12/2022

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  INFO Eduard

  # 154

  e-magazine FREE Vol 21 December 2022

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  INFO Eduard

  # 154

  © Eduard - Model Accessories, 2022

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  e-magazine FREE Vol 21 December 2022

• Page 3

  eduardeduard

  DECEMBER 2022

  CONTENTS

  EDITORIAL

  KITS

  CHEMISTRY

  BRASSIN

  PHOTO

  -

  ETCHED SETS

  BIG ED

  BUILT

  ON APROACH

  –

  January 2023

  TAIL END CHARLIE

  HISTORY

  BOXART STORY

  Bf 109E-3 ProfiPACK 1/72

  SAMURAI Limited 1/48

  P-51D-10 Weekend edition 1/48

  Spitfire Mk.IXc Weekend edition 1/72

  Fw 190D-9 ProfiPACK 1/48

  Bf 109G-10 Mtt. Regensburg ProfiPACK 1/48

  Adhesives

  A6M3 Zero Type 32 1/48

  Z-226MS Trenér 1/48

  Reichsverteidigung 1/48

  P-38J nose gun bay PRINT 1/48

  P-38J cockpit PRINT 1/48

  Fw 190A8/R2 SPACE 1/48

  USS Lexington II

  Pappy of the Strafers III

  Air war over Ukraine - The hot autumn

  Against the West Riding Spitfires

  Strange targets

  Landings protection

  By order of the Reichsbahn

  Squares against stripes

  4

  6

  26

  34

  31

  58

  74

  80

  86

  96

  114

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

  Mírová 170, Obrnice 435 21

  support@eduard.com www.eduard.com

• Page 4

  Good day, ladies and Gentlemen

  Welcome to the final newsletter of this year. As

  matter of course, this will apparently also be

  the next to last newsletter released under our

  current publishing system. As you know from

  before, we are about to embark on a change

  to the Triobo digital publishing platform. This

  should happen in January, when we will pub-

  lish the newsletter in its classic form, but we

  will simultaneously put one up on a trial basis

  using Triobo. Then, both yourselves and us will

  be able to test out the new system’s functiona-

  lity, and if it works well, February’s newsletter

  will come out only through Triobo. I can deflect

  any skepticism regarding the release of new

  items by assuring one and all that Triobo will

  not be generating any reader discomfort. On

  the contrary, it’s a logical step consistent with

  our progress as a whole over the last seve-

  ral years. From our initially humble marketing

  capabilities, we have turned what is basically

  a flyer into a company e-magazine that as-

  sures something for pretty much everyone in

  a good read before bedtime or at the breakfast

  table. Given the current range of our published

  newsletter, which includes at least three de-

  tailed historical and technical articles and four

  boxart story editions added this year to each

  issue, we are at the point where an innovation

  raising reader comfort is at hand. Our evoluti-

  on will not end with the implementation of this

  new system, either. The near future will also

  see further changes that will improve gra-

  phics. It’s also no secret that we are kicking in

  some changes to distribution, a part of which

  will affect our long awaited printed version.

  That idea still presents itself as a little beyond

  our capabilities, but we believe that through

  the course of the year coming, we’ll get the-

  re. It will likely take the form of a quarterly

  collection of historical articles. And if you’re

  worried about the printing option of our mon-

  thly newsletter, don’t be…

  Brassins and 3D Production Prints

  We are at the end of the year, and as you can

  see, right from the get go I’m diving headlong

  into the favorite part of this time of year, an

  assessment of our successes achieved and

  a look at future plans. Its ‘favorite’ status also

  makes it a bit of a dangerous endeavor, be-

  cause the interpretation of the successes is

  often off by those who make them, and virtu-

  ally everyone misses future plans to at least

  some degree. I am no exception, and as an

  example, I can cite the fact that my plans for

  the release schedule of kits typically come out

  at around fifty-fifty, despite them coming out of

  detailed planning involving my colleagues six

  months prior to the end of the year. But then

  it just pleases me that much more that the

  planning for the evolution of the Brassin line

  came out pretty much spot on. This concerns

  the switch over to 3D printing where previous-

  ly, everything was cast. This is a good exam-

  ple of a switch whose dynamic can be almost

  hellish. From last fall, when we integrated 3D

  printers into our production system, to the mi-

  dpoint of this one, we switched the majority of

  our production to straight 3D prints. The rema-

  inders of the products that are still cast resin

  are wheels and the landing gears that are in

  bronze. This month, another two 3D printers

  should arrive, giving us a total of six and I ex-

  pect our printing capacity to rise through the

  year. The reason why we are investing and fo-

  cusing so much on these innovations is simple.

  3D printing offers a completely different level

  of quality. It represents the biggest break-

  through in the industry since the introduction

  of cast resin sets by Francois Verlinden some

  thirty-five years ago. Compared to casts, 3D

  prints are more precise, geometrically stable

  with time, don’t require removal from casting

  blocks that sometimes can affect fit and can

  be quite labor intensive, and they don’t require

  the same level of cleanup and don’t present the

  same fit issues. 3D prints are used in much

  the same way that the plastic parts of a kit are

  used, and the only real complication that re-

  mains is the need to use CA glue for installa-

  tion. And that’s not typically a big issue and is

  something most modellers have mastered.

  A significant issue that is resolved by the use

  of 3D printing concerns health. A segment of

  the population is allergic to cast resin mate-

  rials, but no such problem is known with 3D

  prints, at least with the use of our 3D printing

  materials, which were developed to be bio

  compatible. Another advantage of 3D prints is

  that they are simpler because the number of

  small parts in a given assembly can be prin-

  ted together as one, where the same assembly

  could not be cast, to say nothing of injection

  molding. A good example are the pushrods on

  a radial engine, various cabling offset a distan-

  ce from the main block of a given item, and va-

  rious structural elements of aircraft, such as

  landing flaps. The height of this idea is repre-

  sented specifically by the speedbrakes on the

  F-16 in 1:48th. These will be released in Febru-

  ary, and when you see them, take a good, close

  look at them. It’s worth it. Landing flaps are an

  example of this type of product that is gaining

  in popularity very quickly. But in order to not

  get too long winded on the subject, and to keep

  from repeating things that have already been

  discussed at great lengths, I will just menti-

  on that this is a great example of a successful

  innovation and something which we will inten-

  sively continue to develop. It is interesting to

  note that the Brassin department was formed

  twelve years ago as a result of some of our

  people being displaced by another innovation,

  our switch from electroplated molds to direct

  CNC milling of Certal plates. We didn’t want

  to just let these people go, and the fact that

  they had experience with making molds and

  casting polyurethanes, epoxies and synthetic

  rubbers played only a small role in that. Back

  then, we recognized that we were undertaking

  a large innovative step and it required from

  us a lot of work before it would bear any fru-

  it. But exactly what that fruit would look like,

  and what kinds of doors it would open up with

  kit production for us was vague. Although 3D

  printing was already around at the birth of the

  Brassin department, used for the manufacture

  of masters, no one could have anticipated the

  level of modernization it was to bring in terms

  of manufacturing accessory sets!

  The New Warehouse

  and Associated Move

  With the coming of new 3D printers would

  come the potential of a major lack of space.

  This was coming either way, and our main fa-

  cility in Obrnice has no more room to expand

  into. We have been looking for a solution to

  the problem ever since we had that blaze two

  years ago. Immediately after the fire, we began

  preparing for the construction of a new ware-

  house, into which we would have moved our

  EDITORIAL

  INFO Eduard4

  December 2022

• Page 5

  retail department, packaging of kits and ma-

  chining and molding, which would entail com-

  plete kit manufacture. Unfortunately, we en-

  countered escalating problems with the build

  proper, leading to the cessation of the project.

  A new solution was found last year in the fall,

  when we found a facility of suitable size for

  our needs. Its purchase was delayed by typical

  Czech bureaucracy, but the deal was finalized

  in September. We expect the first renovation

  to be completed at the end of January, and we

  will move the retail and packing sections into

  it at the beginning of February. This on its own

  will bring a shortfall in the expediting of mail,

  and it will likely last through a good chunk of

  the first half of the month. The exact timeline

  will be outlined in the January newsletter.

  The second phase of the reconstruction will

  be more complicated, because it will involve

  the setting up of space for the installation of

  the presses and tooling shop. This is techni-

  cally more complicated and the project is in

  preparation, and the optimist in me is hoping

  for completion by the end of next year. After

  this is completed and kit manufacturing is mo-

  ved, its current space will free up and at the

  very least, a good chunk of this space will be

  occupied by the Brassin department. And then

  there will be nothing stopping it from evolving

  further.

  New Prices

  As long as we’re on the subject of changes,

  we are entering the new year with a new pri-

  ce structure. This is a significant change and

  a sensitive topic which we have been putting

  off to the end of the year. Prices will increase

  in intervals of 11 to 15% depending on the price

  group. Price increases will impact retail and

  wholesale costs in Czech Crowns and Euros,

  but won’t affect US retail prices. They will take

  effect during the shutdown of the retail de-

  partment before Christmas, which this year

  will be December 19th when we will be accep-

  ting the last of our orders which will have

  dispatched guaranties by before the holidays.

  As with every year, this will be followed by our

  taking inventory, and this is when the new pri-

  cing will be implemented. So, your last chance

  to buy at current prices will be December 19th.

  Retail will reopen, with the new prices, proba-

  bly the first week of January, 2023, and in all

  likelihood, this will be on the 3rd or 4th of the

  month.

  Nuremberg, 2023

  It is necessary to now say something about

  our participation at the Nuremberg Toy Fair

  for 2023. As you all know, I have always main-

  tained the importance of our participation with

  this event. Our regular attendance has been

  consistent with this notion. Unfortunately, the

  need to cancel the last two years due to covid

  restrictions was less than pleasant. Participa-

  tion of firms in the upcoming event will be low,

  and what’s worse, many of our retail partners

  and journalists won’t be there, either. For this

  reason, we decided to tone down our own par-

  ticipation at the event. We are not cancelling

  it outright, but we will reduce our floor space

  and share it with our colleagues at Special Ho-

  bby. We are also cancelling our regular press

  conference. I am hopeful that this is all just

  temporary and the fair will return to its past

  glory and significance in our industry in the

  years to come. But it may not happen that way,

  in which case this may be our last participation

  at this event.

  And that ends our look at the upcoming year.

  In our next installment, we’ll have a look at the

  future production side of things, dedicated first

  and foremost on new kits for 2023. Now, we

  will have a look at new releases for December.

  Because these have been available since the

  last week of November, I won’t outline all of

  them; just the more significant items.

  Kits

  December finds us continuing on with our Zero

  project, originally known as Project Voldemort,

  with a Limited Edition kit dubbed ‘Samurai’. As

  with most kits currently coming out of this line,

  ‘Samurai’ is a Dual Combo boxing with two

  complete sets of plastic in the package. The kit

  allows for the building of two versions of the

  A6M3 Zero, the Model 32 and the Model 22. The

  marking options contain twelve aircraft, six of

  each flavor. When I was a more active modeller

  in my youth, the A6M3 Zero Model 32 with its

  relatively attractive camouflage schemes was

  considered the most striking of all versions.

  I hope that you will see it the same way, at least

  up to the point when we come out with other

  variants that promise to be no less attractive!

  In the ProfiPACK line, we have a 1:72nd scale

  Bf 109E-3, a kit developed in association with

  Special Hobby. SH have released this kit in

  several boxings themselves, but I believe that

  our version of the kit will capture your attenti-

  on and interest. Of the most important aspect

  of the kit, its marking options, I can say that we

  gave it our usual high level of care and there

  are six attractive schemes to choose from.

  In the 1:48th scale ProfiPACK line, we are re-

  turning the Fw 190D-9 to our range. This was

  originally planned as a re-edition of the origi-

  nal kit, but because we added an aircraft flown

  by Waldemar Wubke of JV44, which is also the

  subject of the boxart, we have given this kit

  a new catalog number. In the same line,

  you’ll also find another straight reissue, the

  Bf 109G-10 Mtt. Regensburg, also in 1:48th. This

  is a kit that was quickly sold out and is making

  a long awaited comeback.

  In the Weekend line, we have the P-51D-10

  Mustang and Spitfire Mk.IXc in 1:72nd. Both

  feature attractive marking options. For exam-

  ple, in the Mustang kit, there is an option for

  Man O’ War flown by Claiborne Kinnard of the

  4th Fighter Group, 8thAF. This is a bird firmly

  etched in the minds of me and my peers thanks

  to an old 48th scale Revell kit, sold in the late

  eighties in the Czech Republic. I still have the

  kit. For the Spitfire, we have the S/Ldr Karel

  Cermak flown aircraft, in which he shot down

  an Fw 190A-8 in June, 1944 above Normandy.

  Accessories

  The thing to note this month in terms of newly

  released accessory sets is the 1:48th scale

  P-38J Cockpit for the Tamiya kit. It is one of

  the nicest sets of this type to be released in

  the Brassin line. I think it’s an excellent exam-

  ple of the capabilities of 3D printing that are

  presented to the modeller that I wrote about

  above. This set is unique not only for its level

  of detail, but also for the engineering that went

  into it, which significantly eases the integra-

  tion of the set into the model. The installati-

  on is even easer and smoother than the kit

  cockpit, which is virtually unheard of in the

  world of aftermarket accessory items. This

  quality could make accessory items very in-

  teresting to more modellers in the future, be-

  cause modellers who in the past avoided using

  resin sets due to their labor intensity will now

  find them attractive.

  Another interesting and welcome item is the

  wheel well set for our F6F Hellcat, a kit also

  making its way back into our range. The po-

  pularity of this set is leading us to thoughts

  of developing further sets, such as a cockpit

  set and perhaps a wingfold set. It won’t be

  easy, though, because when it comes to the

  Brassin line, we have a lot of conceptually and

  from a production standpoint, intense pro-

  jects planned for newly released kits such as

  Tamiya’s F-35.

  One more thing I would like to point out that

  is related to the Brassin line. These are nice,

  subtle little items for German AFVs in 1:35th

  and two sets of American Carly life rafts for

  forty people in 1:350th.

  In the Space line, we have six new sets for the

  month, among which are two 1:72nd scale sets

  for the Arma Hobby Ki-84 and P-51B. in the

  photoetched department, we have a P-39 set

  for the kit from the same manufacturer, and

  a new set for the new Mi-4 in 1:48th from

  Trumpeter. This is a kit that I am personally

  looking forward to. Besides the aircraft sets,

  we are also covering ships and AFVs, and we

  have the regular lineup of new BiG Eds, with

  their Brassin equipped BiG Sin counterparts.

  Literature

  In the popular article department, we’ve got

  the second part about the Lexington from Mira

  Baric, and the already ninth volume covering

  the air war over Ukraine. This time, we also

  have a technical article dedicated to mode-

  lling adhesives and their optimal usage by Joe

  Blazek. Add to that our still new boxart stories

  , dedicated to the description and explanation

  of the events depicted on our box covers for

  the month.

  And that’s just about it for this year. In closing,

  I will just reiterate that we are accepting or-

  ders until December 19th, after which it will

  not be possible to guarantee delivery of goods

  from our e-shop at the current prices. The re-

  ason for this is the aforementioned re-pricing

  of our goods, which will take place during the

  holiday shut down of the retail department. The

  e-shop will come back to life after we conclu-

  de our inventory taking and re-pricing, which

  will happen after January 1st, 2023.

  So, dear friends, thank you all so much for your

  support throughout 2022. I wish you all a very

  Merry Christmas and all the best into 2023!

  Happy Modelling

  Vladimir Sulc

  INFO Eduard

  5

  December 2022

• Page 6

  HISTORY

  Searching for

  the lost ships

  with Paul Allen

  USS

  Lexington

  Part 2

  Text: Miro Barič

  Photo: U.S. Navy National Museum of Naval AviationPhoto: Naval History and Heritage Command

  A shot down Betty bomber photographed from Lexington’s deck on February 20, 1942.

  Let’s travel back in time though, to Chicago

  in 1920s and 30s when the city was ruled

  by the notorious gangster Al Capone. His

  close associate was a lawyer, Edward Jo-

  seph O’Hare nicknamed Easy Eddie. In 1930

  he decided to defect to the side of law and

  became a federal agents’ informer. He led

  them to Capone’s bookkeeping records and

  help cracked their code. He also remin-

  ded them that in the beginning of his trial

  Capone bribed the jury. Consequently, a

  judge replaced the jury and in 1931 Capone

  was sentenced to jail. In November 1939,

  a week before Capone was released from

  prison, Easy Eddie was assassinated. Whi-

  le he was driving his Lincoln Zephyr two

  men fired their shotguns at him from the

  passing car. O’Hare died on the spot and

  his uncontrolled car hit a pole. The killers

  disappeared in the traffic and were never

  tracked down. They were supposedly Ca-

  pone’s hitmen. O’Hare senior paid for gang-

  ster’s jail time with his own life then. It is

  said he wanted to avoid prison, that he did

  not want to stand in the way of his son to

  enter the Naval Academy or that he wan-

  ted to restore his tarnished reputation and

  set a good example to his son. Allegedly he

  brought his son up to recognize good and

  evil and wanted him to become a better

  man that he was.

  Medal of Honor

  That son was “Butch” O’Hare who was

  awarded Medal of Honor for his action on

  February 20, 1942, as a very first US Navy

  fighter pilot during WWII. On that day he

  took off USS Lexington deck as a part of

  a larger group of Wildcats. The fate ho-

  wever put him alone against a group of Ja-

  panese bombers. His father taught him to

  face the evil regardless the odds. Edward

  Henry “Butch” O’Hare was born on March

  13, 1914. After his parents divorced in 1927,

  he lived with his mother Selma and sis-

  ters Patricia and Marilyn in St. Louis while

  his father relocated to Chicago. In 1933 he

  started his studies at the Naval Academy

  in Annapolis from which he graduated in

  1937. Next two years he served on the ba-

  ttleship USS New Mexico. Then he was sent

  to Pensacola for a pilot training which he

  completed on May 2, 1940. He was assigned

  to VF-3 fighter unit aboard Lexington’s si-

  ster ship, USS Saratoga (CV-3). First, he

  flew Grumman F3F and after that Brews-

  ter F2A Buffalo. VF-3 executive officer, Lt.

  Previously our story about the aircraft carrier USS Lexington

  (CV-2) ended at the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

  She avoided it because on December 5, 1941, set sail for Midway

  Island to deliver 18 Vought SB2U Vindicator dive bombers be-

  longing to the US Marines unit VMSB-231. Thanks to it she could

  enter the WWII battles intact from the beginning.

  Butch O’Hare in the cockpit of a Wildcat captured in

  one of the propaganda photograph series taken in

  April 1942 on Hawaii. Note the censored unit insignia.

  INFO Eduard6

  December 2022

• Page 7

  John “Jimmy” Thach heavily focused on the

  air gunnery training. Under Thach’s leader-

  ship most VF-3 pilots, including Butch, be-

  came excellent marksmen.

  O’Hare’s first flight in the new Grumman

  F4F Wildcat fighter took place on July 21,

  1941. Flying it off Saratoga he entered the

  WWII battles. In the beginning of 1942, the

  ship patrolled between Midway Island and

  Pearl Harbor where she was hit by a tor-

  pedo fired from the Japanese submarine

  I-6. She had to return for repairs and VF-3

  transferred to Lexington. And that is where

  Butch’s star rose. Lexington was a core unit

  of the Task Force 11 under the command of

  Rear Admiral Wilson Brown. On January 31,

  1942, she set sail together with two heavy

  cruisers and seven destroyers. Her own fi-

  ghter unit, VF-2 was left behind to convert

  to Wildcats. Besides 18 fighters from VF-3

  there were 37 Douglass SBD Dauntless

  dive bombers and 13 Douglas TBD Devasta-

  tor torpedo bombers aboard Lexington.

  Later two more heavy cruisers and four

  destroyers joined TF 11. This formation was

  getting ready to attack Rabaul. The Ameri-

  can ships were located 450 miles north-

  -east of the target when on February 20,

  1942, they were spotted by Japanese Ka-

  wanishi H6K Mavis flying boat. It was pro-

  mptly shot down by Jimmy Thach and his

  wingman Ens. Edward Sellstrom. Later

  the Lexington fighter pilots added another

  H6K to their score. The formation’s position

  however was discovered and all available

  17 Mitsubishi G4M1 Betty bombers from

  4. Kōkūtai were dispatched against it from

  Rabaul. Each aircraft was armed with two

  250 kg bombs since the air torpedoes were

  not available in Rabaul at that time.

  The Japanese split into two formations to

  increase the chance of finding the Ameri-

  cans. At 16:25 Lexington’s radar detected

  the first group of nine G4M1 47 miles away.

  16 out of 18 Wildcats were sent to combat.

  O’Hare and his wingman Lt.(jg) Marion Du-

  filho were also airborne. This pair however

  was ordered to circle around the ship. Fist

  nine Bettys were annihilated. Only four

  made it to Lexington but failed to score any

  bomb hit on the wildly maneuvering ship

  and were shot down on their return flight

  – two of them even by Dauntlesses. Not

  a single crew member from this G4M1

  group survived. The American losses were

  two Wildcats and a pilot. They were shot

  down by Bettys’ rear gunners with their 20

  mm cannons when they approached strai-

  ght from behind without any maneuvering.

  Alone against eight

  While most VF-3 fighters battled the first

  group of the enemy bombers, at 16:49 ano-

  ther one appeared on Lexington’s radar.

  This time eight G4M1 approached from the

  opposite side, 30 miles away but coming in

  fast. Butch and Dufilho were sent against

  them-no one else was available at that mo-

  ment. Soon it turned out that O’Hare would

  remain alone. Dufilho’s guns jammed, and

  he could not fire a single shot. O’Hare did

  not attack fast flying bombers from rear

  but from above and astern. His four 12.7

  mm caliber machine guns had 450 rounds

  each. He performed deflection shooting

  and took full advantage of his thorough air

  gunnery training. His bursts hit the Japa-

  nese bombers with such accuracy that he

  shot off the engine out of one of them! He

  attacked the Japanese formation four times

  until he ran out of the ammunition. Thanks

  to his actions only four bombers made it to

  Lexington. One of them, heavily damaged,

  attempted a suicidal attack. It did not hit the

  ship however, neither did the bombs from

  the other Bettys.

  O’Hare was convinced that he had hit seven

  bombers, six of them shot down. Officially

  he was credited with five kills which corre-

  sponds to the actual records. Four aircraft

  were destroyed immediately, fifth one made

  emergency landing on the water on its re-

  turn flight. Butch damaged another two -

  there were the only two out of 17 dispatched

  that made it home. The Japanese reported

  one cruiser or destroyer sunk and setting

  the aircraft carrier on fire. They claimed

  eight Wildcats shot down. Gunners of the

  second group of bombers for example re-

  ported several kills during the repeated

  Butch’s attacks-even though he attacked

  alone. His Wildcat was hit by a single Ja-

  panese bullet in the fuselage-another one,

  into the port wing came from his own AA

  defense. O’Hare piloted F4F-3 BuNo. 4031

  marked F-15. After the return to the port

  this aircraft was transferred to VF-2 and

  remained on board of Lexington. During the

  Battle of the Coral Sea, it landed on USS

  HISTORY

  Photo: Naval History and Heritage Command

  Photo: Naval History and Heritage Command

  Photo: Naval History and Heritage Command

  During the photo shoot in Hawaii in April 1942 kill

  markings were painted on both sides of the fuselage.

  Butch O’Hare at the Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat’s tail.

  Butch wears non-standard cowboy leather belt in this

  color photograph.

  Butch O’Hare and Jimmy Thach at Kaneohe base,

  April 10, 1942. Note details of the propeller in the

  background.

  INFO Eduard

  7

  December 2022

• Page 8

  HISTORY

  Yorktown (CV-5) deck, so it survived that

  battle as well. Then it flew with VF-42 and

  later in US Marines MAG-23. It was struck

  of charge in July 1944.

  The airport bears his name

  The successful aircraft survived its pilot.

  Butch O’Hare became a fighter ace in a day

  and on April 21, 1942, he was awarded Me-

  dal of Honor. Later he assumed command

  of VF-3 which after an extended time spent

  on training new pilots was renamed VF-6

  and equipped with new Grumman F6F Hell-

  cat fighters. Flying Hellcat O’Hare added

  another two kills to his score. On November

  26, 1943, he perished during the first ever

  night interception mission off an American

  aircraft carrier. The circumstances of his

  death have not been clarified up until these

  days. Probably he became a victim of a Ja-

  panese Betty’s gunner during this night mi-

  ssion. Neither his Hellcat nor his body were

  ever found. Gearing class destroyer USS

  O’Hare (DD-889) which entered service in

  November 1945 was named after him. But-

  ch’s mother Selma was at the ceremony.

  This ship took part in the Vietnam War and

  in 1978 was sold to Spain where it served

  under the name Mendez Nunez. It was de-

  commissioned and sent to the scrap yards

  in 1992. In September 1949 the Chicago ai-

  rport was named after him, O’Hare Inter-

  national Airport, ORD. Wildcat marked F-15

  is exhibited in Terminal 2 at this airport.

  It is an aircraft which had been recovered in

  good condition from Lake Michigan where

  it crashed in 1943 off the training aircraft

  carrier USS Wolverine. In 2001 it was res-

  tored to represent Butch’s F4F-3.

  Raid on Lae and Salamaua

  Lexington was not to survive for too long

  neither. After the battle with the Japane-

  se bombers TF 11 retreated from Rabaul

  but after joining forces with TF 17 gathered

  around Yorktown aircraft carrier the for-

  mation wanted to return and attack again.

  On March 8 the plans changed having found

  out that Rabaul port is empty. The Japane-

  se invaded New Guinea and all ships sai-

  led to the ports of Lae and Salamaua on

  the north-east coast of this island. In the

  morning of March 10, Lexington launched

  the first attack-eight Wildcats, 31 Dauntle-

  sses and 13 Devastators armed with torpe-

  does. 15 minutes later Yorktown launched

  another 10 Wildcats, 30 SBDs and 12 TBDs,

  armed with bombs this time.

  Sixteen Japanese ships were near the co-

  ast in the vicinity of Lae and Salamaua-light

  cruiser Yubari, 6 destroyers, 5 large cargo

  ships, a minelayer, two small minelayers

  and a float plane carrier. The American

  pilots claimed ten ships sunk including

  three cruisers and another five ships da-

  maged. Three cargo ships were sunk and

  fourth one was seriously damaged. Most

  of the ships were claimed by Lexington avi-

  ators. One of the VF-3 Wildcats shot down

  a Nakajima E8N Dave biplane floatplane

  which aggressively tried to attack the Ame-

  rican carrier-borne bombers. The Japane-

  se AA defense shot down a Dauntless from

  Lexington, the only American loss.

  On March 26, after this raid, Lexing-

  ton returned to Pearl Harbor where she

  underwent a quick rebuild. Four turrets

  with eight useless 203 mm caliber anti-

  -ship cannons were removed and repla-

  ced with 28 mm caliber AA quad cannons.

  22 single barrel 20 mm caliber cannons

  were added as well. The ship armament then

  consisted of 12 single barrel 127 mm caliber

  cannons, 12 28 mm caliber quad cannons

  and 22 Oerlikon 20 mm caliber cannons.

  So equipped Lexington set sail for her last

  battle. Initially nothing indicated a fatal en-

  counter. Ship set sail from Pearl Harbor on

  April 15, 1942, to deliver 14 Buffalo fighters

  from VMF-211 to Palmyra atoll located in

  the middle of the Pacific Ocean between

  Hawaiian Islands and American Samoa. Af-

  ter this task, in relatively peaceful waters,

  the ship was to conduct the exercises to-

  gether with a battleship formation. On Ap-

  A pair of VF-3 fighters in flight on April 10, 1942. Wildcat F-1 (BuNo 3976) in the front is flown by Jimmy Thach.

  The second aircraft F-13 (BuNo 3986) is flown by Butch O’Hare.

  Lexington in San Diego on October 14, 1941. Buffalo fighters can be seen in the front, Dauntless bombers

  in the background.

  Photo: Naval History and Heritage Command

  Photo: Naval History and Heritage Command

  INFO Eduard8

  December 2022

• Page 9

  ril 18 however the training was cancelled.

  The American and British code breakers

  concluded that the Japanese were pre-

  paring the landing at Port Moresby on the

  south-eastern side of New Guinea. There-

  fore, on May 1, 1942, Lexington again joined

  forces with Yorktown and her formation

  TF 17. Together they set sail for the Coral

  Sea with the intention to halt the Japanese

  plans. For this mission Lexington carried 21

  Wildcats, 37 Dauntlesses and 12 Devasta-

  tors.

  First battle of aircraft carriers

  Simultaneously with dispatching the in-

  vasion fleet to Port Moresby, the Japanese

  hit Tulagi in Solomon Islands. This mission

  was supported by the light aircraft carrier

  Shōhō. The main forces were supported the

  veterans of the Pearl Harbor attack-air-

  craft carriers Shōkaku and Zuikaku. The

  stage was being set up for the very first

  historic battle of the aircraft carriers. It was

  a first naval battle ever in which the opposing

  ships did not see each other and attacked

  each other with carrier-borne aircraft only.

  It is necessary to add though that many

  mistakes were made on both sides resul-

  ting in chaos and the outcome was more-

  -less hap-hazard. Both sides were aware

  of the opponent ships presence and tried

  hard to find them. Both incorrectly iden-

  tified the support force as the main one

  and launched against them attack groups

  of their aircraft. On May 7, 1942, in the

  morning, the Japanese scout discovered a

  lone tanker Neosho escorted by destroy-

  er Sims. It reported though, incorrectly, an

  aircraft carrier and a cruiser. The Japanese

  launched 78 aircraft from Shōkaku and Zui-

  kaku against them: 18 Mitsubishi A6M Zero,

  36 Aichi D3A Val dive bombers and 24 Na-

  kajima B5N Kate torpedo bombers.

  Right after an American scout discovered

  the invasion fleet of the cargo ships but

  reported two aircraft carriers and four

  cruisers. The Americans too launched 93

  aircraft from Lexington and Yorktown-18

  Wildcats, 53 Dauntlesses and 22 Devasta-

  tors. Both sides almost instantly realized

  their error. Japanese aircraft for some time

  fruitlessly searched for some more valua-

  ble targets and in the end decided to attack

  HISTORY

  Lexington under attack of the Japanese aircraft, May 8, 1942. Picture was taken from

  the deck of one of the attackers.

  Ship’s demise was caused by the explosions of the fumes leaking from the damaged

  aviation fuel tanks.

  After the Japanese attacks Lexington was damaged however received her aircraft back on the deck. Picture was taken from the cruiser USS Portland shortly

  before the fatal explosions.

  Lexington in the original outfit featuring 203 mm caliber cannons in the gun turrets.

  Photo: Naval History and Heritage CommandPhoto: Naval History and Heritage CommandPhoto: Naval History and Heritage Command

  Photo: Naval History and Heritage Command

  INFO Eduard

  9

  December 2022

• Page 10

  HISTORY

  Neosho and Sims at least. The ships had no

  chance. After three bomb hits the destroyer

  broke in halves and sank immediately. Out

  of 192 crew members only 14 sailors survi-

  ved. Neosho was hit by seven bombs and

  a Val which, hit by a defense AA fire,

  crashed on her as well. Seriously damaged

  tanker drifted for several days until she fi-

  nally sank.

  The Americans at last discovered the li-

  ght aircraft carrier Shōhō attached to the

  invasion fleet and dived on her. Only two

  Mitsubishi A5M Claude and a Zero provided

  the air cover for her and another three Ze-

  ros took off at the beginning of the attack.

  They could not however stop the Ameri-

  can onslaught. The Lexington aircraft hit

  the Japanese ship with two 450 kg bombs

  and five torpedoes. Shortly afterwards the

  Yorktown aircraft showed up and finished

  the burning wreck with 11 more bombs and

  2 torpedoes. Shōhō sank 45 minutes af-

  ter the attack was launched on her. All 18

  aircraft she carried were lost as well. The

  Americans lost a Dauntless from Lexing-

  ton. In the evening the Japanese attempted

  to find the American main force again but

  to no avail. Therefore, the aviators released

  their bombs and torpedoes and turned on

  their return flight. After the sunset they did

  find the American carriers-but they were

  without ordnance and misidentified the

  ships as their own. They started to circle

  and prepare for landing. After a while when

  the American destroyers started to fire at

  them the Japanese realized their mistake

  and flew away.

  Decisive second day

  The first day ended with serious aircraft

  losses on the Japanese side and resulted

  in a small American victory in the form of

  Japanese decision to postpone the invasion

  of Port Moresby for several days. On May

  8, 1942, morning the decisive battle was

  staged. The Japanese launched an attack

  with concentrated force of 18 fighters, 33

  Val bombers and 18 Kate bombers. The

  Americans sent out two separate groups.

  Yorktown launched 6 Wildcats, 24 Dau-

  ntlesses and 9 Devastators. A while later

  Lexington launched 9 fighters, 15 dive bom-

  bers and 12 torpedo bombers. Yorktown

  aviators hit Shōkaku with two bombs, a bit

  later Lexington pilots scored another hit

  and the damaged Japanese carrier had to

  withdraw. The Lexington attack formation

  lost three Wildcats.

  By a coordinated attack from both sides the

  Japanese managed to hit Lexington’s port

  side with two torpedoes. Val dive bombers

  contributed with two bomb hits. Besides

  Wildcats Dauntlesses were also deployed

  to the ships’ defenses. 15 took off from Le-

  The aircraft on Lexington’s stern, May 8, 1942, around 15:00. There are Wildcats in the front, Dauntlesses and

  Devastators behind them. Fire is raging in the hangar and the smoke is rising around the rear lift.

  Burning, abandoned and listing Lexington, May 8, 1942 evening. There are still aircraft on the rear deck.

  F4F-3 Wildcat sporting Butch’s markings is displayed in Terminal 2 of the O’Hare International Airport in Chicago.

  Photo: Naval History and Heritage CommandPhoto: Naval History and Heritage CommandPhoto: Raysonho

  INFO Eduard10

  December 2022

• Page 11

  xington on a fighter mission. They managed

  to destroy three Kate torpedo bombers,

  another was destroyed by Wildcat fighter

  and four by AA defense. Two Vals were shot

  down during the attack on Yorktown but re-

  gardless, she suffered a bomb hit. On the

  return flight the American and Japanese

  formations engaged resulting in further air

  combat and losses. Both sides lost many

  aircraft, their ships were damaged and

  were running out of fuel therefore they wi-

  thdrew from the battle. The American sco-

  red a victory because the Japanese had to

  postpone the landing at Port Moresby for

  two months worried about the Allied cru-

  isers’ presence in the area and in the end

  the invasion never materialized.

  The Japanese were convinced that they had

  sunk two American aircraft carriers, tho-

  se however were sailing under their own

  power and receiving the returning aircraft.

  Nothing indicated that the damages Le-

  xington sustained could not be handled. No

  one realized though that the first torpedo

  hit had damaged the aviation fuel tanks on

  the port side. The fumes were escaping and

  concentrating in other areas of the ship.

  At 12:47 the sparks from the electrical mo-

  tors caused the explosion and fierce fire.

  The flight operations were still not impaired

  and by 14:14 the last aircraft returned to the

  carrier. In addition to three Wildcats shot

  down, three Dauntlesses, one Devasta-

  tor and one Wildcat, which had to make

  emergency landing on the water, were lost.

  At 14:42 another explosion followed and

  a fierce fire in the hangar interrupted the

  electric power supply to the ship’s front

  section. Any hopes for saving the vessel

  were marred by the third explosion at 15:25

  which demanded the full evacuation of the

  quarters bellow the waterline. At 16:00 Le-

  xington came to full stop and at 17:07 cap-

  tain Frederick Sherman gave the order to

  abandon ship. 2735 crew members were

  saved, 216 people perished. Captain Sher-

  man remained on board until 18:30 to make

  sure nobody was left behind and left the

  ship as the last. Between 19:15 and 19:52 de-

  stroyer Phelps fired five torpedoes at Le-

  xington and sank the ship.

  3,000 meters deep

  On March 4, 2018, Paul Allen and his re-

  search ship RV Petrel discovered the wreck

  of USS Lexington more than 800 km east

  off the coast of the Australian Queensland.

  The ship is broken into several sections.

  The largest part of the hull is upright at the

  bottom 3,000 meters deep. The bow and the

  stern are detached and found almost 2 km

  west from the main hull part. The bridge

  HISTORY

  Smoke is rising from the aircraft carrier Shokaku after she was hit by American bombs, May 8, 1942. Flames on

  the bow can be recognized.

  The flight deck edge of the sunken Lexington.

  Japanese light aircraft carrier Shoho under the attack of the American planes, May 7, 1942.

  Photo: Naval History and Heritage CommandPhoto: Naval History and Heritage CommandPhoto: PaulAllen.com

  INFO Eduard

  11

  December 2022

• Page 12

  was also torn away and is located appro-

  ximately in the middle of the wreckage de-

  bris. The underwater robot RV Petrel also

  located a Japanese torpedo which sank to

  the bottom after it had missed its target.

  An interesting discovery was made west

  of the shipwreck. There is a group of 11

  aircraft which slipped off Lexington’s deck

  when she was sinking-seven Devastators,

  three Dauntlesses and a Wildcat. The pla-

  nes are in very good condition with well-

  -preserved paint work. Besides the nati-

  onal markings the kill markings and unit

  insignia are still visible under a Wildcat

  canopy.

  Sources:

  Lundstrom, J. - The First Team,

  Naval Institute Press, 1990

  Hrbek, I., Hrbek, J. - Krvavé oceány,

  Naše vojsko, 2002

  Hubáček, M. - Pacifik v plamenech,

  Mladá Fronta, 2001

  www.warfarehistorynetwork.com

  www.history.navy.mil

  www.wings-aviation.ch

  wwww.maritime.org

  eu.jacksonville.com

  HISTORY

  One of twelve 127 mm caliber cannons after 80 years on the sea bottom.

  Besides the unit insignia four kills and one bombing mission markings are still visible

  under a Wildcat canopy.

  A group of Devastator torpedo bombers rests at the bottom of the ocean.

  Photo: PaulAllen.com

  Photo: PaulAllen.com

  Photo: PaulAllen.comPhoto: PaulAllen.com

  Photo: PaulAllen.com

  INFO Eduard12

  December 2022

• Page 13

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• Page 14

  HISTORY

  PAPPY OF THE STRAFERS III

  THE PAIN AND THE DETERMINATION

  In March 1943, shortly after the first tests

  of B-25s modified according to Pappy’s

  directives, twelve of these aircraft took

  part in the Battle of Bismarck Sea du-

  ring which they practically destroyed the

  whole Japanese convoy with supplies.

  During the first fifteen minutes they de-

  stroyed four cargo ships, two destroyers

  and all returned unscathed to the base.

  3rd AG pilots were so excited by the new

  airplanes that they did not let Pappy in

  any of them and only co-pilot’s seat in a

  B-17, which also took part in the missi-

  on (in total 130 aircraft participated in it),

  was left for him to at least watch how his

  “children‘‘ fared in combat. He continued

  complaining about this unfair treatment

  long after the mission.

  Success of the modified Mitchells caught

  the eye of the top brass in the USA and

  General Kenney was responsible for this

  as well since he did not forget to men-

  tion Pappy’s share in his communication

  with the USAAF Commander, General Ar-

  nold. He sent him technical drawings and

  asked him to lobby for the manufacturing

  of such modified aircraft directly by the

  North American Aviation factories. A

  little later, while already in Dayton USA,

  Kenney met with a group of engineers

  and designers from the Air Force Mate-

  riel Division who explained to him that all

  was wrong, the aircraft had an upset cen-

  ter of gravity, it was too heavy and in fact

  could not even fly …” I listened to them as

  patiently as I could and then explained

  to them that we had modified a dozen

  B-25s in this manner and they played a

  fairly important part in the Battle of Bis-

  marck Sea. And that in the same manner

  another 60 aircraft were being rebuilt in

  Australia. Arnold looked at his experts

  and then kicked them all out of his office”

  recalls General Kenney in his book.

  photo: John F. Heyn Collection

  The second part of this mini-series ended with the successful

  trials of the first Mitchell modified with the supplemental 0.5

  inch machine guns which led to the intense work on rebuilding

  more aircraft. They were shortly to be in the action to fully prove

  their advantages.

  Text: Richard Plos

  INFO Eduard14

  December 2022

• Page 15

  HISTORY

  After that Arnold practically ordered

  Pappy to show up in Dayton as soon as

  possible to teach his experts something.

  Roughly a week afterwards Gunn flew

  to the USA and reported directly to the

  boss of North American Aviation, “Dutch”

  Kindelberger. The following three weeks

  Pappy literally lived in the Los Angeles

  factory and day and night worked with

  the designers on further improvements.

  When they were finished Mitchell featu-

  red not four but six machine guns in the

  nose and the whole airplane was better

  balanced.

  Easy come easy go

  Ironically, Pappy in fact was not autho-

  rized to fly Army airplanes since he did

  not possess USAAF pilot license. In that

  hectic wartime no one questioned him

  but one day Gunn approached General

  Kenney and asked: “General, where can

  I get those wings you have pinned on?”

  General answered that he could go to the

  officers’ mess and buy them but Pappy

  explained to him what he meant, that in

  fact he had been flying the Army airpla-

  nes “illegally”. Up until then Kenney was

  not perhaps fully aware who he had dealt

  with and only now found out that Pappy

  was a former Navy pilot flying since 1925.

  So, he immediately dispatched a request

  to General Arnold’s office that Major Paul

  Irvin Gunn was to be issued the USAAF

  pilot’s license retroactively as of Decem-

  ber 7, 1941.

  However, the message reached some

  bureaucrat in Arnold’s staff and so two

  days later Kenney, to his great surprise,

  read a message stating that Major Gunn

  was to return to the USA where he will be

  admitted to seven months long pilot trai-

  ning and if successfully completed will

  be dispatched back unless he requested

  another assignment.

  “As soon as I had calmed down, I sent

  a personal wire to Arnold marked Eyes

  Only, which told Hap the story of Pappy-

  ’s life, suggesting a suitable disposition

  of the staff officer who had sent me the

  answer to my original wire, and inasmuch

  as I believed that Major Gunn knew more

  about flying than any instructor he had in

  the United States, I was again asking that

  Pappy be rated an Air Force pilot.”

  recalled General Kenney. Arnold imme-

  diately entertained his request and so

  soon enough, in his office Kenney could

  pin the pilot‘s insignia on Pappy’s uni-

  form. Pappy wasted no time, rushed to

  the financial department and claimed

  around four thousand dollars as a back

  pay for the pilot‘s position…

  Then he requested time off and decided

  to fly to New Guinea where, as he belie-

  ved, could become a millionaire in the

  local casinos. He sat on the right seat

  of a B-25 headed there, all that money

  stuck in buttoned pockets of his shirt.

  During the flight the sun was hitting the

  cockpit hard, so Pappy tucked away his

  shirt on the back of his seat. He lit a ci-

  garette and decided to let some fresh air

  in. In one move he jerked the side window

  open and an immediate pressure drop

  sucked the shirt out. It disappeared in the

  blue of the sky and ocean … Pappy looked

  out hoping that it at least got caught on

  the tail surfaces, but no luck. So he took

  over the controls, turned Mitchell around

  and searched for the shirt on the water

  surface. Nothing again … He dragged from

  his cigarette a couple of times, closed the

  window and after a moment of silence he

  stated: “Well then. Easy come, easy go

  …” Shortly after, on May 10, 1943, General

  Kenney signed the paperwork for Pappy’s

  promotion to a Lieutenant Colonel which

  could have been for him at least a small

  compensation for this loss.

  The Philippines on fire

  In the middle of September 1944, the

  American Strategic Command of the US

  forces in the Pacific decided to reclaim

  the Philippines. The landing was to take

  place on October 20 on Leyte Island near

  Tacloban port on the eastern coast. In the

  meantime, the USAAF focused on the oil

  refineries and fuel dumps in Balikpapan

  on Borneo where the Japanese sourced

  most of their aircraft fuel for their Phi-

  lippine bases with approximately three

  thousand airplanes located there.

  As soon as Pappy learned about the

  planned landing, he started to devise his

  own plans. His first thought was to fly one

  of B-25s rebuilt to version with twelve

  machine guns to Manila and shoot to pie-

  ces hundreds of Japanese aircraft lined

  up on both sides of two miles long Taft

  Boulevard Street. The Japanese used it

  for both the take offs and landings as well

  as the storage. It was not a bad idea with

  one problem though, the Americans did

  not control any base from which a Mit-

  chell could reach Manila. Pappy, who was

  eager to liberate the Philippines as soon

  as possible and rejoin his family, was

  however willing to fly despite the risk of

  running out of fuel on the return journey.

  A little later, while already in Dayton USA, Kenney met with a group

  of engineers and designers from the Air Force Materiel Division who

  explained to him that all was wrong, the aircraft had an upset center

  of gravity, it was too heavy and in fact could not even fly …

  A dramatic view of para-bombs drop.

  photo: Bill Swain

  INFO Eduard

  15

  December 2022

• Page 16

  HISTORY

  He calculated that point and requested

  the flying boat pickup. General Kenney

  of course disproved such an antic. Pappy

  did not give up and proposed to fly alone

  after removing both the dorsal and rear

  gun turrets and instead of the bomb load

  keeping only the full incendiary ammuni-

  tion load for the gun machines.

  Thanks to saved weight he would attach

  two three hundred gallon drop tanks

  under the wings so he would have su-

  fficient fuel for the return flight as well.

  “He almost cried when I refused this plan

  as well. I tried to explain to him that for

  these planned operations I could not

  afford to spare a single B-25 for the time

  necessary for all these modifications”

  recalled General Kenney. Ultimately, he

  had to reject Pappy’s third idea in which

  he counted on a clandestine landing in the

  Philippines, organizing a small army with

  which, thanks to his terrain knowledge,

  would give the Japanese hell by attacking

  from the rear during the landing. Gunn’s

  effort to return to the Philippines as soon

  as possible was understood and at the

  end General had to assign him to another

  task in Australia just to get rid of him.

  “Pappy, from the maintenance unit in

  Australia I want you to recruit a special

  detachment of some fifty men who can

  do anything. They had to be able to shoot,

  dig the trenches, build improvised shel-

  ters, install steel plates for runways, re-

  pair aircraft, engines, live in the wild and

  fight even with fists or stones.” On the

  12th, eight days before the landings, two

  C-47 landed at Hollandia where Kenney’s

  headquarters was, and fifty armed rough

  men disembarked with backpacks full of

  tools and spare parts. “These are the men

  you wanted, General. What now?” asked

  Gunn. Their task was to start establishing

  the airbase right after the landing. And

  so Pappy and his men were transferred

  under the command of Col. David Hut-

  chinson, the Air Task Force commander.

  On October 20, after a thorough shelling

  and bombing, four American divisions

  landed near Tacloban and in Dulag twenty

  miles further south. There were airfields

  used by the Japanese in both areas but

  heavily damaged by bombing and too

  small for the number of aircraft Kenney

  wished to allocate there. Pappy’s lan-

  ding craft was rocking on the mild waves.

  Hundreds of ships, boats and vessels of

  all sizes around him. It was a force ne-

  ver seen before, a mind-boggling effort

  of the massive war economy of a country

  with such industrial might which man-

  kind has not experienced before. Instead

  of thousands of kilometers he was sepa-

  rated from Polly and kids just by several

  90th Squadron’s Mitchell after the emergency landing at Dobodura base in New Guinea.

  General George Churchill Kenney, one of the archi

  -

  tects of the “Skip Bombing” method.

  photo: John F. Heyn Collection

  photo: USAF

  Pappy proposed to fly alone after removing both the dorsal and rear

  gun turrets and instead of the bomb load keeping only the full incen-

  diary ammunition load for the gun machines. Thanks to saved weight

  he would attach two three hundred gallon drop tanks under the wings

  so he would have sufficient fuel for the return flight as well.

  INFO Eduard16

  December 2022

• Page 17

  HISTORY

  hundred kilometers. Immediately after

  the landing he started to build a runway

  with his construction crew on a san-

  dy perimeter. The heavy equipment has

  not arrived yet, but Pappy discovered an

  old bulldozer behind the Japanese lines.

  At the beginning it would not start but

  Pappy talked it into that and so the con-

  struction crew could start leveling the

  surface and reinforce it with piled up

  corral. Gunn’s group also repaired seve-

  ral shelters located nearby and started to

  build a control tower.

  In the anticipation of Japanese bombing,

  they also dug a lot of trenches in the ai-

  rfield vicinity. Strafing and bombing ma-

  terialized soon, in addition the peninsu-

  la was only 300 meters wide and there

  was not enough space. Chaos occurred,

  disembarked material was nowhere to

  be placed. This was followed by a heroic

  effort to build the wider beachhead and

  put the Tacloban base to the operation in

  which no other was put in charge than

  Pappy who managed to organize the help

  of several hundred Filipinos. Skills of his

  men came handy in the situation when it

  turned out that in even after three years

  of combat the bomb hangers on the Army

  and Navy bombers were not unified and

  therefore the bombs from the USAAF

  supplies could not be used on the Navy

  aircraft that landed. Pappy however pro-

  mptly proposed the modifications of the

  hangers, his men rushed to work on the

  aircraft with welding machines and she-

  et metal cutters and soon enough seve-

  ral aircraft were ready for action. In six

  and half days Tacloban was operational

  but nevertheless, it was a dangerous

  place which was constantly bombed and

  strafed by the Japanese. On October 30,

  during the bombing raid, Pappy was dri-

  ving his Jeep in the open area and be-

  came a target of one of the attackers.

  He tried to take cover behind the car but

  it was not sufficient. The phosphorus

  bomb explosion threw Pappy away and a

  fragment penetrated his left hand. He got

  up, made a couple of steps in great pain

  and then, moaning, fell and passed out.

  On the following day he was airlifted to

  Brisbane, where the best Army hospital

  was located.

  The liberation

  On January 9, 1945, four divisions of Ma-

  cArthur‘s Sixth Army landed in Linga-

  yen Bay on the main Philippines island

  of Luzon to launch the final campaign of

  liberating the island including Manila, 150

  km away. The units kept advancing despi-

  te the fierce resistance until January 31

  when the headquarters received the me-

  ssage that Japanese let 3700 prisoners,

  held in Manila’s University of Santo To-

  mas campus, to starve in addition to se-

  veral hundreds of POWs held in the old

  Bilibid jail. Considering their poor phys-

  ical condition after three years of survi-

  ving on minimal food rations it was not

  clear how much longer they can carry on.

  Therefore, MacArthur dispatched the 1st

  Motorized Cavalry Division to march on

  Manila as soon as possible and liberate

  the prisoners. Under the command of Ge-

  neral Major Vern Mudge the division, after

  several isolated battles, broke through to

  Manila where it swiftly attacked Univer-

  sity of Santo Tomas area and rescued all

  prisoners. Among them Polly Gunn with

  her four children. Col. Hutchinson sought

  them out as he had promised Pappy befo-

  re his dispatch to Australia that he would

  take care of them. He told Polly about

  Pappy’s wounds and that their transport

  to Brisbane was being arranged so they

  could re-unite. It was the first informa-

  tion Polly received that her husband was

  directly involved in the fighting. She was

  in rather poor condition; her weight was

  38 kilos instead of usual 51. On Februa-

  ry 19 she was flown with her children to

  Brisbane where the whole family reuni-

  ted after more than three years.

  The war wounds

  Pappy’s wounds were more serious that

  it could have seemed. The whole hand

  nervous system was damaged. The joints

  were swollen and fingers insensitive.

  Therefore, in the middle of April he was

  transferred to the USA to undertake neu-

  rosurgery at the military clinic in Auburn.

  This partially helped but Pappy continued

  to suffer from severe pain and had to car-

  ry his half-disabled hand in the support.

  However, the inactivity was even worse

  for him so in September 1945 he returned

  to Manila and initiated the resurrection

  for the Philippine Air Lines.

  At that time, he was already discharged

  to reserve and could fully return to his

  civilian life.

  Together with Dan Stickle, with whom he

  had started at the airline, they acquired

  a couple of surplus Army airplanes which

  they rebuilt for civilian use. In December

  the ceremonial re-opening of the opera-

  Family together again.

  Pappy, Polly, and Dutch. Three nicknames, three ex

  -

  ceptional people.

  photo: family archives

  photo: family archives

  INFO Eduard

  17

  December 2022

• Page 18

  HISTORY

  PAPPY AND A WHALE

  tions took place launching the scheduled

  service to Hong-Kong and Saigon. Pappy

  did take part in these moderate festivi-

  ties but then he returned to the hospital

  in Fort McKinley where he was almost

  a resident due to the permanent severe

  pain and need for doctor’s care. In the

  spring of 1947, he still carried the support

  for his hand but every now and then he

  removed it and squeezed the rubber ball

  in order to stimulate the blood vessels in

  his hand and invigorate it. He always tried

  to occupy himself, he scouted for airpla-

  nes with sufficient range so as PAL could

  start flying to the USA and in many ways

  tried to utilize the benefits of purchasing

  the cheap military surplus material in the

  Philippines. In the spring of 1948 while he

  was again in the USA with his family, he

  suffered from such pain that he reached

  the decision to have his hand amputated

  unless the doctors found out how to con-

  trol the pain. In the end the amputation

  was not necessary since Doctor Livings-

  ton from Lahey clinic in Boston was able

  to restore his hands’ blood vessels and

  also repair some damages of the nervous

  system.

  Life was coming back to his hand and

  Gunn used every opportunity to squeeze

  his rubber ball to strengthen his hand. He

  started to fly again, his energy came back

  and PAL were successful. And then Oc-

  tober 11, 1957, came. Over the Philippines

  Pappy tried to avoid a severe storm and

  crashed. There were no survivors …

  His former superior, and friend as well,

  General Kenney, arranged for his last fli-

  ght home, to the USA, where he was bu-

  ried. During the wartime Paul Irvin Gunn

  was decorated with several awards: DFC,

  Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Air Medal,

  Purple Heart nine times and WWII Vic-

  tory Medal. His skills and decisiveness

  helped develop a new category of combat

  aircraft and he also contributed to many

  other areas of the war efforts. In 2008

  the Arkansas Aviation Historical Society

  included him into their Hall of Fame.

  Sources

  The Saga of Pappy Gunn, George Chur-

  chill Kenney; Kismet Publishing, 2018

  (first issue 1958)

  Indestructible, John, N Bruning, Hachet-

  te Books, 2016

  North American B-25 Mitchell, Key

  Publishing

  Flying Buccaneers, Steve Birdsall, Dou-

  bleday & Co. Inc., 1977

  General Kenney Reports, George Chur-

  chill Kenney, Sloan & Pearce 1949

  warfarehistorynetwork.com

  www.3rdattackgroup.com

  thejavagoldblog.wordpress.com

  For the whole week Lt. Col. Gunn wai-

  ted in Port Moresby at Three Mile, one

  of its airbases, in order to persona-

  lly test the newest B-25 version with

  built-in 75 mm cannon. Pappy fell in

  love with this version and as soon as he

  had an opportunity to inspect it with the

  intention to test it on the first Japanese

  vessel that appeared in its operational

  range, General Kenney authorized his

  temporary reassignment to his former

  unit. “Men in 3rd Attack Group called

  him engineer without borders but were

  proud of his unorthodox approach to

  his achievements. After all, they were

  unorthodox themselves.

  Gunn did not have to wait too long for

  the opportunity. Shortly after midday a

  scout airplane sent a message every-

  body was waiting for so in fifteen minu-

  tes 72 Twin Cyclone engines were roa-

  ring and 36 airplanes, one after another

  got airborne led by Pappy. Bad weather

  forced the formation to split into three

  sections, twelve airplanes each, in or-

  der to cover the largest area possible

  and not to let the pair of discovered

  Japanese ships to escape. The aircraft

  proceeded above the ocean waves, is-

  lets and coral reefs at an altitude of no

  more than 30 meters. These crews ne-

  ver carried the oxygen masks as they

  were useless and proudly claimed that

  if a cow stood in their way, they would

  have to fly around her … Shortly after

  2:30 the formation led by Gunn emer-

  ged from behind a rain curtain and pi-

  lots spotted the pair of Japanese de-

  stroyers.

  Both headed toward the fogged area

  and there was no time to seek the opti-

  mal position. Pappy signaled the attack

  and started firing from 1500 yards. He

  had six rounds for his 75 mm cannon.

  The first one hit one of the first de-

  stroyer’s superstructures, the second

  bounced off the deck and destroyed the

  AA gun post, the third missed and the

  fourth got buried right in the center of

  the hull. At that moment Pappy was so

  close that he had to pitch up sharply

  and literally jump over the destroy-

  er and turn around for another attack.

  Problem was that the last hit did not

  slow the destroyer down. Both Pappy’s

  wingmen evaluated the situation. The-

  re was time left only for a single attack

  until the destroyer will disappear in the

  fog so there was a radio message: “Pa-

  ppy, will you please get the hell out of

  the way and let us show you how a de-

  stroyer ought to be sunk.” Pappy’s re-

  sponse, properly censored and abbre-

  viated was like this: “OK, you knuckle

  heads, I wish this obscene crock ca-

  rried a few more rounds of ammuniti-

  on. I’d show you.”

  A pair then showered the vessel with

  bullets from their 24 0.5 inch machine

  guns and after that both Mitchells re-

  leased their 500 lb bombs. After they

  bounced off the water surface, they

  “bit” into the hull and the Japanese de-

  stroyer broke into halves. The second

  ship was destroyed by another for-

  mation and since there were no other

  targets left Mitchells set on the return

  journey. Both wingmen again made for-

  mation with Pappy’s aircraft and when

  the dozen of them approached Cape

  Gloucester with a small Japanese air-

  field Pappy spotted a transportation ai-

  rplane which had just landed. That was

  an opportunity to restore his tarnished

  reputation! Mitchell, which appeared

  right above the treetops, was a total

  surprise to the Japanese. The first of

  the two remaining 75 mm rounds hit the

  starboard engine of the Japanese air-

  craft, the second one the cockpit. The

  whole flight continued along the wes-

  tern coast of New Britain, flew over a

  herd of whales in Solomon Sea, copied

  the eastern coast of New Guinea and

  landed at Three Mile home base. The

  crews gathered with their reports in

  the operations room, but no one dared

  to say a word about Pappy’s misfortune

  while attacking a Japanese ship. They

  INFO Eduard18

  December 2022

• Page 19

  HISTORY

  knew too well that his response would

  be so toxic it could destroy the grass

  in the vicinity, even the whole jungle.

  Only one was brave enough to break

  the silence and carefully asked: “Lis-

  ten Pappy, did you see those whales in

  Solomon Sea which we flew over?”

  “Yeah, I did” countered Pappy. All of

  sudden his eyes lit, and he cleared his

  throat. The men already knew that he

  was getting ready to narrate one of

  his legendary stories and they circled

  around him.

  “You may not know but the whale is

  the most intelligent of all animals. Not

  only is she smart, but she is also frien-

  dly. She likes people and likes to help

  them out. Had not she been so huge

  she would have been an ideal home

  pet. Those whales today reminded me

  of the year 1930 when I flew with the

  Navy. It happened during the exercises

  near the northern coast of Haiti. I flew

  the catapult launches off the cruiser

  Omaha and conducted anti-submarine

  reconnaissance. One day at the altitu-

  de of five thousand feet and hundred

  miles from the aircraft carrier my en-

  gine suddenly seized. I was sure about

  the cause of the failure. You know, at

  that time the rubber hose connectors

  were used in the fuel system piping.

  Those old engines used to vibrate a lot

  and the engineers were afraid that the

  piping without such flexibility would

  break. Sometimes however the gas

  corroded the rubber and its pieces got

  into the piping or carburetor and clo-

  gged it. I knew what to do if I could land

  but when I looked at the roaring Atlan-

  tic it struck me that when I descended,

  I would be really lucky if after my lan-

  ding anything remains on which I could

  sit until they pick me up.

  I spiraled down and searched for a

  wave which would be smaller than

  the others when all of sudden I noti-

  ced the calm ridge between the waves.

  So, I touched down on that spot, nice-

  ly skidded on the surface and then a

  mild bump stopped me. Then I looked

  over the side what I bumped into and

  learned that I ended up on the whale’s

  back! I sat there for a while, but the

  whale did not move. So I asked myself:

  What is this supposed to mean? But I

  disembarked, stepped on the whale’s

  back, opened the engine hood, cle-

  aned the carburetor and fuel piping,

  installed new hose connectors which I

  carried in my pocket and closed every-

  thing. Then I pulled out the crank han-

  dle for an inertia starter, put one foot

  on the whale and another on the float

  and cranked the engine until the iner-

  tia starter gained enough RPMs.

  Then I quickly jumped into the cockpit,

  turned on the ignition and engaged

  the inertia starter clutch. The pro-

  peller turned, the engine started and

  that was it! Now the whale… Remem-

  ber what I said about how smart they

  were? She knew I was ready to take

  off! So, she carefully submerged and

  refrained from flapping the tail so as

  not to hit the airplane. Some hundred

  feet in front of me she emerged again,

  turned against the wind, and created a

  smooth wave on which I could take off

  and return to Omaha.”

  Pappy stopped talking, looked around,

  grinned, and waited for the applause

  which followed of course.

  Then he turned around and said: “I

  think I should check out if Sgt. Evans

  have prepared my plane for another

  mission”. Having said that he left the

  operations room…

  The whole paragraph was shortened

  and adopted from the book The Saga of

  Pappy Gunn written by General George

  C. Kenney.

  Photo: US Navy

• Page 20

  Photo: Maxar Technologies

  We left operations in Ukraine in the pre-

  vious part of this series when the Armed

  Forces of Ukraine entered Lyman in the

  northeast of the country on October 1.

  After several successful operations in the

  Kharkiv region, Ukrainian troops paused

  for a while to replenish forces, resupply

  and, last but not least, to collect captured

  equipment left behind by fleeing enemies.

  This allowed the Russian side time to con-

  solidate as well and fighting in the region

  thus continued with alternating success

  throughout November along the road be-

  tween Svatove and Kreminna.

  Stiff fighting also took place over Bakhmut

  in the Donetsk region, which the Russians

  have been trying in vain to capture since

  August. A Wagner’s mercenary group is

  very active there. The Russian advance has

  been extremely slow, despite great efforts.

  On Monday October 24, the Ukrainians

  even launched a successful local coun-

  ter-attack and temporarily pushed the

  Russians out of the factories on the eastern

  outskirts of the city. Most of this, however,

  took place in the south of Ukraine. On the

  very next day after the liberation of Ly-

  man, on the opposite side of the front line,

  Ukrainian troops also moved in Kherson

  Oblast. They attacked from two directions

  on October 2, and along the Dnieper River

  they managed to break through the front

  lines. In two days, they advanced about 40

  km and liberated dozens of villages. From

  several of them Russians preferred to wi-

  thdraw as they were in danger of being

  surrounded.

  Putin’s pride down

  The Kerch Bridge explosion early on Thur-

  sday morning, October 6, posed major

  problems for supplies to Russian troops

  in southern Ukraine. This bridge from Ru-

  ssia to occupied Crimea was under con-

  struction between 2016 and 2019 and was

  opened personally by Russian President

  Putin. The road section is 16.9 km long and

  the railway section is 18.1 km long. To this

  day, it is unclear what exactly happened to

  the bridge. According to the Russian side,

  a truck that was crossing towards Crimea

  exploded. They documented this with both

  video and X-ray footage showing a semi-

  -trailer loaded with explosives. However,

  two things do not fit in the Russian version

  – the different number of axles of the truck

  on the video and on the X-ray image, plus

  the logic does not fit, either – why would

  anyone let onto a bridge a truck in which

  they see explosives when they check for

  it? And then the Kremlin is surprised that

  nobody believes their fairy tales ...

  According to another version, a naval dro-

  ne exploded under the bridge. Ukraine,

  however, does not claim responsibility

  for the attack. Anyway, the huge explos-

  ion caused two spans of the road bridge

  at the site of the blast to collapse into the

  sea, and a little further on, tremors caused

  a third span to fall as well. At the time of

  the explosion, on the adjacent railroad

  bridgethere was a train of tankers, which

  began to burn. It took several hours to ex-

  tinguish the ensuing fire. The rails melted

  in the process and the bridge structure

  was also severely affected by the fire.

  Although Russia claimed that the bridge

  was only lightly damaged and traffic was

  immediately restored, the opposite is true.

  Half of the road bridge in one direction

  stayed intact, but only cars were allowed

  HISTORY

  In the previous section, we dealt mainly with the Ukrainian offen-

  sives in Kherson and Kharkiv regions. Furthermore, in the period

  from October 1 to November 1, a great deal happened in Ukraine.

  In addition to the ongoing ground counter-offensive, there have

  been attacks on the Kerch bridge linking occupied Crimea with

  Russia and on the naval base at Sevastopol. Russia, for its part,

  is attacking Ukraine’s energy infrastructure from afar, but is pu-

  lling up short on the front.

  Text: Miro Barič

  Air war

  over Ukraine

  The hot autumn

  INFO Eduard20

  December 2022

• Page 21

  Photo: Maxar Technologies

  Photo: Ukrainian military's Strategic

  Communications Directorate

  Photo: Maxar TechnologiesPhoto: Twitter

  Satellite images of the damaged bridge taken by Maxar Technologies.

  HISTORY

  on it, while trucks had to use the ferries.

  This caused major congestion and supply

  problems for Crimea and, consequently,

  for the Kherson region. Trains are also ru-

  nning in a restricted mode.

  The severe damage to the bridge is most

  evidenced by the terms of repair, which

  were later made public by the Russian side.

  After replacing the collapsed spans of the

  road bridge in one direction, they will also

  replace the opposite direction spans that

  were left standing. This suggests that the

  tremors of the explosion affected them as

  well. Then the repair of the burnt railway

  bridge will begin, which will last until at

  least September 2023.

  Russian revenge

  Russia’s reaction was not long in coming.

  On Sunday, October 9, Putin accused

  Ukraine of terrorism in connection with

  the bridge explosion. It was Russia, ho-

  wever, which had set a precedent with its

  attacks on bridges – in April and May it

  repeatedly shelled with missiles the stra-

  tegic Zatoka bridge, which runs over the

  mouth of the Dniester and connects Ode-

  ssa with the Romanian border. Moreover,

  the bridge to Crimea is a legitimate mili-

  tary target according to the Ukrainians, al-

  though they have not yet claimed respon-

  sibility for damaging it. All the troops that

  invaded southern Ukraine on February 24

  passed over it, and reinforcements, fuel

  and ammunition for the Russian troops

  The Kerch bridge leading to Crimea burns after an explosion on the morning of October 6.

  The wreckage of an Iranian Shahed-136 drone shot

  down by Ukrainian air defenses.

  INFO Eduard

  21

  December 2022

• Page 22

  Photo: Russian Defense Ministry Press ServicePhoto: Russian Defense Ministry Press Service Photo: Russian Defense Ministry Press Service

  occupying the Kherson and Zaporozhye

  regions were also supplied this way. The

  subsequent Russian attacks on Ukrainian

  towns and cities could more accurately be

  described as terrorism. On Monday, Octo-

  ber 10, during the morning rush hour, Kiev

  and other major cities across the country,

  from Kharkiv to Lviv, were the target of

  a massive attack. The Russians used crui-

  se missiles, but mainly Iranian Shahed-136

  kamikaze drones. In total, they fired about

  90 of them. More than half of them were

  defused by Ukrainian air defenses. A vi-

  deo has even emerged in which one Sha-

  hed-136 was shot down by a police unit

  with Kalashnikovs.

  The first attacks came during the mor-

  ning rush hour, when people were going

  to work and children were going to school.

  Power stations and electricity substations

  were mainly hit, causing power outages in

  several cities. Water also stopped flowing

  as pumps were left without electricity. In

  addition, 'strategic' targets such as the

  playground, the crossroads in front of the

  university, the pedestrian bridge and the

  German consulate building were also hit.

  At least three cruise missiles fired from

  ships in the Black Sea flew over the terri-

  tory of Moldova, which therefore summo-

  ned the Russian ambassador.

  Boosting the air defense

  Such attacks continued throughout the rest

  of the month. If by chance there was a lull

  for a few days, another large wave of ka-

  mikaze drones and cruise missiles would

  soon arrive. Despite the partial successes

  of the air defense, some of the projectiles

  always get through, and Ukraine’s energy

  infrastructure is being systematically de-

  structed. The result is widespread power,

  water and heating cuts.

  However, one of the consequences of the

  massive Russian attacks is the accelera-

  tion of the delivery of air defense systems

  from the West. Germany announced early

  deliveries immediately after the first ma-

  jor airstrike on October 10 and by Saturday

  October 15 the first of the four promised

  IRIS

  -

  T systems was already in Ukraine.

  The IRIS

  -

  T missiles were developed by

  a German-led group of NATO states as

  a replacement for the Sidewinder missi-

  les. First appearing as an air-to-air mi-

  ssile in 2005, they developed a surface-to-

  -air version in 2015. Ukraine received the

  IRIS

  -

  T SLM version with a range of 40 km

  and altitude reach up to 20 km. In addition

  to aircraft, it can destroy cruise missiles,

  ground target missiles and has a high su-

  ccess rate against maneuvering drones.

  The system was immediately deployed in

  southern Ukraine, making it the first coun-

  try in the world to use it operationally.

  Deliveries of the new NASAMS anti-air-

  craft systems have also been accelera-

  ted by the United States. Two of the eight

  Russian 9K33 Osa (SA-8 Gecko) system.

  Russian ships launch cruise missiles at Ukrainian cities.

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard22

  December 2022

• Page 23

  Photo: Twitter Photo: Twitter

  promised systems were on their way to

  Ukraine during October. Britain has pro-

  mised to supply Ukraine with additional

  missiles for NASAMS. France, Italy, Spain,

  Canada and the Netherlands have also

  promised to supply surface-to-air missi-

  les or radars.

  Attacks in the rear

  While Russia shelled civilian infrastructu-

  re all month long, at the end of the repor-

  ting period the Ukrainians managed two

  hussar stunts in the form of attacks on mi-

  litary bases deep in the Russian rear. First

  was a combined naval and aerial drone

  attack on the port of Sevastopol in occu-

  pied Crimea in the early hours of Saturday

  October 29.

  According to an official Russian statement,

  nine drones and seven remotely controlled

  boats loaded with explosives attacked Se-

  vastopol. All the flying drones were to be

  shot down and the kamikaze craft light-

  ly damaged one minesweeper. However,

  several large columns of black smoke

  were rising from the harbor. These were

  explained by the Russian side as part of

  a “planned exercise”. Ukraine has not offi-

  cially claimed responsibility for the attack,

  but local media reported two to four ships

  were hit. Videos from the cameras of the

  attacking kamikaze boats have also been

  released, according to which at least two

  ships were hit – in addition to the mine-

  sweeper Ivan Golubets, whose damage

  was also admitted by the Russians, it was

  supposed to be the frigate Admiral Maka-

  rov. The latter became the new flagship

  Ukrainian Mi-24P helicopter with two 30 mm caliber cannons. Similar eyes appeared painted on the Mi-8.

  Footage of columns of smoke over the port of Sevastopol after a drone strike on Oct. 29 has emerged on social media.

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard

  23

  December 2022

• Page 24

  Photo: Russian Defense Ministry Press Service

  Photo: Russian Defense Ministry Press Service Photo: Ukrainian Defense Ministry Press Service

  Photo: Russian Defense Ministry Press Service

  of the Black Sea Fleet after the sinking of

  the cruiser Moskva. The 125 m long vessel,

  with a full displacement of 4,000 tons, has

  a crew of 200 and carries a 100 mm caliber

  gun, eight launchers for Kalibr, Oniks or

  Zirkon missiles and 24 launchers for anti-

  -aircraft missiles.

  Subsequent satellite imagery revealed da-

  mage to three ships. The third one would

  be Makarov’s sister ship, the frigate Ad-

  miral Essen. One of the damaged frigates,

  supposedly the Admiral Makarov, had to

  be towed by tugboats from the open sea in

  front of the harbor to the pier. The situation

  was also captured by satellite imagery.

  Whatever the outcome of the attack, it

  showed that the Russian fleet is vulnerab-

  le. After all, bases should be heavily de-

  fended, especially in wartime, and just ge-

  tting inside is a feat. Russia has obligingly

  branded it an act of terrorism. However,

  the targets of the attack were warships,

  which routinely shell Ukrainian cities with

  Kalibr missiles. Which of these is closer to

  the definition of terrorism?

  The second Ukrainian action, although

  significantly smaller in scale, was all the

  more audacious. It did not involve any

  remotely piloted unmanned vehicles. Al-

  though Ukraine again has not officially

  claimed responsibility, it was most likely

  carried out by its special forces. The day

  after the attack on Sevastopol, on Sun-

  day October 30, they infiltrated the Russi-

  an military airfield at Veritye in the Pskov

  region. The base is located 500 km north

  of the Ukrainian border and 110 km east

  of Latvia. It is home to the 15th Briga-

  de of the Army Air Force, which is equi-

  pped with a wide range of helicopters – it

  has 16 Mi-8 MTV-5 transport helicopters,

  12 Ka-52 attack helicopters, as well as 12

  Mi-28N attack helicopters. It also uses ol-

  der Mi-35M, Mi-8 MTPR-1s for electronic

  warfare, and giant Mi-26 transports. The

  Ukrainian commandos infiltrated there in

  broad daylight without anyone trying to

  stop them. Its members calmly planted

  charges and even videotaped themselves

  while doing so. Subsequent explosions

  destroyed two Ka-52s and one Mi-28N.

  This was confirmed by satellite images.

  Two other helicopters wereto be damaged.

  Russian media reported that one helico-

  pter was subsequently found to contain

  a 400 gram TNT charge which, for an unk-

  nown reason, did not explode.

  Ukrainian losses

  Following intensive ground operations, air

  power was similarly heavily deployed on

  both sides. Thus, losses of aviation equip-

  ment did not occur only as a result of com-

  mando raids on airbases in the enemy rear.

  A Ukrainian Su-27 from the 39th Tactical

  Air Force Brigade was shot down near the

  village of Shishaki in the Poltava region on

  October 10. Its pilot, Colonel Oleg Shupik,

  was killed at the age of 56. He had left the

  Ukrainian Air Force in 2006 and worked at

  the Ministry of Transportation but returned

  to the Armed Forces on the day of the

  Russian invasion on February 24.

  Two days later, on Wednesday October

  10, another Ukrainian aircraft was shot

  down in the same area near the village of

  Shishaki. This time it was supposed to be

  a Sukhoi Su-24MR with the designation

  “yellow 59”. It was attacking enemy forti-

  fied targets and after dropping bombs was

  hit by a Russian fighter on its return. The

  pilots tried to bring the damaged aircraft

  to the nearest airfield but failed. One of

  them survived the crash, but the other pi-

  lot was killed. Later, information appeared

  in the Russian media that this Su-24 had

  been shot down by a MiG-31 fighter jet.

  These are increasingly being used by the

  Russian air force to launch long-range

  attacks using R-37 missiles against Ukrai-

  nian aircraft.

  On the same day, October 12, the Ukrai-

  nian Air Force also lost one MiG-29 near

  the town of Vinnytsia in central Ukraine.

  Its pilot shot down a Shahed-136 kamikaze

  drone, but after its explosion a fragment

  The Russian side has released footage of its Su-25s during combat flights.

  The wreckage of a Russian Kh-101 missile that was shot down near

  Chernihiv on October 19.

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard24

  December 2022

• Page 25

  Photo: Twitter Photo: Kooperativ Telegram Channel

  Photo: Twitter

  of the drone hit the cockpit of the fighter.

  The pilot had to eject. The last confirmed

  Ukrainian loss in the reporting period was

  an Mi-8 helicopter that crashed on October

  31 near the Ukrainian-controlled village of

  Konstantinovka in the Donetsk region. The

  wreckage on the ground was completely

  burnt up, but the crew escaped, according

  to Ukrainian sources.

  Russian losses and accidents

  Less fortunate was the crew of a Russi-

  an Mi-8MTKO helicopter that crashed on

  the same day, Monday October 31, near the

  village of Spirne in the Donetsk region. It

  was a machine that had been delivered

  from Belarus and was to be used by the

  mercenary Group Wagner. Shortly after

  take-off, the helicopter was hit by a MAN-

  PADS rocket, caught fire and flipped after

  it hit the ground.

  At least two Ka-52 helicopters were also

  lost during the reporting period, and the

  wreckage of one Mi-24 was found in the

  Kharkiv region. The Ukrainians have also

  claimed the downing of several other he-

  licopters and Su-25s, but this has not yet

  been confirmed.

  However, the number of Russian aircraft

  lost in accidents continued to rise. The in-

  tensive combat deployment is reflected in

  the lack of maintenance and subsequent

  technical failures that have caused at least

  two of the four recorded crashes.

  First, on October 9, an unarmed Su-24,

  which was on a training flight, made an

  emergency landing in a field near the

  settlement of Sibirki in Russia’s Rostov

  Region. The aircraft caught fire, but both

  crew members escaped. The cause of the

  accident is believed to be a technical fai-

  lure.

  On the same day, a Su-25 crashed in the

  Rostov Region. It happened near the village

  of Rogalik, 30 km from the Millerovo mili-

  tary airport. In this case, the pilot did not

  manage to eject and was killed. According

  to Russian media, he was trying to pull the

  aircraft as far as possible from the houses

  of the settlement near which it crashed.

  A major tragedy occurred on Monday

  October 17 in the Russian town of Yeysk on

  the coast of the Sea of Azov. Just 70 km as

  the crow flies on the opposite shore of the

  sea lies Mariupol, which was razed to the

  ground by Russian troops in the first mon-

  ths of the war. A Su-34 bomber crashed

  into a block of flats in Yeiisk shortly after

  take-off. It was supposed to fly a training

  flight. Both pilots ejected just before im-

  pact. One of them testified that one of the

  twin engines started to burn during take-

  -off. Russian investigators consider the

  most likely theory to be that it collided with

  birds during take-off. The impact of the

  fuel-laden machine sparked a huge fire

  in the nine-storey apartment building. At

  least three people died after jumping out

  of a window rather than stay in the flames.

  A total of 15 people died, including three

  children.

  A similar accident was repeated six days

  later in Irkutsk, Siberia. There, a Sukhoi

  Su-30 fighter jet crashed on houses on

  October 23. According to official state-

  ments of the Russian authorities, the air-

  craft was on a test flight after being re-

  paired. Su-30 fighter jets are produced in

  Irkutsk. The aircraft crashed to the ground

  almost perpendicularly and both pilots pe-

  rished. Although several houses were hit,

  no one on the ground was killed this time.

  It is speculated that this time the cause

  of the accident was a malfunction on the

  oxygen system, which caused both pilots

  to lose consciousness.

  A video of the crash of the Su-25, which

  occurred back in June, also emerged du-

  ring the reporting period. However, the vi-

  deo footage from the pilot’s helmet camera

  has become very popular because it is re-

  ally action-packed. Only 15 seconds pass

  from the start of the ejection to the pilot’s

  parachute hitting the ground. The accident

  happened on June 17 near Belgorod. The

  pilot caught a power line during a low fli-

  ght and cut off half of the vertical fin. The

  crashed aircraft bore the designation “Red

  09” and the registration number RF-91965.

  It also had the letter V on its tail.

  In October, a video surfaced showing the crash of a Russian Su-25 "Red 09" near Belgorod back on June 17.

  The moment a Su-34 crashes into a residential building in the Russian city of Yeysk. The parachute of one of the pilots

  can be seen on the right.

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard

  25

  December 2022

• Page 26

  Among the promising young NCOs who

  served in Jagdgeschwader 2 “Richthofen” in

  1940 was Feldwebel Erich Rudorffer. At the

  end of 1939 he was assigned to 2./JG 2 and

  during the campaign in France he achieved

  nine victories. He added more in the Battle

  of Britain and the highlight of this period was

  three kills scored in one combat sortie on

  September 7, 1940.

  The number of his victories stopped at

  eighteen, just two bars away from the dre-

  am number of twenty that for Bf 109 pilots

  in 1940 meant the award of the Knight's

  Cross. This award awaited Rudorffer on May

  1, 1941, after he had shot down a Blenheim 30

  km north of the island of Jersey on 21 April.

  Let’s go back to the Battle of Britain and the

  boxart of Rudorffer’s “Black Nine” by Marek

  Ryś. It depicts Rudorffer’s plane during a

  dogfight that took place on September 30,

  1940, off the English coast. This was the

  Luftwaffe’s last major air raid against Gre-

  at Britain. It deployed 163 day bombers and

  1015 sorties by single and two-seat fighters.

  This number of fighter sorties was the sixth

  highest on the German side during the Battle

  of Britain.

  The last day of September brought Rudorffer

  three flights, the highest number he flew in

  a single day during the Battle of Britain.

  In the morning, he took off with part of

  I/JG 2 for a free hunt over the coast of sou-

  thern England. The same task was also given

  to the 109s from parts of JG 53 and the 110s

  from ZG 26. Against this free hunting group,

  which was heading for the area between

  St. Alban's Head and the Isle of Portland,

  RAF despatched seven Hurricanes from

  No. 56 Sqn and thirteen Spitfires from

  No. 609 (West Riding) Sqn.

  The Hurricanes clashed with the 110s and

  both sides lost one machine. Then JG 2 got

  in troubles, its pilots encountering No. 609

  Sqn, whose A Flight was led by L/Lt F. J.

  Howell and B Flight was under command of

  P/O M. J. Appleby. The Germans claimed four

  victories. Kommandeur of I./JG 2 Hptm. Wick

  claimed one Hurricane and one Spitfire near

  Portland, his wingman Oblt. Rudolf Pflanz

  claimed one Spitfire and Uffz. Kurt Bühlin-

  gen of 6./JG 2 claimed another one north

  of Portland. However, the British did not lose

  any machines. The pilots of JG 2, who were

  by this point (approximately 12.30 German

  time) beginning to run out of fuel and could

  not engage in a long air battle.

  Howell's formation was at 23,000ft to Apple-

  by's right at the start of the engagement, but

  in a fierce encounter they recorded no victo-

  ries or losses. The first success was recor-

  ded by P/O D. M. Crook of B Flight. Several

  109's passed directly in front of him, there

  was a brief manoeuvre fight, and then the

  Germans went into a dive. Crook was flying

  behind one at 600 mph when the German le-

  velled off, Crook scored hits and the smoke

  emitting Bf 109 crashed into the sea.

  Appleby attacked three Bf 109s that passed

  in a descent in the opposite direction on his

  left. He chased one, which went into a dive,

  and Appleby hit it in the cockpit with a two-

  -second burst. At that moment P/O Crook

  was flying behind Appleby and observed

  his victory. Crook then saw another Bf 109

  to his right, hit it too, the German jettisoned

  the canopy but did not bail out and began

  to dive into the sea. But to Crook’s surpri-

  se, his opponent levelled the flight. Crook

  hit him again, the glycol came out of the

  machine and the German crashed into the

  sea. Another airman from No. 609 Sqn clai-

  med one Bf 109 damaged and one of the two

  Polish members of that unit, F/O Tadeusz

  Nowierski, reported a probable kill.

  On the German side, Rudorffer’s colleague

  Fw. Wilhelm Hermes, an ace with ten kills,

  was missing. In the same battle (?), Gefr.

  Fritz Schuhmacher of 5./JG 2, went also

  missing. The following flight of I./JG 2 im-

  mediately headed for the area in a fruitless

  effort to find Hermes. In the afternoon Ru-

  dorffer took off once more. JG 2 again came

  into combat with No. 609 Sqn, which again

  emerged victorious. Nowierski apparently

  shot down Uffz. Alois Dollinger of 5./JG 2 and

  several other pilots scored too.

  Rudorffer was lucky to survive both encoun-

  ters with the elite pilots of the West Riding

  Spitfires. By the end of the war, he had clai-

  med a total of 224 aerial victories and was

  awarded the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaf

  Cluster and Swords. However, there were

  already serious doubts about his victories,

  which he achieved in command positions

  with several units during the war.

  BOXART STORY #7032

  Text: Jan Bobek

  Illustration: Marek Ryś

  Against the West Riding Spitfires

  INFO Eduard26

  December 2022

• Page 27

  #84184

  BOXART STORY

  The raid on Berlin on February 3, 1945, was

  the largest ever carried out by the 8th Air

  Force on the German capital during World

  War II. Some 1,500 bombers participated,

  their target were trains moving the Wehr-

  macht’s 6 Panzer Army to the Eastern

  Front. Among the bomber escorts were fi-

  ghters from the “Double Nickel”, as was the

  55th FG nicknamed, under the command

  of Lt. Col. Elwyn Righetti. On the return,

  Righetti left some of the fighters with the

  bombers, while the others were given per-

  mission to disembark and look for targets

  on the ground. The weather, however, was

  unfavorable, low clouds and ground haze

  making it difficult to search for these. “Near

  Boizenburg on the Elbe River, I located

  a small, clear hole in the otherwise unbro-

  ken undercast. In this hole there were two

  locomotives. I called them in and started

  down, needing only one ninety-degree turn

  to starboard to set me up in firing positi-

  on,” Righetti said later. Visibility under the

  low cloud layer was poor, and in places the

  base dropped below 500 ft. As Righetti was

  giving instructions to three other pilots to

  attack the locomotives, he saw strange ob-

  jects passing below him on the left. A trio of

  Mistel “flying bombs” were trying to slip at

  a low-level! The machines that met the four

  American fighters that day were training

  versions of this strange bombing “creatu-

  re”: one Mistel S1, combining a Ju 88A and

  a Bf 109F, and two Mistels S2, combining

  a Ju 88 and an Fw 190A. Righetti, flying

  his famous “Katydid” (CL

  -

  M; 44-14223),

  attacked the Mistel S1 with his wingman

  2/Lt. Richard Gibbs in a Mustang named

  “Cherry” (CY

  -

  Q; 44-14175). The leader of the

  second pair was 1/Lt Bernard Howes, who

  was backed up by 1/Lt. Patrick Moore on

  P-51D “Lil Jan” (CY

  -

  Y; 44-14235). They

  swooped down on one of the Mistels S2.

  “I broke rapidly left and up in a 200-degree

  chandelle, positioning myself on the tail of

  the middle one. I started firing at 500 to 600

  yards, 30 degrees angle off, and missed two

  short bursts. As I swung into trail and clo-

  sed to point-blank range firing a long burst,

  I saw many excellent strikes on the fuse-

  lage and empennage of the large aircraft

  and scattered strikes and a small fire on

  the fighter.” The two-aircraft combination

  went into a steep dive and Righetti overrun

  it, losing it from sight. “I did not actually see

  them crash, but five or ten seconds later

  I observed a large explosion and spotted

  considerable burning wreckage. Still not

  realizing just what we were attacking, but

  feeling that I had destroyed one complete

  unit, I turned slightly port for another,” he

  said.

  The comparison of the reports shows that

  Righetti’s second target was the Mistel,

  which at that moment had already been

  attacked by Howes. The latter stated that

  after several hits the Fw 190 broke away

  from the bomber, it went into climb and

  then crashed. Howes lost sight of Ju 88 but

  it was hit by Moore. “As I was closing to fire,

  the heavy aircraft seemed to be jettisoned,

  went into a shallow diving turn to the left,

  and crashed and burned in a small hamlet,”

  reported Righetti and testified more or less

  Howes’ words. Righetti then focused on the

  detached Fw 190, which he fired at from the

  rear. “Jerry went out of control and crashed

  straight ahead. At this point I noticed a few

  tracers too close and coming from behind.”

  The shots were likely fired by Howes, who

  was targeting the same Focke-Wulf as

  Righetti. Not surprisingly, after the action,

  American fighters claimed a total of four

  Ju 88s and even five Fw 190s! In any case,

  Howes also pounced on the last Mistel.

  After two attacks, he set the Fw 190 on fire,

  then the Ju 88, and both exploded on im-

  pact.

  As these were training Mistels, there

  were pilots on board the Ju 88s. Accor-

  ding to German records, these were

  Fw. Willi Kollhoff, Ofhr. Franz Pietschmann and

  Fw. Fritz Lorbach. All from the 6th/KG 200.

  Pietschmann was shot down and died, Lor-

  bach managed to land the burning aircraft

  in the woods and miraculously survived, the

  emergency landing saved Kollhoff’s life as

  well. On the other hand, all three fighter pi-

  lots perished. Elwyn Righetti was hit by flak

  on April 17 while strafing the Riesa-Canitz

  airfield south of Dresden. After an emer-

  gency landing, he reported that he was fine

  except for a broken nose. And that was

  the last news of him. What happened then

  remains a mystery to this day...

  Text: Richard Plos

  Illustration: Piotr Forkasiewicz

  Strange targets

  INFO Eduard

  27

  December 2022

• Page 28

  On June 4, 1944, ground personnel from

  all three Czechoslovak squadrons of

  No. 134 (Czechoslovak) Wing applied white

  and black invasion stripes to the wings and

  fuselages of their Spitfires. With only two

  days to go until one of the biggest events

  of World War II, the Allied landing in

  Normandy, the paint job was to ensure the

  aircraft were quickly identified to avoid be-

  ing shot by stressed Allied ground troops

  or their own aircraft.

  The flying commander of No. 134 (Czecho-

  slovak) Wing during Operation Overlord

  was Wing Commander Tomáš Vybíral while

  the ground operations and administrative

  commander of the unit was Wing Com-

  mander Jan Čermák. Although he had not

  flown operationally regular missions for ei-

  ghteen months and was not obliged by his

  position to conduct operational flights, as

  a former commander of No. 312 Squadron

  he still occasionally led the unit into several

  actions himself. One of these was the action

  of June 8, 1944, portrayed by Antonis Kari-

  dis on a boxart of the kit of a Spitfire Mk.IXc.

  On that day, No.134 (Czechoslovak) Wing

  was patrolling over the eastern beach

  at Caen as a part of operation Neptune.

  No. 312 Squadron was on the east flank

  of the patrol when it received a report of

  enemy aircraft in the vicinity. At that mo-

  ment, a routine Czechoslovak fighter missi-

  on over Sword Beach turned into a major

  air battle. In the process, the pilots sca-

  ttered a formation of a dozen Focke-Wulfs

  Fw 190A tasked with bombing a beach

  crowded with Allied troops and equipment.

  The result was three destroyed and five

  damaged German fighters with no Spitfire

  lost. The personal report of W/Cdr Čer-

  mák recounts the course of the battle itself:

  “I was flying BLUE 1 in 312 squadron on

  patrol on the east flank of the beaches at

  3000 ft. At 1330 we were turning 10 mi-

  les N.E. of Caen when I saw black smoke

  from bomb bursts on the beach. About six

  Fw 190 then flew south from this position at

  2,000 feet climbing to cloud. I dived down

  on one of them coming astern at 500 yards.

  As I closed to 350 I gave a very short burst.

  He at once climbed more steeply and at

  3,000 bailed out near Mezidon. I now turned

  on a second giving a short burst from 400

  yards decreasing. Black smoke came under

  the fuselage from the engine. The E/A then

  disappeared into cloud. I claim one Fw 190

  destroyed and 1 Fw 190 damaged.”

  The scene on the boxart thus depicts the

  Spitfire breaking away from the second

  stricken Fw 190A, which, according to Čer-

  mák’s report, was on fire and found sal-

  vation in the clouds. In addition to the two

  successes mentioned above, F/O Otto Smik

  (No. 310 Sqn) and Sgt. Vítězslav Angetter

  (No. 312 Sqn) each recorded one enemy

  destroyed. Two damaged were attributed

  to F/O Vladimír Kopeček, and one each

  to W/O Antonín Škach and F/O František

  Mlejnecký. The Spitfire MK244 with fuse-

  lage code DU

  -

  Z, which W/Cdr Čermák flew

  during this action, was the personal air-

  craft of F/O Jaroslav Šodek, who was flying

  it regularly from February to June 1944.

  Jaroslav Šodek, a native of Silesian Ostra-

  va, had already fought in France in CG III/9

  and CG III/7, then with the Czechoslovak

  GCI/6 group. He became a member of the

  RAF on July 27, 1940, with the rank of Air-

  man 2nd Class. He was than promoted to

  the rank of Sergeant on September 1 and

  started conversion on British aircraft. His

  route to No. 312 Squadron was via Nos.

  32 and 258 Squadron. He served with No.

  312 Squadron until February 1945, when he

  was reassigned to No. 410 OTU with the

  rank of Flight Lieutenant. There he beca-

  me Squadron Leader and then served as

  a flight instructor at No. 57 and No. 58 OTU.

  He achieved one kill during the war and af-

  ter return home he served in the restored

  Czechoslovak Air Force. Political develo-

  pments forced him to emigrate to the UK

  for a second time and he spent the rest of

  his life there, passing away in 2002. After

  1989 he was promoted to the rank of Major

  General retired.

  His Spitfire MK244 was taken over by

  No. 602 Squadron “City of Glasgow” on July

  6, and on August 15, 1944, the MK244 was

  hit by the ubiquitous flak near Bernay. Its

  pilot, F/Lt A. R. Stewart, bailed out and

  was rescued by parachute. However, some

  sources state that he was accidentally shot

  down by an Allied P-51 Mustang.

  BOXART STORY

  Text: Michal Krechowski

  Illustration: Antonis Karydis

  Landings protection

  #7466

  INFO Eduard28

  December 2022

• Page 29

  BOXART STORY

  The legendary JV 44 under the command

  of Adolf Galland flew most of its operations

  in the south of Germany from the base at

  Munich-Riem. Through April 1945, the unit’s

  pilots racked up some sixty kills. The role of

  the unit in terms of results is negligible but

  is significant in terms of illustrating the in

  -

  credible conditions that existed in the Third

  Reich at the end of the war.

  The jet powered Me 262 were most vulne

  -

  rable during take-off and landing. Aircraft

  of JV 44 were no different, because during

  low speeds, the Me 262 was more difficult

  to control, and the throttle had to be trea

  -

  ted with a gentle respect, or the result could

  be a stalled engine or a fire. During the final

  phases of the war, it was standard practice

  for jet aircraft to be covered by piston engi

  -

  ned planes during these critical flight pha-

  ses. As a result, JV 44 organized a protective

  flight using Fw 190 Ds under the leadership

  of Heino Sachsenberg, an ace with 104 kills.

  Sachsenberg was a logical choice. He cer

  -

  tainly didn’t lack bold nerve, and he had

  several year-long experience fighting fast

  flying enemy fighters at low altitudes. His pi

  -

  lots also had to contend with another danger

  - friendly ground fire. According to the me

  -

  moirs of Johannes Steinhoff, a good chunk

  of crews of the anti-aircraft artillery at Riem

  were women. There was no real effort to

  distinguish between friendly and enemy air

  -

  craft. The Me 262 did enjoy relative security

  in this respect due to its distinctive silhouet

  -

  te and engine noise. Perhaps this was why

  the bottom surfaces of the Doras of JV 44

  were painted red on the bottom, with white

  stripes.

  The duties of Sachsenberg’s protective flight

  were largely improvised. His pilots could

  -

  n’t communicate directly with the Me 262

  pilots. They simply took off and circled the

  field at low altitudes until the jets were sa

  -

  fely on their way. Usually, there were two

  Fw 190 Ds in the air, but, as an exception,

  Riem was circled by four.

  Problems began when the jets returned. For

  them to set down as quickly as possible, the

  -

  re must not have been anything in their way.

  The Focke-Wulfs always had to land before

  the Me 262s. This left their jet colleagues to

  land without the protective cover and depen

  -

  dant on their skill, luck and field AAA.

  Sachsenberg’s -190s were covered in their

  shelters at the northern edge of the air

  -

  field, and his pilots weren’t too close to the

  remaining JV 44 pilots. Up to now, there

  are five known Fw 190 Ds that served with

  JV 44. This is the case with Red ‘3’, which

  was assigned to Hptm. Waldemar Wübke.

  Apparently, this notorious prankster and

  Sachsenberg understood each other quite

  well, and on his aircraft, he reiterated the

  inscription from his previous aircraft as far

  back as 1940. The motto was "Im Auftra

  -

  ge der Reichsbahn", which translates as

  "on behalf…" or "by order of the Reichsbahn".

  This inscription, sometimes with a winged

  wheel, appeared on several Wübke´s air

  -

  craft. After an emergency landing in 1940,

  Wübke had to return to his unit by train, which

  caused his colleagues considerable amuse

  -

  ment. So, he made fun of himself with the in-

  scription. The design of the text on his Fw 190

  D-9 was not known for a long time. The first

  to publish conclusive photographs of Wüb

  -

  ke's Dora with the motto was the recently

  deceased American author, Jerry Crandall.

  In his last publication, Fighters of the Iron

  Cross, this author published a unique JV44

  document with a list of aircrew and their

  functions, identifying the fifth member of the

  Platzschutz flight. He was Major Wilhelm

  Steinmann, an ace with 44 victories and hol

  -

  der of the Knight's Cross. The inscription on

  his Fw 190 D-11 “Red 2” is not yet known. But

  I believe it will turn up in some collection or

  archive in years to come. Additional airmen

  who served in this protection flight were

  Lt. Karl-Heinz Hoffmann and Oblt. Klaus Fa-

  ber. Interestingly airman Bodo Dirschauer,

  who was speculated to have also served

  with the Sachsenberg flight, isn’t menti

  -

  oned at all in this document. The first time

  I wrote about JV 44 in Eduard INFO was in

  issue 06/2010 and the second time in issue

  11/2010. There is hardly anything to correct

  in the texts, but it is interesting to see how

  Eduard INFO magazine has changed in these

  12 years.

  I would like to take this opportunity to thank

  Jerry Crandall once again for his life's work,

  and I wish his wife Judy all the best in her

  continued editorship of Eagle Editions.

  Text: Jan Bobek

  Illustration: Antonis Karydis

  #8188

  By order of the Reichsbahn

  INFO Eduard

  29

  December 2022

• Page 30

  Luftwaffe command assessed in 1944 that

  it could no longer deploy twin-engine bom

  -

  bers for day operations, it wondered how to

  deal with the surplus crews. Several bom

  -

  ber units, including KG 6, were selected to

  have their pilots retrained on the Bf 109s

  and Fw 190s. From the end of the year they

  thus bore modified designations, in the case

  of the unit mentioned above it was KG(J) 6,

  the “J” standing for Jagd, a fighter unit. One

  of the Luftwaffe priorities was to use the

  experience of bomber pilots to fly in poor

  weather conditions. Their experience in

  operating twin-engine machines was also

  to serve as a good basis for eventually swit

  -

  ching KG(J) units to the Me 262 jets. At the

  same time, their aircraft received elements

  of the Luftwaffe rapid identification system,

  which was introduced in the second half of

  the war. In the case of KG(J) 6, these were

  black and red squares.

  The three KG(J) 6 Gruppen were conver

  -

  ted to single-engine fighters from the end

  of 1944 at Ruzyně (German: Prag-Rusin)

  and Kbely (Prag-Gbell) airfields in Prague.

  They also used the Klecany (Groß Kletzan)

  airfield north of Prague. The Kommodore

  of this Geschwader was Obstlt. Hermann

  Hogeback, who was a veteran of the Spa

  -

  nish Civil War and spent most of his war

  career with KG 6. He was shot down twice

  by a night fighter and became a recipient

  of the Knight's Cross with oak leave and

  swords.The I. and II. Gruppe of his unit were

  equipped with Messerschmitt Bf 109 G and

  K. The CO of I./KG(J) 6 was Major Ernst Ha-

  ller, a veteran of KG 26 “Löwen”. For most

  of the time II./KG(J) 6 was undergoing re

  -

  training for fighters, its CO was Hptm. Hans-

  -Joachim Faulhaber, who had previously

  served with KG 77 and was awarded the

  Knight's Cross. In 1942 he escaped night fi

  -

  ghter over England and returned with a da-

  maged plane. Faulhaber was replaced at the

  end of March 1945 by Hptm. Wilhelm Kun

  -

  ze, who had seen combat on the Western

  Front with KG 2 and was also shot down by

  a British fighter.

  For the boxart of this kit Piotr Forkasiewicz

  depicted the encounter that occurred north

  of Prague on 31 March 1945 between seven

  -

  teen airmen of KG(J) 6 and the same num-

  ber of pilots on P-51Ds from the 309th FS,

  31st FG. The American formation, led by the

  executive officer of the 31st Fighter Group

  Lt.Col. Fred C. Stoffel, spotted the 109s at

  2.00 pm over the Klecany airfield while fly

  -

  ing among the clouds at 6000 feet. Only two

  of the American airmen had downed aircraft

  in previous combats. There was confusion

  on the German side because after announ

  -

  cing visual contact with the Americans, the

  Germans were given a nonsensical order

  to land! The Mustangs pounced on the Me

  -

  sserschmitts flying below and a manoeuvre

  fight ensued from which the more experi

  -

  enced American pilots emerged victorious.

  They reported 18 kills, the Germans actu

  -

  ally lost nine machines. Four pilots were

  killed and three were wounded, belonging

  to the 2. and 4. Staffel of KG(J) 6. Comman

  -

  der of 4./KG(J) 6 Hptm. Erwin Zöllner was

  among those killed.

  Germans reported only one seriously da

  -

  maged Mustang, which is consistent with

  the fact that the 309th FS commander Maj.

  Simon H. Johnson Jr had to make an emer

  -

  gency landing with the damaged machine at

  a British-controlled airfield in Croatia. The

  rest of the unit returned safely to Mondolfo

  Air Base in Italy.

  A week after this encounter, the Luftwaffe

  command decided to disband Stab, I. and

  II./KG(J) 6, representing approximately 1,000

  Luftwaffe personnel. Some of the airmen

  were transferred to III./KG(J) 6, which was

  rearming with the Me 262 at Prague-Ruzyně

  and reached operational status in mid-April.

  However, its pilots had made limited combat

  engagements with the Me 262s in the prece

  -

  ding weeks. The number of jet aircraft of this

  unit hardly exceeded ten. Its mission was to

  intercept Allied four-engine bombers. In the

  last weeks of the war its airmen achieved

  a few more aerial victories. The unit conti

  -

  nued to operate almost until the last day of

  the war. It was involved in attacks on Red

  Army ground forces advancing from the

  northwest towards Prague and also in the

  fighting against the Prague Uprising. One

  of its last tasks was the defence of Ruzyně

  Airport against the units of General Vlasov's

  Russian Liberation Army (ROA), which had

  originally fought on the side of the Germans

  and briefly joined the Prague Uprising.

  BOXART STORY

  Text: Jan Bobek

  Illustration: Piotr Forkasiewicz

  #82119

  Squares against stripes

  INFO Eduard30

  December 2022

• Page 31

  Text: Josef Blažek

  The first volume of this series is dedica-

  ted to adhesives.

  The question of with what and exactly how

  to glue plastic models together is as old

  as the hobby itself. The answers change

  with the passage of time as technologies

  develop and along with them, trends. Cu-

  rrently, we find four types of adhesives

  that are front and centre in plastic model

  relevance:

  • Solvent based adhesives

  • Instant glues

  • Dispersion adhesives

  • Epoxy cements

  The method and range of use varies and

  it can generally be said that each of these

  types has their usefulness. It is essential

  to use the right adhesive for the right job.

  Here, we’ll focus on Solvent based adhe-

  sives, and so that the situation

  isn’t too simple, even they have

  their specific differences from

  brand to brand, despite our ge-

  neral focus on Mr. Hobby pro-

  ducts. Solvent based adhesives

  have no minimum film-forming

  temperature (as do dispersion

  types) and so no coalescen-

  ce process will be observed.

  After the application of the solvent, and

  its subsequent evaporation, signs of its

  presence will be left behind in the form

  of the polymer film. It is this polymer film

  that, thanks to its adhesive properties,

  is responsible for the bonding of parts

  together. Another type-specific effect

  of solvents on plastic is the etching

  of its surface. After the solvent compo-

  nent evaporates, we are left with a very

  solid and stable bond. The chemical pro-

  cess at work here leads to a cold weld,

  and it is necessary to use these adhesi-

  ves on materials that the adhesive is able

  to etch. In other words, they are able to

  chemically etch the material being glued.

  Solvent type adhesives are not effective

  on materials such as resins (polyuretha-

  I am christening a new series focusing on modelling che-

  mistry and tips associated therewith for both beginners

  and advanced modellers. We will guide you through the

  world of chemistry as it pertains to model technology

  from basic construction to surface treatment all the way

  through to finishing and weathering. We will assume the

  use of readily available materials with a certain amount

  of emphasis on Mr. Hobby (Gunze) products.

  Winner of international IPMS competitions in

  Master categories and multiple Czech Repub-

  lic IPMS champion. Author of articles in in-

  ternational magazines with worldwide reach

  (Military Illustrated Modeller, Cocardes In-

  ternational, ModellFan, Modelář). Co-author

  of modeling startup Plastic Invasion.

  JOSEF BLAŽEK

  CHEMISTRY

  INFO Eduard

  31

  December 2022

• Page 32

  nes) from cast or 3D printed items, me-

  tals, wood or paper. So now we’ll take

  a closer look at specific products and the

  differences between them. Solvent type

  adhesives can be categorized into two

  groups, universal and weld type.

  All of the solvent based adhesives descri-

  bed in this article come in sturdy glass

  containers with a screw type lid with an

  integrated brush applicator.

  UNIVERSAL ADHESIVES

  (BASIC)

  MC127 – Mr. Cement Deluxe

  Mr Cement Deluxe (or Mr. Cement,

  the same product in a smaller packaging)

  hails from the Mr. Hobby product line and

  is their best for gluing together large sur-

  faces but is still useful for small detail

  items, too. It is a low viscosity liquid, me-

  aning it flows easily and the time the sol-

  vent takes to evaporate is a little longer

  than that of Extra Thin types. Mr. Cement

  and Mr. Cement Deluxe (MC124/MC127)

  are applied to the contact surfaces of the

  components to be joined. The longer eva-

  poration time of the solvent allows the

  larger components being joined to be can-

  tered properly. For the joining of smaller

  parts, the same quality allows us to apply

  small quantities of the cement to the con-

  tact surface in preparation for placing the

  part in its final spot. This operation never

  takes more than a couple of seconds and

  the glue is ready to be applied throughout.

  WELDING SOLVENTS

  (BRUSH ON)

  MC129 – Mr. Cement S

  Mr. Cement S is an extra thin ‘Brush On’

  type material which obviously refers to

  its method of application. This involves

  the joining of the two components toge-

  ther and running along the joint with the

  solvent using the brush applicator. The

  solvent evaporates very quickly from the

  surface (the speed of which is comparab-

  le to acetone), but it remains within the

  joint long enough to optimally act ont the

  surfaces of contact to form a solid bond.

  Personally, I think that Mr. Cement S

  as the premiere extra thin product, which

  I would recommend among these types of

  products.

  MC131 – Mr. Cement SP

  Another member of the extra thin family

  of cements from Mr. Hobby is Mr. Cement

  SP. The SP stands for ‘Super Power’. This

  is a product that has the same roots as

  Mr. Cement S, but with a new recipe which

  yields a higher rate of drying and a corre-

  spondingly increased bond strength. It is

  well suited for stressed joints where we

  may want a faster bonding between parts

  and a higher strength to reduce the pro-

  bability of a failure. This product is ideal

  for wing to fuselage joints or for leading

  edges of the wings. The quicker evapora-

  tion time, though, requires the modeller

  to be efficient in the process as a whole,

  more so than with the use of MC129 – Mr.

  Cement S.

  MC 132 – Mr. Cement SP B

  The last type of Mr. Hobby extra thin ce-

  ment is Mr. Cement SP Black that direct-

  ly comes from Mr. Cement SP. It is cha-

  racterized by a very rapid drying time

  and high strength between joined parts.

  On top of that, it contains a black pigment

  which serves as a consistency indicator

  for greater application control. In rece-

  ssed panel lines and joints, it can map out

  crevices and scratches and provides an

  excellent opportunity to assess the sur-

  face quality of the model, indispensible for

  the fixup of details. I do not recommend

  the use of this product on white, or light,

  coloured surfaces because the adhesive

  may remain visible on the surface.

  Source: here.

  TECHNICAL ASPECTS OF

  SOLVENT BASED ADHESIVE

  APPLICATION

  The technical aspects of these types

  of glues are pretty simple in and of them-

  selves, with respect to their application.

  They can be separated into two methods,

  based on the type used.

  Thin glues (slightly higher viscosity,

  or thicker, than the extra thin variety with

  a longer solvent evaporation time) requi-

  re glue application to the join surface and

  then attach the parts together and, if ne-

  cessary, press the parts together.

  Extra thin glues differ in that the parts

  are first attached and the join is then

  glue applied. If we aim to seal the joint

  between the parts with the use of our

  extra thin (such as fuselage half joining,

  leading edges of wings, etc.) then the-

  re should be a small gap left between

  CHEMISTRY

  INFO Eduard32

  December 2022

• Page 33

  the parts. The glue is then applied and

  after about five seconds, the parts are

  pressed together. The pressing together

  will squeeze out redundant plastic which

  is then allowed to harden for 24 hours un-

  til it can be sanded smooth. This creates

  an excellent connection of the parts and

  the join line will be invisible on the kit.

  The biggest advantage to using solvent

  based glues is the strength of the joint

  and the neat join line that they provide

  with proper use. They are great for mo-

  dern kits with a high level of precision

  of molding, where the fit of parts is to

  a very high tolerance. Use of any other

  types of glues, notably cyanoacrylate types,

  could lead to problematic misalignment

  of parts, even if to a small degree.

  Solvent type adhesives are irreplace-

  able in the role that they fulfill in plastic

  modelling and should be at the disposal

  of every modeller, at least in the thin vari-

  ety as well as the extra thin, or ‘basic’ and

  ‘brush on’, and in greater versions as we

  have discussed here.

  Main Advantages to Mr. Hobby Solvent

  Based Adhesives

  • Bond strength

  • Clean joints

  • Application brush generally included

  • Speed of bonding

  • Use repetition

  • Low volume usage per application

  • Easy and precise application

  • Economical

  • Sturdy packaging

  • Long shelf life

  • Easy storage with no special

  requirements

  Main Disadvantages and Risks

  of Mr Hobby Solvent based Adhesives

  • Significant odor

  • Longer through and through

  curing time

  • Risk of failure of joint if too much

  is applied

  • Risk of surface etching where no

  adhesive is desired as a result

  of poor application

  CHEMISTRY

• Page 34

  #7032

  Bf 109E-3

  1/72

  ProfiPACK edition kit of German WWII

  fighter plane Bf 109E-3 in 1/72 scale.

  plastic parts: Eduard

  marking options: 6

  decals: Eduard

  PE parts: yes, pre-painted

  painting mask: yes

  resin parts: no

  Product page

  KITS 12/2022

  INFO Eduard34

  December 2022

• Page 35

  WNr. 1079, Ofw. Erich Rudorffer, 2./JG 2, Baumont-le-Roger, France, September 1940

  Oblt. August-Wilhelm Schumann, 5./JG 52, Mannheim-Sandhofen, Germany,

  November-December 1939

  WNr. 1380, Obstlt. Carl-Alfred Schumacher, CO of JG 1, Jever, Germany, early 1940

  Erich Rudorffer was assigned on November 1, 1939 to

  2./JG 2. He scored his first victory, a French Curtiss

  Hawk 75 fighter, on May 14, 1940 and added eight

  more victories during the Battle of France. By May 1,

  1941, Leutnant Rudorffer had achieved 19 victories, for

  which he was awarded the Knight’s Cross. In Novem

  -

  ber 1941 he was appointed commander of 6./JG 2 and

  in April 1943, during the fighting in Africa, he became

  commander of the entire II./JG 2. In the summer he

  briefly commanded IV./JG 54 on the Eastern Front

  and then until early 1945 he led II./JG 54. In January

  1945 Rudorffer became commander of I./JG 7 equi

  -

  pped with Me 262 jets. He was credited with a total

  of 222 victories and awarded the Knight's Cross with

  Oak leave and Swords. During the war he flew about

  1,000 combat sorties and is reported to have been

  shot down sixteen times. After the war, he flew DC-2

  and DC-3 transport aircraft in Australia, then worked

  for Pan Am and later was employed in Germany by

  the Lufthart Bundesamt.

  “Rabatz” Schumann was born in March 1915 in Berlin

  and after his pilot and fighter training served from

  October 1938 to July 1939 with the Legion Condor

  in Spain. Following brief service with I./JG 52 and

  II./JG 72, he was appointed commander of 5./JG 52

  in September 1939. His aircraft bore a non-stan-

  dard camouflage on upper surfaces. It was with this

  aircraft that Schumann probably achieved his first

  aerial victory in World War II. He shot down an ob

  -

  servation balloon at Weissenburg on November 8,

  1939. Schumann achieved a total of twenty victories,

  four of them in Spain. He was killed on the Eastern

  Front on September 6, 1941, south of Leningrad

  in a collision with another Bf 109.

  Carl-Alfred Schumacher was born in February 1896 in

  Rheine and fought as an artilleryman and later as a

  naval aviator during World War I. He attained the rank

  of Leutnant zur See and served aboard the floatplane

  carrier SMH Answald. In 1933 he joined the Luftwaffe and

  commanded several naval aviation units. In March 1939,

  Carl-Alfred Schumacher was promoted to Oberstleut-

  nant, at which time he commanded II./JG 77. After the

  German invasion of Poland in October 1939, he was appo-

  inted commander of the Jafü Deutsche Bucht to direct all

  fighter units stationed on the northern coast of Germany.

  On November 30, 1939, he was appointed the first com-

  mander of JG 1, stationed at Jever. Carl-Alfred Schuma-

  cher scored his first victory on December18, when he

  shot down one Wellington. His second victory came on

  December 27, that time a Blenheim was his victim. His

  aircraft sported the JG 1 emblem on the left side of the

  fuselage below the windshield, as well as the Kommo-

  dore marking consisting of chevron and two horizontal

  bars. In September 1941 Schumacher was appointed

  Jagdfliegerführer Norwegen, but on November 8 he acci-

  dentally shot down a Finnish de Havilland Dragon and

  was relieved of command consequently and served in

  various administrative positions until the end of the war.

  KITS 12/2022

  INFO Eduard

  35

  December 2022

• Page 36

  Obstlt. Max Ibel, CO of JG 27, Guines, France, September-October 1940

  WNr. 1271, Oblt. Helmut Henz, CO of 4./JG 77, Kristiandsand-Kjevik, Norway, September 1940

  This aircraft probably belonged to Kommodore

  of JG 27 and as a quick identification marking had

  a yellow engine cowling, following the rule introdu-

  ced on September 9, 1940. The pilot of the aircraft

  was probably Max Ibel. He was born in Munich in Ja

  -

  nuary 1896 and served in the Army Engineers and Air

  Service during the First World War. He did not retire

  after World War I and from August 1928 underwent

  extensive training at a secret military base in Lipet

  -

  sk, Russia. In the 1930s he commanded several flight

  schools and worked for RLM as well. From 1936 he

  changed several fighter units and starting from May

  1939 he was Kommodore of JG 3. In October 1939 he

  was appointed Kommodore of JG 27. He led the unit

  for one year including the Western Campaign and the

  Battle of Britain. In October 1940 he took command

  of Jagdfliegerschule 4, but in July 1941 he was appo

  -

  inted Jagdfliegerführer 3. In February 1942, during

  Operations Cerberus and Donnerkeil, he was a figh

  -

  ter liaison officer aboard the battleship Scharnhorst.

  In 1943 and 1944 he was commander of the Jagddi

  -

  vision 2. At the end of the war, he was captured at

  Tegernsee and subjected to extensive interrogations

  at Island Farm Camp. He was released in March 1948

  and joined the Bundesluftwaffe in October 1957, be

  -

  coming commander of the Luftverteidigungsdivision

  1. He retired in September 1964 and died in 1981.

  Helmut Henz was born in January 1911 in Berlin.

  After completing his pilot training and transferring to

  I./JG 136, Helmut Henz was sent to the Legion Condor

  to gain pilot experience in the fighting of the Spanish

  Civil War. The beginning of World War II found Oblt.

  Henz in command of 4. Staffel of JG 77, achieving his

  first victory on December 14, 1939, by shooting down

  a British Wellington. JG 77 was part of the invasion

  force in the attack on Norway, its 4. Staffel under

  Oblt. Henz moved to Kristiandsand-Kjevik airfield on

  April 11, 1940. The II. Gruppe JG 77 remained in Nor

  -

  way until November 1940, when it moved to the front

  at the Channel. This aircraft sported camouflage

  in RLM 70/71/65 colors with a high transition be

  -

  tween upper and lower colors on the fuselage sides

  (so called 40-er Anstrich). On the left side of the

  fuselage in front of the windshield was the II. Gruppe

  emblem and under the cockpit a black reaper with

  an umbrella flying on a scythe was painted as the

  emblem of the 4. Staffel. The initials LF belonged to

  the pilot’s girlfriend. In April 1941 Henz became com

  -

  mander of II./JG 77, but on May 25 he was shot down

  in a dogfight with the crew of Blenheim near Crete

  and is still missing. In total he achieved six victories.

  WNr. 5058, Fw. Arthur Haase, 6./JG 51, Marquise-West, France, August 1940

  The serial number 8508 is sometimes mistakenly

  given for this aircraft. In fact, the serial was pro

  -

  bably 5058 and the aircraft was produced by Wie-

  ner Neustädter Flugzeugwerke GmbH in late 1939.

  Its pilot was Arthur Haase, who had a personal sym-

  bol inspired by his surname (der Hase, in English:

  hare) painted on the side of the aircraft. The pain

  -

  ting was done by mechanician Hoffmann. On the

  side of the fuselage, there was also the emblem of

  II./JG 51, depicting a raven with the inscription “Gott

  strafe England!” (May God punish England!). The ye

  -

  llow color of part of the rudders, wing tips and hori-

  zontal tail surfaces was introduced in early August

  1940. The commander of 6./JG 51 was the legendary

  Josef “Pips” Priller. During the fighting over France

  in May and June 1940, Haase shot down two Hurrica-

  nes and added one Spitfire in late July. His fourth and

  final victory came on August 15, 1940, when he fought

  Hurricanes from No. 1 Squadron RAF off Clacton-on

  -

  -Sea. However, he was wounded in the battle and

  crash-landed his aircraft at Wissant, France. Photo

  -

  graphs from the preparation of the transport of the

  damaged aircraft show Haase’s machine with three

  kills marked on the tail. Haase was killed on January

  29, 1944, in aerial combat. At the time he was serving

  as a flight instructor with the rank of Oberfeldwebel

  with 1./JG 107 in France.

  KITS 12/2022

  INFO Eduard36

  December 2022

• Page 37

  OVERTREES

  OVERLEPT

  #7032X

  Bf 109E-3

  1/72

  Product page

  Product page

  #7032-LEPT

  Bf 109E-3

  1/72

  KITS 12/2022

  INFO Eduard

  37

  December 2022

• Page 38

  #11168

  SAMURAI

  1/48

  Limited edition kit of Japanese WWII naval fighter

  aircraft A6M3 Zero in 1/48 scale. Kit presents variants

  A6M3 Zero Type 22, 22a and 32.

  plastic parts: Eduard

  marking options: 12

  decals: Eduard

  PE parts: yes, pre-painted

  painting mask: yes

  resin parts: no

  Product page

  Dual Combo

  KITS 12/2022

  INFO Eduard38

  December 2022

• Page 39

  c/n 3032, Lt. Kiku-ichi Inano, Tainan Kōkūtai, Buna airfield, New Guinea, August 1942

  PO1c Kyoshi Itō, 3. Kōkūtai, Koepang airfield, Timor Island, September 1942

  Kōkūtai 204, Vunakanau airfield, Rabaul, New Britain, April 1943

  This aircraft, released by Mitsubishi on July 3, 1942

  was assigned to Lt. Inano, commander of Buna deta

  -

  chment of Tainan Kōkūtai. It was donated by citizens

  of Chongpyong County in North Korea. At some point

  between the mid August 1942 and early September

  1943 this Zero sustained damage that tore off part

  of the right wing, possibly from a landing error.

  This Zero was captured by Allied units at Buna on

  December 27, 1942 and selected for further evalua-

  tion and a rebuild. Allied personnel at Eagle Farm

  Field built a flyable A6M3 Zero using parts of three

  Zeros transported from Buna Airfield, including this

  aircraft. Inano´s surname was originally Takabaya

  -

  shi, but he changed that before mid 1941. In late No-

  vember 1941 smaller part of Tainan Kōkūtai under the

  his command was transferred to French Indochina

  and temporarily became part of 22. Kōkū Sentai HQ

  fighter squadron. Lt. Inano returned to Tainan Kōkūtai

  in July 1942, participated in combat over New Guinea

  and Guadalcanal. From January 1943 he was involved

  in evaluation of weapons used for new naval aircraft.

  From October 1944 served as Hikōtaichō of Tainan

  Kōkūtai (II) in Taiwan.

  This aircraft was purchased by Electric Perm Machine

  co., whose name (Daiichi Fuyo Dengami) is listed on the

  patriotic donation inscription (Hōkoku) No. 984, usually

  identified wrongly as 994. It was flown by Kyoshi Itō,

  who used also Zero X-152 with Hōkoku No. 1000. Itō was

  born in November 1921 in Murakami, Niigata Prefecture.

  He served on the torpedo boat Ōtori in 1939, in late 1940

  got flight training at Tsuchiura Kōkūtai and in November

  1941 was assigned for combat duty to 3rd Kōkūtai. With

  this unit he fought in the Philippines and Indonesia and

  took part in raids on Australia. In September and Octo

  -

  ber 1942, with most of the 3rd Kōkūtai, he was involved

  in the fighting over Guadalcanal. In November his unit

  was redesignated Kōkūtai 202 and returned to Koepang.

  From the spring until September 1943, unit conducted

  combat flights over Australia, also with Zero Type 32

  fighters. In November 1943, Itō received a written com

  -

  mand commendation stating that he had shot down 23

  aircraft and destroyed 9 on the ground. He then served

  as an instructor in Japan with the Ôita and Tsukuba Kō

  -

  kūtai and joined the air combat in February 1945. After

  the war, he married the eldest daughter of the owner of

  the family construction company Katō in Murakami and

  adopted the family name Katō. Under his leadership, the

  company rose to the top position in Murakami, and he

  received the Medal with Purple Ribbon and the Minister

  of Construction Award. Kyoshi Katō retired in 1992 and

  died in July 2012.

  This machine wears green camouflage applied

  in field conditions and has radio equipment removed

  to reduce weight. Kōkūtai 204 appears to have been

  the only unit in the area to apply with green field ca

  -

  moluflage also white outline of hinomaru on fuselage

  and upper wing surface. This unit was formed in April

  1942 and was designated the 6th Kōkūtai. It was to be

  based at Midway Atoll after its capture. During the

  attack on Midway and the Aleutians, its airmen par

  -

  ticipated in both combat operations. The unit made

  its first combat flight on June 4, 1942 under the com

  -

  mand of Lieutenant Zenjirō Miyano during the attack

  on Dutch Harbor. In August, it moved with the Zeros

  Type 32 to the Solomon Islands area, but its operati

  -

  onal deployment was limited by the available bases

  and the smaller range of this version of the Zero.

  In early October, the unit moved to a new airfield at

  Buin and was able to deploy in combat over Guadal

  -

  canal. In early November it was renamed Kōkūtai

  204. It was the only unit to be deployed continuously

  in the South Pacific for 16 months from August 1942.

  During this period unit gained approximately 1,000

  air victories.

  KITS 12/2022

  INFO Eduard

  39

  December 2022

• Page 40

  Tainan Kōkūtai (II), Tainan airbase, Taiwan, summer 1944

  Tsukuba Kōkūtai, Tsukuba airbase, Japan, 1944

  The designation of this training unit is the Katakana

  characters "Ta" and "I". The dark green paint on the

  upper surfaces indicates that the aircraft has been

  overhauled. The machine was acquired from a funds

  raised by the Tokyo Fruit and Vegetable Commercial

  Association. The second Tainan Kōkūtai was esta

  -

  blished in April 1943 as an operational training unit.

  Its home base was again Tainan, as with the previous

  unit of that name, which became Kōkūtai 251 in late

  1942. When Allied air raids on Taiwan began in the

  second half of the war, the airmen of Tainan Kōkūtai

  (II) joined in its defense. They fought both four-engi

  -

  ne bombers and escort fighters based in China and

  US Navy aircraft. Its first commander was Capt.

  Shigematsu Ichimura, who was commander of the

  14th Kōkūtai in China in 1940. The most famous instruc

  -

  tor who served with the unit was CPO Takeo Tanimi-

  zu, an ace with 18 kills to his credit. In January 1945,

  a special attack unit was organized from part of the

  Kōkūtai and participated in Kamikaze missions.

  The marking of this training unit is the Katakana

  character "Tsu". The dark green paint on the upper

  surfaces indicates that the aircraft has been over

  -

  hauled. The horizontal white markings on the fuse-

  lage were probably to facilitate formation flight trai-

  ning. Originally a purely training Tsukuba Kōkūtai,

  which was established in 1938, became part of the

  Japanese air defence system from 1944. It engaged

  in combat against B-29 bombers, US Navy aircraft

  and long-range P-51 escorts. At the end of the war,

  unit was involved in the Kamikaze missions during

  the fighting for Okinawa as part of Operation Kikusui.

  Pilots who served as instructors with the unit inclu

  -

  ded Ensign Kazu-o Sugino, who had 32 victories to

  his credit and had previously served on the aircraft

  carrier Zuikaku and with Kōkūtai 253. Among the air

  -

  men who joined the unit at the very end of the war

  was Lt.(jg) Shigeo Sugi-o. He had more than 20 victo

  -

  ries to his credit and had also fought over Australia

  with the 3rd Kōkūtai.

  Kōkūtai 204, Rabaul, New Britain, April 1943

  This machine wears green camouflage applied

  in field conditions and has radio equipment remo-

  ved to reduce weight. It is also equipped with long-

  -barrelled guns and a newer rudder trim that could

  be operated from the cockpit. Known aircraft of this

  unit that have yellow fuselage markings have iden

  -

  tification numbers below 148. In March 1943, Lieute-

  nant Zenjirō Miyano took over position of Hikōtaichō

  of this unit. He sought to modernize combat tactics

  and therefore introduced four-man formations to

  the unit instead of three-plane formations, He also

  considered deploying Zeros in the role of fighter

  -

  -bomber with 30kg bombs under the wing. The unit

  was in heavy combat during the first half of 1943.

  In the last raid on Guadalcanal, on 16 June 1943, thir-

  teen Val bombers were shot down and the fighter

  escort from Kōkūtai 204 lost four pilots and three

  others were wounded. Among the dead were Lieute

  -

  nant Miyano and his deputy. This left the unit without

  flying officers. Miyano had a total of 16 victories to

  his credit, was posthumously promoted to Comman

  -

  der, and his name was cited in the All Units Bulletin.

  Miyano's position was taken over the following month

  by Lt. Cdr. Saburō Shindō of Kōkūtai 582.

  KITS 12/2022

  INFO Eduard40

  December 2022

• Page 41

  Iwakuni Kōkūtai, Iwakuni airbase, Japan, 1944

  Lt.(jg) Takeyoshi Ôno, Kōkūtai 251, Rabaul airbase, New Britain, May 1943

  Kōkūtai 251, Rabaul airbase, New Britain, May 1943

  The markings of this training unit are the Kataka-

  na characters "I" and "Ha". The Iwakuni Kōkūtai was

  established in July 1940 and was used to train pi

  -

  lots for naval units operating from land bases until

  August 1944. It was then disbanded and re-esta-

  blished in March 1945. Fighter aces Akio Matsuba

  (18 victories), Momoto Matsumura (13 v.) or veteran

  of the aircraft carrier veteran Sōryū Ki-ichi Oda

  (9 v.) passed through its ranks as instructors. Hiroshi

  Shibagaki came through the unit as a student pilot,

  achieving thirteen victories in Rabaul with Kōkūtai

  201 and 204. Another successful graduate became

  a Lt.(jg) Kagemitsu Matsu-o. In August 1943, he

  was assigned to Rabaul to Kōkūtai 253 and, with

  more than ten kills to his credit, became the only

  Naval Reserve officer to achieve ace status.

  Originally manufactured with grey paint on all surfaces,

  the machine carries a specific design of green camouf

  -

  lage applied in field conditions. The green paint was

  probably applied with a mop or broom. Kōkūtai 251 was

  renamed in November 1942 from the legendary Tainan

  Kōkūtai fighter unit. However, due to heavy losses, it had

  to be withdrawn to Japan at the end of the year. When

  it prepared for another combat deployment to Rabaul

  in the spring of 1943, only 11 of its original pilots re-

  mained. However, the Allied airmen were an even

  tougher opponent than in 1942, and Kōkūtai 251 lost 17

  aircraft during its first three combat sorties in May and

  June. The commander of the 1st Chūtai was Lt.(jg) Ôno.

  He was born in 1921 in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefectu

  -

  re. He graduated from the 68th Naval Academy Class

  in 1940 and after pilot training was assigned to Tainan

  Kōkūtai. He achieved his first victory on 27 August 1942

  at Buna in combat with a P-39 and added four more

  victories by the end of 1942. By the time he returned

  to Rabaul in May 1943, he had already been appointed

  as Buntaichō and often led the entire unit in combat.

  He achieved a total of eight victories, but was killed

  in aerial combat at Rendova on June 30, 1943.

  For most naval fighter units that applied green paint

  in field conditions, the method of painting was si

  -

  milar within the unit. The exception is Kōkūtai 251,

  which used very varied patterns of green paint. The

  unit designation code was U1, but this was repainted

  on the machines at the time of deployment to Rabaul.

  U1-109 was photographed on May 23, 1943 flying in

  a formation of six Zeros during a patrol over New Bri-

  tain. The photographs were taken by war correspon-

  dent Hajime Yoshida. The U1-109 flew as the wingman

  of the first Shōtai leader, who was the controls of

  U1-105, which is incorrectly attributed to Nishizawa.

  Kōkūtai 251 lost a total of 34 pilots during its deploy

  -

  ment to the Rabaul and Solomon Islands area from

  May to the end of August 1943. In September 1943, its

  status was therefore changed to a night fighter with

  twin-engine Irving aircraft, and its remaining Zer

  pilots were assigned to other units in Rabaul.

  KITS 12/2022

  INFO Eduard

  41

  December 2022

• Page 42

  Rabauru Kōkūbuntai, Lakunai airfield, Rabaul, New Britain, second half 1943

  Ensign Tetsuzō Iwamoto, probably Kōkūtai 253, Rabaul, New Britain, late 1943/early 1944

  This aircraft was finalized with grey paint on all sur-

  faces. On the combat unit level, it was supplemented

  with dark green paint, which had peeled off in many

  places during operational service. When green paint

  was applied in field conditions, it may not have been the

  only paint used for Japanese aircraft. At Rabaul it may

  have been paint from captured RAAF stocks, or paint

  intended for Japanese warships. In the second half of

  1943, the markings of fighter units at Rabaul changed,

  and numerals ranging from 1 to 9 began to be used,

  the assignment of which to individual units has not yet

  been reliably determined. Aircraft with these markings

  are unofficially assigned to a combat group called

  Rabauru Kōkūbuntai (Rabaul Air Force). There are seve-

  ral theories to explain the meaning of these numerical

  designations. One is the assignment of numerical codes

  to the parts of the fighter units operating in Rabaul at

  the time. These were Kōkūtai 201 (code designations

  1 to 3), Kōkūtai 204 (4 to 6) and Kōkūtai 253 (7 to 9).

  According to this theory, machine 6-171 would therefore

  belong to the third Buntai within Kōkūtai 204. But other

  explanations are also possible. There is an indication

  that the Zeroes filmed in January 1944 at Rabaul with

  code 9 on the tail surfaces belonged to Kōkūtai 204.

  This aircraft has repainted white trim of hinomaru

  on the fuselage and upper surfaces. Tetsuzō Iwamo

  -

  to was the most successful naval fighter ace with 14

  victories from combats over China with 12th Kōkūtai.

  As a member of fighter unit of HIJMS Zuikaku during

  the Pearl Harbor attack he took part patrol the vicinity

  of the carriers during first wave. In 1942, he took part

  in battles in the Indian Ocean and Coral Sea with his

  plane EII-102. From the summer of 1942 he served as

  an instructor in Japan. From March 1943, he participa

  -

  ted in patrolling in the Kuril Islands with Kōkūtai 281.

  In November he was transferred to Rabaul to Kōkūtai

  204 and later to Kōkūtai 253. At that time he used ma

  -

  chines number 102 and 104. It is possible that machine

  number 7-104 is his personal mount. In February 1944

  he participated from Truk Atoll in the interceptions

  of B-24 bombers. In June 1944 he was transferred to

  Japan and from the autumn of that year as member

  of Kōkūtai 252 he he took part in battles from bases

  in Taiwan and the Philippines. By the end of the war,

  he was serving with Kōkūtai 203 and participated in

  the battle for Okinawa. He achieved rank Lieutenant

  (junior grade) and passed away in 1955. Iwamoto

  is credited with 80 victories, but in his war diary,

  there were 202 successful attacks on enemy aircraft

  recorded by him.

  Lt. Cdr. Saburō Shindō, Kōkūtai 582, Buin airfield, Bougainville Island, June 1943

  This plane with factory applied green camouflage and

  long cannon barrels was personal mount of Lt. Cdr. Shin

  -

  dō. He was born in 1911 and graduated from the Naval

  Academy in 1929. He was assigned to the Ômura Kōkūtai

  in 1935 and a year later went to the aircraft carrier Kaga.

  In 1940, he served in China with the 12th Kōkūtai during

  combat trials of the A6M2 fighter. Under his command,

  the first combat engagement occurred on September 13,

  resulting in 27 victories without loss. In November 1940,

  Shindō was transferred to the 14th Kōkūtai in Hanoi.

  From April to December 1941 he was the Buntaichō of

  the Akagi fighters, but had to be hospitalized after the

  attack on Pearl Harbor. During the Pearl Harbor attack

  Shindō led fighter escort of thirty-six Zeros in the second

  wave. After recovering, he was appointed commander of

  Tokushima Kōkūtai in April 1942. From November 1942,

  as Hikōtaichō at Kōkūtai 582, he was involved in the

  fighting over Guadalcanal. From July 1943, he was

  Hikōtaichō with the Kōkūtai 204 in the same area. In late

  1943 and early 1944, he led fighters of the aircraft ca

  -

  rrier Ryūhō and later served with Kōkūtai 653 and 203

  in the defense of Taiwan, the Philippines, and Japan.

  At the end of the war, he was Hikōtaichō at Tsukuba

  Kōkūtai. Shindó-san passed away in 2000.

  KITS 12/2022

  INFO Eduard42

  December 2022

• Page 43

  OVERTREES

  OVERTREES

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  #82113X

  A6M3 Zero Type 32

  1/48

  #82114X

  A6M3 Zero Type 22

  1/48

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  481091 A6M3 Zero landing flaps (PE

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  481092 A6M3 Zero (PE

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  644189 A6M3 Zero LööKplus (Brassin)

  648695 A6M undercarriage legs BRONZE (Brassin)

  648786 A6M3 seat PRINT (Brassin)

  648787 A6M3 tailwheel PRINT (Brassin)

  648788 A6M3 cannon barrels & cockpit guns PRINT (Brassin)

  648799 A6M3 wheels (Brassin)

  648800 A6M3 cockpit PRINT (Brassin)

  648801 A6M3 exhausts PRINT (Brassin)

  648802 A6M3 Type 32 landing flaps PRINT (Brassin)

  648806 A6M3 Type 22 folding wingtips PRINT (Brassin)

  648807 A6M3 Type 22 landing flaps PRINT (Brassin)

  648808 A6M wheels w/smooth tire (Brassin)

  3DL48088 A6M3 SPACE (3D Decal Set)

  EX899 A6M3 Zero TFace (Mask)

  #11168-LEPT

  SAMURAI

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  KITS 12/2022

  INFO Eduard

  43

  December 2022

• Page 44

  P-51D-10

  Weekend edition kit of US WWII fighter

  P-51D-10 in 1/48 scale.

  plastic parts: Eduard

  marking options: 4

  decals: Eduard

  PE parts: no

  painting mask: no

  resin parts: no

  Product page

  #84184

  1/48

  KITS 12/2022

  INFO Eduard44

  December 2022

• Page 45

  s/n 44-14223, Lt. Col. Elwyn G. Righetti, CO of 55th FG, 8th AF, Wormingford, United Kingdom,

  December 1944–March 1945

  s/n 44-14292, Col. Claiborne H. Kinnard, CO of 4th FG, 8th AF, Debden, United Kingdom, November 1944

  s/n 44-14237, Capt. William T. Whisner, 487th FS, 352nd FG, 8th AF, Bodney, Great Britain, November 1944

  Elwyn Guido Righetti, also known as “Eager El”, was

  not only the 55th FG top fighter ace but also the most

  successful strafing ace in the whole ETO. Righetti

  joined the 338th FS, 55th FG in October 1944. At the

  age of 29, he was already a matured pilot, however

  he lacked the combat experience. Despite his age he

  was eager and aggressive, so he was able to boost

  morale of his rather tired group. One of Righetti’s

  “hobbies” was destroying the locomotives. He also

  managed to shoot down two Mistels and destroyed

  several Me 262 jets on the ground. Unfortunately,

  Righetti’s outstanding achievements were cut short

  right before the end of war. On April 17, 1945, exactly

  on his 30th birthday, Righetti was shot down by flak

  while raiding the airfield near Dresden. He success

  -

  fully performed the emergency landing and advised

  his friends over the radio “Tell the family I’m okay.

  Broke my nose on landing. It’s been a hell of a lot

  of fun working with you, gang. Be seeing you a little

  later.”Since then no one ever heard about Righetti

  again. Supposedly he was murdered by the enraged

  German civilians. During his short combat career, he

  scored 7.5 kills and destroyed 35 enemy aircraft on

  the ground. He flew two personal Mustangs (44-14223

  and 44-47222), both of them were decorated with the

  inscription KATYDID and grasshopper artwork on the

  port side of the fuselage.

  Clairborne Holmes Kinnard was one the most success

  -

  ful pilots in the combat against the ground targets. He

  was born on October 29, 1912, in Franklin, Tennessee.

  After he obtained his pilot’s certification in 1944, he led

  the 354th FS from November 27 until June. On June 12,

  1944, he assumed command of the 355th FG which he

  led until the end of August. In September he was orde

  -

  red to 4th FG which he also briefly commanded from

  November 3 until November 29, 1944. Then he returned

  to 355th FG where he flew until May 1945. During his

  combat career he scored eight aerial kills and destro

  -

  yed further seventeen enemy aircraft on the ground.

  Kinnard flew the depicted, unusually painted Mustang

  from October to November 1944 as a commander of the

  4th FG. His aircraft was decorated with the inscription

  Man O’War painted red on the nose’s port side and the

  upper surfaces were painted with green camouflage

  bands, possibly in the Olive Drab shade. The kill mar

  -

  king were painted on the port side of the canopy frame.

  The invasion stripes appearance corresponds to the

  modification after the beginning of September 1944

  when only the part of the markings remained at the

  bottom of the fuselage. From November 3 till November

  29, 1944, Kinnard commanded the 4th FG, then he re

  -

  turned to the 355th FG where he served until May 1945.

  William Thomas Whisner was born in 1923 in Lou

  -

  isiana and on March 16, 1942, enlisted in the Army.

  On April 10, 1942, he started his pilot training and re-

  ceived his wings on February 15, 1943, at Napier Field

  in Alabama. On February 23, 1943, he was assigned to

  487th FS. During 1944 and 1945 he was credited with

  15.5 kills and awarded Distinguished Service Cross

  twice. He finished the war as Captain and left Army

  on August 23, 1945. On October 17, 1947, he returned

  to the active duty and on September 1, 1951, he was

  promoted to Major. In September 1951 he was orde

  -

  red to 334th FIS in Korea, part of 4th FIW. Between

  September and November 1951, he shot down two

  MiG-15s and damaged further five aircraft of the same

  type. In December he was ordered to the 25th FIS, 51st

  FIW and scored another four victories including one

  in the cooperation which made him the seventh figh

  -

  ter ace of the Korean War in the chronological order.

  In March 1952 he left Korea with the status of the dou-

  ble ace of two different conflicts and became one of

  seven American pilots who achieved such success.

  Whisner’s Mustang’s nose was painted in the new, dar

  -

  ker shade of blue which 352nd FG started to use in the

  fall of 1944 due to its better contrast.

  KITS 12/2022

  INFO Eduard

  45

  December 2022

• Page 46

  s/n 44-14789, Capt. John B. England, 362nd FS, 357th FG, 8th AF, Leiston, United Kingdom, December 1944

  John Brooke England was born on January 15, 1923,

  in Caruthersville, Missouri. In April 1942 he enlisted

  in the Army Volunteer Reserves and after completing

  the pilot training in March 1943 he was assigned to the

  362nd FS whose command he assumed on August 25,

  1944. He served two tours of duty with 357th FG during

  which time he flew 108 combat missions representing

  460 hours of the operational flying. He was the second

  best marksman of the 357th FG scoring in total 17.5

  kills. In the end of January 1945 England finished his

  second tour of duty and returned home. After the war

  he continued serving with USAAF. On February 20, 1951,

  he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and briefly

  served in Korea where he flew in total six combat mi

  -

  ssions during which he managed to damage MiG-15.

  In October 1953 he assumed command of the 389th

  FBS. On November 17, 1954, he was killed during the

  accident at the Toul airport (France) when under the

  inclement weather and low visibility he tried several

  times to land his F-86F. During the last approach he

  ran out of fuel but regardless he avoided the airbase

  building. Thanks to his sacrifice the Alexandria airbase

  was renamed to the England Air Force Bakse.

  Recommended:

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  -

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  644030 P-51D-10 LööK (Brassin)

  644052 P-51D-10 LööKplus (Brassin)

  648485 P-51D exhaust stacks (Brassin)

  648486 P-51D exhaust stacks w/ fairing (Brassin)

  648487 P-51D Hamilton Standard propeller (Brassin)

  648494 P-51D wheels diamond tread (Brassin)

  648495 P-51D undercarriage legs BRONZE (Brassin)

  648503 P-51D wheels oval tread (Brassin)

  648504 P-51D wheels cross tread (Brassin)

  648505 P-51D wheels block tread (Brassin)

  648511 P-51D wheels diamond tread 2 (Brassin)

  648512 P-51D wheels rhomboid treat (Brassin)

  648513 P-51D wheels pointed cross tread (Brassin)

  648514 P-51D wheels grooved (Brassin)

  648517 P-51D gun bays (Brassin)

  648522 P-51D cockpit (Brassin)

  648555 P-51D engine (Brassin)

  648570 P-51D gun sights (Brassin)

  648571 P-51D 75gal drop tanks (Brassin)

  648572 P-51D 108gal drop tanks (Brassin)

  SIN64869 P-51D ADVANCED (Brassin)

  3DL48003 P-51D-10 SPACE (3D Decal Set)

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  Cat. No. 644030

  Cat. No. 648522

  Cat. No. 648517

  Cat. No. 648495 Cat. No. 648555

  KITS 12/2022

  INFO Eduard46

  December 2022

• Page 47

  Spitfire Mk.IXc 1/72

  Weekend edition kit of British WWII fighter

  aircraft Spitfire Mk.IXc in 1/72 scale.

  plastic parts: Eduard

  marking options: 4

  decals: Eduard

  PE parts: no

  painting mask: no

  resin parts: no

  #7466

  Product page

  KITS 12/2022

  INFO Eduard

  47

  December 2022

• Page 48

  MK244, W/Cdr Jan Čermák, No. 312 (Czechoslovak) Squadron,

  No. 134 Wing, RAF Appledram,

  United Kingdom, June 1944

  MK144, S/Ldr Alan G. Page, No. 132 Squadron, RAF Ford,

  United Kingdom, February–May 1944

  MK832, S/Ldr Robert K. Hayward, No. 411 squadron,

  B.4 Beny-sur-Mer Airfield RAF, France,

  July–August 1944

  The former No. 312 Squadron commander, W/Cdr Jan

  Čermák was at the time of the Normandy landing

  the ground and administrative commander of the

  No. 134 Wing, but regardless he personally led the

  unit on several missions. One of those was a routi

  -

  ne patrol of the Czechoslovak fighters over Sword

  beach which turned into the large scale air battle.

  Czechoslovak pilots broke up the formation of a do

  -

  zen of Focke Wulf Fw 190A whose goal was to bomb

  the beach crowded with troops and equipment. Three

  “onenineties” were destroyed and five damaged at

  no losses to Czechoslovaks. In this combat W/Cdr

  Čermák claimed one Fw 190 destroyed and one

  damaged. On this mission he flew Spitfire s/n MK244

  which was the personal aircraft of F/O Jaroslav

  Šodek who flew it in combat on the regular basis

  from February to June 1944.

  During the Battle of Britain Alan Geoffrey Page was

  shot down and suffered serious burns. Following

  two plus years he spent in the hospital recovering.

  He undertook the plastic surgery in Queen Victoria’s

  Hospital in East Gringstead and became the founding

  member of the Guinea Pig Club. Ultimately, he ma

  -

  naged to return to the active duty and became one

  of the most successful English fighter pilots. During

  the spring months of 1944, as the commander of

  No. 132 Squadron he flew the depicted Spitfire on

  the offensive bombing and fighter sweeps preceding

  the invasion. On April 29, on one such mission, over

  the Deelen airfield in the Netherlands he managed to

  shoot down a Bf 110G-4 flown by the elite night figh

  -

  ter ace Maj. Hans-Joachim Jabs. On July 7 Page was

  promoted to command the elite No. 125 Wing. In the

  end of September, shortly after the conversion to the

  new powerful Spitfires Mk.XVI, Page’s Spitfire was

  damaged by flak over Arnhem suburbs, and he crash

  landed. He wounded his face on the gunsight and

  suffered some other injuries. He was transported by

  air back to England and again admitted to the Queen

  Victoria’s Hospital in East Grinstead. After the war

  he became an active member of the Battle of Britain

  Association of the Fighter Pilots and was a moving

  force behind the creation of the Battle of Britain

  Memorial which was erected on the cliffs between

  Dover and Folkestone in 1993. During his wartime

  career Alan Geoffrey Page shot down 15 enemy air

  -

  craft and damaged three of them. His autobiography

  The Guinea Pig Story was published in 1981.

  Robert Kitchener “Bob” Hayward comes from the pool

  of the former RCAF flight instructors who served with

  No. 126 Wing. He was born on November 12, 1915, in

  St. John’s, Newfoundland. After he completed his pi

  -

  lot training, he served at the main training base CFB

  Trenton. From February 1941 to October 1942, he flew

  as an instructor at No. 25 FTS. In March 1943 Hayward

  stated to fly combat missions with No. 401 Squadron

  where in the coming months he scored three ae

  -

  rial kills. In May 1944, after the rest, he was again

  attached to the No. 411 Squadron as a flight leader.

  On August 5, 1944, he was promoted to the squad-

  ron commander and until the end of September 1944

  he claimed another three confirmed kills and four

  enemy aircraft damaged. After he finished his tour

  of duty he returned to Canada and until March 1945

  he again flew as an instructor with No. 25 FTS. From

  May to September 1945, he briefly served at No. 16

  FTS in Hagersville and in November 1945 he retired

  to the civilian life.

  KITS 12/2022

  INFO Eduard48

  December 2022

• Page 49

  72623 Spitfire Mk.IX landing flaps (PE

  -

  Set)

  72624 Spitfire Mk.IX (PE

  -

  Set)

  SS597 Spitfire Mk.IX seatbelts STEEL (PE

  -

  Set)

  SS651 Spitfire Mk.IX radiator grilles (PE

  -

  Set)

  BIG72117 SPITFIRE Mk.IX (BIGED Set)

  672110 Spitfire exhaust stacks - fishtail (Brassin)

  672112 Spitfire Mk.IX cockpit (Brassin)

  672123 Spitfire Mk.IX top cowl early (Brassin)

  672126 Spitfire Mk.IX engine (Brassin)

  672134 Spitfire Mk.IX legs BRONZE (Brassin)

  672150 Spitfire Mk.IXc gun bays (Brassin)

  672173 Spitfire Mk. VIII / IX / XVI radiator fairings (Brassin)

  D72008 Spitfire Mk.IX stencils (Decal Set)

  D72010 Spitfire - British WWII roundels late (Decal Set)

  CX454 Spitfire Mk.IX (Mask)

  Lt. Robert J. Connors, 309th FS, 31st FG, 12th AF, Castel Volturno, Italy, February–March 1944

  Lt. Robert Connors’ Spitfire carried on the portside

  of the fuselage the artwork depicting the Porky Pig

  character which referred to his nickname “Porky”.

  After its arrival in Britain in June 1943 the 309th FS

  was re-equipped with Spitfires Mk.V and flew them in

  Europe, North Africa, Sicily and Italy. In April 1943 the

  unit received its first Spitfires Mk.IX often flown as

  the upper cover for the older Spitfires Mk.V. In March

  1944 the 309th FS traded their Spitfires for Mustangs

  possessing much longer range and therefore able

  to escort the USAAF bombers as far as the Southern

  Germany.

  Recommended:

  for Spitfire Mk.IXc 1/72

  Cat. No. 672112

  Cat. No. 672134

  Cat. No. 672126

  KITS 12/2022

  INFO Eduard

  49

  December 2022

• Page 50

  #8188

  Fw 190D-9

  1/48

  ProfiPACK edition of German WWII fighter aircraft

  Fw 190D-9 in 1/48 scale.

  plastic parts: Eduard

  marking options: 5

  decals: Eduard

  PE parts: yes, pre-painted

  painting mask: yes

  resin parts: no

  Product page

  KITS 12/2022

  INFO Eduard50

  December 2022

• Page 51

  WNr. 600?69, Hptm. Waldemar Wübke, Sachsenberg Schwarm, Ainring, Austria, May 1945

  WNr. 500698, Lt. Günter Seyd, 7./JG 26, Uetersen, Germany, May 1945

  Waldemar Wübke was one of the few Luftwaffe fighter

  pilots to survive combat duty over the entire course

  of the WWII. He started his fighter pilot career in May

  1940 as a Leutnant with I./JG 27. In July he was trans

  -

  ferred to 9. Staffel of III./JG 54, flying the Bf 109E-4 and

  went through the Battle of Britain with this unit. He

  was credited with 15 victories plus one at night, first of

  this tally being Blenheim shot down over the Channel

  on September 9, 1940. Wübke was shot down six times

  during his spell with the JG 54 and twice wounded. His

  career ended with the JV 44, where he flew “Platz

  -

  schutz“ (airfield defense) missions with the so called

  “Papagaistaffel”, where he accompanied other experi

  -

  enced German fighter pilots. Their task was to provide

  cover for Adolf Galland’s group of Me 262 jets during

  take-offs and landings. Due to the rather inexperien

  -

  ced women-crewed Flak defensive artillery of the Mu-

  nich-Riem airfield, the Fw 190D-9s of the JV 44 were

  painted red on undersurfaces, highlighted by white

  stripes to make the recognition of friendly fighters

  as easy as possible for them. According to the newest

  findings these stripes were not reaching the tail on the

  fuselage bottom but ended at the front of the wheel

  -

  bays. Wübke’s Dora was an example from the Fieseler

  factory with typical no-bulges three piece machine

  guns cover and with later production blown canopy.

  The inscription “Im Auftrage der Reichsbahn” had been

  on various Wübke machines since the beginning of the

  war. He started using it when he returned to his home

  base several times by train after being shot down.

  JG 26 was established on November 1, 1938, (originally

  as JG 132) with Eduard von Schleich, an ace with 35

  kills in WWI as its first Kommodore. JG 26 entered the

  war under the command of Hans Hugo Witt but stayed

  in Germany during the invasion of Poland. It than ope

  -

  rated on the Western Front until 1943, with its most fa-

  mous Kommodore, Adolf Galland, taking command on

  August 22, 1940. Galland was leading JG 26 for the rest

  of the Battle of Britain and well beyond until December

  5, 1941. In early 1943, JG 26 was to replace JG 54 in the

  Luftflotte 1 formation on the Eastern Front, but in the

  end, it was only a brief episode of I./JG 26. The group

  continued to operate in France and then as a part of

  the defense of the Reich system. From late 1941 on

  -

  wards all Gruppe except III./JG 26 started their conver-

  sion to Fw 190As, the first to receive Fw 190D-9s were

  I. Gruppe and II. Gruppe starting from mid-October 1944.

  Lt. Günter Seyd of 5./JG 26 took off with this aircraft

  from Uetersen on May 5, 1945, but due to an engine

  failure he made an emergency landing in Schleswig.

  In the only known photograph, the lower engine cow-

  ling appears slightly darker and it is likely it was

  painted RLM 76 early (probably taken from another

  aircraft), but a yellow color cannot be completely

  ruled out. The brown color of the fuselage numbers

  was unusual, with only a few Staffeln within the Luft

  -

  waffe using it. However, 7./JG 26 kept this habit throu-

  ghout the war. Günter Seyd scored a single kill during

  the war when he shot down a Lancaster from No. 405

  (or No. 582) Sqn. RAF west of Cologne on December 23,

  1944. It was not only his first kill, but also the first kill

  of II./JG 26 after conversion to Fw 190D-9.

  KITS 12/2022

  INFO Eduard

  51

  December 2022

• Page 52

  WNr. 210003, Oblt. Hans Dortenmann, 12./JG 26, Germany, 1945

  Stab I./JG 2, Frankfurt/Rhein-Mein, April 1945

  WNr. 210909, Maj. Gerhard Barkhorn, JG 6, Welzow, Germany, February 1945

  Oblt. Hans Dortenmann, an ace with 38 kills to his

  credit and holder of the Knight’s Cross, flew this Fw

  190D-9 WNr. 210003 from September 1944 until the end

  of the war, when he personally destroyed the aircraft.

  Dortenmann scored 18 kills with this Dora, making

  him the most successful fighter pilot on this type.

  The aircraft also became the longest-serving Dora in

  combat. It would begin its career as a “Red 1” while

  Dortenmann was a member of III./JG 54. At the end of

  February, III./JG 54 was redesignated IV./JG 26, which

  also brought a change in the markings of the aircraft.

  As Staffelkapitän of 12./JG 26, Dortenmann now had

  a black “1” on his Dora, with the typical white and black

  stripe identifying JG 26 and a wave mark on the rear,

  indicating his affiliation with IV. Gruppe. At the same

  time, the camouflage was modified, with the colors of

  RLM 74/75 being replaced by the shades of RLM 81/82,

  and a later type of blown canopy was fitted in place

  of the early straight one. The lower surfaces were to

  carry a full coat of RLM 76. The keel and rudder were

  painted yellow while still in the ranks of JG 54.

  Assignment to JG 2 is probable but not certain in the case

  of this aircraft. It relies mainly on the appearance of the

  identification markings. JG 2 was one of the oldest fighter

  units of the Luftwaffe. It was formed as Jagdgeschwader

  Richthofen as early as 1934, from May 1, 1939, it was de

  -

  signated JG 2 Richthofen after the most successful WWI

  fighter. The first Kommodore was Oberst Gerd von Masow

  and during the Polish campaign JG 2 was assigned to the

  defense of the Reich. It subsequently joined the fighting on

  the Western Front and after the Battle of Britain remained

  in France until September 1944. Shortly thereafter, I. Gruppe

  and III. Gruppe began taking over their first “Doras” in the

  second half of October. Hptm. Franz Hrdlicka, an ace with

  60 confirmed kills, took over the command of I. Gruppe from

  December 18. He was a native of Dvorska, the suburb of

  Brno city in than Czechoslovakia, but of German nationality.

  Hrdlicka (means dove in Czech) led the I. Gruppe until March

  25, 1945, when he was killed in combat with American figh

  -

  ters. According to some sources, his score may have been

  as high as 96 victories. This aircraft sported the designation

  of the I. Gruppe Stab (staff) and was found in the middle

  of the runway at Frankfurt/Rhein-Main Airport. Apparent-

  ly, it had made an emergency landing, possibly due to

  engine failure, judging by the oiled lower engine cowling.

  The aircraft was not recovered and was found where it had

  stopped by the Allies. There it remained until the spring of

  1946. Apparently, it was a second production run aircraft

  at Fieseler, the 600xxx series.

  Gerhard Barkhorn’s JG 6 personal aircraft was produced by

  the Fiesler Kassel factory. The inscription “Christl” under

  the cockpit is a diminutive of the name of Barkhorn’s wife

  Christy. The marking on the fuselage identifies the aircraft

  as belonging to Geschwader Kommodore. During the war,

  Barkhorn achieved a total of 301 victories, which ranks him

  as the second most successful fighter ace of all time. All

  of his kills were scored in the ranks of JG 52, with the first

  one scored on July 2, 1941 and the last one on January 5,

  1945. He then commanded JG 6 and at the very end of the

  war became a member of JV 44 armed with Me 262 jets.

  For his achievements in combat, he was awarded the Kni-

  ght’s Cross on August 23, 1942, with the Oak Leaf added

  on January 11, 1943 and the Swords on March 2, 1944. Af-

  ter the war he continued to serve in the Bundesluftwaffe.

  The coloring of his Dora is a reconstruction, only photogra-

  phs of the central part of the fuselage are known. These

  show, among other things, that the design of the Kommodo

  -

  re markings was smaller than was usual.

  KITS 12/2022

  INFO Eduard52

  December 2022

• Page 53

  OVERTREES

  OVERLEPT

  #8184X

  Fw 190D-9

  1/48

  #8188-LEPT

  Fw 190D-9

  1/48

  Product page

  Product page

  Recommended:

  for Fw 190D-9 1/48

  48651 Fw 190D-9 (PE

  -

  Set)

  FE1211 Fw 190D-9 seatbelts STEEL (PE

  -

  Set)

  644014 Fw 190D-9 LööK (Brassin)

  648150 Fw 190 wheels late (Brassin)

  648356 Fw 190A wingroot gun bays (Brassin)

  648439 Fw 190D fuselage guns (Brassin)

  648688 Fw 190D exhaust stacks (Brassin)

  648737 Fw 190D landing flaps PRINT (Brassin)

  648757 Fw 190D landing flaps wooden PRINT (Brassin)

  Cat. No. 648757

  Cat. No. 648439

  Cat. No. 644014

  KITS 12/2022

  INFO Eduard

  53

  December 2022

• Page 54

  #82119

  Bf 109G-10 Mtt. Regensburg

  1/48

  ProfiPACK edition kit of German WWII fighter

  aircraft Bf 109G-10 in 1/48 scale. The kit is focused

  on 109s produced by Messerschmitt factory

  in Regensburg.

  plastic parts: Eduard

  marking options: 5

  decals: Eduard

  PE parts: yes, pre-painted

  painting mask: yes

  resin parts: no

  Product page

  Re-release

  KITS 12/2022

  INFO Eduard54

  December 2022

• Page 55

  1./KG(J) 6, Prague-Kbely, Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, March/April 1945

  WNr. 130342, 5./NJG 11, Fassberg, Germany 1945

  WNr. 130297, Fw. Horst Petzschler, 10./JG 51, Insterburg, East Prussia, May 1945

  The huge losses suffered by Luftwaffe fighter units

  were one of the reasons that led in October 1944

  to the decision to reduce the number of bomber

  assets and to distribute their personnel among

  fighter squadrons following the necessary conver-

  sion training. One of the Geschwader units affected

  by this change was KG 6. The unit was redesig-

  nated as KG(J) 6 and was re-equipped with the

  Bf 109G-10s and K-4s. Training was undertaken at

  Prague-Kbely, Prague-Ruzyně and also at Klecany

  airfields. On March 31, KG(J) 6 aircraft fought against

  309th FS/31st FG Mustangs over Prague. The resul

  -

  ting heavy losses led to the disbandment of the unit

  a few days later, on April 9. This aircraft was aban

  -

  doned at Kbely, probably due to irreparable damage

  where it was photographed after the war. It's KG(J) 6

  ownership is indicated by the red and black square

  fuselage band on the rear of the aircraft

  The all-grey painting of 5./NJG 11 aircraft was used

  on the so-called “Mosquito Hunters” at the beginning

  of 1945. The surface of the aircraft was polished for

  maximum aerodynamic effectiveness. The last combat

  against Mosquitos took place through March 1945, after

  which these aircraft were pressed into service in night

  attacks against Allied ground equipment.

  Horst Petzschler was born in Berlin on Septem

  -

  ber 1, 1921 and joined the Luftwaffe on April 1, 1941.

  After fighter pilot training, he was assigned to JG 51

  on August 23, 1943, and there he achieved his first

  three kills. On April 13, 1944, he was transferred to

  2./JG 3 which was a component of the Defense of

  the Reich structure, but by June 1944, he would re

  -

  turn to JG 51 on the Eastern Front. On May 4, 1945,

  III./JG 51 was relocated to Schleswig-Holstein from

  eastern Prussia. Horst Petzschler did not reach

  that location due to a navigation error and landed

  at Bulltofta in Sweden, where he was interned and

  in January 1946, the Swedes handed him over to the

  Soviets. He was released from captivity on Septem

  -

  ber 22, 1949. On his return, he worked for the Ber-

  lin Police Department and in 1953, he emigrated to

  Canada and then the United States, where he wor-

  ked in the aviation industry. He retired in 1988. Over

  the course of the Second World War, Horst Petzschler

  downed 26 enemy aircraft. The number 0297, the last

  four digits of the serial number, was brush-painted

  ahead of the tail plane. The bottom of the wing was

  painted in RLM 76, but due to the short supplies of the

  color some panels were left in natural metal.

  KITS 12/2022

  INFO Eduard

  55

  December 2022

• Page 56

  13./JG 27, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, May 1945

  WNr. 130282, Hptm. Franz Wienhusen, CO of IV./JG 4,

  Frankfurt/Rhein-Main, Germany, November 1944

  After the Allied landings in Normandy in early June

  1944, IV. Gruppe JG 27 moved from Hungary to the

  French airfield of Champfleury-la-Perthe and began

  their participation in combat on the Western Front.

  After suffering heavy losses, the unit went to Lower

  Saxony for rest and replenishment. The unit was as

  -

  signed to the Defense of the Reich structure. The unit

  was disbanded on March 31, 1945, and its pilots were

  distributed among the other units of JG 27. The whi

  -

  te wave marking on the rear fuselage identified this

  aircraft as being assigned to the IV. Gruppe, and the

  green band to the Defense of the Reich unit JG 27. The

  nose carried the unit emblem.

  Franz Wienhusen joined the Kriegsmarine in 1934, but

  just a year later began service with the Luftwaffe.

  After training, he was assigned to occupied Norway.

  There, he would serve with JG 77 and JG 5. up to Oc

  -

  tober 1944, when he was given command of IV./JG 4.

  He died on December 3, 1944 near Aachen, when,

  during an attack on an American convoy, he was hit

  from the ground. He claimed twelve kills over the

  course of WWII. The reconstruction of this aircraft is

  based on a listing of losses from December 3, 1944,

  where the serial number and fuselage code of Wien

  -

  husen's aircraft are recorded. It is very likely that the

  aircraft was camouflaged the same way as others

  manufactured within an almost 130-aircraft produc

  -

  tion run at the Messerschmitt factory at Regensburg.

  KITS 12/2022

  INFO Eduard56

  December 2022

• Page 57

  OVERTREES

  OVERLEPT

  #82119X

  Bf 109G-10 Mtt. Regensburg

  1/48

  #82119-LEPT

  Bf 109G-10 Mtt. Regensburg

  1/48

  Product page

  Product page

  Recommended:

  for Bf 109G-10 Mtt. Regensburg 1/48

  48961 Bf 109G-10 Mtt Regensburg (PE

  -

  Set)

  FE910 Bf 109G seatbelts STEEL (PE

  -

  Set)

  644004 Bf 109G-10 LööK (Brassin)

  644045 Bf 109G-10 w/ early wheels LööKplus (Brassin)

  648247 Bf 109G exhaust stacks (Brassin)

  648239 Bf 109G-6 radio compartment (Brassin)

  648261 Bf 109G-6 wheels (Brassin)

  648265 Bf 109G external fuel tanks (Brassin)

  648309 Bf 109G undercarriage legs BRONZE (Brassin)

  648310 Bf 109G control surfaces (Brassin)

  648422 Bf 109G-10 cockpit (Brassin)

  648441 Bf 109G-10 engine (Brassin)

  648672 Bf 109G-10 propeller (Brassin)

  D48025 Bf 109G stencils (Decal Set)

  D48027 Bf 109G Balkenkreuze (Decal Set)

  D48028 Bf 109G svastikas (Decal Set)

  D48035 Bf 109G-10 MTT / WNF national insignia (Decal Set)

  EX512 Bf 109G spinner spirals (Mask)

  EX608 Bf 109G-10 (Mask)

  EX609 Bf 109G-10 TFace (Mask)

  Cat. No. 648422

  Cat. No. 648441

  KITS 12/2022

  INFO Eduard

  57

  December 2022

• Page 58

  BRASSIN

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard

  and STEEL seatbelts for Z-326 in 1/48 scale.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  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 F-35B in 1/48 scale.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Italeri

  Set contains:

  - resin: 1 part

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details:

  yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  644186

  Z-326 LööK

  1/48 Eduard

  644187

  F-35B LööK

  1/48 Italeri

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard58

  December 2022

• Page 59

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard

  and STEEL seatbelts for Mosquito B Mk.IV in 1/48 scale.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Tamiya

  Set contains:

  - resin: 3 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details:

  yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  Collection of 4 sets for A6M3 Zero

  in 1/48 scale. Recommended kit: Eduard

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

  - TFace painting mask

  - seat

  - undercarriage wheels

  644188

  Mosquito B Mk.IV LööK

  1/48 Tamiya

  644189

  A6M3 Zero LööKplus

  1/48 Eduard

  Product page

  Product page

  BRASSIN 02/2022

  BRASSIN

  INFO Eduard

  59

  December 2022

• Page 60

  BRASSIN

  Collection of 3 sets for Tornado IDS in 1/48 scale.

  Recommended kit: Revell

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

  - TFace painting mask

  - undercarriage wheels

  Brassin set - the undercarriage wheels for Bf 109G-4

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

  and a tailwheel. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Revell

  Set contains:

  - resin: 3 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: yes

  644190

  Tornado IDS LööKplus

  1/48 Revell

  632183

  Bf 109G-4 wheels

  1/32 Revell

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard60

  December 2022

• Page 61

  BRASSIN 02/2022

  BRASSIN

  Brassin set - exhaust stacks for Bf 109G-4

  in 1/32 scale. Easy to assemble, replaces

  plastic parts. Recommended kit: Revell

  Set contains:

  - resin: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes

  - painting mask: no

  632184

  Bf 109G-2/4 exhaust stacks

  1/32 Revell

  Product page

  Brassin set - the undercarriage legs for Bf 109G-2/4

  in 1/32 scale. The legs are made of bronze.

  Recommended kit: Revell

  Set contains:

  - resin: 2 parts

  - bronze: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  632185

  Bf 109G-2/4 undercarriage legs BRONZE

  1/32 Revell

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  61

  December 2022

• Page 62

  BRASSIN

  Brassin set - clamps for German WWII AFV

  in 1/35 scale. Made by direct 3D printing.

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 50 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  635017

  WWII German clamps Type 1 PRINT

  1/35

  635020

  MG 34 gun w/ammunition belt PRINT

  1/35

  Product page

  Product page

  Brassin set - MG 34 German WWII machine

  gun in 1/35 scale. The set consists of 1 gun.

  Made by direct 3D printing.

  Set contains:

  - resin: 4 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  INFO Eduard62

  December 2022

• Page 63

  BRASSIN 02/2022

  BRASSIN

  Brassin set - oxygen tanks for US WII aicraft

  in 1/48 scale. The set consists of 6 tanks.

  Made by direct 3D printing.

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 6 parts

  - decals: yes

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  Product page

  648796

  WWII USAAF oxygen cylinder A-4 PRINT

  1/48

  Brassin set - wheel bays for F6F in 1/48 scale.

  Made by direct 3D printing.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 4 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  648798

  F6F wheel bays PRINT

  1/48 Eduard

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  63

  December 2022

• Page 64

  BRASSIN

  Brassin set - landing flaps for A6M3 Type 32

  in 1/48 scale. The set consists of the deployed

  flaps for both wings. Made by direct 3D printing.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 4 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - folding wingtips for A6M3 Type 22

  in 1/48 scale. The set consists of the wingtips

  for both wings. Made by direct 3D printing.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 4 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes

  - painting mask: no

  648802

  A6M3 Type 32 landing flaps PRINT

  1/48 Eduard

  648806

  A6M3 Type 22 folding wingtips PRINT

  1/48 Eduard

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard64

  December 2022

• Page 65

  Brassin set - the undercarriage wheels for

  A6M Zero in 1/48 scale. The set consists of the

  main wheels and a tailwheel. Easy to assemble,

  replaces plastic parts. Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - resin: 3 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: yes

  648808

  A6M wheels w/smooth tire

  1/48 Eduard

  Product page

  BRASSIN 02/2022

  BRASSIN

  Brassin set - landing flaps for A6M3 Type 22

  in 1/48 scale. The set consists of the deployed

  flaps for both wings. Made by direct 3D printing.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 6 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes

  - painting mask: no

  648807

  A6M3 Type 22 landing flaps PRINT

  1/48 Eduard

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  65

  December 2022

• Page 66

  BRASSIN

  Brassin set - the cockpit for P-38J in 1/48 scale.

  Made by direct 3D printing.

  Recommended kit: Tamiya

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 40 parts

  - decals: yes

  - photo-etched details:

  yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  648812

  P-38J cockpit PRINT

  1/48 Tamiya

  Product page

  INFO Eduard66

  December 2022

• Page 67

  Brassin set - the undercarriage wheels for Buccaneer

  S.2C/D in 1/48 scale. The set consists of the main wheels

  and a nose wheel. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic

  parts. Recommended kit: Airfix

  Set contains:

  - resin: 3 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: yes

  648814

  Buccaneer S.2C/D wheels

  1/48 Airfix

  Product page

  BRASSIN 02/2022

  BRASSIN

  Brassin set - the seat for P-38J in 1/48 scale.

  Made by direct 3D printing. Easy to assemble,

  replaces plastic parts. Recommended kit: Tamiya

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 1 part

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  648811

  P-38J seat PRINT

  1/48 Tamiya

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  67

  December 2022

• Page 68

  BRASSIN

  Brassin set - Carley type lifeboats for 40 people

  in 1/350 scale. The set consists of 10 floats.

  Made by direct 3D printing.

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 10 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - Carley type lifeboats for 40 people

  in 1/350 scale. The set consists of 10 floats.

  Made by direct 3D printing.

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 10 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes

  - painting mask: no

  653013

  Carley float for 40 people – Type 1 PRINT

  1/350

  653014

  Carley float for 40 people – Type 2 PRINT

  1/350

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard68

  December 2022

• Page 69

• Page 70

  BRASSIN

  SIN64895

  A6M2 Zero Model 21 ADVANCED

  1/48 Eduard

  Product page

  Collection of 5 sets for A6M2 Zero Type 21 in 1/48 scale.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  - engine PRINT

  - gun bays PRINT

  - tailwheel PRINT

  - landing flaps PRINT

  - folding wigtips PRINT

  All sets included in this BIG SIN are available separately,

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

  A6M2 tailwheel PRINT

  A6M2 engine complete PRINT

  A6M2 landing

  flaps PRINT

  A6M2 gun bays PRINT

  A6M2 Zero Model 21 folding wingtips PRINT

  INFO Eduard70

  December 2022

• Page 71

  BRASSIN

  Collection of 4 sets for F4F-3 in 1/48 scale.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  - cockpit PRINT

  - wheels

  - exhausts PRINT

  - undercarriage legs BRONZE

  All sets included in this BIG SIN are available separately,

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

  SIN64896

  F4F-3 w/ telescopic gunsight ESSENTIAL

  1/48 Eduard

  Product page

  exhausts PRINT

  F4F-3 cockpit

  w/ telescopic gun

  sight PRINT

  undercarriage legs BRONZE

  wheels early

  INFO Eduard

  71

  December 2022

• Page 72

  3DL32009 Yak-9K SPACE 1/32 ICM

  3DL48095

  Mi-4 SPACE 1/48 Trumpeter

  3DL48094

  Beaufort Mk.I SPACE 1/48 ICM

  EASY

  Application

  Product page

  Product page Product page

  INFO Eduard72

  December 2022

• Page 73

  3DL48096 Z-326 SPACE 1/48 Eduard

  3DL72006

  P-51B 1/72 Arma Hobby

  3DL72005

  Ki-84 Hayate SPACE

  1/72 Arma Hobby

  SPACE

  Product page

  Product page Product page

  INFO Eduard

  73

  December 2022

• Page 74

  PHOTO

  -

  ETCHED

  DECEMBER 2022

  WC-51

  1/35 Zvezda

  36492

  INFO Eduard74

  December 2022

• Page 75

  BRASSIN 02/2022BRASSIN 02/2022

  PHOTO

  -

  ETCHED

  73785

  P-39Q

  1/72 Arma Hobby

  SS785

  P-39Q

  INFO Eduard

  75

  December 2022

• Page 76

  73787

  Yak-9D

  1/72 Zvezda

  PHOTO

  -

  ETCHED

  SS787

  Yak-9D

  INFO Eduard76

  December 2022

• Page 77

  491318

  PHOTO

  -

  ETCHED

  Beaufort Mk.I

  1/48 ICM

  FE1318

  Beaufort Mk.I

  FE1319

  Beaufort Mk.I

  seatbelts

  STEEL

  INFO Eduard

  77

  December 2022

• Page 78

  PHOTO

  -

  ETCHED

  481094

  481095

  Beaufort Mk.I bomb bay

  Beaufort Mk.I landing flaps

  1/48 ICM

  1/48 ICM

  INFO Eduard78

  December 2022

• Page 79

  PHOTO

  -

  ETCHED

  53288

  USS DDG-1000 Zumwalt

  1/350 SNOWMAN MODELS/TAKOM

  INFO Eduard

  79

  December 2022

• Page 80

  BIG ED

  All sets included in this BIG ED are available separately,

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

  BIG33144 Yak-9T 1/32 ICM

  BIG33145

  Bf 109G-6 1/35 Border Model

  BIG49348

  Spitfire F Mk.XVIII 1/48 Airfix

  32478 Yak-9T landing flaps 1/32

  32998 Yak-9T 1/32

  33300 Yak-9T seatbelts STEEL 1/32

  JX293 Yak-9T 1/32

  32999 Bf 109G-6 1/35

  33332 Bf 109G-6 seatbelts STEEL 1/35

  JX291 Bf 109G-6 1/35

  481087 Spitfire F Mk.XVIII landing flaps 1/48

  491296 Spitfire F Mk.XVIII 1/48

  FE1297 Spitfire F Mk.XVIII seatbelts STEEL 1/48

  EX885 Spitfire F Mk.XVIII 1/48

  Product page

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard80

  December 2022

• Page 81

  BIG49350 F-86F-40 1/48 Airfix

  BIG49351

  Yak-9D 1/48 Zvezda

  491298 F-86F-40 1/48

  FE1299 F-86F-40 seatbelts STEEL 1/48

  EX887 F-86F-40 1/48

  491300 Yak-9D 1/48

  FE1301 Yak-9D seatbelts STEEL 1/48

  EX889 Yak-9D 1/48

  Product page

  Product page

  All sets included in this BIG ED are available separately,

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

  BIG ED

  BIG49349 P-38J 1/48 Tamiya

  491294 P-38J 1/48

  FE1295 P-38J seatbelts STEEL 1/48

  EX883 P-38J 1/48

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  81

  December 2022

• Page 82

  MASKS

  IT FITS!

  JX301 Yak-9K

  1/32 ICM

  JX302 Yak-9K TFace

  1/32 ICM

  EX908 Beaufort Mk.I

  1/48 ICM

  EX909 Beaufort Mk.I TFace

  1/48 ICM

  EX910 Mi-4

  1/48 Trumpeter

  EX911 Mi-4 TFace

  1/48 Trumpeter

  CX634 Yak-9D

  1/72 Zvezda

  CX635 A-1H

  1/72 Hasegawa/Hobby 2000

  CX636 A-1J

  1/72 Hasegawa/Hobby 2000

  EX911 Mi-4 TFace

  EX911 Mi-4 TFace

  EX908 Beaufort Mk.I

  EX908 Beaufort Mk.I

  EX908 Beaufort Mk.I

  EX909 Beaufort Mk.I TFace

  EX909 Beaufort Mk.I TFace

  EX909 Beaufort Mk.I TFace EX909 Beaufort Mk.I TFace

  EX909 Beaufort Mk.I TFace

  EX909 Beaufort Mk.I TFace

  EX911 Mi-4 TFace

  EX911 Mi-4 TFace

  EX911 Mi-4 TFace

  EX911 Mi-4 TFace

  EX910 Mi-4EX910 Mi-4EX910 Mi-4

  INFO Eduard82

  December 2022

• Page 83

  DECAL SET

  D32019

  Ju 87 stencils

  1/32 Hasegawa, Trumpeter, Revell

  MASKS

  CX634 Yak-9D

  CX635 A-1H CX635 A-1H CX635 A-1H

  CX634 Yak-9D CX634 Yak-9D

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  83

  December 2022

• Page 84

  RELEASES

  DECEMBER 2022

  KITS

  PE

  -

  SETS

  ZOOMS

  MASKS

  7032 Bf 109E-3 1/72 ProfiPACK

  11168 SAMURAI Dual Combo 1/48 Limited

  84184 P-51D-10 1/48 Weekend edition

  7466 Spitfire Mk.IXc 1/72 Weekend edition

  8188 Fw 190D-9 1/48 ProfiPACK

  82119 Bf 109G-10 Mtt. Regensburg

  Re-release 1/48 ProfiPACK

  53288 USS DDG-1000 Zumwalt 1/350 Snowman Models/Takom

  32479 Yak-9K landing flaps 1/32 ICM

  321003 Yak-9K 1/32 ICM

  36492 WC-51 1/35 Zvezda

  481094 Beaufort Mk.I bomb bay 1/48 ICM

  481095 Beaufort Mk.I landing flaps 1/48 ICM

  491318 Beaufort Mk.I 1/48 ICM

  491320 Mi-4 1/48 Trumpeter

  72726 B-26B/C Marauder exterior 1/72 Hasegawa/Hobby 2000

  73783 A-1H 1/72 Hasegawa/Hobby 2000

  73784 A-1J 1/72 Hasegawa/Hobby 2000

  73785 P-39Q 1/72 Arma Hobby

  73786 B-26B/C Marauder interior 1/72 Hasegawa/Hobby 2000

  73787 Yak-9D 1/72 Zvezda

  33339 Yak-9K 1/32 ICM

  33340 Yak-9K seatbelts STEEL 1/32 ICM

  FE1318 Beaufort Mk.I 1/48 ICM

  FE1319 Beaufort Mk.I seatbelts STEEL 1/48 ICM

  FE1320 Mi-4 1/48 Trumpeter

  FE1321 Mi-4 seatbelts STEEL 1/48 Trumpeter

  SS785 P-39Q 1/72 Arma Hobby

  SS786 B-26B/C Marauder 1/72 Hasegawa/Hobby 2000

  SS787 Yak-9D 1/72 Zvezda

  JX301 Yak-9K 1/32 ICM

  JX302 Yak-9K TFace 1/32 ICM

  EX908 Beaufort Mk.I 1/48 ICM

  EX909 Beaufort Mk.I TFace 1/48 ICM

  EX910 Mi-4 1/48 Trumpeter

  EX911 Mi-4 TFace 1/48 Trumpeter

  CX634 Yak-9D 1/72 Zvezda

  CX635 A-1H 1/72 Hasegawa/Hobby 2000

  CX636 A-1J 1/72 Hasegawa/Hobby 2000

  INFO Eduard84

  December 2022

• Page 85

  RELEASES

  BIG-EDBIG-ED

  BIG ED

  BRASSIN

  LöökPLUS

  BIG SIN

  SPACE

  DECAL SET

  BIG33144 Yak-9T 1/32 ICM

  BIG33145 Bf 109G-6 1/35 Border Model

  BIG49348 Spitfire F Mk.XVIII 1/48 Airfix

  BIG49349 P-38J 1/48 Tamiya

  BIG49350 F-86F-40 1/48 Airfix

  BIG49351 Yak-9D 1/48 Zvezda

  644186 Z-326 LööK 1/48 Eduard

  644187 F-35B LööK 1/48 Italeri

  644188 Mosquito B Mk.IV LööK 1/48 Tamiya

  632183 Bf 109G-4 wheels 1/32 Revell

  632184 Bf 109G-2/4 exhaust stacks 1/32 Revell

  632185 Bf 109G-2/4 undercarriage legs BRONZE 1/32 Revell

  635017 WWII German clamps Type 1 PRINT 1/35

  635020 MG 34 gun w/ammunition belt PRINT 1/35

  648796 WWII USAAF oxygen cylinder A-4 PRINT 1/48

  648798 F6F wheel bays PRINT 1/48 Eduard

  648802 A6M3 Type 32 landing flaps PRINT 1/48 Eduard

  648806 A6M3 Type 22 folding wingtips PRINT 1/48 Eduard

  648807 A6M3 Type 22 landing flaps PRINT 1/48 Eduard

  648808 A6M wheels w/smooth tire 1/48 Eduard

  648811 P-38J seat PRINT 1/48 Tamiya

  648812 P-38J cockpit PRINT 1/48 Tamiya

  648814 Buccaneer S.2C/D wheels 1/48 Airfix

  653013 Carley float for 40 people –

  Type 1 PRINT 1/350

  653014 Carley float for 40 people –

  Type 2 PRINT 1/350

  644189 A6M3 Zero LööKplus 1/48 Eduard

  644190 Tornado IDS LööKplus 1/48 Revell

  SIN64895 A6M2 Zero Model 21 ADVANCED 1/48 Eduard

  SIN64896 F4F-3

  w/ telescopic gunsight ESSENTIAL 1/48 Eduard

  3DL32009 Yak-9K SPACE 1/32 ICM

  3DL48094 Beaufort Mk.I SPACE 1/48 ICM

  3DL48095 Mi-4 SPACE 1/48 Trumpeter

  3DL48096 Z-326 SPACE 1/48 Eduard

  3DL72005 Ki-84 Hayate SPACE 1/72 Arma Hobby

  3DL72006 P-51B SPACE 1/72 Arma Hobby

  D32019 Ju 87 stencils 1/32

  Hasegawa/Trumpeter/Revell

  DECEMBER 2022

  INFO Eduard

  85

  December 2022

• Page 86

  BUILT

  Cat. No. 82213

  marking A

  built by Robert Szwarc

  Product page

  1/48

  A6M3 Zero Type 32

  INFO Eduard86

  December 2022

• Page 87

  BUILT

  Ldg. Sea. Kenji Yanagiya, Kōkūtai 204, Rabaul base, New Britain, April 1943

  This aircraft is reconstructed with the field applied

  green paint typical for aircraft of this unit in early

  1943. It has a dismantled radio station and ante-

  nna column to reduce weight. Leading Seaman

  Yanagiya made several operational flights with

  this plane during April 1943. He also flew with it on

  April 18, 1943, while escorting Admiral Yamamoto

  to Ballale on Bougainville Island. The formation of

  two G4M Betty bombers and six Zeros was surpri-

  singly attacked by P-38 fighters, both Bettys were

  shot down and Admiral Yamamoto was killed. Five

  of the six accompanying Japanese fighters were

  successively killed in action during the war, one of

  them being the second ranking naval ace, Shō-ichi

  Sugita (80 v.). The only survivor of the war would

  be Yanagiya. Born in March 1919, after completing

  flight training in March 1942 he was assigned to the

  6th Kōkūtai, which was to be based at the captured

  Midway Atoll. From October 1942 he was deployed

  to Rabaul and in November his unit was redesig-

  nated Kōkūtai 204. In May 1943 he was promoted

  to Petty Officer 2nd Class, but on June 7 he was

  severely wounded in aerial combat off Russell

  Island and had to have his right arm amputated.

  After hospitalization and rehabilitation, he was able

  to continue flying with a prosthesis and served as

  an instructor until the end of the war. He achieved

  a total of eight individual victories and participa-

  ted on eighteen shared kills. Kenji Yanagiya died

  in February 2008.

  INFO Eduard

  87

  December 2022

• Page 88

  1/48

  Z-226MS Trenér

  BUILT

  Cat. No. 82182

  marking B

  built by Martin Glogar

  Product page

  INFO Eduard88

  December 2022

• Page 89

  BUILT

  OK

  -

  MPA, No. 246, Aero Club Frýdlant nad Ostravicí, Czech Republic, 2019

  Trenér No. 246 was manufactured in 1958 and

  was registered in December the same year as the

  Z-226B towing special with rear controls only.

  It flies with the Frýdlant nad Ostravicí Aero Club

  from 2009, when it was brought from Havlíčkův

  Brod Aero Club. During overhaul in 1989 the M-137

  engine was installed and the V-503A automatic

  pitch-control propeller as well. Thus, together

  with other necessary changes it was brought to

  the standard of Z-226MS. The aircraft was used in

  various gliding contests as the tow, two of them,

  the Euroglide 2008 and 2012 are commemorated

  by stickers on the left side of the vertical fin. The

  exhaust silencer was installed by Frýdlant Aero

  Club to keep the noise levels low.

  INFO Eduard

  89

  December 2022

• Page 90

  BUILT

  1/48

  Fw 190A-8/R2 a Bf 109G-6/14

  DUAL COMBO

  Cat. No. 11119

  marking G

  built by Robert Szwarc

  ReichsverteidigungReichsverteidigung

  INFO Eduard90

  December 2022

• Page 91

  BUILT

  Bf 109G-6/R6, W. Nr. 20272, flown by Oblt. Heinrich Klöpper, CO of 7./ JG 1, Leeuwarden,

  the Netherlands, November 1943

  A native of Lower Saxony´s Peine, future

  Knight's Cross recipient Heinrich Klöpper took part

  in the Battle of France and the Battle of Britain

  as a member of JG 77. He would claim one kill

  in each of these campaigns. He would get another

  eighty after the initiation of Operation Barbaros-

  sa on June 22nd, 1941 through to November 1943,

  this time with 11th Staffel of JG 51. At the beginning

  of November 1943, he took command of the 7th

  Staffel JG 1, a unit that was incorporated in the the

  Defence of the Reich (Reichsverteidigung). Serving

  with this unit, he downed five four engined B-17s,

  a B-24 and two P-38s. He was killed on November

  29th, 1943, in combat with a couple of P-38s in the

  cockpit of his Bf 109 over Vollenhove in the Nether-

  lands. Some commanders of tactical units had the

  fin and rudders of their aircraft painted white for

  quick identification of the leader's aircraft in com-

  bat. The rudder also bears Klöpper's victory tally.

  INFO Eduard

  91

  December 2022

• Page 92

  1/48 Tamiya

  BUILT

  P-38J nose

  gun bay

  PRINT

  Cat. No. 648790

  built by Josef Choreň

  Product page

  INFO Eduard92

  December 2022

• Page 93

  1/48 Tamiya

  P-38J cockpit

  PRINT

  Cat. No. 648812

  built by Josef Choreň

  Product page

  BUILT

  INFO Eduard

  93

  December 2022

• Page 94

  Fw 190A8/R2

  1/48 Eduard

  built by Jan Novotný

  #3DL48027

  BUILT

  Product page

  INFO Eduard94

  December 2022

• Page 95

  HOuse of Phantoms Decals

  Our new line of decals for Phantomiacs!

  Each decal contains a plethora of different marking

  options and stencils for two aircraft!

  Wetterkreuz 13, 91058 Erlangen, Germany

  Phone: +49-9131-52828 / Office Hours: Tue + Thu 09:00 to 16:30 Hrs

  www.houseofphantoms.com / www.shopofphantoms.com

  contact@shopofphantoms.com

  Ho use of P han toms, We tterkreuz 13, 91058 Erlangen

  Ge rmany – www .houseof phantoms.c om

  Prin ted i n It aly b y

  All right s re serve d!

  © 20 22 Ho use of Ph antom s

  Ove r 15 d iffere nt mar king o ptions ,

  wi th stenci ls for two a ircraf t!

  Ho PD 48003

  1/48

  Scale

  USAFE phantoms PART 1

  Ramstein based F-4E of the 86

  th

  TFW and 26

  th

  TRW

  Des ign ed for Zou kei -Mu ra kits !

  DANGER

  ARRESTING HOOK

  Price: Euro 25,17*

  HoPD 48003

  USAFE Phantoms Part 1:

  Ramstein based F-4Es of the 26

  th

  TRW and 86

  th

  TFW.

  Over 15 different marking options,

  three of which are early hard

  wing” F-4Es with short gun

  muzzle. Aircraft with standard

  SEA, SEA-wraparound and Euro 1

  camouflages included.

  Decal designed for the Zoukei-Mura

  range of F-4 kits, but can be used

  on any other 1/48 scale F-4E model

  kit with a bit of tweaking.

  Ho use of P han toms, We tterkreuz 13, 91058 Erlangen

  Ge rmany – www .houseof phantoms.c om

  Prin ted i n It aly b y

  All right s re serve d!

  © 20 22 Ho use of Ph antom s

  Ove r 30 d iffere nt mar king o ptions ,

  wi th stenci ls for two a ircraf t!

  Ove r 30 d iffere nt mar king o ptions ,

  wi th stenci ls for two a ircraf t!

  Ho PD 48002

  1/48

  Scale

  Luftwaffe phantoms

  F-4F in Norm 81A /1B Camouflage

  Des ign ed for Zou kei -Mu ra kits !

  HoPD 48002

  Luftwaffe Phantoms:

  F-4F in Norm 81A/B Camouflages.

  This sheet features over 30

  marking options, including “shark

  mouth” aircraft, “TAM” exercise

  markings, fancy colourful tails as

  well as special nose art. All wings

  included. Features stencils for two

  Phantoms.

  Decal designed for the Zoukei-Mura

  range of F-4 kits, but can be used

  on any other 1/48 scale F-4E/F

  model kit with a bit of tweaking.

  Price: Euro 25,17*

  * All prices excluding VAT and

  shipping costs, which will be added

  during checkout!

  Ho use of P han toms, We tterkreuz 13, 91058 Erlangen

  Ge rmany – www .houseof phantoms.c om

  Prin ted i n It aly b y

  All right s re serve d!

  © 20 19 Ho use of Ph antom s

  18 diffe ren t mark ing options ,

  wi th ste nci ls for tw o aircra ft!

  Ho PD 48001

  1/48

  Scale

  USAF phantoms

  F-4C

  s

  and Candy Canes of the 58

  th

  TFTW at Luke AFB

  Price: Euro 21,01*

  HoPD 48001

  USAF Phantoms:

  F-4C Candy Canes of the 58th

  TFTW at Luke AFB.

  Over 15 different marking options,

  including all of the striped ‘Candy

  Cane’ high-viz aircraft, the 1976

  Bi-centennial aircraft as well as

  F-4C MiG-killers. Stencils for two

  aircraft are provided.

  Decal designed for the Zoukei-Mura

  range of F-4 kits, but can be used

  on any other 1/48 scale F-4C model

  kit with a bit of tweaking.

• Page 96

  ON APPROACH

  JANUARY 2023

  634029

  Bf 109G-2 LööK

  1/32 Revell

  644192

  SE.5a LööK

  1/48 Eduard

  644194

  Beaufort Mk.I LööK

  1/48 ICM

  644193

  Mosquito FB Mk.II LööK

  1/48 Tamiya

  BIG33146 Ju 87G-1/2 1/35 Border Model

  BIG49352 F3F-2 1/48 Academy

  BIG49353 Spitfire Mk.XII 1/48 Airfix

  BIG49354 P-47N 1/48 Academy

  BIG49355 Mi-35M 1/48 Zvezda

  634029 Bf 109G-2 LööK 1/32 Revell

  644192 SE.5a LööK 1/48 Eduard

  644193 Mosquito FB Mk.II LööK 1/48 Tamiya

  644194 Beaufort Mk.I LööK 1/48 ICM

  635018 WWII German hammer PRINT 1/35

  635019 WWII German axe PRINT 1/35

  635021 WWII German clamps Type 2 PRINT 1/35

  648785 Fw 190A-8 cockpit PRINT 1/48 Eduard

  648809 WWII USAAF oxygen cylinder A-6 PRINT 1/48

  648810 WWII USAAF oxygen tank G-1 PRINT 1/48

  648815 F4F-4 wheels early 1/48 Eduard

  648816 F4F-4 wheels late 1/48 Eduard

  648817 F4F-4 landing flaps PRINT 1/48 Eduard

  648818 F4F-4 folding wings PRINT 1/48 Eduard

  648819 F-35B wheels 1/48 Italeri

  648820 F4F-4 exhausts PRINT 1/48 Eduard

  648821 Yak-9D wheels 1/48 Zvezda

  648822 F-16A MLU wheels 1/48 Kinetic

  653015 Carley float for 60 people – Type 1 PRINT 1/350

  653016 Carley float for 60 people – Type 2 PRINT 1/350

  644191 F4F-3 early LööKplus 1/48 Eduard

  SIN64897 A6M3 Zero ESSENTIAL 1/48 Eduard

  SIN64898 P-38J ADVANCED 1/48 Tamiya

  BIG ED (January)

  BRASSIN (January)

  LöökPlus (January)

  BIGSIN (January)

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard

  and STEEL seatbelts for Bf 109G-2 in 1/32 scale.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Revell

  Set contains:

  - resin: 1 part

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details:

  yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard

  and STEEL seatbelts for SE.5a in 1/48 scale.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  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 Beaufort Mk.I in 1/48 scale.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: ICM

  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 Mosquito FB Mk.II in 1/48

  scale. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Tamiya

  Set contains:

  - resin: 3 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details:

  yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  PRELIMINARY IMAGES

  PRELIMINARY IMAGES

  PRELIMINARY IMAGES

  PRELIMINARY IMAGES

  INFO Eduard96

  December 2022

• Page 97

  635018

  WWII German hammer PRINT

  1/35

  ON APPROACH

  Brassin set - hammer for German WWII AFV in 1/35 scale.

  The set consists of 4 hammers. Made by direct 3D printing.

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 4 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes

  - painting mask: no

  635019

  WWII German axe PRINT

  1/35

  635021

  WWII German clamps Type 2 PRINT

  1/35

  Brassin set - axe for German WWII AFV in 1/35 scale.

  The set consists of 4 axes. Made by direct 3D printing.

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 4 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - clamps for German WWII AFV

  in 1/35 scale. Made by direct 3D printing.

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 50 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  INFO Eduard

  97

  December 2022

• Page 98

  ON APPROACH

  JANUARY 2023

  648785

  Fw 190A-8 cockpit PRINT

  1/48 Eduard

  648809

  WWII USAAF oxygen cylinder A-6 PRINT

  1/48

  648810

  WWII USAAF oxygen tank G-1 PRINT

  1/48

  Brassin set - the cockpit for Fw 190A-8 in 1/48 scale.

  Made by direct 3D printing. Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 19 parts

  - decals: yes

  - photo-etched details:

  yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - oxygen tanks for US WII aicraft in 1/48 scale.

  The set consists of 6 tanks. Made by direct 3D printing.

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 6 parts

  - decals: yes

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - oxygen tanks for US WII aicraft

  in 1/48 scale. The set consists of 6 tanks.

  Made by direct 3D printing.

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 6 parts

  - decals: yes

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  INFO Eduard98

  December 2022

• Page 99

  ON APPROACHJANUARY 2023

  648815

  F4F-4 wheels early

  1/48 Eduard

  648816

  F4F-4 wheels late

  1/48 Eduard

  648817

  F4F-4 landing flaps PRINT

  1/48 Eduard

  Brassin set - the undercarriage wheels for

  F4F-4 in 1/48 scale. The set consists of the

  main wheels and a tailwheel. Easy to

  assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - resin: 5 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: yes

  Brassin set - the undercarriage wheels for F4F-4

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

  and a tailwheel. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - resin: 6 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes

  - painting mask: yes

  Brassin set - landing flaps for F4F-4 in 1/48 scale.

  The set consists of the deployed flaps for both wings.

  Made by direct 3D printing. Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 8 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes

  - painting mask: no

  INFO Eduard

  99

  December 2022

• Page 100

  ON APPROACH

  648818

  F4F-4 folding wings PRINT

  1/48 Eduard

  648819

  F-35B wheels

  1/48 Italeri

  648820

  F4F-4 exhausts PRINT

  1/48 Tamiya

  Brassin set - folding wings for F4F-4 in 1/48 scale.

  The set consists of parts for both wings. Made by

  direct 3D printing. Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 10 parts

  - plastic: 4 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - the undercarriage wheels for F-35B

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

  and a nose wheel. Easy to assemble, replaces

  plastic parts. Recommended kit: Italeri

  Set contains:

  - resin: 3 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: yes

  Brassin set - the exhausts for F4F-4

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

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  JANUARY 2023

  INFO Eduard100

  December 2022

• Page 101

  ON APPROACH

  648821

  Yak-9D wheels

  1/48 Zvezda

  648822

  F-16A MLU wheels

  1/48 Kinetic

  Brassin set - the undercarriage wheels

  for Yak-9D in 1/48 scale. The set consists

  of the main wheels and a tailwheel.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Zvezda

  Set contains:

  - resin: 3 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: yes

  Brassin set - the undercarriage wheels for F-16A MLU

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

  and a nose wheel. Easy to assemble, replaces

  plastic parts. Recommended kit: Kinetic

  Set contains:

  - resin: 3 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: yes

  JANUARY 2023

  INFO Eduard

  101

  December 2022

• Page 102

  ON APPROACH

  653015

  Carley float for 60 people – Type 1 PRINT

  1/350

  Brassin set - Carley type lifeboats for 60 people

  in 1/350 scale. The set consists of 10 floats.

  Made by direct 3D printing.

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 10 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes

  - painting mask: no

  653016

  Carley float for 60 people – Type 2 PRINT

  1/350

  Brassin set - Carley type lifeboats for 60 people

  in 1/350 scale. The set consists of 10 floats.

  Made by direct 3D printing.

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 10 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes

  - painting mask: no

  JANUARY 2023

  INFO Eduard102

  December 2022

• Page 103

  BRASSIN 02/2022BRASSIN 02/2022

  ON APPROACH

  644191

  F4F-3 early LööKplus

  1/48 Eduard

  Collection of 4 sets for F4F-3 in 1/48 scale.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

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

  - TFace painting mask

  - seat

  - undercarriage wheels

  JANUARY 2023

  INFO Eduard

  103

  December 2022

• Page 104

  ON APPROACH

  SIN64897

  A6M3 Zero ESSENTIAL

  1/48 Eduard

  Collection of 4 sets for A6M3 Zero in 1/48 scale.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  - cockpit PRINT

  - wheels

  - exhausts PRINT

  - undercarriage legs BRONZE

  All sets included in this BIG SIN are available separately,

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

  JANUARY 2023

  INFO Eduard104

  December 2022

• Page 105

  SIN64898

  P-38J ADVANCED

  1/48 Tamiya

  Collection of 3 sets for P-38J in 1/48 scale.

  Recommended kit: Tamiya

  - nose guns PRINT

  - superchargers PRINT

  - landing flaps PRINT

  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 APPROACHJANUARY 2023

  INFO Eduard

  105

  December 2022

• Page 106

  PE

  -

  SETS

  53289 USS Alaska CB-1 part 1 1/350 Hobby Boss

  32480 Tornado IDS exterior 1/32 Italeri

  321004 Tornado IDS interior 1/32 Italeri

  321005 Tornado IDS undercarriage 1/32 Italeri

  36493 Austin K2/Y ambulance 1/35 Airfix

  36494 Jagdpanzer IV 1/35 Border Model

  481096 Beaufort Mk.I undercarriage 1/48 ICM

  481097 A-10C exterior 1/48 Hobby Boss

  481098 A-10C armament 1/48 Hobby Boss

  491324 A-10C 1/48 Hobby Boss

  73788 AJ-1 1/72 Roden

  73789 Ki-21-Ib 1/72 ICM

  73790 Do 335A 1/72 Hobby 2000/Roden

  ZOOMS

  33341 Tornado IDS 1/32 Italeri

  33342 Tornado IDS seatbelts STEEL 1/32 Italeri

  FE1322 Spitfire Mk.Vb Weekend 1/48 Eduard

  FE1323 Sopwith F.1 Camel (Clerget) Weekend 1/48 Eduard

  FE1324 A-10C 1/48 Hobby Boss

  FE1325 A-10C seatbelts STEEL 1/48 Hobby Boss

  SS788 AJ-1 1/72 Roden

  SS789 Ki-21-Ib 1/72 ICM

  SS790 Do 335A 1/72 Hobby 2000/Roden

  MASKS

  JX303 Tornado IDS 1/32 Italeri

  JX304 Tornado IDS TFace 1/32 Italeri

  EX912 Z-326 TFace 1/48 Eduard

  EX913 Mosquito B Mk.IV TFace 1/48 Tamiya

  EX914 Spitfire Mk.V TFace 1/48 Eduard

  EX915 A-10C 1/48 Hobby Boss

  EX916 A-10C TFace 1/48 Hobby Boss

  EX917 Anson Mk.I 1/48 Airfix

  EX918 Anson Mk.I TFace 1/48 Airfix

  CX637 AJ-1 1/72 Roden

  CX638 Ki-21-Ib 1/72 ICM

  CX639 Ki-46-III Interceptor 1/72 Hasegawa

  CX640 Do 335A 1/72 Hobby 2000/Roden

  CX641 Meteor F.8 1/72 Airfix

  SPACE

  3DL32010 Bf 109G-2/4 SPACE 1/32 Revell

  3DL48097 Mosquito B Mk.IV SPACE 1/48 Tamiya

  3DL48098 A-10C SPACE 1/48 Hobby Boss

  3DL48099 Spitfire Mk.V SPACE 1/48 Airfix

  3DL48100 Bf 109G-6 SPACE 1/48 Tamiya

  3DL48101 P-51D-5 SPACE 1/48 Airfix

  3DL48102 Spitfire Mk.I SPACE 1/48 Tamiya

  3DL72007 P-51C SPACE 1/72 Arma Hobby

  3DL72008 S-199 SPACE 1/72 Eduard

  3DL72009 CS-199 SPACE 1/72 Eduard

  3DL72010 Ki-21-Ib SPACE 1/72 ICM

  DECAL SET

  D48108 Mosquito B Mk.IV stencils 1/48 Revell/Tamiya

  EDDIE THE RIVETER

  ER48005 Su-25 raised rivets & surface details 1/48 Zvezda

  ON APPROACH

  JANUARY 2023

  INFO Eduard106

  December 2022

• Page 107

  ON APPROACH

  B-25J Mitchell STRAFER #7012 1/72

  JANUARY 2023

  B-25J-30, 44-30934, 1/Lt Charles E. Rice Jr.,

  449th BS, 345th BG, 5th AF, Kadena, Okinawa,

  July 1945

  B-25J-20, 44-29147, Lt. William J. Faucher,

  396th BS, 41st BG, 7th AF, Kadena, Okinawa,

  July 1945

  B-25J-10, 43-28145, 71st BS, 38th BG,

  5th AF, Lingayen, Philippines, 1945

  B-25J-20, 44-29657, 1/Lt Thomas Cockrell,

  100th BS, 42nd BG, 13th AF, Puerto Princesa,

  Palawan, Philippines, 1945

  B-25J-30, 44-31063, 498th BS, 345th BG,

  5th AF, le Shima, Okinawa, Japan, July 1945

  INFO Eduard

  107

  December 2022

• Page 108

  ON APPROACH

  Spitfire Mk.Vb mid 1/48#84186

  BM211, F/Lt John D. Mitchner,

  No. 402 Squadron RCAF, RAF Merston,

  United Kingdom, September–November 1943

  BL384, F/Lt John A. A. Gibson,

  No. 457 Squadron RAAF, RAF Andreas,

  United Kingdom, December 1941

  BL594, W/Cdr Alexandr Gabszewicz,

  No. 2 Polish Wing, RAF Northolt, United Kingdom,

  February–May 1943

  BM309, 2/Lt Robert A. Boock, 335th FS, 4th FG,

  Debden, United Kingdom, February 1943

  JANUARY 2023

  INFO Eduard108

  December 2022

• Page 109

  Sopwith F.1 Camel (Clerget) #8486 1/48

  ON APPROACHJANUARY 2023

  B6289, William M. Alexander,

  No. 10(N) Squadron RNAS, Téteghem,

  France, January 1918

  E7232, No. 4 Flying School,

  Freiston, United Kingdom, 1918

  B5406, Lt. Sadhar H. Malik,

  No. 28 Squadron RFC, Droglant,

  France, October 1917

  D6402, Henry W. Woollett,

  No. 43 Sqn, Avesnes-le-Comte,

  France, April 1918

  INFO Eduard

  109

  December 2022

• Page 110

  ON APPROACH

  Bf 110E

  Re-release

  4./NJG 1, St. Trond, France, February 1942

  Lt. Felix-Maria Brandis, 1.(Z)/JG 77,

  Malmi, Finsko, 1942

  6./ZG 1, Sovětský svaz, léto 1942

  Lt. Herbert Kutscha, 5./ZG 1, Soviet Union, 1942

  WNr. 4035, Sonderkommando Junck,

  základna Mosul, Irák, květen 1941

  1/72 #7083

  JANUARY 2023

  INFO Eduard110

  December 2022

• Page 111

  Re-release

  80th FS, 8th FG, Port Moresby,

  New Guinea, Autumn 1942

  67th FS, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands,

  November 1942

  Lt. Eugene A. Wahl, 39th FS, 35th FG,

  Port Moresby New Guinea, Summer 1942

  AP356, Lt. Edward J. Kurt, 35th FS,

  8th FG, Milne Bay, New Guinea, 1942–1943

  BX163, 80th FS, 8th FG, Port Moresby,

  New Guinea, December 1942

  P-400

  1/48 #8092

  ON APPROACHJANUARY 2023

  INFO Eduard

  111

  December 2022

• Page 112

  ON APPROACH

  A6M2 Zero Type 21

  Re-release

  1/48 #82212

  c/n 5379, PO1c Tsuguo Matsuyama,

  Hiryū Fighter Squadron, aircraft carrier Hiryū,

  December 7, 1941

  PO2c Kōtarō Koyae, Zuihō Fighter Squadron,

  Rabaul, New Britain island, April 1943

  PO1c Saburō Sakai, Tainan Kōkūtai,

  Lakunai airfield, Rabaul, New Britain island,

  August 1942

  Lt. Kunio Kanzaki, CO of Hikōtai 311 of Kōkūtai 381,

  Kendari airfield, Celebes island, May 1944

  Lt. Nobuo Miyatake, Kamikaze Tokubetsu Kōgekitai,

  1. Shichisei-tai, Kanoya airbase, Japan, April 1945

  JANUARY 2023

  INFO Eduard112

  December 2022

• Page 113

• Page 114

  NOT JUST ANOTHER VETERANS’ DAY

  AT PEACE SQUARE

  The poppies that bloomed this year on

  November 11th in Prague’s Peace Square

  (Namesti Miru), - and not just them – had

  a different sort of ‘feel’ than in years past.

  Veterans’ Day has over the past several

  years, and even the last couple of decades,

  become a recognized event. Today, a poppy

  attached to a coat collar is hardly surpri

  -

  sing. But it wasn’t always like that. I can

  recall when around 1996, Czechoslovak ve

  -

  terans of the RAF took me along to the Bri-

  tish embassy to a small ‘party’ they called

  ‘Poppy Day’. I really didn’t have a clue as

  to what it was about, why the poppy had

  been singled out, and where the roots of all

  of this lay. Information ignited by memo

  -

  ries of my school years didn’t materialize

  because there simply weren’t any. It’s not

  because the school system’s emphasis on

  honoring history is any better today (ma

  -

  ybe depending on where), but major steps

  forward have been taken in terms of re

  -

  membering vets of past wars, and for that

  I am grateful. The tradition began to deve

  -

  lop in the civilized western world already

  in 1919, under the influence of King George

  V for nations of the Commonwealth. It got

  to us a little later due to some ‘historical

  twists’. Eastern Europe remains somewhat

  untouched by the notion of the Poppy. By

  some strange way, as if at the crossroads

  between East and West, the Poppy sym

  -

  bol found its way to Ukraine. There, the

  poppy pin began to show up in 2014, when

  the country moved a bit further from the

  East, but not in connection to November

  11th, but rather May 8th, a day that is as

  -

  sociated with the final victory at the end of

  the Second World War. I was surprised to

  learn that the red poppy in Ukraine (where

  in 2014 it replaced the standard badge of

  the Red Star) is generally not understood

  as a reminder of Flanders Fields like it is

  here, but a symbol of that ‘small hole in

  the coat’, i.e. a bullet hole, with blood soa

  -

  ked around it. A symbol of wartime sacri-

  fice in a somewhat more sobering guise.

  It must be said though, that even that con-

  cept has something to it. Either way, even

  there the poppy became a symbol asso

  -

  ciated with respect for the fallen and for

  veterans. The answer to the question as to

  why the poppy, as a symbol of respect for

  the victims of war, did not get any further

  east than Ukraine is maybe best left up to

  the individual.

  I can't help but return to the notion ex

  -

  pressed above and still maintain focus on

  Ukraine. I noted the fact that this year's

  event at Peace Square in Prague was dif

  -

  ferent from previous years. Of course, why

  this is has become quite obvious The act

  of paying homage to, and reflecting upon,

  such memories has never been accompa

  -

  nied by a war so physically close to home.

  Although no new crosses appeared on the

  lawn of Peace Square symbolizing fallen

  Czech soldiers in modern wars, the aware

  -

  ness of the current horrors being played

  out in eastern Europe was ever present.

  Eduard was again present at this event

  and again sold kits with proceeds going to

  the Military Solidarity Fund. And I can thus

  compare the moods, tension and sense of

  belonging, which could be felt from the

  participants and visitors of the event, to

  previous years. I was a little worried about

  what we would encounter during Memo

  -

  rial Day. And that was mainly under the

  influence of two demonstrations again

  -

  st the government of the Czech Republic

  and generally against our aid to Ukraine,

  which took place in Prague not long befo

  -

  re. The cold day in Peace Square allevia-

  ted my fears. Not only did many Ukraini-

  an refugees, temporarily living in Prague,

  come to the event, stopping by our stand

  to thank us, the reactions of the ‘locals’

  in particular were completely favorable

  and in line with our own understanding of

  the world. Social conflict, in which no one

  knows exactly where the balance of power

  lies, did not manifest itself at this event.

  There was unity. There was no ‘us against

  them’. Perhaps, it was because those ‘pa

  -

  triots’, spewing nationalistic, selfish and

  pro-Russian crap at various meetings and

  demonstrations, are actually not interes

  -

  ted in the victims of those who helped win

  our freedom.

  Jan Zdiarský

  INFO Eduard114

  December 2022

• EDITORIAL

  Good day, ladies and Gentlemen

  Welcome to the final newsletter of this year. As matter of course, this will apparently also be the next to last newsletter released under our current publishing system. As you know from before, we are about to embark on a change to the Triobo digital publishing platform. This should happen in January, when we will publish the newsletter in its classic form, but we will simultaneously put one up on a trial basis using Triobo. Then, both yourselves and us will be able to test out the new system’s functionality, and if it works well, February’s newsletter will come out only through Triobo. I can deflect any skepticism regarding the release of new items by assuring one and all that Triobo will not be generating any reader discomfort. On the contrary, it’s a logical step consistent with our progress as a whole over the last several years. From our initially humble marketing capabilities, we have turned what is basically a flyer into a company e-magazine that assures something for pretty much everyone in a good read before bedtime or at the breakfast table. Given the current range of our published newsletter, which includes at least three detailed historical and technical articles and four boxart story editions added this year to each issue, we are at the point where an innovation raising reader comfort is at hand. Our evolution will not end with the implementation of this new system, either. The near future will also see further changes that will improve graphics. It’s also no secret that we are kicking in some changes to distribution, a part of which will affect our long awaited printed version. That idea still presents itself as a little beyond our capabilities, but we believe that through the course of the year coming, we’ll get there. It will likely take the form of a quarterly collection of historical articles. And if you’re worried about the printing option of our monthly newsletter, don’t be…

   

  Brassins and 3D Production Prints
  We are at the end of the year, and as you can see, right from the get go I’m diving headlong into the favorite part of this time of year, an assessment of our successes achieved and a look at future plans. Its ‘favorite’ status also makes it a bit of a dangerous endeavor, because the interpretation of the successes is often off by those who make them, and virtually everyone misses future plans to at least some degree. I am no exception, and as an example, I can cite the fact that my plans for the release schedule of kits typically come out at around fifty-fifty, despite them coming out of detailed planning involving my colleagues six months prior to the end of the year. But then it just pleases me that much more that the planning for the evolution of the Brassin line came out pretty much spot on. This concerns the switch over to 3D printing where previously, everything was cast. This is a good example of a switch whose dynamic can be almost hellish. From last fall, when we integrated 3D printers into our production system, to the midpoint of this one, we switched the majority of our production to straight 3D prints. The remainders of the products that are still cast resin are wheels and the landing gears that are in bronze. This month, another two 3D printers should arrive, giving us a total of six and I expect our printing capacity to rise through the year. The reason why we are investing and focusing so much on these innovations is simple. 3D printing offers a completely different level of quality. It represents the biggest breakthrough in the industry since the introduction of cast resin sets by Francois Verlinden some thirty-five years ago. Compared to casts, 3D prints are more precise, geometrically stable with time, don’t require removal from casting blocks that sometimes can affect fit and can be quite labor intensive, and they don’t require the same level of cleanup and don’t present the same fit issues. 3D prints  are used in much the same way that the plastic parts of a kit are used, and the only real complication that remains is the need to use CA glue for installation. And that’s not typically a big issue and is something most modellers have mastered. A significant issue that is resolved by the use of 3D printing concerns health. A segment of the population is allergic to cast resin materials, but no such problem is known with 3D prints, at least with the use of our 3D printing materials, which were developed to be bio compatible. Another advantage of 3D prints is that they are simpler because the number of small parts in a given assembly can be printed together as one, where the same assembly could not be cast, to say nothing of injection molding. A good example are the pushrods on a radial engine, various cabling offset a distance from the main block of a given item, and various structural elements of aircraft, such as landing flaps. The height of this idea is represented specifically by the speedbrakes on the Su-25 in 1:48th. These will be released in February, and when you see them, take a good, close look at them. It’s worth it. Landing flaps are an example of this type of product that is gaining in popularity very quickly. But in order to not get too long winded on the subject, and to keep from repeating things that have already been discussed at great lengths, I will just mention that this is a great example of a successful innovation and something which we will intensively continue to develop. It is interesting to note that the Brassin department was formed twelve years ago as a result of some of our people being displaced by another innovation, our switch from electroplated molds to direct CNC milling of Certal plates. We didn’t want to just let these people go, and the fact that they had experience with making molds and casting polyurethanes, epoxies and synthetic rubbers played only a small role in that. Back then, we recognized that we were undertaking a large innovative step and it required from us a lot of work before it would bear any fruit. But exactly what that fruit would look like, and what kinds of doors it would open up with kit production for us was vague. Although 3D printing was already around at the birth of the Brassin department, used for the manufacture of masters, no one could have anticipated the level of modernization it was to bring in terms of manufacturing accessory sets!

  The New Warehouse and Associated Move

  With the coming of new 3D printers would come the potential of a major lack of space. This was coming either way, and our main facility in Obrnice has no more room to expand into. We have been looking for a solution to the problem ever since we had that blaze two years ago. Immediately after the fire, we began preparing for the construction of a new warehouse, into which we would have moved our retail department, packaging of kits and machining and molding, which would entail complete kit manufacture. Unfortunately, we encountered escalating problems with the build proper, leading to the cessation of the project. A new solution was found last year in the fall, when we found a facility of suitable size for our needs. Its purchase was delayed by typical Czech bureaucracy, but the deal was finalized in September. We expect the first renovation to be completed at the end of January, and we will move the retail and packing sections into it at the beginning of February.  This on its own will bring a shortfall in the expediting of mail, and it will likely last through a good chunk of the first half of the month. The exact timeline will be outlined in the January newsletter.

  The second phase of the reconstruction will be more complicated, because it will involve the setting up of space for the installation of the presses and tooling shop. This is technically more complicated and the project is in preparation, and the optimist in me is hoping for completion by the end of next year.  After this is completed and kit manufacturing is moved, its current space will free up and at the very least, a good chunk of this space will be occupied by the Brassin department. And then there will be nothing stopping it from evolving further.

  New Prices

  As long as we’re on the subject of changes, we are entering the new  year with a new price structure. This is a significant change and a sensitive topic which we have been putting off to the end of the year. Prices will increase in intervals of 11 to 15% depending on the price group. Price increases will impact retail and wholesale costs in Czech Crowns and Euros, but won’t affect US retail prices. They will take effect during the shutdown of the retail department before Christmas, which this year will be December 19th when we will be accepting the last of our orders which will have dispatched guaranties by before the holidays. As with every year, this will be followed by our taking inventory, and this is when the new pricing will be implemented. So, your last chance to buy at current prices will be December 19th. Retail will reopen, with the new prices, probably the first week of January, 2023, and in all likelihood, this will be on the 3rd or 4th of the month.

  Nuremberg, 2023

  It is necessary to now say something about our participation at the Nuremberg Toy Fair for 2023. As you all know, I have always maintained the importance of our participation with this event. Our regular attendance has been consistent with this notion. Unfortunately, the need to cancel the last two years due to covid restrictions was less than pleasant. Participation of firms in the upcoming event will be low, and what’s worse, many of our retail partners and journalists won’t be there, either. For this reason, we decided to tone down our own participation at the event. We are not cancelling it outright, but we will reduce our floor space and share it with our colleagues at Special Hobby. We are also cancelling our regular press conference. I am hopeful that this is all just temporary and the fair will return to its past glory and significance in our industry in the years to come. But it may not happen that way, in which case this may be our last participation at this event. 

   And that ends our look at the upcoming year. In our next installment, we’ll have a look at the future production side of things, dedicated first and foremost on new kits for 2023. Now, we will have a look at new releases for December. Because these have been available since the last week of November, I won’t outline all of them; just the more significant items.

  Kits
  

   December finds us continuing on with our Zero project, originally known as Project Voldemort, with a Limited Edition kit dubbed ‘Samurai’. As with most kits currently coming out of this line, ‘Samurai’ is a Dual Combo boxing with two complete sets of plastic in the package. The kit allows for the building of two versions of the A6M3 Zero, the Model 32 and the Model 22. The marking options contain twelve aircraft, six of each flavor. When I was a more active modeller in my youth, the A6M3 Zero Model 32 with its relatively attractive camouflage schemes was considered the most striking of all versions. I hope that you will see it the same way, at least up to the point when we come out with other variants that promise to be no less attractive!

   In the ProfiPACK line, we have a 1:72nd scale Bf 109E-3, a kit developed in association with Special Hobby. SH have released this kit in several boxings themselves, but I believe that our version of the kit will capture your attention and interest. Of the most important aspect of the kit, its marking options, I can say that we gave it our usual high level of care and there are six attractive schemes to choose from.  

   In the 1:48th scale ProfiPACK line, we are returning the Fw 190D-9 to our range. This was originally planned as a re-edition of the original kit, but because we added an aircraft flown by Waldemar Wubke of JV44, which is also the subject of the boxart, we have given this kit a new catalog number. In the same line, you’ll also find another straight reissue, the Bf 109G-10 Mtt. Regensburg, also in 1:48th. This is a kit that was quickly sold out and is making a long awaited comeback.

   In the Weekend line, we have the P-51D-10 Mustang and Spitfire Mk.IXc in 1:48th. Both feature attractive marking options. For example, in the Mustang kit, there is an option for Man O’ War flown by Claiborne Kinnard of the 4th Fighter Group, 8thAF. This is a bird firmly etched in the minds of me and my peers thanks to an old 48th scale Revell kit, sold in the late nineties in the Czech Republic.. I still have the kit. For the Spitfire, we have the S/Ldr Karel Cermak flown aircraft, in which he shot down an Fw 190A-8 in June, 1944 above Normandy.

   

  Accessories

   The thing to note this month in terms of newly released accessory sets is the 1:48th scale P-38J Cockpit for the Tamiya kit. It is one of the nicest sets of this type to be released in the Brassin line. I think it’s an excellent example of the capabilities of 3D printing that are presented to the modeller that I wrote about above. This set is unique not only for its level of detail, but also for the engineering that went into it, which significantly eases the integration of the set into the model. The installation is even easer and smoother than the kit cockpit, which is virtually unheard of in the world of aftermarket accessory items.  This quality could make accessory items very interesting to more modellers in the future, because modellers who in the past avoided using resin sets due to their labor intensity will now find them attractive.

   Another interesting and welcome item is the wheel well set for our F6F Hellcat, a kit also making its way back into our range. The popularity of this set is leading us to thoughts of developing further sets, such as a cockpit set and perhaps a wingfold set. It won’t be easy, though, because when it comes to the Brassin line, we have a lot of conceptually and from a production standpoint, intense projects planned for newly released kits such as Tamiya’s F-35.

   One more thing I would like to point out that is related to the Brassin line. These are nice, subtle little items for German AFVs in 1:35th and two sets of American Carly life rafts for forty people in 1:350th.

   In the Space line, we have six new sets for the month, among which are two 1:72nd scale sets for the Arma Hobby Ki-84 and P-51B. in the photoetched department, we have a P-39 set for the kit from the same manufacturer, and a new set for the new Mi-4 in 1:48th from Trumpeter. This is a kit that I am personally looking forward to. Besides the aircraft sets, we are also covering ships and AFVs, and we have the regular lineup of new BiG Eds, with their Brassin equipped BiG Sin counterparts.

   

  Literature

   In the popular article department, we’ve got the second part about the Lexington from Mira Baric, and the already ninth volume covering the air war over Ukraine. This time, we also have a technical article dedicated to modelling adhesives and their optimal usage by Joe Blazek. Add to that our still new boxart stories , dedicated to the description and explanation of the events depicted on our box covers for the month.

   And that’s just about it for this year. In closing, I will just reiterate that we are accepting orders until December 19th, after which it will not be possible to guarantee delivery of goods from our e-shop at the current prices. The reason for this is the aforementioned re-pricing of our goods, which will take place during the holiday shut down of the retail department. The e-shop will come back to life after we conclude our inventory taking and re-pricing, which will happen after January 1st, 2023.

   So, dear friends, thank you all so much for your support throughout 2022. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and all the best into 2023!

   

  Happy Modelling

  Vladimir Sulc

• Bf 109E-3 1/72 marking options

  WNr. 1079, Ofw. Erich Rudorffer, 2./JG 2, Baumont-le-Roger, France, September 1940

  Erich Rudorffer was assigned on November 1, 1939 to 2./JG 2. He scored his first victory, a French Curtiss Hawk 75 fighter, on May 14, 1940 and added eight more victories during the Battle of France. By May 1, 1941, Leutnant Rudorffer had achieved 19 victories, for which he was awarded the Knight’s Cross. In November 1941 he was appointed commander of 6./JG 2 and in April 1943, during the fighting in Africa, he became commander of the entire II./JG 2. In the summer he briefly commanded IV./JG 54 on the Eastern Front and then until early 1945 he led II./JG 54. In January 1945 Rudorffer became commander of I./JG 7 equipped with Me 262 jets. He was credited with a total of 222 victories and awarded the Knight's Cross with Oak leave and Swords. During the war he flew about 1,000 combat sorties and is reported to have been shot down sixteen times. After the war, he flew DC-2 and DC-3 transport aircraft in Australia, then worked for Pan Am and later was employed in Germany by the Lufthart Bundesamt.
  

  
  

  Oblt. August-Wilhelm Schumann, 5./JG 52, Mannheim-Sandhofen, Germany, November-December 1939

  “Rabatz” Schumann was born in March 1915 in Berlin and after his pilot and fighter training served from October 1938 to July 1939 with the Legion Condor in Spain. Following brief service with I./JG 52 and II./JG 72, he was appointed commander of 5./JG 52 in September 1939. His aircraft bore a non-standard camouflage on upper surfaces. It was with this aircraft that Schumann probably achieved his first aerial victory in World War II. He shot down an observation balloon at Weissenburg on November 8, 1939. Schumann achieved a total of twenty victories, four of them in Spain. He was killed on the Eastern Front on September 6, 1941, south of Leningrad in a collision with another Bf 109.
  

  
  

  WNr. 1380, Obstlt. Carl-Alfred Schumacher, CO of JG 1, Jever, Germany, early 1940

  Carl-Alfred Schumacher was born in February 1896 in Rheine and fought as an artilleryman and later as a naval aviator during World War I. He attained the rank of Leutnant zur See and served aboard the floatplane carrier SMH Answald. In 1933 he joined the Luftwaffe and commanded several naval aviation units. In March 1939, Carl-Alfred Schumacher was promoted to Oberstleutnant, at which time he commanded II./JG 77. After the German invasion of Poland in October 1939, he was appointed commander of the Jafü Deutsche Bucht to direct all fighter units stationed on the northern coast of Germany. On November 30, 1939, he was appointed the first commander of JG 1, stationed at Jever. Carl-Alfred Schumacher scored his first victory on December18, when he shot down one Wellington. His second victory came on December 27, that time a Blenheim was his victim. His aircraft sported the JG 1 emblem on the left side of the fuselage below the windshield, as well as the Kommodore marking consisting of chevron and two horizontal bars. In September 1941 Schumacher was appointed Jagdfliegerführer Norwegen, but on November 8 he accidentally shot down a Finnish de Havilland Dragon and was relieved of command consequently and served in various administrative positions until the end of the war.
  

  
  

  
  

  Obstlt. Max Ibel, CO of JG 27, Guines, France, September-October 1940

  This aircraft probably belonged to Kommodore of JG 27 and as a quick identification marking had a yellow engine cowling, following the rule introduced on September 9, 1940. The pilot of the aircraft was probably Max Ibel. He was born in Munich in January 1896 and served in the Army Engineers and Air Service during the First World War. He did not retire after World War I and from August 1928 underwent extensive training at a secret military base in Lipetsk, Russia. In the 1930s he commanded several flight schools and worked for RLM as well. From 1936 he changed several fighter units and starting from May 1939 he was Kommodore of JG 3. In October 1939 he was appointed Kommodore of JG 27. He led the unit for one year including the Western Campaign and the Battle of Britain. In October 1940 he took command of Jagdfliegerschule 4, but in July 1941 he was appointed Jagdfliegerführer 3. In February 1942, during Operations Cerberus and Donnerkeil, he was a fighter liaison officer aboard the battleship Scharnhorst. In 1943 and 1944 he was commander of the Jagddivision 2. At the end of the war, he was captured at Tegernsee and subjected to extensive interrogations at Island Farm Camp. He was released in March 1948 and joined the Bundesluftwaffe in October 1957, becoming commander of the Luftverteidigungsdivision 1. He retired in September 1964 and died in 1981.
  

  
  

  WNr. 1271, Oblt. Helmut Henz, CO of 4./JG 77, Kristiandsand-Kjevik, Norway, September 1940
  

  Helmut Henz was born in January 1911 in Berlin. After completing his pilot training and transferring to I./JG 136, Helmut Henz was sent to the Legion Condor to gain pilot experience in the fighting of the Spanish Civil War. The beginning of World War II found Oblt. Henz in command of 4. Staffel of JG 77, achieving his first victory on December 14, 1939, by shooting down a British Wellington. JG 77 was part of the invasion force in the attack on Norway, its 4. Staffel under Oblt. Henz moved to Kristiandsand-Kjevik airfield on April 11, 1940. The II. Gruppe JG 77 remained in Norway until November 1940, when it moved to the front at the Channel. This aircraft sported camouflage in RLM 70/71/65 colors with a high transition between upper and lower colors on the fuselage sides (so called 40-er Anstrich). On the left side of the fuselage in front of the windshield was the II. Gruppe emblem and under the cockpit a black reaper with an umbrella flying on a scythe was painted as the emblem of the 4. Staffel. The initials LF belonged to the pilot’s girlfriend. In April 1941 Henz became commander of II./JG 77, but on May 25 he was shot down in a dogfight with the crew of Blenheim near Crete and is still missing. In total he achieved six victories.
  

  
  

  WNr. 5058, Fw. Arthur Haase, 6./JG 51, Marquise-West, France, August 1940 

  The serial number 8508 is sometimes mistakenly given for this aircraft. In fact, the serial was probably 5058 and the aircraft was produced by Wiener Neustädter Flugzeugwerke GmbH in late 1939. Its pilot was Arthur Haase, who had a personal symbol inspired by his surname (der Hase, in English: hare) painted on the side of the aircraft. The painting was done by mechanician Hoffmann. On the side of the fuselage, there was also the emblem of II./JG 51, depicting a raven with the inscription “Gott strafe England!” (May God punish England!). The yellow color of part of the rudders, wing tips and horizontal tail surfaces was introduced in early August 1940. The commander of 6./JG 51 was the legendary Josef “Pips” Priller. During the fighting over France in May and June 1940, Haase shot down two Hurricanes and added one Spitfire in late July. His fourth and final victory came on August 15, 1940, when he fought Hurricanes from No. 1 Squadron RAF off Clacton-on-Sea. However, he was wounded in the battle and crash-landed his aircraft at Wissant, France. Photographs from the preparation of the transport of the damaged aircraft show Haase’s machine with three kills marked on the tail. Haase was killed on January 29, 1944, in aerial combat. At the time he was serving as a flight instructor with the rank of Oberfeldwebel with 1./JG 107 in France.
  

  
  

• Against the West Riding Spitfires

  #7032

  Text: Jan Bobek

  Illustration: Marek Ryś

  Among the promising young NCOs who served in Jagdgeschwader 2 “Richthofen” in 1940 was Feldwebel Erich Rudorffer. At the end of 1939 he was assigned to 2./JG 2 and during the campaign in France he achieved nine victories. He added more in the Battle of Britain and the highlight of this period was three kills scored in one combat sortie on September 7, 1940.

  The number of his victories stopped at eighteen, just two bars away from the dream number of twenty that for Bf 109 pilots in 1940 meant the award of the Knight's Cross. This award awaited Rudorffer on May 1, 1941, after he had shot down a Blenheim 30 km north of the island of Jersey on 21 April.

  Let’s go back to the Battle of Britain and the boxart of Rudorffer’s “Black Nine” by Marek Ryś. It   depicts Rudorffer’s plane during a dogfight that took place on September 30, 1940, off the English coast. This was the Luftwaffe’s last major air raid against Great Britain. It deployed 163 day bombers and 1015 sorties by single and two-seat fighters. This number of fighter sorties was the sixth highest on the German side during the Battle of Britain.

  The last day of September brought Rudorffer three flights, the highest number he flew in a single day during the Battle of Britain. In the morning, he took off with part of I/JG 2 for a free hunt over the coast of southern England. The same task was also given to the 109s from parts of JG 53 and the 110s from ZG 26. Against this free hunting group, which was heading for the area between St. Alban's Head and the Isle of Portland, RAF despatched seven Hurricanes from No. 56 Sqn and thirteen Spitfires from No. 609 (West Riding) Sqn.

  The Hurricanes clashed with the 110s and both sides lost one machine. Then JG 2 got in troubles, its pilots encountering No. 609 Sqn, whose A Flight was led by L/Lt F. J. Howell and B Flight was under command of P/O M. J. Appleby. The Germans claimed four victories. Kommandeur of I./JG 2 Hptm. Wick claimed one Hurricane and one Spitfire near Portland, his wingman Oblt. Rudolf Pflanz claimed one Spitfire and Uffz. Kurt Bühlingen of 6./JG 2 claimed another one north of Portland. However, the British did not lose any machines. The pilots of JG 2, who were by this point (approximately 12.30 German time) beginning to run out of fuel and could not engage in a long air battle.

  Howell's formation was at 23,000ft to Appleby's right at the start of the engagement, but in a fierce encounter they recorded no victories or losses. The first success was recorded by P/O D. M. Crook of B Flight. Several 109's passed directly in front of him, there was a brief manoeuvre fight, and then the Germans went into a dive. Crook was flying behind one at 600 mph when the German levelled off, Crook scored hits and the smoke emitting Bf 109 crashed into the sea.

  Appleby attacked three Bf 109s that passed in a descent in the opposite direction on his left. He chased one, which went into a dive, and Appleby hit it in the cockpit with a two-second burst. At that moment P/O Crook was flying behind Appleby and observed his victory. Crook then saw another Bf 109 to his right, hit it too, the German jettisoned the canopy but did not bail out and began to dive into the sea. But to Crook’s surprise, his opponent levelled the flight. Crook hit him again, the glycol came out of the machine and the German crashed into the sea. Another airman from No. 609 Sqn claimed one Bf 109 damaged and one of the two Polish members of that unit, F/O Tadeusz Nowierski, reported a probable kill.

  On the German side, Rudorffer’s colleague Fw. Wilhelm Hermes, an ace with ten kills, was missing. In the same battle (?), Gefr. Fritz Schuhmacher of 5./JG 2, went also missing. The following flight of I./JG 2 immediately headed for the area in a fruitless effort to find Hermes. In the afternoon Rudorffer took off once more. JG 2 again came into combat with No. 609 Sqn, which again emerged victorious. Nowierski apparently shot down Uffz. Alois Dollinger of 5./JG 2 and several other pilots scored too.

  Rudorffer was lucky to survive both encounters with the elite pilots of the West Riding Spitfires. By the end of the war, he had claimed a total of 224 aerial victories and was awarded the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster and Swords. However, there were already serious doubts about his victories, which he achieved in command positions with several units during the war.

• Chemistry

  I am christening a new series focusing on modelling chemistry and tips associated therewith for both beginners and advanced modellers. We will guide you through the world of chemistry as it pertains to model technology from basic construction to surface treatment all the way through to finishing and weathering. We will assume the use of readily available materials with a certain amount of emphasis on Mr. Hobby (Gunze) products.

  I am christening a new series focusing on modelling chemistry and tips associated therewith for both beginners and advanced modellers. We will guide you through the world of chemistry as it pertains to model technology from basic construction to surface treatment all the way through to finishing and weathering. We will assume the use of readily available materials with a certain amount of emphasis on Mr. Hobby (Gunze) products.

  The first volume of this series is dedicated to adhesives.

  The question of with what and exactly how to glue plastic models together is as old as the hobby itself. The answers change with the passage of time as technologies develop and along with them, trends. Currently, we find four types of adhesives that are front and centre in plastic model relevance:

  - Solvent based adhesives

  - Instant glues

  - Dispersion adhesives

  - Epoxy cements

  The method and range of use varies and it can generally be said that each of these types has their usefulness. It is essential to use the right adhesive for the right job. Here, we’ll focus on Solvent based adhesives, and so that the situation isn’t too simple, even they have their specific differences from brand to brand, despite our general focus on Mr. Hobby products. Solvent based adhesives have no minimum film-forming temperature (as do dispersion types) and so no coalescence process will be observed. After the application of the solvent, and its subsequent evaporation, signs of its presence will be left behind in the form of the polymer film. It is this polymer film that, thanks to its adhesive properties, is responsible for the bonding of parts together. Another type-specific effect of solvents on plastic is the etching of its surface. After the solvent component evaporates, we are left with a very solid and stable bond. The chemical process at work here leads to a cold weld, and it is necessary to use these adhesives on materials that the adhesive is able to etch. In other words, they are able to chemically etch the material being glued. Solvent type adhesives are not effective on materials such as resins (polyurethanes) from cast or 3D printed items, metals, wood or paper. So now we’ll take a closer look at specific products and the differences between them. Solvent type adhesives can be categorized into two groups, universal and weld type.

  All of the solvent based adhesives described in this article come in sturdy glass containers with a screw type lid with an integrated brush applicator.

  UNIVERSLA ADHESIVES (BASIC)

  MC127 – Mr. Cement Deluxe

  Mr Cement Deluxe (or Mr. Cement, the same product in a smaller packaging) hails from the Mr. Hobby product line and is their best for gluing together large surfaces but is still useful for small detail items, too. It is a low viscosity liquid, meaning it flows easily and the time the solvent takes to evaporate is a little longer than that of Extra Thin types. Mr. Cement and Mr. Cement Deluxe (MC124/MC127) are applied to the contact surfaces of the components to be joined. The longer evaporation time of the solvent allows the larger components being joined to be cantered properly. For the joining of smaller parts, the same quality allows us to apply small quantities of the cement to the contact surface in preparation for placing the part in its final spot. This operation never takes more than a couple of seconds and the glue is ready to be applied throughout.

  WELDING SOLVENTS (BRUSH ON)

  MC129 – Mr. Cement S

  Mr. Cement S is an extra thin ‘Brush On’ type material which obviously refers to its method of application. This involves the joining of the two components together and running along the joint with the solvent using the brush applicator. The solvent evaporates very quickly from the surface (the speed of which is comparable to acetone), but it remains within the joint long enough to optimally act ont the surfaces of contact to form a solid bond. Personally, I think that Mr. Cement S as the premiere extra thin product, which I would recommend among these types of products.

  MC131 – Mr. Cement SP

  Another member of the extra thin family of cements from Mr. Hobby is Mr. Cement SP. The SP stands for ‘Super Power’. This is a product that has the same roots as Mr. Cement S, but with a new recipe which yields a higher rate of drying and a correspondingly increased bond strength. It is well suited for stressed joints where we may want a faster bonding between parts and a higher strength to reduce the probability of a failure. This product is ideal for wing to fuselage joints or for leading edges of the wings. The quicker evaporation time, though, requires the modeller to be efficient in the process as a whole, more so than with the use of MC129 – Mr. Cement S.

  MC 132 – Mr. Cement SP B

  The last type of Mr. Hobby extra thin cement is Mr. Cement SP Black that directly comes from Mr. Cement SP. It is characterized by a very rapid drying time and high strength between joined parts. On top of that, it contains a black pigment which serves as a consistency indicator for greater application control. In recessed panel lines and joints, it can map out crevices  and scratches and provides an excellent opportunity to assess the surface quality of the model, indispensible for the fixup of details. I do not recommend the use of this product on white, or light, coloured surfaces because the adhesive may remain visible on the surface.

  From the manufacturer:

  Source: https://www.mr-hobby.com/en/product2/category_12/222.html

  Technical Aspects of Solvent Based Adhesive Application

  The technical aspects of these types of glues are pretty simple in and of themselves, with respect to their application. They can be separated into two methods, based on the type used.

  Thin glues (slightly higher viscosity, or thicker, than the extra thin variety with a longer solvent evaporation time) require glue application to the join surface and then attach the parts together and, if necessary, press the parts together.

  Extra thin glues differ in that the parts are first attached and the join is then glue applied. If we aim to seal the joint between the parts with the use of our extra thin (such as fuselage half joining, leading edges of wings, etc.) then there should be a small gap left between the parts. The glue is then applied and after about five seconds, the parts are pressed together. The pressing together will squeeze out redundant plastic which is then allowed to harden for 24 hours until it can be sanded smooth. This creates an excellent connection of the parts and the join line will be invisible on the kit.

  The biggest advantage to using solvent based glues is the strength of the joint and the neat join line that they provide with proper use. They are great for modern kits with a high level of precision of molding, where the fit of parts is to a very high tolerance.  Use of any other types of glues, notably cyanoacrylate types, could lead to problematic misalignment of parts, even if to a small degree.

  Solvent type adhesives  are irreplaceable in the role that they fulfill in plastic modelling and should be at the disposal of every modeller, at least in the thin variety as well as the extra thin, or ‘basic’ and ‘brush on’, and in greater versions as we have discussed here.

  Main Advantages to Mr. Hobby Solvent Based Adhesives

  - Bond strength

  - Clean joints

  - Application brush generally included

  - Speed of bonding

  - Use repetition

  - Low volume usage per application

  - Easy and precise application

  - Economical

  - Sturdy packaging

  - Long shelf life

  - Easy storage with no special requirements

  Main Disadvantages and Risks of Mr Hobby Solvent based Adhesives

  - Significant odor

  - Longer through and through curing time

  - Risk of failure of joint if too much is applied 

  - Risk of surface etching where no adhesive is desired as a result of poor application

  Josef Blažek

  Winner of international IPMS competitions in Master categories and multiple Czech Republic IPMS champion. Author of articles in international magazines with worldwide reach (Military Illustrated Modeller, Cocardes International, ModellFan, Modelář). Co-author of modeling startup Plastic Invasion.

• Tail End Charlie

  Not Just another Veterans’ Day at Peace Square

  The poppies that bloomed this year on November 11th in Prague’s Peace Square (Namesti Miru), - and not just them – had a different sort of ‘feel’ than in years past. Veterans’ Day has over the past several years, and even the last couple of decades, become a recognized event. Today, a poppy attached to a coat collar is hardly surprising. But it wasn’t always like that. I can recall when around 1996, Czechoslovak veterans of the RAF took me along to the British embassy to a small ‘party’ they called ‘Poppy Day’. I really didn’t have a clue as to what it was about, why the poppy had been singled out, and where the roots of all of this lay. Information ignited by memories of my school years didn’t materialize because there simply weren’t any. It’s not because the school system’s emphasis on honoring history is any better today (maybe depending on where), but major steps forward have been taken in terms of remembering vets of past wars, and for that I am grateful. The tradition began to develop in the civilized western world already in 1919, under the influence of King George V for nations of the Commonwealth. It got to us a little later due to some ‘historical twists’. Eastern Europe remains somewhat untouched by the notion of the Poppy. By some strange way, as if at the crossroads between East and West, the Poppy symbol found its way to Ukraine. There, the poppy pin began to show up in 2014, when the country moved a bit further from the East, but not in connection to November 11th, but rather May 8th, a day that is associated with the final victory at the end of the Second World War. I was surprised to learn that the red poppy in Ukraine (where in 2014 it replaced the standard badge of the Red Star) is generally not understood as a reminder of Flanders Fields like it is here, but a symbol of that ‘small hole in the coat’, i.e. a bullet hole, with blood soaked around it. A symbol of wartime sacrifice in a somewhat more sobering guise. It must be said though, that even that concept has something to it. Either way, even there the poppy became a symbol associated with respect for the fallen and for veterans. The answer to the question as to why the poppy, as a symbol of respect for the victims of war, did not get any further east than Ukraine is maybe best left up to the individual.I can't help but return to the notion expressed above and still maintain focus on Ukraine. I noted the fact that this year's event at Peace Square in Prague was different from previous years. Of course, why this is has become quite obvious The act of paying homage to, and reflecting upon, such memories has never been accompanied by a war so physically close to home. Although no new crosses appeared on the lawn of Peace Square symbolizing fallen Czech soldiers in modern wars, the awareness of the current horrors being played out in eastern Europe was ever present.  Eduard was again present at this event and again sold kits with proceeds going to the Military Solidarity Fund. And I can thus compare the moods, tension and sense of belonging, which could be felt from the participants and visitors of the event, to previous years. I was a little worried about what we would encounter during Memorial Day. And that was mainly under the influence of two demonstrations against the government of the Czech Republic and generally against our aid to Ukraine, which took place in Prague not long before. The cold day in Peace Square alleviated my fears. Not only did many Ukrainian refugees, temporarily living in Prague, come to the event, stopping by our stand to thank us, the reactions of the ‘locals’ in particular were completely favorable and in line with our own understanding of the world. Social conflict, in which no one knows exactly where the balance of power lies, did not manifest itself at this event. There was unity. There was no ‘us against them’. Perhaps, it was because those ‘patriots’, spewing nationalistic, selfish and pro-Russian crap at various meetings and demonstrations, are actually not interested in the victims of those who helped win our freedom.

  
  

• SAMURAI 1/48 marking options

  c/n 3032, Lt. Kiku-ichi Inano, Tainan Kōkūtai, Buna airfield, New Guinea, August 1942

  This aircraft, released by Mitsubishi on July 3, 1942 was assigned to Lt. Inano, commander of Buna detachment of Tainan Kōkūtai. It was donated by citizens of Chongpyong County in North Korea. At some point between the mid August 1942 and early September 1943 this Zero sustained damage that tore off part of the right wing, possibly from a landing error. This Zero was captured by Allied units at Buna on December 27, 1942 and selected for further evaluation and a rebuild. Allied personnel at Eagle Farm Field built a flyable A6M3 Zero using parts of three Zeros transported from Buna Airfield, including this aircraft. Inano´s surname was originally Takabayashi, but he changed that before mid 1941. In late November 1941 smaller part of Tainan Kōkūtai under the his command was transferred to French Indochina and temporarily became part of 22. Kōkū Sentai HQ fighter squadron. Lt. Inano returned to Tainan Kōkūtai in July 1942, participated in combat over New Guinea and Guadalcanal. From January 1943 he was involved in evaluation of weapons used for new naval aircraft. From October 1944 served as Hikōtaichō of Tainan Kōkūtai (II) in Taiwan.
  

   

  PO1c Kyoshi Itō, 3. Kōkūtai, Koepang airfield, Timor Island, September 1942

  This aircraft was purchased by Electric Perm Machine co., whose name (Daiichi Fuyo Dengami) is listed on the patriotic donation inscription (Hōkoku) No. 984, usually identified wrongly as 994. It was flown by Kyoshi Itō, who used also Zero X-152 with Hōkoku No. 1000. Itō was born in November 1921 in Murakami, Niigata Prefecture. He served on the torpedo boat Ōtori in 1939, in late 1940 got flight training at Tsuchiura Kōkūtai and in November 1941 was assigned for combat duty to 3rd Kōkūtai. With this unit he fought in the Philippines and Indonesia and took part in raids on Australia. In September and October 1942, with most of the 3rd Kōkūtai, he was involved in the fighting over Guadalcanal. In November his unit was redesignated Kōkūtai 202 and returned to Koepang. From the spring until September 1943, unit conducted combat flights over Australia, also with Zero Type 32 fighters. In November 1943, Itō received a written command commendation stating that he had shot down 23 aircraft and destroyed 9 on the ground. He then served as an instructor in Japan with the Ôita and Tsukuba Kōkūtai and joined the air combat in February 1945. After the war, he married the eldest daughter of the owner of the family construction company Katō in Murakami and adopted the family name Katō. Under his leadership, the company rose to the top position in Murakami, and he received the Medal with Purple Ribbon and the Minister of Construction Award. Kyoshi Katō retired in 1992 and died in July 2012.
  

   

  Kōkūtai 204, Vunakanau airfield, Rabaul, New Britain, April 1943

  This machine wears green camouflage applied in field conditions and has radio equipment removed to reduce weight. Kōkūtai 204 appears to have been the only unit in the area to apply with green field camoluflage also white outline of hinomaru on fuselage and upper wing surface. This unit was formed in April 1942 and was designated the 6th Kōkūtai. It was to be based at Midway Atoll after its capture. During the attack on Midway and the Aleutians, its airmen participated in both combat operations. The unit made its first combat flight on June 4, 1942 under the command of Lieutenant Zenjirō Miyano during the attack on Dutch Harbor. In August, it moved with the Zeros Type 32 to the Solomon Islands area, but its operational deployment was limited by the available bases and the smaller range of this version of the Zero. In early October, the unit moved to a new airfield at Buin and was able to deploy in combat over Guadalcanal. In early November it was renamed Kōkūtai 204. It was the only unit to be deployed continuously in the South Pacific for 16 months from August 1942. During this period unit gained approximately 1,000 air victories.
  

   

  Tainan Kōkūtai (II), Tainan airbase, Taiwan, summer 1944
  

  The designation of this training unit is the Katakana characters "Ta" and "I". The dark green paint on the upper surfaces indicates that the aircraft has been overhauled. The machine was acquired from a funds raised by the Tokyo Fruit and Vegetable Commercial Association. The second Tainan Kōkūtai was established in April 1943 as an operational training unit. Its home base was again Tainan, as with the previous unit of that name, which became Kōkūtai 251 in late 1942. When Allied air raids on Taiwan began in the second half of the war, the airmen of Tainan Kōkūtai (II) joined in its defense. They fought both four-engine bombers and escort fighters based in China and US Navy aircraft.  Its first commander was Capt. Shigematsu Ichimura, who was commander of the 14th Kōkūtai in China in 1940. The most famous instructor who served with the unit was CPO Takeo Tanimizu, an ace with 18 kills to his credit. In January 1945, a special attack unit was organized from part of the Kōkūtai and participated in Kamikaze missions.
  

   

   Tsukuba Kōkūtai, Tsukuba airbase, Japan, 1944

  The marking of this training unit is the Katakana character "Tsu". The dark green paint on the upper surfaces indicates that the aircraft has been overhauled. The horizontal white markings on the fuselage were probably to facilitate formation flight training. Originally a purely training Tsukuba Kōkūtai, which was established in 1938, became part of the Japanese air defence system from 1944. It engaged in combat against B-29 bombers, US Navy aircraft and long-range P-51 escorts. At the end of the war, unit was involved in the Kamikaze missions during the fighting for Okinawa as part of Operation Kikusui. Pilots who served as instructors with the unit included Ensign Kazu-o Sugino, who had 32 victories to his credit and had previously served on the aircraft carrier Zuikaku and with Kōkūtai 253. Among the airmen who joined the unit at the very end of the war was Lt.(jg) Shigeo Sugi-o. He had more than 20 victories to his credit and had also fought over Australia with the 3rd Kōkūtai.
  

   

  Kōkūtai 204, Rabaul, New Britain, April 1943

  This machine wears green camouflage applied in field conditions and has radio equipment removed to reduce weight. It is also equipped with long-barrelled guns and a newer rudder trim that could be operated from the cockpit. Known aircraft of this unit that have yellow fuselage markings have identification numbers below 148. In March 1943, Lieutenant Zenjirō Miyano took over position of Hikōtaichō of this unit. He sought to modernize combat tactics and therefore introduced four-man formations to the unit instead of three-plane formations, He also considered deploying Zeros in the role of fighter-bomber with 30kg bombs under the wing. The unit was in heavy combat during the first half of 1943. In the last raid on Guadalcanal, on 16 June 1943, thirteen Val bombers were shot down and the fighter escort from Kōkūtai 204 lost four pilots and three others were wounded. Among the dead were Lieutenant Miyano and his deputy. This left the unit without flying officers. Miyano had a total of 16 victories to his credit, was posthumously promoted to Commander, and his name was cited in the All Units Bulletin. Miyano's position was taken over the following month by Lt. Cdr. Saburō Shindō of Kōkūtai 582.
  

   

  Iwakuni Kōkūtai, Iwakuni airbase, Japan, 1944

  The markings of this training unit are the Katakana characters "I" and "Ha". The Iwakuni Kōkūtai was established in July 1940 and was used to train pilots for naval units operating from land bases until August 1944. It was then disbanded and re-established in March 1945. Fighter aces Akio Matsuba (18 victories), Momoto Matsumura (13 v.) or veteran of the aircraft carrier veteran Sōryū Ki-ichi Oda (9 v.) passed through its ranks as instructors. Hiroshi Shibagaki came through the unit as a student pilot, achieving thirteen victories in Rabaul with Kōkūtai 201 and 204. Another successful graduate became a Lt.(jg) Kagemitsu Matsu-o. In August 1943, he was assigned to Rabaul to Kōkūtai 253 and, with more than ten kills to his credit, became the only Naval Reserve officer to achieve ace status.
  

   

  Lt.(jg) Takeyoshi Ôno, Kōkūtai 251, Rabaul airbase, New Britain, May 1943

  Originally manufactured with grey paint on all surfaces, the machine carries a specific design of green camouflage applied in field conditions. The green paint was probably applied with a mop or broom. Kōkūtai 251 was renamed in November 1942 from the legendary Tainan Kōkūtai fighter unit. However, due to heavy losses, it had to be withdrawn to Japan at the end of the year. When it prepared for another combat deployment to Rabaul in the spring of 1943, only 11 of its original pilots remained. However, the Allied airmen were an even tougher opponent than in 1942, and Kōkūtai 251 lost 17 aircraft during its first three combat sorties in May and June. The commander of the 1st Chūtai was Lt.(jg) Ôno. He was born in 1921 in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture. He graduated from the 68th Naval Academy Class in 1940 and after pilot training was assigned to Tainan Kōkūtai. He achieved his first victory on 27 August 1942 at Buna in combat with a P-39 and added four more victories by the end of 1942. By the time he returned to Rabaul in May 1943, he had already been appointed as Buntaichō and often led the entire unit in combat. He achieved a total of eight victories, but was killed in aerial combat at Rendova on June 30, 1943.
  

   

  Kōkūtai 251, Rabaul airbase, New Britain, May 1943

  For most naval fighter units that applied green paint in field conditions, the method of painting was similar within the unit. The exception is Kōkūtai 251, which used very varied patterns of green paint. The unit designation code was U1, but this was repainted on the machines at the time of deployment to Rabaul. U1-109 was photographed on May 23, 1943 flying in a formation of six Zeros during a patrol over New Britain. The photographs were taken by war correspondent Hajime Yoshida. The U1-109 flew as the wingman of the first Shōtai leader, who was the controls of U1-105, which is incorrectly attributed to Nishizawa. Kōkūtai 251 lost a total of 34 pilots during its deployment to the Rabaul and Solomon Islands area from May to the end of August 1943. In September 1943, its status was therefore changed to a night fighter with twin-engine Irving aircraft, and its remaining Zer pilots were assigned to other units in Rabaul.
  

   

  Rabauru Kōkūbuntai, Lakunai airfield, Rabaul, New Britain, second half 1943

  This aircraft was finalized with grey paint on all surfaces. On the combat unit level, it was supplemented with dark green paint, which had peeled off in many places during operational service. When green paint was applied in field conditions, it may not have been the only paint used for Japanese aircraft. At Rabaul it may have been paint from captured RAAF stocks, or paint intended for Japanese warships. In the second half of 1943, the markings of fighter units at Rabaul changed, and numerals ranging from 1 to 9 began to be used, the assignment of which to individual units has not yet been reliably determined. Aircraft with these markings are unofficially assigned to a combat group called Rabauru Kōkūbuntai (Rabaul Air Force). There are several theories to explain the meaning of these numerical designations. One is the assignment of numerical codes to the parts of the fighter units operating in Rabaul at the time. These were Kōkūtai 201 (code designations 1 to 3), Kōkūtai 204 (4 to 6) and Kōkūtai 253 (7 to 9). According to this theory, machine 6-171 would therefore belong to the third Buntai within Kōkūtai 204. But other explanations are also possible. There is an indication that the Zeroes filmed in January 1944 at Rabaul with code 9 on the tail surfaces belonged to Kōkūtai 204.
  

   

  Ensign Tetsuzō Iwamoto, probably Kōkūtai 253, Rabaul, New Britain, late 1943/early 1944

  This aircraft has repainted white trim of hinomaru on the fuselage and upper surfaces. Tetsuzō Iwamoto was the most successful naval fighter ace with 14 victories from combats over China with 12th Kōkūtai. As a member of fighter unit of HIJMS Zuikaku during the Pearl Harbor attack he took part patrol the vicinity of the carriers during first wave. In 1942, he took part in battles in the Indian Ocean and Coral Sea with his plane EII-102. From the summer of 1942 he served as an instructor in Japan. From March 1943, he participated in patrolling in the Kuril Islands with Kōkūtai 281. In November he was transferred to Rabaul to Kōkūtai 204 and later to Kōkūtai 253. At that time he used machines number 102 and 104. It is possible that machine number 7-104 is his personal mount. In February 1944 he participated from Truk Atoll in the interceptions of B-24 bombers. In June 1944 he was transferred to Japan and from the autumn of that year as member of Kōkūtai 252 he he took part in battles from bases in Taiwan and the Philippines. By the end of the war, he was serving with Kōkūtai 203 and participated in the battle for Okinawa. He achieved rank Lieutenant (junior grade) and passed away in 1955. Iwamoto is credited with 80 victories, but in his war diary, there were 202 successful attacks on enemy aircraft recorded by him.
  

   

  Lt. Cdr. Saburō Shindō, Kōkūtai 582, Buin airfield, Bougainville Island, June 1943

  This plane with factory applied green camouflage and long cannon barrels was personal mount of Lt. Cdr. Shindō. He was born in 1911 and graduated from the Naval Academy in 1929. He was assigned to the Ômura Kōkūtai in 1935 and a year later went to the aircraft carrier Kaga. In 1940, he served in China with the 12th Kōkūtai during combat trials of the A6M2 fighter. Under his command, the first combat engagement occurred on September 13, resulting in 27 victories without loss. In November 1940, Shindō was transferred to the 14th Kōkūtai in Hanoi. From April to December 1941 he was the Buntaichō of the Akagi fighters, but had to be hospitalized after the attack on Pearl Harbor. During the Pearl Harbor attack Shindō led fighter escort of thirty-six Zeros in the second wave. After recovering, he was appointed commander of Tokushima Kōkūtai in April 1942. From November 1942, as Hikōtaichō at Kōkūtai 582, he was involved in the fighting over Guadalcanal. From July 1943, he was Hikōtaichō with the Kōkūtai 204 in the same area. In late 1943 and early 1944, he led fighters of the aircraft carrier Ryūhō and later served with Kōkūtai 653 and 203 in the defense of Taiwan, the Philippines, and Japan. At the end of the war, he was Hikōtaichō at Tsukuba Kōkūtai. Shindó-san passed away in 2000.
  

• P-51D-10 1/48 marking options

  s/n 44-14223, Lt. Col. Elwyn G. Righetti, CO of 55th FG, 8th AF, Wormingford, United Kingdom, December 1944–March 1945

  Elwyn Guido Righetti, also known as “Eager El”, was not only the 55th FG top fighter ace but also the most successful strafing ace in the whole ETO. Righetti joined the 338th FS, 55th FG in October 1944. At the age of 29, he was already a matured pilot, however he lacked the combat experience. Despite his age he was eager and aggressive, so he was able to boost morale of his rather tired group. One of Righetti’s “hobbies” was destroying the locomotives. He also managed to shoot down two Mistels and destroyed several Me 262 jets on the ground. Unfortunately, Righetti’s outstanding achievements were cut short right before the end of war. On April 17, 1945, exactly on his 30th birthday, Righetti was shot down by flak while raiding the airfield near Dresden. He successfully performed the emergency landing and advised his friends over the radio “Tell the family I’m okay. Broke my nose on landing. It’s been a hell of a lot of fun working with you, gang. Be seeing you a little later.”Since then no one ever heard about Righetti again. Supposedly he was murdered by the enraged German civilians. During his short combat career, he scored 7.5 kills and destroyed 35 enemy aircraft on the ground. He flew two personal Mustangs (44-14223 and 44-47222), both of them were decorated with the inscription KATYDID and grasshopper artwork on the port side of the fuselage.
  

  
  

  s/n 44-14292, Col. Claiborne H. Kinnard, CO of 4th FG, 8th AF, Debden, United Kingdom, November 1944

  Clairborne Holmes Kinnard was one the most successful pilots in the combat against the ground targets. He was born on October 29, 1912, in Franklin, Tennessee. After he obtained his pilot’s certification in 1944, he led the 354th FS from November 27 until June. On June 12, 1944, he assumed command of the 355th FG which he led until the end of August. In September he was ordered to 4th FG which he also briefly commanded from November 3 until November 29, 1944. Then he returned to 355th FG where he flew until May 1945. During his combat career he scored eight aerial kills and destroyed further seventeen enemy aircraft on the ground. Kinnard flew the depicted, unusually painted Mustang from October to November 1944 as a commander of the 4th FG. His aircraft was decorated with the inscription Man O’War painted red on the nose’s port side and the upper surfaces were painted with green camouflage bands, possibly in the Olive Drab shade. The kill marking were painted on the port side of the canopy frame. The invasion stripes appearance corresponds to the modification after the beginning of September 1944 when only the part of the markings remained at the bottom of the fuselage. From November 3 till November 29, 1944, Kinnard commanded the 4th FG, then he returned to the 355th FG where he served until May 1945.
  

  
  

  s/n 44-14237, Capt. William T. Whisner, 487th FS, 352nd FG, 8th AF, Bodney, Great Britain, November 1944

  William Thomas Whisner was born in 1923 in Louisiana and on March 16, 1942, enlisted in the Army. On April 10, 1942, he started his pilot training and received his wings on February 15, 1943, at Napier Field in Alabama. On February 23, 1943, he was assigned to 487th FS. During 1944 and 1945 he was credited with 15.5 kills and awarded Distinguished Service Cross twice. He finished the war as Captain and left Army on August 23, 1945. On October 17, 1947, he returned to the active duty and on September 1, 1951, he was promoted to Major. In September 1951 he was ordered to 334th FIS in Korea, part of 4th FIW. Between September and November 1951, he shot down two MiG-15s and damaged further five aircraft of the same type. In December he was ordered to the 25th FIS, 51st FIW and scored another four victories including one in the cooperation which made him the seventh fighter ace of the Korean War in the chronological order. In March 1952 he left Korea with the status of the double ace of two different conflicts and became one of seven American pilots who achieved such success. Whisner’s Mustang’s nose was painted in the new, darker shade of blue which 352nd FG started to use in the fall of 1944 due to its better contrast.
  

  
  

  s/n 44-14789, Capt. John B. England, 362nd FS, 357th FG, 8th AF, Leiston, United Kingdom, December 1944

  John Brooke England was born on January 15, 1923, in Caruthersville, Missouri. In April 1942 he enlisted in the Army Volunteer Reserves and after completing the pilot training in March 1943 he was assigned to the 362nd FS whose command he assumed on August 25, 1944. He served two tours of duty with 357th FG during which time he flew 108 combat missions representing 460 hours of the operational flying. He was the second best marksman of the 357th FG scoring in total 17.5 kills. In the end of January 1945 England finished his second tour of duty and returned home. After the war he continued serving with USAAF. On February 20, 1951, he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and briefly served in Korea where he flew in total six combat missions during which he managed to damage MiG-15. In October 1953 he assumed command of the 389th FBS. On November 17, 1954, he was killed during the accident at the Toul airport (France) when under the inclement weather and low visibility he tried several times to land his F-86F. During the last approach he ran out of fuel but regardless he avoided the airbase building. Thanks to his sacrifice the Alexandria airbase was renamed to the England Air Force Bakse.
  

  
  

• Spitfire Mk.IXc 1/72 marking options

  MK244, W/Cdr Jan Čermák, No. 312 (Czechoslovak) Squadron, No. 134 Wing, RAF Appledram, United Kingdom, June 1944

  
  

  The former No. 312 Squadron commander, W/Cdr Jan Čermák was at the time of the Normandy landing the ground and administrative commander of the No. 134 Wing, but regardless he personally led the unit on several missions. One of those was a routine patrol of the Czechoslovak fighters over Sword beach which turned into the large scale air battle. Czechoslovak pilots broke up the formation of a dozen of Focke Wulf Fw 190A whose goal was to bomb the beach crowded with troops and equipment. Three “onenineties” were destroyed and five damaged at no losses to Czechoslovaks. In this combat W/Cdr Čermák claimed one Fw 190 destroyed and one damaged. On this mission he flew Spitfire s/n MK244 which was the personal aircraft of F/O Jaroslav Šodek who flew it in combat on the regular basis from February to June 1944.

  
  

  MK144, S/Ldr Alan G. Page, No. 132 Squadron, RAF Ford, United Kingdom, February–May 1944

  During the Battle of Britain Alan Geoffrey Page was shot down and suffered serious burns. Following two plus years he spent in the hospital recovering. He undertook the plastic surgery in Queen Victoria’s Hospital in East Gringstead and became the founding member of the Guinea Pig Club. Ultimately, he managed to return to the active duty and became one of the most successful English fighter pilots. During the spring months of 1944, as the commander of No. 132 Squadron he flew the depicted Spitfire on the offensive bombing and fighter sweeps preceding the invasion.
  

  On April 29, on one such mission, over the Deelen airfield in the Netherlands he managed to shoot down a Bf 110G-4 flown by the elite night fighter ace Maj. Hans-Joachim Jabs. On July 7 Page was promoted to command the elite No. 125 Wing. In the end of September, shortly after the conversion to the new powerful Spitfires Mk.XVI, Page’s Spitfire was damaged by flak over Arnhem suburbs, and he crash landed. He wounded his face on the gunsight and suffered some other injuries. He was transported by air back to England and again admitted to the Queen Victoria’s Hospital in East Grinstead. After the war he became an active member of the Battle of Britain Association of the Fighter Pilots and was a moving force behind the creation of the Battle of Britain Memorial which was erected on the cliffs between Dover and Folkestone in 1993. During his wartime career Alan Geoffrey Page shot down 15 enemy aircraft and damaged three of them. His autobiography The Guinea Pig Story was published in 1981.

  
  

  MK832, S/Ldr Robert K. Hayward, No. 411 squadron, B.4 Beny-sur-Mer Airfield RAF, France, July–August 1944

  Robert Kitchener “Bob” Hayward comes from the pool of the former RCAF flight instructors who served with No. 126 Wing. He was born on November 12, 1915, in St. John’s, Newfoundland. After he completed his pilot training, he served at the main training base CFB Trenton. From February 1941 to October 1942, he flew as an instructor at No. 25 FTS. In March 1943 Hayward stated to fly combat missions with No. 401 Squadron where in the coming months he scored three aerial kills. In May 1944, after the rest, he was again attached to the No. 411 Squadron as a flight leader. On August 5, 1944, he was promoted to the squadron commander and until the end of September 1944 he claimed another three confirmed kills and four enemy aircraft damaged. After he finished his tour of duty he returned to Canada and until March 1945 he again flew as an instructor with No. 25 FTS. From May to September 1945, he briefly served at No. 16 FTS in Hagersville and in November 1945 he retired to the civilian life.
  

  
  

  Lt. Robert J. Connors, 309th FS, 31st FG, 12th AF, Castel Volturno, Italy, February–March 1944

  Lt. Robert Connors’ Spitfire carried on the portside of the fuselage the artwork depicting the Porky Pig character which referred to his nickname “Porky”. After its arrival in Britain in June 1943 the 309th FS was re-equipped with Spitfires Mk.V and flew them in Europe, North Africa, Sicily and Italy. In April 1943 the unit received its first Spitfires Mk.IX often flown as the upper cover for the older Spitfires Mk.V. In March 1944 the 309th FS traded their Spitfires for Mustangs possessing much longer range and therefore able to escort the USAAF bombers as far as the Southern Germany.
  

• Fw 190D-9 1/48 marking options

  WNr. 600?69, Hptm. Waldemar Wübke, Sachsenberg Schwarm, Ainring, Austria, May 1945 

  Waldemar Wübke was one of the few Luftwaffe fighter pilots to survive combat duty over the entire course of the WWII. He started his fighter pilot career in May 1940 as a Leutnant with I./JG 27. In July he was transferred to 9. Staffel of III./JG 54, flying the Bf 109E-4 and went through the Battle of Britain with this unit. He was credited with 15 victories plus one at night, first of this tally being Blenheim shot down over the Channel on September 9, 1940. Wübke was shot down six times during his spell with the JG 54 and twice wounded. His career ended with the JV 44, where he flew “Platzschutz“ (airfield defense) missions with the so called “Papagaistaffel”, where he accompanied other experienced German fighter pilots. Their task was to provide cover for Adolf Galland’s group of Me 262 jets during take-offs and landings. Due to the rather inexperienced women-crewed Flak defensive artillery of the Munich-Riem airfield, the Fw 190D-9s of the JV 44 were painted red on undersurfaces, highlighted by white stripes to make the recognition of friendly fighters as easy as possible for them. According to the newest findings these stripes were not reaching the tail on the fuselage bottom but ended at the front of the wheelbays. Wübke’s Dora was an example from the Fieseler factory with typical no-bulges three piece machine guns cover and with later production blown canopy. The inscription “Im Auftrage der Reichsbahn” had been on various Wübke machines since the beginning of the war. He started using it when he returned to his home base several times by train after being shot down.        
  

  
  

  WNr. 500698, Lt. Günter Seyd, 7./JG 26, Uetersen, Germany, May 1945

  JG 26 was established on November 1, 1938, (originally as JG 132) with Eduard von Schleich, an ace with 35 kills in WWI as its first Kommodore. JG 26 entered the war under the command of Hans Hugo Witt but stayed in Germany during the invasion of Poland. It than operated on the Western Front until 1943, with its most famous Kommodore, Adolf Galland, taking command on August 22, 1940. Galland was leading JG 26 for the rest of the Battle of Britain and well beyond until December 5, 1941. In early 1943, JG 26 was to replace JG 54 in the Luftflotte 1 formation on the Eastern Front, but in the end, it was only a brief episode of I./JG 26. The group continued to operate in France and then as a part of the defense of the Reich system. From late 1941 onwards all Gruppe except III./JG 26 started their conversion to Fw 190As, the first to receive Fw 190D-9s were I. Gruppe and II. Gruppe starting from mid-October 1944. Lt. Günter Seyd of 5./JG 26 took off with this aircraft from Uetersen on May 5, 1945, but due to an engine failure he made an emergency landing in Schleswig. In the only known photograph, the lower engine cowling appears slightly darker and it is likely it was painted RLM 76 early (probably taken from another aircraft), but a yellow color cannot be completely ruled out. The brown color of the fuselage numbers was unusual, with only a few Staffeln within the Luftwaffe using it. However, 7./JG 26 kept this habit throughout the war. Günter Seyd scored a single kill during the war when he shot down a Lancaster from No. 405 (or No. 582) Sqn. RAF west of Cologne on December 23, 1944. It was not only his first kill, but also the first kill of II./JG 26 after conversion to Fw 190D-9.     
  

  
  

  WNr. 210003, Oblt. Hans Dortenmann, 12./JG 26, Germany, 1945

  Oblt. Hans Dortenmann, an ace with 38 kills to his credit and holder of the Knight’s Cross, flew this Fw 190D-9 WNr. 210003 from September 1944 until the end of the war, when he personally destroyed the aircraft. Dortenmann scored 18 kills with this Dora, making him the most successful fighter pilot on this type. The aircraft also became the longest-serving Dora in combat. It would begin its career as a “Red 1” while Dortenmann was a member of III./JG 54. At the end of February, III./JG 54 was redesignated IV./JG 26, which also brought a change in the markings of the aircraft. As Staffelkapitän of 12./JG 26, Dortenmann now had a black “1” on his Dora, with the typical white and black stripe identifying JG 26 and a wave mark on the rear, indicating his affiliation with IV. Gruppe. At the same time, the camouflage was modified, with the colors of RLM 74/75 being replaced by the shades of RLM 81/82, and a later type of blown canopy was fitted in place of the early straight one. The lower surfaces were to carry a full coat of RLM 76. The keel and rudder were painted yellow while still in the ranks of JG 54.
  

  
  

  Stab I./JG 2, Frankfurt/Rhein-Mein, April 1945

  Assignment to JG 2 is probable but not certain in the case of this aircraft. It relies mainly on the appearance of the identification markings. JG 2 was one of the oldest fighter units of the Luftwaffe. It was formed as Jagdgeschwader Richthofen as early as 1934, from May 1, 1939, it was designated JG 2 Richthofen after the most successful WWI fighter. The first Kommodore was Oberst Gerd von Masow and during the Polish campaign JG 2 was assigned to the defense of the Reich. It subsequently joined the fighting on the Western Front and after the Battle of Britain remained in France until September 1944. Shortly thereafter, I. Gruppe and III. Gruppe began taking over their first “Doras” in the second half of October. Hptm. Franz Hrdlicka, an ace with 60 confirmed kills, took over the command of I. Gruppe from December 18. He was a native of Dvorska, the suburb of Brno city in than Czechoslovakia, but of German nationality. Hrdlicka (means dove in Czech) led the I. Gruppe until March 25, 1945, when he was killed in combat with American fighters. According to some sources, his score may have been as high as 96 victories. This aircraft sported the designation of the I. Gruppe Stab (staff) and was found in the middle of the runway at Frankfurt/Rhein-Main Airport. Apparently, it had made an emergency landing, possibly due to engine failure, judging by the oiled lower engine cowling. The aircraft was not recovered and was found where it had stopped by the Allies. There it remained until the spring of 1946. Apparently, it was a second production run aircraft at Fieseler, the 600xxx series.     
  

  
  

  WNr. 210909, Maj. Gerhard Barkhorn, JG 6, Welzow, Germany, February 1945

  Gerhard Barkhorn’s JG 6 personal aircraft was produced by the Fiesler Kassel factory. The inscription “Christl” under the cockpit is a diminutive of the name of Barkhorn’s wife Christy. The marking on the fuselage identifies the aircraft as belonging to Geschwader Kommodore. During the war, Barkhorn achieved a total of 301 victories, which ranks him as the second most successful fighter ace of all time. All of his kills were scored in the ranks of JG 52, with the first one scored on July 2, 1941 and the last one on January 5, 1945. He then commanded JG 6 and at the very end of the war became a member of JV 44 armed with Me 262 jets. For his achievements in combat, he was awarded the Knight’s Cross on August 23, 1942, with the Oak Leaf added on January 11, 1943 and the Swords on March 2, 1944. After the war he continued to serve in the Bundesluftwaffe. The coloring of his Dora is a reconstruction, only photographs of the central part of the fuselage are known. These show, among other things, that the design of the Kommodore markings was smaller than was usual.
  

• Bf 109G-10 Mtt. Regensburg 1/48 marking options

  1./KG(J) 6, Prague-Kbely, Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, March/April 1945

  The huge losses suffered by Luftwaffe fighter units were one of the reasons that led in October 1944 to the decision to reduce the number of bomber assets and to distribute their personnel among fighter squadrons following the necessary conversion training. One of the Geschwader units affected by this change was KG 6. The unit was redesignated as KG(J) 6 and was re-equipped with the Bf 109G-10s and K-4s. Training was undertaken at Prague-Kbely, Prague-Ruzyně and also at Klecany airfields. On March 31, KG(J) 6 aircraft fought against 309th FS/31st FG Mustangs over Prague. The resulting heavy losses led to the disbandment of the unit a few days later, on April 9. This aircraft was abandoned at Kbely, probably due to irreparable damage where it was photographed after the war. It's KG(J) 6 ownership is indicated by the red and black square fuselage band on the rear of the aircraft.
  

  
  

  WNr. 130342, 5./NJG 11, Fassberg, Germany 1945

  The all-grey painting of 5./NJG 11 aircraft was used on the so-called “Mosquito Hunters” at the beginning of 1945. The surface of the aircraft was polished for maximum aerodynamic effectiveness. The last combat against Mosquitos took place through March 1945, after which these aircraft were pressed into service in night attacks against Allied ground equipment.
  

  
  

  WNr. 130297, Fw. Horst Petzschler, 10./JG 51, Insterburg, East Prussia, May 1945

  Horst Petzschler was born in Berlin on September 1, 1921 and joined the Luftwaffe on April 1, 1941. After fighter pilot training, he was assigned to JG 51 on August 23, 1943, and there he achieved his first three kills. On April 13, 1944, he was transferred to 2./JG 3 which was a component of the Defense of the Reich structure, but by June 1944, he would return to JG 51 on the Eastern Front. On May 4, 1945, III./JG 51 was relocated to Schleswig-Holstein from eastern Prussia. Horst Petzschler did not reach that location due to a navigation error and landed at Bulltofta in Sweden, where he was interned and in January 1946, the Swedes handed him over to the Soviets. He was released from captivity on September 22, 1949. On his return, he worked for the Berlin Police Department and in 1953, he emigrated to Canada and then the United States, where he worked in the aviation industry. He retired in 1988. Over the course of the Second World War, Horst Petzschler downed 26 enemy aircraft. The number 0297, the last four digits of the serial number, was brush-painted ahead of the tail plane. The bottom of the wing was painted in RLM 76, but due to the short supplies of the color some panels were left in natural metal. 
  

  
  

  13./JG 27, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, May 1945

  After the Allied landings in Normandy in early June 1944, IV. Gruppe JG 27 moved from Hungary to the French airfield of Champfleury-la-Perthe and began their participation in combat on the Western Front. After suffering heavy losses, the unit went to Lower Saxony for rest and replenishment. The unit was assigned to the Defense of the Reich structure. The unit was disbanded on March 31, 1945, and its pilots were distributed among the other units of JG 27. The white wave marking on the rear fuselage identified this aircraft as being assigned to the IV. Gruppe, and the green band to the Defense of the Reich unit JG 27. The nose carried the unit emblem.
  

  
  

  WNr. 130282, Hptm. Franz Wienhusen, CO of IV./JG 4, Frankfurt/Rhein-Main, Germany, November 1944

  Franz Wienhusen joined the Kriegsmarine in 1934, but just a year later began service with the Luftwaffe. After training, he was assigned to occupied Norway. There, he would serve with JG 77 and JG 5. up to October 1944, when he was given command of IV./JG 4. He died on December 3, 1944 near Aachen, when, during an attack on an American convoy, he was hit from the ground. He claimed twelve kills over the course of WWII.
  

  The reconstruction of this aircraft is based on a listing of losses from December 3, 1944, where the serial number and fuselage code of Wienhusen's aircraft are recorded. It is very likely that the aircraft was camouflaged the same way as others manufactured within an almost 130-aircraft production run at the Messerschmitt factory at Regensburg. 

• Strange targets

  #84184

  Text: Richard Plos

  Illustration: Piotr Forkasiewicz

  
  

  The raid on Berlin on February 3, 1945, was the largest ever carried out by the 8th Air Force on the German capital during World War II. Some 1,500 bombers participated, their target were trains moving the Wehrmacht’s 6 Panzer Army to the Eastern Front. Among the bomber escorts were fighters from the “Double Nickel”, as was the 55th FG nicknamed, under the command of Lt. Col. Elwyn Righetti. On the return, Righetti left some  of the fighters with the bombers, while the others were given permission to disembark and look for targets on the ground. The weather, however, was unfavorable, low clouds and ground haze making it difficult to search for these. “Near Boizenburg on the Elbe River, I located a small, clear hole in the otherwise unbroken undercast. In this hole there were two locomotives.
  I called them in and started down, needing only one ninety-degree turn to starboard to set me up in firing position,” Righetti said later. Visibility under the low cloud layer was poor, and in places the base dropped below 500 ft. As Righetti was giving instructions to three other pilots to attack the locomotives, he saw strange objects passing below him on the left. A trio of Mistel “flying bombs” were trying to slip at a low-level! The machines that met the four American fighters that day were training versions of this strange bombing “creature”: one Mistel S1, combining a Ju 88A and a Bf 109F, and two Mistels S2, combining a Ju 88 and an Fw 190A. Righetti, flying his famous “Katydid” (CL-M; 44-14223), attacked the Mistel S1 with his wingman 2/Lt. Richard Gibbs in a Mustang named “Cherry” (CY-Q; 44-14175). The leader of the second pair was 1/Lt Bernard Howes, who was backed up by 1/Lt. Patrick Moore on P-51D “Lil Jan” (CY-Y; 44-14235). They swooped down on one of the Mistels S2.

  “I broke rapidly left and up in a 200-degree chandelle, positioning myself on the tail of the middle one. I started firing at 500 to 600 yards, 30 degrees angle off, and missed two short bursts. As I swung into trail and closed to point-blank range firing a long burst, I saw many excellent strikes on the fuselage and empennage of the large aircraft and scattered strikes and a small fire on the fighter.” The two-aircraft combination went into a steep dive and Righetti overrun it, losing it from sight. “I did not actually see them crash, but five or ten seconds later I observed a large explosion and spotted considerable burning wreckage. Still not realizing just what we were attacking, but feeling that I had destroyed one complete unit, I turned slightly port for another,” he said.

  The comparison of the reports shows that Righetti’s second target was the Mistel, which at that moment had already been attacked by Howes. The latter stated that after several hits the Fw 190 broke away from the bomber, it went into climb and then crashed. Howes lost sight of Ju 88 but it was hit by Moore. “As I was closing to fire, the heavy aircraft seemed to be jettisoned, went into a shallow diving turn to the left, and crashed and burned in a small hamlet,” reported Righetti and testified more or less Howes’ words. Righetti then focused on the detached Fw 190, which he fired at from the rear. “Jerry went out of control and crashed straight ahead. At this point I noticed a few tracers too close and coming from behind.” The shots were likely fired by Howes, who was targeting the same Focke-Wulf as Righetti. Not surprisingly, after the action, American fighters claimed a total of four Ju 88s and even five Fw 190s! In any case, Howes also pounced on the last Mistel. After two attacks, he set the Fw 190 on fire, then the Ju 88, and both exploded on impact. 

  As these were training Mistels, there were pilots on board the Ju 88s. According to German records, these were Fw. Willi Kollhoff, Ofhr. Franz Pietschmann and Fw. Fritz Lorbach. All from the 6th/KG 200. Pietschmann was shot down and died, Lorbach managed to land the burning aircraft in the woods and miraculously survived, the emergency landing saved Kollhoff’s life as well. On the other hand, all three fighter pilots perished. 

  Elwyn Righetti was hit by flak on April 17 while strafing the Riesa-Canitz airfield south of Dresden. After an emergency landing, he reported that he was fine except for a broken nose. And that was the last news of him. What happened then remains a mystery to this day...

  
  

• Landings protection

  #7466

  Text: Michal Krechowski

  Illustration: Antonis Karydis

  
  

  On June 4, 1944, ground personnel from all three Czechoslovak squadrons of No. 134 (Czechoslovak) Wing applied white and black invasion stripes to the wings and fuselages of their Spitfires. With only two days to go until one of the biggest events of World War II, the Allied landing in Normandy, the paint job was to ensure the aircraft were quickly identified to avoid being shot  by stressed Allied ground troops or their own aircraft.  

  The flying commander of No. 134 (Czechoslovak) Wing during Operation Overlord was Wing Commander Tomáš Vybíral while the ground operations and administrative commander of the unit was Wing Commander Jan Čermák. Although he had not flown operationally regular missions for eighteen months and was not obliged by his position to conduct operational flights, as a former commander of No. 312 Squadron he still occasionally led the unit into several actions himself. One of these was the action of June 8, 1944, portrayed by Antonis Karidis on a boxart of the kit of a Spitfire Mk.IXc.

  On that day, No.134 (Czechoslovak) Wing was patrolling over the eastern beach at Caen as a part of operation Neptune. No. 312 Squadron was on the east flank of the patrol when it received a report of enemy aircraft in the vicinity. At that moment, a routine Czechoslovak fighter mission over Sword Beach turned into a major air battle. In the process, the pilots scattered a formation of a dozen Focke-Wulfs Fw 190A tasked with bombing a beach crowded with Allied troops and equipment. The result was three destroyed and five damaged German fighters with no Spitfire lost. The personal  report of W/Cdr Čermák recounts the course of the battle itself: “I was flying BLUE 1 in 312 squadron on patrol on the east flank of the beaches at 3000 ft. At 1330 we were turning 10 miles N.E. of Caen when I saw black smoke from bomb bursts on the beach. About six Fw 190 then flew south from this position at 2,000 feet climbing to cloud.  I dived down on one of them coming astern at 500 yards. As I closed to 350 I gave a very short burst. He at once climbed more steeply and at 3,000 bailed out near Mezidon. I now turned on a second giving a short burst from 400 yards decreasing. Black smoke came under the fuselage from the engine. The E/A then disappeared into cloud. I claim one Fw 190 destroyed and 1 Fw 190 damaged.”  The scene on the boxart thus depicts the Spitfire breaking away from the second  stricken Fw 190A, which, according to Čermák’s report, was on fire and found salvation in the clouds. In addition to the two successes mentioned above, F/O Otto Smik (No. 310 Sqn) and Sgt. Vítězslav Angetter (No. 312 Sqn) each recorded one enemy destroyed. Two damaged were attributed to F/O Vladimír Kopeček, and one each to W/O Antonín Škach and F/O František Mlejnecký.  

  The Spitfire MK244 with fuselage code DU-Z, which W/Cdr Čermák flew during this action, was the personal aircraft of F/O Jaroslav Šodek, who was flying it regularly from February to June 1944. Jaroslav Šodek, a native of Silesian Ostrava, had already fought in France in CG III/9 and CG III/7, then with the Czechoslovak GCI/6 group. He became a member of the RAF on July 27, 1940, with the rank of Airman 2nd Class. He was than promoted to the rank of Sergeant on September 1 and started conversion on British aircraft. His route to No. 312 Squadron was via Nos. 32 and 258 Squadron. He served with No. 312 Squadron until February 1945, when he was reassigned to No. 410 OTU  with the rank of Flight Lieutenant. There he became Squadron Leader and then served as a flight instructor at No. 57 and No. 58 OTU. He achieved one kill during the war and after return home he served in the restored Czechoslovak Air Force. Political developments forced him to emigrate to the UK for a second time and he spent the rest of his life there, passing away in 2002. After 1989 he was promoted to the rank of Major General retired. 

  His Spitfire MK244 was taken over by No. 602 Squadron “City of Glasgow” on July 6, and on August 15, 1944, the MK244 was hit by the ubiquitous flak near Bernay. Its pilot, F/Lt A. R. Stewart, bailed out and was rescued by parachute. However, some sources state that he was accidentally shot down by an Allied P-51 Mustang.

  
  

• By order of the Reichsbahn

  #8188

  Text: Jan Bobek

  Illustration: Antonis Karydis

  
  

  The legendary JV 44 under the command of Adolf Galland flew most of its operations in the south of Germany from the base at Munich-Riem. Through April 1945, the unit’s pilots racked up some sixty kills. The role of the unit in terms of results is negligible but is significant in terms of illustrating the incredible conditions that existed in the Third Reich at the end of the war.

  The jet powered Me 262 were most vulnerable during take-off and landing. Aircraft of JV 44 were no different, because during low speeds, the Me 262 was more difficult to control, and the throttle had to be treated with a gentle respect, or the result could be a stalled engine or a fire. During the final phases of the war, it was standard practice for jet aircraft to be covered by piston engined planes during these critical flight phases. As a result, JV 44 organized a protective flight using Fw 190 Ds under the leadership of Heino Sachsenberg, an ace with 104 kills. 

  Sachsenberg was a logical choice. He certainly didn’t lack bold nerve, and he had several year-long experience fighting fast flying enemy fighters at low altitudes. His pilots also had to contend with another danger - friendly ground fire. According to the memoirs of Johannes Steinhoff, a good chunk of crews of the anti-aircraft artillery at Riem were women. There was no real effort to distinguish between friendly and enemy aircraft. The Me 262 did enjoy relative security in this respect due to its distinctive silhouette and engine noise. Perhaps this was why the bottom surfaces of the Doras of JV 44 were painted red on the bottom, with white stripes. 

  The duties of Sachsenberg’s protective flight were largely improvised. His pilots couldn’t communicate directly with the Me 262 pilots. They simply took off and circled the field at low altitudes until the jets were safely on their way. Usually, there were two Fw 190 Ds in the air, but, as an exception, Riem was circled by four.

  Problems began when the jets returned. For them to set down as quickly as possible, there must not have been anything in their way. The Focke-Wulfs always had to land before the Me 262s. This left their jet colleagues to land without the protective cover and dependant on their skill, luck and field AAA.

  Sachsenberg’s -190s were covered in their shelters at the northern edge of the airfield, and his pilots weren’t too close to the remaining JV 44 pilots. Up to now, there are five known  Fw 190 Ds that served with JV 44. This is the case with Red ‘3’, which was assigned to Hptm. Waldemar Wübke. Apparently, this notorious prankster and Sachsenberg understood each other quite well, and on his aircraft, he reiterated the inscription from his previous aircraft as far back as 1940. The motto was "Im Auftrage der Reichsbahn", which translates as "on behalf…" or "by order of the Reichsbahn".

  This inscription, sometimes with a winged wheel, appeared on several Wübke´s aircraft. After an emergency landing in 1940, Wübke had to return to his unit by train, which caused his colleagues considerable amusement. So, he made fun of himself with the inscription. The design of the text on his Fw 190 D-9 was not known for a long time. The first to publish conclusive photographs of Wübke's Dora with the motto was the recently deceased American author, Jerry Crandall. In his last publication, Fighters of the Iron Cross, this author published a unique JV44 document with a list of aircrew and their functions, identifying the fifth member of the Platzschutz flight. He was Major Wilhelm Steinmann, an ace with 44 victories and holder of the Knight's Cross. The inscription on his Fw 190 D-11 “Red 2” is not yet known. But I believe it will turn up in some collection or archive in years to come. Additional airmen who served in this protection flight were Lt. Karl-Heinz Hoffmann and Oblt. Klaus Faber.  Interestingly airman Bodo Dirschauer, who was speculated to have also served with the Sachsenberg flight, isn’t mentioned at all in this document. The first time I wrote about JV 44 in Eduard INFO was in issue 06/2010 and the second time in issue 11/2010. There is hardly anything to correct in the texts, but it is interesting to see how Eduard INFO magazine has changed in these 12 years. 

  I would like to take this opportunity to thank Jerry Crandall once again for his life's work, and I wish his wife Judy all the best in her continued editorship of Eagle Editions.

• Squares against stripes

  #82119

  Text: Jan Bobek

  Illustration: Piotr Forkasiewicz

  
  

  Luftwaffe command assessed in 1944 that it could no longer deploy twin-engine bombers for day operations, it wondered how to deal with the surplus crews. Several bomber units, including KG 6, were selected to have their pilots retrained on the Bf 109s and Fw 190s. From the end of the year they thus bore modified designations, in the case of the unit mentioned above it was KG(J) 6, the “J” standing for Jagd, a fighter unit. One of the Luftwaffe priorities was to use the experience of bomber pilots to fly in poor weather conditions. Their experience in operating twin-engine machines was also to serve as a good basis for eventually switching KG(J) units to the Me 262 jets. At the same time, their aircraft received elements of the Luftwaffe rapid identification system, which was introduced in the second half of the war. In the case of KG(J) 6, these were black and red squares. 

  The three KG(J) 6 Gruppen were converted to single-engine fighters from the end of 1944 at Ruzyně (German: Prag-Rusin) and Kbely (Prag-Gbell) airfields in Prague. They also used the Klecany (Groß Kletzan) airfield north of Prague. The Kommodore of this Geschwader was Obstlt. Hermann Hogeback, who was a veteran of the Spanish Civil War and spent most of his war career with KG 6. He was shot down twice by a night fighter and became a recipient of the Knight's Cross with oak leave and swords.The I. and II. Gruppe of his unit were equipped with Messerschmitt Bf 109 G and K. The CO of I./KG(J) 6 was Major Ernst Haller, a veteran of KG 26 “Löwen”. For most of the time II./KG(J) 6 was undergoing retraining for fighters, its CO was Hptm. Hans-Joachim Faulhaber, who had previously served with KG 77 and was awarded the Knight's Cross. In 1942 he escaped night fighter over England and returned with a damaged plane. Faulhaber was replaced at the end of March 1945 by Hptm. Wilhelm Kunze, who had seen combat on the Western Front with KG 2 and was also shot down by a British fighter.

  For the boxart of this kit Piotr Forkasiewicz depicted the encounter that occurred north of Prague on 31 March 1945 between seventeen airmen of KG(J) 6 and the same number of pilots on P-51Ds from the 309th FS, 31st FG. The American formation, led by the executive officer of the 31st Fighter Group Lt.Col. Fred C. Stoffel, spotted the 109s at 2.00 pm over the Klecany airfield while flying among the clouds at 6000 feet. Only two of the American airmen had downed aircraft in previous combats. There was confusion on the German side because after announcing visual contact with the Americans, the Germans were given a nonsensical order to land! The Mustangs pounced on the Messerschmitts flying below and a manoeuvre fight ensued from which the more experienced American pilots emerged victorious. They reported 18 kills, the Germans actually lost nine machines. Four pilots were killed and three were wounded, belonging to the 2. and 4. Staffel of KG(J) 6. Commander of 4./KG(J) 6 Hptm. Erwin Zöllner was among those killed. 

  Germans reported only one seriously damaged Mustang, which is consistent with the fact that the 309th FS commander Maj. Simon H. Johnson Jr had to make an emergency landing with the damaged machine at a British-controlled airfield in Croatia. The rest of the unit returned safely to Mondolfo Air Base in Italy. 

  A week after this encounter, the Luftwaffe command decided to disband Stab, I. and II./KG(J) 6, representing approximately 1,000 Luftwaffe personnel. Some of the airmen were transferred to III./KG(J) 6, which was rearming with the Me 262 at Prague-Ruzyně and reached operational status in mid-April. However, its pilots had made limited combat engagements with the Me 262s in the preceding weeks. The number of jet aircraft of this unit hardly exceeded ten. Its mission was to intercept Allied four-engine bombers. In the last weeks of the war its airmen achieved a few more aerial victories. The unit continued to operate almost until the last day of the war. It was involved in attacks on Red Army ground forces advancing from the northwest towards Prague and also in the fighting against the Prague Uprising. One of its last tasks was the defence of Ruzyně Airport against the units of General Vlasov's Russian Liberation Army (ROA), which had originally fought on the side of the Germans and briefly joined the Prague Uprising.

• Air war over Ukraine

  The hot autumn

  Text: Miro Barič

  Photo: Maxar Technologies

  
  

  In the previous section, we dealt mainly with the Ukrainian offensives in Kherson and Kharkiv regions. Furthermore, in the period from October 1 to November 1, a great deal happened in Ukraine. In addition to the ongoing ground counter-offensive, there have been attacks on the Kerch bridge linking occupied Crimea with Russia and on the naval base at Sevastopol. Russia, for its part, is attacking Ukraine’s energy infrastructure from afar, but is pulling up short on the front.

   

  We left operations in Ukraine in the previous part of this series when the Armed Forces of Ukraine entered Lyman in the northeast of the country on October 1. After several successful operations in the Kharkiv region, Ukrainian troops paused for a while to replenish forces, resupply and, last but not least, to collect captured equipment left behind by fleeing enemies. This allowed the Russian side time to consolidate as well and fighting in the region thus continued with alternating success throughout November along the road between Svatove and Kreminna.

  Stiff fighting also took place over Bakhmut in the Donetsk region, which the Russians have been trying in vain to capture since August. A Wagner’s mercenary group is very active there. The Russian advance has been extremely slow, despite great efforts. On Monday October 24, the Ukrainians even launched a successful local counter-attack and temporarily pushed the Russians out of the factories on the eastern outskirts of the city.

  Most of this, however, took place in the south of Ukraine. On the very next day after the liberation of Lyman, on the opposite side of the front line, Ukrainian troops also moved in Kherson Oblast. They attacked from two directions on October 2, and along the Dnieper River they managed to break through the front lines. In two days, they advanced about 40 km and liberated dozens of villages. From several of them Russians preferred to withdraw as they were in danger of being surrounded.

   

  Putin’s pride down

  The Kerch Bridge explosion early on Thursday morning, October 6, posed major problems for supplies to Russian troops in southern Ukraine. This bridge from Russia to occupied Crimea was under construction between 2016 and 2019 and was opened personally by Russian President Putin. The road section is 16.9 km long and the railway section is 18.1 km long.

  To this day, it is unclear what exactly happened to the bridge. According to the Russian side, a truck that was crossing towards Crimea exploded. They documented this with both video and X-ray footage showing a semi-trailer loaded with explosives. However, two things do not fit in the Russian version – the different number of axles of the truck on the video and on the X-ray image, plus the logic does not fit, either – why would anyone let onto a bridge a truck in which they see explosives when they check for it? And then the Kremlin is surprised that nobody believes their fairy tales ...

  According to another version, a naval drone exploded under the bridge. Ukraine, however, does not claim responsibility for the attack. Anyway, the huge explosion caused two spans of the road bridge at the site of the blast to collapse into the sea, and a little further on, tremors caused a third span to fall as well. At the time of the explosion, on the adjacent railroad bridgethere was a train of tankers, which began to burn.  It took several hours to extinguish the ensuing fire. The rails melted in the process and the bridge structure was also severely affected by the fire.

  Although Russia claimed that the bridge was only lightly damaged and traffic was immediately restored, the opposite is true. Half of the road bridge in one direction stayed intact, but only cars were allowed on it, while trucks had to use the ferries. This caused major congestion and supply problems for Crimea and, consequently, for the Kherson region. Trains are also running in a restricted mode.

  The severe damage to the bridge is most evidenced by the terms of repair, which were later made public by the Russian side. After replacing the collapsed spans of the road bridge in one direction, they will also replace the opposite direction spans  that were left standing. This suggests that the tremors of the explosion affected them as well. Then the repair of the burnt railway bridge will begin, which will last until at least September 2023.

  Satellite images of the damaged bridge taken by Maxar Technologies. (Photo: Maxar Technologies)

  The Kerch bridge leading to Crimea burns after an explosion on the morning of October 6. (Photo: Twitter)

  
  

  Russian revenge

  Russia’s reaction was not long in coming. On Sunday, October 9, Putin accused Ukraine of terrorism in connection with the bridge explosion. It was Russia, however, which had set a precedent with its attacks on bridges – in April and May it repeatedly shelled with missiles the strategic Zatoka bridge, which runs over the mouth of the Dniester and connects Odessa with the Romanian border. Moreover, the bridge to Crimea is a legitimate military target according to the Ukrainians, although they have not yet claimed responsibility for damaging it. All the troops that invaded southern Ukraine on February 24 passed over it, and reinforcements, fuel and ammunition for the Russian troops occupying the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions were also supplied this way.

  The subsequent Russian attacks on Ukrainian towns and cities could more accurately be described as terrorism. On Monday, October 10, during the morning rush hour, Kiev and other major cities across the country, from Kharkiv to Lviv, were the target of a massive attack. The Russians used cruise missiles, but mainly Iranian Shahed-136 kamikaze drones. In total, they fired about 90 of them. More than half of them were defused by Ukrainian air defenses. A video has even emerged in which one Shahed-136 was shot down by a police unit with Kalashnikovs.

  The first attacks came during the morning rush hour, when people were going to work and children were going to school. Power stations and electricity substations were mainly hit, causing power outages in several cities. Water also stopped flowing as pumps were left without electricity. In addition, 'strategic' targets such as the playground, the crossroads in front of the university, the pedestrian bridge and the German consulate building were also hit. At least three cruise missiles fired from ships in the Black Sea flew over the territory of Moldova, which therefore summoned the Russian ambassador.

  The wreckage of an Iranian Shahed-136 drone shot down by Ukrainian air defenses. (Photo: Ukrainian military's Strategic Communications Directorate)

   Russian ships launch cruise missiles at Ukrainian cities. (Photo: Russian Defense Ministry Press Service)

  Russian 9K33 Osa (SA-8 Gecko) system. (Photo: Russian Defense Ministry Press Service)
  

  
  

  Boosting the air defense

  Such attacks continued throughout the rest of the month. If by chance there was a lull for a few days, another large wave of kamikaze drones and cruise missiles would soon arrive.  Despite the partial successes of the air defense, some of the projectiles always get through, and Ukraine’s energy infrastructure is being systematically destructed. The result is widespread power, water and heating cuts.

  However, one of the consequences of the massive Russian attacks is the acceleration of the delivery of air defense systems from the West. Germany announced early deliveries immediately after the first major airstrike on October 10 and by Saturday October 15 the first of the four promised IRIS-T systems was already in Ukraine.

  The IRIS-T missiles were developed by a German-led group of NATO states as a replacement for the Sidewinder missiles. First appearing as an air-to-air missile in 2005, they developed a surface-to-air version in 2015. Ukraine received the IRIS-T SLM version with a range of 40 km and altitude reach up to 20 km. In addition to aircraft, it can destroy cruise missiles, ground target missiles and has a high success rate against maneuvering drones. The system was immediately deployed in southern Ukraine, making it the first country in the world to use it operationally.

  Deliveries of the new NASAMS anti-aircraft systems have also been accelerated by the United States. Two of the eight promised systems were on their way to Ukraine during October. Britain has promised to supply Ukraine with additional missiles for NASAMS. France, Italy, Spain, Canada and the Netherlands have also promised to supply surface-to-air missiles or radars.

   

  Attacks in the rear

  While Russia shelled civilian infrastructure all month long, at the end of the reporting period the Ukrainians managed two hussar stunts in the form of attacks on military bases deep in the Russian rear. First was a combined naval and aerial drone attack on the port of Sevastopol in occupied Crimea in the early hours of Saturday October 29.

  According to an official Russian statement, nine drones and seven remotely controlled boats loaded with explosives attacked Sevastopol. All the flying drones were to be shot down and the kamikaze craft lightly damaged one minesweeper. However, several large columns of black smoke were rising from the harbor. These were explained by the Russian side as part of a “planned exercise”. Ukraine has not officially claimed responsibility for the attack, but local media reported two to four ships were hit. Videos from the cameras of the attacking kamikaze boats have also been released, according to which at least two ships were hit – in addition to the minesweeper Ivan Golubets, whose damage was also admitted by the Russians, it was supposed to be the frigate Admiral Makarov. The latter became the new flagship of the Black Sea Fleet after the sinking of the cruiser Moskva. The 125 m long vessel, with a full displacement of 4,000 tons, has a crew of 200 and carries a 100 mm caliber gun, eight launchers for Kalibr, Oniks or Zirkon missiles and 24 launchers for anti-aircraft missiles.

  Subsequent satellite imagery revealed damage to three ships. The third one would be Makarov’s sister ship, the frigate Admiral Essen. One of the damaged frigates, supposedly the Admiral Makarov, had to be towed by tugboats from the open sea in front of the harbor to the pier. The situation was also captured by satellite imagery.

  Whatever the outcome of the attack, it showed that the Russian fleet is vulnerable. After all, bases should be heavily defended, especially in wartime, and just getting inside is a feat. Russia has obligingly branded it an act of terrorism. However, the targets of the attack were warships, which routinely shell Ukrainian cities with  Kalibr missiles. Which of these is closer to the definition of terrorism?

  The second Ukrainian action, although significantly smaller in scale, was all the more audacious. It did not involve any remotely piloted unmanned vehicles. Although Ukraine again has not officially claimed responsibility, it was most likely carried out by its special forces. The day after the attack on Sevastopol, on Sunday October 30, they infiltrated the Russian military airfield at Veritye in the Pskov region. The base is located 500 km north of the Ukrainian border and 110 km east of Latvia. It is home to the 15th Brigade of the Army Air Force, which is equipped with a wide range of helicopters – it has 16 Mi-8 MTV-5 transport helicopters, 12 Ka-52 attack helicopters, as well as 12 Mi-28N attack helicopters. It also uses older Mi-35M, Mi-8 MTPR-1s for electronic warfare, and giant Mi-26 transports. The Ukrainian commandos infiltrated there in broad daylight without anyone trying to stop them. Its members calmly planted charges and  even videotaped themselves while doing so. Subsequent explosions destroyed two Ka-52s and one Mi-28N. This was confirmed by satellite images. Two other helicopters wereto be damaged. Russian media reported that one helicopter was subsequently found to contain a 400 gram TNT charge which, for an unknown reason, did not explode.

  Footage of columns of smoke over the port of Sevastopol after a drone strike on Oct. 29 has emerged on social media. (Photo: Twitter)
  

   

  Ukrainian losses

  Following intensive ground operations, air power was similarly heavily deployed on both sides. Thus, losses of aviation equipment did not occur only as a result of commando raids on airbases in the enemy rear.

  A Ukrainian Su-27 from the 39th Tactical Air Force Brigade was shot down near the village of Shishaki in the Poltava region on October 10. Its pilot, Colonel Oleg Shupik, was killed at the age of 56. He had left the Ukrainian Air Force in 2006 and worked at the Ministry of Transportation but returned to the Armed Forces on the day of the Russian invasion on February 24.

  Two days later, on Wednesday October 10, another Ukrainian aircraft was shot down in the same area near the village of Shishaki. This time it was supposed to be a Sukhoi Su-24MR with the designation “yellow 59”. It was attacking enemy fortified targets and after dropping bombs was hit by a Russian fighter on its return. The pilots tried to bring the damaged aircraft to the nearest airfield but failed. One of them survived the crash, but the other pilot was killed. Later, information appeared in the Russian media that this Su-24 had been shot down by a MiG-31 fighter jet. These are increasingly being used by the Russian air force to launch long-range attacks using R-37 missiles against Ukrainian aircraft.

  On the same day, October 12, the Ukrainian Air Force also lost one MiG-29 near the town of Vinnytsia in central Ukraine. Its pilot shot down a Shahed-136 kamikaze drone, but after its explosion a fragment of the drone hit the cockpit of the fighter. The pilot had to eject.

  The last confirmed Ukrainian loss in the reporting period was an Mi-8 helicopter that crashed on October 31 near the Ukrainian-controlled village of Konstantinovka in the Donetsk region. The wreckage on the ground was completely burnt up, but the crew escaped, according to Ukrainian sources.

  Ukrainian Mi-24P helicopter with two 30 mm caliber cannons. Similar eyes appeared painted on the Mi-8. (Photo: Twitter)
  

   

  Russian losses and accidents

  Less fortunate was the crew of a Russian Mi-8MTKO helicopter that crashed on the same day, Monday October 31, near the village of Spirne in the Donetsk region. It was a machine that had been delivered from Belarus and was to be used by  the mercenary  Group Wagner. Shortly after take-off, the helicopter was hit by a MANPADS rocket, caught fire and flipped after it hit the ground.

  At least two Ka-52 helicopters were also lost during the reporting period, and the wreckage of one Mi-24 was found in the Kharkiv region. The Ukrainians have also claimed the downing of several other helicopters and Su-25s, but this has not yet been confirmed.

  However, the number of Russian aircraft lost in accidents continued to rise. The intensive combat deployment is reflected in the lack of maintenance and subsequent technical failures that have caused at least two of the four recorded crashes.

  First, on October 9, an unarmed Su-24, which was on a training flight, made an emergency landing in a field near the settlement of Sibirki in Russia’s Rostov Region. The aircraft caught fire, but both crew members escaped. The cause of the accident is believed to be a technical failure.

  On the same day, a Su-25 crashed in the Rostov Region. It happened near the village of Rogalik, 30 km from the Millerovo military airport. In this case, the pilot did not manage to eject and was killed. According to Russian media, he was trying to pull the aircraft as far as possible from the houses of the settlement near which it crashed.

  A major tragedy occurred on Monday October 17 in the Russian town of Yeysk on the coast of the Sea of Azov. Just 70 km as the crow flies on the opposite shore of the sea lies Mariupol, which was razed to the ground by Russian troops in the first months of the war. A Su-34 bomber crashed into a block of flats in Yeiisk shortly after take-off. It was supposed to fly a training flight. Both pilots ejected just before impact. One of them testified that one of the twin engines started to burn during take-off. Russian investigators consider the most likely theory to be that it collided with birds during take-off. The impact of the fuel-laden machine sparked a huge fire in the nine-storey apartment building. At least three people died after jumping out of a window rather than stay in the flames. A total of 15 people died, including three children.

  A similar accident was repeated six days later in Irkutsk, Siberia. There, a Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jet crashed on houses on October 23. According to official statements of the Russian authorities, the aircraft was on a test flight after being repaired. Su-30 fighter jets are produced in Irkutsk. The aircraft crashed to the ground almost perpendicularly and both pilots perished. Although several houses were hit, no one on the ground was killed this time. It is speculated that this time the cause of the accident was a malfunction on the oxygen system, which caused both pilots to lose consciousness.

  A video of the crash of the Su-25, which occurred back in June, also emerged during the reporting period. However, the video footage from the pilot’s helmet camera has become very popular because it is really action-packed. Only 15 seconds pass from the start of the ejection to the pilot’s parachute hitting the ground. The accident happened on June 17 near Belgorod. The pilot caught a power line during a low flight and cut off half of the vertical fin. The crashed aircraft bore the designation “Red 09” and the registration number RF-91965. It also had the letter V on its tail.

  In October, a video surfaced showing the crash of a Russian Su-25 "Red 09" near Belgorod back on June 17. (Photo: Twitter)
  

  The wreckage of a Russian Kh-101 missile that was shot down near Chernihiv on October 19. (Photo: Ukrainian Defense Ministry Press Service)
  

  The moment a Su-34 crashes into a residential building in the Russian city of Yeysk. The parachute of one of the pilots can be seen on the right. (Photo: Kooperativ Telegram Channel)
  

  
  

• PAPPY OF THE STRAFERS III

  THE PAIN AND THE DETERMINATION

  Text: Richard Plos

  
  

  Photo: John F. Heyn Collection
  

  
  

  The second part of this mini-series ended with the successful trials of the first Mitchell modified with the supplemental 0.5 inch machine guns which led to the intense work on rebuilding more aircraft. They were shortly to be in the action to fully prove their advantages. 

  In March 1943, shortly after the first tests of B-25s modified according to Pappy’s directives, twelve of these aircraft took part in the Battle of Bismarck Sea during which they practically destroyed the whole Japanese convoy with supplies. During the first fifteen minutes they destroyed four cargo ships, two destroyers and all returned unscathed to the base. 3rd AG pilots were so excited by the new airplanes that they did not let Pappy in any of them and only co-pilot’s seat in a B-17, which also took part in the mission (in total 130 aircraft participated in it), was left for him to at least watch how his “children'' fared in combat. He continued complaining about this unfair treatment long after the mission.

  Success of the modified Mitchells caught the eye of the top brass in the USA and General Kenney was responsible for this as well since he did not forget to mention Pappy’s share in his communication with the USAAF Commander, General Arnold. He sent him technical drawings and asked him to lobby for the manufacturing of such modified aircraft directly by the North American Aviation factories. A little later, while already in Dayton USA, Kenney met with a group of engineers and designers from the Air Force Materiel Division who explained to him that all was wrong, the aircraft had an upset center of gravity, it was too heavy and in fact could not even fly …” I listened to them as patiently as I could and then explained to them that we had modified a dozen B-25s in this manner and they played a fairly important part in the Battle of Bismarck Sea. And that in the same manner another 60 aircraft were being rebuilt in Australia. Arnold looked at his experts and then kicked them all out of his office” recalls General Kenney in his book.

  After that Arnold practically ordered Pappy to show up in Dayton as soon as possible to teach his experts something. Roughly a week afterwards Gunn flew to the USA and reported directly to the boss of North American Aviation, “Dutch” Kindelberger. The following three weeks Pappy literally lived in the Los Angeles factory and day and night worked with the designers on further improvements. When they were finished Mitchell featured not four but six machine guns in the nose and the whole airplane was better balanced.

  
  

  Easy come easy go

  Ironically, Pappy in fact was not authorized to fly Army airplanes since he did not possess USAAF pilot license. In that hectic wartime no one questioned him but one day Gunn approached General Kenney and asked: “General, where can I get those wings you have pinned on?” General answered that he could go to the officers’ mess and buy them but Pappy explained to him what he meant, that in fact he had been flying the Army airplanes “illegally”. Up until then Kenney was not perhaps fully aware who he had dealt with and only now found out that Pappy was a former Navy pilot flying since 1925. So, he immediately dispatched a request to General Arnold’s office that Major Paul Irvin Gunn was to be issued the USAAF pilot’s license retroactively as of December 7, 1941.

  However, the message reached some bureaucrat in Arnold’s staff and so two days later Kenney, to his great surprise, read a message stating that Major Gunn was to return to the USA where he will be admitted to seven months long pilot training and if successfully completed will be dispatched back unless he requested another assignment.

  
  

  A little later, while already in Dayton USA, Kenney met with a group of engineers and designers from the Air Force Materiel Division who explained to him that all was wrong, the aircraft had an upset center of gravity, it was too heavy and in fact could not even fly …

  
  

  “As soon as I had calmed down, I sent a personal wire to Arnold marked Eyes Only, which told Hap the story of Pappy’s life, suggesting a suitable disposition of the staff officer who had sent me the answer to my original wire, and inasmuch as I believed that Major Gunn knew more about flying than any instructor he had in the United States, I was again asking that Pappy be rated an Air Force pilot.”

  recalled General Kenney. Arnold immediately entertained his request and so soon enough, in his office Kenney could pin the pilot's insignia on Pappy’s uniform. Pappy wasted no time, rushed to the financial department and claimed around four thousand dollars as a back pay for the pilot's position…

  Then he requested time off and decided to fly to New Guinea where, as he believed, could become a millionaire in the local casinos. He sat on the right seat of a B-25 headed there, all that money stuck in buttoned pockets of his shirt. During the flight the sun was hitting the cockpit hard, so Pappy tucked away his shirt on the back of his seat. He lit a cigarette and decided to let some fresh air in. In one move he jerked the side window open and an immediate pressure drop sucked the shirt out. It disappeared in the blue of the sky and ocean … Pappy looked out hoping that it at least got caught on the tail surfaces, but no luck. So he took over the controls, turned Mitchell around and searched for the shirt on the water surface. Nothing again … He dragged from his cigarette a couple of times, closed the window and after a moment of silence he stated: “Well then. Easy come, easy go …” Shortly after, on May 10, 1943, General Kenney signed the paperwork for Pappy’s promotion to a Lieutenant Colonel which could have been for him at least a small compensation for this loss.

  A dramatic view of para-bombs drop. (Photo: Bill Swain)
  

  
  

  The Philippines on fire

  In the middle of September 1944, the American Strategic Command of the US forces in the Pacific decided to reclaim the Philippines. The landing was to take place on October 20 on Leyte Island near Tacloban port on the eastern coast. In the meantime, the USAAF focused on the oil refineries and fuel dumps in Balikpapan on Borneo where the Japanese sourced most of their aircraft fuel for their Philippine bases with approximately three thousand airplanes located there.

  As soon as Pappy learned about the planned landing, he started to devise his own plans. His first thought was to fly one of B-25s rebuilt to version with twelve machine guns to Manila and shoot to pieces hundreds of Japanese aircraft lined up on both sides of two miles long Taft Boulevard Street. The Japanese used it for both the take offs and landings as well as the storage. It was not a bad idea with one problem though, the Americans did not control any base from which a Mitchell could reach Manila. Pappy, who was eager to liberate the Philippines as soon as possible and rejoin his family, was however willing to fly despite the risk of running out of fuel on the return journey. He calculated that point and requested the flying boat pickup. General Kenney of course disproved such an antic. Pappy did not give up and proposed to fly alone after removing both the dorsal and rear gun turrets and instead of the bomb load keeping only the full incendiary ammunition load for the gun machines.

  Thanks to saved weight he would attach two three hundred gallon drop tanks under the wings so he would have sufficient fuel for the return flight as well. “He almost cried when I refused this plan as well. I tried to explain to him that for these planned operations I could not afford to spare a single B-25 for the time necessary for all these modifications” recalled General Kenney. Ultimately, he had to reject Pappy’s third idea in which he counted on a clandestine landing in the Philippines, organizing a small army with which, thanks to his terrain knowledge, would give the Japanese hell by attacking from the rear during the landing. Gunn’s effort to return to the Philippines as soon as possible was understood and at the end General had to assign him to another task in Australia just to get rid of him.

  
  

  Pappy proposed to fly alone after removing both the dorsal and rear gun turrets and instead of the bomb load keeping only the full incendiary ammunition load for the gun machines. Thanks to saved weight he would attach two three hundred gallon drop tanks under the wings so he would have sufficient fuel for the return flight as well.

  
  

  “Pappy, from the maintenance unit in Australia I want you to recruit a special detachment of some fifty men who can do anything. They had to be able to shoot, dig the trenches, build improvised shelters, install steel plates for runways, repair aircraft, engines, live in the wild and fight even with fists or stones.” On the 12th, eight days before the landings, two C-47 landed at Hollandia where Kenney’s headquarters was, and fifty armed rough men disembarked with backpacks full of tools and spare parts. “These are the men you wanted, General. What now?” asked Gunn. Their task was to start establishing the airbase right after the landing. And so Pappy and his men were transferred under the command of Col. David Hutchinson, the Air Task Force commander.

  On October 20, after a thorough shelling and bombing, four American divisions landed near Tacloban and in Dulag twenty miles further south. There were airfields used by the Japanese in both areas but heavily damaged by bombing and too small for the number of aircraft Kenney wished to allocate there. Pappy’s landing craft was rocking on the mild waves. Hundreds of ships, boats and vessels of all sizes around him. It was a force never seen before, a mind-boggling effort of the massive war economy of a country with such industrial might which mankind has not experienced before. Instead of thousands of kilometers he was separated from Polly and kids just by several hundred kilometers. Immediately after the landing he started to build a runway with his construction crew on a sandy perimeter. The heavy equipment has not arrived yet, but Pappy discovered an old bulldozer behind the Japanese lines. At the beginning it would not start but Pappy talked it into that and so the construction crew could start leveling the surface and reinforce it with piled up corral. Gunn’s group also repaired several shelters located nearby and started to build a control tower.

  In the anticipation of Japanese bombing, they also dug a lot of trenches in the airfield vicinity. Strafing and bombing materialized soon, in addition the peninsula was only 300 meters wide and there was not enough space. Chaos occurred, disembarked material was nowhere to be placed. This was followed by a heroic effort to build the wider beachhead and put the Tacloban base to the operation in which no other was put in charge than Pappy who managed to organize the help of several hundred Filipinos. Skills of his men came handy in the situation when it turned out that in even after three years of combat the bomb hangers on the Army and Navy bombers were not unified and therefore the bombs from the USAAF supplies could not be used on the Navy aircraft that landed. Pappy however promptly proposed the modifications of the hangers, his men rushed to work on the aircraft with welding machines and sheet metal cutters and soon enough several aircraft were ready for action. In six and half days Tacloban was operational but nevertheless, it was a dangerous place which was constantly bombed and strafed by the Japanese. On October 30, during the bombing raid, Pappy was driving his Jeep in the open area and became a target of one of the attackers. He tried to take cover behind the car but it was not sufficient. The phosphorus bomb explosion threw Pappy away and a fragment penetrated his left hand. He got up, made a couple of steps in great pain and then, moaning, fell and passed out. On the following day he was airlifted to Brisbane, where the best Army hospital was located.

  90th Squadron’s Mitchell after the emergency landing at Dobodura base in New Guinea. (Photo: John F. Heyn Collection)
  

  General George Churchill Kenney, one of the architects of the “Skip Bombing” method. (Photo: USAF)
  

  
  

  The liberation

  On January 9, 1945, four divisions of MacArthur's Sixth Army landed in Lingayen Bay on the main Philippines island of Luzon to launch the final campaign of liberating the island including Manila, 150 km away. The units kept advancing despite the fierce resistance until January 31 when the headquarters received the message that Japanese let 3700 prisoners, held in Manila’s University of Santo Tomas campus, to starve in addition to several hundreds of POWs held in the old Bilibid jail. Considering their poor physical condition after three years of surviving on minimal food rations it was not clear how much longer they can carry on. Therefore, MacArthur dispatched the 1st Motorized Cavalry Division to march on Manila as soon as possible and liberate the prisoners. Under the command of General Major Vern Mudge the division, after several isolated battles, broke through to Manila where it swiftly attacked University of Santo Tomas area and rescued all prisoners. Among them Polly Gunn with her four children. Col. Hutchinson sought them out as he had promised Pappy before his dispatch to Australia that he would take care of them. He told Polly about Pappy’s wounds and that their transport to Brisbane was being arranged so they could re-unite. It was the first information Polly received that her husband was directly involved in the fighting. She was in rather poor condition; her weight was 38 kilos instead of usual 51. On February 19 she was flown with her children to Brisbane where the whole family reunited after more than three years.

  Family together again. (Photo: family archives)
  

  
  

  The war wounds

  Pappy’s wounds were more serious that it could have seemed. The whole hand nervous system was damaged. The joints were swollen and fingers insensitive. Therefore, in the middle of April he was transferred to the USA to undertake neurosurgery at the military clinic in Auburn. This partially helped but Pappy continued to suffer from severe pain and had to carry his half-disabled hand in the support. However, the inactivity was even worse for him so in September 1945 he returned to Manila and initiated the resurrection for the Philippine Air Lines. At that time, he was already discharged to reserve and could fully return to his civilian life.

  Together with Dan Stickle, with whom he had started at the airline, they acquired a couple of surplus Army airplanes which they rebuilt for civilian use. In December the ceremonial re-opening of the operations took place launching the scheduled service to Hong-Kong and Saigon. Pappy did take part in these moderate festivities but then he returned to the hospital in Fort McKinley where he was almost a resident due to the permanent severe pain and need for doctor’s care. In the spring of 1947, he still carried the support for his hand but every now and then he removed it and squeezed the rubber ball in order to stimulate the blood vessels in his hand and invigorate it. He always tried to occupy himself, he scouted for airplanes with sufficient range so as PAL could start flying to the USA and in many ways tried to utilize the benefits of purchasing the cheap military surplus material in the Philippines. In the spring of 1948 while he was again in the USA with his family, he suffered from such pain that he reached the decision to have his hand amputated unless the doctors found out how to control the pain. In the end the amputation was not necessary since Doctor Livingston from Lahey clinic in Boston was able to restore his hands’ blood vessels and also repair some damages of the nervous system.

  
  

  Pappy, Polly, and Dutch. Three nicknames, three exceptional people. (Photo: family archives)
  

  
  

  Life was coming back to his hand and Gunn used every opportunity to squeeze his rubber ball to strengthen his hand. He started to fly again, his energy came back and PAL were successful. And then October 11, 1957, came. Over the Philippines Pappy tried to avoid a severe storm and crashed. There were no survivors …

  His former superior, and friend as well, General Kenney, arranged for his last flight home, to the USA, where he was buried. During the wartime Paul Irvin Gunn was decorated with several awards: DFC, Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Air Medal, Purple Heart nine times and WWII Victory Medal. His skills and decisiveness helped develop a new category of combat aircraft and he also contributed to many other areas of the war efforts. In 2008 the Arkansas Aviation Historical Society included him into their Hall of Fame. 

  
  

  Sources

  The Saga of Pappy Gunn, George Churchill Kenney; Kismet Publishing, 2018 (first issue 1958)

  Indestructible, John, N Bruning, Hachette Books, 2016 

  North American B-25 Mitchell, Key Publishing

  Flying Buccaneers, Steve Birdsall, Doubleday & Co. Inc., 1977  

  General Kenney Reports, George Churchill Kenney, Sloan & Pearce 1949 

  warfarehistorynetwork.com 

  www.3rdattackgroup.com

  thejavagoldblog.wordpress.com

  
  Pappy and a whale

  For the whole week Lt. Col. Gunn waited in Port Moresby at Three Mile, one of its airbases, in order to personally test the newest B-25 version with built-in 75 mm cannon. Pappy fell in love with this version and as soon as he had an opportunity to inspect it with the intention to test it on the first Japanese vessel that appeared in its operational range, General Kenney authorized his temporary reassignment to his former unit. “Men in 3rd Attack Group called him engineer without borders but were proud of his unorthodox approach to his achievements. After all, they were unorthodox themselves.

  Gunn did not have to wait too long for the opportunity. Shortly after midday a scout airplane sent a message everybody was waiting for so in fifteen minutes 72 Twin Cyclone engines were roaring and 36 airplanes, one after another got airborne led by Pappy. Bad weather forced the formation to split into three sections, twelve airplanes each, in order to cover the largest area possible and not to let the pair of discovered Japanese ships to escape. The aircraft proceeded above the ocean waves, islets and coral reefs at an altitude of no more than 30 meters. These crews never carried the oxygen masks as they were useless and proudly claimed that if a cow stood in their way, they would have to fly around her … Shortly after 2:30 the formation led by Gunn emerged from behind a rain curtain and pilots spotted the pair of Japanese destroyers.

  Both headed toward the fogged area and there was no time to seek the optimal position. Pappy signaled the attack and started firing from 1500 yards. He had six rounds for his 75 mm cannon. The first one hit one of the first destroyer’s superstructures, the second bounced off the deck and destroyed the AA gun post, the third missed and the fourth got buried right in the center of the hull. At that moment Pappy was so close that he had to pitch up sharply and literally jump over the destroyer and turn around for another attack. Problem was that the last hit did not slow the destroyer down. Both Pappy’s wingmen evaluated the situation. There was time left only for a single attack until the destroyer will disappear in the fog so there was a radio message: “Pappy, will you please get the hell out of the way and let us show you how a destroyer ought to be sunk.” Pappy’s response, properly censored and abbreviated was like this: “OK, you knuckle heads, I wish this obscene crock carried a few more rounds of ammunition. I’d show you.”

  A pair then showered the vessel with bullets from their 24 0.5 inch machine guns and after that both Mitchells released their 500 lb bombs. After they bounced off the water surface, they “bit” into the hull and the Japanese destroyer broke into halves. The second ship was destroyed by another formation and since there were no other targets left Mitchells set on the return journey. Both wingmen again made formation with Pappy’s aircraft and when the dozen of them approached Cape Gloucester with a small Japanese airfield Pappy spotted a transportation airplane which had just landed. That was an opportunity to restore his tarnished reputation! Mitchell, which appeared right above the treetops, was a total surprise to the Japanese. The first of the two remaining 75 mm rounds hit the starboard engine of the Japanese aircraft, the second one the cockpit. The whole flight continued along the western coast of New Britain, flew over a herd of whales in Solomon Sea, copied the eastern coast of New Guinea and landed at Three Mile home base. The crews gathered with their reports in the operations room, but no one dared to say a word about Pappy’s misfortune while attacking a Japanese ship. They knew too well that his response would be so toxic it could destroy the grass in the vicinity, even the whole jungle. Only one was brave enough to break the silence and carefully asked: “Listen Pappy, did you see those whales in Solomon Sea which we flew over?”

  “Yeah, I did” countered Pappy. All of sudden his eyes lit, and he cleared his throat. The men already knew that he was getting ready to narrate one of his legendary stories and they circled around him.

  “You may not know but the whale is the most intelligent of all animals. Not only is she smart, but she is also friendly. She likes people and likes to help them out. Had not she been so huge she would have been an ideal home pet. Those whales today reminded me of the year 1930 when I flew with the Navy. It happened during the exercises near the northern coast of Haiti. I flew the catapult launches off the cruiser Omaha and conducted anti-submarine reconnaissance. One day at the altitude of five thousand feet and hundred miles from the aircraft carrier my engine suddenly seized. I was sure about the cause of the failure. You know, at that time the rubber hose connectors were used in the fuel system piping. Those old engines used to vibrate a lot and the engineers were afraid that the piping without such flexibility would break. Sometimes however the gas corroded the rubber and its pieces got into the piping or carburetor and clogged it. I knew what to do if I could land but when I looked at the roaring Atlantic it struck me that when I descended, I would be really lucky if after my landing anything remains on which I could sit until they pick me up.

  I spiraled down and searched for a wave which would be smaller than the others when all of sudden I noticed the calm ridge between the waves. So, I touched down on that spot, nicely skidded on the surface and then a mild bump stopped me. Then I looked over the side what I bumped into and learned that I ended up on the whale’s back! I sat there for a while, but the whale did not move. So I asked myself: What is this supposed to mean? But I disembarked, stepped on the whale’s back, opened the engine hood, cleaned the carburetor and fuel piping, installed new hose connectors which I carried in my pocket and closed everything. Then I pulled out the crank handle for an inertia starter, put one foot on the whale and another on the float and cranked the engine until the inertia starter gained enough RPMs.

  Then I quickly jumped into the cockpit, turned on the ignition and engaged the inertia starter clutch. The propeller turned, the engine started and that was it! Now the whale… Remember what I said about how smart they were? She knew I was ready to take off! So, she carefully submerged and refrained from flapping the tail so as not to hit the airplane. Some hundred feet in front of me she emerged again, turned against the wind, and created a smooth wave on which I could take off and return to Omaha.”

  Pappy stopped talking, looked around, grinned, and waited for the applause which followed of course.

  Then he turned around and said: “I think I should check out if Sgt. Evans have prepared my plane for another mission”. Having said that he left the operations room…

  The whole paragraph was shortened and adopted from the book The Saga of Pappy Gunn written by General George C. Kenney.

  Photo: US Navy

  
  

• Searching for the lost ships with Paul Allen

  USS Lexington

  Part 2

  Text: Miro Barič

  
  

  A shot down Betty bomber photographed from Lexington’s deck on February 20, 1942. (Photo: U.S. Navy National Museum of Naval Aviation)
  

  
  

  Previously our story about the aircraft carrier USS Lexington (CV-2) ended at the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. She avoided it because on December 5, 1941, set sail for Midway Island to deliver 18 Vought SB2U Vindicator dive bombers belonging to the US Marines unit VMSB-231. Thanks to it she could enter the WWII battles intact from the beginning.

  Let’s travel back in time though, to Chicago in 1920s and 30s when the city was ruled by the notorious gangster Al Capone. His close associate was a lawyer, Edward Joseph O’Hare nicknamed Easy Eddie. In 1930 he decided to defect to the side of law and became a federal agents’ informer. He led them to Capone’s bookkeeping records and help cracked their code. He also reminded them that in the beginning of his trial Capone bribed the jury. Consequently, a judge replaced the jury and in 1931 Capone was sentenced to jail. In November 1939, a week before Capone was released from prison, Easy Eddie was assassinated. While he was driving his Lincoln Zephyr two men fired their shotguns at him from the passing car. O’Hare died on the spot and his uncontrolled car hit a pole. The killers disappeared in the traffic and were never tracked down. They were supposedly Capone’s hitmen. O’Hare senior paid for gangster’s jail time with his own life then. It is said he wanted to avoid prison, that he did not want to stand in the way of his son to enter the Naval Academy or that he wanted to restore his tarnished reputation and set a good example to his son. Allegedly he brought his son up to recognize good and evil and wanted him to become a better man that he was.

  
  

  Medal of Honor

  That son was “Butch” O’Hare who was awarded Medal of Honor for his action on February 20, 1942, as a very first US Navy fighter pilot during WWII. On that day he took off USS Lexington deck as a part of a larger group of Wildcats. The fate however put him alone against a group of Japanese bombers. His father taught him to face the evil regardless the odds. Edward Henry “Butch” O’Hare was born on March 13, 1914. After his parents divorced in 1927, he lived with his mother Selma and sisters Patricia and Marilyn in St. Louis while his father relocated to Chicago. In 1933 he started his studies at the Naval Academy in Annapolis from which he graduated in 1937. Next two years he served on the battleship USS New Mexico. Then he was sent to Pensacola for a pilot training which he completed on May 2, 1940. He was assigned to VF-3 fighter unit aboard Lexington’s sister ship, USS Saratoga (CV-3). First, he flew Grumman F3F and after that Brewster F2A Buffalo. VF-3 executive officer, Lt. John “Jimmy” Thach heavily focused on the air gunnery training. Under Thach’s leadership most VF-3 pilots, including Butch, became excellent marksmen.

  O’Hare’s first flight in the new Grumman F4F Wildcat fighter took place on July 21, 1941. Flying it off Saratoga he entered the WWII battles. In the beginning of 1942, the ship patrolled between Midway Island and Pearl Harbor where she was hit by a torpedo fired from the Japanese submarine I-6. She had to return for repairs and VF-3 transferred to Lexington. And that is where Butch’s star rose. Lexington was a core unit of the Task Force 11 under the command of Rear Admiral Wilson Brown. On January 31, 1942, she set sail together with two heavy cruisers and seven destroyers. Her own fighter unit, VF-2 was left behind to convert to Wildcats. Besides 18 fighters from VF-3 there were 37 Douglass SBD Dauntless dive bombers and 13 Douglas TBD Devastator torpedo bombers aboard Lexington. 

  Later two more heavy cruisers and four destroyers joined TF 11. This formation was getting ready to attack Rabaul. The American ships were located 450 miles north-east of the target when on February 20, 1942, they were spotted by Japanese Kawanishi H6K Mavis flying boat. It was promptly shot down by Jimmy Thach and his wingman Ens. Edward Sellstrom. Later the Lexington fighter pilots added another H6K to their score. The formation’s position however was discovered and all available 17 Mitsubishi G4M1 Betty bombers from 4. Kōkūtai were dispatched against it from Rabaul. Each aircraft was armed with two 250 kg bombs since the air torpedoes were not available in Rabaul at that time.

  The Japanese split into two formations to increase the chance of finding the Americans. At 16:25 Lexington’s radar detected the first group of nine G4M1 47 miles away. 16 out of 18 Wildcats were sent to combat. O’Hare and his wingman Lt.(jg) Marion Dufilho were also airborne. This pair however was ordered to circle around the ship. Fist nine Bettys were annihilated. Only four made it to Lexington but failed to score any bomb hit on the wildly maneuvering ship and were shot down on their return flight – two of them even by Dauntlesses. Not a single crew member from this G4M1 group survived. The American losses were two Wildcats and a pilot. They were shot down by Bettys’ rear gunners with their 20 mm cannons when they approached straight from behind without any maneuvering. 

  Butch O’Hare in the cockpit of a Wildcat captured in one of the propaganda photograph series taken in April 1942 on Hawaii. Note the censored unit insignia. (Photo: Naval History and Heritage Command)
  

  Butch wears non-standard cowboy leather belt in this color photograph. (Photo: Naval History and Heritage Command)
  

  During the photo shoot in Hawaii in April 1942 kill markings were painted on both sides of the fuselage. (Photo: Naval History and Heritage Command)

  Butch O’Hare at the Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat’s tail. (Photo: Naval History and Heritage Command)
  

  
  

  Alone against eight

  While most VF-3 fighters battled the first group of the enemy bombers, at 16:49 another one appeared on Lexington’s radar. This time eight G4M1 approached from the opposite side, 30 miles away but coming in fast. Butch and Dufilho were sent against them-no one else was available at that moment. Soon it turned out that O’Hare would remain alone. Dufilho’s guns jammed, and he could not fire a single shot. O’Hare did not attack fast flying bombers from rear but from above and astern. His four 12.7 mm caliber machine guns had 450 rounds each. He performed deflection shooting and took full advantage of his thorough air gunnery training. His bursts hit the Japanese bombers with such accuracy that he shot off the engine out of one of them! He attacked the Japanese formation four times until he ran out of the ammunition. Thanks to his actions only four bombers made it to Lexington. One of them, heavily damaged, attempted a suicidal attack. It did not hit the ship however, neither did the bombs from the other Bettys.

  O’Hare was convinced that he had hit seven bombers, six of them shot down. Officially he was credited with five kills which corresponds to the actual records. Four aircraft were destroyed immediately, fifth one made emergency landing on the water on its return flight. Butch damaged another two - there were the only two out of 17 dispatched that made it home. The Japanese reported one cruiser or destroyer sunk and setting the aircraft carrier on fire. They claimed eight Wildcats shot down. Gunners of the second group of bombers for example reported several kills during the repeated Butch’s attacks-even though he attacked alone. His Wildcat was hit by a single Japanese bullet in the fuselage-another one, into the port wing came from his own AA defense. O’Hare piloted F4F-3 BuNo. 4031 marked F-15. After the return to the port this aircraft was transferred to VF-2 and remained on board of Lexington. During the Battle of the Coral Sea, it landed on USS Yorktown (CV-5) deck, so it survived that battle as well. Then it flew with VF-42 and later in US Marines MAG-23. It was struck of charge in July 1944.

  Butch O’Hare and Jimmy Thach at Kaneohe base, April 10, 1942. Note details of the propeller in the background. (Photo: Naval History and Heritage Command)

  A pair of VF-3 fighters in flight on April 10, 1942. Wildcat F-1 (BuNo 3976) in the front is flown by Jimmy Thach. The second aircraft F-13 (BuNo 3986) is flown by Butch O’Hare. (Photo: Naval History and Heritage Command)
  

  
  

  The airport bears his name

  The successful aircraft survived its pilot. Butch O’Hare became a fighter ace in a day and on April 21, 1942, he was awarded Medal of Honor. Later he assumed command of VF-3 which after an extended time spent on training new pilots was renamed VF-6 and equipped with new Grumman F6F Hellcat fighters. Flying Hellcat O’Hare added another two kills to his score. On November 26, 1943, he perished during the first ever night interception mission off an American aircraft carrier. The circumstances of his death have not been clarified up until these days. Probably he became a victim of a Japanese Betty’s gunner during this night mission. Neither his Hellcat nor his body were ever found. Gearing class destroyer USS O’Hare (DD-889) which entered service in November 1945 was named after him. Butch’s mother Selma was at the ceremony. This ship took part in the Vietnam War and in 1978 was sold to Spain where it served under the name Mendez Nunez. It was decommissioned and sent to the scrap yards in 1992. In September 1949 the Chicago airport was named after him, O’Hare International Airport, ORD. Wildcat marked F-15 is exhibited in Terminal 2 at this airport. It is an aircraft which had been recovered in good condition from Lake Michigan where it crashed in 1943 off the training aircraft carrier USS Wolverine. In 2001 it was restored to represent Butch’s F4F-3.

  
  

  Raid on Lae and Salamaua

  Lexington was not to survive for too long neither. After the battle with the Japanese bombers TF 11 retreated from Rabaul but after joining forces with TF 17 gathered around Yorktown aircraft carrier the formation wanted to return and attack again. On March 8 the plans changed having found out that Rabaul port is empty. The Japanese invaded New Guinea and all ships sailed to the ports of Lae and Salamaua on the north-east coast of this island. In the morning of March 10, Lexington launched the first attack-eight Wildcats, 31 Dauntlesses and 13 Devastators armed with torpedoes. 15 minutes later Yorktown launched another 10 Wildcats, 30 SBDs and 12 TBDs, armed with bombs this time.

  Sixteen Japanese ships were near the coast in the vicinity of Lae and Salamaua-light cruiser Yubari, 6 destroyers, 5 large cargo ships, a minelayer, two small minelayers and a float plane carrier. The American pilots claimed ten ships sunk including three cruisers and another five ships damaged. Three cargo ships were sunk and fourth one was seriously damaged. Most of the ships were claimed by Lexington aviators. One of the VF-3 Wildcats shot down a Nakajima E8N Dave biplane floatplane which aggressively tried to attack the American carrier-borne bombers. The Japanese AA defense shot down a Dauntless from Lexington, the only American loss.

  On March 26, after this raid, Lexington returned to Pearl Harbor where she underwent a quick rebuild. Four turrets with eight useless 203 mm caliber anti-ship cannons were removed and replaced with 28 mm caliber AA quad cannons. 22 single barrel 20 mm caliber cannons were added as well. The ship armament then consisted of 12 single barrel 127 mm caliber cannons, 12 28 mm caliber quad cannons and 22 Oerlikon 20 mm caliber cannons. So equipped Lexington set sail for her last battle. Initially nothing indicated a fatal encounter. Ship set sail from Pearl Harbor on April 15, 1942, to deliver 14 Buffalo fighters from VMF-211 to Palmyra atoll located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean between Hawaiian Islands and American Samoa. After this task, in relatively peaceful waters, the ship was to conduct the exercises together with a battleship formation. On April 18 however the training was cancelled. The American and British code breakers concluded that the Japanese were preparing the landing at Port Moresby on the south-eastern side of New Guinea. Therefore, on May 1, 1942, Lexington again joined forces with Yorktown and her formation TF 17. Together they set sail for the Coral Sea with the intention to halt the Japanese plans. For this mission Lexington carried 21 Wildcats, 37 Dauntlesses and 12 Devastators.

  Lexington in San Diego on October 14, 1941. Buffalo fighters can be seen in the front, Dauntless bombers in the background. (Photo: Naval History and Heritage Command)
  

  Lexington in the original outfit featuring 203 mm caliber cannons in the gun turrets. (Photo: Naval History and Heritage Command)
  

  
  

  First battle of aircraft carriers

  Simultaneously with dispatching the invasion fleet to Port Moresby, the Japanese hit Tulagi in Solomon Islands. This mission was supported by the light aircraft carrier Shōhō. The main forces were supported the veterans of the Pearl Harbor attack-aircraft carriers Shōkaku and Zuikaku. The stage was being set up for the very first historic battle of the aircraft carriers. It was a first naval battle ever in which the opposing ships did not see each other and attacked each other with carrier-borne aircraft only. It is necessary to add though that many mistakes were made on both sides resulting in chaos and the outcome was more-less hap-hazard. Both sides were aware of the opponent ships presence and tried hard to find them. Both incorrectly identified the support force as the main one and launched against them attack groups of their aircraft. On May 7, 1942, in the morning, the Japanese scout discovered a lone tanker Neosho escorted by destroyer Sims. It reported though, incorrectly, an aircraft carrier and a cruiser. The Japanese launched 78 aircraft from Shōkaku and Zuikaku against them: 18 Mitsubishi A6M Zero, 36 Aichi D3A Val dive bombers and 24 Nakajima B5N Kate torpedo bombers.

  Right after an American scout discovered the invasion fleet of the cargo ships but reported two aircraft carriers and four cruisers. The Americans too launched 93 aircraft from Lexington and Yorktown-18 Wildcats, 53 Dauntlesses and 22 Devastators. Both sides almost instantly realized their error. Japanese aircraft for some time fruitlessly searched for some more valuable targets and in the end decided to attack Neosho and Sims at least. The ships had no chance. After three bomb hits the destroyer broke in halves and sank immediately. Out of 192 crew members only 14 sailors survived. Neosho was hit by seven bombs and a Val which, hit by a defense AA fire, crashed on her as well. Seriously damaged tanker drifted for several days until she finally sank.

  The Americans at last discovered the light aircraft carrier Shōhō attached to the invasion fleet and dived on her. Only two Mitsubishi A5M Claude and a Zero provided the air cover for her and another three Zeros took off at the beginning of the attack. They could not however stop the American onslaught. The Lexington aircraft hit the Japanese ship with two 450 kg bombs and five torpedoes. Shortly afterwards the Yorktown aircraft showed up and finished the burning wreck with 11 more bombs and 2 torpedoes. Shōhō sank 45 minutes after the attack was launched on her. All 18 aircraft she carried were lost as well. The Americans lost a Dauntless from Lexington. In the evening the Japanese attempted to find the American main force again but to no avail. Therefore, the aviators released their bombs and torpedoes and turned on their return flight. After the sunset they did find the American carriers-but they were without ordnance and misidentified the ships as their own. They started to circle and prepare for landing. After a while when the American destroyers started to fire at them the Japanese realized their mistake and flew away.

  Lexington under attack of the Japanese aircraft, May 8, 1942. Picture was taken from the deck of one of the attackers. (Photo: Naval History and Heritage Command)
  

  After the Japanese attacks Lexington was damaged however received her aircraft back on the deck. Picture was taken from the cruiser USS Portland shortly before the fatal explosions. (Photo: Naval History and Heritage Command)
  

  Ship’s demise was caused by the explosions of the fumes leaking from the damaged aviation fuel tanks. (Photo: Naval History and Heritage Command)
  

  The aircraft on Lexington’s stern, May 8, 1942, around 15:00. There are Wildcats in the front, Dauntlesses and Devastators behind them. Fire is raging in the hangar and the smoke is rising around the rear lift. (Photo: Naval History and Heritage Command)

  Burning, abandoned and listing Lexington, May 8, 1942 evening. There are still aircraft on the rear deck. (Photo: Naval History and Heritage Command)
  

  
  

  Decisive second day

  The first day ended with serious aircraft losses on the Japanese side and resulted in a small American victory in the form of Japanese decision to postpone the invasion of Port Moresby for several days. On May 8, 1942, morning the decisive battle was staged. The Japanese launched an attack with concentrated force of 18 fighters, 33 Val bombers and 18 Kate bombers. The Americans sent out two separate groups. Yorktown launched 6 Wildcats, 24 Dauntlesses and 9 Devastators. A while later Lexington launched 9 fighters, 15 dive bombers and 12 torpedo bombers. Yorktown aviators hit Shōkaku with two bombs, a bit later Lexington pilots scored another hit and the damaged Japanese carrier had to withdraw. The Lexington attack formation lost three Wildcats.

  By a coordinated attack from both sides the Japanese managed to hit Lexington’s port side with two torpedoes. Val dive bombers contributed with two bomb hits. Besides Wildcats Dauntlesses were also deployed to the ships’ defenses. 15 took off from Lexington on a fighter mission. They managed to destroy three Kate torpedo bombers, another was destroyed by Wildcat fighter and four by AA defense. Two Vals were shot down during the attack on Yorktown but regardless, she suffered a bomb hit. On the return flight the American and Japanese formations engaged resulting in further air combat and losses. Both sides lost many aircraft, their ships were damaged and were running out of fuel therefore they withdrew from the battle. The American scored a victory because the Japanese had to postpone the landing at Port Moresby for two months worried about the Allied cruisers’ presence in the area and in the end the invasion never materialized.

  The Japanese were convinced that they had sunk two American aircraft carriers, those however were sailing under their own power and receiving the returning aircraft. Nothing indicated that the damages Lexington sustained could not be handled. No one realized though that the first torpedo hit had damaged the aviation fuel tanks on the port side. The fumes were escaping and concentrating in other areas of the ship. At 12:47 the sparks from the electrical motors caused the explosion and fierce fire. The flight operations were still not impaired and by 14:14 the last aircraft returned to the carrier. In addition to three Wildcats shot down, three Dauntlesses, one Devastator and one Wildcat, which had to make emergency landing on the water, were lost. At 14:42 another explosion followed and a fierce fire in the hangar interrupted the electric power supply to the ship’s front section. Any hopes for saving the vessel were marred by the third explosion at 15:25 which demanded the full evacuation of the quarters bellow the waterline. At 16:00 Lexington came to full stop and at 17:07 captain Frederick Sherman gave the order to abandon ship. 2735 crew members were saved, 216 people perished. Captain Sherman remained on board until 18:30 to make sure nobody was left behind and left the ship as the last. Between 19:15 and 19:52 destroyer Phelps fired five torpedoes at Lexington and sank the ship.

  Japanese light aircraft carrier Shoho under the attack of the American planes, May 7, 1942. (Photo: Naval History and Heritage Command)
  

  Smoke is rising from the aircraft carrier Shokaku after she was hit by American bombs, May 8, 1942. Flames on the bow can be recognized. (Photo: Naval History and Heritage Command)
  

  
  

  3,000 meters deep

  On March 4, 2018, Paul Allen and his research ship RV Petrel discovered the wreck of USS Lexington more than 800 km east off the coast of the Australian Queensland. The ship is broken into several sections. The largest part of the hull is upright at the bottom 3,000 meters deep. The bow and the stern are detached and found almost 2 km west from the main hull part. The bridge was also torn away and is located approximately in the middle of the wreckage debris. The underwater robot RV Petrel also located a Japanese torpedo which sank to the bottom after it had missed its target. An interesting discovery was made west of the shipwreck. There is a group of 11 aircraft which slipped off Lexington’s deck when she was sinking-seven Devastators, three Dauntlesses and a Wildcat. The planes are in very good condition with well-preserved paint work. Besides the national markings the kill markings and unit insignia are still visible under a Wildcat canopy.

  The flight deck edge of the sunken Lexington. (Photo: PaulAllen.com)
  

  One of twelve 127 mm caliber cannons after 80 years on the sea bottom. (Photo: PaulAllen.com)
  

  Besides the unit insignia four kills and one bombing mission markings are still visible under a Wildcat canopy. (Photo: PaulAllen.com)
  

  A group of Devastator torpedo bombers rests at the bottom of the ocean. (Photo: PaulAllen.com)