Brewster Buffalo Mk I

Posted on December 14, 2019 by atcDave

Time for another look at that favorite American symbol of defeat and futility.

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This time, a Buffalo in Kiwi service and the defense of Singapore. Continue reading →

Posted in Fighter, New Zealand, USA | Tagged , , | 11 Comments

Daimler Dingo Mk II

Posted on November 30, 2019 by atcDave

Every combatant had some light vehicles designed with speed and communications as their function.

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Let’s take a look at a common sight everywhere British and Commonwealth forces fought from Sitzkrieg to VJ Day and beyond. Continue reading →

Posted in Armor, Britain | Tagged , | 8 Comments

Yokosuka MXY-7 Baka

Posted on November 23, 2019 by atcDave

This small, rocket-assisted glider was actually classified as “ordnance” by its operator and was really the world’s first production smart missile.

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Let’s take a look at something only one combatant would have even considered building. Continue reading →

Posted in Japan, Miscellaneous | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Yokosuka MXY-7 Baka

IAR 80

Posted on November 11, 2019 by atcDave

Among the lesser known combatants of World War II there are also many lesser known weapons. Romania was among those that developed indigenous designs to avoid being wholly dependent on any of the larger powers.

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Let’s take a look at smaller country’s efforts to build a competitive weapon system. Continue reading →

Posted in Fighter, Romania | Tagged , , | 13 Comments

Jagdpanther

Posted on October 16, 2019 by atcDave

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.

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Join me for a look at one of the more successful such designs. Continue reading →

Posted in Armor, Germany | Tagged , , | 24 Comments

Special Treat

Posted on September 30, 2019 by atcDave

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. Continue reading →

Posted in Miscellaneous | 17 Comments

Boeing B-29 Superfortress

Posted on July 20, 2019 by atcDave

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 this day.

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Join me for a look at the last of the great piston engine bombers to enter service. Continue reading →

Posted in Bomber - Strategic, USA | Tagged , , | 15 Comments

A Day at Pearl Harbor

Posted on May 4, 2019 by atcDave

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 gravitas.

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Well, this is a scale modeling site of sorts! First thing on arriving at the memorial is two small museums, “The Road to War” and “Attack on Pearl Harbor”.  This model of the Arizona and it’s memorial is derived from extensive underwater surveys.

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I’m sure no reader of this site will be surprised to hear that’s made Hawaii a sort of dream vacation for me almost as long as I can remember.  The great thing is, once we felt  we could afford it (!), my wife raised no great objections to the idea! I suspect she was thinking of other things to do there?

Continue reading →

Posted in Museums | Tagged , | 12 Comments

Curtiss P-40K Warhawk

Posted on April 8, 2019 by atcDave

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.

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Join me for a look at an ubiquitous aircraft. Continue reading →

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

The Value of an Ace

Posted on March 26, 2019 by atcDave

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 the validity of combat claims and intelligence assessments.  At the time, I had suggested a quickly coming follow up post about aces; those pilots credited with five or more confirmed kills.  Well funny thing, at the time my intentions were good but after failing to find the statistical data I wanted I sort of forgot all about it. Continue reading →

Posted in Dave's Essays | Tagged | 7 Comments