Author Archives: atcDave

About atcDave

I'm 5o-something years old and live in Ypsilanti, Michigan. I'm happily married to Jodie. I was an air traffic controller for 33 years and recently retired; grew up in the Chicago area, and am still a fanatic for pizza and the Chicago Bears. My main interest is military history, and my related hobbies include scale model building and strategy games.

Jagdpanther

Posted on October 16, 2019

As the war between Germany and Russia continued into 1943 the Wehrmacht continued to seek more powerful, more capable weapons to deal with the Soviet masses. Join me for a look at one of the more successful such designs.

Posted in Armor, Germany | Tagged , , | 21 Comments

Special Treat

Posted on September 30, 2019

I recently finished a different, rather exotic sort of project.  This is one I’ll remember for years, or well days anyway. Join me after the jump for something well outside of my normal genre.

Posted in Miscellaneous | 17 Comments

Boeing B-29 Superfortress

Posted on July 20, 2019

This large, strategic bomber is closely associated with the final phase of the defeat of Japan and the end of World War Two. Between its expense, troubled development and role in that apocalyptic end it manages to be controversial to … Continue reading →

Posted in Bomber - Strategic, USA | Tagged , , | 13 Comments

A Day at Pearl Harbor

Posted on May 4, 2019

There may be no one place more central to the American story of World War II than the naval base at Pearl Harbor.  The name alone means something to almost every American, it has to be spoken with a certain … Continue reading →

Posted in Museums | Tagged , | 12 Comments

Curtiss P-40K Warhawk

Posted on April 8, 2019

This American fighter was the workhorse of the early war years.  It served in every theater and generally acquitted itself well, if never quite being considered among the best. Join me for a look at an ubiquitous aircraft.

Posted in Fighter, USA | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

The Value of an Ace

Posted on March 26, 2019

Readers of this site may recall about three years ago (!) a discussion about what an ace is worth to an air force.  Some of this came about from my previous post “How Sure Are You?” which was mostly about … Continue reading →

Posted in Dave's Essays | Tagged | 4 Comments

Big Week by James Holland

Posted on February 8, 2019

Subtitled “The Biggest Air Battle of World War II” this book tells the story of the combined bomber campaign in the last week of February 1944.  That means Eighth Air Force, Fifteenth Air Force and Bomber Command.  That was a … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged , | 7 Comments