WWII War Birds - pics and video

[t-star]

I wondered how long that glaring mistake would take

 

[Dark Alley Dan]

Early Mustangs at the factory, getting prepped for delivery:

 

[amber2010]

The Brits flew them off carriers. Americans did not. It was not an easy plane to land on a carrier.

Actually Americans did fly Corsairs from aircraft carriers. The British did it first and that proved to the Americans that it could be done. Saw it on a You Tube video about Corsairs.

 

[Sharps '63]

Of course they did. Remember that video of a Corsair landing with a 4" rocket that failed to fire and it bouncing down the deck on landing? I think it was Viet Nam era.

 

[Ed Smurf]

Now $63 on amazon.ca:
http://www.amazon.ca/Warplanes-Thir...5407&sr=8-1&keywords=Green,+william+warplanes

It does look good - thanks for the lead!

Just a few examples that are in William Green's book. Heinkel111-8 bombers with cable cutters used to cut barrage balloons . These were used only a few times because their manoeverability was severely impaired. Lots more of this kind of detail in the book.

 

[sail32]

Wrong thread, please remove.

 

[Dark Alley Dan]

 

[dryfire]

Amazingly heavy exhaust staining off those Db engines. Looks like this was pressed into service or for appraisal ,perhaps out of Boscombe Down.
edit: Pressed into service with 260 Sqn RAF after capture in Italy

 

[tommyinbc]

Seems like this He111 was captured in Libya after the Battle of El Alamein. Used by 460 Squadron to ferry supplies from Alexandria to various bases.

Roundels or not, I wouldn't fancy taking this up in Allied airspace.

No 1426 (Enemy Aircraft) Flight carried out the evaluations of captured enemy aircraft originally out of Duxford....nicknamed "The Rafwaffe"....

 

[Dark Alley Dan]

Another shot...

And a sister ship from the same squadron:

That 109 would later be repainted in her original colours and fly as "Black 6".

How many 109s did the RAF own?

 

[Dark Alley Dan]

Someone on that base sat in a hangar with a large bucket of soapy water and thought seriously about his life choices.

 

[dryfire]

Good thing it was designed as an amphib. - and this was the nicer time of year in the Aleutians.

 

[MosinNagantM44]

 

[diopter]

 

[Bendeco]

After the war, Corsairs really got around. French Navy:

El Salvador:

Honduras:

Note the kill markings - this specific F4U-5N was the victor in the final propeller-driven dogfight in history, 1969. This month's Smithsonian Air and Space magazine has a writeup on it.

Who did Honduras go to war with? That country fascinates me I almost bought a beach house there cheap but chickened out the wife won't go there it's to dangerous.

 

[silverfoxdj]

What the heck is that?

 

[Donny Fenn1]

What the heck is that?

Fairey Barracuda Royal Navy torpedo bomber

and Honduras fought El Salvador in the "soccer war" in 1969 where Corsairs and P-51s were involved in air combat

 

[diopter]

 

[Dark Alley Dan]

At risk of offending the hardworking engineers at Fairey Aircraft Ltd, that is one of the uglier things I've ever seen.

Maybe it's a thing with carrier-based bombers. Here's the Douglas XTB2D Skypirate:

Jesus, that's awful. Looks like a kid threw that together between naptime and snacktime. And it was the successor to the profoundly unlovely Douglas XSB2D Destroyer:

At least these two ugly sisters led to the AD Skyraider, which, while a lumpy old girl, at least had the potential to look nice:

 

[dryfire]

The SPAD was the best looking a/c from the Vietnam war - it still had a fan on the front !