Author Archives: atcDave

Unknown's avatar

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.

Hawker Typhoon Mk Ib

Maybe not quite as well known as some types, the Hawker Typhoon was a fast and powerful machine that became best known for close support work. After the jump, a fighter best at working down low!

Posted in Britain, Fighter | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Messerschmitt Bf110G-2

The Bf110 is perhaps best known as a disappointment from the early part of the war.  But it proved to be capable in many roles, especially in the final “Gustav” variant. After the jump, a look at the Bf110 as a … Continue reading

Posted in Bomber - Tactical, Germany | Tagged , , | 17 Comments

Vought F4U-1 Corsair

The air war in the Pacific was one of bloody attrition through the first year of the war. But early in 1943 a new generation of high performance fighters were deployed by the Allies against Japan. This meant kill ratios … Continue reading

Posted in Fighter, USA | Tagged , , | 19 Comments

Savoia Marchetti SM.79-II

There’s a persistent myth about Italy not fielding any effective aircraft in World War II. But that really isn’t true on any level. After the jump, a quick look at a very capable torpedo bomber that sank many British warships during the … Continue reading

Posted in Bomber - Naval, Italy | Tagged , , | 12 Comments

Panzer V Panther Ausf G

Arguably the best Armored Fighting Vehicle of World War II, the Panther was a response to effective Soviet armor and would prove a serious challenge for any opponent. After the jump, a German medium tank.

Posted in Armor, Germany | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Grumman F3F-1

As World War II started in Europe, the United States Navy had not yet started to seriously modernize. After the jump, a look at a last generation bi-plane.

Posted in Fighter, USA | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Gloster Meteor Mk I

The Germans weren’t the only ones exploring new jet technology during World War II.  Great Britain was also striving to put a turbo-jet aircraft in to service. After the jump, a look at another jet that saw combat, yet is … Continue reading

Posted in Britain, Fighter | Tagged , , | 15 Comments

Fiesler Fi-103 (V1)

One of Germany’s famous terror weapons, the V1 was the first cruise missile employed en masse. After the jump, a brief look at this weapon.

Posted in Germany, Miscellaneous | Tagged , , | 13 Comments

Polikarpov I-16 Type 10

Japan and China went to war in 1937.  Sometimes known as the Second Sino-Japanese War, this blurred into War War II in 1939, and even more so in 1941.  It didn’t end until the atomic bombing of 1945. After the … Continue reading

Posted in China, Fighter, Soviet Union | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

What’s in a Name – Germany

The German Luftwaffe’s aircraft designation system was one of the simplist employed during the war years After the jump, what will surely be my shortest article yet in this series!

Posted in Dave's Essays, Germany | Tagged | 3 Comments