Wake Island
Wake Island was claimed as a US possession in 1899, after the Spanish-American war. The tiny V shaped coral island lay 2,000 miles from Hawaii, but less than half that distance from key Japanese bases […]
Month: October 2015
Kawasaki Ki-48 Type 99 “Lily”
Inspired by their experience meeting the Soviet Tupolev SB-2 high-speed bomber over China, the Japanese Army issued a request in 1937 for a new twin-engined light bomber with equivalent performance. Kawasaki, who were at that […]
Lockheed A-29 Hudson
The Lockheed Hudson was a medium bomber, built in the United States but primarily operated by British and Commonwealth air forces. It was based on the company’s successful Model 14 airliner, called the ‘Super Electra’ […]
The Fall of Hong Kong
One of the few remaining ports on the Chinese coast that was not under the control of the Japanese was the British colony of Hong Kong. Strategically located at the mouth of the Pearl River, […]
Brewster F2A Buffalo
The Brewster F2A Buffalo was a much-exported fighter aircraft designed for the US Navy but most famously flying in Finnish, Dutch and British service. Designed to replace the Grumman F3F biplane, the F2A beat off […]
Vickers Vildebeest
The Vickers Vildebeest was originally designed in response to a 1925 request by the RAF for a new high-altitude bomber. The prototype was first flown in 1928, winning the competition over Blackburn and Handley-Page designs, […]
Pearl Harbor: The Second Wave
As the first wave of aircraft was beginning their attack on Pearl Harbor, a second wave was already winging its way south to join in the attack. Whilst the first wave had the Pacific Fleet […]
Seversky P-35
Developed from a series of unsuccessful trainer types, the Seversky P-35 shared many of the characteristics of these earlier designs but with a new engine and additional features including retractable landing gear. The design failed […]
Vought OS2U Kingfisher
The OS2U Kingfisher was designed in the late 1930s as an intended replacement for the biplane Curtiss SOC Seagull, but in the event both aircraft would end up serving together. The OS2U would become one […]
Pearl Harbor: The First Wave
Japan’s war in China brought her into direct conflict with the United States. As Japanese forces moved south into Indochina, the threat to American interests in the Philippines, as well as the British and Dutch […]