ICM UK ICMDS3201

Douglas TBD-1 Devastator part 1 - Battle of Midway 4.June 1942, The decal sheet contain follow markings: Douglas TBD-1 Devastator, Bu.No. 0286,VT-3, pilot CAP W.G. Esders, Radio Operator/rear Gunner ARM2c B.Brazier, after shooting down Lt.Cdr. E.F. Lindsey Esders leads attack on aircraft carrier KAGA, the crew was killed in this action. Aircraft Carrier USS Yorktown. Douglas TBD-1 Devastator, Bu.No. 0279,VT-6, pilot Ens.E. Heck Jr., Radio Operator/rear Gunner ARM3c D.I.Richey, the only crew with returned from the attack on the Aircraft Carrier KAGA. Aircraft Carrier USS Enterprise. Douglas TBD-1 Devastator, Bu.No. 0289,VT-6 pilot Lt Cdr. F.E. Lindsey, Radio Operator/rear Gunner ACRM C.T.Crenat.Richey, commander of attack on Aircraft Carrier KAGA, the crew was killed in this attack. Aircraft Carrier USS Enterprise. Douglas TBD-1 Devastator, Bu.No. 1506,VT-8, pilot Lt Cdr. J.C.Waldron, Radio Operator/rear Gunner ACRM H.F.Dobbs, commander of attack on Aircraft Carrier Soryu, the crew was killed in this action. Aircraft Carrier USS Hornet. Douglas TBD-1 Devastator, Bu.No. 1518,VT-8, pilot Ens.G.H.Gay., Radio Operator/rear Gunner ARM3c R.K.Huntington, Ens Gay was the only surviving member of VT-8 Squadron during the attack on the Aircraft Carrier Soryu. Aircraft Carrier USS Hornet. Douglas TBD-1 Devastator, Bu.No. 0308,VT-8, pilot Lt.J.D. Woodson, Radio Operator/rear Gunner ARM2c O.D.Creasy Jr., the crew was killed the attack on the Aircraft Carrier Soryu. Aircraft Carrier USS Hornet.

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Camouflage & Markings 2: The Battle For Britain-RAF May to December 1940

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Building the Supermarine Spitfire The iconic Supermarine Spitfire, the most strategically important British single-seat fighter of World War II. The Spitfire, renowned for winning victory laurels in the Battle of Britain along with the Hawker Hurricane, served in every theatre of the War and was produced in more variants than any other British aircraft. The Spitfire was designed by Reginald Mitchell of Supermarine Ltd., in response to a 1934 Air Ministry specification calling for a high-performance fighter with an armament of eight wing-mounted 0.303-inch machine guns. The airplane was a direct descendant of a series of floatplanes designed by Mitchell to compete for the coveted Schneider Trophy in the 1920s. One of these racers, the S.6, set a world speed record of 357 miles per hour in 1929. Designed around a 1,000-horsepower, 12-cylinder, liquid-cooled Rolls-Royce PV-12 engine (later dubbed the Merlin), the Spitfire first flew in March 1935. It had superb performance and flight characteristics, and deliveries to operational Royal Air Force (RAF) squadrons commenced in the summer of 1938. A more radical design than the Hurricane, the Spitfire had a stressed-skin aluminum structure and a graceful elliptical wing with a thin airfoil that, in combination with the Merlin's efficient two-stage supercharger, gave it exceptional performance at high altitudes. The version of the Spitfire that fought in the Battle of Britain was powered by a Merlin engine. Faster than its formidable German opponent the Bf-109 at altitudes above 15,000 feet and just as manoeuvrable, Spitfires were sent by preference to engage German fighters while the slower Hurricanes went for the bombers. More Hurricanes than Spitfires served in the Battle of Britain, and they were credited with more 'kills,' but it can be argued that the Spitfire's superior high-altitude performance provided the margin of victory. Meanwhile, Supermarine was developing more-capable versions of the Spitfire driven by progressively more-powerful Merlin's. The eight 0.303-inch machine guns gave way to four 0.8-inch automatic cannons, and by war's end the Spitfire had been produced in more than 20 fighter versions alone, powered by Merlin's of up to 1,760 horsepower. Though outperformed by the German Fw-190 on that aircraft's introduction in 1941, the Spitfire restored parity the following year and eventually regained the advantage. It remained a first-line air-to-air fighter throughout the war. Spitfires were used in the defence of Malta, in North Africa and Italy, and, fitted with tail hooks and strengthened tail sections, as Seafires from Royal Navy aircraft carriers from June 1942. Spitfires helped to provide air superiority over the Sicily, Italy, and Normandy beachheads and served in the Far East from the spring of 1943. Fighter-bomber versions could carry a 250 or 500lb bomb beneath the fuselage and a 250-pound bomb under each win One of the Spitfire's most important contributions to Allied victory was as a photo-reconnaissance aircraft from early 1941. Superior high-altitude performance rendered it all but immune from interception, and the fuel tanks that replaced wing-mounted machine guns and ammunition bays gave it sufficient range to probe western Germany from British bases. n late 1943 Spitfires powered by Rolls-Royce Griffon engines developing as much as 2,050 horsepower began entering service. Capable of top speeds of 440 miles per hour and ceilings of 40,000 feet, these were used to shoot down V-1 'buzz bombs.' During World War II, Spitfires were exported in small numbers to Portugal, Turkey, and the Soviet Union, and they were flown by the U.S. Army Air Forces in Europe. When production ceased in 1947, 20,334 Spitfires of all versions had been produced, 2,053 of them Griffon-powered versions. Fighter versions of the Spitfire were withdrawn from RAF service during the early 1950s, while photo-reconnaissance Spitfires continued in service until 1954. In Model Aircraft 'Extra Special' #6, the biggest book of this series some 22`Spitfire build projects will be included, in a 'how-to' format, and continue this fantastic series modelling guides from MA Publications, the new name in scale modelling.

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Hawker Hurricane Mk.I Aces. The Battle of Britain

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Combat Chronicles of the Northrop P-61 'Black Widow' (soft back) Dramatic first-hand accounts by the pilots, radar observers, and gunners who saw combat aboard the first dedicated U.S. night fighter in World War II fill this unique volume, the first in Squadron/Signal's new Combat Chronicles series. Combat Chronicles books bring you action-packed, eye-witness war stories, interviews, and first-hand reminiscences from the front lines. In this premier volume we hear from the crews who rode the 'Black Widow' into battle all over the world. The outbreak of war in Europe in September 1939 and the Battle of Britain in 1940 left no room for doubt that the United States needed quickly to come up with a specialized night fighter to confront the totally new face of air combat. Northrop was able to come up with designs for a new, specially designated night fighter and a contract for what was to become the P-61 'Black Widow' was signed on 11 January 1941. After the first production aircraft rolled off the assembly line in October 1943, the P-61 went on to operate in the European, Pacific, China-Burma-India, and Mediterranean Theaters of the war. Experience World War II as it was seen by the men in the cockpit of this history-making radar-equipped night interceptor. Illustrated with 152 photographs, 112 pages.

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AE-04 Airframe Extra. The Battle Of Taranto-Judgement Day. -Covers the events leading up to, during and after the Fleet Air Arm's assault on the Regia Marina. -Historical narrative by Patrick Branly -Numerous period images -Colour profiles by Richard J Caruana -Specially commissioned kit builds -1/48th Special Hobby Fairey Fulmar & Italeri Fiat CR.42 by Steve Evans -1/72nd Airfix Fairey Swordfish and Azur Martin Maryland by Libor Jekl and Italeri Cant Z.501 'Gabbiano' by Steve Evans

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Fairey Battle. British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, said in the House of Commons on 20 August, 1940 - ....'on no part of the RAF does the weight of war fall more heavily than on the daylight bomber'.... . A reflection of what happened in the Low Countries during May/June 1940. The Battle was not mis-used during this debacle. The Air Staff, before the war, had planned against such an attack by Germany through the Low Countries, the Blitzkrieg was just outside their experience and the light bombers were thrust in at low level against a rapidly moving and heavily armed enemy. It is also unfair for aviation journalists to compare the performance of a Battle against the new emerging single-engined fighters. It was a large but graceful design, and by contemporary standards was advanced for its day. Originally conceived within the limits of the Geneva Disarmament Conference the Battle would, by the time the second world war opened, have over 1000 aircraft in RAF service providing vital aircrew experience of a modern monoplane with a retractable undercarriage, variable-pitch propellers and hydraulic systems. After withdrawal from front line squadrons the Battle airframe was adapted to provide experimental test bed work and give trainee aircrews extensive flying training in the UK, Australia, Canada, South Africa and Southern Rhodesia. More than half of all Battles built were later used in the training role - many continuing in use until 1945 or after!

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