James Ward Crawled Onto a Burning Bomber at 13,000 Feet

This content is copyrighted and may not be reproduced without the express permission of GunsAmerica.com and BAAANG Media LLC. James Ward Crawled Onto a Burning Bomber at 13,000 Feet A burning Vickers Wellington was coming apart over Holland when Sergeant James Ward did something almost impossible...

By Will Dabbs

Fokker D.VIII Fighter: The Deadly Flying Razor

In the summer of 1918, a new fighter ascended in the German Air Combat Forces, or Luftstreitkräfte, boasting a level of performance that would outpace any of Anthony Fokkers’ famous designs. The Fokker E.V parasol monoplane, eventually known as the Fokker D.VIII, demonstrated tremendous combat...

By Tom Laemlein

McDonnell F3H Demon: Troubled Transition to Supersonic Flight

The McDonnell F3H Demon was a single-seat, carrier-based jet fighter developed for the United States Navy in the 1950’s. This aircraft represents a critical but troubled chapter in American naval aviation: one that pushed the McDonnell Aircraft Corporation toward design philosophies that would ...

By Richard Johnson

Berlin Candy Bomber in the Berlin Airlift

U.S. Air Force Colonel Gail Seymour Halvorsen was a transport pilot best known as the “Candy Bomber” or “Onkel Wiggly Wings,” who became famous for dropping candy to German children in Berlin during the Soviet Blockade of the city. Following Germany’s defeat in World War II, the vic...

By Friedrich Seiltgen

M8 Howitzer Motor Carriage: Artillery on a Stuart Chassis

A lot of people suggest that the Stuart tanks were underpowered for World War II. While this may be true when compared to tanks like the Panzer IV, the platform was still able to bring significant firepower to the battlefield in the form of the M8 Howitzer Motor Carriage. The M8 Howitzer Motor Ca...

By Richard Johnson

Aviation Icon and American Hero: Chuck Yeager

Born into poverty in the woods of West Virginia, Charles E. “Chuck” Yeager was a World War II aircraft mechanic, fighter pilot, double ace, military commander, and a test pilot who broke the sound barrier. His journey from Army private to USAF Brigadier General is an inspiration to all. Yeage...

By Friedrich Seiltgen

Curtiss SB2C Helldiver — The Big-Tailed Beast

In 1937, the Curtiss SBC Helldiver entered service, but even at that point, the carrier-based two-seat scout/dive bomber was on the verge of being obsolete. Interestingly, it was also the second aircraft produced by Curtiss-Wright to earn the designation “Helldiver” after the United States Ma...

By Peter Suciu

Battle of Britain: Myth vs. Reality

The idealized concept immediately took root and blossomed: the Royal Air Force saved Britain from invasion in 1940. The conventional wisdom holds that Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s legendary “few” handed Nazi Germany its first defeat in World War II and paved the road to eventual victo...

By Barrett Tillman
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