The Yak-1 was amongst the first few members of a large family of successful aircraft during World War 2 manufactured by the Soviet Union. In spite of often being overshadowed by its counterparts in the West (that included the Supermarine Spitfire, North American P-51 Mustang, Messerschmitt Bf 109 and the Focke-Wulf Fw … Read more
The Yak 3 was a highly maneuverable, low-altitude fighter-interceptor. All German pilots were taught to fear the Yakovlev 3 because it could outturn, out-climb and out-accelerate both the Messeschmitt Bf 109 and Focke-Wulfe 190s at the low altitudes at which it tended to operate. Most air battles on the Eastern front were … Read more
Over the years, there have been hundreds of World War 2 movies that have been both good and bad. There’s been stories about D-Day, individual companies, leaders, privates, small towns in France, and even specific races and nationalities. While everyone has their own preference to which have been the best, here’s a … Read more
World War 2 model airplanes give you a visible representation of the fighting machines used over the skies of Britain, Europe, North Africa, Central Asia and over the Pacific. These intricate model planes aren’t the plastic Tamoya kits that you may remember from the late ’70s and early 80s. Instead, these are … Read more
The Vought F4U Corsair was developed early in 1938, at the request of the U.S. Navy. The idea was to design the smallest body compatible aircraft with the most powerful engine available. When it appeared over the Pacific Ocean waters in 1943, the Corsair was the most powerful naval aviation aircraft. It … Read more
The SB 2 was developed in 1936 and saw service in Spain, Mongolia and Finland before it was used in World War II. Though it performed well in these earlier conflicts, the SB 2 had lost its technological edge by the time it had to face much faster and better armed German … Read more
Probably the most famous airplane of the Second World War, the Spitfire was the only aircraft that could really rival the German fighters (in particular at the time of the Battle of Britain). The first prototype took off on March 5, 1936, in Eastleigh (Hampshire) and was piloted by Mutt Summers. The … Read more
Only thirty one units of the Saunders Roe A.27 “London” biplane flying boat were built for the Royal Air Force Costal Command (RAFCC) who operated the type from 1936 to the fall of 1941. The “London” is another sample of an aircraft which was obsolete before it reached front line units. The … Read more
Propaganda posters in WW2 were used by every nations to recruit soldiers and influence public opinion. Some of the propaganda posters shown here are reproductions; some are vintage prints – usually, what you get when you purchase a vintage one is the actual propaganda poster that was produced some 60 years ago. … Read more
Rugged, reliable and powerful, the P-47 Thunderbolt not only was a monster of a machine (being the tallest and heavier single seat Allied fighter), it was the most numerous US fighter of World War 2 – more than 15,700 P47 units were produced in the United States. The P-47 was a flying … Read more
The prototype for the P-40 series was flown in 1938. The P-40 Warhawk was the first single-seat American fighter to be produced on a large scale. At the onset of the hostilities, almost half of the USAAF airplanes were P-40s. Slower and less manoeuvrable than the majority of the other fighters of … Read more
With its engine located behind the pilot, the P-39 Airacobra was a revolutionary design, and one of the first single-seat fighters equipped with a tricycle landing gear. A long shaft between the pilot’s legs drove the propeller, and a 37mm cannon fired through the propeller hub. But, because of the rapid fighter … Read more
The P-61A was the first production version of the Black Widow which was designed specifically for Night fights. It was among the USA’s firsts to make use of Radar. The Battle of Britain in Europe had proven the success of the Radar technology. Northrop engineers designed it as a heavily-armed platform built … Read more
The B-25 was the only American military aircraft which was named after a specific person. It was named in the honor of General Billy Mitchell who was a pioneer in the history of U.S. military aviation. The B-25 was made its mark in the history on April 18, 1942, when it became … Read more