I Have a Fascination for World War II Planes

[Aikmaniac]

For all you fellow Mustang lovers, if you haven't already visited this site, I encourage you to. Endless pics of them and where they are all registered.

www.mustangsmustangs.com

 

[ologan]

My favorite WWII movies about flyers. A lot are John Wayne of course.


The Tuskegee Airmen. If you haven't seen this movie you really should. It is one that far too few people know about.

The Wings of Eagles. John Wayne portrays real life hero Spig Wead.

Tora! Tora! Tora! The words that launched the attack on Pearl.

1941. Okay so it's slapstick, but I still love it.

Flying Tigers. John Wayne and Company fighting the Japanese in China 2 years before Pearl Harbor is attacked.

Flying Misfits. The movie that launched Baa Baa Black Sheep.

Flying Leathernecks. John Wayne and the Marines at Guadacanal.

Pearl Harbor. If for no other reason to see Kate Beckinsale in that red dress.

Memphis Belle. Based on a true story of a real plane.

The W. B. Yeats poem quoted in that movie is quite chilling.

An Irish Airman Foresees His Death

I know that I shall meet my fate
Somewhere among the clouds above
Those I fight I do not hate
Those I guard I do not love
My country is Kiltartan's Cross
My countrymen Kiltartan's poor
No likely end could bring them loss
Or leave them happier than before
No law, nor duty bade me fight
No public man, nor cheering crowds
A lonely impulse of delight
Led to this tumult in the clouds
I balanced all, brought all to mind
The years to come seemed waste of breath
A waste of breath, the years behind
In balance with this life, this death.​

To round you out a little bit,Hos,you also need to read the following:
"Stuka Pilot"-Hans Ulrich Rudel;
"Samauri"- Saburo Sakai &Martin Caidin;
"The Blond Knight of Germany"- Erich Hartmann.

I once owned a number of framed lithographs,signed by various "aces" of WW2,including Erich Hartmann,Saburo Sakai,Robert F. Scott (God is my CoPilot), and of more recent vintage, A painting of an exploding U-2 over Russia,signed by Francis Gary Powers. He only signed 100 of them. When I didn't have room for them when I moved from Houston,I gladly donated them to the Air Museum based in Tulsa,Oklahoma. I didn't know what to do with them,and the week before we left, I was fretting over it when out of nowhere,a B-25 Mitchell flew low over the house. It landed at a nearby small airport in Sugarland,and I hopped into my car to go look. They were "barnstorming" across Texas,drumming up support for the museum by offering flights for pay. Long story short,when they flew off,the pics were in the plane,headed for the museum. True story!

 

[Concord]

Good eye. I didn't even catch that.

Have you ever wondered what went through their minds since they already knew what the Hiroshima bomb had done?

I would guess it would be a collection of things.

Some might not have wanted to do it...but it was following orders.

Some might have thought well the Japanese are getting what they deserve.

Some might have thought, well if this will end the War I'm all for it.

It would be interesting to know though.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

This was the Fighter nobody wanted to see in the Air in WWII.

Luftwaffe Messerschmitt Me 262

Thank God Hitler was an idiot. This plane was born to be an attack fighter but instead, Hitler ordered it to used as a Bomber. The Luftwaffe High Command ignored this directive from Hitler for a time and used it for what it should have been. It was rediculously superior to anything in the air, at the time. 1400 of these aircraft were built but because of Hitler's orders, only 300 ever saw action. The remaining 1200 were destroyed on the ground while waiting to be refited into Bombers.

True story.

 

[burmafrd]

Actually if you read Yeagers auto biography and a few other books by guys that fought the ME 262 it was not really that big a deal. Of course it had that huge speed advantage but the engines were very unreliable and lasted at best 10 hrs, and they had to take off from concrete runways of which there were few of at that time. The real problem making the jets were the engines- for all their advances Germany's jet engine technology was not that advanced. Germany's lack of oil was another problem- just did not have the fuel to train the new pilots; just like the Japanese it was lack of good pilots that sank them.

By the way Hoss it was B25's on the Doolittle Raid.
B -26 was used a lot in Europe- pilots did NOT like it.
Called it the flying prostitute- "No Visible Means of Support"

 

[Bob Sacamano]

This was the Fighter nobody wanted to see in the Air in WWII.

Luftwaffe Messerschmitt Me 262

Thank God Hitler was an idiot. This plane was born to be an attack fighter but instead, Hitler ordered it to used as a Bomber. The Luftwaffe High Command ignored this directive from Hitler for a time and used it for what it should have been. It was rediculously superior to anything in the air, at the time. 1400 of these aircraft were built but because of Hitler's orders, only 300 ever saw action. The remaining 1200 were destroyed on the ground while waiting to be refited into Bombers.

True story.

even if Hitler wasn't an idiot, there were too few experienced pilots left and they would have run out of gas

 

[Route 66]

even if Hitler wasn't an idiot, there were too few experienced pilots left and they would have run out of gas

Unless they were on Brainpaint's diet...

 

[Aikmaniac]

I loved hearing about Yeager's take down of a ME-262 when it was on final approach for landing!

Definitely a great read. Yeager...he's just the man.

Glamorous Glen III is one of the nicest P-51's around...behind the Big Beautiful Doll of course.

 

[MetalHead]

Read my sig and enjoy.

[youtube]GghCs_C65v0[/youtube]

 

[Bob Sacamano]

Unless they were on Brainpaint's diet...

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Actually if you read Yeagers auto biography and a few other books by guys that fought the ME 262 it was not really that big a deal. Of course it had that huge speed advantage but the engines were very unreliable and lasted at best 10 hrs, and they had to take off from concrete runways of which there were few of at that time. The real problem making the jets were the engines- for all their advances Germany's jet engine technology was not that advanced. Germany's lack of oil was another problem- just did not have the fuel to train the new pilots; just like the Japanese it was lack of good pilots that sank them.

By the way Hoss it was B25's on the Doolittle Raid.
B -26 was used a lot in Europe- pilots did NOT like it.
Called it the flying prostitute- "No Visible Means of Support"

This is true for the earlier designs. This plane was originally designed with a single engine contained in the front of the plane. However, later designs were configured to untilize twin engines under the Wings. The actual engine life was poor, that is true. There were several reasons for this but mainly, it was because the parts were not mass produced until late in the War. By that time, oil refinement and the ability to produce precision tooled parts were serverly compramised. However, had this plane been mass produced earlier in the War, it is very likely that these would not have been as serious a problem as they were later. The life cycle of this plane was an issue. No question but, that was mainly due to the fact that pilots flew it at less then acceptable speeds, believe it or not. Because pilots were used to flying at lower speeds with more menuverability, they would often reduce speed to try and gain menuverability. However, this would only hurt the engine performance. This plane must be flown at no less the 300 KM/H in order to reduce wear on it's engines. This plane was actually designed in 1937 and a proto type available in by 1939. The Germans just elected not to produce it because of the production plans for the Me 209, which would later be junked in favor of the 262 in 1943. Adolf Galland actually flew the plane himself in 1943. After that, he ordered the immediate withdrawl of development on the 209 and was resolved to produce this plane but unfortunatly, it was too late. The real problem with these planes was the availability of heat resistance products with which to build the engines. Available earlier in the War, these raw materials were all but gone by 1943. Most of the materials needed had already been used in the developemnt of V2s. This plane enjoyed an air supperiority advantage in combate of 5 to 1 over Allied aircraft. There is no question, even with the technical difficulties this aircraft suffered that it was far superior to anything the Allies had. In actual Air to Air combat, the Allies had no chance. The advent of the R4M Air to Air rocket allowed the 262 to engage enemy Air Craft at their designed combat speeds and effectively fire on opposition without having to slow there speeds. Had Germany decided to work on the Me 292 as there primary fighter, the War may well have been very different. They did not elect to do this. Messerschmitt was a very powerful manufacturer in Germany at the time and there design (Me 209) was favored and taged to receive priority allocation of fuel, materials and pilots. This was a colossal mistake on behalf of the Germans.

 

[burmafrd]

If you read Yeagers or anyone else's pilot auto biography you will notice all the top pilots say the same thing- its always more important how good the pilot is vs how good the plane is. In straight out fights with other FIGHTERS the ME 262 did not do so well- its kill ratio was built up taking out BOMBERS.
Which it did quite well with its 30MM cannons.

 

[Aikmaniac]

Another beautiful plane is the FW-190.

 

[Route 66]

Another beautiful plane is the FW-190.

That is nice. Guess I couldn't wax it like my cars though...

I wouldn't fly it into battle though with the Devil painted on the side.