to

  the Eduard FM-2 kit.

  CVE-60 USS Guadalcanal

  This ship was essentially a hunter-killer,

  specifically designed for submarine warfare,

  and it spent its entire career in the Atlantic

  theater during World War II. German submarines,

  or U-boats, spent most of their time on the

  surface during the war because they couldn't

  remain submerged for more than approximately

  72 hours due to the need to recharge their

  batteries and exchange air. In 1944, they were

  reluctant to surface during daylight hours for

  fear of being spotted by patrol planes from

  escort carriers. These carriers were effectively

  covering the entire Atlantic, making daytime

  attacks too risky. However, the pilots of the USS

  Guadalcanal devised new tactics: they launched

  their planes at sunset and only landed them at

  dawn.

  Thanks to the Ultra system, which involved

  deciphering German messages, the Allies had

  access to the positions of submarines while they

  were refueling on the surface. On January 16,

  1944, just before sunset, eight Avengers took off

  and quickly located three U-boats. They swiftly

  attacked with depth charges and successfully

  destroyed U-544.

  During a second anti-submarine mission

  on April 8, one of the patrolling Avengers

  discovered U-515 recharging its batteries on

  the surface northwest of Madeira. The Avenger

  forced it to submerge by dropping depth charges.

  Throughout the night, four Avengers circled

  overhead, waiting for U-515 to surface again

  to recharge its batteries. It finally surfaced at

  14:00, and a subsequent attack left only sixteen

  survivors out of a crew of sixty. Among the

  survivors was the commander, Werner Henke,

  who was captured but, sadly, was shot in June

  1944 while attempting to escape from a secret

  interrogation center known as P.O. Box 1142 in

  Fort Hunt, Virginia.

  The third and perhaps most famous action

  involving USS Guadalcanal occurred on June 4,

  1944, when a German submarine was detected

  off the coast of Río de Oro. One Wildcat from

  USS Guadalcanal joined a pair of TBM Avengers

  and another Wildcat that were already on patrol

  in the air. Through the combined efforts of

  aircraft and ships, the submarine was severely

  damaged, forcing it to surface. Both the ships

  and planes opened fire, and when it became

  clear that the submarine's crew was abandoning

  the damaged vessel, an eight-man team from

  the destroyer USS Pillsbury, led by Lieutenant

  Albert David, boarded U-505. They secured

  maps and codebooks, closed the sea strainers,

  deactivated demolition charges, and stopped

  the inflow of water, keeping the submarine

  afloat. Subsequently, U-505 was towed by USS

  Guadalcanal. Its engines were disconnected, and

  the propellers spun freely, powered by electric

  motors that provided the necessary energy to

  operate the pumps that kept the submarine on

  the surface. Despite the capture taking place

  near French Morocco, the decision was made

  to tow U-505 all the way to Bermuda, covering

  1,700 nautical miles (3,150 km) due to concerns

  about potential German spies. The operation

  was kept secret until the end of the war, as it

  yielded valuable intelligence, and it was crucial

  to prevent the Germans from learning about it.

  Today, U-505 is part of the Museum of Science

  and Industry's exhibit in Chicago, Illinois. Prior

  to this capture, the last time the U.S. Navy had

  captured an enemy warship was in 1815.

  Another German submarine was found

  by Avengers from USS Guadalcanal at dawn

  on April 10. U-68 was caught recharging its

  batteries 300 miles south of the Azores. Three

  Avengers attacked with depth charges and

  rockets, resulting in the destruction of U-68.

  Only one crew member, Hans Kastrup, survived.

  CVE-61 USS Manila Bay

  The USS Manila Bay conducted all of its

  operations exclusively in the Pacific theater. It

  was deployed in the invasion of the Marshall

  Islands in January 1944, and in March 1944,

  its aircraft were sent against Kavieng and

  USS Gambier Bay (CVE-73) straddled by Japanese shells and falling behind the rest of her task group during the

  battle off Samar, October 25, 1944. A Japanese cruiser is barely visible on the horizon at the right.

  HISTORY

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  13

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• Page 14

  the Bismarck Archipelago. In June 1944, after

  repairs, it returned to combat during the

  Marianas campaign, and in October, it provided

  air support during the attack on Leyte. In

  December 1944, planes launched from the USS

  Manila Bay played a similar role in supporting

  invasion convoys to Mindoro. On January 5, 1945,

  during the invasion of Lingayen Gulf, the USS

  Manila Bay was hit by two kamikazes, causing

  extensive damage and the loss of fourteen men.

  After urgent repairs, the ship conducted limited

  operations, returning to full action in May.

  CVE-64 USS Tripoli

  At the beginning of its service, the USS

  Tripoli operated in the Atlantic Ocean, primarily

  engaging German submarines. It was only in

  January 1945, as it became clear that the war

  in this theater was coming to an end, that it was

  transferred to the Pacific, where it remained

  until the war's conclusion. Nevertheless, its

  aircraft managed to claim the sinking of the

  U-513, as described in the instructions for the

  respective camouflage of this model kit.

  CVE-66 USS White Plains

  This ship saw its first action in late May 1944

  during the Marianas campaign. It conducted

  aerial and anti-submarine patrols, and in August

  1944, it joined the naval forces preparing for the

  invasion of Palau, which began on September

  15. In October, it participated in supporting the

  invasion of the Philippines, with its aircraft

  providing air support for ground troops while

  engaging in anti-submarine warfare. The USS

  White Plains also took part in the battles of

  Leyte and Samar. After repairs, it carried out

  transport duties between Kwajalein, Hollandia,

  Ulithi, Saipan, Guam, Leyte, and Pearl Harbor

  from January 1945 onward. It only returned

  to combat operations in April 1945 during the

  amphibious operation on Okinawa, where it

  dispatched two squadrons of Corsairs from

  a distance of 100 miles to establish an advanced

  airbase on the island.

  CVE-73 USS Gambier Bay

  The USS Gambier Bay, an escort carrier, was

  sunk during the Battle off Samar in the Leyte

  Gulf campaign. It played a crucial role in helping

  repel a much larger attacking Japanese fleet.

  This event made the USS Gambier Bay the only

  American aircraft carrier to be sunk by surface

  gunfire during World War II. It was named after

  Gambier Bay in the Admiralty Islands near

  Alaska, and its construction began at the Kaiser

  Shipbuilding Company in Vancouver, Washington,

  on November 22, 1943. Captain Hugh H. Goodwin

  was appointed as its first commanding officer

  on December 28 of the same year. The ship was

  referred to as a "bonus ship" because it was the

  19th vessel delivered in 1943, even though the

  shipyard had initially planned to deliver only

  16 ships by the end of that year. However, in

  September, the US Navy requested the shipyard

  to deliver at least two additional escort carriers.

  Kaiser initiated a campaign called "18 or more

  by '44," and ultimately, they delivered not 18 but

  19 ships.

  CVE-74 USS Nehenta Bay

  The USS Nehenta Bay’s encounter with

  Typhoon Cobra illustrates that ships can face

  severe weather as a significant adversary. An

  operation planned near Luzon on December 17,

  1944, was greatly influenced by the weather.

  The barometer was falling, and Admiral William

  Halsey Jr. ordered a series of maneuvers,

  which eventually led his fleet into the heart of

  Typhoon Cobra. Wave heights were estimated to

  reach 18 meters, and after some time, it became

  clear to the USS Nehenta Bay's commander

  that maintaining the designated course was

  impossible, and an alternative course was

  chosen to protect the ship. The ship was tossed

  with rolls of up to 37°, a very dangerous situation

  for a carrier of its class. After changing course,

  the ship managed to reduce the rolls, but the

  crew still had to contend with wind speeds of

  up to 110 knots (176 km/h). When it was all over,

  the crew could begin assessing the damage. The

  ship itself emerged with only minor damage,

  losing three aircraft and one 20mm gun. Later,

  in early 1945, the ship encountered adverse

  weather while operating in the South China

  Sea. Waves as high as 9 meters damaged the

  structure on the bow, leading to the removal

  of the catapult. The ship then sailed to San

  Diego for major repairs. In May, with VC-8

  aircraft on board, it joined Task Force 52.1 under

  Rear Admiral Calvin T. Durgin and supported

  American forces advancing on Okinawa.

  CVE-75 USS Hoggatt Bay

  The USS Hoggatt Bay achieved its first success

  on June 10, 1944. A Wildcat from USS Hoggatt

  Bay’s patrol spotted an oil slick approximately

  eight miles (13 km) west of the escort carrier.

  The destroyer USS Taylor of the Fletcher class

  was dispatched to investigate and soon detected

  strong sonar contact. It turned out to be the

  Japanese submarine Ro-111. USS Taylor dropped

  two depth charges, and at 15:41, the submarine

  surfaced 2,500 yards (2,300 m) ahead of the

  destroyer. It was quickly hit by the destroyer's

  guns and suffered heavy damage before diving

  again. After another series of depth charge

  attacks, two large underwater explosions

  were heard at 15:58, followed by a large air

  bubble rising to the surface, confirming the

  submarine's destruction. During another anti-

  submarine patrol on July 19, 1944, an aircraft

  from VC-14 spotted the Japanese submarine

  I-5. The escort destroyers USS Wyman and USS

  Reynolds dropped depth charges, which struck

  I-5, causing it to explode. During the third anti-

  submarine patrol on July 28, 1944, aircraft crews

  spotted a surfacing submarine. It was likely the

  Japanese I-55, located approximately 13 km to

  the right of USS Hoggatt Bay. USS Wyman and

  USS Reynolds hit the submarine, and a series

  of explosions were heard, creating an oil slick

  on the surface. USS Hoggatt Bay continued to

  participate in operations around the Philippines

  and Okinawa after the sinking of I-177 on the

  night of October 3, 1944.

  CVE-78 USS Savo Island

  In 1944, the USS Savo Island took part in

  battles at Leyte and later amphibious operations

  on Mindanao. In 1945, it performed similar tasks

  during operations in Lingayen Gulf but did not

  participate in any major operations thereafter.

  CVE-80 USS Petroff Bay

  Like the aforementioned ships, the USS Petroff

  Bay participated in the closing battles in the

  Pacific. Its most dramatic moments came during

  USS Nehenta Bay on a cruise during 1944

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard14

  October 2023

• Page 15

  the Battle of Leyte, and it played a significant

  role in the Battle of Iwo Jima. On February

  18, military transport ships carrying Marines

  arrived off the coast, and the next day, they

  landed on Iwo Jima. During the battle, aircraft

  from USS Petroff Bay conducted 786 operational

  flights in support of ground forces. On March 8,

  1945, USS Petroff Bay sailed to Ulithi, making

  a stop in Guam in the Marianas Islands along

  the way. VC-76 was deployed in Guam, replacing

  VC-93. Further details are provided in the

  aircraft assembly instructions.

  The Commencement Bay class

  Construction of these ships began on May

  9, 1944, and although it progressed quickly,

  several months of testing were required before

  they were put into service. For this reason, most

  of the 19 ships ordered (out of a planned 35) had

  little to no operational service. Many were even

  canceled before completion.

  Starboard bow aerial view of Casablanca-class escort carrier USS Savo Island (CVE-78) underway. Note disas-

  sembled aircraft on the flight deck, and camouflage paint scheme.

  Typical operation aboard an escort carrier, in this case the US Anzio on May 20, 1945.

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard

  15

  October 2023

• Air war in Ukraine - The promise of F-16s and Prigozhin’s downfall

  In this part of the series, we follow the period from August 1 to August 31, which was really eventfull. Among the most notable happenings is the promise of F-16 fighter deliveries, although things won’t be so hot with them in the short term. The earliest Ukraine will get them is next year, when the first pilots will be trained under accelerated training programme. The second significant event was the death of the owner of the Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, exactly two months after his attempted coup.

  Text: Miro Barič

  Photos: Ukrainian armed forces, social

  media and other public sources

  Air war over Ukraine

  The promise of F-16s and Prigozhin’s downfall

  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in the cockpit of an F-16 as they announce the delivery of these fighters to Ukraine.

  In this part of the series, we follow the period from August 1 to

  August 31, which was really eventfull. Among the most notable

  happenings is the promise of F-16 fighter deliveries, although

  things won’t be so hot with them in the short term. The earliest

  Ukraine will get them is next year, when the first pilots will

  be trained under accelerated training programme. The second

  significant event was the death of the owner of the Wagner

  mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, exactly two months after

  his attempted coup.

  After several months of speculation, delays

  and conflicting information about who and

  when would start training of Ukrainian pilots

  on F-16, the first news about the provision

  of these aircraft to Ukraine has arrived. On

  Sunday, August 20, it was announced that

  the Netherlands would donate 42 of these

  aircraft and Denmark would add another

  19. On Thursday, August 24, on Ukraine’s

  Independence Day, Norway also joined in. It

  had already scrapped its F-16s in early 2022

  and sold some of them to Romania, while the

  rest was stored. Now Norway has announced

  that it will also provide the aircraft that it

  manages to return to operational status

  to Ukraine. It is believed that there will be

  a maximum of 10 aircraft from Norway. In total,

  Ukraine may receive around 70 fighters from

  these three countries. In all cases, these will

  be F-16AM Block 20 MLUs. They were produced

  in the 1980s and the abbreviation MLU means

  that they have received the so-called Mid Life

  Upgrade. The cockpit and avionics of these

  fighters have been upgraded to the standard of

  the Block 50 version. Pilots were given helmet

  sights that they can use in close combat

  maneuvering. However, these do not occur in

  Ukraine and it probably will not change with

  the arrival of the F-16s.

  The F-16AM Block 20 MLU carries the older

  AN/APG-66(V2) radar. However, the radar’s

  computer processor has been significantly

  upgraded to process data faster and acquire

  multiple targets at once. The range of this

  radar is claimed to be 150 km, a value

  theoretically achieved by the manufacturer

  under ideal conditions. The actual range of the

  radar depends on a number of conditions, such

  as flight altitude or electronic interference

  from an adversary. Thus, in a real situation, the

  range of the AN/APG-66(V2) is around 80 km.

  Ukraine will also not get the latest versions of

  the AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles with its F-16s,

  but older ones with a range of around 50–60

  km. Even so, this will be an improvement on

  the current situation. The Ukrainian fighters

  are armed with R-27 missiles with semi-active

  radar guidance, which means that the target

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard16

  October 2023

• Page 17

  Zelensky decorating members of the air force on August 6. A whole series of inte-

  resting shots were taken on that occasion. This one shows a Su-27 “White 52” with

  the numbers retouched out. The MiG-29 “white 22” on the left in the background does

  not have the number retouched.

  Here you can see the Su-27 “white 52” and the MiG-29 “white 22” also with numbers.

  The Su-27 has a HARM missile under the wing.

  Zelensky climbed into the cockpit and tried out the pilot simulator.

  must be locked during the time the missile

  is intercepting its target. And this is virtually

  impossible in a situation where Ukrainian

  fighters face numerical superiority. The active

  radar guidance of the AIM-120 missiles is thus

  a major advance.

  Thanks to the F-16s and the AIM-120

  missiles, the Ukrainian Air Force will equal the

  Russian forces. In fact, the radars of Russian

  fighters and their R-77 missiles have similar

  parameters – despite the fact that Russian

  aircraft manufacturers advertise completely

  different numbers. For example, for the radars

  of Su-30 fighters, they give a range of 200 to

  300 km. However, there is a big difference

  in the distance at which the radar picks up

  “something”, at what distance it recognizes

  what it is, and at what distance the fighter is

  able to conduct effective combat. That last

  number is at a similar level to that of the older

  AIM-120 missiles that Ukraine will receive –

  around 50 km.

  But factor in the strong air defenses

  operating on both sides and it is clear that

  the status quo will not change even with the

  arrival of the F-16s. And that is that neither

  side’s aircraft are crossing the front line –

  even getting too close is very dangerous. The

  F-16 will probably have the advantage over the

  existing Ukrainian aircraft of better warning

  sensors and can carry various containers for

  radio-electronic warfare, but it cannot stand

  up to strong air defense either.

  Air combat

  The Ukrainians will probably use the F-16s

  for the same things they now use the Su-27

  and MiG-29s for, i.e., to protect airspace in

  case of penetration by Russian aircraft, to

  escort other aircraft on attack missions, and

  to counter suicide drones and cruise missiles.

  While for the Su-27 and MiG-29 there is limited

  quantity of spare parts available in the world,

  the situation is different for the F-16 and it is

  significantly easier to maintain them in a long-

  term airworthy condition.

  Such use of the aircraft is also indicated

  by the training of Ukrainian pilots. When the

  program was being developed, two pilots

  underwent two weeks of testing in the USA

  at the end of February and the beginning of

  March. These were active Ukrainian pilots, one

  flying MiG-29s and the other Su-27s, to assess

  the possibility of retraining them. The testing

  was conducted exclusively on a simulator,

  where they tried out only one type of mission.

  It was an aerial combat against one target,

  or maximum two targets, using two types of

  weapons – one radar-guided missile (AIM-120

  AMRAAM) and one infrared-guided missile

  (AIM-9 Sidewinder). It is not possible to learn

  anything else during the accelerated training

  that the Ukrainians undergo. The first group

  could complete the conversion as early as the

  turn of this year and next year. These are the

  ten pilots with the best English. It is language

  proficiency that is the most limiting factor, not

  only for pilots, but especially for ground staff.

  It also follows that Ukraine will not receive

  the aforementioned 70 F-16s all at once, but

  gradually, as groups of pilots complete their

  training.

  Ground attacks as a matter of time

  In addition to the experienced pilots, who

  are to be trained as early as possible, there is

  also going to be a group of complete novices

  who will receive comprehensive pilot training

  lasting two years. These will apparently also

  receive training for specialized missions with

  guided air-to-ground weapons. The Ukrainians

  are already launching both AGM-88 HARM

  anti-radar missiles and JDAM

  -

  ER guided

  bombs from their old Soviet aircraft. However,

  they can only use them in a limited mode. They

  can only program them on the ground before

  takeoff, so the pilot cannot change the target

  coordinates during flight. When used this way,

  the HARM missile, for example, will guide itself

  to the first radar it detects. If the Ukrainians

  get the AN/ASQ-213 HTS (HARM Targeting

  System) guidance container on their F-16s, the

  pilot could choose the most important radar to

  HISTORY

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  17

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  hit from a number of enemy radars detected.

  The F-16 cannot carry the Franco-British

  Storm Shadow/SCALP

  -

  EG cruise missiles,

  which the Ukrainians are using effectively, and

  there is no talk yet of possible US deliveries.

  What it can carry, however, are Harpoon anti-

  ship missiles, which Ukraine also already has.

  And that’s not good news for Russia’s badly

  beleaguered Black Sea Fleet.

  Crimea “locked”

  Speaking of the Black Sea and Storm Shadow

  missiles, these are among weapons that allow

  Ukraine to gradually gain superiority over the

  western part of the sea and attack Crimea

  even without a strong navy. Already on Sunday,

  August 6, two bridges connecting Crimea to the

  Kherson region were hit and seriously damaged

  by Storm Shadow missiles. These were the

  important Chonkhar Bridge in the north-west

  of Crimea and the smaller Henichesk Bridge,

  which leads to the Arabat Spit in the north-

  east of the peninsula. The destruction of these

  bridges would sever Crimea’s links with the

  frontline areas in southern Ukraine.

  The destruction of the Kerch Bridge would

  then cut off the whole of Crimea for good,

  which could then only be supplied by ships. The

  Ukrainians regularly try to do this as well. During

  the reporting period, they attacked this bridge

  on Saturday, August 12, with S-200 missiles.

  These are old anti-aircraft missiles from the

  1960s, which Ukraine decommissioned in 2013,

  but kept in storage and now uses as ballistic

  missiles after modification (presumably

  they have new GPS guidance fitted). In this

  role, they have a range of up to 400 km. The

  missiles are 11 m long and weigh almost

  8 tones. At Mach 4, they thus have tremendous

  kinetic energy on impact. They also carry

  a warhead with 217 kg of explosive. Ukraine

  has already used them in July in attacks on an

  industrial facility in the Briansk region and on

  the Morozovsk airport in the Rostov region. In

  the August attack, three S-200 missiles were

  aimed at the Kerch Bridge. According to the

  Russian side, they were all destroyed in time

  by air defenses. The smoke that appeared on

  the bridge was only a precautionary protective

  measure. Interestingly, however, two streaks

  of black smoke were also visible in the white

  smoke screen.

  On Wednesday, August 23, Ukrainian

  missiles hit and partially destroyed a battery

  of S-400 anti-aircraft system in Olenivka

  on the Crimean coast (about 120 km north of

  Sevastopol and 140 km south of Kherson. In

  doing so, they probably used Neptune missiles

  developed for anti-ship warfare but also

  capable of hitting targets on the coast. But that

  was not all – the next day (or night) Ukrainian

  special forces landed on the coast between

  Olenivka and Mayak. They completed the work

  of destruction and raised the Ukrainian flag in

  Crimea (August 24 was a Ukrainian national

  holiday). The Russians claim to have killed

  all the Ukrainian soldiers in this action; the

  Ukrainians claim to have pulled back without

  casualties. All that is certain is that the S-400

  battery was destroyed. Ukrainian troops from

  boats also seized four oil platforms, on which

  the Russian had radars mounted, in the Black

  Sea during August. All of this is leading to the

  blinding of Russian defenses and a greater

  intensity of Ukrainian attacks on Crimea, which

  we will address in a follow-up.

  Attacks on airports

  Ukraine has not only attacked Crimea, but

  also Russian territory on the opposite side. In

  addition to the ongoing drone campaign against

  Moscow, the attacks on Russian airports are of

  particular interest for the topic of this series.

  On Saturday, August 19, the Solcy-2 base in

  Novgorod region, 620 km from Ukraine, was

  attacked in broad daylight. At first Russia

  admitted to the damaging of one bomber, but

  then photographs emerged showing that one

  Tu-22M3 bomber was burned to the ground in

  this attack. Satellite images later confirmed

  that the base had been evacuated and the

  remaining bombers had flown further north.

  Two days later, on Monday, August 21, the

  Shaykovka base in the Kaluga region, from

  which Tu-22M3s also operate, was also

  attacked. Ukrainian intelligence claimed that

  in both of these attacks two bombers were

  destroyed and two damaged. The Russian

  side confirmed the attack on the Shaykovka

  airfield, adding that all Ukrainian drones

  were destroyed. We will probably not know

  how it really happened until a long time from

  At the event on August 6 was a Su-24 with the number “white 09” with a thin yellow border. Interestingly it had a SCALP

  -

  EG missile with French symbols under the right

  wing and a Storm Shadow with British symbols under the left wing.

  A burning Russian Tu-22M3 bomber at Solcy-2 airfield. The Russian side initially claimed that it was only slightly

  damaged in the attack on August 19.

  Burning Il-76 at Pskov airport after the night attack

  on August 29.

  HISTORY

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• Page 19

  now, as was the case with the attack on the

  Diaghilevo airfield near Ryazan. This was

  attacked by Ukrainian Tu-141 Strizh drones

  in December 2022. Shortly after the attack,

  the destruction of one vehicle and damage

  to a Tu-22M3 bomber was photographically

  confirmed. The Russian side also confirmed at

  the time that three Russian soldiers had lost

  their lives. Now, however, Russia has issued

  an international arrest warrant for Ukrainian

  Colonel Serhiy Burdenyuk, who commands

  the 383rd unmanned aerial vehicle regiment.

  These Russian documents include a detailed

  description of the December 5, 2022, action,

  according to which the Ukrainian attack at the

  Diaghilevo base damaged not one, but three Tu-

  22M3 bombers. Two buildings and two vehicles

  were also hit, and in addition to the three

  dead soldiers, seven others were wounded.

  By the way, Russia is looking for Burdenyuk

  on suspicion of “organizing illegal Ukrainian

  drone incursions into Russian airspace.” So,

  what is Russia doing in Ukraine as of February

  24, 2022, then?

  The Ukrainians pulled off a stunt on Tuesday,

  August 29, when they hit the airport in the city

  of Pskov. This is located 700 km from Ukraine,

  near the Estonian border. The result of this

  action is also presented differently by the

  two sides. Russia has admitted that four Il-

  76 transport aircraft were damaged, Ukraine

  claims that four aircraft were completely

  destroyed and two damaged. In all likelihood,

  two of the Il-76s were completely burnt out,

  as confirmed by the videos, and the other two

  were damaged. These were hit at the point

  where the fuselage joins the centerplane but

  did not catch fire. Satellite images show large

  holes in the upper part of their fuselages.

  According to unconfirmed information,

  up to 20 drones attacked Pskov. They were

  supposed to be PPDS drones manufactured by

  the Australian company Sypaq Corvo. These

  drones are made of paper and are supplied

  as a jigsaw puzzle. They are powered by an

  electric motor, with which they have a range

  of 120 km and can carry 5 kg of explosives.

  This means that someone must have launched

  these drones from Russian territory during the

  attack on Pskov ...

  The Australian government has been

  providing PPDS drones to Ukraine since the

  spring of this year. The advantage is the low

  cost due to the material being waxed cardboard.

  It also makes the drone virtually undetectable

  by radar. The Ukrainians also used them in an

  attack against the Khalino airfield in the Kursk

  region on the night of 26–27 August, where,

  according to Ukrainian counterintelligence,

  five fighter jets were hit, as well as two radars

  and two air defense systems. However, this

  information remains unconfirmed.

  Tire protection

  All these successful attacks on airports

  have led to a bizarre countermeasure on

  the Russian side. Satellite images of tire-

  covered aircraft have emerged from several

  bases. These were mainly Tu-95 and Tu-160

  bombers, but also Su-34s. It is not clear what

  the Russians intend by this – whether it is to

  protect against explosives or whether the

  tires distort the radar or infrared image of

  the aircraft in the drones’ sensors. It is also

  possible that they are testing something else

  entirely. Either way, the tires seem to have only

  appeared on aircraft that are not airworthy

  and serve as a source of spare parts. Several

  Tu-95s, for example, are missing propellers

  or entire engines, and even the tire-covered

  Su-34 has its engines removed. Perhaps

  the Russians want to protect aircraft that do

  not change position and are therefore easily

  detected by reconnaissance.

  Ukrainian losses

  Ukraine did not only achieve success

  in attacks on Russian airfields during the

  reporting period. While the previous month of

  July was completely free of losses in the air,

  August was particularly bad for the Ukrainian

  air force. It started as early as August 1, when

  a Mi-8 was shot down near Mykhailivka in

  Kherson Oblast. The video shows that the low-

  flying helicopter caught fire after being hit and

  made an emergency landing. On the ground it

  then burned completely. The fate of the crew

  is unknown.

  On Friday, August 25, two Aero L-39

  Albatros aircraft from the 40th Tactical Air

  Force Brigade collided. The wreckage of the

  aircraft crashed near the village of Sinhury in

  the Zhytomyr region. All three pilots – Major

  Vyacheslav Minka, Major Serhiy Prokazin and

  Captain Andriy Pilshchikov – were killed. The

  latter had the call sign “Juice” and was the face

  of a campaign demanding the delivery of F-16

  fighter jets to Ukraine. He was killed just as

  Rubber protection was also given to this Su-34 with its engines dismantled.

  After the Ukrainian drone attacks, some Russian aircraft were given protection from old tires. Maxar’s satellite

  image shows a Tu-95 with its propellers dismantled.

  A PPDS drone from the Australian company Sypaq

  Corvo is made of cardboard. It can carry 5 kg

  of explosives.

  HISTORY

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  Ukrainian Mi-8 in action.

  Originally a Slovak Mi-17 helicopter (ex 0844).

  Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter jets. Their pilots will eventually see them replaced

  by F-16s.

  Two Ukrainian Albatroses with the numbers “blue 102” and “blue 107” collided near the

  village of Sinhury on August 25.

  HISTORY

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• Page 21

  this Ukrainian pilots’ dream was beginning to

  become a reality.

  All three named were MiG-29 fighter pilots,

  and at the time of their deaths, Ukrainian

  media reported that they had died in combat

  flight, which would suggest action against

  the Shahed-136 kamikaze drone. However,

  they later reported that the aircraft collided

  in a violent maneuver while practicing aerial

  combat.

  Another crash came on Tuesday, August

  29, near Kramatorsk in the Donetsk region.

  Two Mi-8 helicopters from the 18th separate

  brigade of the army air force crashed there

  during a combat mission, killing all six airmen

  on board – Colonel Viktor Opanasiuk, Captain

  Yuri Anisimov, Captain Yevgeny Kysil, Captain

  Vladyslav Rymar, Lieutenant Commander Ivan

  Yarovoy and Lieutenant Commander Valentyn

  Vorobets.

  Austrian military expert Tom Cooper said

  in this context that this was an unintended

  side-effect of the successful Ukrainian

  artillery campaign. The latter has managed to

  successfully suppress the Russian artillery,

  which is losing 20–30 barrels a day. Every

  time the Russian artillery makes a sound, it

  faces Ukrainian anti-artillery fire. Therefore,

  the Russians have to replace artillery with

  drone attacks and air force attacks that uses

  glide-guided bombs. The attack aircraft are

  accompanied by fighter jets, and it was on one

  such flight that a Russian Su-35 intercepted

  a pair of Ukrainian helicopters. Their pilots

  were informed of the presence of the Russian

  fighter and attempted to land and thus avoid it

  but collided. The Russian side claims that the

  Mi-8s were shot down. Their wreckage in the

  footage is close together, so the more likely

  version is that they collided while attempting

  an emergency landing.

  Russian losses

  The Russian side also suffered heavy

  losses in August. The list of destroyed Ka-52

  helicopters was extended again. One was shot

  down on Monday, August 7, in the Robotyne

  area and both crew members were killed.

  Another one was destroyed on Thursday,

  August 17, near Novoprokopivka. This time the

  pilot managed to use the ejection seat and was

  rescued by an accompanying Mi-8 helicopter.

  Both Ka-52s were shot down by members of

  the Ukrainian 47th Mechanized Brigade.

  Non-combat flight losses are also on the

  rise, which may be contributed to by poor

  maintenance during the war as well as mistakes

  by overworked pilots. On Sunday, August 12,

  a crew of Su-30SMs from the 4th Independent

  Regiment of Naval Assault Aviation performed

  a low overflight near the village of Urgyumovo

  in the Kaliningrad Region. It crashed into the

  ground and both pilots were killed. On Monday,

  August 14, an L-39 Albatros trainer crashed at

  the Khanskaya base in the Adygeya Republic in

  the Caucasus. Colonel Vadim Gurov was killed,

  and the other crew member was injured. And

  on Tuesday, August 29, a Mi-8 helicopter of the

  FSB border guard crashed in the Chelyabinsk

  region. The three-member crew did not survive

  the crash.

  Defection with a helicopter

  In addition to these losses and the

  aforementioned aircraft destroyed at airfields,

  the Russian armed forces also lost one aircraft

  in a defection for the first time in this war.

  Ukraine has been trying to motivate Russian

  pilots with the promise of money and safety

  for their whole family since the beginning of

  the conflict. In August, the pilot of a Mi-8AMTS

  helicopter with the fuselage number “Red 62”

  and the code designation RF-04438 responded.

  Maxim Kuzminov of the 319th Independent

  Helicopter Regiment was in contact with the

  Ukrainian intelligence that got his family

  abroad. He then flew the helicopter himself to

  the Kharkiv region of Ukraine. The other two

  crew members were unaware of his plan to

  defect and were killed by Ukrainian soldiers

  after landing. According to some reports, they

  tried to flee; according to others, they made

  a last-minute effort to prevent Kuzmin from

  deserting.

  Three pilots, including Captain Andriy Pilshchykov, were killed in the Albatroses collision

  Wreckage of a Russian Ka-52 helicopter shot down by the Ukrainian 47th Mechanized Brigade near

  Novoprokopivka on August 17.

  HISTORY

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  The Russian pilot received a reward of half

  a million US dollars, a new identity and a job.

  The new Mi-8AMTS has been incorporated

  into Ukraine’s forces. After landing, Kuzminov

  talked about the absurd conditions in the

  Russian armed forces. For example, the

  commander of his unit had his cat flown in

  by a Mi-8 helicopter, which was additionally

  accompanied by Mi-24 as an armed escort

  during this “mission”.

  Revenge after two months

  The death of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner

  of the Wagner mercenary group, can also be

  counted among the losses related to the war

  in Ukraine. He was killed in a plane crash

  along with other members of his mercenary

  leadership exactly two months after the failed

  coup attempt. The private Embraer EMB-135BJ

  Legacy 600, registration RA-02795, was flying

  from Moscow to St Petersburg on Wednesday,

  August 23, when it broke into three parts after

  an explosion and crashed near the village of

  Kuzhenkino in the Tver region, some 100 km

  north of the Russian capital.

  The plane’s crash was caught on video.

  Two condensation trails and a puff of white

  smoke were visible in the sky, followed by

  two explosions, according to witnesses. Then

  the fuselage of the plane was seen falling

  to the ground without one half of the wing

  and without tail. During the crash, it twisted

  wildly in the air – just like the Il-22M shot

  down by the Wagners on June 24 during the

  march on Moscow. The fuselage, wing and

  tail fell on different places within a radius

  of three kilometers. The fuselage burned up

  after impact, killing all ten people on board.

  In addition to Prigozhin, these included his

  deputy and well-known neo-Nazi Dmitry Utkin

  and Wagner’s logistics chief Valery Chekalov.

  The two pilots and a stewardess also perished.

  If this was a political assassination, there was

  state terrorism in Russia regardless of these

  innocent victims.

  Wagner channels reported that the plane

  was shot down by anti-aircraft missiles.

  Some Western sources are leaning towards

  a bomb explosion on board. Traces resembling

  shrapnel holes could be seen on the wreckage.

  The Russian authorities are not making much

  effort to investigate. A request for access

  by Brazil manufacturer Embraer has been

  rejected. And a video taken shortly after the

  crash showed the severed wing being dragged

  along the ground by a tractor from the impact

  site. Behind it, two men were walking and

  picking up pieces of the wing that had broken

  off in that dragging. So much for some pretence

  of trying to investigate the disaster.

  Burning wreckage of the Embraer EMB-135BJ Legacy 600 with registration RA-02795 in which Prigozhin and other members of the Wagner leadership died.

  Russian Mi-8AMTS with fuselage number “Red 62” and code designation RF-04438

  shortly after landing on Ukrainian territory.

  Mi-8AMTS “Red 62” in Ukrainian service with Russian markings obliterated.

  Pilot Maxim Kuzminov of the Russian 319th Independent Helicopter Regiment defected

  to the Ukrainian side.

  HISTORY

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• Page 23

  Trosky ruskej helikoptéry Ka-52, ktorú 17. 8. pri Novoprokopivke zostrelila ukrajinská

  47. mechanizovaná brigáda.

• Page 24

  BOXART STORY

  The Z-526 was from the very beginning my

  “femme fatale”, or rather “avion fatal”. It started

  at the age of sixteen, when I first saw the

  Z-526F OK

  -

  CRA in the hangar of Kladno Aero

  Club and got even deeper when Honza Čáp gave

  me a ride in it. Four years later I started flying

  and towing with this plane, and I won't lie when

  I say that I felt like I was flying a Spitfire. And

  later, when the OK

  -

  ZRB Zlin Z-526AFS aerobatic

  special arrived, I felt like they added a Mustang

  to my Spitfire. In quotes, of course. As a rational

  and sensible twenty-year-old man, it was clear

  to me that I would never fly these types ... And

  so, for the next few years, I really enjoyed the

  Z-526s to the fullest, playing at being a fighter

  pilot. With OK

  -

  CRA it was mainly tows, with OK-

  ZRB, which belonged to Czech Aero Club and

  was not so “jealously guarded” by the glider

  pilots, I also did occasional navigation flights

  or flights just for fun. And from time to time,

  I enjoyed aerobatics with OK

  -

  ZRD, which was

  then used for training of advanced piloting in

  dual controls where Z-142 was not enough.

  Needless to say, these were mainly the snap

  rolls.

  Eventually other types came along, either for

  aerobatics itself or for paving the way to my

  professional flying. And that's where the Z-526

  suddenly “didn't fit the concept”. My annual

  flying time on the Treners gradually decreased

  until I only flew them a few times a season.

  And so there came a period when I wasn't so

  good with the Z-526. A few years passed, during

  which my flying of light aircraft was neglected

  by the larger “steel birds”, and I almost thought

  I was done for in that respect. When suddenly

  the wheels of history moved on and I became the

  owner of a Z-326, which I bought from the Aero

  Club Polička. And that was a huge kick-start to

  the "second phase" of my life in civil aviation.

  With this OK

  -

  OTD we visited Berlin Tempelhof,

  Dalmatia, Corfu, Italy, Malta, southern France,

  even looked across the English Channel. The

  combination of a cruise propeller and external

  wingtips tanks made her a long-haul aircraft,

  although on takeoff she sometimes climbed

  like a loaded Wellington to Berlin or an ATR 72

  to Košice. And so, after a while, the thought of

  getting a Zlin Z-526 came up, because it could

  tow, cruise, fly aerobatics or training and that

  all with one propeller. There were several

  options and offers, until the "fatal" one came

  along. I was offered to buy a slightly damaged

  one from Poland. I was intrigued. It was

  a former OM

  -

  VOR from Holíč, Slovakia. The wing

  had to be replaced and the fuselage repaired,

  but she hadn't flown even a thousand hours, so

  she could do aerobatics for a few more years.

  The import and overhaul presented me

  with two new challenges. To come up with

  the registration and the color scheme. The

  former was relatively easy, as I am a believer

  in following the previously standard key for

  assigning markings, so a 1966 aircraft had to

  have the first letter “V” and the second “R”, as

  that's what the Z-526s used to be assigned. So,

  these are not my initials, as many people think

  (and as I only realized after the fact). I put the

  "C" in there because it's easy to pronounce. The

  coloring was a little more fun. It was clear that

  it had to follow the "period line", even if not one

  hundred percent. In fact, I had been given the

  subtle warning that most people who come

  up with their own coloring actually mess it up

  because they can't imagine how their creation,

  made on paper or screen of computer, will look

  spatially on a live airplane. And then they stare

  rather stupidly when taking their new aircraft

  over. So, it's best to go with something that's

  already there, or approach a designer. And

  since I always liked the Z-526 from the movie

  Nebe pro Trenéra (Heaven for Trener), I opted

  for the look of the then OK

  -

  VRB as a base. I just

  used “apple blue” instead of orange like the

  OK

  -

  OTB had, the lower wing color was pulled

  up over the leading edge to the upper surface

  like the original OK

  -

  SND had in one of its forms,

  and I decided to paint the horizontal stabilizer

  and elevator in white underneath, because the

  connection of colors did not look good in the

  horizontal and vertical tail surfaces joint with

  fuselage. Then there were a few minor changes

  (the canopy frame remained white and the short

  black stripes on the engine cowling and rudder

  are thinner than on the original) and the new

  aircraft was born in the Czech skies.

  I took it over at Otrokovice on March 30, 2010

  and it serves me faithfully from that time on.

  Its ”fur“ is still like new, aviation life added only

  a few scratches during hundreds of flying hours,

  but brought me a lot of fun! And don´t worry, the

  boxart by Adam Tooby is kind of artistic license,

  as I am not giving her such a hard time.

  Illustration: Adam Tooby

  Avion fatal

  Text: Radim Vojta

  #82185

  INFO Eduard24

  October 2023

• Page 25

  #7471

  BOXART STORY

  The beginning of the fifties was marked by

  political purges in the Czechoslovak army,

  and therefore also in the air force. Pilots with

  any western combat backgrounds or other

  suspicious ones were gradually weaned from

  flying. However, the influx of new blood in the

  form of properly trained and indoctrinated

  sons of the workers and peasants, supposedly

  “ruling” the Czechoslovakia under Communist

  government, was still insufficient, so it was

  necessary to turn a blind eye here and there and

  keep in service pilots who found themselves

  below the line after the political screenings

  for admission to fly the then state-of-the-art

  technology, which was the MiG-15, referred to

  in the Czechoslovak Air Force as S-102. They

  represented a quantum leap for the renewed

  Czechoslovak Air Force, which until then had

  guarded its western border with WW2 aircraft.

  By day with the worsened Messerschmitt

  Bf 109Gs, i.e., Avia S-199s, while the night

  readiness was served with one of two airworthy

  LB-79s, i.e., with German Heinkel He 219 night

  fighters.

  Pilots who had failed political screenings at

  the beginning of the Czechoslovak Air Force’s

  jet era were condemned to still fly the S-199s.

  These aircraft were already obsolete at the

  time of their creation in 1947, and less than

  five years later they were just a caricature of a

  fighter aircraft. Thus, the 22nd Air Division was

  created, which was established on June 1, 1951,

  at the Plzeň-Skvrňany airfield. It included the

  4 Aviation Regiment (not the original Aviation

  Regiment 4 based in České Budějovice, which

  had already been renamed LP 6) and the 18

  Aviation Regiment. The latter was established

  on the same day as the 22 Air Division and had

  29 S-199s, two CS-199s and nine C-2s aircraft in

  its inventory. Zdeněk Praus was appointed the

  CO of the regiment. It is not certain what rank

  he held at that time. According to some sources

  he even was only a lieutenant. What is certain is

  that in 1954 he was already a lieutenant colonel

  and from November 10 of that year he was the

  commander of the entire 22 Air Division, which

  at that time consisted of three Air Fighter

  regiments (slp): the 3 slp in Brno, the 4 slp

  and the 18 slp, both in Pardubice. His career

  continued with a move to the same position

  with the 6 Fighter Air Division (from July 15,

  1958) and from September 1, 1961, he became

  Chief of the Fighter Air Command of the 7 Army

  of Air Defence. He remained in this position until

  September 1962.

  The aircraft of the staff flight of the 18 Air

  Regiment were given designations from DA-01

  to DA-09, 1st squadron had aircraft with the

  designations from PS-10 to PS-29, 2nd squadron

  BS-30 to BS-49, 3rd squadron EX-50 to EX-69

  and 4th squadron VT-70 and higher.

  The 18 Aviation Regiment was designated with

  “piston” suffix from 1952 onward to distinguish

  it from the jet regiments. However, in November

  1953 it was moved to Pardubice, by that time,

  it had already partly re-equipped with MiG-15s,

  and although it still had 31 S-199s and ten C-2s

  in service, it was renamed the 18 Air Fighter

  Regiment (jet) on April 1, 1954.

  The two aircraft on the boxart of kit 7471

  belonged to the 1st Squadron and are portrayed

  just after splitting formation, probably starting

  a dogfight exercise somewhere near Pilsen in

  1952. This kind of training has always been, by

  the way, the most favored by fighter pilots of all

  time. And those politically not-enough-reliable

  pilots who were not entrusted by the Communist

  party to be given a chance to get their hand

  on the latest aviation technology, were flying

  their aging “Mules”, as were the S-199s

  nicknamed, on the edge. There were a number

  of experienced and well-trained pilots among

  them, and some of them did eventually get the

  chance to fly jets. Others, however, had to step

  down from the fighter pedestal and transfer

  to other types of aviation after the S-199 were

  all retired. Some of them changed fixed wings

  for the rotary ones, as the helicopters were

  just emerging at the time in Czechoslovak Air

  Force with the tests of domestic light helicopter

  HC-2 prototypes. In 1959 first ten of Mi-1 Soviet

  helicopters were delivered and the helicopter

  aviation became reality in Czechoslovak army.

  One of these former fighter pilots flying S-199s

  and subsequently transferred to helicopters,

  was teaching the author of this article to fly the

  Mi-2 helicopter in 1985 ...

  Avia S-199s, however unreliable and stubborn

  on take-off, were still, according to him, aircraft

  he loved to fly and fondly remembered. Given

  the long time lapse, some of the stories he told

  or the performance he stated were achieved

  seemed somewhat implausible, but it was

  evident that he was one of those who took

  a liking to this stopgap fighter, which ensured

  the fighter pilots’ were able to maintain their

  trained skills in the difficult post-war period.

  Text: Richard Plos

  Illustration: Adam Tooby

  Those mistrusted

  INFO Eduard

  25

  October 2023

• Page 26

  BOXART STORY #84193

  While the Battle of Britain was at its height

  in Europe in the autumn of 1940, on the other

  side of the Atlantic the US was in the calm

  before the storm. But the Americans were

  rapidly preparing for a possible war in Europe

  as well as in Asia and the Pacific. The U.S.

  Navy was no exception, and since the late

  1930s it had been undergoing a significant

  increase in air personnel. In 1940, the year

  in which the Japanese combat deployed

  a ground-based version of the A6M Zero

  fighter to Chinese territory, a new American

  carrier-based fighter the Grumman F4F

  (G-36), which a year later was given the

  combat name Wildcat, also entered the fray. In

  October 1940, the Royal Navy took delivery of

  the Martlet Mk I aircraft, which were actually

  export G-36As with the Wright R-1820 engine,

  originally intended for the Belgian air force

  and the French Aéronavalle. As with the

  Zeros, the British Martlets were initially

  deployed from land bases. On Christmas Day

  1940, two pilots from No. 804 Sqn FAA with

  Martlets managed to force a Junkers Ju 88 to

  an emergency landing on the West Mainland

  of The Orkneys.

  The first American unit to take over the new

  machines was the VF-4 operating from the

  USS Ranger. It began flying them in October

  1940. In December, VF-72 (formerly VF-7)

  aboard USS Wasp also began familiarizing

  itself with the Wildcats. Its sister fighter

  unit, VF-71, switched from F3F biplanes to

  F4F-3 machines about two months later.

  Lt. Cdr. Courtney Shands served as Flight

  Officer for VF-72. He had graduated from the

  Naval Academy in 1930 and was therefore

  one of the pilots who had completed up to

  3,000 flight hours in training and had passed

  examinations not only on fighter, but also on

  bomber and torpedo aircraft (the US Navy did

  not introduce specialization in one category

  of aircraft for pilots until late 1941). Courtney

  Shands had also served as a flight instructor

  in the 1930s and his appointment as Flight

  Officer on the VF-72 was therefore more

  than logical. In addition to the preparation

  of VF-72 sorties, he was also responsible

  for the operational training of new pilots.

  At the same time, he commanded one of the

  three Divisions, which at that time had six

  aircraft divided into two flights. Divisions with

  four aircraft with two pairs that could work

  together more effectively were introduced

  by the US Navy during 1941 based on lessons

  learned from combat in Europe.

  The life of a US Navy aviation unit has

  always included formal and informal social

  events involving family members. Lt. Cdr.

  Courtney Shands was no exception in this

  regard. In September 1940, his twenty-year-

  old sister Carey Jacqueline married his VF-72

  colleague Lt(jg) Webster Cochran Johnson,

  five years his senior. However, the marriage

  ended in tragedy after a few months. Shands'

  newlywed brother-in-law sadly became the

  first US Navy aviator to die on a Wildcat during

  operational duty. It occurred shortly before

  Christmas when the USS Wasp was docked in

  Norfolk. Johnson took off from the deck of the

  USS Wasp on 19 December (or 16 December),

  but after take-off due to an engine failure,

  he fatally crashed near the railroad tracks

  behind the NAS. He was flying the prototype

  XF4F-3 BuNo 0383, which had already been

  repaired once after a serious crash.

  In early 1941, VF-72s began intensive

  retraining on Wildcats, first off the coast

  of Virginia and, beginning in late January,

  at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The formation of

  aircraft from this period was captured on

  boxart by Piotr Forkasiewicz. During the

  transition to the new aircraft type, sixteen

  crashes occurred in VF-72s in January and

  February, but none claimed the life of a pilot.

  Lt. Cdr. Courtney Shands became commander

  of VF-72 in July 1941 and assumed command of

  VF-71 in March 1942. Part of his new unit was

  based at Scapa Flow in The Orkneys, and the

  other part aboard the USS Wasp supported the

  Allies in the Mediterranean. It then moved to

  the Pacific aboard the carrier, where Shands

  and his men distinguished themselves in the

  Guadalcanal landings. See INFO 04/2023.

  His pilots, like all U.S. Navy fighter pilots,

  entered combat in the Pacific well prepared.

  They countered their Japanese adversaries,

  who had combat experience in China, with

  excellent US Navy training in air combat

  tactics and gunnery systematically rehearsed

  with deflection shooting. The time gained

  during the period of neutrality paid off for the

  Wildcat pilots.

  Illustration: Piotr Forkasiewicz

  Wings of Neutrality

  Text: Jan Bobek

  INFO Eduard26

  October 2023

• Page 27

  #84181

  BOXART STORY

  In preparation for the Okinawa landings,

  the Americans decided to launch an air strike

  against airfields and ports in the southern

  part of Japan in March 1945. Task Force 58

  had already conducted a similar raid during

  February 16 and 17, 1945. The March raids were

  intended to reduce the threat of attacks on the

  American invasion forces preparing for the

  April landings. The US Navy airmen attacked

  the airfields on Kyūshū on 18 March, and

  engaged over 400 Japanese planes, of which

  they actually managed to shoot down a quarter.

  On the morning of 19 March, more than 300

  aircraft took off from TF 58´s sixteen carriers

  and headed for selected air bases and the ports

  of Kure and Kōbe.

  The first pilot of the strike group to take

  off from the deck of the USS Essex (CV-9) in

  an honorary position was the commander of

  VF-83, Cdr. James J. Southerland, the same man

  who fought Saburō Sakai over Guadalcanal on

  August 7, 1942 (see INFO 06/2022 and 01/2023).

  Twenty VBF-17 Hellcats took off from the deck of

  the USS Hornet (CV-12) under the command of

  Lt. “Muscles” Conant. Their mission was to bomb

  targets in the Kure area and fighter escort

  was to be provided by sixteen Corsairs from

  VMF-123. Unfortunately, the Marines missed

  their US Navy colleagues, and Conant's twenty

  Hellcats headed for the target unprotected.

  Matsuyama was on their route, and unbeknownst

  to the Americans, they could not have chosen

  a worse place in Japan.

  At the Matsuyama airbase was stationed

  Kōkūtai 343 (II) under the command of

  Capt. Minoru Genda, who had made a major

  contribution to the preparations for the raid

  on Pearl Harbor. Now he was doing everything

  he could under improvised conditions to avoid

  incurring a second Pearl Harbor.

  Kōkūtai 343 was formed for the second time

  under Genda´s command in December 1944.

  He managed to acquire, apart from older N1K1

  Shiden machines, mainly modern N1K2 Shiden-

  Kai aircraft. His Kōkūtai had three subordinate

  aviation units (Hikōtai) with fighter aircraft and

  one reconnaissance unit equipped with C6N

  Saiun (Myrt) machines. He managed to gather

  a number of elite naval aviators, among them

  aces such as Shō-ichi Sugita and Naoshi Kanno.

  Genda believed that with the right training, air

  combat tactics, and discipline, it was possible to

  match American adversaries. Among his unit's

  instructors was Saburō Sakai. The unit bore the

  battle name Tsurugi Butai, after the traditional

  Japanese double-edged sword.

  Thanks to the crews of the reconnaissance

  Hikōtai, Genda was accurately informed of the

  location and flight path of the Americans. More

  than fifty of his pilots took off within ten minutes

  and successively fought against both Hellcats

  and Corsairs in various engagements. Among

  Genda's commands in radio communication

  were even the words “niitaka yama nobore”.

  When a part of the Tsurugi Butai approached

  VBF-17's formation head-on from above, at first

  sight the Americans considered it their own

  because its formation looked American. Then

  Hellcat pilots countered the attack with a sharp

  turn and a frontal fight in climbing flight. It was

  this moment that Antonis Karydis captured on

  the boxart. It shows Lt. Frederick J. Prinz as he

  passes the Shiden-Kai aircraft, with Lt. Takashi

  Oshibuchi, commander of one of Genda's Hikōtai,

  at the controls. Eight Hellcats were shot down or

  irreparably damaged in the fierce engagement,

  three pilots were killedand three others were

  captured, but survived. Genda's unit claimed

  a total of 54 victories during the day, losing

  15 aircraft and 13 pilots. The Americans were

  almost evenly matched, claiming 63 victories

  and losing 14 fighters and eight pilots in combat

  with Kōkūtai 343 (II). The captured American

  airmen, when later questioned, stated that the

  unit they faced was “... formidable beyond our

  expectation … well-coordinated, and excellent

  in marksmanship.” This was not the last time

  Tsurugi Butai would give enemy airmen a hard

  time. Minoru Genda, and some of the direct

  participants in the March 19, 1945, battle, met

  many years after the war while serving in the

  US Navy and JSDAF. The story of this elite unit

  is well developed in the book Genda's Blade by

  H. Sakaida and K. Takaki.

  The Americans managed to damage four

  Japanese battleships, four fleet carriers and

  one light cruiser on March 19, 1945. However,

  they failed to sink any of the vessels. Japanese

  airmen damaged the USS Wasp (CV-18) and

  USS Franklin (CV-13) by bombing attacks

  or Kamikaze attacks. A day earlier, the USS

  Enterprise (CV-6), USS Intrepid (CV-11), and USS

  Yorktown (CV-10) had already been damaged.

  Text: Jan Bobek

  Illustration: Antonis Karydis

  Against the Tsurugi Butai

  INFO Eduard

  27

  October 2023

• Page 28

  GALERY

  EVENTS

  An extensive report on E

  -

  Day 2023 will be

  released in the form of a special issue of Info

  Eduard later this month.

  INFO Eduard28

  October 2023

• Page 29

  EVENTS

  INFO Eduard

  29

  October 2023

• Page 30

  EVENTS

  INFO Eduard30

  October 2023

• Page 31

  EVENTS

  INFO Eduard

  31

  October 2023

• Page 32

  EVENTS

  INFO Eduard32

  October 2023

• Page 33

  EVENTS

  INFO Eduard

  33

  October 2023

• Page 34

  EVENTS

  ABSOLUTE WINNER

  built by Zdeněk Šebesta

  CZECH MODEL MASTERS

  Mi-24 1/48

  INFO Eduard34

  October 2023

• Page 35

• Page 36

  #82185

  Z-526 Trenér Master

  1/48

  The ProfiPACK edition kit of Czechoslovak single-engine two-seat training and aerobatic

  aircraft Zlín Z-526 Trenér Master, including Z-526M and Z-526F versions in 1/48 scale.

  Kit presents markings selection including Czech and international users.

  plastic parts: Eduard

  marking options: 6

  decals: Eduard

  PE parts: yes, pre-painted

  painting mask: yes

  resin parts: no

  Product page

  KITS 10/2023

  INFO Eduard36

  October 2023

• Page 37

  Z-526 M, s/n 909, OK

  -

  VRC, private, Líně airfield, Czech Republic, 2022

  Z-526F, s/n 1273, SP

  -

  EMF, Grupa Akrobacyjna Zelazny, Poznań, Poland, summer 2012

  The aircraft, which today flies in an attractive

  blue and white livery and whose home is either

  Hangar 3 at the airfield in Líně or the airfield in

  Rakovník, was produced in 1966 as Z-326. It was

  test-flown on June 6 of that year and then went

  to a customer in France, where it flew with the

  F

  -

  BNMX matriculation until 1977. It was then

  stored and in December 1992 was imported back

  to the Czechoslovakia by ZLÍN

  -

  AVION service

  company. In 1994 it was overhauled, and the main

  spar and wings were replaced with new ones.

  At the same time it was converted to Z-526M. It was

  then sold to Slovakia, where it flew until 2007 in

  Aero Club Holíč as OM

  -

  VOR. The next stage of this

  aircraft was Nowy Sacz, Lososina Dolna airfield,

  Poland, where it received SP

  -

  KSM matriculation.

  On July 2, 2008, pilot made an emergency belly

  landing with it right at a road intersection after

  accidentally draining fuel from the gravity tank.

  The aircraft was reacquired and transported to

  Otrokovice, where repairs followed, combined

  with an overhaul and installation of a new right

  wing. All this was done under the charge of the

  new owner, who brought the aircraft in 2010. The

  aircraft received a new registration and livery in

  the spirit of the scheme in which the OK

  -

  VRB and

  OK

  -

  VRF Trenér aircraft flew in the sixties.

  The aircraft was produced in 1973 and

  subsequently sold to a Polish aeroclub. In

  December 1999, an aerobatic group was

  established at Zielona Góra Airport, sponsored

  by the then emerging Żelazny hardware store

  chain. The group started with two Z-526AFS and

  one Z-50LA aircraft. One Z-526F was added to

  the lineup in 2001. The pilots of the group amazed

  with their skills at airshows not only in Poland,

  but also in Germany. In 2004, Lech Marchelewski

  became its leader and three years later the group

  started to rehearse a six-member formation,

  which was to have its premiere at the Radom

  Air Show. However, tragedy struck during the

  premiere on September 1. At 3:01 p.m. local time,

  while transitioning into a maneuver called “the

  rose”, No. 1 (Z-526F, SP

  -

  CDF) and No. 2 (Z-526AFS,

  SP

  -

  ELE) collided. Both pilots, retired Colonel

  Lech Marchelewski and Piotr Bachanowicz, were

  killed. The second Z-526AFS (SP

  -

  CSU) narrowly

  missed the crash site. The group then resumed

  operations, initially as a three-man group, with

  plans to return to a six-strong formation in

  2009. Subsequently, the group was moved to

  Poznań. Today they operate two Z-526F aircraft,

  the one with the number 9 carries the SP

  -

  EMF

  matriculation and is shown here in a design

  corresponding to the period before the 2012 ILA

  International Airshow. Prior to that, however,

  it underwent an overhaul in Otrokovice (2008),

  during which it received, among other things,

  the paint scheme of the new operator, while the

  aircraft was still in the possession of AK Poznań.

  KITS 10/2023

  INFO Eduard

  37

  October 2023

• Page 38

  Z-526, s/n 1048; D

  -

  EDTP, private, Líně airfield, Czech Republic, 2023

  Z-526F, s/n 1242, OE

  -

  CSA, private, Austria, 2019

  The aircraft was manufactured in 1968 and in June

  of the same year it was taken over by Mr. Arthur

  Beth (Porta Westfalica, Germany). The aircraft

  was given the D

  -

  EDTP registration and shortly

  before the World Aerobatic Championships in

  Magdeburg it was taken over by Richard Hecht,

  member of the German national team. He

  had high hopes of success, but only until the

  Czechoslovak team appeared on the scene with

  their brand new Z-526AS aerobatic specials.

  However, during the competition on August

  21, Czechoslovakia was invaded by “friendly”

  forces and the national team withdrew from the

  championship. Hecht then operated the aircraft

  for many years, and the aircraft’s logbook lists

  interesting names such as Ladislav Bezák, the

  first aerobatic world champion (already in exile

  at the time), and former Luftwaffe ace Walter

  Wolfrum (137 kills). At the end of the 1990s the

  aircraft was no longer flying much and in 2000

  it was sold to another owner in Germany. The

  current Czech owner then bought the aircraft

  from him and kept the German matriculation.

  At that time the aircraft had flown only 1114 hours.

  The rudder was consequently decorated with

  a painting of the girl by Antonio Vargas, while

  on the starboard of the front fuselage there is

  the inscription Small Beautiful Doll, which is

  a paraphrase of the Big Beautiful Doll inscription

  painted on the P-51D of Colonel John D. Landers

  (14.5 kills), commander of the 78th FG. On the left

  side of the engine cowling is another reference

  to the P-51 Mustang, the inscription Daddy’s

  Girl. The aircraft named such was flown by Ray

  S. Wetmore (21.25 kills). The owner has stamped

  the name with a Roman numeral two because his

  previously owned Trenér had the same name.

  Manufactured in 1973, the aircraft was exported

  to Hungary, where it received the HA

  -

  SAR

  designation and flew there until 1987, when it

  was sold to Graz, Austria. There it received the

  OE

  -

  CSA registration and also an attractive livery.

  It was based in Punitz in 1991, crashed in 1999 and

  had another accident in 2001 when the pilot had to

  make an emergency landing near Pöttelsdorf after

  losing fuel pressure. Ten years later, on August

  19, 2022, while taxiing after landing at Breighton

  Airport (UK) the pilot reported he lost directional

  control of the aircraft and subsequently crashed

  into an aerobatic Van RV-6 aircraft. The ill-fated

  Trenér was then repaired again. In Otrokovice,

  the right wing and engine cowls were restored

  and today the aircraft is flying again. By the way,

  just a week before the last accident, OM

  -

  CSA was

  visiting Nové Město nad Metují in the country of

  its origin, i.e., in Czech Republic.

  KITS 10/2023

  INFO Eduard38

  October 2023

• Page 39

  Z-526F, s/n 1266, OK

  -

  DRB, private, Příbram airfield, Czech Republic, 2020

  Z 526M, s/n 1006, private, OK

  -

  LAC, Czech Republic, 2011

  This aircraft was produced in 1973 for the

  Romanian Aero Club and received the registration

  YR

  -

  ZAN. It was sold in 1992, together with several

  other aircraft, to a Belgian commercial pilot Gino

  Loosen. After an overhaul, the aircraft received

  a new registration OO

  -

  MFG and an interesting

  dark green metallic paint. The biz-jet pilot

  enjoyed his Trainer until 2011, then, after service

  of it in Otrokovice, he decided to sell it. His wish

  was to sell the aircraft back to the country of its

  origin. The current owner had been waiting for

  an opportunity to purchase the Trenér for some

  time and grabbed the offer from Otrokovice. The

  aircraft received the OK

  -

  DRB registration and

  since then the owner has been flying it from

  the airfield in Příbram. He likes to participate in

  aviation events and fly-ins, so the OK

  -

  DRB is often

  seen at various airfields. An interesting feature is

  its coloring, which it has had since the time of its

  stay in Switzerland. The lighter color looks like

  a very light green metallic in many photos, but it

  is a grey-silver color that likes to be affected by

  light conditions ...

  This aircraft was manufactured in 1966 as the

  first production two-seat Z-526 and was sold

  to Germany the same year, where it flew as the

  D

  -

  EGED. It was then sold off to Spain (SE

  -

  XFE), but

  returned to Germany in 1998, where the original

  WM 6-III engine was replaced with an M-137A.

  The aircraft was given the registration D

  -

  EHWJ

  and served at Flugschule Stahnke. There it also

  completed a take-off accident with the landing

  gear retracted while still on the ground. After it,

  the aircraft underwent an overhaul in Otrokovice

  and was converted to Z-526M version. The well-

  known acrobat Klaus Lenhart purchased it after

  the aircraft was replaced in the school’s fleet by

  the newer Z-526F. Klaus was the youngest son of

  the founder of LEKI company and CEO since 1984.

  He was an aerobatic pilot, participated in many

  competitions with for example the Extra 300L

  special. Since 1992, most of the LEKI products

  have been manufactured by Novasport, a Tachov

  company founded by Klaus Lenhart and so his

  Z-526M was registered in the Czech Republic as

  OK

  -

  LAC. The aircraft was operated by the Karlovy

  Vary Air Sports Centre where OK

  -

  LAC reached

  its resurs. It was subsequently dismantled and

  stored. In 2012 Klaus Lenhart died in a plane

  crash, just one day before his 57th birthday (April

  30, 2012). A year later, the aircraft was sold to

  private owner in Germany and its further fate is

  unknown today.

  KITS 10/2023

  INFO Eduard

  39

  October 2023

• Page 40

  Recommended:

  for Z-526 Trenér Master 1/48

  648729 Z-326/526 wheels (Brassin)

  3DL48139 Z-526 Trenér Master SPACE (3D Decal Set)

  D48097 Z-126/226/326/526 cockpit placards (Decal Set)

  EX983 Z-526 Trenér Master TFace (Mask)

  OVERTREES

  #82183X

  Z-326/526

  Trenér Master

  1/48

  Product page

  OVERLEPT

  #82185-LEPT

  Z-526 Trenér Master

  PE

  -

  Set 1/48

  Product page

  #648729

  #EX983

  #D48097

  #3DL48139

  KITS 10/2023

  INFO Eduard40

  October 2023

• Page 41

  1/72

  ALBATROS

  The Limited edition kit of the Czechoslovak subsonic jet trainer

  L-39 Albatros in 1/72 scale. The kit offers the possibility to build

  Albatros L-39C, L-39ZA and L-39 ZO versions of Czechoslovak,

  Czech and international users.

  plastic parts: Eduard

  marking options: 10

  decals: Eduard

  PE parts: yes, pre-painted

  painting mask: yes

  resin parts: no

  #2109

  Product page

  DUAL COMBO

  KITS 10/2023

  INFO Eduard

  41

  October 2023

• Page 42

  L-39ZA, s/n 232433, 222 Training Squadron, Náměšť nad Oslavou AFB,

  Czech Air Force, Czech Republic, 2008–2010

  L-39C, pplk. Ing. Ivan Chvojka, Sliač AFB, Slovak Air Force,

  Slovakia, 1991–2004

  The first flight of the Albatros with serial number

  232433 took place on November 24, 1982, with

  Pánek and Křemen pilots in the cockpit. On

  December 13, the military administration took

  over the aircraft. It was incorporated into the

  30 Fighter-Bomber Air Regiment in Hradec

  Králové on December 23, 1982, and later moved

  to Pardubice. By the late 1980s, it was assigned

  to the 8 Fighter-Bomber Air Regiment in Mošnov,

  later Brno-Tuřany, where it was used primarily

  in the AA role against the slow and low altitude

  flying targets. After the 8 Fighter-Bomber Air

  Regiment was disbanded, the aircraft was

  transferred to various units. In 2003, it underwent

  a major overhaul in LOZ České Budějovice. It was

  later integrated into the 221 Tactical Squadron at

  the 22 Air Base in Náměšť nad Oslavou. In 2008,

  the aircraft was selected for a special paint

  scheme to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the

  first L-39 flight. The anniversary livery depicted

  an albatross in flight on the right side, while the

  left side featured the image of Jan Vlček, the head

  designer of L-39, along with his signature. The

  anniversary Albatros was showcased at various

  public events. It was eventually assigned to the

  222 Training Squadron at Náměšť nad Oslavou

  Air Base. Its last flight occurred on November

  25, 2010, after which it was retired. In 2013, it

  was transported to Čáslav by land and later

  transferred to the Kbely Aviation Museum after

  four years of storage in Čáslav after logging

  impressive 3,545 flight hours.

  The aerobatic team “Biele Albatrosy” (White

  Albatrosses) performed their shows flying L-39

  Albatros aircraft manufactured by Aero Vodochody.

  The team operated from 1991 to 2004. Initially, they

  practiced flying in a trio formation and made their

  first public appearance with six aircraft in May

  1991. By the end of 1991, the team adopted the

  name “Biele Albatrosy”. In the summer of 1992, all

  six aircraft received a new Slovak national color

  scheme, replacing the original camouflage. From

  1995, the team operated as six-aircraft formation

  with seventh solo which filled the gaps between

  the group’s display passes. The Biele Albatrosy

  achieved success not only in the Czech Republic

  and Slovakia but also at the international air shows

  in countries including England, France, Denmark,

  Italy, Hungary, and the Netherlands. The team was

  led by military pilot Ivan Chvojka.

  KITS 10/2023

  INFO Eduard42

  October 2023

• Page 43

  L-39C, s/n 530443, High Military Aviation School, Košice AB,

  Czechoslovak Air Force, Czechoslovakia, 1974

  L-39C, No. 0448, 1 Tactical Squadron, 4 Special Forces, Czech Air Force,

  Čáslav, Czech Republic, 2002

  In military aviation training, the subsonic jet

  trainer L-39 Albatros plays an indispensable

  role. The first flight of the prototype X-02 took

  place on November 4, 1968. The Czechoslovak

  People’s Army logically became the first user of

  L-39 aircraft. At that time, the Military Aviation

  College in Košice (VVLŠ SNP) provided training

  for military pilots throughout Czechoslovakia.

  The early series L-39C aircraft were delivered

  with a white upper fuselage. The lower fuselage

  and entire wings were in a gray color. The stripe

  ahead of the cockpit was in cabin gray. Color

  accents on the aircraft were in red. In 1978,

  the aircraft with serial number 0443 was part

  of the VVLŠ SNP Košice aerobatic team. After

  the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, the aircraft

  served with the renowned Slovak aerobatic team

  Biele Albatrosy (White Albatrosses). In 2012,

  it underwent modernization to the CM version.

  On April 1, 2004, a new organizational unit of LOM

  PRAHA company, the Center for Aviation Training

  Pardubice (CLV), was established. This unit leased

  eight L-39C aircraft with serial numbers 0103,

  0113, 0115, 0440, 0441, 0444, 0445, and 0448 from

  the Czech Armed Forces for the advanced training

  of military pilots. Since 2008, LOM PRAHA has

  had these aircraft under its asset management

  rights. The Center for Aviation Training LOM

  PRAHA has trained 90 proficient military pilots on

  L-39C aircraft for the Czech Republic Army since

  its establishment. Additionally, as per customer

  requirements, 15 foreign pilots have undergone

  the training. During the years 2015–2016, the

  R3 revision was completed. This represented

  the highest level of maintenance in the entire

  technical lifespan of the modified L-39C aircraft

  at the Pardubice CLV. These Albatros aircraft can

  be easily recognized by their darker semi-gloss

  camouflage and, most notably, by their round

  “low-vis” national markings. The depicted aircraft

  with serial number 0448 still bears its original

  camouflage that it had while serving with the

  1 Squadron of the 4 Tactical Air Base at Čáslav

  Air Base.

  KITS 10/2023

  INFO Eduard

  43

  October 2023

• Page 44

  L-39CM, s/n 915301, 2 Fighter Squadron, 31 Fighter Wing, Slovak Air Force,

  Sliač AFB, Slovakia, 2012

  L-39C, Iraq Air Force, Iraq, 1986

  The Albatros with serial number 5301 is

  a modernized CM variant operated by the

  2 Fighter Squadron of the combined wing based

  at Sliač AFB. Before the modernization, it carried

  the number 0443 (s/n 530443) and was a well-

  known aircraft belonging to the Biele Albatrosy

  team. In 2012, the aircraft underwent a major

  overhaul during which it received a new gray

  camouflage. As part of the new scheme, the

  silhouette of the cockpit was included on the

  underside. After the modernization, it received

  a new serial number 915301 and the national

  markings were applied to commemorate the 90th

  anniversary of the birth of famous Czechoslovak

  pilot S/Ldr Otto Smik. Currently, only three

  L-39CMs (5252, 5253, and 5301) are in operation;

  the remaining two were retired in 2011.

  After the USSR, Iraq became the second foreign

  user of L-39 aircraft and the first customer to

  receive the ZO version. Iraqi L-39Cs were used in

  flight schools in Rashid and Tikrit.

  KITS 10/2023

  INFO Eduard44

  October 2023

• Page 45

  L-39C, s/n 533229, No. 129, Ukrainian Air Force, Vasilkov AB, Ukraine, 2008

  L-39X-11, Aerosalon Paris, France, 1977

  After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, around

  530 L-39 aircraft remained in Ukraine according

  to several sources. The poor financial situation

  of the entire military significantly reduced their

  number, and by 2005, fewer than 200 aircraft

  were airworthy. The rest of the Albatroses is in

  storage and available for potential sales.

  The prototype L-39X-11 (L-39ZO, OK

  -

  HXA, 3911,

  OK-190) was adorned with a white-gray-blue

  camouflage and shortly thereafter exhibited

  (equipped as ZO version) at the Paris Air Show,

  where it earned the nickname “Pařížanka”

  (Parisienne) due to its non-standard coloring.

  Aircraft from Aero participated multiple times

  at the prestigious European airshow held at

  Le Bourget near Paris since 1977, but the first

  international presentation of the Albatros was

  certainly exceptional. In Paris, it was displayed

  with a photo container on the left inner pylon along

  with a symmetrical placement of a large (350-liter)

  drop tank, thus showcasing the aircraft’s expanded

  usage – this time for aerial reconnaissance.

  KITS 10/2023

  INFO Eduard

  45

  October 2023

• Page 46

  OVERTREES

  #7040X

  L-39

  1/72

  Product page

  OVERLEPT

  #2109-LEPT

  L-39 PE

  -

  Set

  1/72

  Product page

  L-39ZA/ART, s/n 365504, Chiang Mai AB, Royal Thai Air Force,

  Thailand, 2014

  L-39ZO, s/n 831135, Lt. Laszló Goron, 59th Szentgyörgyi Dezsö Airbase,

  Kecskemet, Hungary, August 2007

  The Royal Thai Air Force operated L-39ZA/

  ART aircraft at two airbases. The majority of

  them were stationed at Korat Air Base in the

  central part of Thailand, which serves as an

  RTAF showcase, hosting foreign delegations

  and conducting joint exercises with neighboring

  countries. The second base was Takhli, located

  about 200 km to the west, where the aircraft

  were used for operational flights. The L-39ZA

  aircraft were initially used by the 101 and 102

  Squadrons in Korat, then by the 401 Squadron in

  Thakli, and the 411 Squadron in Chiang Mai. The

  RTAF received a total of 40 L-39 aircraft by 1994,

  with about five lost in accidents. On the occasion

  of anniversaries, some aircraft were presented

  in special liveries featuring emblems of all four

  squadrons. On March 31, 2021, the Royal Thai Air

  Force held the ceremony on the occasion of the

  Aero L-39ZA/ART retirement from the active duty.

  The last operator was the 411th Squadron, 41st

  Wing, based in Chiang Mai.

  On the request of foreign clients, the L-39C was

  developed into the L-39ZO between 1973 and

  1976. Among other modifications, the ZO version

  was given four wing pylons with a strengthened

  structure and landing gear. In 1994 Hungary

  received 24 aircraft from Germany for the

  symbolic price of one DM. The last of these aircraft

  retired in the fall of 2009. Aircraft coded 135 was

  camouflaged on the upper and side surfaces in

  shades of brown and green while the undersides

  were in light blue. In 2007, under the guidance

  of Crew Chief MSgt. Lajos Molnar, the aircraft

  acquired an attractive sharkmouth design and

  the vertical tail surfaces received the Hungarian

  national colors. The airfield from which this

  aircraft flew was named after Dezső Szentgyörgyi,

  the most successful Second World War Hungarian

  pilot with twenty-nine confirmed kills.

  KITS 10/2023

  INFO Eduard46

  October 2023

• Page 47

  1/48

  HRÁBĚ

  The Limited edition kit of the Soviet single-seat, twin-engine jet colse air support aircraft

  Su-25K (NATO codename Frogfoot) in 1/48 scale. The kit offers possibility to build Su-25K

  in camouflage and markings of the Czechoslovak, Czech and Slovak air Force.

  plastic parts: Eduard

  marking options: 10

  decals: Eduard

  PE parts: yes, pre-painted

  painting mask: yes

  resin parts: yes, air brakes early,

  cannon muzzles, wheels, air inlets,

  canopy strut

  #11176

  Product page

  KITS 10/2023

  INFO Eduard

  47

  October 2023

• Page 48

  9013, 322 Tactical Squadron, 32 Tactical Air Force Base, Náměšť nad Oslavou, Czech Republic, summer 1996

  5007, 30 Fighter Bomber Regiment, Hradec Králové, Czechoslovakia, April 1984

  In the summer of 1991, the most interesting Czech

  Su-25K in terms of coloration was the aircraft

  number 9013. The unusual color scheme with a

  painting of a frog destroying a tank by a hammer

  was based on the NATO code name of Su-25:

  Frogfoot. Arpád Molnár was the main person

  behind this design, the drawing of the frog was

  made by Ladislav Váňa. The aircraft was made

  famous thanks to numerous displays flown by

  major František Tabačko and later also by kpt.

  Martin Hejra. The color job was done with basic

  grey primer. While yellow paint was bought in

  a local drugstore and brown and both greens

  were the colors used for camouflage paints of

  the aircraft shelters and other buildings on the

  air base. The drawing of the frog was done with

  Humbrol paints using a modeler spray gun.

  One of the first delivery batch of eight Su-25Ks

  in their original form, i.e., with black fuselage

  numbers. The aircraft were delivered from the

  USSR with national insignia only, numbers were

  applied after acceptation by Czechoslovak Air

  Force. Aircraft of the series 5 and 6 were not

  equipped with lateral control boosters, i.e.,

  control of the ailerons. Therefore, they were

  equipped with large trim tabs on the ailerons.

  The black fuselage numbers were difficult to

  read on the dark camouflage colors and were

  therefore outlined in white. Subsequently, they

  were painted in full white. While still with black

  number, the aircraft was shiny new and did not

  sport any signs of wear.

  KITS 10/2023

  INFO Eduard48

  October 2023

• Page 49

  Various nose arts appeared on the Czechoslovak

  Su-25Ks. The first attempts were just quickly and

  easily removable chalk drawings. Such a drawing,

  the silhouette of a seated girl with a screwdriver,

  was sketched on this aircraft as well, and as

  there were no objections from the commanding

  officers, it was decided to paint colorful and

  more durable nose art. Aircraft engineer Antonín

  Fidranský decided to create a drawing of a girl

  and a shark’s mouth by washable colors. Also,

  the emblem of the 30 Attack Aviation Regiment,

  last used on the MiG-15bisSB, appeared on this

  aircraft. The painting of “Anča” (Annie) as the

  aircraft was named, probably occurred on the

  weekend of August 20 and 21, 1988, just before

  the planned live ammunition gunnery exercise.

  But the taxiing accident of aircraft No. 1008

  dashed any hope of getting the “Anča” into the air,

  because the incident was followed by the arrival

  of the AAIC (Aircraft Accident Inquiry Comission).

  Due to that, the paintwork was quickly washed

  out to avoid any unwanted interest from the

  AAIC. This aircraft was manufactured on October

  18, 1984, and first flown in Czechoslovakia on

  January 18, 1985. The last flight was conducted on

  May 27, 1998. When discharged, the aircraft had

  917 hrs logged and 15 mins of flight time. After

  its retirement it was sold to the USA on April 10,

  2004.

  6019, 30 Attack Aviation Regiment, Pardubice, Czechoslovakia, August 1988

  1002, 30 Attack Aviation Regiment, Pardubice, Czech Republic, May 1993

  Aircraft of fuselage number 1002 changed its

  camouflage and markings several times. In May

  1993, it underwent a revision of R-1 level at the

  Čáslav Aircraft Repair Base and a distinctive

  shark’s mouth, red trim on the white fuselage

  number and a large 30 Attack Aviation Regiment

  inscription on the directional stabilizer were

  applied. Less than a year later, the entire vertical

  fin and rudder were painted in tricolor livery with

  Lubrifilm company advertisement. This Su-25K

  was manufactured in Tbilisi on May 15, 1987, and

  landed at the Pardubice base on June 27 of the

  same year. It was one of the aircraft that were

  transferred to the air base in Náměšť in 1994. In

  1996 it was overhauled and discharged in 2001

  after a total flight time of 703 hrs and 43 mins.

  The aircraft was sold to a new user in 2003.

  KITS 10/2023

  INFO Eduard

  49

  October 2023

• Page 50

  1002, 30 Attack Aviation Regiment, Pardubice, Czech Republic, June 1994

  1002, 322 Tactical Squadron, 32 Tactical Air Base Náměšť and Oslavou, Czech Republic, May 1996

  The lack of funds for participation on the airshows

  was solved by the Display Team members by

  sponsorship. One of the aircraft “decorated” with

  sponsor’s decals was Su-25K No. 1002, whose

  display “sorties” were supported by Lubrifilm

  company. The No. 8077 aircraft was similarly

  modified. The spraying and painting of the 1002

  had its premiere during Pardubice airshow on May

  21, 1994. The next 1002 appearance took place at

  the Aviation Days in Náměšť nad Oslavou on June

  11 and in České Budějovice a week later, on June

  18,1994. Not everyone liked such a sponsorship

  and after interpellations from politicians, the

  Minister of Defense banned all advertising

  activities on military aircraft. Therefore, in July

  1994, the advertising stickers were removed,

  leaving only the colored SOP. The 1002 flew in this

  design until the end of 1994. To finish Your model

  in this state of markings, do not use No. 45 decal

  and use Nos. 48; 49; 107; 108 for the tail vertical

  surfaces.

  The next reincarnation of the Su-25K number 1002

  was named “Shark”. Already at the end of 1995,

  the technicians of the 322 Squadron expressed

  their wish to have the fuselages of the two

  aircraft painted in a special color scheme, and

  Jan Martinec began to prepare graphic designs.

  The painting was carried out in the week from

  May 13 to 17, 1996, and finally the new coloring

  was applied on whole aircraft. The ceremonial

  roll out took place on Friday May 17, 1996 and the

  aircraft subsequently made number of displays.

  Kpt. Ladislav Oslanský flew it at CIAF 2000, which

  was the last display of the aircraft on domestic

  airshows.

  KITS 10/2023

  INFO Eduard50

  October 2023

• Page 51

  8076, 322 Tactical Squadron, 32 Tactical Air Base Náměšť nad Oslavou, Czech Republic, May 1996

  8080, 322 Tactical Squadron, 32 Tactical Air Base Náměšť nad Oslavou, Czech Republic, 1997

  Along with the 1002, the 8076 was also painted in

  a special livery. In its case, it was an application

  of the eagle motif that the 322 TS had as its

  emblem. The implementation of this coloring took

  only three days from May 15 to 17. The aircraft

  had the original camouflage in good condition

  and so received only the nose paint job and, as

  was customary, the auxiliary tanks were also

  decorated accordingly.

  Aircraft of the 322 Tactical Squadron gradually

  received graphic symbols on their vertical fins,

  which helped to identify the aircraft quickly

  even if the fuselage number was not visible. The

  number 8080 received two crossed white stripes

  on the green plastic cover of the top of the fin. The

  front sides of the engine nacelles already sported

  the squadron insignia with a stylized eagle. The

  colors were already very weathered.

  KITS 10/2023

  INFO Eduard

  51

  October 2023

• Page 52

  8074, 2 Squadron, 33 Fighter Bomber Wing, Air Base Kuchyňa, Slovakia, April 1997

  1027, 3 Fighter Bomber Regiment, Trenčín airfield, Slovakia, August 1994

  In 1993, the 8074 was fitted with a “fire” motif

  that earned it the nickname “Flamingo”. It was

  first presented to the public in this form at the

  1993 SIAF Air Show in Košice. After the division of

  the Czechoslovakia, the newly formed 3 Fighter

  Bomber Aviation Regiment of the Slovak Air Force

  had its base at the Kuchyňa airfield, but since it

  was already occupied by MiG-21, Su-22 and L-29

  aircraft, the Su-25Ks were based at the Trenčín

  airport, right next to the aircraft repair facilities.

  On January 1, 1993, the Su-25 squadron was

  reorganized and transferred to the 2 Combined

  Aviation Regiment in Piešt'any, becoming its

  1 squadron. It moved from Trenčín to Kuchyňa

  airfield on September 27, 1994 and became the

  2 squadron of the 33 Fighter Bomber Wing

  Malacky on January 1, 1995 in the process of the

  second reorganization.

  The Slovak Su-25K named “Bizon” (Buffalo) became

  the most attractively colored Slovak aircraft of

  the type. The design was created by Pavol Homer

  and Jozef Horváth. Preparations started on July

  17, 1994 and the “Bizon” flew for the first time on

  July 28 and 29 with the unfinished paint job. It was

  completed on August 14 and it was presented in

  premiere at the SIAF 1994 Air Show on August 21

  in Bratislava. The “Bizon” was the only Su-25 that

  also bore the emblem of the 1 Technical Squadron.

  After completing its service in the Slovak Air Force,

  the aircraft was sold in 2004 to Armenia.

  KITS 10/2023

  INFO Eduard52

  October 2023

• Page 53

  Recommended:

  for Su-25K 1/48

  491277 Su-25 (PE

  -

  Set)

  FE1277 Su-25 (PE

  -

  Set)

  FE1278 Su-25 seatbelts STEEL (PE

  -

  Set)

  BIG49337 Su-25 (PE

  -

  Set)

  644166 Su-25 LööK (Brassin)

  644175 Su-25 LööKplus (Brassin)

  648764 Su-25 ejection seat PRINT (Brassin)

  648780 Su-25 wheels (Brassin)

  3DL48070 Su-25 SPACE (3D Decal Set)

  ER48005 Su-25 raised rivets & surface details (3D Decal Set)

  EX859 Su-25 TFace (Mask)

  OVERTREES

  #11176X

  Su-25K

  1/48

  OVERLEPT

  #11176-LEPT

  Su-25K PE

  -

  Set

  1/48

  Product page

  #644178

  #491277

  #FE1277

  #3DL48070

  KITS 10/2023

  INFO Eduard

  53

  October 2023

• Page 54

  S-199 bubble canopy

  The Weekend edition kit of Czechoslovak single engine fighter

  Avia S-199 with bubble canopy in 1/72 scale.

  plastic parts: Eduard

  marking options: 4

  decals: Eduard

  PE parts: no

  painting mask: no

  resin parts: no

  #7471

  1/72

  Product page

  KITS 10/2023

  INFO Eduard54

  October 2023

• Page 55

  S-199.165, 1 Squadron, 18 Aviation Regiment, Plzeň-Skvrňany, Czechoslovakia, July 1952

  S-199.444, 2 Squadron, 1 Aviation Regiment, 3 Air Division, Praha-Kbely,

  Czechoslovakia, April 1951

  S-199.156, 3 Squadron, Air Regiment 8, 3 Air Division, Brno-Černovice,

  Czechoslovakia, June 1949

  This aircraft was test-flown at the end of October

  1948 by the factory pilot Petr Široký and on

  November 23 it was flown to the designated

  Pilsen Aviation Regiment 4. On March 19, 1950, the

  aircraft was damaged, subsequently repaired and

  reassigned to the unit in mid-July of the same year.

  From April 1952 it was used by the 1 Squadron of

  the 18 Aviation Regiment at the Plzeň-Skvrňany

  airfield. On July 23, 1952, this Avia, codenamed

  PS-15, was flown by Lt. Vladislav Petráš who was

  performing a training flight. During it, a technical

  malfunction occurred, and the pilot had to make

  an emergency belly-landing near Trhové Dušníky,

  Příbram district. In such a landing, the aircraft

  suffered only minor damage, especially to the

  propeller blades and was subsequently repaired.

  The aircraft serial number 444 was test-flown by

  factory pilot Antonín Kraus on September 5, 1949

  and from the end of August 1950 it served with the

  Aviation Regiment 1. In April 1951 it was operated

  by its 2 squadron in Prague-Kbely, where it bore

  the designation JW-38. On April 21, 1951, the pilot

  of this aircraft, rt. (TSgt) Jiří Klempíř crashed at

  the Letňany airfield as the aircraft bounced on

  a terrain wave and fell from the height to the

  ground during take-off. The short career of this

  “Mezek” (Mule) was ended in mid-June 1951, when

  the operation was accountably terminated, and

  the aircraft was subsequently scrapped.

  The Avia S-199 number 156 was produced in the

  summer of 1948 and was assigned to the 3 Air

  Division in mid-November. In June 1949, it was

  stationed with Aviation Regiment 8 at the Brno-

  Černovice airfield. The code designation NP-2

  hints it was the aircraft of the 3 Squadron. The

  aircraft was painted by light gray-green color

  shade and had the front part repaired with

  a darker shade of green paint. On June 10, 1949,

  the pilot, rt. (TSgt) Jan Dočkal damaged it during

  landing at his home airfield. After repair, the

  aircraft was then assigned to Aviation Regiment

  3. This “Mezek” (Mule) had machine guns in the

  wing installed. On March 18, 1952, it was destroyed

  during take-off.

  KITS 10/2023

  INFO Eduard

  55

  October 2023

• Page 56

  SS810 S-199 bubble canopy Weekend (PE

  -

  Set)

  672284 S-199 exhaust stacks PRINT (Brassin)

  672285 S-199 wheels PRINT (Brassin)

  672289 S-199 cockpit bubble canopy PRINT (Brassin)

  672293 S-199 4xETC 50 rack w/bombs (Brassin)

  672294 S-199 engine PRINT (Brassin)

  3DL72008 S-199 SPACE (3D obtisk)

  D72038 S-199 Czechoslovak national insignia (Decal Set)

  D72040 S-199 Czechoslovak stencils (Decal Set)

  CX652 S-199 bubble canopy Weekend (Mask)

  Police Air Patrol, Brno/Olomouc, Czechoslovakia, 1949

  The Police Air Patrol of the Security Air Force

  (until mid-December 1947 the National Security

  Air Force) used this aircraft at Brno or Olomouc

  airports. At the time of its service with the

  Police Air Patrol, it bore the standard livery of

  this air force, i.e., light grey paint on the upper

  surfaces and dark grey on the lower surfaces,

  complemented by scarlet paint on the nose and

  leading edge of the wing. Also, the horizontal tail

  surfaces were the same color. The reconstruction

  of the color scheme was based on photographs

  of similar aircraft as no photographs of the OK-

  BXK have survived. The serial number is still

  unknown, but could probably be 201, 410 or in the

  range 414 to 416. There is full range of the digits

  for creating any number.

  Recommended:

  for S-199 bubble canopy 1/72

  #672289

  #672284

  #672294

  #672293

  KITS 10/2023

  INFO Eduard56

  October 2023

• Page 57

  1/48

  F4F-3 Wildcat

  The Weekend edition kit of US carrier-based

  fighter F4F-3 Wildcat in 1/48 scale.

  plastic parts: Eduard

  marking options: 4

  decals: Eduard

  PE parts: no

  painting mask: no

  resin parts: no

  #84193

  Product page

  KITS 10/2023

  INFO Eduard

  57

  October 2023

• Page 58

  BuNo. 1883, VF-72, USS Wasp (CV-7), December 1940

  BuNo. 3976, Lt. Cdr. John S. Thach, CO of VF-3, USS Lexington (CV-2), April 1942

  The first production batch of Wildcats, a total

  of 49 aircraft, was delivered in a pre-war color

  scheme. This means that the fuselage and lower

  wing surfaces were painted in aluminum color,

  while the upper wing surfaces were painted

  yellow. Insignias on the wings were placed in all

  four positions, and on the fuselage, they were

  either painted on the nose or on the engine

  cowling. The insignia position indicated the

  neutral status of these aircraft. The affiliation

  to individual ships was determined by the color

  of the tail surfaces. Aircraft with black coloring

  belonged to the aircraft carrier USS Wasp

  (CV-7). Stripes on the wings and the coloring of the

  front part of the engine cowling identified which

  section within the unit the aircraft belonged to. In

  the case of red coloring, it was the first section,

  and if the machine had the entire front part of

  the engine cowling and a stripe on the fuselage

  painted in the section color, it was the leader's

  machine of that section. This Wildcat served with

  VF-72 between the years 1940 and 1941. From

  the deck of USS Wasp (CV-7) and the ground

  base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, it participated

  in Neutrality Patrols, which were meant to

  ensure the neutrality in the coastal waters of

  the United States and the Caribbean, as declared

  by President Roosevelt on September 4, 1939. It

  was lost on May 8, 1942, during the Battle of the

  Coral Sea, where it operated from the deck of USS

  Yorktown (CV-5) as part of VF-42 squadron.

  John Smith Thach was born on April 19, 1905, in

  Pine Bluff, Arkansas. After graduating from the

  Naval Academy in 1927, he spent two years of

  service on battleships and began pilot training in

  February 1929. He earned his pilot wings in 1930.

  During the 1930s, he served in various units, and

  in June 1939, he was assigned to VF-3, which

  he commanded from December 1940. This unit

  was embarked on the USS Lexington (CV-2) on

  February 10, 1942, as part of Task Force 11, with

  the target of Rabaul.

  Flying boats Kawanishi H6K Mavis were searching

  for the task force, and eventually, they succeeded

  in locating it. The Japanese spotted the convoy

  and dispatched a total of 17 G4M Betty bombers

  against it. "Jimmy" Thach, piloting his personal

  aircraft Fox-1, managed to shoot down one of the

  reconnaissance seaplanes during the morning

  patrol, achieving the squadron's first victory. The

  attack of bombers launched from Rabaul occurred

  around 16:30, and Thach, now flying Fox-13, led all

  operational Wildcats of the squadron against the

  attackers. The result was 15 shot-down Bettys,

  and he personally claimed two victories. The last

  combat action Lt. Cdr. Thach participated in was

  the Battle of Midway, where he, as the squadron

  leader, shot down four Japanese planes (3 × A6M

  Zero, 1 × B5N Kate). Later in the war, he served as

  the operations officer under Vice Admiral John S.

  McCain, the commander of Task Force 38. After

  the war, John Thach served as a commanding

  officer of aircraft carriers, and in the 1960s, he

  held high staff positions. He retired in May 1967

  with the rank of Admiral and passed away on

  April 25, 1981. His Wildcat was camouflaged

  with Light Gray FS 36440 on the undersurfaces,

  and Blue Gray FS 35189 on the upper and side

  surfaces. The insignia on the rear fuselage and

  four positions on the wings were accompanied by

  13 red and white stripes on the rudder.

  KITS 10/2023

  INFO Eduard58

  October 2023

• Page 59

  BuNo. 3986, Lt. Cdr. Edward H. O’Hare, VF-3, USS Lexington (CV-2), April 1942

  BuNo. 3991, VMF-111 Samoa, 1942

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

  in St. Louis, Missouri. After graduating from the

  US Naval Academy in 1937, he was commissioned

  as an Ensign and assigned to the battleship USS

  New Mexico (BB-40). In June 1939, he began flight

  training, which he successfully completed in May

  1940. Then he was transferred to VF-3, based

  on the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga (CV-3). He

  became famous for his actions in February 1942

  when, during the approach to Rabaul on New

  Britain, the position of Task Force 11 led by the

  aircraft carrier USS Lexington (CV-2), on which

  VF-3 was stationed at that time, was exposed. The

  Japanese dispatched two groups of Betty bombers

  toward the task force. Only "Butch" O’Hare and his

  wingman confronted the second group. Lt. O’Hare

  shot down three Bettys and severely damaged

  two others, disrupting the entire attack. On April

  10, 1942, for promotional shots, two Wildcats were

  prepared: Thach's with the designation F-1 and the

  aircraft marked F-13, flown by Lt. Noel A. M. Gayler.

  However, during the filming, newly promoted Lt.

  Cdr. O’Hare took the place in F-13's cockpit. This

  Wildcat was camouflaged with Light Gray FS 36440

  on the undersurfaces and Blue Gray FS 35189 on

  the upper and side surfaces. The insignia on the

  rear fuselage and four positions on the wings were

  accompanied by 13 red and white stripes on the

  rudder. Edward O’Hare did not survive till the end

  of the war. During a night action on November 26,

  1943, while flying a Hellcat, he was likely hit and

  crashed into the sea. His body was never found,

  although some witnesses claimed to have seen

  a parachute. Before the war, O’Hare had settled

  in Chicago, and in 1949, the city named its airport

  after him.

  Since its establishment in September 1925, this

  unit underwent several designations. It wasn't

  until July 1, 1941, that the unit was redesignated as

  VMF-111, a designation it held until its deactivation

  on November 26, 1945. At the time of the attack

  on Pearl Harbor, the pilots of the unit flew F4F-

  3 Wildcat aircraft, which the squadron retained

  in service until the beginning of 1943, when it

  transitioned to more modern Corsairs. In March

  1942, the unit was moved to Tafuna Airfield (now

  Pago Pago International Airport) on Tutuila Island,

  part of the American Samoa archipelago. In July

  of the same year, the unit was relocated to the

  newly built Faleolo Airfield on Upolu Island in the

  same archipelago. Here, the unit spent a year as

  part of the defense of this territory, armed with

  Wildcats that had seen service with U.S. Navy

  squadrons operating from aircraft carriers.

  Wildcat with Bureau Number 3991 initially served

  on the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga (CV-3) and

  later, while part of VF-2, participated in the Battle

  of the Coral Sea. At the beginning of his service

  with VMF-111, nicknamed Devil Dogs, he carried

  insignias with red centers on the fuselage and

  wings and red and white stripes on the rudder.

  KITS 10/2023

  INFO Eduard

  59

  October 2023

• Page 60

  Recommended:

  for F4F-3 Wildcat 1/48

  481086 F4F-3 landing flaps (PE

  -

  Set)

  FE1290 F4F seatbelts STEEL (PE

  -

  Set)

  FE1387 F4F-3 Weekend (PE

  -

  Set)

  644171 F4F-3 early LööK (Brassin)

  648756 F4F 42gal ventral drop tank PRINT (Brassin)

  648765 F4F-3 cockpit w/ telescopic gun sight PRINT (Brassin)

  648766 F4F-3 exhausts PRINT (Brassin)

  648767 F4F-3 wheels early (Brassin)

  648768 F4F-3 wheels late (Brassin)

  648769 F4F gun barrels PRINT (Brassin)

  648770 F4F-3 life raft PRINT (Brassin)

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

  648781 F4F seat early PRINT (Brassin)

  648792 F4F-3 engine early PRINT (Brassin)

  648793 F4F-3 gun bays PRINT (Brassin)

  648794 F4F-3 landing flaps PRINT (Brassin)

  648795 F4F-3 wheel bay PRINT (Brassin)

  648825 F4F-3 engine mid PRINT (Brassin)

  648826 F4F-3 engine late PRINT (Brassin)

  648827 F4F-3A engine PRINT (Brassin)

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

  3DL48080 F4F-3 early SPACE (3D Decal Set)

  EX878 F4F-3 TFace (Mask)

  EX984 F4F-3 Weekend (Mask)

  BuNo. 3991, VMF-111 Samoa, 1942

  Since its establishment in September 1925, this

  unit underwent several designations. It wasn't

  until July 1, 1941, that the unit was redesignated as

  VMF-111, a designation it held until its deactivation

  on November 26, 1945. At the time of the attack

  on Pearl Harbor, the pilots of the unit flew F4F-3

  Wildcat aircraft, which the squadron retained

  in service until the beginning of 1943, when it

  transitioned to more modern Corsairs. In March

  1942, the unit was moved to Tafuna Airfield (now

  Pago Pago International Airport) on Tutuila Island,

  part of the American Samoa archipelago. In July

  of the same year, the unit was relocated to the

  newly built Faleolo Airfield on Upolu Island in the

  same archipelago. Here, the unit spent a year as

  part of the defense of this territory, armed with

  Wildcats that had seen service with U.S. Navy

  squadrons operating from aircraft carriers.

  Wildcat with Bureau Number 3991 initially served

  on the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga (CV-3) and

  later, while part of VF-2, participated in the

  Battle of the Coral Sea. During its service with

  VMF-111, nicknamed Devil Dogs, it initially bore

  markings with red centers and red and white

  stripes on the rudder. In photographs taken

  during its emergency landing on the sea's surface

  in January 1943, the red centers on the markings

  are already painted over, and the rudder has been

  repainted with the camouflage color Blue Gray.

  #648792

  #648794

  #648795

  #648770

  #648781

  KITS 10/2023

  INFO Eduard60

  October 2023

• Page 61

  1/48

  F6F-5

  The Weekend edition kit of US naval fighter

  aircraft F6F-5 in 1/48 scale.

  plastic parts: Eduard

  marking options: 4

  decals: Eduard

  PE parts: no

  painting mask: no

  resin parts: no

  #84181

  Product page

  Re-release

  KITS 10/2023

  INFO Eduard

  61

  October 2023

• Page 62

  F6F-5, Lt. Fred Prinz, VBF-17, USS Hornet (CV-12), March 1945

  F6F-5, Lt. Daniel A. Carmichael, VBF-12, USS Randolph (CV-15),

  April 1945

  Before the planned landing of the American units

  on Okinawa (Operation Iceberg, April 1, 1945)

  on March 19, 1945 the USN airplanes attacked

  the enemy air bases located on the islands

  of Kyūshū, Shikoku and southern Honshū and

  the naval bases Kure and Kobe. The mission

  was to destroy the Japanese ships and aircraft

  and prevent them from any action against the

  invasion forces. One of the units that were to

  participate in this strike was VBF-17 based on

  the aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-12). In the

  formation of twenty Hellcats, with which VBF-17

  was equipped, flew Lt. Prinz and Lt. Karr. Kōkūtai

  343 equipped with N1K2-J fighters was launched

  against the approaching enemy. The dogfight

  took place over the ocean. During the surprise

  attack on two American pilots Lt. Karr was shot

  down while Lt. Prinz’s Hellcat was damaged and

  the unit’s commander was destroyed after the

  collision with one of the attackers, Kiku-ichi

  Ishikawa. Prinz managed to nurse the damaged

  aircraft back to Hornet where he landed. Hellcats

  participating in these missions were marked by

  white-painted noses for the better recognition of

  the friendly aircraft.

  Washington D.C. native, Daniel Archibald

  Carmichael finished his Bachelor’s studies in

  the architecture at Princeton University in 1941.

  He commenced his pilot’s training with the US

  Navy in the spring of the following year finishing

  it in March 1943. After completing the advanced

  training he was assigned to VF-2 from June

  1943 to October 1944 flying from USS Enterprise

  (CV-6) and USS Hornet (CV-12). During his VF-2

  deployment Lt. Carmichael shot down nine

  enemy aircraft. His next assignment was the

  USS Randolph (CV-15) air carrier flight deck from

  which he flew from January to May 1945 within

  the ranks of VBF-12 achieving another 4 victories

  over the Japanese aircraft. During his VBF-12

  deployment Lt. Carmichael flew overal blue

  Hellcat nr.59 which carried the white markings

  of the aircraft belonging to USS Randolph, on the

  vertical tail surface, rudder and the ailerons, his

  scoreboard was marked under the windshield.

  KITS 10/2023

  INFO Eduard62

  October 2023

• Page 63

  F6F-5K, BuNo 80173, Detroit Air Races, 1951

  F6F-5, LV Gérard de Castelbajac, Flottile 11F, Haiphong Cat Bi,

  Indochina, March 1954

  After WWII all Hellcats were replaced by the more

  modern type made by Grumman, F8F Bearcat

  fighters. Hellcats were gradually transferred

  to the second line units and reserve squadrons.

  During 1949-1957 the significant number was

  converted to radio-controlled drones. The flight

  instruments were retained for flights between

  the bases however the aircraft were stripped of

  the armaments and arrestor hooks for aircraft

  carrier landings. One of the Hellcats rebuilt to

  the drone standard was the airframe BuNo 80173

  which in 1951 appeared at the Detroit Air Races.

  It did not participate in the racing however its

  unusual coloration attracted the interest of the

  aviation fans.

  After WWII France attempted to reinstate its

  pre-war colony in South East Asia. They were

  opposed by the communists led by Ho Chi Minh.

  Vietnamese National Army together with the

  French Army fought Viet Minh (Vietnamese

  People’s Army) until August 1954. The last big

  clash was the Battle of Dien Bien Phu where the

  French Naval Air Forces took part, as they did

  in the prior battles. In this case it was Flottille

  3F equipped with the SB2C bombers and Flottille

  11F equipped with Hellcats. Hellcats led by

  LV Castelbajac flew close airs support missions

  and were armed not only with machine guns but

  also with unguided missiles and bombs. On March

  19, 1954 the unit commander crashed this Hellcat

  near Cat Bi airport (nowadays the Haiphong

  International Airport). The aircraft was written

  off but the pilot survived.

  48585 F6F undercarriage (PE

  -

  Set)

  48588 F6F gun bay (PE

  -

  Set)

  FE454 F6F-5 Weekend (PE

  -

  Set)

  FE1065 F6F-5 seatbelts STEEL (PE

  -

  Set)

  644012 F6F-5 LööK (Brassin)

  648086 US 250lb bombs (2 pcs) (Brassin)

  648102 F6F wheels (Brassin)

  648683 F6F exhaust stacks (Brassin)

  648747 F6F undercarriage legs BRONZE (Brassin)

  648798 F6F wheel bays PRINT (Brassin)

  3DL48069 F6F-5 SPACE (3D Decal Set)

  D48059 F6F-5 stencils (Decal Set)

  EX539 F6F-5/5N (Mask)

  Recommended:

  for F6F-5 1/48

  #648798

  #644012

  KITS 10/2023

  INFO Eduard

  63

  October 2023

• Page 64

  BRASSIN

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard

  and STEEL seatbelts for AH-64E in 1/35 scale.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Takom

  Set contains:

  - resin: 3 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboards

  and STEEL seatbelts for F-16D in 1/48 scale.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Kinetic

  Set contains:

  - resin: 5 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details:

  yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  634042

  AH-64E Löök

  1/35 Takom

  644228

  F-16D Block 30 LööK

  1/48 Kinetic

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard64

  October 2023

• Page 65

  644231

  Hurricane Mk.II LööK

  1/48 Arma Hobby

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard and STEEL

  seatbelts for Hurricane Mk.II in 1/48 scale.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Arma Hobby

  Set contains:

  - resin: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  BRASSIN

  Collection of 3 sets for F-4E in 1/48 scale.

  Recommended kit: Meng

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

  - TFace painting mask

  - undercarriage wheels

  644232

  F-4E LööKplus

  1/48 Meng

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  65

  October 2023

• Page 66

  BRASSIN

  Collection of 4 sets for Bf 109K-4 in 1/48 scale.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

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

  - TFace painting mask

  - undercarriage wheels

  - exhaust stacks

  Brassin set - smoke launchers for German WWII

  AFV in 1/35 scale. Set consists of 12 launchers of two types.

  Made by direct 3D printing.

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 12 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes

  - painting mask: no

  644233

  Bf 109K-4 LööKplus

  1/48 Eduard

  635036

  WWII German NbKWrf39 smoke launcher PRINT

  1/35

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard66

  October 2023

• Page 67

  BRASSIN

  Brassin set - airbrakes for F-4E in 1/48 scale.

  Made by direct 3D printing.

  Recommended kit: Meng

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 4 parts

  - decals: yes

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - exhaust pipes for FM-2

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

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 1 part

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  648901

  FM-2 exhausts PRINT

  1/48 Eduard

  Product page

  Product page

  648907

  F-4E airbrakes PRINT

  1/48 Meng

  INFO Eduard

  67

  October 2023

• Page 68

  648908

  F-4E exhaust nozzles PRINT

  1/48 Meng

  648909

  F-4E FOD covers PRINT

  1/48 Meng

  BRASSIN

  Brassin set - exhaust nozzles for F-4E

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

  Recommended kit: Meng

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 6 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - FOD covers for F-4E

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

  Recommended kit: Meng

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 4 parts

  - decals: yes

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard68

  October 2023

• Page 69

  BRASSIN

  Brassin set -tail hook for F-4E

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

  Recommended kit: Meng

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  648912

  F-4E tail hook PRINT

  1/48 Meng

  Brassin set - refuelling boom for F-4E

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

  Recommended kit: Meng

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 1 part

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  648911

  F-4E refuelling boom PRINT

  1/48 Meng

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  69

  October 2023

• Page 70

  BRASSIN

  Brassin set - exhaust nozzle for GE F110

  powered F-16s in 1/48 scale.

  Made by direct 3D print.

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 4 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - exhaust stacks for Hurricane Mk.II

  in 1/48 scale. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Arma Hobby

  Set contains:

  - resin: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  648916

  Hurricane Mk.II exhaust fishtail PRINT

  1/48 Arma Hobby

  648915

  F-16 exhaust nozzle GE F110 PRINT

  1/48 Kinetic

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard70

  October 2023

• Page 71

  BRASSIN

  Brassin set - the undercarriage wheels for Hurricane Mk.II

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

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

  Recommended kit: Arma Hobby

  Set contains:

  - resin: 5 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: yes

  648918

  Hurricane Mk.II wheels

  1/48 Arma Hobby

  Brassin set - exhaust stacks for Hurricane Mk.II

  in 1/48 scale. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Arma Hobby

  Set contains:

  - resin: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  648917

  Hurricane Mk.II exhaust rounded PRINT

  1/48 Arma Hobby

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  71

  October 2023

• Page 72

  BRASSIN

  Brassin set - gun barrels for A-10C in 1/48 scale.

  Made by direct 3D printing. Easy to assemble,

  replaces plastic parts. Recommended kit: Academy

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 1 part

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - airbrakes for A-10C in 1/48 scale.

  Made by direct 3D printing. Easy to assemble,

  replaces plastic parts. Recommended kit: Academy

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes

  - painting mask: no

  648920

  A-10C airbrakes PRINT

  1/48 Academy

  648919

  A-10C rotary gun flash suppressor PRINT

  1/48 Academy

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard72

  October 2023

• Page 73

  BRASSIN

  Brassin set - refueling bay for A-10C

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

  Recommended kit: Academy

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 2 parts

  - resin: 1 part (pre-painted)

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes

  - painting mask: no

  648922

  A-10C refuelling bay PRINT

  1/48 Academy

  Brassin set - ejection seat for A-10C in 1/48 scale.

  Made by direct 3D printing. Easy to assemble,

  replaces plastic parts. Recommended kit: Academy

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 6 parts

  - decals: yes

  - photo-etched details:

  yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  648921

  A-10C ejection seat PRINT

  1/48 Academy

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  73

  October 2023

• Page 74

  BRASSIN

  Brassin set - the undercarriage wheels for A-10C

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

  and nose wheel. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Academy

  Set contains:

  - resin: 3 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: yes

  Brassin set - seat for Hurricane Mk.II in 1/48 scale.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Made by direct 3D printing.

  Recommended kit: Arma Hobby

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 1 part

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  648924

  Hurricane Mk.II seat PRINT

  1/48 Arma Hobby

  648923

  A-10C wheels

  1/48 Academy

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard74

  October 2023

• Page 75

  BRASSIN

  Brassin set - cockpit for Bf 109G-10

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

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 15 parts

  - resin: 1 part

  - decals: yes

  - photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  648926

  Bf 109G-10 cockpit PRINT

  1/48 Eduard

  Brassin set -gun barrels for Hurricane Mk.IIc in 1/48 scale.

  Set consists of two types of the barrels. Easy to assemble,

  replaces plastic parts. Made by direct 3D printing.

  Recommended kit: Arma Hobby

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 8 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  648925

  Hurricane Mk.IIc gun barrels PRINT

  1/48 Arma Hobby

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  75

  October 2023

• Page 76

  BRASSIN

  Brassin set - cockpit for Bf 109F in 1/72 scale.

  Made by direct 3D printing. Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 9 parts

  - decals: yes

  - photo-etched details: yes

  pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  672328

  Bf 109F cockpit w/ early seat PRINT

  1/72 Eduard

  Product page

  INFO Eduard76

  October 2023

• Page 77

  www.eduard.com/bfc

  BUNNY BUNNY FIGHTERFIGHTER

  CLUB

  Eduard's special membership club for all modeling enthusiasts!

  15% Permanent Club discount at Eduard Store – you will receive permanent 15% discount on all Eduard

  products and also discount on various other non-Eduard products. Fixed, permanent, forever!

  Unique valuable Club kits and accessories – you will gain access to unique and nowhere else to be sold

  products, specially made for BFC members.

  Even better prices at Eduard events stand – do you know that Eduard usually has huge discounts on

  their products at fairs and events all over the world? BFC members will have even higher discount at

  these events.

  Club T-shirt – you will receive fancy BFC T-shirt with unique design and special barcode

  (used for event discounts). This exclusive T-shirt will be only available

  to the members of BFC.

  Free entry fee on E-day – you will not have to pay a penny to visit Eduard's E-day.

  That means lot of fun at E-day for two days and entry kit, absolutely free!

  * E-day - INTERNATIONAL SCALE KIT EXHIBITION - IPMS Czech Republic Championship

  BOX CONTENT:

  Plastic parts, Marking options 6, Decal Set, PE parts, Maska, Brassin

  parts (two different types of wheels, landing flaps, dust filter with

  eyelid, intake ring and RP-3 60lb rockets), 3D decals for main and si

  -

  dewalk instrument and control panels with photo-etched details and

  seat belts.

  BOX CONTENT:

  Plastic parts, Marking options 4, Decal Set, PE parts, Maska, Brassin

  parts (undercarriage wheels, cockpit, exhaust nozzle, FOD).

  How to become a member of BFC?How to become a member of BFC?

  Simply by purchasing the Activation product. You will be given 15% discount on (almost) every Eduard

  product in your shopping cart. To apply this discount, the Activation product has to be in your shopping

  cart. Activation product is excluded from this calculation.

  Activation products:Activation products:

  Tempest Mk. V + T-shirt 1/48MiG-21MF + T-shirt 1/72

• Page 78

  BRASSIN

  Collection of 4 sets for F4F-4 in 1/48 scale.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  - engine

  - gun bays

  - undercarriage bay

  - landing flaps

  All sets included in this BIG SIN are available separately,

  but with every BIG SIN set you save up to 30 %.

  SIN648112

  F4F-4 ADVANCED

  1/48 Eduard

  Product page

  INFO Eduard78

  October 2023

• Page 79

  BRASSIN

  Collection of 6 sets for Bf 109F in 1/72 scale.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  - cockpit

  - radio compartment

  - wheels

  - gun barrels

  - undercarriage legs BRONZE

  - exhaust stacks

  All sets included in this BIG SIN are available separately, but

  with every BIG SIN set you save up to 30 %.

  SIN67221

  Bf 109F

  1/72 Eduard

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  79

  October 2023

• Page 80

  PHOTO

  -

  ETCHED

  OCTOBER 2023

  USS Nimitz

  CVN-68 part 4

  1/350 Trumpeter

  53298

  INFO Eduard80

  October 2023

• Page 81

  Su-76M

  1/35 Zvezda

  BRASSIN 02/2022BRASSIN 02/2022

  PHOTO

  -

  ETCHED

  36508

  Su-76M

  36509 fenders

  INFO Eduard

  81

  October 2023

• Page 82

  PHOTO

  -

  ETCHED

  Hurricane Mk.IIc

  1/48 Arma Hobby

  491382, FE1382, FE1383

  INFO Eduard82

  October 2023

• Page 83

  PHOTO

  -

  ETCHED

  Vampire FB.9

  1/48 Airfix

  491385, FE1385, FE1386

  INFO Eduard

  83

  October 2023

• Page 84

  PHOTO

  -

  ETCHED

  B-29 bomb bay

  1/72 HOBBY 2000 / Academy

  72733

  INFO Eduard84

  October 2023

• Page 85

  FOTOLEPTY

• Page 86

  3DL48136 Hurricane Mk.IIc SPACE 1/48 Arma Hobby

  3DL48137

  Vampire FB.5 SPACE 1/48 Airfix

  Product page

  Product page

  easy

  application

  INFO Eduard86

  October 2023

• Page 87

  SPACE

  3DL48138 Vampire FB.9 SPACE 1/48 Airfix

  3DL48139

  Z-526 Trenér Master SPACE 1/48 Eduard

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  87

  October 2023

• Page 88

  SPACE

  Product page

  Product page

  3DL72021 Fw 190A-5 SPACE 1/72 Eduard

  3DL72024

  F-35A SPACE 1/72 Tamiya

• Page 89

  Product page

  Product page

  Product page

  EDDIE THE RIVETER

  ER32002

  Double riveting rows

  1/32

  ER72002

  Double riveting rows

  1/72

  ER48007

  Double riveting rows

  1/48

  INFO Eduard

  89

  October 2023

• Page 90

  BIG ED

  All sets included in this BIG ED are available separately,

  but with every BIG ED set you save up to 30%.

  BIG33155 F-35A 1/32 Trumpeter

  BIG49380

  Hurricane Mk.I 1/48 Hobby Boss

  BIG49381

  Mi-4A 1/48 Trumpeter

  32886 Remove Before Flight STEEL

  321011 F-35A

  33354 F-35A seatbelts STEEL

  JX313 F-35A

  481113 Hurricane Mk.I landing flaps

  481114 Hurricane Mk.I gun bays

  491364 Hurricane Mk.I

  FE1365 Hurricane Mk.I seatbelts STEEL

  481113 Hurricane Mk.I landing flaps

  481114 Hurricane Mk.I gun bays

  491364 Hurricane Mk.I

  FE1365 Hurricane Mk.I seatbelts STEEL

  Product page

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard90

  October 2023

• Page 91

  All sets included in this BIG ED are available separately,

  but with every BIG ED set you save up to 30%.

  BIG ED

  BIG49382 F-4E 1/48 Meng

  BIG49383

  MiG-17F 1/48 AMMO

  BIG5368

  USS Missouri BB-63 1/350 Hobby Boss

  481117 F-4E reinforcement straps & formation lights

  49103 Remove Before Flight STEEL

  491358 F-4E

  FE1359 F-4E seatbelts STEEL

  EX949 F-4E

  491366 MiG-17F

  FE1367 MiG-17F seatbelts STEEL

  EX957 MiG-17

  53292 USS Missouri BB-63

  53293 USS Missouri BB-63 part 2

  53294 USS Missouri BB-63 part 3

  Product page

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  91

  October 2023

• Page 92

  MASKS

  IT FITS!

  EX980 Hurricane Mk.IIc TFace

  1/48 Arma Hobby

  EX981 Vampire FB.5/9

  1/48 Airfix

  EX982 Vampire FB.5/9 TFace

  1/48 Airfix

  EX983 Z-526 Trenér Master TFace

  1/48 Eduard

  EX984 F4F-3 Weekend

  1/48 Eduard

  EX985 Bf 109K national insignia

  1/48 Eduard

  EX986 Hunter FGA.9/FR.10/GA.11

  1/48 Airfix

  EX987 Hunter

  FGA.9/FR.10/GA.11 TFace

  1/48 Airfix

  CX651 F-35A

  1/72 Tamiya

  CX652 S-199 bubble

  canopy Weekend

  1/72 Eduard

  CX653 AC-130J

  1/72 Zvezda

  EX981 Vampire FB.5/9

  EX981 Vampire FB.5/9

  EX982 Vampire FB.5/9 TFace EX982 Vampire FB.5/9 TFace

  EX982 Vampire FB.5/9 TFaceEX982 Vampire FB.5/9 TFace

  EX980 Hurricane Mk.IIc TFace

  EX980 Hurricane Mk.IIc TFace

  EX980 Hurricane Mk.IIc TFace

  EX980 Hurricane Mk.IIc TFace

  INFO Eduard92

  October 2023

• Page 93

  EX986 Hunter FGA.9/FR.10/GA.11

  EX986 Hunter FGA.9/FR.10/GA.11

  CX653 AC-130J CX653 AC-130J

  EX987 Hunter FGA.9/FR.10/GA.11 TFace EX987 Hunter FGA.9/FR.10/GA.11 TFace

  EX987 Hunter FGA.9/FR.10/GA.11 TFaceEX987 Hunter FGA.9/FR.10/GA.11 TFace

  MASKS

  INFO Eduard

  93

  October 2023

• Page 94

  RELEASES

  OCTOBER 2023

  KITS

  PE

  -

  SETS

  ZOOMS

  MASKS

  82185 Z-526 Trenér Master 1/48 ProfiPACK

  2109 ALBATROS Dual Combo 1/72 Limited

  11176 HRÁBĚ 1/48 Limited

  7471 S-199 bubble canopy 1/72 Weekend

  84193 F4F-3 Wildcat 1/48 ProfiPACK

  84181 F6F-5 Re-release 1/48 ProfiPACK

  53298 USS Nimitz CVN-68 part 4 1/350 Trumpeter

  36508 SU-76M 1/35 Zvezda

  36509 SU-76M fenders 1/35 Zvezda

  481122 Hunter FGA.9 landing flaps 1/48 Airfix

  481123 Hunter FR.10 landing flaps 1/48 Airfix

  481124 Hunter GA.11 landing flaps 1/48 Airfix

  491382 Hurricane Mk.IIc 1/48 Arma Hobby

  491384 Vampire FB.5 1/48 Airfix

  491385 Vampire FB.9 1/48 Airfix

  491388 Hunter FGA.9 1/48 Airfix

  491389 Hunter FR.10 1/48 Airfix

  491390 Hunter GA.11 1/48 Airfix

  72732 B-29 exterior 1/72

  Hobby 2000/Academy

  72733 B-29 bomb bay 1/72 Hobby 2000/Academy

  73808 F-35A 1/72 Tamiya

  73811 AC-130J interior 1/72 Zvezda

  FE1382 Hurricane Mk.IIc 1/48 Arma Hobby

  FE1383 Hurricane Mk.IIc seatbelts STEEL 1/48 Arma Hobby

  FE1384 Vampire FB.5 1/48 Airfix

  FE1385 Vampire FB.9 1/48 Airfix

  FE1386 Vampire FB.5/9 seatbelts STEEL 1/48 Airfix

  FE1387 F4F-3 Weekend 1/48 Eduard

  FE1388 Hunter FGA.9 1/48 Airfix

  FE1389 Hunter FR.10 1/48 Airfix

  FE1390 Hunter GA.11 1/48 Airfix

  FE1391 Hunter FGA.9/FR.10/GA.11 seatbelts STEEL 1/48 Airfix

  SS809 B-29 seatbelts STEEL 1/72

  Hobby 2000/Academy

  SS810 S-199 bubble canopy Weekend 1/72 Eduard

  SS811 AC-130J 1/72 Zvezda

  EX980 Hurricane Mk.IIc TFace 1/48 Arma Hobby

  EX981 Vampire FB.5/9 1/48 Airfix

  EX982 Vampire FB.5/9 TFace 1/48 Airfix

  EX983 Z-526 Trenér Master TFace 1/48 Eduard

  EX984 F4F-3 Weekend 1/48 Eduard

  EX985 Bf 109K national insignia 1/48 Eduard

  EX986 Hunter FGA.9/FR.10/GA.11 1/48 Airfix

  EX987 Hunter FGA.9/FR.10/GA.11 TFace 1/48 Airfix

  CX651 F-35A 1/72 Tamiya

  CX652 S-199 bubble canopy Weekend 1/72 Eduard

  CX653 AC-130J 1/72 Zvezda

  INFO Eduard94

  October 2023

• Page 95

  BIG-EDBIG-ED

  RELEASES

  BRASSIN

  LöökPLUS

  BIG SIN

  SPACE

  634042 AH-64E LööK 1/35 Takom

  644228 F-16D Block 30 LööK 1/48 Kinetic

  644231 Hurricane Mk.II LööK 1/48

  Arma Hobby

  635036 WWII German NbKWrf39 smoke launcher PRINT 1/35

  648901 FM-2 exhausts PRINT 1/48 Meng

  648907 F-4E airbrakes PRINT 1/48 Meng

  648908 F-4E exhaust nozzles PRINT 1/48 Meng

  648909 F-4E FOD covers PRINT 1/48 Meng

  648911 F-4E refuelling boom PRINT 1/48 Meng

  648912 F-4E tail hook PRINT 1/48 Meng

  648915 F-16 exhaust nozzle GE F110 PRINT 1/48 Kinetic

  648916 Hurricane Mk.II exhaust fishtail PRINT 1/48

  Arma Hobby

  648917 Hurricane Mk.II exhaust rounded PRINT 1/48 Arma Hobby

  648918 Hurricane Mk.II wheels 1/48 Arma Hobby

  648919 A-10C rotary gun flash suppressor PRINT 1/48 Academy

  648920 A-10C airbrakes PRINT 1/48 Academy

  648921 A-10C ejection seat PRINT 1/48 Academy

  648922 A-10C refuelling bay PRINT 1/48 Academy

  648923 A-10C wheels 1/48 Academy

  648924 Hurricane Mk.II seat PRINT 1/48

  Arma Hobby

  648925 Hurricane Mk.IIc gun barrels PRINT 1/48 Arma Hobby

  648926 Bf 109G-10 cockpit PRINT 1/48 Eduard

  672328 Bf 109F cockpit w/ early seat PRINT 1/72 Eduard

  644232 F-4E LööKplus 1/48 Meng

  644233 Bf 109K-4 LööKplus 1/48 Eduard

  SIN648112 F4F-4 ADVANCED 1/48 Eduard

  SIN67221 Bf 109F 1/72 Eduard

  3DL48136 Hurricane Mk.IIc SPACE 1/48

  Arma Hobby

  3DL48137 Vampire FB.5 SPACE 1/48 Airfix

  3DL48138 Vampire FB.9 SPACE 1/48 Airfix

  3DL48139 Z-526 Trenér Master SPACE 1/48 Eduard

  3DL72021 Fw 190A-5 SPACE 1/72 Eduard

  3DL72024 F-35A SPACE 1/72 Tamiya

  OCTOBER 2023

  BIG ED

  EDDIE THE RIVETER

  BIG33152 CH-54A 1/35 ICM

  BIG49373 B-24D PART II 1/48 Revell

  BIG49374 Mi-17 1/48 AMK

  BIG49375 F-86D 1/48 Revell

  BIG49376 PV-1 PART I 1/48 Academy

  ER32002 Double riveting rows 1/32

  ER48007 Double riveting rows 1/48

  ER72002 Double riveting rows 1/72

  INFO Eduard

  95

  October 2023

• Page 96

  Sopwith F.1

  Camel (Clerget)

  built by Zdeněk Müller

  #8486

  BUILT

  1/48

  MARKING B

  INFO Eduard96

  October 2023

• Page 97

  Product page

  BUILT

  E7232, No. 4 Flying School, Freiston, United Kingdom, 1918

  This Camel was manufactured by Ruston Proctor

  & Co Ltd. In September 1918 and was posted to No.

  4 Flying School in Freiston, where it got colorful

  painting of white and red colors. The upper side of

  the top wing obtained the motif of the rays of rising

  sun, while upper side of bottom wing got simple

  stripes of white and red color. The name Dimps

  was painted on the left side only probably. The site

  of the RNAS Freiston Shores was established in

  1917 and served as a satellite base for air-weapon

  training for nearby RNAS Cranwell. Originally it

  was nothing more than a field on area of about

  80 acres and was originally used for final two

  weeks of training of officers on the advanced

  flying course at RNAS Cranwell. However, its

  role was soon extended, and the airfield was

  expanded and hangars, accommodation blocks

  and a control tower were built. The airfield was

  originally known as the RNAS Gunnery School

  or Armament Training School and then became

  the School of Aerial Fighting and Bomb Dropping

  when the RNAS became amalgamated into the

  newly formed RAF in 1918. The name of the school

  than changed again to the No. 4 School of Aerial

  Fighting and Gunnery and was redesignated again

  as No. 4 Fighting School. The base was disbanded

  in March 1920.

  INFO Eduard

  97

  October 2023

• Page 98

  ON APPROACH

  NOVEMBER 2023

  634043

  TBD-1 Devastator LööK

  1/32 Trumpeter

  634044

  MC.202 LööK

  1/32 Italeri

  644229

  F-16D Block 40 LööK

  1/48 Kinetic

  BIG33156 A-20G 1/32 HKM

  BIG49384 F-16D Block 30 1/48 Kinetic

  BIG49385 F-16D Block 40 1/48 Kinetic

  BIG49386 F-16D Block 50 1/48 Kinetic

  BIG49387 A-10C 1/48 Academy

  634043 TBD-1 Devastator LööK 1/32 Trumpeter

  634044 MC.202 LööK 1/32 Italeri

  644229 F-16D Block 40 LööK 1/48 Kinetic

  632198 MC.202 wheels 1/32 Italeri

  648885 A-1J ejection seat PRINT 1/48 Tamiya

  648904 Bf 109K-4 cockpit PRINT 1/48 Eduard

  648905 Bf 109K-4 undercarriage legs BRONZE 1/48 Eduard

  648927 Mi-4 wheels 1/48 Trumpeter

  648929 Hurricane Mk.II cockpit door PRINT 1/48 Arma Hobby

  648930 Sea King wheels 1/48 Airfix

  648931 F/A-18E ejection seat 1/48 Hasegawa

  648932 F/A-18E/F wheels 1/48 Hasegawa

  648935 Bf 109G-4 cockpit PRINT 1/48 Eduard

  648937 UB-32 rocket launchers 1/48

  672333 F-35A wheels 1/72 Tamiya

  672334 F-35A exhaust nozzle PRINT 1/72 Tamiya

  672335 F-35A cockpit PRINT 1/72 Tamiya

  672336 F-35A ejection seat PRINT 1/72 Tamiya

  672338 Bf 109G undercarriage legs BRONZE 1/72 Eduard

  672339 Bf 109G-2/G-4 gun barrels PRINT 1/72 Eduard

  672340 Bf 109G-2/G-4 wheels for plain wings PRINT 1/72 Eduard

  644234 A-10C LööKplus 1/48 Academy

  644235 Hurricane Mk.II LööKplus 1/48 Arma Hobby

  SIN648113 FM-2 ESSENTIAL 1/48 Eduard

  SIN648114 Bf 109F 1/48 Eduard

  SIN648116 Su-25 armament 1/48 Eduard/Zvezda

  BIG ED (November)

  BRASSIN (November)

  LöökPlus (November)

  BIGSIN (November)

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard

  and STEEL seatbelts for TBD-1 in 1/32 scale.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Trumpeter

  Set contains:

  - resin: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details:

  yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard

  and STEEL seatbelts for MC.202 in 1/32 scale.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Italeri

  Set contains:

  - resin: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details:

  yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboards

  and STEEL seatbelts for F-16D in 1/48 scale.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Kinetic

  Set contains:

  - resin: 6 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details:

  yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  PRELIMINARY IMAGES

  PRELIMINARY IMAGES

  PRELIMINARY IMAGES

  INFO Eduard98

  October 2023

• Page 99

  632198

  MC.202 wheels

  1/32 Italeri

  ON APPROACH

  Brassin set - the undercarriage wheels for MC.202

  in 1/32 scale. The set consists of the main wheels

  and a tail wheel (two versions). Easy to assemble,

  replaces plastic parts. Recommended kit: Italeri

  Set contains:

  - resin: 4 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: yes

  648885

  A-1J ejection seat PRINT

  1/48 Tamiya

  648904

  Bf 109K-4 cockpit PRINT

  1/48 Eduard

  Brassin set - the seat for A-1J in 1/48 scale. Seatbelts

  are printed together with the seat. Made by direct

  3D printing. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Tamiya

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 5 parts

  - decals: yes

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - cockpit for Bf 109K-4

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

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 16 parts

  - decals: yes

  - photo-etched details:

  yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  INFO Eduard

  99

  October 2023

• Page 100

  ON APPROACH

  NOVEMBER 2023

  648905

  Bf 109K-4 undercarriage legs BRONZE

  1/48 Eduard

  648927

  Mi-4 wheels

  1/48 Trumpeter

  648929

  Hurricane Mk.II cockpit door PRINT

  1/48 Arma Hobby

  Brassin set - the undercarriage legs for Bf 109K-4

  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 Mi-4

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

  and nose wheels. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic

  parts. Recommended kit: Trumpeter

  Set contains:

  - resin: 4 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: yes

  Brassin set - cockppit door for Hurricane

  Mk.II in 1/48 scale. Easy to assemble,

  replaces plastic parts. Made by direct 3D

  printing. Recommended kit: Arma Hobby

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 1 part

  - decals: yes

  - photo-etched details: yes

  - painting mask: no

  INFO Eduard100

  October 2023

• Page 101

  ON APPROACHNOVEMBER 2023

  648930

  Sea King wheels

  1/48 Airfix

  648931

  F/A-18E seat

  1/48 Hasegawa

  648932

  F/A-18E/F wheels

  1/48 Hasegawa

  Brassin set - the undercarriage wheels for Sea King

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

  tail wheel. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Airfix

  Set contains:

  - resin: 5 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: yes

  Brassin set - ejection seat for F/A-18E in 1/48 scale.

  Made by direct 3D printing. Easy to assemble,

  replaces plastic parts. Recommended kit: Hasegawa

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 3 parts

  - decals: yes

  - photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - the undercarriage wheels for F/A-18E/F

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

  and nose wheels. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Hasegawa

  Set contains:

  - resin: 6 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: yes

  INFO Eduard

  101

  October 2023

• Page 102

  ON APPROACH

  648935

  Bf 109G-4 cockpit PRINT

  1/48 Eduard

  648937

  UB-32 rocket launchers

  1/48

  672333

  F-35A wheels

  1/72 Tamiya

  Brassin set - cockpit for Bf 109G-4 in 1/48 scale.

  Made by direct 3D printing.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 16 parts

  - decals: yes

  - photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - UB-32 rocket launchers

  for 1/48 scale kits. The set consists

  of 4 rocket launchers.

  Set contains:

  - resin: 12 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - the undercarriage wheels for F-35A

  in 1/72 scale. The set consists of the main wheels

  and a nose wheel. Easy to assemble, replaces

  plastic parts. Recommended kit: Tamiya

  Set contains:

  - resin: 3 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: yes

  NOVEMBER 2023

  INFO Eduard102

  October 2023

• Page 103

  672335

  F-35A cockpit PRINT

  1/72 Tamiya

  672334

  F-35A exhaust nozzle PRINT

  1/72 Tamiya

  Brassin set - cockpit for F-35A in 1/72 scale.

  Made by direct 3D print.

  Recommended kit: Tamiya

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 7 parts

  - decals: yes

  - photo-etched details:

  yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  ON APPROACH

  Brassin set - exhaust nozzle for F-35A

  in 1/72 scale. Made by direct 3D print.

  Recommended kit: Tamiya

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 4 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  672336

  F-35A ejection seat PRINT

  1/72 Tamiya

  Brassin set - ejection seat for F-35A in 1/72 scale.

  Made by direct 3D printing. Easy to assemble,

  replaces plastic parts. Recommended kit: Tamiya

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 3 parts

  - decals: yes

  - photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  NOVEMBER 2023

  INFO Eduard

  103

  October 2023

• Page 104

  ON APPROACH

  672338

  Bf 109G undercarriage legs BRONZE

  1/72 Eduard

  672339

  Bf 109G-2/G-4 gun barrels PRINT

  1/72 Eduard

  672340

  Bf 109G-2/G-4 wheels for plain wings PRINT

  1/48 Eduard

  Brassin set - the undercarriage legs for Bf 109G

  in 1/72 scale. The legs are made of bronze.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 2 parts

  - bronze: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - gun barrels for Bf 109G-2 & G-4

  in 1/72 scale. Made by direct 3D printing.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 1 part

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - the undercarriage wheels for Bf 109G-2

  & G-4 in 1/72 scale. The set consists of the main wheels

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

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - resin: 3 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: yes

  NOVEMBER 2023

  INFO Eduard104

  October 2023

• Page 105

  ON APPROACH

  Collection of 4 sets for A-10C in 1/48 scale.

  Recommended kit: Academy

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

  - TFace painting mask

  - undercarriage wheels

  - rotary gun flash supressor

  644234

  A-10C LööKplus

  1/48 Academy

  NOVEMBER 2023

  INFO Eduard

  105

  October 2023

• Page 106

  ON APPROACH

  644235

  Hurricane Mk.II LööKplus

  1/48 Arma Hobby

  Collection of 4 sets for Hurricane Mk.II in 1/48 scale.

  Recommended kit: Arma Hobby

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

  - TFace painting mask

  - undercarriage wheels

  - seat

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  ON APPROACH

  SIN648113

  FM-2 ESSENTIAL

  1/48 Eduard

  Collection of 4 sets for FM-2 in 1/48 scale.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  - cockpit

  - exhausts

  - undercarriage legs BRONZE

  - undercarriage wheels

  All sets included in this BIG SIN are available separately,

  but with every BIG SIN set you save up to 30 %.

  NOVEMBER 2023

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  SIN648114

  Bf 109F

  1/48 Eduard

  Collection of 4 sets for Bf 109F in 1/48 scale.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  - cockpit

  - engine & fuselage guns

  - undercarriage wheels

  - undercarriage legs BRONZE

  All sets included in this BIG SIN are available separately,

  but with every BIG SIN set you save up to 30 %.

  ON APPROACH

  NOVEMBER 2023

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  SIN648116

  Su-25 armament

  1/48 Eduard / Zvezda

  Collection of 5 sets for Su-25 in 1/48 scale.

  Recommended kit: Zvezda

  - Rocket launcher B-8M1

  - R-60 / AA-8 Aphid

  - OFAB-250 Soviet bombs

  - S-24 rocket

  - UB-32 rocket launchers

  All sets included in this BIG SIN are available separately,

  but with every BIG SIN set you save up to 30 %.

  BRASSIN 02/2022BRASSIN 02/2022

  ON APPROACHNOVEMBER 2023

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  PE

  -

  SETS

  53299 USS Nimitz CVN-68 part 5 1/350 Trumpeter

  32486 TBD-1 exterior 1/32 Trumpeter

  32487 TBD-1 landing flaps 1/32 Trumpeter

  32488 MC.202 landing flaps 1/32 Italeri

  321013 TBD-1 1/32 Trumpeter

  321014 MC.202 1/32 Italeri

  36510 WWII British Army 30-CWT 4x2 Truck 1/35 Airfix

  491392 F-14B 1/48 Great Wall Hobby

  491394 Sea King HAS.1 1/48 Airfix

  491395 Sea King HAS.5 1/48 Airfix

  491396 Sea King HU.5 1/48 Airfix

  491397 Sea King HU.5 cargo seatbelts STEEL 1/48 Airfix

  72734 AC-130J exterior 1/72 Zvezda

  73812 AC-130J cargo seatbelts 1/72 Zvezda

  73813 AC-130J cargo floor 1/72 Zvezda

  73814 AC-130J cargo interior 1/72 Zvezda

  ZOOMS

  33357 TBD-1 1/32 Trumpeter

  33358 TBD-1 seatbelts STEEL 1/32 Trumpeter

  33359 MC.202 1/32 Italeri

  33360 MC.202 seatbelts STEEL 1/32 Italeri

  FE1392 F-14B 1/48 Great Wall Hobby

  FE1393 F-14B seatbelts STEEL 1/48 Great Wall Hobby

  FE1394 Sea King HAS.1 1/48 Airfix

  FE1395 Sea King HAS.5 1/48 Airfix

  FE1396 Sea King HU.5 1/48 Airfix

  FE1397 Sea King seatbelts STEEL 1/48 Airfix

  FE1398 Tempest Mk.V Weekend 1/48 Eduard

  MASKS

  JX317 TBD-1 TFace 1/32 Trumpeter

  JX318 MC.202 1/32 Italeri

  JX319 MC.202 TFace 1/32 Italeri

  EX988 F-14B windshield TFace 1/48 Great Wall Hobby

  EX989 Sea King 1/48 Airfix

  EX990 Sea King TFace 1/48 Airfix

  CX654 F-35A RAM panels early 1/72 Tamiya

  CX655 F-35A RAM panels late 1/72 Tamiya

  SPACE

  3DL32020 TBD-1 SPACE 1/32 Trumpeter

  3DL48140 Hunter FGA.9 SPACE 1/48 Airfix

  3DL48141 Hunter FR.10 SPACE 1/48 Airfix

  3DL48142 Hunter GA.11 SPACE 1/48 Airfix

  3DL48143 F-14B SPACE 1/48 Great Wall Hobby

  3DL48144 Sea King HAS.1 SPACE 1/48 Airfix

  3DL48145 Sea King HAS.5 SPACE 1/48 Airfix

  3DL48146 Sea King HU.5 SPACE 1/48 Airfix

  3DL53013 US Navy ensign & union jack flag SPACE 1/200

  DECALS

  D48113 Bf 109K-4 stencils 1/48 Eduard

  EDDIE THE RIVETER

  ER32003 Triple riveting rows 1/32

  ER48008 Triple riveting rows 1/48

  ER72003 Triple riveting rows 1/72

  ON APPROACH

  NOVEMBER 2023

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  ON APPROACH

  Fw 190A-7 #82138 1/48

  WNr. 431007, Maj. Heinz Bär, CO of II./JG 1,

  Störmede, Germany, April 1944

  Hptm. Rolf Hermichen, CO of I./JG 11,

  Rotenburg, Germany, March 1944

  6./JG 300, Holzkirchen, Germany, July 1944

  WNr. 642962, Maj. Hans-Günther von Kornatzki, CO of Sturmstaffel 1,

  Dortmund/Salzwedel, Germany, early 1944

  Oblt. Otto Kittel, CO of 3./JG 54, Riga-Skulte,

  Latvia, August 1944

  Fw. Klaus Dietrich, Führerjägerstaffel,

  Rastenburg, Germany, August 1944

  NOVEMBER 2023

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  ON APPROACH

  WUNDERSCHÖNE NEUE

  MASCHINEN pt.2

  DUAL COMBO

  1/72

  #2143

  Bf 109G-2/R6, Oblt. Heinrich Ehrler, CO of 6./JG 5,

  Petsamo, Finland, March 1943

  Bf 109G-2, WNr. 13670, Hptm. Hermann Graf,

  CO of 9./JG 52, Tusow, the Soviet Union,

  September 1942

  Bf 109G-2/Trop, Oblt. Werner Schroer, CO of 8./JG 27,

  Rhodos, Greece, November 1942

  Bf 109G-2, Maj. Heinz Bär, CO of I./JG 77, Comiso, Italy,

  September 1942

  NOVEMBER 2023

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  ON APPROACH

  Bf 109G-2, WNr. 10423, Obfw. Kurt Stöber,

  7./JG 54, Izocha, the Soviet Union, January 1943

  Bf 109G-2, lntm. Eino Ilmari Juutilainen,

  1/HLeLv 34, Suulajärvi, Finland, April 1944

  Bf 109G-4/R6, WNr. 14997, Lt. Erich Hartmann,

  7./JG 52, Taman, the Soviet Union, May 1943

  Bf 109G-4/ Trop, WNr. 10795, Oblt. Wolfgang Tonne,

  CO of 3./JG 53, Bizerta, Tunisia, February 1943

  Bf 109G-4/R6, WNr. 19566, Lt. Giuseppe Gianelli,

  CO of 365

  a

  Squadriglia, 150

  o

  Gruppo Autonomo, Sciacca,

  Sicily, May–July 1943

  Bf 109G-2/R6, WNr. 13633, Hptm. Wolf-Dieter Huy,

  CO of 7./JG 77, Tanyet Harun, Egypt, October 1942

  Bf 109G-4/R6, Obfw. Rainer Pöttgen, 3./JG 27,

  Fels am Wagram, Austria, October 1943

  Bf 109G-4, WNr. 19347, Rtk. Ján Režňák,

  13.(slowakische)/JG 52, Anapa, the Soviet Union,

  April–May 1943

  Bf 109G-4/R6/Trop, Lt. Franz Schiehs,

  CO of 8./JG 53, Tindja, Tunis, April 1943

  Bf 109G-4, Lt. Av. Petre Protopopescu, Escadrila 57,

  Grupul 7, Vânătoare, Kirovograd, the Soviet Union, June 1943

  NOVEMBER 2023

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  ON APPROACH

  F6F-3 Hellcat 1/48

  #84194

  VF-34, Green Island (Nissan Island),

  Papua New Guinea, March–April 1944

  Bu.No. 40994, Lt. Alexander Vraciu, VF-16,

  USS Lexington (CV-16), June 1944

  VF-27, USS Princeton (CVL-23), October 1944

  JV 111, Sgt. (AROV) Charles A. M. Poublon,

  No. 800 Squadron FAA, HMS Emperor, August 1944

  NOVEMBER 2023

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  ON APPROACH

  Tempest Mk.V Series 1 #84195 1/48

  JN751, W/Cdr Roland P. Beamont, CO of No. 150 Wing,

  Bradwell Bay, Great Britain, April 1944

  JN751, W/Cdr Roland P. Beamont, CO of No. 150 Wing,

  Newchurch, Great Britain, June – July 1944

  JN735, No. 3 Squadron, Newchurch,

  Great Britain, June 1944

  JN751, W/Cdr Roland P. Beamont, CO of No. 150 Wing,

  Newchurch, Great Britain, June 1944

  JN738, No. 486 (RNZAF) Squadron,

  RAF Station Castle Camp, Great Britain, April 1944

  JN769, No. 287 Squadron, Gatwick, Great Britain,

  December 1944 – January 1945

  NOVEMBER 2023

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  Fokker Dr.I

  1/72

  #7039Re-release

  ON APPROACH

  450/17, Lt. Josef Jacobs,

  CO of Jasta 7, Rumbeke,

  Belgium, March 1918

  425/17 Rtm. Manfred A. Freiherr

  von Richthofen, CO of JG 1, Lechelle,

  France, March 1918

  404/17, Hptm. Adolf Ritter von Tutschek,

  JG 2, Toulis, France, February 1918

  454/17, Lt. Lothar Freiherr von

  Richthofen, Jasta 11, Avesnes-le-Sec,

  France, March 1918

  545/17, Lt. Hans Weiss,

  Jasta 11, Cappy, France, April 1918

  NOVEMBER 2023

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  Re-release

  ON APPROACH

  Bf 109G-6/AS #82163 1/48

  WNr. 110087, Hptm. Horst Carganico, CO of I./JG 5,

  Herzogenaurach, Germany, May 1944

  WNr. 412807, Uffz. Heinz Zimmermann,

  6./JG 27, Fels am Wagram, Austria, July 1944

  Hptm. Friedrich-Karl Müller, CO of 1./NJGr. 10,

  Werneuchen, Germany, July 1944

  Oblt. Manfred Dieterle, 2./EJG 2, Hagenow, Germany, December 1944

  Stab I./JG 3, Gütersloh, Germany, July 1944

  NOVEMBER 2023

  INFO Eduard

  117

  October 2023

• What's at home counts

  It’s Sunday afternoon on the first day of October, 2023. I am aware of the fact that, aside from my other duties centred around October’s newsletter, I have to submit my promised Tail End Charlie article to go with. Yes, that’s right...this newsletter. And a viable idea just doesn’t want to show. Topics are racing through my head, dismissed one by one as they arrive. Should it be about E-day, that was just one week ago? Or maybe about club competitions that this time of year are as plentiful as apples in a basket?

  WHAT'S AT HOME COUNTS

  Text: Jan Zdiarský

  It’s Sunday afternoon on the first day of October,

  2023. I am aware of the fact that, aside from my

  other duties centred around October’s newsletter,

  I have to submit my promised Tail End Charlie article

  to go with. Yes, that’s right...this newsletter. And

  a viable idea just doesn’t want to show. Topics are

  racing through my head, dismissed one by one as

  they arrive. Should it be about E-day, that was just

  one week ago? Or maybe about club competitions

  that this time of year are as plentiful as apples in

  a basket? What about some near future plans at

  Eduard? In order to clear my head and allow a theme

  to take hold, I went back to work on a new corner

  of our museum, which I have decided to devote to

  a rather unusual theme about what connects the

  history of the Second World War and present day.

  The museum is a close collaborator of Eduard, not

  only through me, and so I decided to allow myself

  the luxury of taking advantage of the connection.

  Anyway, it won’t be the first time.

  At the same time, I mulled over the agreed

  upon rule with my colleagues from the newsletter

  editorial board, that the Tail End Charlie articles will

  be columns in which individual authors will have

  a relatively large amount of freedom, and the article

  itself should only marginally relate to the theme of

  the entire magazine. Of course, a certain amount of

  relevance to the topics is expected. And above all,

  the lighthearted article at the end of the newsletter

  should interest the typical reader with its content.

  As I collected and selected individual items for the

  new exhibit, it dawned on me that this is something

  I could actually write about. I was undertaking

  a task that for me held a certain fascination –

  putting together items with certain connections,

  connections that I was seeing, and determining

  what it was that would bring these items together

  in the same display case.

  As a museum curator who has spent most of his

  life researching the air battle that took place over

  his home in 1944, I understandably have a strong

  affinity for the artifacts that have survived from that

  battle and from air warfare in general. What draws

  me to them is that they were left by the horrors of

  fighting and the associated crashes and incidents,

  as they were touched by a fate that resolved to turn

  them into a part of history.

  However, I discovered in myself another, perhaps

  a bit twisted for a museum worker, point of view

  on the remains left by air combat. It fascinates me

  how, after the end of the war, people were able to

  use the objects that the war brought them, or use

  items that were simply left behind. I'm sure many of

  you will remember footage from newsreels where

  presses were used to make soup strainers out of an

  overabundance of German helmets. We don't have

  such a helmet in the museum, but I have something

  similar in mind. These objects give me the feeling

  of a very close connection between the half-

  forgotten history and the present. What keeps me

  in a special state of wonder is how people managed

  to breathe new life into these artifacts of war. We

  often meet museum visitors talking about the

  fact that they have, and regularly use, a fork with

  a Luftwaffe eagle, father's favorite. In many

  a garage in western Bohemia, you can still find

  a drawer with a screwdriver or a pair of pliers still

  in use, which originally arrived here in the spring of

  1945 in some American Jeep…

  Over the years, our museum has put together

  a number of such exhibits. It started sometime in

  1996, even before the opening of the museum, when

  we received a beer jug from the district archives

  in Aue, Germany, made from a package that had

  contained a German gas mask. Later, we found

  our way to handkerchiefs sewn by a witness who

  acquired a parachute of one of the pilots of JG 4,

  who was shot down in ‘our’ battle and it was that

  parachute that saved his life. Or an aluminum pot

  from a small foundry in Grumbach. They made pots

  there from the wreckage of three airplanes that

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  had crashed in the vicinity of the village; a Bf 109G,

  a B-17G and a Lancaster.... We have several aircraft

  instruments that were used in the Czechoslovak

  Air Force after the war and underwent a thorough

  ‘de-Germanization’. For example, an ‘O2 Wächter’

  oxygen flow indicator read only ‘O2’ after a little

  modification with some black paint. A truly patriotic

  way to utilize associated items with defeated

  Germany. It was similar with artificial horizons.

  A few years ago, we acquired a German altimeter

  with a completely replaced dial, which turned into

  a barometer, where the hand, instead of reporting

  an altitude, indicates ‘beautiful, chance of showers’.

  The crew of one of the B-17s shot down over our

  area managed to fly all the way to France. It landed

  in a field on its landing gear, leaving the battered

  aircraft essentially intact. We never thought we

  could get an artifact from it, but the French peasants

  are probably like ours, and they dismantled almost

  everything that could be used from the four-engine

  bomber, which remained there for quite a long time.

  Including one engine... we don't have that exactly,

  but we got a number of wonderful little things from

  those farmers or their children, including a cigar

  case made from two 50 cal cartridges, undoubtedly

  fired over the course of the battle over the Czech-

  German border. Then there is the inside of a flight

  jacket that two friends took off the plane and split

  it so that one kept the outside and the other kept

  the lining. To this day, there are bits of hay in the

  pockets, as the French farmer walked to his stables

  while wearing this item.

  A short distance from the church cemetery in

  Neudorf, Germany, where three German pilots

  from JG 4 are buried and, for a time, the men of

  two B-17G crews were as well, is a garden where

  for years there was a B-17 wing skin covering a pile

  of wood. We were able to diplomatically acquired

  that piece as well for the museum. And besides

  that, from another garden, fence posts were

  fashioned from the wing spar of the same B-17G...

  Human creativity is immeasurable. In Crottendorf,

  Germany, eyewitnesses described how the rubber

  fuel tanks scattered in the forest after a B-17G

  exploded in mid-air were made into rubber soles

  for shoes. I remembered this when I once found

  a part of a gas tank with a sealed cap in those woods

  where the rubber around it had been carefully cut

  with a knife. What was useful was taken home, the

  rest the handyman threw into the woods for me to

  find decades later. This piece of the tank will also be

  part of the new exhibition.

  A very strange – and to me, sad – group of such

  objects are cut propeller blades. It was a great

  material, especially appreciated by blacksmiths

  and locksmiths. After the war, quality material was

  in short supply in Europe, and often, a great source

  turned up just outside of a given village. Several such

  remnants of the propeller blades of crashed planes

  have also reached us. Of course, the wreckage of

  aircraft were cleared by special squads shortly

  after the crashes. However, not everything was

  always gotten to, and for the planes that crashed

  at the end of the war, the wreckage wasn’t cleared

  til after several months, or even years, especially

  if the plane exploded in the air and its debris was

  scattered over a larger area. Such was the case of

  a Lancaster, which was shot down during Operation

  Thunderclap in the spring of 1945 near Arnsfeld,

  taking with it the entire crew of seven. And since, in

  addition to our main theme of September 11th, 1944,

  we find ourselves dealing with this RAF operation,

  the entire wing tip of this Lancaster, donated a few

  years ago, too found its place into our exhibition. It

  has survived to this day only thanks to the fact that

  it served as a roof on a woodshed for many years.

  Part of the aforementioned small exhibition will

  also be a very worn leather Luftwaffe flight jacket,

  in which the chief of the Chomutov Aero Club flew

  for many years and which he recently donated to us.

  Then, there are the Luftwaffe fur boots who’s owner

  wore them in a blacksmith shop to keep his toes

  from freezing. Their soles are full of metal chips

  from the floor.

  The unique lower part of the engine cowl of

  a Bf 109G-10 served as a shelter for chickens, the

  glass nose of an He 111 from the Pilsen airport

  served as a small greenhouse in a garden…

  The list of things that became part of our

  museum's collections, and which found a new life in

  a later period, is far from complete. That's not even

  the purpose of this article. The effort was to convey

  the feeling that these objects evoke, and also,

  how human ingenuity is able to save objects that

  otherwise would not have survived to the present

  day, even when partially transformed or destroyed.

  In short, what is at home, is important.

  INFO Eduard

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  October 2023

• Editorial

  How did you like E-Day? Don’t worry, I’m not going to take up precious real estate thoroughly describing the event today, since that will be covered in a Special Edition of our newsletter, slated to come out the second week of October. However, in today’s issue you will find a basic photo gallery of what was there. This year, the second to be held in Milovice, confirmed the potential of the Tankodrom for an event of this type. With that, we can continue to evolve and develop the program to satisfy the concept that goes hand in hand with the venue. My mind is centered around the Friday evening program, set aside for competing modelers and vendors. It’s a bit tough to come up with something that would be of interest and fit into the timeline of setting up and dinner time. Performance of Milan Mikulecký this year was undoubtedly interesting, but I did not find the attendance satisfactory. The performance of the CTU academic orchestra on Saturday morning, at the start of Saturday’s main program, inspired the idea of screening old aviation films on Friday evening and having that as a pleasant accompaniment to the evenings activities. One film would be enough, as there wouldn’t be time to screen more than one. It goes without saying that adequate refreshments would be provided, a good movie needs popcorn and, in our modelling environment, also plenty of beer. This year’s issue, the absence of any refreshments on Friday night, will not be repeated. I promise that next year, everything will be available, including coffee, if only because next year there will be a cafe right in the lobby. I hope that some bureaucratic trap composed of red tape will not prevent it. And if we are to cultivate culture, I would also like to start the Saturday program with a short performance by the CTU Academic Orchestra next year. This got a little lost in the hustle and bustle this year, so next year we will bring it downstairs, to the exhibition area. I must admit that I started compiling a repertoire for next year already on Sunday, and I’m already looking forward to discussing it with Mr. Šrámek, the conductor!

  The second point that is on my mind is the results announcement. Even I do not consider the current system to be perfect, and I want to change it. The problem is that I don’t quite know what the change should look like. We need to strike a balance between the dignity of the ceremony and its length, and these two are in a bit of a conflict with one another. However, the fact that the ceremony must be shorter is beyond dispute. I believe we will find a solution.

   

  New Releases

  To write extensively about October’s new items now that everyone already knows what they are and a good number already have them in their possession seems a little like carrying firewood into the forest, as a local saying goes. As always at this time, the news lineup is very much a domestic oriented affair, due to E-day and our dogged effort to have items there that appeal to the domestic market. That’s why we risked buying moldings for the Su-25K from Zvezda, for the Hrábě (pronounced ‘hrab-ye’ and translates into English as ‘rake’, given its pylons), a kit we planned long before the start of the Russian war against Ukraine. We also repaired the molds for the 72nd scale L-39 Albatros and prepared new canopy for the kit. Admittedly, we made it by the skin of our teeth, but we made it and the separate canopies we took to sell as stand alone sets, plus the complete models with them, were gone in no time. With a slight delay, the new canopy will also available as an Overtrees item in our e-shop. Both Limited Edtion kits, Hrábe/Rake and the Albatros, are a hit, being very popular at E-day and its corresponding Afterparty.

  
  

  Bundles

  In September, our new Bundle sets appeared for the first time during the launch of new products in our e-shop. For those who may not know what it is, I will remind you that they are sets combining a specific model with one of its dedicated accessory items or Overtrees at a discounted price. The price is designed so that the Bundle is always worth more than the purchase of the individual items separately, even during sales events. Additional discounts are prohibited on Bundles, so they are always sold at the same price, even during Afterparty events. It’s our attempt to get a somewhat stalled business going. It appears to be a successful attempt. Back in September, we still didn’t know which type of Bundles would be popular and which would fail. Of course, everyone who does something like this has their own ideas, and some of them come true and some don’t. With Bundles, we embarked on a learning curve. The first attempt, Weekend Bundles with masks, flopped. I admit that I kinda expected it. Shortly before the launch, we experienced a surge on modelling forums that indicated that modellers dearly wanted masks to go with the Weekend kits, and that they would be willing to pay for them. The experiment with the Mask Bundles showed that this was certainly not the case. On the other hand, they will gladly and willingly buy Overtrees. It’s no surprise, we know, that the Bundles make Overtrees even more attractive. What was surprising was that the Kurfirst Bundle with a Brassin engine sold so wildly that we sometimes had trouble keeping stock in our warehouse.

  In October, the results are looking similar, going by E-day and its Afterparty. The Su-25K Bundle with said kit and its 3D positive riveting set with additional weapons are selling very well. This one is going so fast that it is temporarily unavailable because we have to make new molds for the weapons set and production has been delayed by this. This Bundle will go back on sale sometime next week, unless all the Rakes are sold out by then.

  Bundles will always be on sale from when that month's new releases appear, until the following month's equivalents replace them. As more new products are introduced, the previous month's Bundles will be withdrawn from sale, some will remain in the range until stocks last. So, they will always be on sale for about a month. Some may return in a slightly modified form in the future. For example, the Kurfürst + engine Bundle will probably return in January as the Bf 109 K-4 + engine. It will always be a short term thing, though. In any case, the decision to buy should be made pretty quickly, because these will adhere to the concept of “you snooze, you lose”.

   

  Articles

  In this issue, we update the Air War over Ukraine by Miro Baric, and we have an article about US escort carriers in World War II by Jean Laffitte. As this one is rather long and complex, there are just Boxart Story articles to complement it in the content of this issue. Two were written by Jan Bobek, one by Richard Plos and the fourth one by owner of the aircraft portrayed in the boxart of Z-526, Radim Vojta. Then, we have a photo report from E-Day along with a picture gallery of the model of the top winner of this year’s Czech Model Masters and a report from this year’s Czech Plastic Modeling Championships.

   

  Where You Can Meet Us

  We will be attending some exhibitions in October. This week, our first little expedition takes us to Italy, and on the way back, we plan on hitting the museum in Piana delle Orme, where we want to have a close look at one exhibit, and we will stop off at an exhibition in Bergamo. A week later we will be in the Netherlands in Eindhoven and at the same time some of our people will be in Nitra, Slovakia. And while we’re on the subject of shows, I've got some pretty fresh news especially for our British friends: we’ll be in Telford this year.

   

  And that’s it for me this month.

  Happy Modelling!

  Vladimír Šulc

• Avion fatal

  Text: Radim Vojta

  Illustration: Adam Tooby

  Cat. No. 82185

  
  

  The Z-526 was from the very beginning my “femme fatale”, or rather “avion fatal”. It started at the age of sixteen, when I first saw the Z-526F OK-CRA in the hangar of Kladno Aero Club and got even deeper when Honza Čáp gave me a ride in it. Four years later I started flying and towing with this plane, and I won't lie when I say that I felt like I was flying a Spitfire. And later, when the OK-ZRB Zlin Z-526AFS aerobatic special arrived, I felt like they added a Mustang to my Spitfire. In quotes, of course. As a rational and sensible twenty-year-old man, it was clear to me that I would never fly these types ... And so, for the next few years, I really enjoyed the Z-526s to the fullest, playing at being a fighter pilot. With OK-CRA it was mainly tows, with OK-ZRB, which belonged to Czech Aero Club and was not so “jealously guarded” by the glider pilots, I also did occasional navigation flights or flights just for fun. And from time to time, I enjoyed aerobatics with OK-ZRD, which was then used for training of advanced piloting in dual controls where Z-142 was not enough. Needless to say, these were mainly the snap rolls.

  Eventually other types came along, either for aerobatics itself or for paving the way to my professional flying. And that's where the Z-526 suddenly “didn't fit the concept”. My annual flying time on the Treners gradually decreased until I only flew them a few times a season. And so there came a period when I wasn't so good with the Z-526. A few years passed, during which my flying of light aircraft was neglected by the larger “steel birds”, and I almost thought I was done for in that respect. When suddenly the wheels of history moved on and I became the owner of a Z-326, which I bought from the Aero Club Polička. And that was a huge kick-start to the "second phase" of my life in civil aviation. With this OK-OTD we visited Berlin Tempelhof, Dalmatia, Corfu, Italy, Malta, southern France, even looked across the English Channel. The combination of a cruise propeller and external wingtips tanks made her a long-haul aircraft, although on takeoff she sometimes climbed like a loaded Wellington to Berlin or an ATR 72 to Košice. And so, after a while, the thought of getting a Zlin Z-526 came up, because it could tow, cruise, fly aerobatics or training and that all with one propeller. There were several options and offers, until the "fatal" one came along. I was offered to buy a slightly damaged one from Poland. I was intrigued. It was a former OM-VOR from Holíč, Slovakia. The wing had to be replaced and the fuselage repaired, but she hadn't flown even a thousand hours, so she could do aerobatics for a few more years.

  The import and overhaul presented me with two new challenges. To come up with the registration and the color scheme. The former was relatively easy, as I am a believer in following the previously standard key for assigning markings, so a 1966 aircraft had to have the first letter “V” and the second “R”, as that's what the Z-526s used to be assigned. So, these are not my initials, as many people think (and as I only realized after the fact). I put the "C" in there because it's easy to pronounce. The coloring was a little more fun. It was clear that it had to follow the "period line", even if not one hundred percent. In fact, I had been given the subtle warning that most people who come up with their own coloring actually mess it up because they can't imagine how their creation, made on paper or screen of computer, will look spatially on a live airplane. And then they stare rather stupidly when taking their new aircraft over. So, it's best to go with something that's already there, or approach a designer. And since I always liked the Z-526 from the movie Nebe pro Trenéra (Heaven for Trener), I opted for the look of the then OK-VRB as a base. I just used “apple blue” instead of orange like the OK-OTB had, the lower wing color was pulled up over the leading edge to the upper surface like the original OK-SND had in one of its forms, and I decided to paint the horizontal stabilizer and elevator in white underneath, because the connection of colors did not look good in the horizontal and vertical tail surfaces joint with fuselage. Then there were a few minor changes (the canopy frame remained white and the short black stripes on the engine cowling and rudder are thinner than on the original) and the new aircraft was born in the Czech skies.

  I took it over at Otrokovice on March 30, 2010 and it serves me faithfully from that time on. Its ”fur“ is still like new, aviation life added only a few scratches during hundreds of flying hours, but brought me a lot of fun! And don´t worry, the boxart by Adam Tooby is kind of artistic license, as I am not giving her such a hard time.  

• Those mistrusted

  Text: Richard Plos

  Illustration: Adam Tooby

  Cat. No. 7471

  
  

  The beginning of the fifties was marked by political purges in the Czechoslovak army, and therefore also in the air force. Pilots with any western combat backgrounds or other suspicious ones were gradually weaned from flying. However, the influx of new blood in the form of properly trained and indoctrinated sons of the workers and peasants, supposedly “ruling” the Czechoslovakia under Communist government, was still insufficient, so it was necessary to turn a blind eye here and there and keep in service pilots who found themselves below the line after the political screenings for admission to fly the then state-of-the-art technology, which was the MiG-15, referred to in the Czechoslovak Air Force as S-102. They represented a quantum leap for the renewed Czechoslovak Air Force, which until then had guarded its western border with WW2 aircraft. By day with the worsened Messerschmitt Bf 109Gs, i.e., Avia S-199s, while the night readiness was served with one of two airworthy LB-79s, i.e., with German Heinkel He 219 night fighters.

  Pilots who had failed political screenings at the beginning of the Czechoslovak Air Force’s jet era were condemned to still fly the S-199s. These aircraft were already obsolete at the time of their creation in 1947, and less than five years later they were just a caricature of a fighter aircraft. Thus, the 22nd Air Division was created, which was established on June 1, 1951, at the Plzeň-Skvrňany airfield. It included the 4 Aviation Regiment (not the original Aviation Regiment 4 based in České Budějovice, which had already been renamed LP 6) and the 18 Aviation Regiment. The latter was established on the same day as the 22 Air Division and had 29 S-199s, two CS-199s and nine C-2s aircraft in its inventory. Zdeněk Praus was appointed the CO of the regiment. It is not certain what rank he held at that time. According to some sources he even was only a lieutenant. What is certain is that in 1954 he was already a lieutenant colonel and from November 10 of that year he was the commander of the entire 22 Air Division, which at that time consisted of three Air Fighter regiments (slp): the 3 slp in Brno, the 4 slp and the 18 slp, both in Pardubice. His career continued with a move to the same position with the 6 Fighter Air Division (from July 15, 1958) and from September 1, 1961, he became Chief of the Fighter Air Command of the 7 Army of Air Defence. He remained in this position until September 1962.

  The aircraft of the staff flight of the 18 Air Regiment were given designations from DA-01 to DA-09, 1st squadron had aircraft with the designations from PS-10 to PS-29, 2nd squadron BS-30 to BS-49, 3rd squadron EX-50 to EX-69 and 4th squadron VT-70 and higher.

  The 18 Aviation Regiment was designated with “piston” suffix from 1952 onward to distinguish it from the jet regiments. However, in November 1953 it was moved to Pardubice, by that time, it had already partly re-equipped with MiG-15s, and although it still had 31 S-199s and ten C-2s in service, it was renamed the 18 Air Fighter Regiment (jet) on April 1, 1954.

  The two aircraft on the boxart of kit 7471 belonged to the 1st Squadron and are portrayed just after splitting formation, probably starting a dogfight exercise somewhere near Pilsen in 1952. This kind of training has always been, by the way, the most favored by fighter pilots of all time. And those politically not-enough-reliable pilots who were not entrusted by the Communist party to be given a chance to get their hand on the latest aviation technology, were flying their aging “Mules”, as were the S-199s nicknamed, on the edge. There were a number of experienced and well-trained pilots among them, and some of them did eventually get the chance to fly jets. Others, however, had to step down from the fighter pedestal and transfer to other types of aviation after the S-199 were all retired. Some of them changed fixed wings for the rotary ones, as the helicopters were just emerging at the time in Czechoslovak Air Force with the tests of domestic light helicopter HC-2 prototypes. In 1959 first ten of Mi-1 Soviet helicopters were delivered and the helicopter aviation became reality in Czechoslovak army. One of these former fighter pilots flying S-199s and subsequently transferred to helicopters, was teaching the author of this article to fly the Mi-2 helicopter in 1985 ... 

  Avia S-199s, however unreliable and stubborn on take-off, were still, according to him, aircraft he loved to fly and fondly remembered. Given the long time lapse, some of the stories he told or the performance he stated were achieved seemed somewhat implausible, but it was evident that he was one of those who took a liking to this stopgap fighter, which ensured the fighter pilots’ were able to maintain their trained skills in the difficult post-war period.

• Wings of Neutrality

  Text: Jan Bobek

  Illustration: Piotr Forkasiewicz

  Cat. No. 84193

  
  

  While the Battle of Britain was at its height in Europe in the autumn of 1940, on the other side of the Atlantic the US was in the calm before the storm. But the Americans were rapidly preparing for a possible war in Europe as well as in Asia and the Pacific. The U.S. Navy was no exception, and since the late 1930s it had been undergoing a significant increase in air personnel. In 1940, the year in which the Japanese combat deployed a ground-based version of the A6M Zero fighter to Chinese territory, a new American carrier-based fighter the Grumman F4F (G-36), which a year later was given the combat name Wildcat, also entered the fray. In October 1940, the Royal Navy took delivery of the Martlet Mk I aircraft, which were actually export G-36As with the Wright R-1820 engine, originally intended for the Belgian air force and the French Aéronavalle. As with the Zeros, the British Martlets were initially deployed from land bases. On Christmas Day 1940, two pilots from No. 804 Sqn FAA with Martlets managed to force a Junkers Ju 88 to an emergency landing on the West Mainland of The Orkneys. 

  The first American unit to take over the new machines was the VF-4 operating from the USS Ranger. It began flying them in October 1940. In December, VF-72 (formerly VF-7) aboard USS Wasp also began familiarizing itself with the Wildcats. Its sister fighter unit, VF-71, switched from F3F biplanes to F4F-3 machines about two months later.

  Lt. Cdr. Courtney Shands served as Flight Officer for VF-72. He had graduated from the Naval Academy in 1930 and was therefore one of the pilots who had completed up to 3,000 flight hours in training and had passed examinations not only on fighter, but also on bomber and torpedo aircraft (the US Navy did not introduce specialization in one category of aircraft for pilots until late 1941). Courtney Shands had also served as a flight instructor in the 1930s and his appointment as Flight Officer on the VF-72 was therefore more than logical. In addition to the preparation of VF-72 sorties, he was also responsible for the operational training of new pilots. At the same time, he commanded one of the three Divisions, which at that time had six aircraft divided into two flights. Divisions with four aircraft with two pairs that could work together more effectively were introduced by the US Navy during 1941 based on lessons learned from combat in Europe.

  The life of a US Navy aviation unit has always included formal and informal social events involving family members. Lt. Cdr. Courtney Shands was no exception in this regard. In September 1940, his twenty-year-old sister Carey Jacqueline married his VF-72 colleague Lt(jg) Webster Cochran Johnson, five years his senior. However, the marriage ended in tragedy after a few months. Shands' newlywed brother-in-law sadly became the first US Navy aviator to die on a Wildcat during operational duty. It occurred shortly before Christmas when the USS Wasp was docked in Norfolk. Johnson took off from the deck of the USS Wasp on 19 December (or 16 December), but after take-off due to an engine failure, he fatally crashed near the railroad tracks behind the NAS. He was flying the prototype XF4F-3 BuNo 0383, which had already been repaired once after a serious crash.

  In early 1941, VF-72s began intensive retraining on Wildcats, first off the coast of Virginia and, beginning in late January, at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The formation of aircraft from this period was captured on boxart by Piotr Forkasiewicz. During the transition to the new aircraft type, sixteen crashes occurred in VF-72s in January and February, but none claimed the life of a pilot. Lt. Cdr. Courtney Shands became commander of VF-72 in July 1941 and assumed command of VF-71 in March 1942. Part of his new unit was based at Scapa Flow in The Orkneys, and the other part aboard the USS Wasp supported the Allies in the Mediterranean. It then moved to the Pacific aboard the carrier, where Shands and his men distinguished themselves in the Guadalcanal landings. See INFO 04/2023.

  His pilots, like all U.S. Navy fighter pilots, entered combat in the Pacific well prepared. They countered their Japanese adversaries, who had combat experience in China, with excellent US Navy training in air combat tactics and gunnery systematically rehearsed with deflection shooting. The time gained during the period of neutrality paid off for the Wildcat pilots.

• Against the Tsurugi Butai

  Text: Jan Bobek

  Illustration: Antonis Karydis

  Cat. No. 84181

  
  

  In preparation for the Okinawa landings, the Americans decided to launch an air strike against airfields and ports in the southern part of Japan in March 1945. Task Force 58 had already conducted a similar raid during February 16 and 17, 1945. The March raids were intended to reduce the threat of attacks on the American invasion forces preparing for the April landings. The US Navy airmen attacked the airfields on Kyūshū on 18 March, and engaged over 400 Japanese planes, of which they actually managed to shoot down a quarter. On the morning of 19 March, more than 300 aircraft took off from TF 58´s sixteen carriers and headed for selected air bases and the ports of Kure and Kōbe.

  The first pilot of the strike group to take off from the deck of the USS Essex (CV-9) in an honorary position was the commander of VF-83, Cdr. James J. Southerland, the same man who fought Saburō Sakai over Guadalcanal on August 7, 1942 (see INFO 06/2022  01/2023). Twenty VBF-17 Hellcats took off from the deck of the USS Hornet (CV-12) under the command of Lt. “Muscles” Conant. Their mission was to bomb targets in the Kure area and fighter escort was to be provided by sixteen Corsairs from VMF-123. Unfortunately, the Marines missed their US Navy colleagues, and Conant's twenty Hellcats headed for the target unprotected. Matsuyama was on their route, and unbeknownst to the Americans, they could not have chosen a worse place in Japan.

  At the Matsuyama airbase was stationed Kōkūtai 343 (II) under the command of Capt. Minoru Genda, who had made a major contribution to the preparations for the raid on Pearl Harbor. Now he was doing everything he could under improvised conditions to avoid incurring a second Pearl Harbor.

  Kōkūtai 343 was formed for the second time under Genda´s command in December 1944. He managed to acquire, apart from older N1K1 Shiden machines, mainly modern N1K2 Shiden-Kai aircraft. His Kōkūtai had three subordinate aviation units (Hikōtai) with fighter aircraft and one reconnaissance unit equipped with C6N Saiun (Myrt) machines. He managed to gather a number of elite naval aviators, among them aces such as Shō-ichi Sugita and Naoshi Kanno. Genda believed that with the right training, air combat tactics, and discipline, it was possible to match American adversaries. Among his unit's instructors was Saburō Sakai. The unit bore the battle name Tsurugi Butai, after the traditional Japanese double-edged sword.

  Thanks to the crews of the reconnaissance Hikōtai, Genda was accurately informed of the location and flight path of the Americans. More than fifty of his pilots took off within ten minutes and successively fought against both Hellcats and Corsairs in various engagements. Among Genda's commands in radio communication were even the words “niitaka yama nobore”.

  When a part of the Tsurugi Butai approached VBF-17's formation head-on from above, at first sight the Americans considered it their own because its formation looked American. Then Hellcat pilots countered the attack with a sharp turn and a frontal fight in climbing flight. It was this moment that Antonis Karydis captured on the boxart. It shows Lt. Frederick J. Prinz as he passes the Shiden-Kai aircraft, with Lt. Takashi Oshibuchi, commander of one of Genda's Hikōtai, at the controls. Eight Hellcats were shot down or irreparably damaged in the fierce engagement, three pilots were killedand three others were captured, but survived. Genda's unit claimed a total of 54 victories during the day, losing 15 aircraft and 13 pilots. The Americans were almost evenly matched, claiming 63 victories and losing 14 fighters and eight pilots in combat with Kōkūtai 343 (II). The captured American airmen, when later questioned, stated that the unit they faced was “... formidable beyond our expectation … well-coordinated, and excellent in marksmanship.” This was not the last time Tsurugi Butai would give enemy airmen a hard time. Minoru Genda, and some of the direct participants in the March 19, 1945, battle, met many years after the war while serving in the US Navy and JSDAF. The story of this elite unit is well developed in the book Genda's Blade by H. Sakaida and K. Takaki. 

  The Americans managed to damage four Japanese battleships, four fleet carriers and one light cruiser on March 19, 1945. However, they failed to sink any of the vessels. Japanese airmen damaged the USS Wasp (CV-18) and USS Franklin (CV-13) by bombing attacks or Kamikaze attacks. A day earlier, the USS Enterprise (CV-6), USS Intrepid (CV-11), and USS Yorktown (CV-10) had already been damaged.

• Markings for Z-526 Trenér Master 1/48

  Z-526 M, s/n 909, OK-VRC, private, Líně airfield, Czech Republic, 2022

  The aircraft, which today flies in an attractive blue and white livery and whose home is either Hangar 3 at the airfield in Líně or the airfield in Rakovník, was produced in 1966 as Z-326. It was test-flown on June 6 of that year and then went to a customer in France, where it flew with the F-BNMX matriculation until 1977. It was then stored and in December 1992 was imported back to the Czechoslovakia by ZLÍN-AVION service company. In 1994 it was overhauled, and the main spar and wings were replaced with new ones. At the same time it was converted to Z-526M. It was then sold to Slovakia, where it flew until 2007 in Aero Club Holíč as OM-VOR. The next stage of this aircraft was Nowy Sacz, Lososina Dolna airfield, Poland, where it received SP-KSM matriculation. On July 2, 2008, pilot made an emergency belly landing with it right at a road intersection after accidentally draining fuel from the gravity tank. The aircraft was reacquired and transported to Otrokovice, where repairs followed, combined with an overhaul and installation of a new right wing. All this was done under the charge of the new owner, who brought the aircraft in 2010. The aircraft received a new registration and livery in the spirit of the scheme in which the OK-VRB and OK-VRF Trenér aircraft flew in the sixties.

   

  Z-526F, s/n 1273, SP-EMF, Grupa Akrobacyjna Zelazny, Poznań, Poland, summer 2012

  The aircraft was produced in 1973 and subsequently sold to a Polish aeroclub. In December 1999, an aerobatic group was established at Zielona Góra Airport, sponsored by the then emerging Żelazny hardware store chain. The group started with two Z-526AFS and one Z-50LA aircraft. One Z-526F was added to the lineup in 2001. The pilots of the group amazed with their skills at airshows not only in Poland, but also in Germany. In 2004, Lech Marchelewski became its leader and three years later the group started to rehearse a six-member formation, which was to have its premiere at the Radom Air Show. However, tragedy struck during the premiere on September 1. At 3:01 p.m. local time, while transitioning into a maneuver called “the rose”, No. 1 (Z-526F, SP-CDF) and No. 2 (Z-526AFS, SP-ELE) collided. Both pilots, retired Colonel Lech Marchelewski and Piotr Bachanowicz, were killed. The second Z-526AFS (SP-CSU) narrowly missed the crash site. The group then resumed operations, initially as a three-man group, with plans to return to a six-strong formation in 2009. Subsequently, the group was moved to Poznań. Today they operate two Z-526F aircraft, the one with the number 9 carries the SP-EMF matriculation and is shown here in a design corresponding to the period before the 2012 ILA International Airshow. Prior to that, however, it underwent an overhaul in Otrokovice (2008), during which it received, among other things, the paint scheme of the new operator, while the aircraft was still in the possession of AK Poznań.

   

  Z-526, s/n 1048; D-EDTP, private, Líně airfield, Czech Republic, 2023

  The aircraft was manufactured in 1968 and in June of the same year it was taken over by Mr. Arthur Beth (Porta Westfalica, Germany). The aircraft was given the D-EDTP registration and shortly before the World Aerobatic Championships in Magdeburg it was taken over by Richard Hecht, member of the German national team. He had high hopes of success, but only until the Czechoslovak team appeared on the scene with their brand new Z-526AS aerobatic specials. However, during the competition on August 21, Czechoslovakia was invaded by “friendly” forces and the national team withdrew from the championship. Hecht then operated the aircraft for many years, and the aircraft’s logbook lists interesting names such as Ladislav Bezák, the first aerobatic world champion (already in exile at the time), and former Luftwaffe ace Walter Wolfrum (137 kills). At the end of the 1990s the aircraft was no longer flying much and in 2000 it was sold to another owner in Germany. The current Czech owner then bought the aircraft from him and kept the German matriculation. At that time the aircraft had flown only 1114 hours. The rudder was consequently decorated with a painting of the girl by Antonio Vargas, while on the starboard of the front fuselage there is the inscription Small Beautiful Doll, which is a paraphrase of the Big Beautiful Doll inscription painted on the P-51D of Colonel John D. Landers (14.5 kills), commander of the 78th FG. On the left side of the engine cowling is another reference to the P-51 Mustang, the inscription Daddy’s Girl. The aircraft named such was flown by Ray S. Wetmore (21.25 kills). The owner has stamped the name with a Roman numeral two because his previously owned Trenér had the same name.

   

  Z-526F, s/n 1242, OE-CSA, private, Austria, 2019

  Manufactured in 1973, the aircraft was exported to Hungary, where it received the HA-SAR designation and flew there until 1987, when it was sold to Graz, Austria. There it received the OE-CSA registration and also an attractive livery. It was based in Punitz in 1991, crashed in 1999 and had another accident in 2001 when the pilot had to make an emergency landing near Pöttelsdorf after losing fuel pressure. Ten years later, on August 19, 2022, while taxiing after landing at Breighton Airport (UK) the pilot reported he lost directional control of the aircraft and subsequently crashed into an aerobatic Van RV-6 aircraft. The ill-fated Trenér was then repaired again. In Otrokovice, the right wing and engine cowls were restored and today the aircraft is flying again. By the way, just a week before the last accident, OM-CSA was visiting Nové Město nad Metují in the country of its origin, i.e., in Czech Republic.

   

  Z-526F, s/n 1266, OK-DRB, private, Příbram airfield, Czech Republic, 2020

  This aircraft was produced in 1973 for the Romanian Aero Club and received the registration YR-ZAN. It was sold in 1992, together with several other aircraft, to a Belgian commercial pilot Gino Loosen. After an overhaul, the aircraft received a new registration OO-MFG and an interesting dark green metallic paint. The biz-jet pilot enjoyed his Trainer until 2011, then, after service of it in Otrokovice, he decided to sell it. His wish was to sell the aircraft back to the country of its origin. The current owner had been waiting for an opportunity to purchase the Trenér for some time and grabbed the offer from Otrokovice. The aircraft received the OK-DRB registration and since then the owner has been flying it from the airfield in Příbram. He likes to participate in aviation events and fly-ins, so the OK-DRB is often seen at various airfields. An interesting feature is its coloring, which it has had since the time of its stay in Switzerland. The lighter color looks like a very light green metallic in many photos, but it is a grey-silver color that likes to be affected by light conditions ...

   

  Z 526M, s/n 1006, private, OK-LAC, Czech Republic, 2011

  This aircraft was manufactured in 1966 as the first production two-seat Z-526 and was sold to Germany the same year, where it flew as the D-EGED. It was then sold off to Spain (SE-XFE), but returned to Germany in 1998, where the original WM 6-III engine was replaced with an M-137A. The aircraft was given the registration D-EHWJ and served at Flugschule Stahnke. There it also completed a take-off accident with the landing gear retracted while still on the ground. After it, the aircraft underwent an overhaul in Otrokovice and was converted to Z-526M version. The well-known acrobat Klaus Lenhart purchased it after the aircraft was replaced in the school’s fleet by the newer Z-526F. Klaus was the youngest son of the founder of LEKI company and CEO since 1984. He was an aerobatic pilot, participated in many competitions with for example the Extra 300L special. Since 1992, most of the LEKI products have been manufactured by Novasport, a Tachov company founded by Klaus Lenhart and so his Z-526M was registered in the Czech Republic as OK-LAC. The aircraft was operated by the Karlovy Vary Air Sports Centre where OK-LAC reached its resurs. It was subsequently dismantled and stored. In 2012 Klaus Lenhart died in a plane crash, just one day before his 57th birthday (April 30, 2012). A year later, the aircraft was sold to private owner in Germany and its further fate is unknown today.

• Markings for L-39 1/72

  L-39ZA, s/n 232433, 222 Training Squadron, Náměšť nad Oslavou AFB, Czech Air Force, Czech Republic, 2008–2010

  The first flight of the Albatros with serial number 232433 took place on November 24, 1982, with Pánek and Křemen pilots in the cockpit. On December 13, the military administration took over the aircraft. It was incorporated into the 30 Fighter-Bomber Air Regiment in Hradec Králové on December 23, 1982, and later moved to Pardubice. By the late 1980s, it was assigned to the 8 Fighter-Bomber Air Regiment in Mošnov, later Brno-Tuřany, where it was used primarily in the AA role against the slow and low altitude flying targets. After the 8 Fighter-Bomber Air Regiment was disbanded, the aircraft was transferred to various units. In 2003, it underwent a major overhaul in LOZ České Budějovice. It was later integrated into the 221 Tactical Squadron at the 22 Air Base in Náměšť nad Oslavou. In 2008, the aircraft was selected for a special paint scheme to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the first L-39 flight. The anniversary livery depicted an albatross in flight on the right side, while the left side featured the image of Jan Vlček, the head designer of L-39, along with his signature. The anniversary Albatros was showcased at various public events. It was eventually assigned to the 222 Training Squadron at Náměšť nad Oslavou Air Base. Its last flight occurred on November 25, 2010, after which it was retired. In 2013, it was transported to Čáslav by land and later transferred to the Kbely Aviation Museum after four years of storage in Čáslav after logging impressive 3,545 flight hours.

   

  L-39C, pplk. Ing. Ivan Chvojka, Sliač AFB, Slovak Air Force, Slovakia, 1991–2004

  The aerobatic team “Biele Albatrosy” (White Albatrosses) performed their shows flying L-39 Albatros aircraft manufactured by Aero Vodochody. The team operated from 1991 to 2004. Initially, they practiced flying in a trio formation and made their first public appearance with six aircraft in May 1991. By the end of 1991, the team adopted the name “Biele Albatrosy”. In the summer of 1992, all six aircraft received a new Slovak national color scheme, replacing the original camouflage. From 1995, the team operated as six-aircraft formation with seventh solo which filled the gaps between the group’s display passes. The Biele Albatrosy achieved success not only in the Czech Republic and Slovakia but also at the international air shows in countries including England, France, Denmark, Italy, Hungary, and the Netherlands. The team was led by military pilot Ivan Chvojka.

   

  L-39C, s/n 530443, High Military Aviation School, Košice AB, Czechoslovak Air Force, Czechoslovakia, 1974

  In military aviation training, the subsonic jet trainer L-39 Albatros plays an indispensable role. The first flight of the prototype X-02 took place on November 4, 1968. The Czechoslovak People’s Army logically became the first user of L-39 aircraft. At that time, the Military Aviation College in Košice (VVLŠ SNP) provided training for military pilots throughout Czechoslovakia. The early series L-39C aircraft were delivered with a white upper fuselage. The lower fuselage and entire wings were in a gray color. The stripe ahead of the cockpit was in cabin gray. Color accents on the aircraft were in red. In 1978, the aircraft with serial number 0443 was part of the VVLŠ SNP Košice aerobatic team. After the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, the aircraft served with the renowned Slovak aerobatic team Biele Albatrosy (White Albatrosses). In 2012, it underwent modernization to the CM version.

   

  L-39C, No. 0448, 1 Tactical Squadron, 4 Special Forces, Czech Air Force, Čáslav, Czech Republic, 2002

  On April 1, 2004, a new organizational unit of LOM PRAHA company, the Center for Aviation Training Pardubice (CLV), was established. This unit leased eight L-39C aircraft with serial numbers 0103, 0113, 0115, 0440, 0441, 0444, 0445, and 0448 from the Czech Armed Forces for the advanced training of military pilots. Since 2008, LOM PRAHA has had these aircraft under its asset management rights. The Center for Aviation Training LOM PRAHA has trained 90 proficient military pilots on L-39C aircraft for the Czech Republic Army since its establishment. Additionally, as per customer requirements, 15 foreign pilots have undergone the training. During the years 2015–2016, the R3 revision was completed. This represented the highest level of maintenance in the entire technical lifespan of the modified L-39C aircraft at the Pardubice CLV. These Albatros aircraft can be easily recognized by their darker semi-gloss camouflage and, most notably, by their round “low-vis” national markings. The depicted aircraft with serial number 0448 still bears its original camouflage that it had while serving with the 1 Squadron of the 4 Tactical Air Base at Čáslav Air Base.

   

  L-39CM, s/n 915301, 2 Fighter Squadron, 31 Fighter Wing, Slovak Air Force, Sliač AFB, Slovakia, 2012

  The Albatros with serial number 5301 is a modernized CM variant operated by the 2 Fighter Squadron of the combined wing based at Sliač AFB. Before the modernization, it carried the number 0443 (s/n 530443) and was a well-known aircraft belonging to the Biele Albatrosy team. In 2012, the aircraft underwent a major overhaul during which it received a new gray camouflage. As part of the new scheme, the silhouette of the cockpit was included on the underside. After the modernization, it received a new serial number 915301 and the national markings were applied to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the birth of famous Czechoslovak pilot S/Ldr Otto Smik. Currently, only three L-39CMs (5252, 5253, and 5301) are in operation; the remaining two were retired in 2011.

   

  L-39C, Iraq Air Force, Iraq, 1986

  After the USSR, Iraq became the second foreign user of L-39 aircraft and the first customer to receive the ZO version. Iraqi L-39Cs were used in flight schools in Rashid and Tikrit.

   

  L-39C, s/n 533229, No. 129, Ukrainian Air Force, Vasilkov AB, Ukraine, 2008

  After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, around 530 L-39 aircraft remained in Ukraine according to several sources. The poor financial situation of the entire military significantly reduced their number, and by 2005, fewer than 200 aircraft were airworthy. The rest of the Albatroses is in storage and available for potential sales.

   

  L-39X-11, Aerosalon Paris, France, 1977

  The prototype L-39X-11 (L-39ZO, OK-HXA, 3911, OK-190) was adorned with a white-gray-blue camouflage and shortly thereafter exhibited (equipped as ZO version) at the Paris Air Show, where it earned the nickname “Pařížanka” (Parisienne) due to its non-standard coloring. Aircraft from Aero participated multiple times at the prestigious European airshow held at Le Bourget near Paris since 1977, but the first international presentation of the Albatros was certainly exceptional. In Paris, it was displayed with a photo container on the left inner pylon along with a symmetrical placement of a large (350-liter) drop tank, thus showcasing the aircraft’s expanded usage – this time for aerial reconnaissance.

   

  L-39ZA/ART, s/n 365504, Chiang Mai AB, Royal Thai Air Force, Thailand, 2014

  The Royal Thai Air Force operated L-39ZA/ART aircraft at two airbases. The majority of them were stationed at Korat Air Base in the central part of Thailand, which serves as an RTAF showcase, hosting foreign delegations and conducting joint exercises with neighboring countries. The second base was Takhli, located about 200 km to the west, where the aircraft were used for operational flights. The L-39ZA aircraft were initially used by the 101 and 102 Squadrons in Korat, then by the 401 Squadron in Thakli, and the 411 Squadron in Chiang Mai. The RTAF received a total of 40 L-39 aircraft by 1994, with about five lost in accidents. On the occasion of anniversaries, some aircraft were presented in special liveries featuring emblems of all four squadrons. On March 31, 2021, the Royal Thai Air Force held the ceremony on the occasion of the Aero L-39ZA/ART retirement from the active duty. The last operator was the 411th Squadron, 41st Wing, based in Chiang Mai.

   

  L-39ZO, s/n 831135, Lt. Laszló Goron, 59th Szentgyörgyi Dezsö Airbase, Kecskemet, Hungary, August 2007

  On the request of foreign clients, the L-39C was developed into the L-39ZO between 1973 and 1976. Among other modifications, the ZO version was given four wing pylons with a strengthened structure and landing gear. In 1994 Hungary received 24 aircraft from Germany for the symbolic price of one DM. The last of these aircraft retired in the fall of 2009. Aircraft coded 135 was camouflaged on the upper and side surfaces in shades of brown and green while the undersides were in light blue. In 2007, under the guidance of Crew Chief MSgt. Lajos Molnar, the aircraft acquired an attractive sharkmouth design and the vertical tail surfaces received the Hungarian national colors. The airfield from which this aircraft flew was named after Dezső Szentgyörgyi, the most successful Second World War Hungarian pilot with twenty-nine confirmed kills.

• Markings for Su-25K 1/48

  9013, 322 Tactical Squadron, 32 Tactical Air Force Base, Náměšť nad Oslavou, Czech Republic, summer 1996

  In the summer of 1991, the most interesting Czech Su-25K in terms of coloration was the aircraft number 9013. The unusual color scheme with a painting of a frog destroying a tank by a hammer was based on the NATO code name of Su-25: Frogfoot. Arpád Molnár was the main person behind this design, the drawing of the frog was made by Ladislav Váňa. The aircraft was made famous thanks to numerous displays flown by major František Tabačko and later also by kpt. Martin Hejra. The color job was done with basic grey primer. While yellow paint was bought in a local drugstore and brown and both greens were the colors used for camouflage paints of the aircraft shelters and other buildings on the air base. The drawing of the frog was done with Humbrol paints using a modeler spray gun.

   

  5007, 30 Fighter Bomber Regiment, Hradec Králové, Czechoslovakia, April 1984 

  One of the first delivery batch of eight Su-25Ks in their original form, i.e., with black fuselage numbers. The aircraft were delivered from the USSR with national insignia only, numbers were applied after acceptation by Czechoslovak Air Force. Aircraft of the series 5 and 6 were not equipped with lateral control boosters, i.e., control of the ailerons. Therefore, they were equipped with large trim tabs on the ailerons. The black fuselage numbers were difficult to read on the dark camouflage colors and were therefore outlined in white. Subsequently, they were painted in full white. While still with black number, the aircraft was shiny new and did not sport any signs of wear.

   

  6019, 30 Attack Aviation Regiment, Pardubice, Czechoslovakia, August 1988

  Various nose arts appeared on the Czechoslovak Su-25Ks. The first attempts were just quickly and easily removable chalk drawings. Such a drawing, the silhouette of a seated girl with a screwdriver, was sketched on this aircraft as well, and as there were no objections from the commanding officers, it was decided to paint colorful and more durable nose art. Aircraft engineer Antonín Fidranský decided to create a drawing of a girl and a shark’s mouth by washable colors. Also, the emblem of the 30 Attack Aviation Regiment, last used on the MiG-15bisSB, appeared on this aircraft. The painting of “Anča” (Annie) as the aircraft was named, probably occurred on the weekend of August 20 and 21, 1988, just before the planned live ammunition gunnery exercise. But the taxiing accident of aircraft No. 1008 dashed any hope of getting the “Anča” into the air, because the incident was followed by the arrival of the AAIC (Aircraft Accident Inquiry Comission). Due to that, the paintwork was quickly washed out to avoid any unwanted interest from the AAIC. This aircraft was manufactured on October 18, 1984, and first flown in Czechoslovakia on January 18, 1985. The last flight was conducted on May 27, 1998. When discharged, the aircraft had 917 hrs logged and 15 mins of flight time. After its retirement it was sold to the USA on April 10, 2004.

   

  1002, 30 Attack Aviation Regiment, Pardubice, Czech Republic, May 1993

  Aircraft of fuselage number 1002 changed its camouflage and markings several times. In May 1993, it underwent a revision of R-1 level at the Čáslav Aircraft Repair Base and a distinctive shark’s mouth, red trim on the white fuselage number and a large 30 Attack Aviation Regiment inscription on the directional stabilizer were applied. Less than a year later, the entire vertical fin and rudder were painted in tricolor livery with Lubrifilm company advertisement. This Su-25K was manufactured in Tbilisi on May 15, 1987, and landed at the Pardubice base on June 27 of the same year. It was one of the aircraft that were transferred to the air base in Náměšť in 1994. In 1996 it was overhauled and discharged in 2001 after a total flight time of 703 hrs and 43 mins. The aircraft was sold to a new user in 2003.

   

  1002, 30 Attack Aviation Regiment, Pardubice, Czech Republic, June 1994

  The lack of funds for participation on the airshows was solved by the Display Team members by sponsorship. One of the aircraft “decorated” with sponsor’s decals was Su-25K No. 1002, whose display “sorties” were supported by Lubrifilm company. The No. 8077 aircraft was similarly modified. The spraying and painting of the 1002 had its premiere during Pardubice airshow on May 21, 1994. The next 1002 appearance took place at the Aviation Days in Náměšť nad Oslavou on June 11 and in České Budějovice a week later, on June 18,1994. Not everyone liked such a sponsorship and after interpellations from politicians, the Minister of Defense banned all advertising activities on military aircraft. Therefore, in July 1994, the advertising stickers were removed, leaving only the colored SOP. The 1002 flew in this design until the end of 1994. To finish Your model in this state of markings, do not use No. 45 decal and use Nos. 48; 49; 107; 108 for the tail vertical surfaces.

   

  1002, 322 Tactical Squadron, 32 Tactical Air Base Náměšť and Oslavou, Czech Republic, May 1996

  The next reincarnation of the Su-25K number 1002 was named “Shark”. Already at the end of 1995, the technicians of the 322 Squadron expressed their wish to have the fuselages of the two aircraft painted in a special color scheme, and Jan Martinec began to prepare graphic designs. The painting was carried out in the week from May 13 to 17, 1996, and finally the new coloring was applied on whole aircraft. The ceremonial roll out took place on Friday May 17, 1996 and the aircraft subsequently made number of displays. Kpt. Ladislav Oslanský flew it at CIAF 2000, which was the last display of the aircraft on domestic airshows.

   

  8076, 322 Tactical Squadron, 32 Tactical Air Base Náměšť nad Oslavou, Czech Republic, May 1996

  Along with the 1002, the 8076 was also painted in a special livery. In its case, it was an application of the eagle motif that the 322 TS had as its emblem. The implementation of this coloring took only three days from May 15 to 17. The aircraft had the original camouflage in good condition and so received only the nose paint job and, as was customary, the auxiliary tanks were also decorated accordingly.

   

  8080, 322 Tactical Squadron, 32 Tactical Air Base Náměšť nad Oslavou, Czech Republic, 1997

  Aircraft of the 322 Tactical Squadron gradually received graphic symbols on their vertical fins, which helped to identify the aircraft quickly even if the fuselage number was not visible. The number 8080 received two crossed white stripes on the green plastic cover of the top of the fin. The front sides of the engine nacelles already sported the squadron insignia with a stylized eagle. The colors were already very weathered. 

   

  8074, 2 Squadron, 33 Fighter Bomber Wing, Air Base Kuchyňa, Slovakia, April 1997

  In 1993, the 8074 was fitted with a “fire” motif that earned it the nickname “Flamingo”. It was first presented to the public in this form at the 1993 SIAF Air Show in Košice. After the division of the Czechoslovakia, the newly formed 3 Fighter Bomber Aviation Regiment of the Slovak Air Force had its base at the Kuchyňa airfield, but since it was already occupied by MiG-21, Su-22 and L-29 aircraft, the Su-25Ks were based at the Trenčín airport, right next to the aircraft repair facilities. On January 1, 1993, the Su-25 squadron was reorganized and transferred to the 2 Combined Aviation Regiment in Piešt'any, becoming its 1 squadron. It moved from Trenčín to Kuchyňa airfield on September 27, 1994 and became the 2 squadron of the 33 Fighter Bomber Wing Malacky on January 1, 1995 in the process of the second reorganization.

   

  1027, 3 Fighter Bomber Regiment, Trenčín airfield, Slovakia, August 1994

  The Slovak Su-25K named “Bizon” (Buffalo) became the most attractively colored Slovak aircraft of the type. The design was created by Pavol Homer and Jozef Horváth. Preparations started on July 17, 1994 and the “Bizon” flew for the first time on July 28 and 29 with the unfinished paint job. It was completed on August 14 and it was presented in premiere at the SIAF 1994 Air Show on August 21 in Bratislava. The “Bizon” was the only Su-25 that also bore the emblem of the 1 Technical Squadron. After completing its service in the Slovak Air Force, the aircraft was sold in 2004 to Armenia.

• Markings for S-199 bubble canopy 1/72

  S-199.165, 1 Squadron, 18 Aviation Regiment, Plzeň-Skvrňany, Czechoslovakia, July 1952

  This aircraft was test-flown at the end of October 1948 by the factory pilot Petr Široký and on November 23 it was flown to the designated Pilsen Aviation Regiment 4. On March 19, 1950, the aircraft was damaged, subsequently repaired and reassigned to the unit in mid-July of the same year. From April 1952 it was used by the 1 Squadron of the 18 Aviation Regiment at the Plzeň-Skvrňany airfield. On July 23, 1952, this Avia, codenamed PS-15, was flown by Lt. Vladislav Petráš who was performing a training flight. During it, a technical malfunction occurred, and the pilot had to make an emergency belly-landing near Trhové Dušníky, Příbram district. In such a landing, the aircraft suffered only minor damage, especially to the propeller blades and was subsequently repaired.

   

  S-199.444, 2 Squadron, 1 Aviation Regiment, 3 Air Division, Praha-Kbely, Czechoslovakia, April 1951

  The aircraft serial number 444 was test-flown by factory pilot Antonín Kraus on September 5, 1949 and from the end of August 1950 it served with the Aviation Regiment 1. In April 1951 it was operated by its 2 squadron in Prague-Kbely, where it bore the designation JW-38. On April 21, 1951, the pilot of this aircraft, rt. (TSgt) Jiří Klempíř crashed at the Letňany airfield as the aircraft bounced on a terrain wave and fell from the height to the ground during take-off. The short career of this “Mezek” (Mule) was ended in mid-June 1951, when the operation was accountably terminated, and the aircraft was subsequently scrapped.

   

  S-199.156, 3 Squadron, Air Regiment 8, 3 Air Division, Brno-Černovice, Czechoslovakia, June 1949

  The Avia S-199 number 156 was produced in the summer of 1948 and was assigned to the 3 Air Division in mid-November. In June 1949, it was stationed with Aviation Regiment 8 at the Brno-Černovice airfield. The code designation NP-2 hints it was the aircraft of the 3 Squadron. The aircraft was painted by light gray-green color shade and had the front part repaired with a darker shade of green paint. On June 10, 1949, the pilot, rt. (TSgt) Jan Dočkal damaged it during landing at his home airfield. After repair, the aircraft was then assigned to Aviation Regiment 3. This “Mezek” (Mule) had machine guns in the wing installed. On March 18, 1952, it was destroyed during take-off.

   

  Police Air Patrol, Brno/Olomouc, Czechoslovakia, 1949

  The Police Air Patrol of the Security Air Force (until mid-December 1947 the National Security Air Force) used this aircraft at Brno or Olomouc airports. At the time of its service with the Police Air Patrol, it bore the standard livery of this air force, i.e., light grey paint on the upper surfaces and dark grey on the lower surfaces, complemented by scarlet paint on the nose and leading edge of the wing. Also, the horizontal tail surfaces were the same color. The reconstruction of the color scheme was based on photographs of similar aircraft as no photographs of the OK-BXK have survived. The serial number is still unknown, but could probably be 201, 410 or in the range 414 to 416. There is full range of the digits for creating any number. 

• Markings for F4F-3 Wildcat 1/48

  BuNo. 1883, VF-72, USS Wasp (CV-7), December 1940

  The first production batch of Wildcats, a total of 49 aircraft, was delivered in a pre-war color scheme. This means that the fuselage and lower wing surfaces were painted in aluminum color, while the upper wing surfaces were painted yellow. Insignias on the wings were placed in all four positions, and on the fuselage, they were either painted on the nose or on the engine cowling. The insignia position indicated the neutral status of these aircraft. The affiliation to individual ships was determined by the color of the tail surfaces. Aircraft with black coloring belonged to the aircraft carrier USS Wasp (CV-7). Stripes on the wings and the coloring of the front part of the engine cowling identified which section within the unit the aircraft belonged to. In the case of red coloring, it was the first section, and if the machine had the entire front part of the engine cowling and a stripe on the fuselage painted in the section color, it was the leader's machine of that section. This Wildcat served with VF-72 between the years 1940 and 1941. From the deck of USS Wasp (CV-7) and the ground base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, it participated in Neutrality Patrols, which were meant to ensure the neutrality in the coastal waters of the United States and the Caribbean, as declared by President Roosevelt on September 4, 1939. It was lost on May 8, 1942, during the Battle of the Coral Sea, where it operated from the deck of USS Yorktown (CV-5) as part of VF-42 squadron.

   

  BuNo. 3976, Lt. Cdr. John S. Thach, CO of VF-3, USS Lexington (CV-2), April 1942

  John Smith Thach was born on April 19, 1905, in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. After graduating from the Naval Academy in 1927, he spent two years of service on battleships and began pilot training in February 1929. He earned his pilot wings in 1930. During the 1930s, he served in various units, and in June 1939, he was assigned to VF-3, which he commanded from December 1940. This unit was embarked on the USS Lexington (CV-2) on February 10, 1942, as part of Task Force 11, with the target of Rabaul.

  Flying boats Kawanishi H6K Mavis were searching for the task force, and eventually, they succeeded in locating it. The Japanese spotted the convoy and dispatched a total of 17 G4M Betty bombers against it. "Jimmy" Thach, piloting his personal aircraft Fox-1, managed to shoot down one of the reconnaissance seaplanes during the morning patrol, achieving the squadron's first victory. The attack of bombers launched from Rabaul occurred around 16:30, and Thach, now flying Fox-13, led all operational Wildcats of the squadron against the attackers. The result was 15 shot-down Bettys, and he personally claimed two victories. The last combat action Lt. Cdr. Thach participated in was the Battle of Midway, where he, as the squadron leader, shot down four Japanese planes (3 × A6M Zero, 1 × B5N Kate). Later in the war, he served as the operations officer under Vice Admiral John S. McCain, the commander of Task Force 38. After the war, John Thach served as a commanding officer of aircraft carriers, and in the 1960s, he held high staff positions. He retired in May 1967 with the rank of Admiral and passed away on April 25, 1981. His Wildcat was camouflaged with Light Gray FS 36440 on the undersurfaces, and Blue Gray FS 35189 on the upper and side surfaces. The insignia on the rear fuselage and four positions on the wings were accompanied by 13 red and white stripes on the rudder.

   

  BuNo. 3986, Lt. Cdr. Edward H. O’Hare, VF-3, USS Lexington (CV-2), April 1942

  Edward Henry O’Hare was born on March 13, 1914, in St. Louis, Missouri. After graduating from the US Naval Academy in 1937, he was commissioned as an Ensign and assigned to the battleship USS New Mexico (BB-40). In June 1939, he began flight training, which he successfully completed in May 1940. Then he was transferred to VF-3, based on the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga (CV-3). He became famous for his actions in February 1942 when, during the approach to Rabaul on New Britain, the position of Task Force 11 led by the aircraft carrier USS Lexington (CV-2), on which VF-3 was stationed at that time, was exposed. The Japanese dispatched two groups of Betty bombers toward the task force. Only "Butch" O’Hare and his wingman confronted the second group. Lt. O’Hare shot down three Bettys and severely damaged two others, disrupting the entire attack. On April 10, 1942, for promotional shots, two Wildcats were prepared: Thach's with the designation F-1 and the aircraft marked F-13, flown by Lt. Noel A. M. Gayler. However, during the filming, newly promoted Lt. Cdr. O’Hare took the place in F-13's cockpit. This Wildcat was camouflaged with Light Gray FS 36440 on the undersurfaces and Blue Gray FS 35189 on the upper and side surfaces. The insignia on the rear fuselage and four positions on the wings were accompanied by 13 red and white stripes on the rudder. Edward O’Hare did not survive till the end of the war. During a night action on November 26, 1943, while flying a Hellcat, he was likely hit and crashed into the sea. His body was never found, although some witnesses claimed to have seen a parachute. Before the war, O’Hare had settled in Chicago, and in 1949, the city named its airport after him.

   

  BuNo. 3991, VMF-111 Samoa, 1942

  Since its establishment in September 1925, this unit underwent several designations. It wasn't until July 1, 1941, that the unit was redesignated as VMF-111, a designation it held until its deactivation on November 26, 1945. At the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the pilots of the unit flew F4F-3 Wildcat aircraft, which the squadron retained in service until the beginning of 1943, when it transitioned to more modern Corsairs. In March 1942, the unit was moved to Tafuna Airfield (now Pago Pago International Airport) on Tutuila Island, part of the American Samoa archipelago. In July of the same year, the unit was relocated to the newly built Faleolo Airfield on Upolu Island in the same archipelago. Here, the unit spent a year as part of the defense of this territory, armed with Wildcats that had seen service with U.S. Navy squadrons operating from aircraft carriers. Wildcat with Bureau Number 3991 initially served on the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga (CV-3) and later, while part of VF-2, participated in the Battle of the Coral Sea. At the beginning of his service with VMF-111, nicknamed Devil Dogs, he carried insignias with red centers on the fuselage and wings and red and white stripes on the rudder.

   

  BuNo. 3991, VMF-111 Samoa, 1942

  Since its establishment in September 1925, this unit underwent several designations. It wasn't until July 1, 1941, that the unit was redesignated as VMF-111, a designation it held until its deactivation on November 26, 1945. At the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the pilots of the unit flew F4F-3 Wildcat aircraft, which the squadron retained in service until the beginning of 1943, when it transitioned to more modern Corsairs. In March 1942, the unit was moved to Tafuna Airfield (now Pago Pago International Airport) on Tutuila Island, part of the American Samoa archipelago. In July of the same year, the unit was relocated to the newly built Faleolo Airfield on Upolu Island in the same archipelago. Here, the unit spent a year as part of the defense of this territory, armed with Wildcats that had seen service with U.S. Navy squadrons operating from aircraft carriers. Wildcat with Bureau Number 3991 initially served on the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga (CV-3) and later, while part of VF-2, participated in the Battle of the Coral Sea. During its service with VMF-111, nicknamed Devil Dogs, it initially bore markings with red centers and red and white stripes on the rudder. In photographs taken during its emergency landing on the sea's surface in January 1943, the red centers on the markings are already painted over, and the rudder has been repainted with the camouflage color Blue Gray.

• Markings for F6F-5 Hellcat 1/48

  F6F-5, Lt. Fred Prinz, VBF-17, USS Hornet (CV-12), March 1945

  Before the planned landing of the American units on Okinawa (Operation Iceberg, April 1, 1945) on March 19, 1945 the USN airplanes attacked the enemy air bases located on the islands of Kyūshū, Shikoku and southern Honshū and the naval bases Kure and Kobe. The mission was to destroy the Japanese ships and aircraft and prevent them from any action against the invasion forces. One of the units that were to participate in this strike was VBF-17 based on the aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-12). In the formation of twenty Hellcats, with which VBF-17 was equipped, flew Lt. Prinz and Lt. Karr. Kōkūtai 343 equipped with N1K2-J fighters was launched against the approaching enemy. The dogfight took place over the ocean. During the surprise attack on two American pilots Lt. Karr was shot down while Lt. Prinz’s Hellcat was damaged and the unit’s commander was destroyed after the collision with one of the attackers, Kiku-ichi Ishikawa. Prinz managed to nurse the damaged aircraft back to Hornet where he landed. Hellcats participating in these missions were marked by white-painted noses for the better recognition of the friendly aircraft.

    

  F6F-5, Lt. Daniel A. Carmichael, VBF-12, USS Randolph (CV-15), April 1945

  Washington D.C. native, Daniel Archibald Carmichael finished his Bachelor’s studies in the architecture at Princeton University in 1941. He commenced his pilot’s training with the US Navy in the spring of the following year finishing it in March 1943. After completing the advanced training he was assigned to VF-2 from June 1943 to October 1944 flying from USS Enterprise (CV-6) and USS Hornet (CV-12). During his VF-2 deployment Lt. Carmichael shot down nine enemy aircraft. His next assignment was the USS Randolph (CV-15) air carrier flight deck from which he flew from January to May 1945 within the ranks of VBF-12 achieving another 4 victories over the Japanese aircraft.

  During his VBF-12 deployment Lt. Carmichael flew overal blue Hellcat nr.59 which carried the white markings of the aircraft belonging to USS Randolph, on the vertical tail surface, rudder and the ailerons, his scoreboard was marked under the windshield.

   

  F6F-5K, BuNo 80173, Detroit Air Races, 1951

  After WWII all Hellcats were replaced by the more modern type made by Grumman, F8F Bearcat fighters. Hellcats were gradually transferred to the second line units and reserve squadrons. During 1949-1957 the significant number was converted to radio-controlled drones. The flight instruments were retained for flights between the bases however the aircraft were stripped of the armaments and arrestor hooks for aircraft carrier landings. One of the Hellcats rebuilt to the drone standard was the airframe BuNo 80173 which in 1951 appeared at the Detroit Air Races. It did not participate in the racing however its unusual coloration attracted the interest of the aviation fans.

   

  F6F-5, LV Gérard de Castelbajac, Flottile 11F, Haiphong Cat Bi, Indochina, March 1954

  After WWII France attempted to reinstate its pre-war colony in South East Asia. They were opposed by the communists led by Ho Chi Minh. Vietnamese National Army together with the French Army  fought Viet Minh (Vietnamese People’s Army) until August 1954. The last big clash was the Battle of Dien Bien Phu where the French Naval Air Forces took part, as they did in the prior battles. In this case it was Flottille 3F equipped with the SB2C bombers and Flottille 11F equipped with Hellcats. Hellcats led by LV Castelbajac flew close airs support missions and were armed not only with machine guns but also with unguided missiles and bombs. On March 19, 1954 the unit commander crashed this Hellcat near Cat Bi airport (nowadays the Haiphong International Airport). The aircraft was written off but the pilot survived.

• Tail End Charlie

  What's at home counts

  
  

  It’s Sunday afternoon on the first day of October, 2023. I am aware of the fact that, aside from my other duties centred around October’s newsletter, I have to submit my promised Tail End Charlie article to go with. Yes, that’s right...this newsletter. And a viable idea just doesn’t want to show. Topics are racing through my head, dismissed one by one as they arrive. Should it be about E-day, that was just one week ago? Or maybe about club competitions that this time of year are as plentiful as apples in a basket? What about some near future plans at Eduard? In order to clear my head and allow a theme to take hold, I went back to work on a new corner of our museum, which I have decided to devote to a rather unusual theme about what connects the history of the Second World War and present day. The museum is a close collaborator of Eduard, not only through me, and so I decided to allow myself the luxury of taking advantage of the connection. Anyway, it won’t be the first time.

  
  

   At the same time, I mulled over the agreed upon rule with my colleagues from the newsletter editorial board, that the Tail End Charlie articles will be columns in which individual authors will have a relatively large amount of freedom, and the article itself should only marginally relate to the theme of the entire magazine. Of course, a certain amount of relevance to the topics is expected. And above all, the lighthearted article at the end of the newsletter should interest the typical reader with its content.

   As I collected and selected individual items for the new exhibit, it dawned on me that this is something I could actually write about. I was undertaking a task that for me held a certain fascination – putting together items with certain connections, connections that I was seeing, and determining what it was that would bring these items together in the same display case.

  
  

   As a museum curator who has spent most of his life researching the air battle that took place over his home in 1944, I understandably have a strong affinity for the artifacts that have survived from that battle and from air warfare in general. What draws me to them is that they were left by the horrors of fighting and the associated crashes and incidents, as they were touched by a fate that resolved to turn them into a part of history.

   However, I discovered in myself another, perhaps a bit twisted for a museum worker, point of view on the remains left by air combat. It fascinates me how, after the end of the war, people were able to use the objects that the war brought them, or use items that were simply left behind. I'm sure many of you will remember footage from newsreels where presses were used to make soup strainers out of an overabundance of German helmets. We don't have such a helmet in the museum, but I have something similar in mind. These objects give me the feeling of a very close connection between the half-forgotten history and the present. What keeps me in a special state of wonder is how people managed to breathe new life into these artifacts of war. We often meet museum visitors talking about the fact that they have, and regularly use, a fork with a Luftwaffe eagle, father's favorite. In many a garage in western Bohemia, you can still find a drawer with a screwdriver or a pair of pliers still in use, which originally arrived here in the spring of 1945 in some American Jeep…

  
  

   Over the years, our museum has put together a number of such exhibits. It started sometime in 1996, even before the opening of the museum, when we received a beer jug from the district archives in Aue, Germany, made from a package that had contained a German gas mask. Later, we found our way to handkerchiefs sewn by a witness who acquired a parachute of one of the pilots of JG 4, who was shot down in ‘our’ battle and it was that parachute that saved his life. Or an aluminum pot from a small foundry in Grumbach. They made pots there from the wreckage of three airplanes that had crashed in the vicinity of the village; a Bf 109G, a B-17G and a Lancaster.... We have several aircraft instruments that were used in the Czechoslovak Air Force after the war and underwent a thorough ‘de-Germanization’. For example, an ‘O2 Wächter’ oxygen flow indicator read only ‘O2’ after a little modification with some black paint. A truly patriotic way to utilize associated items with defeated Germany. It was similar with artificial horizons. A few years ago, we acquired a German altimeter with a completely replaced dial, which turned into a barometer, where the hand, instead of reporting an altitude, indicates ‘beautiful, chance of showers’.

   The crew of one of the B-17s shot down over our area managed to fly all the way to France. It landed in a field on its landing gear, leaving the battered aircraft essentially intact. We never thought we could get an artifact from it, but the French peasants are probably like ours, and they dismantled almost everything that could be used from the four-engine bomber, which remained there for quite a long time. Including one engine... we don't have that exactly, but we got a number of wonderful little things from those farmers or their children, including a cigar case made from two 50 cal cartridges, undoubtedly fired over the course of the battle over the Czech-German border. Then there is the inside of a flight jacket that two friends took off the plane and split it so that one kept the outside and the other kept the lining. To this day, there are bits of hay in the pockets, as the French farmer walked to his stables while wearing this item.

  
  

   A short distance from the church cemetery in Neudorf, Germany, where three German pilots from JG 4 are buried and, for a time, the men of two B-17G crews were as well, is a garden where for years there was a B-17 wing skin covering a pile of wood. We were able to diplomatically acquired that piece as well for the museum. And besides that, from another garden, fence posts were fashioned from the wing spar of the same B-17G... Human creativity is immeasurable. In Crottendorf, Germany, eyewitnesses described how the rubber fuel tanks scattered in the forest after a B-17G exploded in mid-air were made into rubber soles for shoes. I remembered this when I once found a part of a gas tank with a sealed cap in those woods where the rubber around it had been carefully cut with a knife. What was useful was taken home, the rest the handyman threw into the woods for me to find decades later. This piece of the tank will also be part of the new exhibition.

   A very strange – and to me, sad – group of such objects are cut propeller blades. It was a great material, especially appreciated by blacksmiths and locksmiths. After the war, quality material was in short supply in Europe, and often, a great source turned up just outside of a given village. Several such remnants of the propeller blades of crashed planes have also reached us. Of course, the wreckage of aircraft were cleared by special squads shortly after the crashes. However, not everything was always gotten to, and for the planes that crashed at the end of the war, the wreckage wasn’t cleared til after several months, or even years, especially if the plane exploded in the air and its debris was scattered over a larger area. Such was the case of a Lancaster, which was shot down during Operation Thunderclap in the spring of 1945 near Arnsfeld, taking with it the entire crew of seven. And since, in addition to our main theme of September 11th, 1944, we find ourselves dealing with this RAF operation, the entire wing tip of this Lancaster, donated a few years ago, too found its place into our exhibition. It has survived to this day only thanks to the fact that it served as a roof on a woodshed for many years.

  
  

   Part of the aforementioned small exhibition will also be a very worn leather Luftwaffe flight jacket, in which the chief of the Chomutov Aero Club flew for many years and which he recently donated to us. Then, there are the Luftwaffe fur boots who’s owner wore them in a blacksmith shop to keep his toes from freezing. Their soles are full of metal chips from the floor.

   The unique lower part of the engine cowl of a Bf 109G-10 served as a shelter for chickens, the glass nose of an He 111 from the Pilsen airport served as a small greenhouse in a garden…

   The list of things that became part of our museum's collections, and which found a new life in a later period, is far from complete. That's not even the purpose of this article. The effort was to convey the feeling that these objects evoke, and also, how human ingenuity is able to save objects that otherwise would not have survived to the present day, even when partially transformed or destroyed. In short, what is at home, is important.

  
  

  Jan Zdiarský

• Small but handy

  AVG-30 (later CVE-30) USS Charger at anchor, May 12, 1942. She is painted in Camouflage Measure 12 (Modified). Photo: NHHC

  
  

  American and British Escort Aircraft Carriers

   

  Text: Jean Lafitte

  
  

  The smallest aircraft carriers were referred to as escort carriers. They were typically converted from vessels for other purposes and primarily provided protection to numerous supply convoys. Aircraft from their decks also took off for reconnaissance flights, amphibious operations support, and operated in coordination with large aircraft carriers, especially in the Pacific. They also played a significant role in anti-submarine warfare.

   

  Due to their construction method, which usually involved conversion from existing sufficiently large ships, a large number of escort aircraft carriers could be built during World War II, and many of them continued to serve in the post-war period.

   

  British Aircraft Carriers

  The British Royal Navy experienced a shortage of aircraft carriers early in the war. At the outset, they had ships that had been converted during World War I. HMS Argus, which was built in 1914 and modified into an aircraft carrier towards the end of World War I, was reactivated from reserve, but her role was primarily for transport or escorting convoys. HMS Furious was also converted into an aircraft carrier during World War I, and in the 1920s, sister ships HMS Glorious and HMS Courageous were similarly modified. Another conversion, this time from the battleship Almirante Cochrane originally ordered by Chile, resulted in HMS Eagle. Although HMS Hermes was built from the beginning as an aircraft carrier, it was still based on the design of a light cruiser.

  The first British ship designed from the outset as an aircraft carrier was HMS Ark Royal. Six more British aircraft carriers were based on her design, with the only difference being the requirement for armor on the sides of the hull and flight and hangar decks. The armor plates for these carriers were supplied by Vítkovice Ironworks in then Czechoslovakia. This way, HMS Illustrious, Victorious, Formidable, and Indomitable were created. Two more were built during the war and entered service in 1944. The extensive use of armor became a characteristic of British ships, and their durability was especially evident during their service in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. However, given the small number of aircraft carriers in the early years of the war, the losses for the Royal Navy were significant. HMS Courageous was sunk by U-27 on September 17, 1939, while sister ship HMS Glorious was sunk by the German battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau during the Norwegian campaign on June 8, 1940. HMS Ark Royal and HMS Eagle were both sunk by German submarines. The first was lost to U-81 on November 13, 1941, and the second to U-73 on August 1, 1942. HMS Hermes was sunk on April 9, 1942, near Ceylon after being hit by dozens of Japanese dive bombers.

  Even without these losses, all British aircraft carriers would not have been able to protect convoys adequately, especially given the high risk of submarine torpedo attacks during convoy voyages. The number of convoys required a swift response. Aircraft taking off from the mainland could only provide air protection up to a certain distance from the shores of Canada and the British Isles. Coastal Command aircraft also conducted reconnaissance over a large part of the Atlantic and later in the North Sea. Convoy routes along the northern route to the Soviet Union were constantly at risk of being detected by aerial reconnaissance and targeted by German bombers or torpedo planes because the routes were limited by the ice boundary and, in the winter months, led too close to Norway's North Cape. These convoy routes were easily reachable by Luftwaffe aircraft and too far for British aircraft from the Orkney Islands. The Soviet Naval Air Forces did not have enough resources to protect convoys since they had to primarily defend Soviet ports.

  HMS Ark Royal was the first British carrier built for the purpose from the beginning. Armour steel plates were supplied by then Czechoslovak Vítkovice Steel company. Photo: NHHC

   

  CAM (Catapult Aircraft Merchant Ship)

  A quick solution was found in the form of CAM ships. Several merchant vessels were equipped with catapults that allowed aircraft to take off. However, each of these "catapults" was risky because they often led to the loss of the aircraft, as pilots usually had no choice but to land on the sea. In most cases, Hawker Hurricane aircraft borrowed from the RAF were used. Some ships could carry up to four of them. The launch was done from a metal structure on the bow, and rockets provided the energy for the catapult. These modified ships were called CAM (Catapult Aircraft Merchant Ship), and a total of eight privately-owned ships were converted, with two of them being sunk. Additionally, 27 ships of the Ministry of War Transport were converted, with ten of them being sunk. Although this solution may seem desperate at first glance, Hurricanes or “Catafighters,” as the modified Hurricanes were called for this role, achieved successes. The first success came on April 26, 1942, when a Hurricane from SS Empire Morn (convoy QP 12), piloted by F/O J. B. Kendal, chased away a Blohm & Voss BV 138 and shot down a Junkers Ju 88A-4 “4D+IT” from III./KG 30. Unfortunately, Kendal was killed during the subsequent sea landing. Another successful engagement occurred on May 26, 1942, over convoy PQ 16 when Pilot P/O Hay, launched from SS Empire Lawrence, shot down two Heinkel He 111s. However, his Hurricane was shot down by Heinkel's defensive fire. Some sources suggest that it was "friendly" fire from the American ship Carlton. Given the massive attacks by both submarines and the Luftwaffe, it's not surprising that this happened, as convoy PQ 16 was under constant threat. The pilot was injured but was rescued by the escort destroyer HMS Volunteer. Among the seven ships sunk out of a total of 36, SS Empire Lawrence was one of them. So, Hay may have been fortunate that he was rescued by HMS Volunteer, which was not among the sunken ships. The opportunity to reach a land base was utilized by F/O A. H. Burr on September 18, 1942, launched from SS Empire Morn. He first shot down two Heinkel He 111s and then headed for a Russian airfield. F/O N. Taylor shot down a Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor on November 1, 1942, after taking off from SS Empire Heath as part of convoy HG 91. The last success of Hurricane catapult fighters occurred on the same day when F/O P. J. R. Flynn shot down a Fw 200.

  Drawing prepared by the Bureau of Ships for a camouflage scheme intended for escort aircraft carriers of the Casablanca class. This plan, showing the ship’s starboard side, forward flight deck end, and stern, is dated April 13, 1944 and was approved by Captain Torvald A. Solberg. Photo: NHHC 

   

  British Escort Aircraft Carriers

  The need for a large number of carriers and the impracticality of CAM ships led to the idea of converting suitable merchant vessels into aircraft carriers. The expected lower speed of such ships was not a significant issue given their role in protecting convoys, as convoy speeds were always determined by the slowest ship. The conversion of the first escort aircraft carrier used the originally German merchant ship Hannover, which the British captured in the West Indies in March 1940. They renamed it Sindibad, then SS Empire Audacity. It was refitted and put into service as HMS Empire Audacity, with the conversion taking place in Clyde shipyards. The first landing on its deck was performed by a Grumman Martlet Mk.I from No. 802 Naval Air Squadron (FAA) on July 10, 1941. All six aircraft in its air group had to be stored on the flight deck because the expedited conversion to an escort carrier did not include a hangar deck. The Admiralty disliked its merchant name, so HMS Empire Audacity was renamed HMS Audacity on July 31, 1941.

  The short operational service demonstrated the effectiveness of this solution. During the sailing of convoy OG 74, one of the Condors was shot down by a Martlet. The most significant engagements occurred during the voyage of convoy OG 76. Four Condors were shot down during an attack by KG40, and Eric “Winkle” Brown claimed his first aerial victory. One Martlet was lost. During the voyage of the convoy HG 76, about twelve submarines attacked, and HMS Audacity had only four Martlets to fend off the aerial attacks. They managed to shoot down two Condors. During an attack on U-131 Type IXc, one Martlet was shot down, and its pilot was killed, but the submarine could not submerge after the attack and was sunk by its crew after further damage from the convoy escort's gunfire. Subsequently, 47 men from U-131 were captured.

  When HMS Audacity left the convoy on the night of December 21, 1941, a hasty signal from one merchant ship ignited a flare, revealing the silhouette to lurking submarines. Capturing an aircraft carrier was a valued prize for German submariners, and the mistake to reveal the silhouette led to reports of the sinking of an Illustrious-class carrier, which German propaganda duly exploited.

  Other British Escort Aircraft Carriers have connections with those built in the United States, so let's cross the Atlantic westbound and look at the construction of the aircraft carriers in the USA.

   

  US Navy Escort Aircraft Carriers

  The largest production of escort aircraft carriers during the war unsurprisingly took place in shipyards in the United States. They built a total of 124 ships, 38 of them were delivered to the Royal Navy.

   

  The Long Island Class

  The first class of escort aircraft carriers produced in the USA was named after the first ship in the class, the Long Island. The basis for these carriers was the hulls and engines of standardized merchant ships Type C3 designed in the 1930s. Between 1939 and 1946, a total of 162 of these ships were built. For conversion, the MS Rio de la Plata and MS Mormacmaild were used. The first completed ship supplied to the British was named HMS Archer. It was 150 meters long, and its wooden flight deck was 120 meters long. It was powered by four diesel engines driving a single propeller. The maximum speed was 16.5 knots, equivalent to 30.6 km/h. The ship was equipped with one catapult and one elevator to the hangar. Its capacity was 15 aircraft with a combination of Grumman Martlet or Hawker Sea Hurricane and anti-submarine Fairey Swordfish or Grumman Avenger. The operational use of this vessel raised concerns in the Royal Navy due to its high rate of breakdowns. Eventually, HMS Archer was taken out of service and later returned to the USA. It underwent conversion into a merchant ship and continued sailing until the 1960s when it was scrapped in 1961 after a fire.

  The second ship of this class (but the first one completed) was designated for the US Navy, named USS Long Island, and initially marked as AVG-1, then ACV-1, and finally CVE-1. Since she entered service before the outbreak of the war in the Pacific, she could be used for testing, which later helped in organizing aircraft operations on CVE-class ships. Shortly after the Japanese attack, she was transferred with reinforcements to the Pacific. When she arrived in San Francisco on June 5, she immediately joined Admiral William S. Pye’s Task Force One (TF 1), which consisted of seven battleships, providing the air cover. TF 1’s task was to protect the US West Coast and potentially reinforce Admiral Chester Nimitz's forces during the Battle of Midway. Another important mission was the transport of nineteen Wildcats and Dauntlesses to Henderson Field during the Battle of Guadalcanal. Although she received the designation of an aircraft carrier, USS Long Island served the entire war as a transport ship and was eventually converted into a passenger ship.

  Henry J. Kaiser presents President Franklin D. Roosevelt with a model of the escort carriers that he was constructing at Vancouver, Washington, on March 18, 1943. Kaiser built 50 of these Casablanca class carriers in 1943–44. Photo: NHHC

  
  

  The Avenger Class

  Following the two ships of the Long Island class, there were four similar vessels referred to as the Avenger class. All of them were again conversions from C3-type cargo ships constructed by the Dry Sun Shipbuilding Company and Ch. Pennsylvania Shipbuilding Company. The parameters of these ships were similar to the previous class. Three of them were delivered to the Royal Navy as HMS Avenger, HMS Biter, and HMS Dasher. The fourth ship remained in the service with the United States Navy as the USS Charger.

  British ships were extensively used for convoy escort duties, especially to the USSR. Their most significant action was their participation in Operation Torch, the Allied landings in North Africa. All three Avenger-class ships were part of this operation. HMS Avenger was sunk west of Gibraltar on November 15, 1942, by the German submarine U-155 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Adolf Piening. A total of 516 crew members lost their lives in the sinking.

  HMS Dasher sank due to an unexplained explosion near the Firth of Clyde base on March 27, 1943. One of the possible explanations was a mishap involving one of the aircraft on board, leading to the ignition of gasoline fumes from leaking tanks. The loss of 379 out of 528 crew members was a tragedy, despite the swift assistance from other ships. Many sailors managed to escape the ship but succumbed to hypothermia or burns suffered during the fire.

  HMS Biter was returned to the US Navy in April 1945. After undergoing repairs, it was loaned to the French Navy and renamed Dixmude (D97). From 1945 to 1949, it participated in several campaigns in French Indochina, primarily operating Douglas Dauntless aircraft as part of Flotille 3FB.

  The fourth ship of the Avenger class, USS Charger (CVE-30), served throughout the war in Chesapeake Bay as a training ship for pilots and carrier flight deck crews. After the war, it was converted into a passenger ship named Fairsea and mainly transported migrants to Australia. Notably, the Gibb family, including future Bee Gees members Barry, Maurice, and Robin, arrived in Australia on its deck, as did the parents of Kylie Minogue.

  USS Long Island under conversion at Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. Yard, April 1, 1941. She had received the name Long Island on March 31, 1941. Note flight deck under construction and temporary retention of her neutrality MKGS open. Lighter YC-301 is in left background. Photo: NHHC

  
  

  The Sangamon Class

  Previous ships were constructed based on standardized C3 merchant ships, which were characterized by a propulsion system consisting of four diesel engines driving a single shaft and one propeller. This configuration limited their performance, which was not ideal for the operation expected from aircraft carriers. Merchant ships typically sail at an economical speed, whereas military vessels often require maximum speed. This disparity led to the mentioned high failure rate. The four aircraft carriers of the Sangamon class were built based on standardized T3 tankers, derived from the Cimarron class (T3-S2-A1). They were powered by four boilers driving two steam turbines and two propellers. This design allowed these ships to achieve speeds of up to 18 knots (33 km/h). Their larger tanker hulls, with a length of 169 meters, enabled them to carry up to 32 aircraft in various combinations according to operational needs. Two flight deck elevators and one catapult facilitated flight operations.

  All four of these constructed ships served in the US Navy: CVE-26 USS Sangamon, CVE-27 USS Suwannee, CVE-28 USS Chenango, and CVE-29 USS Santee retained their names from the tankers from which they were converted. USS Sangamon initiated its service in the Atlantic during the first combat action of the USA in the west, which was securing the Allied landings in North Africa in November 1942. Later she operated mainly in the Pacific. Initially, she spent eight months in the Solomon Islands area during the Guadalcanal campaign, and in November 1943, she supported the landings on Tarawa. On January 25, 1944, during the Battle of the Marshall Islands, one of the returning aircraft crashed upon landing, causing a fire that killed seven crew members. In June 1944, USS Sangamon participated in the Battle of the Marianas. The next phase of the American offensive was the Philippines. Before landing in Leyte Gulf on October 20, her aircraft attacked Japanese airfields, supporting the American landing, before being hit by a Japanese bomb, although the damage was not significant. The ship then participated in the subsequent battles in Leyte Gulf as part of Task Unit 77.4.3, also known as Taffy 1.

  Moored at Naval Air Station, North Island, California, on June 2, 1942, shortly before she sortied with Task Force ONE under Vice Admiral William S. Pye. Photo: NHHC 

  
  

  At the end of January 1945, USS Sangamon left the shipyard where she underwent modernization, including upgrades to its aircraft handling and weaponry systems. After leaving the shipyard, she headed towards Japan and participated in the Battle of Okinawa. From March 21 onwards, she supported American amphibious operations and attacks on nearby Japanese airfields around Okinawa. During this time, the ship came under attack by kamikaze pilots. One of them managed to bypass the ship's anti-aircraft defenses and crashed into the flight deck, causing significant damage and killing at least eleven crew members. The damaged ship was subsequently withdrawn to the United States for repairs, although these repairs were not completed due to the war’s end.

  Similarly, to the others, USS Suwannee (CVE-27) began her military operations by participating in the North African landings during Operation Torch. Afterward, she moved to the Pacific. For the following seven months, she provided air escort for transport and supply ships, supporting the Marines on Guadalcanal, as well as forces occupying other islands in the Solomon Islands. She also operated as part of the air support group, with her aircraft bombing Tarawa. In 1944, she took part in actions at Roi and Namur islands in the northern part of the Kwajalein Atoll, and her planes conducted anti-submarine patrols. She was involved in campaigns at Palau islands and supported the battles at Hollandia by transporting replacement aircraft for larger carriers. It also supported the invasions of the Marianas and participated in campaigns against Saipan and Guam. During the Battle of the Philippine Sea, on June 19, 1944, one of her aircraft attacked and sank the Japanese submarine I-184.

  Flight deck of USS Suwannee (CVE-27) 90 minutes after a Japanese suicide plane’s bomb had ripped a hole in it. Hole is patched and ship is ready to land aircraft. Note that only four wires, instead of eight, are being used. All landings were made without mishap. Photo: NHHC

  
  

  In the battles of Leyte, USS Suwannee faced kamikaze attacks. Although the ship’s anti-aircraft fire hit the attacking plane, it still crashed into the flight deck at 08:04, causing a hole approximately three meters in diameter. The bomb carried by the attacking aircraft exploded between the flight and hangar decks. However, within two hours, the flight deck was temporarily repaired, allowing to resume the flight operations. The following day, the ship had to confront more Kamikaze attacks. One Zero aircraft crashed into the flight deck at 12:40, simultaneously hitting a torpedo bomber that was being prepared for takeoff. Both aircraft exploded, as did nine others in the vicinity. A fire burned for several hours before being brought under control. During these two days, USS Suwannee suffered 107 casualties and 160 wounded. At the beginning of 1945, repairs were carried out, and then she participated in operations around Okinawa.

  USS Chenango (ACV-28) managed to complete several months of service as an oil tanker before her conversion. She sailed across the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Pacific to Honolulu. AO-31 Chenango was located in the port of Aruba when a German submarine shelled one of the refineries on the island. In her role as an aircraft carrier, her first action was Operation Torch, during which she transported 77 Warhawks from the 33rd Fighter Group of the United States Army Air Forces. After repairs of the damage caused by a hurricane, the ship was sent to the Pacific. In January 1943, she provided air cover for supply convoys heading to the Solomon Islands. In July 1943, she was reclassified as CVE-28 and during the following months underwent the reconstruction. Over the next two years, she participated in many major Pacific War campaigns, including invasions of Tarawa, Roi-Namur, Kwajalein, Eniwetok, Aitape, Hollandia, Pagan, Guam, Morotai, Leyte, and Okinawa. She also provided support during the final offensive against Japan.

  First army P-40 fighter to take off from USS Chenango (CVE-28), to fly shore for combat operations in Morocco, about November 10, 1942. Note U. S. flag markings, and bridge from catapult behind the plane. Photo: NHHC

  
  

  The Bogue Class

  This “mass-production” class of escort carriers was again constructed based on C3-S-A1 and C3-S-A2 transport ships. Initially, 22 ships were ordered, half of which served in the US Navy: CVE-9 USS Bogue (ex-Steel Advocate), CVE-11 USS Card, CVE-12 USS Copahee, CVE-13 USS Core, CVE-16 USS Nassau, CVE-18 USS Altamaha, CVE-20 USS Barnes, CVE-21 USS Block Island, CVE-23 USS Breton, CVE-25 USS Croatan, and CVE-31 USS Prince William. The British Royal Navy received the other half, which they designated as the Attacker class. Here is a list of these ships, including their original names, sometimes with the names of the original transport ships:

   HMS Battler (ex CVE-6 Altamaha; ex-Mormacmail)

  HMS Attacker (ex CVE-7 Barnes; ex-Steel Artisan)

  HMS Hunter (ex CVE-8 Block Island; ex-Mormacpenn)

  HMS Chaser (CVE-10 Breton)

  HMS Fencer (ex CVE-14 Croatan)

  HMS Stalker (ex CVE-15 Hamlin)

  HMS Pursuer (ex CVE-17 St. George)

  HMS Striker (ex CVE-19 Prince William)

  HMS Searcher (ex AVG-22)

  HMS Ravager (ex AVG-24)

  HMS Tracker (ex BAVG-6).

  ACV-16 (later CVE-16) USS Nassau underway in December of 1942. This photograph has been retouched by wartime censors to hide radar and other antennas on the ship’s mast. Photo: NHHC 

  
  

  Due to the British Navy’s satisfaction with these, they ordered more vessels of the same specifications, sometimes referred to as the Ruler class:

   HMS Slinger (ex CVE-32 Chatham)

  HMS Atheling (ex CVE-33 Glacier)

  HMS Emperor (ex CVE-34 Pybus)

  HMS Ameer (ex CVE-35 Baffins)

  HMS Begum (ex CVE-36 Bolinas)

  HMS Trumpeter (CVE-37 Bastian)

  HMS Empress (ex CVE-38 Carnegie)

  HMS Khedive (ex CVE-39 Cordova)

  HMS Speaker (ex CVE-40 Delgada)

  HMS Nabob (ex CVE-41 Edisto)

  HMS Premier (ex CVE-42 Estero)

  HMS Shah (ex CVE-43 Jamaica)

  HMS Patroller (ex CVE-44 Keweenaw)

  HMS Rajah (ex CVE-45 Prince)

  HMS Ranee (ex CVE-46 Niantic)

  HMS Trouncer (ex CVE-47 Perdido)

  HMS Thane (ex CVE-48 Sunset)

  HMS Queen (ex CVE-49 St. Andrews)

  HMS Ruler (ex CVE-50 St. Joseph)

  HMS Arbiter (ex CVE-51 St. Simon)

  HMS Smiter (ex CVE-52 Vermillion)

  HMS Puncher (CVE-53 ex Willapa)

  HMS Reaper (CVE-54 Winjah).

   

  Given the large number of ships, we will focus on those with a connection to the “Wilder Cat” model kit, which was a Limited edition focused on the FM-2 Wildcat, a type typical for the use on these ships.

   

  HMS Pursuer

  The camouflage scheme “J” included in the model kit instructions represents the Wildcat Mk.VI, which took off from the HMS Pursuer’s deck in August 1944. The ship primarily served as an escort for convoys but also participated in several offensive operations. The Royal Navy had a continuous concern about the German battleship Tirpitz, hidden in Altenfjord, Norway. On April 3, 1944, during Operation Tungsten, aircraft from HMS Pursuer provided fighter support for the main airstrike. Convoys were organized not only by the Allies during World War II, but also by the German Navy, especially in the intricate coastal waters of Norway. On April 26, 1944, Wildcats from No 882 Squadron participated in a successful attack on a German convoy near Bodo in northern Norway. Bombs hit all four supply ships and one of the five escorting vessels. Three supply ships were set ablaze, and the largest ran aground. While the attack was underway, other aircraft penetrated the port of Bodo, where one supply ship was bombed and set on fire amidst other vessels. Subsequently, HMS Pursuer was damaged by a storm and had to undergo repairs which took a month.

  During the D-Day landings in Normandy, she served as anti-submarine protection, and during Operation Dragoon, her aircraft once again provided air cover. After the war, she was returned to the United States and scrapped in 1946.

  German Submarine Type IXC being attacked and sunk by USS Pope (DE-134), USS Chatelain (DE-149), USS Pillsbury (DE-133), and USS Flaherty (DE-135) assisted by aircraft of VC-58 from USS Guadalcanal (CVE-60) on April 9, 1944. Photo: NHHC

   

  The Casablanca Class

  The largest number of escort aircraft carriers built during World War II was the Casablanca class. What was specific about the construction of these ships was that, prior to the war, the average construction time for an aircraft carrier was about 38 months. However, due to the wartime effort, this time was shortened to 20 months. Then there was industrial magnate Henry J. Kaiser, who managed to reduce the construction time for cargo ships (Liberty ships) in his shipyards from over a year to less than 90 days. Kaiser pledged to build a fleet of 50 small aircraft carriers in less than two years! American naval authorities were initially skeptical and hesitant to approve the order. But the Allies desperately needed aircraft carriers to replace their initial wartime losses.

  Kaiser managed to build them as quickly as planned, and any opposition against these vessels quickly vanished because they proved their utility in defending convoys and providing air support for amphibious operations. This allowed larger aircraft carriers to focus on offensive air operations. The construction of these ships was highly efficient. Unlike the aforementioned classes, they were powered by two Skinner Unaflow steam engines supplied by steam from four Babcock & Wilcox boilers. Each ship was driven by two propellers, achieving a speed of 19 knots (35 km/h). The vessels measured 156 meters in length, with a flight deck that was 144 meters long and featured one catapult and two elevators. The air groups typically consisted of around 27 aircraft, depending on the types and units. Given that 50 ships were built, let's focus on those relevant to the Eduard FM-2 kit.

  Practice division formation and maneuver exercises in Hawaiian waters, January 13, 1944. Photographed from USS Manila Bay (CVE-61). Ships astern are: USS Coral Sea (CVE-57), USS Corregidor (CVE-58), USS Natoma Bay (CVE-62), and USS Nassau (CVE-16). These carriers all served in the Marshalls Operation a few weeks later. Photo: NHHC

  
  

  CVE-60 USS Guadalcanal

  This ship was essentially a hunter-killer, specifically designed for submarine warfare, and it spent its entire career in the Atlantic theater during World War II. German submarines, or U-boats, spent most of their time on the surface during the war because they couldn't remain submerged for more than approximately 72 hours due to the need to recharge their batteries and exchange air. In 1944, they were reluctant to surface during daylight hours for fear of being spotted by patrol planes from escort carriers. These carriers were effectively covering the entire Atlantic, making daytime attacks too risky. However, the pilots of the USS Guadalcanal devised new tactics: they launched their planes at sunset and only landed them at dawn.

  Thanks to the Ultra system, which involved deciphering German messages, the Allies had access to the positions of submarines while they were refueling on the surface. On January 16, 1944, just before sunset, eight Avengers took off and quickly located three U-boats. They swiftly attacked with depth charges and successfully destroyed U-544.

  During a second anti-submarine mission on April 8, one of the patrolling Avengers discovered U-515 recharging its batteries on the surface northwest of Madeira. The Avenger forced it to submerge by dropping depth charges. Throughout the night, four Avengers circled overhead, waiting for U-515 to surface again to recharge its batteries. It finally surfaced at 14:00, and a subsequent attack left only sixteen survivors out of a crew of sixty. Among the survivors was the commander, Werner Henke, who was captured but, sadly, was shot in June 1944 while attempting to escape from a secret interrogation center known as P.O. Box 1142 in Fort Hunt, Virginia.

  USS Tripoli (CVE-64) during a cruise in Atlantic. Collection Richard M. Newman via Lyn McClain and NHHC

  
  

  The third and perhaps most famous action involving USS Guadalcanal occurred on June 4, 1944, when a German submarine was detected off the coast of Río de Oro. One Wildcat from USS Guadalcanal joined a pair of TBM Avengers and another Wildcat that were already on patrol in the air. Through the combined efforts of aircraft and ships, the submarine was severely damaged, forcing it to surface. Both the ships and planes opened fire, and when it became clear that the submarine's crew was abandoning the damaged vessel, an eight-man team from the destroyer USS Pillsbury, led by Lieutenant Albert David, boarded U-505. They secured maps and codebooks, closed the sea strainers, deactivated demolition charges, and stopped the inflow of water, keeping the submarine afloat. Subsequently, U-505 was towed by USS Guadalcanal. Its engines were disconnected, and the propellers spun freely, powered by electric motors that provided the necessary energy to operate the pumps that kept the submarine on the surface. Despite the capture taking place near French Morocco, the decision was made to tow U-505 all the way to Bermuda, covering 1,700 nautical miles (3,150 km) due to concerns about potential German spies. The operation was kept secret until the end of the war, as it yielded valuable intelligence, and it was crucial to prevent the Germans from learning about it. Today, U-505 is part of the Museum of Science and Industry's exhibit in Chicago, Illinois. Prior to this capture, the last time the U.S. Navy had captured an enemy warship was in 1815.

  Another German submarine was found by Avengers from USS Guadalcanal at dawn on April 10. U-68 was caught recharging its batteries 300 miles south of the Azores. Three Avengers attacked with depth charges and rockets, resulting in the destruction of U-68. Only one crew member, Hans Kastrup, survived.

  USS White Plains steaming in San Diego Harbor, California, upon her return from the central Pacific on March 8, 1944. Photo: NHHC 

  
  

  CVE-61 USS Manila Bay

  The USS Manila Bay conducted all of its operations exclusively in the Pacific theater. It was deployed in the invasion of the Marshall Islands in January 1944, and in March 1944, its aircraft were sent against Kavieng and the Bismarck Archipelago. In June 1944, after repairs, it returned to combat during the Marianas campaign, and in October, it provided air support during the attack on Leyte. In December 1944, planes launched from the USS Manila Bay played a similar role in supporting invasion convoys to Mindoro. On January 5, 1945, during the invasion of Lingayen Gulf, the USS Manila Bay was hit by two kamikazes, causing extensive damage and the loss of fourteen men. After urgent repairs, the ship conducted limited operations, returning to full action in May.

   

  CVE-64 USS Tripoli

  At the beginning of its service, the USS Tripoli operated in the Atlantic Ocean, primarily engaging German submarines. It was only in January 1945, as it became clear that the war in this theater was coming to an end, that it was transferred to the Pacific, where it remained until the war's conclusion. Nevertheless, its aircraft managed to claim the sinking of the U-513, as described in the instructions for the respective camouflage of this model kit.

  USS Gambier Bay (CVE-73) straddled by Japanese shells and falling behind the rest of her task group during the battle off Samar, October 25, 1944. A Japanese cruiser is barely visible on the horizon at the right.

   

  CVE-66 USS White Plains

  This ship saw its first action in late May 1944 during the Marianas campaign. It conducted aerial and anti-submarine patrols, and in August 1944, it joined the naval forces preparing for the invasion of Palau, which began on September 15. In October, it participated in supporting the invasion of the Philippines, with its aircraft providing air support for ground troops while engaging in anti-submarine warfare. The USS White Plains also took part in the battles of Leyte and Samar. After repairs, it carried out transport duties between Kwajalein, Hollandia, Ulithi, Saipan, Guam, Leyte, and Pearl Harbor from January 1945 onward. It only returned to combat operations in April 1945 during the amphibious operation on Okinawa, where it dispatched two squadrons of Corsairs from a distance of 100 miles to establish an advanced airbase on the island.

   

  CVE-73 USS Gambier Bay

  The USS Gambier Bay, an escort carrier, was sunk during the Battle off Samar in the Leyte Gulf campaign. It played a crucial role in helping repel a much larger attacking Japanese fleet. This event made the USS Gambier Bay the only American aircraft carrier to be sunk by surface gunfire during World War II. It was named after Gambier Bay in the Admiralty Islands near Alaska, and its construction began at the Kaiser Shipbuilding Company in Vancouver, Washington, on November 22, 1943. Captain Hugh H. Goodwin was appointed as its first commanding officer on December 28 of the same year. The ship was referred to as a "bonus ship" because it was the 19th vessel delivered in 1943, even though the shipyard had initially planned to deliver only 16 ships by the end of that year. However, in September, the US Navy requested the shipyard to deliver at least two additional escort carriers. Kaiser initiated a campaign called "18 or more by '44," and ultimately, they delivered not 18 but 19 ships.

  USS Nehenta Bay on a cruise during 1944

  
  

  CVE-74 USS Nehenta Bay

  The USS Nehenta Bay’s encounter with Typhoon Cobra illustrates that ships can face severe weather as a significant adversary. An operation planned near Luzon on December 17, 1944, was greatly influenced by the weather. The barometer was falling, and Admiral William Halsey Jr. ordered a series of maneuvers, which eventually led his fleet into the heart of Typhoon Cobra. Wave heights were estimated to reach 18 meters, and after some time, it became clear to the USS Nehenta Bay's commander that maintaining the designated course was impossible, and an alternative course was chosen to protect the ship. The ship was tossed with rolls of up to 37°, a very dangerous situation for a carrier of its class. After changing course, the ship managed to reduce the rolls, but the crew still had to contend with wind speeds of up to 110 knots (176 km/h). When it was all over, the crew could begin assessing the damage. The ship itself emerged with only minor damage, losing three aircraft and one 20mm gun. Later, in early 1945, the ship encountered adverse weather while operating in the South China Sea. Waves as high as 9 meters damaged the structure on the bow, leading to the removal of the catapult. The ship then sailed to San Diego for major repairs. In May, with VC-8 aircraft on board, it joined Task Force 52.1 under Rear Admiral Calvin T. Durgin and supported American forces advancing on Okinawa.

   

  CVE-75 USS Hoggatt Bay

  The USS Hoggatt Bay achieved its first success on June 10, 1944. A Wildcat from USS Hoggatt Bay’s patrol spotted an oil slick approximately eight miles (13 km) west of the escort carrier. The destroyer USS Taylor of the Fletcher class was dispatched to investigate and soon detected strong sonar contact. It turned out to be the Japanese submarine Ro-111. USS Taylor dropped two depth charges, and at 15:41, the submarine surfaced 2,500 yards (2,300 m) ahead of the destroyer. It was quickly hit by the destroyer's guns and suffered heavy damage before diving again. After another series of depth charge attacks, two large underwater explosions were heard at 15:58, followed by a large air bubble rising to the surface, confirming the submarine's destruction. During another anti-submarine patrol on July 19, 1944, an aircraft from VC-14 spotted the Japanese submarine I-5. The escort destroyers USS Wyman and USS Reynolds dropped depth charges, which struck I-5, causing it to explode. During the third anti-submarine patrol on July 28, 1944, aircraft crews spotted a surfacing submarine. It was likely the Japanese I-55, located approximately 13 km to the right of USS Hoggatt Bay. USS Wyman and USS Reynolds hit the submarine, and a series of explosions were heard, creating an oil slick on the surface. USS Hoggatt Bay continued to participate in operations around the Philippines and Okinawa after the sinking of I-177 on the night of October 3, 1944.

  Starboard bow aerial view of Casablanca-class escort carrier USS Savo Island (CVE-78) underway. Note disassembled aircraft on the flight deck, and camouflage paint scheme.

  
  

  CVE-78 USS Savo Island

  In 1944, the USS Savo Island took part in battles at Leyte and later amphibious operations on Mindanao. In 1945, it performed similar tasks during operations in Lingayen Gulf but did not participate in any major operations thereafter.

   

  CVE-80 USS Petroff Bay

  Like the aforementioned ships, the USS Petroff Bay participated in the closing battles in the Pacific. Its most dramatic moments came during the Battle of Leyte, and it played a significant role in the Battle of Iwo Jima. On February 18, military transport ships carrying Marines arrived off the coast, and the next day, they landed on Iwo Jima. During the battle, aircraft from USS Petroff Bay conducted 786 operational flights in support of ground forces. On March 8, 1945, USS Petroff Bay sailed to Ulithi, making a stop in Guam in the Marianas Islands along the way. VC-76 was deployed in Guam, replacing VC-93. Further details are provided in the aircraft assembly instructions.

   

  The Commencement Bay class

  Construction of these ships began on May 9, 1944, and although it progressed quickly, several months of testing were required before they were put into service. For this reason, most of the 19 ships ordered (out of a planned 35) had little to no operational service. Many were even canceled before completion.

  Typical operation aboard an escort carrier, in this case the US Anzio on May 20, 1945.

  
  

  Sunk Escort Carriers

  CVE-56 USS Liscome Bay – sunk by a torpedo from the Japanese submarine I-175 on November 24, 1943, near Butaritari (Makin).

  CVE-73 USS Gambier Bay – as mentioned earlier, sunk on October 25, 1944, during the Battle off Samar.

  CVE-63 USS St. Lo - sunk after a kamikaze attack on October 25, 1944, during the Battle of Leyte.

  CVE-79 USS Ommaney Bay – sunk on January 4, 1945, after a kamikaze attack.

  CVE-95 USS Bismarck Sea - sunk on February 21, 1945, after a kamikaze attack near Iwo Jima.

  Explosion on USS ST. Lo (CVE-63) after she was hit be a Kamikaze of Samar on October 25, 1944.

• Air war in Ukraine

  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in the cockpit of an F-16 as they announce the delivery of these fighters to Ukraine.

  
  

  The promise of F-16s and Prigozhin’s downfall

  
  

  Text: Miro Barič

  Photos:  Ukrainian armed forces, social media and other public sources

  
  

  In this part of the series, we follow the period from August 1 to August 31, which was really eventfull. Among the most notable happenings is the promise of F-16 fighter deliveries, although things won’t be so hot with them in the short term. The earliest Ukraine will get them is next year, when the first pilots will be trained under accelerated training programme. The second significant event was the death of the owner of the Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, exactly two months after his attempted coup.

   

  After several months of speculation, delays and conflicting information about who and when would start training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16, the first news about the provision of these aircraft to Ukraine has arrived. On Sunday, August 20, it was announced that the Netherlands would donate 42 of these aircraft and Denmark would add another 19. On Thursday, August 24, on Ukraine’s Independence Day, Norway also joined in. It had already scrapped its F-16s in early 2022 and sold some of them to Romania, while the rest was stored. Now Norway has announced that it will also provide the aircraft that it manages to return to operational status to Ukraine. It is believed that there will be a maximum of 10 aircraft from Norway.

  In total, Ukraine may receive around 70 fighters from these three countries. In all cases, these will be F-16AM Block 20 MLUs. They were produced in the 1980s and the abbreviation MLU means that they have received the so-called Mid Life Upgrade. The cockpit and avionics of these fighters have been upgraded to the standard of the Block 50 version. Pilots were given helmet sights that they can use in close combat maneuvering. However, these do not occur in Ukraine and it probably will not change with the arrival of the F-16s.

  Zelensky decorating members of the air force on August 6. A whole series of interesting shots were taken on that occasion. This one shows a Su-27 “White 52” with the numbers retouched out. The MiG-29 “white 22” on the left in the background does not have the number retouched.

  Here you can see the Su-27 “white 52” and the MiG-29 “white 22” also with numbers. The Su-27 has a HARM missile under the wing.

  
  

  The F-16AM Block 20 MLU carries the older AN/APG-66(V2) radar. However, the radar’s computer processor has been significantly upgraded to process data faster and acquire multiple targets at once. The range of this radar is claimed to be 150 km, a value theoretically achieved by the manufacturer under ideal conditions. The actual range of the radar depends on a number of conditions, such as flight altitude or electronic interference from an adversary. Thus, in a real situation, the range of the AN/APG-66(V2) is around 80 km. Ukraine will also not get the latest versions of the AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles with its F-16s, but older ones with a range of around 50–60 km. Even so, this will be an improvement on the current situation. The Ukrainian fighters are armed with R-27 missiles with semi-active radar guidance, which means that the target must be locked during the time the missile is intercepting its target. And this is virtually impossible in a situation where Ukrainian fighters face numerical superiority. The active radar guidance of the AIM-120 missiles is thus a major advance.

  Thanks to the F-16s and the AIM-120 missiles, the Ukrainian Air Force will equal the Russian forces. In fact, the radars of Russian fighters and their R-77 missiles have similar parameters – despite the fact that Russian aircraft manufacturers advertise completely different numbers. For example, for the radars of Su-30 fighters, they give a range of 200 to 300 km. However, there is a big difference in the distance at which the radar picks up “something”, at what distance it recognizes what it is, and at what distance the fighter is able to conduct effective combat. That last number is at a similar level to that of the older AIM-120 missiles that Ukraine will receive – around 50 km.

  But factor in the strong air defenses operating on both sides and it is clear that the status quo will not change even with the arrival of the F-16s. And that is that neither side’s aircraft are crossing the front line – even getting too close is very dangerous. The F-16 will probably have the advantage over the existing Ukrainian aircraft of better warning sensors and can carry various containers for radio-electronic warfare, but it cannot stand up to strong air defense either.

  Zelensky climbed into the cockpit and tried out the pilot simulator. 

  At the event on August 6 was a Su-24 with the number “white 09” with a thin yellow border. Interestingly it had a SCALP-EG missile with French symbols under the right wing and a Storm Shadow with British symbols under the left wing.

   

  Air combat

  The Ukrainians will probably use the F-16s for the same things they now use the Su-27 and MiG-29s for, i.e., to protect airspace in case of penetration by Russian aircraft, to escort other aircraft on attack missions, and to counter suicide drones and cruise missiles. While for the Su-27 and MiG-29 there is limited quantity of spare parts available in the world, the situation is different for the F-16 and it is significantly easier to maintain them in a long-term airworthy condition.

  Such use of the aircraft is also indicated by the training of Ukrainian pilots. When the program was being developed, two pilots underwent two weeks of testing in the USA at the end of February and the beginning of March. These were active Ukrainian pilots, one flying MiG-29s and the other Su-27s, to assess the possibility of retraining them. The testing was conducted exclusively on a simulator, where they tried out only one type of mission. It was an aerial combat against one target, or maximum two targets, using two types of weapons – one radar-guided missile (AIM-120 AMRAAM) and one infrared-guided missile (AIM-9 Sidewinder).

  It is not possible to learn anything else during the accelerated training that the Ukrainians undergo. The first group could complete the conversion as early as the turn of this year and next year. These are the ten pilots with the best English. It is language proficiency that is the most limiting factor, not only for pilots, but especially for ground staff. It also follows that Ukraine will not receive the aforementioned 70 F-16s all at once, but gradually, as groups of pilots complete their training.

  A PPDS drone from the Australian company Sypaq Corvo is made of cardboard. It can carry 5 kg of explosives.

   

  Ground attacks as a matter of time

  In addition to the experienced pilots, who are to be trained as early as possible, there is also going to be a group of complete novices who will receive comprehensive pilot training lasting two years. These will apparently also receive training for specialized missions with guided air-to-ground weapons. The Ukrainians are already launching both AGM-88 HARM anti-radar missiles and JDAM-ER guided bombs from their old Soviet aircraft. However, they can only use them in a limited mode. They can only program them on the ground before takeoff, so the pilot cannot change the target coordinates during flight. When used this way, the HARM missile, for example, will guide itself to the first radar it detects. If the Ukrainians get the AN/ASQ-213 HTS (HARM Targeting System) guidance container on their F-16s, the pilot could choose the most important radar to hit from a number of enemy radars detected.

  The F-16 cannot carry the Franco-British Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG cruise missiles, which the Ukrainians are using effectively, and there is no talk yet of possible US deliveries. What it can carry, however, are Harpoon anti-ship missiles, which Ukraine also already has. And that’s not good news for Russia’s badly beleaguered Black Sea Fleet.

   

  Crimea “locked”

  Speaking of the Black Sea and Storm Shadow missiles, these are among weapons that allow Ukraine to gradually gain superiority over the western part of the sea and attack Crimea even without a strong navy. Already on Sunday, August 6, two bridges connecting Crimea to the Kherson region were hit and seriously damaged by Storm Shadow missiles. These were the important Chonkhar Bridge in the north-west of Crimea and the smaller Henichesk Bridge, which leads to the Arabat Spit in the north-east of the peninsula. The destruction of these bridges would sever Crimea’s links with the frontline areas in southern Ukraine.

  Burning Il-76 at Pskov airport after the night attack on August 29.

  
  

  The destruction of the Kerch Bridge would then cut off the whole of Crimea for good, which could then only be supplied by ships. The Ukrainians regularly try to do this as well. During the reporting period, they attacked this bridge on Saturday, August 12, with S-200 missiles. These are old anti-aircraft missiles from the 1960s, which Ukraine decommissioned in 2013, but kept in storage and now uses as ballistic missiles after modification (presumably they have new GPS guidance fitted). In this role, they have a range of up to 400 km. The missiles are 11 m long and weigh almost 8 tones. At Mach 4, they thus have tremendous kinetic energy on impact. They also carry a warhead with 217 kg of explosive. Ukraine has already used them in July in attacks on an industrial facility in the Briansk region and on the Morozovsk airport in the Rostov region. In the August attack, three S-200 missiles were aimed at the Kerch Bridge. According to the Russian side, they were all destroyed in time by air defenses. The smoke that appeared on the bridge was only a precautionary protective measure. Interestingly, however, two streaks of black smoke were also visible in the white smoke screen.

  On Wednesday, August 23, Ukrainian missiles hit and partially destroyed a battery of S-400 anti-aircraft system in Olenivka on the Crimean coast (about 120 km north of Sevastopol and 140 km south of Kherson. In doing so, they probably used Neptune missiles developed for anti-ship warfare but also capable of hitting targets on the coast. But that was not all – the next day (or night) Ukrainian special forces landed on the coast between Olenivka and Mayak. They completed the work of destruction and raised the Ukrainian flag in Crimea (August 24 was a Ukrainian national holiday). The Russians claim to have killed all the Ukrainian soldiers in this action; the Ukrainians claim to have pulled back without casualties. All that is certain is that the S-400 battery was destroyed. Ukrainian troops from boats also seized four oil platforms, on which the Russian had radars mounted, in the Black Sea during August. All of this is leading to the blinding of Russian defenses and a greater intensity of Ukrainian attacks on Crimea, which we will address in a follow-up.

  A burning Russian Tu-22M3 bomber at Solcy-2 airfield. The Russian side initially claimed that it was only slightly damaged in the attack on August 19.

  
  

  Attacks on airports

  Ukraine has not only attacked Crimea, but also Russian territory on the opposite side. In addition to the ongoing drone campaign against Moscow, the attacks on Russian airports are of particular interest for the topic of this series. On Saturday, August 19, the Solcy-2 base in Novgorod region, 620 km from Ukraine, was attacked in broad daylight. At first Russia admitted to the damaging of one bomber, but then photographs emerged showing that one Tu-22M3 bomber was burned to the ground in this attack. Satellite images later confirmed that the base had been evacuated and the remaining bombers had flown further north.

  Two days later, on Monday, August 21, the Shaykovka base in the Kaluga region, from which Tu-22M3s also operate, was also attacked. Ukrainian intelligence claimed that in both of these attacks two bombers were destroyed and two damaged. The Russian side confirmed the attack on the Shaykovka airfield, adding that all Ukrainian drones were destroyed. We will probably not know how it really happened until a long time from now, as was the case with the attack on the Diaghilevo airfield near Ryazan. This was attacked by Ukrainian Tu-141 Strizh drones in December 2022. Shortly after the attack, the destruction of one vehicle and damage to a Tu-22M3 bomber was photographically confirmed. The Russian side also confirmed at the time that three Russian soldiers had lost their lives. Now, however, Russia has issued an international arrest warrant for Ukrainian Colonel Serhiy Burdenyuk, who commands the 383rd unmanned aerial vehicle regiment. These Russian documents include a detailed description of the December 5, 2022, action, according to which the Ukrainian attack at the Diaghilevo base damaged not one, but three Tu-22M3 bombers. Two buildings and two vehicles were also hit, and in addition to the three dead soldiers, seven others were wounded. By the way, Russia is looking for Burdenyuk on suspicion of “organizing illegal Ukrainian drone incursions into Russian airspace.” So, what is Russia doing in Ukraine as of February 24, 2022, then?

  The Ukrainians pulled off a stunt on Tuesday, August 29, when they hit the airport in the city of Pskov. This is located 700 km from Ukraine, near the Estonian border. The result of this action is also presented differently by the two sides. Russia has admitted that four Il-76 transport aircraft were damaged, Ukraine claims that four aircraft were completely destroyed and two damaged. In all likelihood, two of the Il-76s were completely burnt out, as confirmed by the videos, and the other two were damaged. These were hit at the point where the fuselage joins the centerplane but did not catch fire. Satellite images show large holes in the upper part of their fuselages.

  According to unconfirmed information, up to 20 drones attacked Pskov. They were supposed to be PPDS drones manufactured by the Australian company Sypaq Corvo. These drones are made of paper and are supplied as a jigsaw puzzle. They are powered by an electric motor, with which they have a range of 120 km and can carry 5 kg of explosives. This means that someone must have launched these drones from Russian territory during the attack on Pskov ...

  The Australian government has been providing PPDS drones to Ukraine since the spring of this year. The advantage is the low cost due to the material being waxed cardboard. It also makes the drone virtually undetectable by radar. The Ukrainians also used them in an attack against the Khalino airfield in the Kursk region on the night of 26–27 August, where, according to Ukrainian counterintelligence, five fighter jets were hit, as well as two radars and two air defense systems. However, this information remains unconfirmed.

   

  Tire protection

  All these successful attacks on airports have led to a bizarre countermeasure on the Russian side. Satellite images of tire-covered aircraft have emerged from several bases. These were mainly Tu-95 and Tu-160 bombers, but also Su-34s. It is not clear what the Russians intend by this – whether it is to protect against explosives or whether the tires distort the radar or infrared image of the aircraft in the drones’ sensors. It is also possible that they are testing something else entirely. Either way, the tires seem to have only appeared on aircraft that are not airworthy and serve as a source of spare parts. Several Tu-95s, for example, are missing propellers or entire engines, and even the tire-covered Su-34 has its engines removed. Perhaps the Russians want to protect aircraft that do not change position and are therefore easily detected by reconnaissance.

  After the Ukrainian drone attacks, some Russian aircraft were given protection from old tires. Maxar’s satellite image shows a Tu-95 with its propellers dismantled.

  Rubber protection was also given to this Su-34 with its engines dismantled.

  
  

  Ukrainian losses

  Ukraine did not only achieve success in attacks on Russian airfields during the reporting period. While the previous month of July was completely free of losses in the air, August was particularly bad for the Ukrainian air force. It started as early as August 1, when a Mi-8 was shot down near Mykhailivka in Kherson Oblast. The video shows that the low-flying helicopter caught fire after being hit and made an emergency landing. On the ground it then burned completely. The fate of the crew is unknown.

  On Friday, August 25, two Aero L-39 Albatros aircraft from the 40th Tactical Air Force Brigade collided. The wreckage of the aircraft crashed near the village of Sinhury in the Zhytomyr region. All three pilots – Major Vyacheslav Minka, Major Serhiy Prokazin and Captain Andriy Pilshchikov – were killed. The latter had the call sign “Juice” and was the face of a campaign demanding the delivery of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. He was killed just as this Ukrainian pilots’ dream was beginning to become a reality.

  Ukrainian Mi-8 in action.

  Originally a Slovak Mi-17 helicopter (ex 0844).

  
  

  All three named were MiG-29 fighter pilots, and at the time of their deaths, Ukrainian media reported that they had died in combat flight, which would suggest action against the Shahed-136 kamikaze drone. However, they later reported that the aircraft collided in a violent maneuver while practicing aerial combat.

  Another crash came on Tuesday, August 29, near Kramatorsk in the Donetsk region. Two Mi-8 helicopters from the 18th separate brigade of the army air force crashed there during a combat mission, killing all six airmen on board – Colonel Viktor Opanasiuk, Captain Yuri Anisimov, Captain Yevgeny Kysil, Captain Vladyslav Rymar, Lieutenant Commander Ivan Yarovoy and Lieutenant Commander Valentyn Vorobets.

  Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter jets. Their pilots will eventually see them replaced by F-16s.

  
  

  Austrian military expert Tom Cooper said in this context that this was an unintended side-effect of the successful Ukrainian artillery campaign. The latter has managed to successfully suppress the Russian artillery, which is losing 20–30 barrels a day. Every time the Russian artillery makes a sound, it faces Ukrainian anti-artillery fire. Therefore, the Russians have to replace artillery with drone attacks and air force attacks that uses glide-guided bombs. The attack aircraft are accompanied by fighter jets, and it was on one such flight that a Russian Su-35 intercepted a pair of Ukrainian helicopters. Their pilots were informed of the presence of the Russian fighter and attempted to land and thus avoid it but collided. The Russian side claims that the Mi-8s were shot down. Their wreckage in the footage is close together, so the more likely version is that they collided while attempting an emergency landing.

  Two Ukrainian Albatroses with the numbers “blue 102” and “blue 107” collided near the village of Sinhury on August 25.

  Three pilots, including Captain Andriy Pilshchykov, were killed in the Albatroses collision.

  
  

  Russian losses

  The Russian side also suffered heavy losses in August. The list of destroyed Ka-52 helicopters was extended again. One was shot down on Monday, August 7, in the Robotyne area and both crew members were killed. Another one was destroyed on Thursday, August 17, near Novoprokopivka. This time the pilot managed to use the ejection seat and was rescued by an accompanying Mi-8 helicopter. Both Ka-52s were shot down by members of the Ukrainian 47th Mechanized Brigade.

  Non-combat flight losses are also on the rise, which may be contributed to by poor maintenance during the war as well as mistakes by overworked pilots. On Sunday, August 12, a crew of Su-30SMs from the 4th Independent Regiment of Naval Assault Aviation performed a low overflight near the village of Urgyumovo in the Kaliningrad Region. It crashed into the ground and both pilots were killed. On Monday, August 14, an L-39 Albatros trainer crashed at the Khanskaya base in the Adygeya Republic in the Caucasus. Colonel Vadim Gurov was killed, and the other crew member was injured. And on Tuesday, August 29, a Mi-8 helicopter of the FSB border guard crashed in the Chelyabinsk region. The three-member crew did not survive the crash.

  Wreckage of a Russian Ka-52 helicopter shot down by the Ukrainian 47th Mechanized Brigade near Novoprokopivka on August 17.

  
  

  Defection with a helicopter

  In addition to these losses and the aforementioned aircraft destroyed at airfields, the Russian armed forces also lost one aircraft in a defection for the first time in this war. Ukraine has been trying to motivate Russian pilots with the promise of money and safety for their whole family since the beginning of the conflict. In August, the pilot of a Mi-8AMTS helicopter with the fuselage number “Red 62” and the code designation RF-04438 responded. Maxim Kuzminov of the 319th Independent Helicopter Regiment was in contact with the Ukrainian intelligence that got his family abroad. He then flew the helicopter himself to the Kharkiv region of Ukraine. The other two crew members were unaware of his plan to defect and were killed by Ukrainian soldiers after landing. According to some reports, they tried to flee; according to others, they made a last-minute effort to prevent Kuzmin from deserting.

  The Russian pilot received a reward of half a million US dollars, a new identity and a job. The new Mi-8AMTS has been incorporated into Ukraine’s forces. After landing, Kuzminov talked about the absurd conditions in the Russian armed forces. For example, the commander of his unit had his cat flown in by a Mi-8 helicopter, which was additionally accompanied by Mi-24 as an armed escort during this “mission”.

  Russian Mi-8AMTS with fuselage number “Red 62” and code designation RF-04438 shortly after landing on Ukrainian territory.

  Pilot Maxim Kuzminov of the Russian 319th Independent Helicopter Regiment defected to the Ukrainian side.

  Mi-8AMTS “Red 62” in Ukrainian service with Russian markings obliterated.

  
  

  Revenge after two months

  The death of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner mercenary group, can also be counted among the losses related to the war in Ukraine. He was killed in a plane crash along with other members of his mercenary leadership exactly two months after the failed coup attempt. The private Embraer EMB-135BJ Legacy 600, registration RA-02795, was flying from Moscow to St Petersburg on Wednesday, August 23, when it broke into three parts after an explosion and crashed near the village of Kuzhenkino in the Tver region, some 100 km north of the Russian capital.

  The plane’s crash was caught on video. Two condensation trails and a puff of white smoke were visible in the sky, followed by two explosions, according to witnesses. Then the fuselage of the plane was seen falling to the ground without one half of the wing and without tail. During the crash, it twisted wildly in the air – just like the Il-22M shot down by the Wagners on June 24 during the march on Moscow. The fuselage, wing and tail fell on different places within a radius of three kilometers. The fuselage burned up after impact, killing all ten people on board. In addition to Prigozhin, these included his deputy and well-known neo-Nazi Dmitry Utkin and Wagner’s logistics chief Valery Chekalov. The two pilots and a stewardess also perished. If this was a political assassination, there was state terrorism in Russia regardless of these innocent victims.

  Wagner channels reported that the plane was shot down by anti-aircraft missiles. Some Western sources are leaning towards a bomb explosion on board. Traces resembling shrapnel holes could be seen on the wreckage. The Russian authorities are not making much effort to investigate. A request for access by Brazil manufacturer Embraer has been rejected. And a video taken shortly after the crash showed the severed wing being dragged along the ground by a tractor from the impact site. Behind it, two men were walking and picking up pieces of the wing that had broken off in that dragging. So much for some pretence of trying to investigate the disaster.

  Burning wreckage of the Embraer EMB-135BJ Legacy 600 with registration RA-02795 in which Prigozhin and other members of the Wagner leadership died.