The Marshalls-Gilberts Raid
Since the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Pacific Fleet’s carrier force had been kept busy. Whilst waiting for the newly appointed Admiral Chester Nimitz to arrive and take control of the situation, three carriers had […]
Year: 2016
In Defence of Sumatra
Even before the fall of Singapore in mid-February 1942, British air forces had been concentrating on the Dutch island of Sumatra in the knowledge that the airfields there were safer than those on the fortress […]
Kawasaki Ki-56 Type 1 “Thalia”
In 1939 Kawasaki had obtained a license to manufacture Lockheed 14-WG3 transports as the “Type LO” for the Japanese Navy. However, the Japanese Army was also interested in obtained transport aircraft, so they ordered Kawasaki […]
Fairey Swordfish
A legendary aircraft of World War II, the Fairey Swordfish wrote itself into history by sinking three Italian battleships in an attack on Taranto and playing a significant role in the sinking of the German […]
Into the Makassar Strait
By January 1942, the Allied air forces had suffered a series of setbacks that forced them to retreat south in the face of the Japanese offensive. The American Far East Air Force withdrew its remaining […]
Aichi E11A Type 98 “Laura”
Whilst the Aichi E10A was accepted for service, the Japanese Navy knew that the aircraft was still lacking in outright performance and only just met the requirements for acceptance. Accordingly, new specifications were issued in […]
Aichi E10A Type 96 “Hank”
The Japanese plans for war against the United States included using cruisers and other light forces to harry the US Fleet as it sailed across the Pacific. Realising that the sort of attrition envisaged would […]
Java and The First Heavy Bomber Campaign
The 19th Bomb Group had withdrawn to Australia following the disastrous early days of the war in the Philippines, and there it began to regroup. American commanders were keen to get the vaunted B-17s – […]
Douglas SBD Dauntless
In 1934 the US Navy ran several design competitions for new aircraft, among them one for a two-seat scout bomber. The entrants were the Brewster XSBA, the Vought XSB2U and the Northrop XBT, which eventually […]
The Battling Bastards of Bataan
Following the initial Japanese attacks that had badly damaged the Far Eastern Air Force in December 1941, most of the surviving heavy bombers had been withdrawn well to the south. Meanwhile the remnants of the […]