Supermarine Spitfire

The Supermarine Spitfire was a WW2 fighter aircraft in service with the British Royal Air Force from August 4, 1938. Its prototype, the K5054, performed its first flight on March 5, 1936, from Eastleigh Aerodrome, near Southampton. Fitted with low, elliptical wing, it would become one of the most maneuverable and reliable aircraft of World War II. About 600 Spitfires would be flown by the US Army Air Force pilots during that armed conflict.

Below, the Mk I version of the aircraft in flight as it banks left.

The Supermarine Spitfire would take part in the ferocious legendary dogfights of the Battle of Britain in 1940. Its archenemy was its German counterpart, the Messershmitt Bf 109, against which it would fight for the air supremacy of the skies over England, the English Channel and northern France. Alongside the Hawker Hurricane and Tempest, it would see combat action until the end of the war in 1945. More than 20,000 Spitfires were made in several versions; Mk I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X (photographic reconnaissance), XII, etc. Its naval variant was the Seafire. The variants Mk V and IX were the most massively produced, with the latter being fitted with cannons, aside from the machine guns.

Technical Characteristics

The Supermarine Spitfire was  single-seat, single-engine monoplane. It was fitted with low elliptical wings, with the span being larger than the aircraft length. The tailplane also had an elliptical design, with the rudder being bigger than the vertical fin on which it hinged and moved from side to side. The landing gear was retractable, with the wheels folding up outwards into the wings. The tail wheel was of castor type. The fuselage was all-metal, and a steel armor plate was fitted behind the pilot's seat.

Specifications (Mk. IX)

Type: Fighter/Interceptor aircraft

Designer: Reginald Joseph Mitchell

Length: 9.12 m (29 ft, 11 in).

Wingspan: 11.23 m (36 ft, 10 in).

Wing Area: 22.48 square meters (242 sq. ft).

Height: 3.02 m (11 ft, 5 in).

Power Plant: 1,600-HP, Rolls-Royce Merlin 61, V piston engine.

Maximum Speed: 594 km/h (374 mph).

Range: 1,827 km (1,135 miles).

Armament: eight 7.7mm Browning machine guns; two 20mm cannons.

Below, the Supermarine Spitfire prototype K5054.

Two Mk II versions in 1939.

Below, the Spitfire Mk Vc in 1941.

Supermarine Sea Otter

The Supermarine Sea Otter was a carrier-based, rescue amphibian aircraft used by the Royal Air Force during World War II. Developed to replace the Walrus I, it flew for the first time on August 20, 1938, entering service with the RAF coastal command squadrons in late July 1943. About 290 Sea Otters were built between 1943 and 1946.

The Supermarine Sea Otter flew with the air-sea rescue service during the Burma campaign between 1944 and 1945, on board the escort carrier HMS Khedive (D-62), with the No 1700 Squadron. It was also assigned to No 1701 Squadron of the East Indies Fleet based in Ceylon in February 1945.

Technical Characteristics

The Supermarine Sea Otter was a four-seat, single-engine biplane. The aircraft wing lower deck was mounted high on the fuselage, while the piston engine was set up high on the upper deck. Both decks were jointed by sturdy parallel struts. The fuselage was all-metal. The biplane was equipped with two floats, one fitted at the end of each wing.

Specifications

Type: communications and rescue amphibian aircraft.

Length: 12 m (39ft, 5in).

Wingspan: 14.02 m (46ft).

Wing Area: 56.67 square meters (610 sq.ft).

Power Plant: one 855-HP, Bristol Mercury XXX, radial piston engine.

Maximum Speed: 241 km/h (150 mph).

Range: 1,167 km (725 miles).

Armament: three Vickers 7.7mm Vickers machine guns.

Below, the Supermarine Sea Otter II version.

Potez 25

The Potez 25 was a French, two-seat military aircraft used in different armed conflicts around world. In the 1930's, China employed this biplane against the Japanese. The Polish Army's air branch would also utilize it against the Wehrmacht in September 1939, during the German invasion of that country.

Developed from the 15S model, it flew for the first time in 1925. In the next ten years, more than 4,000 Potez 25 aircraft were produced in France, and about 300 were made under license in Yugoslavia, Portugal, and Poland. Two civil derivative versions were also manufactured, which were used in South America (Argentina and Uruguay), to deliver mail.

The Potez 25 three basic variants built for the French Armée de l'Air were the A.2 reconnaissance aircraft, the B.2 bomber, and the TOE for operations in overseas theaters. The bombload of the B.2 consisted of twelve 12-kg bombs, or four 50-kg bombs under the fuselage, plus six 12-kg bombs under wings.

Technical Characteristics

The Potez 25 was a two-seat, single-engine biplane. The fact that the upper deck was broader than the lower one made it a very maneuverable aircraft. four pairs of struts joined the two decks together and to the fuselage, which was made of timber, plywood, and hardened canvas. As with all biplanes, it had fixed landing gear.

Specifications

Type: Reconnaissance/Bomber

Length: 9.10 m

Wingspan: 14.14 m

Wing Area: 47 square meters

Height: 3.67 m

Power Plant: one 450-HP, Lorraine-Dietrich 12Eb, liquid-cooled piston engine.

Maximum Speed: 208 km/h (129 mph)

Range: 1,260 km (783 miles)

Crew: 2

Below, the Potez 25 in civil service in Switzerland in the 1930s

The French famous biplane in 1931

 

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 was a sub-sonic jet fighter designed and developed in the Soviet Union during the postwar years. It was the fastest and the best aircraft in the world when it first flew on December 30, 1947. The prototype of this secret project was the S-01, whose mass production would begin in late 1948. It officially entered service with the Soviet Air Force on May 20, 1949. Later, it would be further developed into the MiG-15bis and the MiG-17 'Fresco'.

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 was massively produced in four factories of the Soviet Union, with more than 13,000 aircraft built, and 4,100+ made in Eastern European countries under license. It flew its first combat sorties in late 1950, in the Korean War. In the first year, it beat many USAF P-80 Shooting Stars, taking them down out of the sky with relative ease. However, in this armed conflict, the MiG-15 would face off its equal, the North American F-86 Sabre, which had similar design characteristics.

Despite the similarities, the Soviet aircraft still had better climb, rate of roll, and turn radius than the American one. The US Air Force pilots would have to wait for the appearance of the F-86F variant to make a real difference.

Technical Characteristics

The MiG-15 was a single-seat, single-engine monoplane. It had swept wing, with 40 degrees backwards inclination, and they were mounted in the middle of fuselage. Fuselage was all-metal. The cockpit was small but big enough to contain all the flight instruments. Landing gear was retractable.

Specifications

Type: jet fighter aircraft

Length: 10.1 m

Wingspan: 10.08 m

Wing Area: 20.6 square meters

Height: 3.7 m

Power Plant: one RD -45F turbojet engine.

Maximum Speed: 1,052 km/h

Below, the MiG-15 in 1949, first production aircraft.

Soviet MiG-15s in flight.

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 'Fresco' was a fighter aircraft developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. The SI-2 prototype successfully performed its maiden flight on January 13, 1950. It was piloted by Ivan T. Ivashchenko. That year, on February 1, Ivashchenko would break the sound barrier, flying at Mach 1.03 (1,114 km/h) in a level flight. In September 1951, mass production was ordered, with the aircraft entering service in October 1952.

The MiG-17 would be used in combat for the first time in June 1958 as part of the Chinese Air Force. The communist pilot flying this Soviet-made warplane engaged a Nationalist China F-86 Sabre fighter over the Strait of Taiwan, shooting it down. That had happened after the Chinese Civil War. However, it would be in the Vietnam War, when this combat aircraft would see its moment of glory.

In this armed conflict, the MiG-17 would shoot down many American aircraft in dogfights in the skies over Vietnam. Although it was seemingly obsolete by 1964, this simple warplane was very hard to deal with and beat. It was so maneuverable and steady at high speeds, that it often outperformed more modern yet heavier American combat aircraft, such as the F-100 Sabre, F-105 Thunderchief, and even the F-4 Phantom II. The following is an account given by the US Air Force pilot Brig-Gen Robin Olds:

"Unlike the chair-borne strategists in the Pentagon, and their computer analysis, I can say that the MiG-17 is a very dangerous little animal. Its maneuverability is phenomenal. It's extremely difficult to outmaneuver it with an F-4 Phantom..."

A total of 10,824 Frescos were built, with 7,999 being made in the State-run factories of the Soviet Union. The rest were manufactured in Eastern European countries. There were several variants: the MiG-17A, MiG-17AS (fighter/ground-attack), MiG-17P (all-weather version, with new radar), MiG-PF, MiG-17F (fitted with a more powerful engine), and the MiG-17R (reconnaissance).

Technical Characteristics

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 was designed to improve in the MiG-15 handling, especially at high speeds. The result was a very maneuverable and reliable fighter. It featured a more swept wing. Like its predecessor, the wing was also mounted in the middle of fuselage. The MiG-17F variant was powered by a Klimov VK-1F afterburning turbojet engine.

The wing had a sweep of 45-degree angle of inclination. The tailplane was swept back with the same angle, but instead of being mount on the rear portion of fuselage, it was set up on the fin (vertical stabilizer). The cockpit was equipped with an ejection seat and a round canopy.

Specifications

Type: single-seat fighter

Length: 11.26 m

Wingspan: 9.63 m

Wing Area: 22.60 square meters

Height: 3.80 m

Maximum Speed: 1,120 km/h

Combat Range: 700 km

Armament: two 23-mm cannons; one 37-mm gun; 500-kg of bombs.

MiG-17 front view in 1955.

 Below, the MiG-17A parked on a Soviet airbase in 1957.

The Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-17 in the skies over Vietnam (video)

F-4 Phantom II

The Mc Donnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II was a carrier-borne fighter-bomber used by the US Navy during the Vietnam War. There were also land-based versions operated by the US Air Force and Marine Corps. The prototype, the YF4H1, performed its first flight on May 27, 1958, with Robert C. Little being the test pilot. Three years later, in 1961, it entered service with the US Navy as the F-4H1, which would be re-designated F-4A in 1962. It would eventually be replaced by the Grumman F-14 Tomcat in the late 1970s as the main carrier-based fighter.

The Mc Donnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II had originally been designed and developed as an interceptor to meet the US Navy's need for an effective warplane that could protect the carrier battle group against enemy air raids. However, most of the combat sorties it flew in Southeast Asia and other parts of the world were ground-attack missions against enemy ground troops and air defense radar installations as there was a 'Wild Weasel' version (F-4C) of the aircraft. Several NATO European nations and Iran also acquired this famous combat aircraft.

Not only did the F-4 Phantom II break a high altitude flight record, with 30,218 m, but it would also become the fastest aircraft in Southeast Asia. It took part, along with the F-105 Thunderchief, in the first US air strikes against North Vietnam in Operation Rolling Thunder. The US Navy A-4 Skyhawk also participated in the bombing campaign. The F-4C Wild Weasel variant was equipped with the AN/APR-26 SAM-launch warning system; it would keep carrying out combat missions in Vietnam until the Richard Administration withdrew all its forces from the Southeast Asia theater.

Technical Characteristics

The F-4 Phantom II was a two-seat, jet twin-engine aircraft. It featured low wing, with a mixture of delta and swept wing design. The tip was cropped and slightly raised at an angle from the rest of wing. The whole tailplane, which was tilted downwards at 23 degrees, moved and functioned as elevator. The engines were set low in the fuselage an the air intakes were on the sides. The fuselage was made of titanium and other metals.

Variants: F-4A, F-4B, F-4C, F-4D, F-4E, and F-4G.

Specifications (F-4B)

Type: interceptor/fighter-bomber

Length: 17.75 m (58 ft, 3 in)

Wingspan: 11.71 m (38 ft, 5 in)

Wing Area: 49.24 square meters (530 sq. ft)

Height: 4.95 m (16 ft, 3 in)

Power Plant: two General Electric J79-8A turbojet engines with afterburners.

Maxium Speed: 2,390 km/h (1,482 mph)

Combat Range: 1,450 km (900 miles)

Radar: AN/APQ-100

Armament: 4 AIM-9 Sidewinder or 4 AIM-7 Sparrow air-to-air missiles; 3,500 kg of bombs.

Below, the F-4 Phantom II in service with the Royal Air Force

Two US Navy F-4B versions in flight over the Pacific.

Below, the F-4E of the US Marine Corps.

Bristol F.2B Fighter

The Bristol F.2B fighter was a British combat aircraft used by the Royal Air Force during World War I. It performed its first test flight, as the F.2A, on September 9, 1916. It entered service in April 1917 and first saw combat action in May 1917. After this armed conflict, it would also be used by the civil aviation until the 1930s.

Designed by Frank Barnwell, more than 5,000 Bristol F.2B biplanes were built by the British Colonial Aeroplane Company. However, the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company would also produce it, but only 27. This variant was fitted with a new engine, a Liberty L-12, 12-cylinder engine, which replaced the Rolls Royce Falcon-III, V-12 piston engine.

Technical Characteristics

The Bristol F.2B fighter was a strong and very maneuverable biplane. It was a two-seater and single-engine aircraft, which had originally been developed for the reconnaissance role. However, it would turn out to be an excellent fighter, one of the best of the First World War.

The aircraft wing upper deck was joined to the lower deck wing by four pair of parallel struts, two on each side. The fuselage was built with steel tubes, timber and plywood.

Specifications

Type: biplane/fighter

Length: 7.87 m

Wingspan: 11.96 m

Wing Area: 37.6 square meters

Height: 2.97 m

Maximum Speed: 202 km/h (125 mph)

Range: 594 km (369 miles)

Armament: one 7.7mm Vickers forward-firing Vickers machine guns; one .303-caliber Lewis machine gun that fired backward used by the observer.

Below, the Bristol F.2B fighter in France, in 1918.

The American version of the same aircraft. The Liberty L-12 was a 400 HP engine, which was two heavy for the aircraft. As a result, the nose had a tendency to drop.

 

North American F-100 Super Sabre

The North American F-100 Super Sabre was a fighter-bomber used by the US Air Force during the Cold War period. It was the first supersonic combat aircraft in aviation history. It was the result of a need of an airplane that could fly faster than the speed of sound but on a daily basis, with a reliable jet engine, to replace the F-86 which had been used in the Korean War. It was also the first airplane to be powered by the renowned Pratt & Whitney J57 turbojet engine.

The F-100 Super Sabre performed its maiden flight on May 25, 1953, as the YF-100 prototype. It was flown by test pilot George Welch, in California. That day, it broke the sound barrier on its first flight. It was the first turbojet-powered aircraft to do so. Its first version, the F-100A, entered service with the US Air Force on September 29, 1954, with the 479th Day Fighter Wing of the Tactical Air Command. A total of 2,294 Super Sabres were built, with the F-100D being the most massively produced. 339 F-100Fs 'Wild Weasel' were also made, extensively being used in Vietnam; this latter variant was a specialized two-seat warplane, whose mission was to suppress enemy air defenses, destroying SAM sites.

The North American F-100 Super Sabre first saw combat action on June 8, 1964, when it took part in a retaliatory strike against anti-aircraft artillery sites in Laos. From then on, it would play a main roll in the US Air Force ground-attack missions both in South and North Vietnam, taking part in Operation Rolling Thunder. The F-100F version flew its last combat sortie in Southeast Asia in July 1971.

Below, the F-100C in flight in 1961, banking left.

Technical Characteristics

The North American F-100 Super Sabre was a single-seat, single-engine monoplane. It was fitted with low, swept-wing. Its tailplane and vertical fin also had a 'swept-back' configuration. The cockpit had one-piece, clamshell canopy. The landing gear twin nose wheels folded backwards after take-off, while the main wheels retracted inwards. It was powered by one Pratt & Whitney J57-P-7 turbojet engine, whose air intake was in the nose of aircraft. The fuel was contained in the long all-metal fuselage.

It was the first aeroplane whose fuselage was made of heat-resisting titanium. The thin wing had a 45-degree sweep. It had automatic leading edge slats and a mid-span lateral control surfaces. The aircraft longitudinal control was achieved by the movement of the whole one-piece horizontal tail. Other features of the F-100 included a hydraulically-operated speed brake, which was located underneath the fuselage, and a drag-chute to shorten runway roll. Avionics consisted of one AN/AJB-1B low altitude bombing system and one AN/APR-26 rearward radar warning.

Specifications

Type: fighter-bomber

Length: 14.36 m (47 ft)

Wingspan: 11.82 m (39 ft)

Wing Area: 35.77 square meters (385 sq. ft)

Height: 4.94 m (15 ft)

Maximum Speed: 1,437 km/h (Mach 1.4)

Range: 2,494 km (1546 miles)

Armament: four M-39E 20mm cannons, with 3,402 kg of bombs.

Below, the F-100D drawing.

The F-100A version in flight in 1957.

 

SdKfz 222

The SdKfz 222 (Sonderkraftfahrzeug 222) was a light armored military vehicle used by the Wehrmacht in World War II. Developed from the SdKfz 221, it entered service with the German Army’s armored reconnaissance battalions in 1938. Daimler-Benz built a very large number of it as it was supplied to every armored division of the Wehrmacht to be used in the scout and reconnaissance role. It saw combat action from the beginning of the war, being used in 1939 Polish Campaign, during the invasion of France, Operation Barbarossa, in North Africa, as well as in other theaters of operation.

Technical Characteristics

The SdKfz 222 was a 4×4 wheel drive vehicle, which was fitted with an independent coil-spring suspension. It was powered by a Horch 75 HP gasoline engine, which was mounted in the rear compartment. Its armor consisted of 14.5mm welded steel plates. On top of the chassis, there was an open-topped turret, which was fitted with a 20mm gun and a 7.92mm machine gun, with anti-grenade grilles on top. The SdKfz 222 would be developed into the Sonderkraftfahrzeug 223, which had about the same features but was armed with a 2.8 cm Panzerbuchse instead.

Below, the SdKfz 222 in North Africa.

The an Afrika Korps reconnaissance company, with Sonderkraftfahrzeugs 222 in the spearhead in Tunisia in 1942.

The turret of the SdKfz 222 exhibiting the 20mm gun.

 

Humber Armoured Car

The Humber Armoured Car was a reconnaissance armored vehicle used by the British Army during World War II. It was developed by the firm Karriers Motors Limited of Bedfordshire, England, from the Guy Light Tank, which had been built a year before. It was produced in four versions: Humber Mark I, II, III, and IV, entering service in early 1941. Employed by the British 8th Army, they first saw combat action in North Africa, during Operation Crusader of the Western Desert Campaign, at the end of 1941. It would also see action in the Burma Campaign in Asia. By 1945, more than 5,000 vehicles had been made.

Technical Characteristics

The Humber was a 4×4, wheeled armored vehicle, which was compact, fast, and versatile. Mechanically reliable, it was powered by a 90 HP, 6-cylinder, gasoline engine, which was mounted in the rear compartment. 15mm-thick steel armor plates protected its crew of 4 soldiers. It had an operational range of 320 km and a maximum speed of 80 km/hour.

Weapons

The Humber Mk I, II, and III versions were armed with a 15mm Besa machine gun, which was set up in a rotating turret. The Mk IV variant, however, was fitted with a 37-mm gun, which came handy whenever there was the need to provide fire support to the advancing infantry spearhead. All versions featured the 7.92mm Besa machine gun as a secondary armament.

Specifications

Type: armored reconnaissance vehicle

Weight: 5 tons

Length: 4.6 m (15 ft 1.5 in)

Width: 2.2 m (7 ft 3 in)

Height: 2.4 m (7 ft 10 in)

Crew: 4; 3 in the Mk IV model.

The Humber Mk III in North Africa in late November 1941.

Below, the Humber Mk I, which had just been delivered (on February 1, 1941) to the Army

Below, the Mk II in North Africa