Author Topic: [Non-BT] WWII Aircraft- Tiny planes - Large collection!  (Read 19790 times)

theCrowe

  • Master Sergeant
  • *
  • Posts: 261
Re: [Non-BT] WWII Aircraft- Tiny planes - Large collection!
« Reply #30 on: 09 February 2018, 02:50:02 »
Thanks Daemion, I'd say about 90% of the canopy detail is in the sculpt but there are times when it doesn't look quite right and I have to paint in extra lines.

There are decals available in some cases but I havnt used any yet. I prefer to just do some research and then paint what I see.

theCrowe

  • Master Sergeant
  • *
  • Posts: 261
Re: [Non-BT] WWII Aircraft- Tiny planes - Large collection!
« Reply #31 on: 15 February 2018, 05:41:42 »
Still working away on my French aircraft but in the meantime I'll show you a couple of odd ones I've been working on.

An early French fighter of the 1930's the Dewoitine d.510 that first saw combat with the Chinese Air Force fighting Imperial Japan.

On the 4th November 1939 Captain Shen Tse-Liu flying this D510 over the Lanchou area managed to destroy a Japanese G3M in a head on assault.

As the D.510s came around to attack from behind defensive fire from the Japanese bomber formation damaged Shen's engine forcing him down. He was injured in the crash but soon flew again.

But what's a Japanese G3M? I hear you cry! It's one of these.

The Mitsubishi G3M was a contemporary of the old D.510 being first flown in the Second Sino-Japanese war of from 1937. By the time Pearl Harbour was hit the G3M (allied reporting name "Nell") was considered a bit long in the tooth but was none the less a common sight over the Pacific theatre.

They saw use as long range medium bombers and torpedo bombers until eventually being withdrawn to serve as glider tugs, aircrew and paratroop trainers, and transports for high-ranking officers and VIPs.

Other Sino-Japanese news of the day is that Flying Tiger ace Charles Older now has a fully painted wingman.

 P-40 Tomahawk #47 flown by R.T. Smith of the Third Pursuit Squadron — Hell’s Angels. Smith once buzzed Lord Louis Mountbatten, Supreme Allied Commander, South-East Asia who was giving a pep talk from his jeep on the airfield. The extremely low pass of Smith's P-51 going at over 450mph almost took his hat off. 

They no doubt chased down their fair share of G3Ms in their time.


My other two P-40's have been finished in a different scheme altogether.

These are two Curtis P-40 Tomahawks of 112 Squadron who were one of the first units to field the type in July 1941. The P-40 didn't perform well at high altitudes but much of the action in the North African theatre happened closer to the ground so it was still able to tangle with the best the Germans and Italians had to offer.

The 112th adopted the "shark's mouth" motif for their P-40s and it soon became a P-40 standard, famously also adopted by the Flying Tigers in Burma. Although it was first used by some Bf-110 pilots earlier in the war.


theCrowe

  • Master Sergeant
  • *
  • Posts: 261
Re: [Non-BT] WWII Aircraft- Tiny planes - Large collection!
« Reply #32 on: 12 March 2018, 17:34:24 »
In 1936 in response to Germany's continued remilitarisation France was taking a long hard look at its Airforce and finding that it was long overdue a major update.

Fighters like the Dewoitine D500 and bombers like the Bloch MB210 not long ago considered the very leading edge of modern aviation were already practically obsolete and in need of replacing. 

The Dewoitine 510 was still in production at the time. A beautiful little monoplane plane with long, low wings, fixed undercarriage and open cockpit it was clearly an outmoded mount yet a shipment had just been delivered to China where they saw action against Imperial Japan.


The old Bloch MB210 had been an improved design based on the older MB200 and as such had been easily rolled into production to outfit a number of bomber groups. However both were now considered too old and vulnerable and suitable for night bombing only. They were scheduled for replacement by newer and faster bombers as soon as these could be designed, produced and equipped.

 The war came sooner than the replacements however and the old Blochs remained in service as reserve units and were occasionally pressed into service. Many French MB210s survived the war intact by dint of rarely seeing action. However the Romanian Airforce operated their MB210s with some success. Some of the even older MB200s were used by Vichy French forces in the Syria-Lebanon campaign where they were eventually destroyed on the ground.

Many private aircraft manufacturers in France were swiftly bought up and nationalised in an effort to meet the needs of National Security. However it proved too little too late as German production outstripped that of its neighbours and by 1940 the Armée de l'Air were still woefully under-equipped to have any real hope of success against the Luftwaffe.

One product of this nationalisation project was the Morane-Saulnier MS.406, designed to replace France's ageing stock of 30's fighter planes. Over 1000 were produced making it one of the most numerous of France's fighter planes.

Although it was a considerably more modern design than the aircraft it replaced it was underpowered, underarmed and critically outperformed by the Luftwaffe's Bf 109E.


Pilot Sgt. Mirolsav Jiroudek, like many airmen escaping the German occupation of their home nation, fled to France to continue his fight against Nazi Germany. He flew with Groupe de Chasse III/1, operating this MS406 during the Battle of France. Upon the fall of France Jiroudek was able to escape to Britain where he flew Hurricanes and later Beaufighters in service with the RAF. He returned to Czechoslovakia in July 1945 and flew for a Czech Air Line until 1950.


At age 18 Pierre Le Gloan joined the Armée de l'Air at the outbreak of the war. He served in the GC III/6 fighter squadron, flying the Morane-Saulnier MS.406 from Chartres in the air defence of Paris. He scored victories against four German bombers in the battle of France. Two Do17 and two He111.

Le Gloan's unit GC III/6 were re-equipped with new Dewoitine D.520 fighters in June of 1940 and moved to the south of France. Le Gloan in his new D520 soon added a number of Italian aircraft to his tally before the Armistice between France and Germany. Le Gloan's unit were sent out to Syria where he scored victories against RAF Hurricanes and Gladiators before being withdrawn back to Algiers.

Following the Allied invasion of North Africa in November 1942 GC III/6 defected to the Free French. They were equipped with Bell P-39 Airacobras which Le Gloan flew until his death in a landing accident in September 1943.
Pierre Le Gloan had shot down 18 aircraft during his flying career, four German, seven Italian and seven British making him an ace for both sides.


The Dewoitine D.520 was the best modern single engine fighter that France produced, out-performing the MS.406 and able to hold its own against invading German fighters. However due to delays in development, production and delivery (France's aeronautical industry being frightfully ill-equipped for the war) there were nowhere near enough available to defend France. Had more D.520's been ready in time they might have made a much more significant contribution to the war.

They had a great range, good manoeuvrability, powerful weaponry and handled very well. The Italians who received some following the armistice thought them excellent.

This Dewoitine 520 was captured from the Vichy French in Lebanon by Free French airmen flying with the RAF.  It was marked with the Cross of Lorraine, the symbol of the Free French Forces led by Charles de Gaul. A fine prize to be sure, to liberate one of your own, however the few D.520's in Free French hands could only be used as advanced trainers as their radios were incompatible with other RAF combat aircraft.


Another product of the Armée de l'Air's desperate modernisation programme was the Lioré et Olivier LeO 45. This medium bomber was originally designed to meet the1936 B4 specification (which itself had shifted a number of times since 1933) With the imminent threat of war looming and continued delays due to engine reliability the LeO 45 was hurried into production despite known teething problems.

The LeO 451 entered service flying recognisance over Germany with Groupe de Bombardement I/31, but by the start of the Second World War this unit had only five LeO 451s and eight practically obsolete Bloch MB200s. (Honestly, is the MB200 not the ugliest plane ever to lift off from the face of the earth?)

In fact by the start of the Battle of France only 54 of the 222 LeO 451s that had been delivered were actually ready for combat. Too few in number and often without fighter escort the LeO 451 was none the less a remarkably fast and very agile bomber and enjoyed some success against Italian forces.

Following the armistice LeO 451s continued to fly under Vichy direction in the Syria-Lebanon Campaign and a number were captured and used by both sides as unit hacks and transports.

And the last two aircraft in my (not entirely comprehensive) French roundup are the Potez 631 and Potez 63.11

The Potez 63 was originally designed to fulfil the role of Fighter Control, bomber escort, interceptor and night fighter. Something in the vein of the German Bf-110 or the Soviet Pe-2, you can see the similarity. Unfortunately so could many French anti-aircraft gunners and "friendly" fliers and often the Potez 631 was mistaken for its German counterpart and attacked by its own.

 Due to the French aircraft industry's inability to produce high powered aircraft engines most German bombers were able to outrun the underpowered Potez 361 so it wasn't much use as an interceptor, day or night.

The most useful and therefore most numerous of the variations was the Potez 63.11 which had been developed to serve with the Groupes Aèriens d'Observation (Army co-operation squadrons) as a reconnaissance aircraft.
It had a completely redesigned crew compartment and extensively glazed nose. The pilot's seat was moved higher and further back to accommodate the changes.

A note on colour schemes before we're done. Most of what I've been able to find suggests the Armée de l'Air did not employ any standardisation in camouflage patterning so there was much variation in the blue/grey, green, brown tri-colour scheme.


National cockade roundels typically were placed in the usual 6 locations with the wing roundels being located on the very end of the wing.


Aces wore diagonal stripes and squadron codes and insignia vary a great deal.

The Vichy era saw the addition of a white stripe and outline to the fuselage roundels, and in mid-1941 the introduction of the infamous yellow and red "Slaves' Pyjamas" striping on the tails and engine cowlings.

That's all for now folks. Thanks again for looking.

theCrowe

  • Master Sergeant
  • *
  • Posts: 261
Re: [Non-BT] WWII Aircraft- Tiny planes - Large collection!
« Reply #33 on: 02 April 2018, 09:59:19 »
Ive been having a look at some of the bi-planes of the second World War. They weren't the fastest or most modern aircraft in the sky but they had their uses. First up, the massive production and use of the Soviet crop duster, the Polikarpov Po-2 was about as retrograde a plan as can be imagined. But it worked a treat.

They were used for just about everything conceivable and often got away with it due to their top speed being about the same as the stall speed of the Luftwaffe fighters ordered to shoot them down.

One of the most famous operators of the Po-2 was the all female 588th Night Bomber Regiment known to their german enemies as the 'Nachthexen' (Night Witches). Their pilots like Yekaterina Ryabova and Nadezhda Popova, (who famously flew eighteen missions in a single night.) were notorious for daring low-altitude night raids on German rear-area positions. With engines throttled off there was little warning to the sleepless nerve wracked enemy below as the bombs fell from the whistling shadows gliding low overhead.

Continuing my theme of four-winged wonders are a few more recent additions to the collection.

These beautiful British bi-planes are all coming from <a href="http://www.heroicsandros.co.uk/index.php?app=gbu0&ns=splash&sid=37620x96w348299965o302ttxx8cmf45" target="_new" rel="nofollow">Heroics & Ros </a> (Another very nice selection of 1:300 scale aircraft to choose from. I got those Po-2's and some of my French collection in the same order.)

First up its the RAF's "modern" bi-plane, the Gloster Gladiator.

The Gladiator was developed to replace the obsolescent Gauntlet but did so only for a short time as    more modern monoplane fighters like the Hurricane quickly outstripped its performance and replaced it.
None the less Gladiators were pressed into service by the RAF and Fleet Air Arm in France, Malta and the Middle East and Gladiators saw service in many other theatres across the world with various other forces on both sides.

The Hal Far Fighter Flight were formed during the Siege of Malta. A group of Gloster Sea Gladiators formed the air defence of the Island from June 1940 for a number of weeks under bombardment by Italian bombers.

In September 1940 Pilot Officer Roald Dahl (yes, THAT Roald Dahl!) flying this Gloster Gladiator over the Lybian desert made a crash landing and received severe head and back injuries. Although he returned to service with 80 Squadron and had some success flying Hurricanes his injuries from this crash put an end to his flying career and he was invalided back to England. Dahl often expressed the belief that this head injury had produced the change in his personality and creativity that made him one of the world's best loved and most celebrated children's authors.


Next up on our British bi-plane bonanza its Fairey's quintessential Fleet Air Arm icon the Swordfish.

It might have appeared practically obsolete when first introduced in 1936 but this large and rugged biplane had all the right qualities for deck flying operations and torpedo dive bombing.

Affectionately known as the 'Stringbag' for its adaptable multifunctional capabilities the 'can do, will do' Swordfish outlasted all expectation continuing its distinguished service all throughout the war, outlasting even Fairey's replacement the Albacore to become Britain's last serving bi-plane.

Famous for the attack on the Italian Fleet at Taranto in Nov 1940 and the operation to seek and destroy the Bismarck the Swordfish was also instrumental in protecting Allied convoys from German submarines.

Another stalwart of the Fleet Air Arm and of the Air Sea Rescue service is this, the Supermarine Walrus.

The "Shagbat" as it was sometimes called, for its frankly disastrous aesthetics may not have been a looker but to anyone stranded out in the Channel seeing it swoop in to the rescue it was the very vision of beauty.

Originally designed for catapult launch and spotting duties for the Royal Navy the old Shagbat though somewhat unsuitable proved a rugged and able rescue craft. Unable to take off from the water when carrying more than 6 men, there were countless instances of Walrus crews landing to effect a rescue knowing full well they would have to taxi back to shore often for tens of miles in mine infested waters and rough seas.

Hundreds of men were returned safely to shore by the doughty Walrus who would otherwise have perished.

That'll be all for bi-planes for the time being. I've got another order incoming so expect some more WW2 bi-plane action here some time in the hopefully not too distant future.
As ever, thanks for visiting the tiny aircraft gallery.

Empyrus

  • Lieutenant Colonel
  • *
  • Posts: 9130
Re: [Non-BT] WWII Aircraft- Tiny planes - Large collection!
« Reply #34 on: 02 April 2018, 11:28:47 »
Oh, Po-2! Nice!
The only biplane ever to get a jet kill. (A Starfighter slowed down to under its stall speed while trying to attack the Po-2.)

theCrowe

  • Master Sergeant
  • *
  • Posts: 261
Re: [Non-BT] WWII Aircraft- Tiny planes - Large collection!
« Reply #35 on: 24 April 2018, 16:14:47 »
Ha! Gotta love the underdog.


Hi folks. Glad to be able to show my first lot of Regia Aeronautica at last.

This little batch are all from Scotia Grendel. Beautiful sculpts as ever from them and a joy to paint up. I hope you enjoy these as much as I have.

Fiat G50 Frechia (arrow/dart)

Italy’s first single-seat, all-metal all-modern monoplane fighter was much celebrated for its excellent manoeuvrability when it first entered service in 1939. Despite its inadequate armament of only two machine guns and its lack of pace and range compared to contemporary rivals it was extensively used by Italian forces throughout the war in many theatres.

Macchi MC200 Saetta (Arrow, or a flash of lightning)

Marginally more capable than the Fiat G50 the first all modern monoplane fighter produced by Macchi was ultimately another under powered and under equipped offering. On top of that the Saetta also had a dangerous tendency to spin out of control resulting in a hurried improvement program which soon saw the development of the C.202 Folgore to replace it. However a shortage of engines for the new fighter saw the old MC200 Saetta continue in production. Over 1000 were produced almost all of which had been lost in service by the armistice of 1943.


Macchi C.202 Folgore (Italian "thunderbolt")
These fast machines were sleek and deadly. A real piece of Italian style in the air.

Unfortunately for the Regia Aeronautica that was about as far as it went. Still with a woefully insufficient compliment of only two nose-mounted machine guns (that were quite prone to jamming) combined with faulty radios and inefficient oxygen systems meant that their pilots rarely had the support needed to push these elegant fliers to success. Still, they were widely regarded as the best fighters the Italians had and were best not underestimated.


This is the C.202 Folgore flown by Captain Franco Lucchini of 84 Squadriglia in North Affica. Lucchini was an experienced fighter pilot having flown CR.32's over Spain, CR.42's in North Africa, C.200's over Malta and then C.202's again back in Africa. An ace of some 26 victories Lucchini was amongst the most celebrated fighters of the Regia Aeronautica. On 5th July 1943 he was engaged in a massive battle in the skies over Sicily where he was shot down and killed fighting B-17s and Spitfires.

Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 Sparviero (Italian for sparrowhawk)
The true workhorse of the Regia Aeronautica and a terror for Allied shipping in the Mediterranean the SM79 carved out its place in history as one of the fastest medium bombers and deadliest torpedo bombers of the war.

With its three engined design and notable dorsal hump the SM79 is easily recognisable and was well liked by its pilots and crew who nicknamed it il gobbo maledetto ("damned hunchback").

A source of much national pride for its award winning speed and ability it often flew without escort in the Spanish civil war. Their myth of invulnerability ended when the first Sparviero to be shot down fell to a Gladiator over Malta.


Carlo Emanuele Buscaglia flew this SM79 in 1940 as part of the Italian torpedo bomber campaign in the Mediterranean. His successful attacks on HMS Kent, HMS Glasgow and HMS Illustrious amongst many other hapless Allied ships made him one of the most celebrated pilots of the Regia Aeronautica.

Five times awarded the Silver Medal of Military Valor and also the German Iron Cross second class, Buscaglia was posthumously awarded the Gold Medal of Military Valor after his aircraft was shot down in North Africa in November 1943.
Though he was badly wounded and burned in the crash he survived and was taken prisoner. Buscaglia returned to Italy in July 1944 to fly with the Aeronautica Cobelligerante del Sud, but died attempting to take off in a new American-built Martin Baltimore without an instructor.
The 3rd Wing of the current Aeronautica Militare Italiana was named after him.

Savoia-Marchetti SM.81 Pipistrello (Italian: bat)

Basically a militarised 30's airliner the SM.81 Pipistrello had already proved very capable in multiple roles during the war with Ethiopia and the Spanish Civil War.

 By the onset of the Second World War despite near obsolescence there were still around 300 SM.81's in service performing various second-line duties. Its wide fuselage provided a large capacity for bomb loads on night bombing raids or for transport of goods and troops during daylight. It was one of the most flexible, reliable and important aircraft of the Regia Aeronautica.


CANT Z.1007 Alcione (Kingfisher)
Originally a land-based version of CANT's record breaking trimotor float plane the Z.506 the Alcione had a disappointing start and required a good few updates and improvements before engines, airframe and armament came together into something of a capable modern medium bomber.

 The trimotor design was a common feature of Italian aircraft of World War II, mostly because the Italian aeronautical industry were having a hard time producing an engine that could put out as much power as some contemporary German or British ones. The trimotor design could provide as much power as a german twin engine design but with the added weight of a third engine.

The wooden structure of the Z.1007 would allow the aircraft to float if it was forced to ditch in the sea but it was a nightmare in the extreme climates. Aircraft stationed in North Africa and Russia suffered badly from delamination and cracking which caused extra drag on the otherwise very narrow and streamlined airframe.

That's all of now folks. I have another batch on the go, this time from Heriocs & Ros. Another selection of Italian aviation including more biplanes should be winging your way hopefully soon.
 As always folks, many thanks for visiting the gallery and sharing my enthusiasm for tiny planes.

theCrowe

  • Master Sergeant
  • *
  • Posts: 261
Re: [Non-BT] WWII Aircraft- Tiny planes - Large collection!
« Reply #36 on: 01 September 2018, 15:47:58 »
Hi folks. Sorry for the long wait. (I got a bit distracted there writing and drawing) but I finally have my second batch of Regia Aeronautica to show. This time they're all coming from Heroics & Ros whose excellent selection of 1:300 aircraft has provided some real classics to my collection. So thanks to H&R and on with the post.


Fiat CR.32
Italian ace Mario D'Agostini 163 Squadriglia in 1940
The Spanish Civil War was for the Italians (as for the Germans and Russians) a proving ground for the tactics of their Air Forces and their aircraft designers and many of the lessons learned and the aircraft developed in the 30s were carried on into the Second World War. One such lesson learned by the Regia Aeronautica was courtesy of the Fiat CR.32, a robust and highly manoeuvrable biplane that had dominated the skies over Spain.

Indeed so enduring was the reputation of this doughty little biplane that by June of 1940 when Italy declared war on France and Britain various versions of the old Fiat CR.32 still equipped two thirds of Italy's fighter squadrons.



Fiat CR.42 Falco
Italy remained firmly convinced, due to the success of the CR.32 that the bi-plane would remain the unrivalled king of the sky. And so Fiat set about refining and developing a "modern" version producing the Fiat CR.42 in 1939 the last of the great bi-plane fighters.
Although technically outclassed by faster and more heavily armed modern monoplanes the CR.42 was none the less a dangerous adversary. It soon became known for a rugged and brilliantly manoeuvrable aircraft that which while easily outpaced was better avoided than engaged in a protracted dog-fight.


Mario Visinti was the top scoring bi-plane ace of the Second World War with 16 (some say 20) victories. He was known as a meticulous and even scientific fighter and was a recipient of the Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals of Military Valour. His success, charm and gallantry made him a legend following his death in 1941. Having landed safely back at his airfield following a successful mission Mario refuelled and took off in search of his wing-man Luigi (I'm not making this up!) who had been forced down by bad weather. The weather got the better of Mario Visinti who crashed on Mount Bizen.

 As the bleeding edge of aviation technology fast outstripped the already obsolete CR.42 the inevitable call of the Night Fighter beckoned and so the CR.42 found a valuable role in intercepting night bomers. One such unit was the 377th operating out of Sicily.

CR.42 night pilots were often up there in the dark lacking a reliable radio, any kind of radar equipment and as in the case of Capitano Giorgio Graffer guns that were prone to jamming. The hapless Capitano famously resorted to ramming is target (a British A.W.38 Whitley ) before baling out. The Whitley subsequently crashed into the English Channel on the way home making this the first successful night interception by a CR.42.


Breda Ba.65
This old Spanish Civil War ground attack plane was already a bit long in the tooth by the outbreak of the second World War but some 150 were still in service none the less. This was thanks largely to a number of variously unsuccessful attempts by both Breda and Caproni to produce a suitable replacement, all of which ended in failure, some spectacularly so.

The venerable Ba.65 muddled through, an easy target for British fighters in Northeast Africa and by early 1941 they had mostly all been destroyed.


Imam Ro 57
97• Gr. Autonomo Tuffatori Rome-1943
A fine example of the Italian Aeronautics industry of the era the Imam Ro 57 originally designed in 1939 might have been the long range fighter Italy needed at the time, it looked fast and mean and deadly but it would be four years in the making and by 1943 standards was considered too slow, badly under-equipped and too costly to produce for all it offered.

Produced in limited numbers as both a fighter/interceptor and a ground attack dive bomber it saw very little use and remains a largely forgotten and sadly overlooked little gem, because just look at this thing!  (I mean look at <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Imam+Ro+57&client=safari&hl=en-gb&prmd=imvn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjB-Lb62MLbAhWJDMAKHSksDHUQ_AUICigB&biw=480&bih=268#imgrc=kZ2PT7mvutEcrM: " target="_new" rel="nofollow">a photo of the real thing</a> as this sculpt doesn't quite do it justice) Ah, if looks could kill...


Piaggio P.108 Bombardiere
In a marked departure from the Regia Aeronautica's policy of 3 engined bombers Piaggio looked to the engineering experience of Giovanni Casiraghi whose 4 engine heavy bomber design owed much to his time in the US. (Its a kinda B-17 lookin' thing)

They were very expensive to produce but the numbers crunched in Piaggio's favour as compared to the SM79 (the Regia Aeronautica's bomber workhorse) for the same cost comparable bomb loads could be delivered by fewer P.108's and therefore fewer crewmen would be required.

The P.108 was a very different kind of aircraft than what the Italian pilots were used to and early test flights of P.109 prototypes were fraught with accidents including one that claimed the life of Musolini's own son Bruno Musolini.

Operationally the P.108B had a poor survivability record on bombing raids and saw limited use over Gibraltar, North Africa and Sicily. Before the armistice when the few remaining P.108B's were sabotaged so as not to fall into German hands. The Transport version P.108T saw more success however in Service with the Luftwaffe evacuating encircled German Troops from Russia.


CANT Z.501 Gabbiano a.k.a Mammaiuto "Mamma help me!"
Once a much celebrated sea plane for its record breaking endurance and distance flying in 1934, the Z.501 by 1940 was a bit of a relic. It was however still quite useful for sea rescue and maritime reconnaissance, and submarine hunting at a pinch and was deployed in some numbers all throughout the war.

Unfortunately for its crews though the old Gabbiano had a reputation for being something of a death trap.
The wartime mass-produced hulls didn't tend to hold together very well in rough seas, the engine nacelle might collapse into the cockpit if you landed too hard, the extra weight of machine gun turrets and bombs impeded the aircrafts flight characteristics considerably and resulted in a rescue plane that was very vulnerable to enemy fighters and more likely to require a rescue than to effect one. 'Mamma Help Me' indeed!



The CANT Z.506 Airone (Italian: Heron) was an award winning tri-engined float-plane used for torpedo bombing, reconnaissance and Air Sea Rescue. It was an exceptionally useful and well respected aircraft that was much more rugged and reliable than the older Cant z.501. By the end of the war many Airone's were in service on both sides and some examples continued in post war service on into 1959.

Although in general the CANT z.506 was quite vulnerable to enemy fighters there was one man who you definitely would want in your top turret. Pietro Bonannini, a turret gunner on Cant Z.506B and Fiat RS.14 floatplanes was credited with 8 victories (4x Spitfire’s, 3x Blenheims and 1x Hurricane) and another 2 probables making him the only non-pilot flying ace of the Regia Aeronautica.


And finally...

My whole collection of Regia Aeronautica aircraft.

Well I've had a blast painting these. What an amazing variety of aircraft and camo patterns there were to choose from. Some of these are now some of my favourites of my collection. I really knew next to nothing about the Italians in the skies of WW2 before starting this, so I hope you've enjoyed discovering the Regia Aeronautica with me.

Next on the bench I'll be looking east toward China and then maybe doing a little investigation into the Winter War, some early Finnish and Soviets on the way there too. Watch this space for those and as ever, thanks for visiting the tiny planes gallery.

God and Davion

  • Excelencia Steiner
  • Administrator
  • Major
  • *
  • Posts: 6056
  • Renamed God and Marik. Blame Hellbie
Re: [Non-BT] WWII Aircraft- Tiny planes - Large collection!
« Reply #37 on: 01 September 2018, 16:02:07 »
Great work! I love the details, especially the spots in the Italian aircraft. Very well executed. And very good historic comments, too.  :thumbsup:
We are back again... but we never forget Albatross

DOC_Agren

  • Major
  • *
  • Posts: 5229
Re: [Non-BT] WWII Aircraft- Tiny planes - Large collection!
« Reply #38 on: 02 September 2018, 00:26:06 »
very nice
"For the Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast, And breathed in the face of the foe as he passed:And the eyes of the sleepers waxed deadly and chill, And their hearts but once heaved, and for ever grew still!"

avon1985

  • Major
  • *
  • Posts: 3491
Re: [Non-BT] WWII Aircraft- Tiny planes - Large collection!
« Reply #39 on: 03 September 2018, 08:59:30 »
Wow! those are some excellent paint jobs! :thumbsup:

theCrowe

  • Master Sergeant
  • *
  • Posts: 261
Re: [Non-BT] WWII Aircraft- Tiny planes - Large collection!
« Reply #40 on: 06 September 2018, 18:36:08 »
Thanks guys, I'm always glad to know the Battletech crowd appreciate seeing these. I think it's a scale thing, and maybe the historical/cultural aspects of the Battletech universe that maybe holds a little shared interest. It's shame I don't have more Battletech minis to share. I should get some more hardware for my Smoke Jags!

Sorry for the very long wait folks. I didn't do any painting in July so its been a bit of a summer holiday from tiny aircraft but I've finally pulled another set together ready to share.
So first off here's a little teaser. What do all these mid 30s aircraft have in common?

Martin B-10, Curtiss Goshawk, Dewoitine D.510, Tupolev SB, Ilyushin DB-3,

Well done if you guessed, they all saw service with the Chinese Air Force during the Second Sino-Japanese war immediately prior to and leading into WW2.


Kicking things off its this beautiful little mini from H&R, the American built Curtis Goshawk, exported to China as the Hawk II and later with retractable undercarriage as the Hawk III.

These early 30's biplanes equipped the majority of China's fighter squadrons in 1937 and were hard pressed to meet the challenge of Imperial Japan's much faster and more modern Air Force.

2401 was flown by biplane ace Captain Liu Chui-Kang who was squadron Leader of 24th Pursuit Squadron.In a short three month span from August to October 1937 Kang became biplane ace of seven confirmed victories before his untimely death in a crash landing.

Another American built aircraft equipping the CAF's 30th bomber Squadron in 1937, The Martin B-10 (exported as Model 193WC.)
First flown in 1932 the B-10 had been a great leap forward (no pun intended) in 1930's bomber design. All metal construction, fully cowled engines, enclosed cockpit, internal bomb bay, rotating nose turret and retractable undercarriage. An ultra modern medium bomber that could outperform many contemporary pursuit aircraft the B-10 was very much the shape of things to come.

In May 1938 a plan was proposed to bring the war home to the Japanese people by sending Chinese bombers on a mission over Japan for the first time. The CAF's last two (of 9) remaining Martin 139WC bombers were chosen for this special mission but when over Nagasaki, in lieu of bombs they dropped leaflets imploring the Japanese public to put pressure on their leaders to end their aggression and occupation of Chinese territories. No such pressure resulted and the war continued regardless.

From 1938, 18 Chinese D.510s saw action against the Japanese, including the defense of Chengdu and the Chinese wartime capital Chongqing equipping 17th squadron Chinese pilots and 41st French volunteer squadron.

On the 4th November 1939 Captain Shen Tse-Liu flying this D510 over the Lanchou area managed to destroy a Japanese G3M in a head on assault.

As the D.510s came around to attack from behind defensive fire from the Japanese bomber formation damaged Shen's engine forcing him down. He was injured in the crash but soon flew again.

Other European aircraft to see service with the CAF included both Gloster Gladiator and Fiat CR30 biplanes, a model of He-111 that the Luftwaffe had rejected and a few examples of Italy's most versatile SM81 Pipistrello.


Polikarpov I-15
Following a deal with the Soviets in 1937 the Chinese Airforce started receiving deliveries of much needed Russian aircraft and volunteer pilots. Large numbers of I-15 biplane fighters and marginally more modern I-16 monoplane fighters began pouring onto Chinese airfields. More than 250 Soviet pilots 'volunteered' to fly the 255 I-15s supplied to China. By 1939 a total of 347 Polikarpov biplanes had been delivered to the CAF.

 The I-15 had proved a tough and capable biplane in the skies over Spain but it soon met its match in some of the newer, faster Japanese monoplanes and the air war over China quickly became a dangerously one sided affair.

Polikarpov I-16
Some 250 I-16 Type 10s were supplied to China. The type 10 had four 7.62 mm (0.30 in) ShKAS machine guns, armour behind the pilot, and had a slightly upgraded engine. Further variants and improvements would follow but by 1939 a Soviet study found that the 1-16 had exhausted its performance potential.
Finally in Dec 1940 to Jan 1941 a last batch of 75 improved I-16 type 17 fighters were delivered. But even with their new 20mm Vickers cannons and additional armour they were no match for the Japanese Zero's and Hyabusas.

My Chinese I-16 is that of Luo Yingde who flew with the 24th squadron in 1940. (And look at my dodgy old Soviet I-16 !!! The less said about that the better really.)

Tupolev SB
Hundreds of Russian Bombers were also supplied to China between 1937 and 1941. An initial delivery of 62 Tupolev SB's was made with combat operations by Soviet forces starting in December 1937 with attacks on Japanese ships on the Yangtze River. A further 60 SBs were delivered in early 1938. In February 1938, to celebrate Soviet Army Day, Soviet SBs carried out a long range attack on Japanese airfields in Taiwan, claiming 40 Japanese aircraft destroyed on the ground. However during the Battle of Wuhan losses were heavy, forcing the Chinese SB units to be temporarily withdrawn from combat.

The Soviet Volunteer units operating the SB over China re-equipped with the Ilyushin DB-3 in 1939, allowing their SBs to be transferred to Chinese units and a further 100 SBs were supplied in 1941.

Ilyushin DB-3
In 1939, thirty DB-3s were supplied to the CAF and they also saw heavy action against Japanese targets in the Wuhan region from their bases in Sichuan, Lanzhou and Chengdu. The DB-3 had arrived too late to see service in Spain but this trial run in the CAF proved it was a very capable long range bomber with much potential. It was however a very complex and time consuming airframe to build and maintain.

The DB-3 would go on to be one of the most useful long range bombers in the Soviet arsenal, eventually dropping the first Soviet bombs on Berlin.


At its peak the Soviet Volunteer Group numbered 3,665 personnel 2,000 of which were pilots some of whom had been sent directly from the Spanish Civil War. Soviet squadrons were withdrawn after the non-aggression pact between the Soviet Union and Japan in 1941.
 and the Chinese turned to the United States, which authorized the creation of the American Volunteer Group the Flying Tigers and their more modern P-40 fighters.


Eventually China's surviving stock of 30's aero-tech would be replaced by further American supplied machines as lend lease kicked in and the USA joined the war in ernest against Imperial Japan.

That's all for now folks. As ever many thanks for visiting the tiny planes gallery.

theCrowe

  • Master Sergeant
  • *
  • Posts: 261
Re: [Non-BT] WWII Aircraft- Tiny planes - Large collection!
« Reply #41 on: 10 November 2018, 07:47:02 »
Hi folks, back again (at long last) with another international lineup representing the collective variety of one particular national Air Force.

This time we're looking at Fokker DXXI, Gloster Gladiator, Brewster Buffalo, Fiat G50,  Messerschmitt bf 109G,  Hawker Hurricane, Westland Lysander, Bristol Blenheim, Junkers Ju88. But which country used all of these disparate assortment of both Allied and Axis aircraft?


Well done if you guessed, it's The Ilmavoimat (Finnish Air Force)

The Winter War (Nov 39-Mar 40)
In November 1939 when the invasion Soviet forces began the most modern fighter the Finns had on hand was the Dutch built Fokker DXXI.

This rugged and capable fighter proved an ideal fit for the Finnish Air Force. As well as being on par with contemporary Soviet aircraft it's strong, fixed undercarriage was particularly well suited for improvised, uneven runways and also conversion to skis for winter use.

As waves of Soviet bombers vectored in over Finnish cities the small contingent of Finnish fighters rose to the challenge often taking on groups of bombers and escorts many times their number.

In January 1940 1st Lt Jorma Sarvanto flying this Fokker DXXI managed a stunning feat of interception shooting down as many as six Soviet DB-3 bombers in only 4 minutes! Sarvanto became the top scoring Finnish ace with a total of 13 victories by the end of the Winter War.


As Finland faced off the Soviet advance help arrived from the Swedish Voluntary Air Force, F 19. Over 250 volunteers and 25 aircraft including 12 Gloster Gladiators answered Finland's call for aid. In two months of aerial combat they acquitted themselves well but lost six planes and five pilots, two of whom were captured and were eventually returned to Sweden.


As the Winter War continued the British Government finally agreed to lend some real support to the embattled Finns. Aircraft already purchased were finally released including 80 Hawker Henley's and a lot of other older machines.

The most modern war planes in Finland's inventory were its 17 Blenheim medium bombers, license built in Finland.

There was however no way that Blenheim production in Finland could keep up with demand and so on the 23rd Feb 1940 twelve British built Blenheims took off from RAF Bicester heading north. They bore Finnish markings and were piloted by RAF volunteers in civilian disguise carrying false passports. (It wouldn't do for Soviet Russia to have British RAF officers as prisoners to bargain with.)

This dangerous and highly clandestine journey took three days flying through Scotland, Norway and Sweden and on to deliver all 12 bombers safely to a frozen airstrip on Lake Juva Finland. The airmen were quietly shuffled back to the British Embassy in Sweden and thence safely back to England.

Many more purchases of aircraft from Britain's inventory were fulfilled including an order of Westland Lysander observation aircraft.

Perhaps most famous as a spy taxi the Lysander's sturdy fixed undercarriage and exceptional short-field performance made it an ideal aircraft for Finnish units operating out of small, improvised airstrips often in snowy frozen conditions.

 They were primarily employed as observation aircraft and  could be used offensively at a pinch although they were quite vulnerable to enemy fighters.

As well as providing finished aircraft to the embattled Finns the RAF agreed to train Finnish Pilots in their operation.

In Feb 1940 12 Finnish pilots arrived in England for a Hurricane crash-course (they probably didn't call it that) before embarking in their new machines on a nail biting flight in terrible weather over the North Sea.



With the signing of the Moscow peace accord hostilities were suspended but by this time Finland's airforce, thanks to a serious amount of international aircraft shopping was considerably larger than before the outbreak of the war.

The Continuation war. (June 41 - Sep 44)
Amongst the myriad other planes incorporated into the patchwork of the Finnish airforce (including French MS406 and American built P-36 Hawks) was the Italian Fiat G50.

Purchased in 1940 to bolster the Winter war efforts a few managed to arrive in time but it wasn't until the offensive operations of 1941 that they had any significant success.
In a cruel twist all 33 machines shipped to Finland were of open cockpit design which was largely unsuitable in such Arctic climates, and the machines themselves when adapted to colder conditions performed quite poorly.


This sorry looking specimen is FA-21 originally flown by 2nd Lt Kokkonen who ran out of fuel and crashed in July 1940. It was repaired and returned to the skies flown by Lt Hamalainen in 42 but overturned on a forced landing.

Again it was repaired and is here seen as flown by 2nd Lt R. Sartiarvi with its green/black Finnish colours fuselage and replacement (original Italian desert camouflage) wings and engine cowling. Black areas were applied in an attempt to match the Finnish pattern but honestly it must've looked rather conspicuous on a snowy air strip. Eventually in April 43 2nd Lt Helin flipped this sucker on landing one last time and FA-21 was finally declared a lost cause. Amazingly all three pilots who crashed this same plane survived.


Brewster Buffalo B-239E
This is the flying beer bottle (the Finns had many more nicknames for these planes) of Capt. Hans Wind whose 39 Buffalo air victories (out of 75) make him the highest scoring Buffalo ace of the war. (Easy when your name is "Wind", right?)

The export version of the US Navy's dumpy old disappointment found something of a niche with the Finns, being better suited to ground based operations over Russia than carrier based operations in the Pacific. It replaced the ageing Fokkers and their various other largely obsolete fighters as Finland's premier modern fighter for the best part of the Continuation War.

One oddity of the Comtinuation War in the air is that with the presence of Hawker Hurricanes already in Finland once lend lease Hurricanes started landing in Russia you then had Hurricanes fighting on both sides on the same front!

No idea if they ever clashed directly. Unlikely as by that stage most Finnish Hurricanes would've been all but clapped out and short on parts. The Soviets hated their own Hurricanes, mostly because they weren't built in Russia.

As Soviet fighter technology developed becoming more and more advanced and foreign machines joined their ranks the Finns' old Brewsters struggled to cope. The FAF turned to their Luftwaffe allies for a replacement in the shape of the Messerschmitt Bf 109G.

The Finns received 159 such aircraft which equipped 4 squadrons from March 1943 and would remain in service with the FAF for over a decade being finally retired in 1954!

For pilots transferring from the old buffalo the difference was palpable. Faster, more aggressive and bang up to date the 109G was a massive upgrade and in the capable hands of experienced pilots like Ilmari Juutilainen it was a deadly hunter.

Ilmari Juutilainen was the highest scoring non-German ace     of the war with 94 1/6 confirmed victories. (127 by his own count)  2 1/6 in a Fokker DXXI, 34 in a Brewster B-239E and 58 in the Bf 109G.

Another German addition to the Finnish flight inventory was the ubiquitous Junkers Ju88.

(You're seeing here one of the first and one of the latest paint jobs of my collection, with just over two years of 6mm aircraft painting experience in between. Nice to see I've made some improvement in that time)

The Finns bought two dozen Ju 88's which joined their old Blenheims on bombing raids on the North-Easter front hitting Soviet air bases near Leningrad and the Aerosan base at Petsnajoki.

Later during the Lapland War (Now against the Germans- September to November 1944) they were used for reconnaissance and for bombing German vehicle columns. After the war they served as trainers for a while but were soon scrapped.


That's all for this time. I had a blast reading up on Finland's war(s) It's a very interesting story, lots of twists and turns. It seems both sides had an idea of how to use Finland to suit their own ends while Finland just used any help they could get and did what they had to do. They would fly literally anything they could get into the air and I might have painted up many other examples of types they used including captured Soviet planes.

Painting-wise there was a lot of variation for a lot of different reasons; time-line, weather conditions, country of origin, availability of parts. The RAF Blenheims flown in would've been in RAF colours with Finnish roundels at the time before they were painted up properly in Finland to match the Finnish-built Blenheims. I often have to make choices about planes to paint up and how I'll do them but I always try to represent a range of typical schemes as well as the odd stand-alone example that tells a good story. It's never quite exhaustive though as there's always more to discover in the crazy history of the war.

Hope you've enjoyed the planes and I haven't waffled on too much. Thanks for visiting the gallery and do tell me what you think. I enjoy talking about planes almost as much as painting them.

Wolf72

  • Major
  • *
  • Posts: 3284
Re: [Non-BT] WWII Aircraft- Tiny planes - Large collection!
« Reply #42 on: 16 November 2018, 12:54:10 »
that was an awesome history lesson!
"We're caught in the moon's gravitational pull, what do we do?!"

CI KS #1357; Merc KS #9798

"We're sending a squad up."

theCrowe

  • Master Sergeant
  • *
  • Posts: 261
Re: [Non-BT] WWII Aircraft- Tiny planes - Large collection!
« Reply #43 on: 17 November 2018, 03:27:18 »
Thanks Wolf72. Glad you got a kick out of it. Are there any Finnish descended planets in the Inner Sphere? If so I want to play them. Mechs begged borrowed and stolen from all directions, held together by spit and cable ties but ultimately impossible to beat down.

I am Belch II

  • Lieutenant Colonel
  • *
  • Posts: 10503
  • It's a gator with a nuke, whats the problem.
Re: [Non-BT] WWII Aircraft- Tiny planes - Large collection!
« Reply #44 on: 17 November 2018, 09:32:38 »
Wow, very nice job.
Walking the fine line between sarcasm and being a smart-ass

Hayden.

  • Master Sergeant
  • *
  • Posts: 299
Re: [Non-BT] WWII Aircraft- Tiny planes - Large collection!
« Reply #45 on: 17 November 2018, 16:12:43 »
Thanks Wolf72. Glad you got a kick out of it. Are there any Finnish descended planets in the Inner Sphere? If so I want to play them. Mechs begged borrowed and stolen from all directions, held together by spit and cable ties but ultimately impossible to beat down.

I looked into this a bit, one of the better leads I found was Yang Virtanen (mechanic from Battletech). His last name is super Finnish, was born in the Bryant system in the Capellan Confederation.  There are a few other "Baltic" references in and around the confederation, such as the planet Tallin in the St. Ives Commonality/Compact (and Virtanen later served in the St. Ives Lancers, but I suspect this is more coincidence than an indication of a shadowy Finnish cabal). The FWLM Also had a corvette called the "Karelia" in the 3050s, apparently named for the border region shared by Finland and Russia.  There's also the Karhu (Finnish for Bear) omnimech manufactured in the Rasalhague dominion, though I suspect this is more due to Clan Ghost Bear's insane insistence on naming every. single. mech. some iteration of "Bear", though as the FRR and Rasalhauge Dominion both had a bit of "Scandinavian" background, it's not totally unrealistic to assume that a few Finns might have settled in Rasalhague space during the first exodus from earth.  Anyway, I ran out of steam, this might be enough to get you started.  (In short: Finns are everywhere, like almost everyone else, and due to this, you could reasonably work in a pseudo Finnish force just about anywhere).

That said, you description of "Mechs begged borrowed and stolen from all directions, held together by spit and cable ties but ultimately impossible to beat down." sounds a lot like two examples in Capellan history: the Confederation during the 4th Succession War and later in the 3030s fighting back the Anduriens, and even more so, St. Ives in the 3060s fighting back the Confederation and utilizing "ProSal" (Provisional Salvage) Battalions, which were literally whatever St. Ives could get its hands on, typically battlefield salvage. Initially these formations were more logistical (I.E. conveying mechs to regular St. Ives forces), but as the war ground on they were also used as provisional combat formations. I couldn't find this mentioned on Sarna, but it is on Pg. 36 of the Capellan Confederation Field manual.

Ok, I'm really gonna stop now.

ED: Also, theCrowe, I'm terribly sorry highjacking your thread, your planes are great and I'm a huge fan of those Finnish aircraft.  I once did a Finnish campaign in the old IL-2 Sturmovik game, and your miniatures vividly reminded me of the experience.
« Last Edit: 17 November 2018, 16:14:58 by Hayden. »
Hayden

theCrowe

  • Master Sergeant
  • *
  • Posts: 261
Re: [Non-BT] WWII Aircraft- Tiny planes - Large collection!
« Reply #46 on: 18 November 2018, 15:36:05 »
No need to apologise Hayden, thanks for the info. A Finnish fluffed Salvage Battalion sounds like a lot of story fun. My vaguely Kentares (in memorial/origin) Merc unit idea hasn't held much interest for me (and sure as hell never held any interest for anyone else!) in a long time so a new notion like this might be just the thing to get me back into the Battletech universe.

Never thought I'd go Capellan though...

Hayden.

  • Master Sergeant
  • *
  • Posts: 299
Re: [Non-BT] WWII Aircraft- Tiny planes - Large collection!
« Reply #47 on: 18 November 2018, 22:37:13 »
No need to apologise Hayden, thanks for the info. A Finnish fluffed Salvage Battalion sounds like a lot of story fun. My vaguely Kentares (in memorial/origin) Merc unit idea hasn't held much interest for me (and sure as hell never held any interest for anyone else!) in a long time so a new notion like this might be just the thing to get me back into the Battletech universe.

Never thought I'd go Capellan though...

I find that the longer I've been into BT, the more diverse my tastes have become.  I've gone from being a tepid Fed-Com type (I chalk it up to the era I grew up in), to a hard-core St. Ives fan, and finally, I've taken to point of view that I love all BT's factions.  I mean, some more than others (looking at you, WOB, Scorpions and Hanseatic League). That said, I've come to accept that the compact is just stuck in the confederation.  I can always relive 3030-3063. And St. Ives will always have a better run than the Tikonov Free Republic. (Though if I had my druthers...)
« Last Edit: 18 November 2018, 22:40:58 by Hayden. »
Hayden

Lord Cameron

  • Patron Saint of GenCon Goodies
  • Catalyst Demo Team
  • Captain
  • *
  • Posts: 1747
Re: [Non-BT] WWII Aircraft- Tiny planes - Large collection!
« Reply #48 on: 18 November 2018, 22:56:36 »
Are these 1/300 aircraft?
Agent #395, West Coast CDT Lead

theCrowe

  • Master Sergeant
  • *
  • Posts: 261
Re: [Non-BT] WWII Aircraft- Tiny planes - Large collection!
« Reply #49 on: 19 November 2018, 12:32:50 »
Are these 1/300 aircraft?

Yes, everything here is 1/300.

Lord Cameron

  • Patron Saint of GenCon Goodies
  • Catalyst Demo Team
  • Captain
  • *
  • Posts: 1747
Re: [Non-BT] WWII Aircraft- Tiny planes - Large collection!
« Reply #50 on: 19 November 2018, 16:01:30 »
Yes, everything here is 1/300.

I started collecting 1/432 WWII minis some years ago, but it's tough to find them now....
Agent #395, West Coast CDT Lead

theCrowe

  • Master Sergeant
  • *
  • Posts: 261
Re: [Non-BT] WWII Aircraft- Tiny planes - Large collection!
« Reply #51 on: 19 November 2018, 17:47:24 »
I started collecting 1/432 WWII minis some years ago, but it's tough to find them now....

Yeah, I've never seen anything that scale for sale. Everything's either 1:200, 1:287, 1:300, 1:600. At least as far as I've seen. I chose 1:300 because it had the widest selection to choose from for a pretty cheep price per-miniature. It is pretty darn small though and sometimes I could wish for 1/200 scale just for that little bit more detail.

What do you use them for?

theCrowe

  • Master Sergeant
  • *
  • Posts: 261
Re: [Non-BT] WWII Aircraft- Tiny planes - Large collection!
« Reply #52 on: 25 January 2019, 17:38:32 »
Hi folks, long time no planes! Super glad to be back at long last with this batch all ready to show. This time around I'm not looking at a National Air Force or even a specific front. This time around I'm looking at V.I.P.'s in the air!

In a war where for the first time people could be transported through the skies to almost anywhere in the world the various aircraft that made that possible through either choice or necessity make for an interesting study. Well I think so at least.

 NOTE: Some of the planes so used were cutting edge prototypes or specially modified to purpose and wouldn't have had all the turrets and other fixtures of later regular service aircraft. I've chosen not to file these off or dramatically alter window layouts on these miniatures so please forgive such inaccuracies as we go along. So with that said lets look at the planes.

The first V.I.P. I wanted to look at had to be Churchill, who as you can imagine had much cause to travel around the world. I couldn't get miniatures for his earlier flights but I could get one for this.

In August 1942 American pilot Captain Vanderkloot ,the best in the business flew Churchill and his staff in a specially converted Long range B-24 Liberator cargo transporter -AL504 named "Commando". They went first to Cairo to put Monty in charge in North Africa and then on to Moscow to meet with Stalin.

It wasn't exactly a comfortable ride. The bomb bay was sealed shut and the interior fitted with a makeshift cabin of seats and a bed for the main man. The whole thing was painted black (proper stealth technology that) for the overnight flights and any info on the flight plan was strictly top secret.


Churchill's second and last trip on "Commando" was to the 1943 Casablanca Conference. (A little more on what he saw when he got there later)


In May 1943, seeing the need for a permanent (and altogether more suitable, altogether more British) dedicated VIP transport aircraft the air ministry commissioned Avro York C Mark I LV633 for use by King George VI and the Prime Minister. Named "Ascalon" by 24 Squadron's Commanding Officer, LV633 joined the King's Flight, operating from Hendon Middlesex.

In August 1944, with Vanderkroot again at the controls  Ascalon bore the travelling PM in some greater amount of comfort this time (he did turn 70 in this year after all) to Algiers, Naples, Moscow, Cairo, Turkey and the Black Sea, cigar in hand all the way there and back, no doubt.
 
Ascalon also conveyed King George VI on some of his longest Royal flights visiting Tripoli in June 1943 and Naples in July-August 1944.


Douglas VC-54C Skymaster Aka “Sacred Cow” President Roosevelt.

The first purpose-built presidential air transport the forerunner to the modern day "Airforce One" was this Douglas Skymaster, officially the "Flying Whitehouse" but more commonly referred to as "the Sacred Cow", a nod to the high security and special status surrounding the plane.


Presidential luxuries on board included an executive conference room with a large desk and a rectangular bulletproof window.  A private presidential privy and a fold down bed concealed behind the sofa. And even a galley kitchen with an electric fridge! A battery-powered wheelchair lift was installed at the rear to allow the President to board the aircraft more easily.

The Sacred Cow represented the very bleeding edge of modernity in the air. When Churchill first encountered the C-54 of the American delegation in Casablanca he was green with envy. (He was still flying Commando!)

Of course he had to have one too, in the interest of maintaining the dignity and prestige of Britain you understand. In November 1944 he got his wish and for the Yalta conference in Feb 45  both Skymasters were parked up side by side at Saki airport and guarded by the Red Army.

But what about Uncle Joe, I hear you cry.

Well he didn't fly so that's that.

Ok only joking, I'll drop another picture of my Soviet Pe-8 (that ain't no bourgeois party wagon)

 It is painted up as the aircraft that carried Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov and his delegation from Moscow to London and then to Washington, D.C. and back, for negotiations to open a second front against Nazi Germany (19 May–13 June 1942). The flight crossed German-controlled airspace on the return trip without incident.

Stalin evidently didn't mind sending his underlings on dangerous air journeys. Stalin himself preferred to stay on the ground inside 83tons of armoured rail carriage.


Ok, so on to some Axis VIP's.

Ju52 Lufthansa airliner Immelmann D-2600

This is possibly the most Nazi-lookin' plane in my collection, it's Hitler's own personal ride courtesy of Germany's premier airline Deutsche Lufthansa, who in 1933 gave him this classic three engined Junkers Ju52 by the name of Immelmann II (after WW1 ace Max Immelmann)
As Chancellor of Germany Hitler travelled extensively by air and had his own fleet of aircraft based in Berlin many of them Ju52s.


The Ju52, known as 'Tante Ju' (Aunt Ju) or 'Iron Annie' was a mainstay of the Lufwaffe. A rugged and reliable trimotor medium bomber from the Spanish Civil War the old Ju52 remained in service throughout the Second World War as one of the Luftwaffe's most common transport aircraft for both personnel and cargo as well as mine-sweeping, glider towing and paratroop drops, though it was horribly vulnerable to more modern fighters and anti-aircraft fire. (I didn't file the defensive weapons off as I intend to repaint this miniature some day for another project but Immelmann II was a civilian airliner and so wouldn't have had them) (I might add that Chiang Kai-shek's personal transport was also a Ju52 commandeered from Eurasia Airlines)

Hitler's personal pilot was a man named Hans Baur. Baur had been his pilot during his election campaign and continued to be on into the war. He was given a high ranking SS commission and tasked with building and maintaining Hitlers personal air fleet. In 1939 he suggested an upgrade, switching the old Iron Annie for a shinny new four engines Focke-Wulf FW200C Condor, imaginatively named Immelmann III.

It was kited out with an armoured seat for der Fuhrer and his own automatic parachute. (Which Baur said was never armed) It was faster and had a much longer range than his old ride, unsurprising as the Fw 200 was originally designed as a transatlantic airliner.

The Condor was pressed into military service as a maritime patrol aircraft and fitted out with defensive weapons, radios and radar equipment. All the extra weight was a bit much for the slim sleek airliner and they were fitted with a heavier undercarriage to take the load but the overloaded Condors had a bad tendency to break their backs on heavy landings.

German Foreign Minister, Joachim von Ribbentrop also flew by Condor to Moscow in 1939 to negotiate the Treaty of Non-Aggression between Germany and the Soviet Union. That was another civilian marked airliner though (silver and black like the Ju52) and again I intend to re-do this Fw200 as a standard maritime patrol plane, so I didn't file off any weapon turrets that neither Hitler's nor Ribbentrop's rides would have toted.

Mitsubishi G4M 'Betty' Admiral Yamamoto

When U.S. Naval Intelligence intercepted the travel plans of Imperial Japanese Navy Admiral Isokoru Yamamoto the chance to "Get Yamamoto" was too good to miss. He was planning an inspection visit of Japanese bases in the upper Solomon Islands to boost morale but when his plane arrived at Balalae Airfield, on an island near Bougainville a squadron of Army Airforce P-38 Lightning's were ready to pounce.

Having flown a 600 mile approach at wave top level avoiding radar and Japanese controlled airspace the attack had been maticulously planned and executed with exacting navigational skill by the pilots of Squadron 339 who arrived bang on time just as the Admiral's convoy were coming in to land.

Lt. Rex T. Barber peeled off and engaged the first "Betty" taking out an engine and the smoking bomber plunged into the jungle below. 'Operation Vengeance' had beaten astonishing odds to come out a success, Admiral Yamamoto, the architect of the attack on Pearl Harbour was dead. See, this is why Stalin didn't fly!

Well that's world leaders, royals and politicians and the like for a little bit, but I'm not done yet, lets take a look at some royalty of a different sort, Hollywood royalty!

 B-17E Flying Fortress  "The Duchess" Air gunner Clark Gable

When Hollywood superstar Carole Lombard died in a tragic plane crash following her hugely successful war-bonds drive her husband, Clark Gable was devastated.

To honour her memory Gable enlisted in the airforce graduated OCS receiving a commission as a Second Lieutenant and was immediately given a special assignment by Henry H "Hap" Arnold. Gable would head a film crew, filming in combat with the Eighth Air Force then operating out of England to make a recruitment film about aerial gunners.

Gable's fifth and final combat mission flown out of RAF Polebrooke was aboard "The Duchess" leading the 351st in a raid on the Nantes port area in France in September 1943. Gable manned the nose gun during the raid where despite a lot of damage from enemy fighters and flack all the bombers managed to return to England. Gable and his film crew returned to Hollywood and completed the production of "Combat America" as a tribute to the airforce who by that time had plenty of gunners already.


and Gable wasn't the only Hollywood star to swap the big screen for a big plane.


 B-24D Liberator (Jimmy Stewart) Nine Yanks and a Jerk

Jimmy Stewart, although a big name in the movies was already an accomplished commercial pilot when the war began. His family having a proud military heritage, naturally Stewart's first instinct was to sigh up with the USAAF.

Hap Arnold wanted to keep the movie star stateside as a training instructor to be available for public appearances and recruitment drives but Stewart was keen to avoid that particular dead end and wanted to serve in a real combat role. He eventually got his chance and shipped out to command 445th Bombardment Group in action over Germany.

This B-24 Liberator "Nine Yanks and a Jerk" (if you don't know why that's funny I'll explain when you're old enough) was one of those flown by Commander Stewart leading 703rd BS. He would fly 20 credited combat sorties and many more uncredited as his distinguished career saw him progress from private to colonel in only four years with numerous medals. His airforce service continued long after the Second World War ended retiring as a Brigadier General in 1968.

Now, on to those perhaps more strategically important people.

BOAC Mosquito

When you absolutely positively have to evacuate the world's leading Nuclear-Physicist out of Stockholm there's really only one option. Enter B.O.A.C. whose private airline ran all sorts of commercial and occasionally clandestine flights into Britain out of neutral Sweden.

Niels Bohr was stowed aboard this modified B.O.A.C. Mosquito in an improvised cabin in the bomb bay where a single passenger could lie prone for the duration of the flight over the North Sea.

Bohr was provided with an Oxygen mask but when pilot Gilbert Rae and radio operator James Payne couldn't get a response from him they surmised that Bohr had passed out from lack of Oxygen and so dropped to a lower altitude. When asked about his flight Bohr said he'd slept like a baby. Bohr joined the Manhattan Project and as they say, the rest is history.

Westland Lysander pilot Peter Vaughan-Fowler

That was sneaking the VIP out but what about getting one in? Well, when you've got a special agent who needs to get into enemy occupied France in the dead of night the man you want on the job is the undisputed king of the midnight Spy-Taxi run, Peter Vaughn-Fowler.
The Westland Lysander was originally intended as a STOL (Short Take Off & Landing) capable supply mule for the army but during early operations in France it was found to be far too slow and vulnerable to enemy fighters to operate anywhere near the front lines in that role. It was however the perfect plane for insertion and extraction of special agents behind enemy lines at night, a spy taxi.

Flying at treetop level with a map on his lap and only the moonlit shadows to navigate by Vaughn-Fowler could put his Lysander down on a field that most other pilots would consider not much bigger than a postage stamp.
This kind of risky solo flying mission required needle-in-a-haystack navigation skills, some serious piloting chops and nerves of steel. Not only was a huge proportion of the mission flown over enemy lines but every mission was flying right into the teeth of the potentially lethal world of espionage and resistance movements where the standing order was execution for anyone caught in the act or suspected of spying.


If however your deep extraction just happens to include a deposed dictator in a mountaintop hotel your best bet (along with some fairly shady political dealing) might be this nippy little number. The  Fieseler Fi 156 Storch.

The "daring rescue" of Benito Mussolini was made possible by the extreme STOL characteristics of the Feiseler Storch. With some serious hydraulic suspension the lanky landing gear took on about 350ft of boulder strewn Gran Sasso mountainside which was all it required to set down, collect Il ex-Duce and whisk him away.

Plenty of footage of the raid was shot for posterity, and the Axis newsreels of course. In fact that was about all that was shot, as the whole thing was a done deal before the armed paratroopers even arrived and ordered the Italian guards to surrender. Still, it's one thing to make a shady political deal and quite another to put together the skills, resources and specialist aircraft to pull it off.


Well that's all for now folks. What a mission that was! Took a bit longer than anticipated but I had a blast researching and painting this lot. Hope you all enjoyed them and do chime in with your thoughts, but for now as always, thanks for visiting the gallery.

I am Belch II

  • Lieutenant Colonel
  • *
  • Posts: 10503
  • It's a gator with a nuke, whats the problem.
Re: [Non-BT] WWII Aircraft- Tiny planes - Large collection!
« Reply #53 on: 30 January 2019, 12:49:47 »
So very nice job
Walking the fine line between sarcasm and being a smart-ass

theCrowe

  • Master Sergeant
  • *
  • Posts: 261
Re: [Non-BT] WWII Aircraft- Tiny planes - Large collection!
« Reply #54 on: 25 July 2019, 19:39:41 »
Hi Battletech folks. Long time no planes. Sorry for the long break, I got very distracted with ground based things. (gasp!) Sorry, no mechs. Bounce over to my 6mm WW2 Red Cross round up if you want to see those.
https://www.thewargameswebsite.com/forums/topic/6mm-red-cross-round-up/

Carrying on the theme of Red Cross marked machines though I've got some Air Ambulance and rescue planes for you all this time around.


Not too many, just the five this time around, as I'm still not quite done with my ground based ideas yet. So anyway, on with the aircraft!

He 59- German Seenotdienst Air Sea Rescue service.

Seenotdienst Air Sea Rescue planes like these and many other types were operating in the North Sea and over the channel and many airmen of both sides had been saved from certain drowning by their efforts.


Unfortunately however it turned out they weren't just rescuing downed airmen. They were also noting the location of Allied naval convoys. This was considered an illegal activity while flying under the protection of the Red Cross and Churchill was having none of it. So he ordered they be engaged and shot down as active combatants regardless of their markings (a somewhat controversial order) and despite the fact that Britain did not operate her own Air Sea Rescue at the time.


The Seenotdienst were rolled up into the Luftwaffe and soon dropped their Red Cross and civilian markings but none the less continued to operate in the roll of Air Sea Rescue throughout the war.

Across the world air ambulance services were operated by dedicated units ferrying wounded men back from the front lines.

The Bristol Bombay was an ageing troop transport, turned light bomber, that had served admirably in the Middle East until the availability of Wellingtons allowed the old Bombays to be used in a more suitable role. They went from bombing duties with 216sqd RAF to transport and air ambulance duties with the No.1 Air Ambulance Unit, RAAF in Feb 1943 serving in the Tunisia campaign.


1AAU continued to provide vital support to infantry forces during the invasion of Sicily and on into Italy. As newer and more reliable types came online with the RAF and USAAF the 1AAU with their venerable Bombays were disbanded flying their last air evacuation in November of 1943.

Piper Cub HE-1 US Navy air ambulance evacuation.
g
The Piper Cub was a perfect little civilian two seater used across the American military services as a transport and recon platform, designated the L-4 Grasshopper.


It was the US Navy however who commissioned this variant, the HE-1, (later AE-1) a dedicated air ambulance with a hinged upper rear fuselage to allow the loading of a single wounded passenger on a stretcher.


These aircraft were located at small remote Naval Auxiliary Air Stations which were often some distance from major medical facilities. The development and introduction of helicopters for air evacuation made small ambulance planes like these all but obsolete.

Another Air Sea Rescue plane, this time I'm looking to the coast of Spain.

Like many officially neutral nations Spain operated patrols over its airspace and coastlines. In the summer of 1944 twelve Dornier 24T flying boats (Dutch-built machines originally serving with the Luftwaffe) were delivered to Spain on the understanding that they would be used to rescue downed airmen off the Spanish coasts.


Do-24s like these were also used by the Seenotdienst Air Sea Rescue service. According to Dornier's records the Do 24 was credited with the rescue of some 12,000 people over the course of its service, which with the Spanish airforce lasted until 1967.


And last of my air ambulance and rescue set is the Douglas C-47 Dakota.

Not all aircraft carrying wounded had the benefit of Red Cross markings. (Indeed not all those that were so marked received the courtesy that the law required) In the earliest days of the Normandy landings the first airfields secured allowed these transports to land carrying vital ammunition, food and supplies to the allied armies in France but the return leg to England was an air evacuation of the wounded.

As the Dakotas were carrying war supplies to the front they could not be marked with the Red Cross so the return to England though laden with wounded was entirely at their own risk if under the cover of allied fighters.


Well that's all for now. Still working on a couple more 6m ground based bits and bobs (nothing normal I assure you) but I'll be back with more aircraft in the future and as ever you'll see them on here. Thanks for visiting the gallery and do let me know what you think.

A note on Battletech specific Red Cross/ Geneva conventions. I once had a notion of a mercenary outfit called the K7 who delivered vengeance on war criminals and hid their operation behind a front of charitable disaster relief (and had Mechs outfitted for that)

In the Battletech universe has anyone ever given much thought to Mechs used as disaster relief machines? Bringing in supplies, rescuing folks from rubble or flood zones, putting out forest fires. That sort of thing?

theCrowe

  • Master Sergeant
  • *
  • Posts: 261
Re: [Non-BT] WWII Aircraft- Tiny planes - Large collection!
« Reply #55 on: 27 January 2020, 18:52:11 »

Hi folks, thanks for visiting the gallery again. This time around I've been looking at anything that floats. That's right folks Float Planes and Flying Boats are the order of the day. And since I've gathered up quite a collection I'm breaking them up starting with all the Allies this time. And the Axis ones will follow next time. So on with the show.


Short Sunderland DD867 2-G, of No. 423 Squadron RCAF.
Always important to cheer on the home team, and what could be better than this Northern Irish local legend. Built in Belfast and based at Castle Archdale, County Fermanagh. The Short Sunderland had to be the one to kick things off this time around.

The good Canadian lads of No. 423 would fly these big four engined patrol boats out of Lough Erne on long-range patrol/reconnaissance and submarine hunting missions over the Atlantic. For such a task it could be equipped equipped with bombs, aerial mines or depth charges and toted up to sixteen defensive machine guns, which earned it the nickname Das Fliegendes Stachelschwein ("The Flying Porcupine"). Very catchy.

Sunderlands flew with many other allied air forces across the world and played an important part in the Mediterranean theatre in the evacuation of Crete and the reconnaissance of the Italian fleet at Taranto.

And of course the Canadians provided more than manpower to the air war.

The Noorduyn Norseman was a Canadian-built bush plane. Designed to be fitted with floats, skis or wheels it was a versatile little utility craft.

The RCAF used them for radio and navigational training as part of the Commonwealth Air Training Programme as well as for general utility and patrol in the remote and arctic conditions the Norseman was designed for. Orders were also furnished for the RAF and the USAAF and the Norseman saw service anywhere that a rugged and dependable bush plane was needed from Alaska to the UK.

It was aboard one such UK based Norseman (though not one equipped with floats) that Major Glenn Miller, director of the famous United States Army Air Forces Band disappeared crossing the English Channel. He was on his way to Paris to prepare for a big Christmas show. It is suspected that an iced up carburettor may have caused the crash. TIGHAR (The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery) have taken an interest in the incident and have been investigating the case since January 2019.

And here's both along with the RAF Walrus being the only other commonwealth flying boat in my collection. Nice bit of variety there.

On to the Americans then.

Vought OS2U Kingfisher
The US Navy's own modest little observation floatplane  the Kingfisher could be catapult launched from a battleship or cruiser and used to spot for naval gunnery or to rescue men in the water. It wasn't fast and it wasn't well armed making it easy prey for any opportunistic Japanese fighter that happened upon one. Nevertheless Kingfisher pilots and radio men put it all on the line to get the job done.

One such pilot was Lt. John Burns of the Observation Squadron (VO) 6 from the battleship North Carolina (BB 55) who together with his Radioman Aubrey J. Gill was flying in support of an American air raid on the Japanese port on the Island of Truk, 1st May 1944. Reports of downed airmen in the bay saw them dare a rescue under fire while the attack continued overhead.

As more American airmen splashed down the little Kingfisher taxied around the bay from life raft to life raft eventually collecting up seven stranded men. With the aircraft heavily overloaded and the men carefully balanced along the wings they were struggling to remain afloat never mind any hope of getting airborne.

None the less Burns resolved to taxi the craft out of the bay and into deeper waters where after a pretty hairy five hour wait with the waves beating the little plane apart all nine men were picked up by the American Submarine Tang . With the rescued Zoomies safely below deck the Tang's gunners sank the Kingfisher (they couldn't leave it for the enemy to recover) before the Tang continued her patrol.


Grumman J2F Duck
One of the unsung heroes of the American war effort. Maybe not as modern, fast or glamorous as some of the other planes in the US Armed forces inventory but Grumman's old single engine amphibious bi-plane was the definitive utility plane.

It first flew in the early 30s but by the time The War was on it was a mainstay workhorse of the US Navy, Marine Corps and Coast guard, with dedicated versions produced for each. It could do mapping and Photo reconnaissance,  scouting and observation, anti-submarine patrol and Air Sea Rescue. Ducks transported the wounded and the VIPs alike, towed targets and dropped bombs and depth charges.

As Grumman switched production to other more important projects the old Ducks muddled through in service all throughout the war and beyond all over the world and in as many different roles as could be found. Some remained airborne as late as the mid 50s.



Martin PBM Mariner
An often overlooked hero of the Pacific this big bruiser of a Patrol Bomber became one of the most commonly used flying boats of the US Navy. The Mariner had a much bigger capacity and a longer operational range than the (more glamorous and more celebrated) PBY Catalina which it replaced squadron by squadron as soon as numbers could be built.
f
Trouble was, and it seems obvious looking at this thing, that it was a four-engine sized airframe with only two engines albeit two massive Wright R-2600 radials. Successive versions were upgraded and up-powered time and again but often additional radar and landing gear would offset the improvements leaving them woefully underpowered and accident prone. 

Fully laden and fully fuelled for a 2,000 mile maritime patrol these ungainly whales required a huge length of water to get their hulls into the air. So much so that later versions would require rocket or jet assisted take off.


And here's all the Americans together joined by my PBY Catalina. Another nice selection of very individual designs in use by US forces.


Conwing L-16 Seaduck
The once iconic Conwing L-16 was, by 1938 a bit long in the tooth but some veteran pilots still swore by them and maintained these highly versatile cargo and transport seaplanes despite the appearance of faster and more specialised aircraft on the market.

The Seaduck was owned by a commercial freight company called "Higher for Hire" operating out of Cape Suzette on the coast of Usland. Her veteran pilot Baloo the Bear (call-sign Papa Bear) and navigator, a young former pirate called Kit Cloudkicker operated a particularly hazardous route often at risk of air pirates and raiders. But the trusty old Seaduck was a rugged and capable machine that never let them down.


Never quite sure where to put a French aircraft when it's an Allies/Axis split so seeing as I've got two floating Frenchies I'm throwing one in here and the other in with the Axis later.

The Latécoère 298 was designed for the French Navy for maritime patrol and torpedoing German Submarines. In the early months of the war, the Phoney War they did plenty of patrolling but didn't manage to sink anything.

It wasn't until May 1940 when equipped for dive bombing against the invading armoured columns that the Navy's Laté 298's had much more success. In fact their losses on such missions were fewer than those of French squadrons equipped with other types.

The Laté 298 was one of France's more successful designs. Weather captured by the Luftwaffe, flying under Vichy colours or defecting to the Allies in North Africa thy were a welcome addition to any squadron they equipped.

So that's the Allies new additions. Adding to my old Supermarine Walruss and Consolidated PBY Catalina (still a firm favourite) it's a fairly wide overview of some of the water-based machines in use by the Allies throughout the war.
 

And of course the Seaduck is really from the Disney Saturday morning cartoon Talespin! But you all knew that, right?

Daryk

  • Major General
  • *
  • Posts: 39754
  • The Double Deuce II/II-σ
Re: [Non-BT] WWII Aircraft- Tiny planes - Large collection!
« Reply #56 on: 27 January 2020, 19:56:09 »
Glad to see you back!  Loved the Kingfisher story...  :thumbsup:

Wolf72

  • Major
  • *
  • Posts: 3284
Re: [Non-BT] WWII Aircraft- Tiny planes - Large collection!
« Reply #57 on: 27 January 2020, 20:16:40 »
the look of the Mariner is very cool, love the main wing folds and the angle of the tail wings.

The (non) down side is that I stop all my internet stuff to read your posts, makes the planes even more special.

You need to make a book of this stuff, mini's with stories to go with them.
"We're caught in the moon's gravitational pull, what do we do?!"

CI KS #1357; Merc KS #9798

"We're sending a squad up."

Daryk

  • Major General
  • *
  • Posts: 39754
  • The Double Deuce II/II-σ
Re: [Non-BT] WWII Aircraft- Tiny planes - Large collection!
« Reply #58 on: 27 January 2020, 20:21:18 »
I have to wonder why the Catalinas were more popular after the war... were the Mariners not de-militarized?  ???

theCrowe

  • Master Sergeant
  • *
  • Posts: 261
Re: [Non-BT] WWII Aircraft- Tiny planes - Large collection!
« Reply #59 on: 28 January 2020, 08:35:23 »
Thanks for the welcome back. I'm always acutely aware of my lack of Battletech content as my main battletech oponents have all gotten a serious dose of real life (myself included) What I should do is get my kids into it!

Anyway, as regards the Mariner I can only imagine there wasn't much call for a super long range flying boat after the war. Much more commercially viable airliners and cargo planes and improved runways were available and the golden era of the flying boat as a contender for that market was over.

Catalinas on the other hand were that bit smaller and cheaper to run and very capable and so maybe a bit more versatile.

 

Register