Vought SB2U Vindicator
In 1934 the US Navy invited bids for a new carrier-based scout bomber, and received no less than six competing designs. Four of these would be ordered into production – Curtiss’ upgraded SBC-3 biplane, the […]
Articles by PE Matt
Grumman TBF Avenger
In March 1939, the US Navy requested design proposals for a new carrier based torpedo bomber to replace the Douglas TBD in the fleet. The requirements for the new aircraft included a desired top speed […]
Midway: Kido Butai Strikes
As American search planes criss-crossed the skies around Midway, the Japanese Mobile Striking Force, the Kido Butai, approached undetected from the north west. A weather front had concealed the fleet, curtailing flight operations and giving […]
3-inch M3 Anti-Aircraft Gun
The 3-inch M3 gun was the primary anti-aircraft weapon of the US Army and Marines at the beginning of World War II. Its origins lay in the first anti-aircraft gun produced by the United States […]
SCR-268 Radar
The US Army Signal Corps was increasingly interested in radar during the late 1930s. This new technology offered to solve a number of problems, including simplifying the problem of finding enemy aircraft and directing searchlights […]
Midway: The Approach
Due to the vast distances between the islands of the Central Pacific, both the Americans and the Japanese used long range patrol aircraft extensively to keep an eye on the vast expanse of ocean separating […]
The Dutch Harbor Raid
Often described as a diversionary attack to draw American forces away from Midway, the Japanese attack on Dutch Harbor on the 3rd and 4th of June, 1942, was in fact a distinct operation. The Japanese […]
ASV Mark II / ASE Radar
Dr Edward Bowen, leading the airborne radar group of the Royal Aircraft Establishment in Britain, started a project to improve on the ASV (for “air to surface vessel”) Mark I radar, which had been hastily […]
Midway: Plans and Preparations
By March 1942 the Japanese had accomplished their pre-war goals of capturing the Netherlands East Indies and Malaya, together with the rich oil fields which they hoped would supply their economy. Burma was on the […]
Vickers Wellington
In 1932 the RAF issued a specification for a new twin-engine day bomber, which was to have greater performance than any existing aircraft. Vickers-Armstrong, Handley Page and Armstrong Whitworth were invited to submit proposals, all […]