F15 Flying With One Wing - WOW!!!!!!

[Vulcann]

Some memorable planes in WW2 include

 

1.) Stuka dive bomber Ju 87 They were specially fitted with a siren that exaggerated their dive resonance to create terror in the hearts of their victims.

2.) de Havilland Mosquito DH 98. Very sleek silhouette, not just a looker but one of the fastest among its contemporaries.

3.) Flying Fortress B-29. Looks very proportional and graceful despite its size

4.) Ilyushin Il-2. Foremost tank buster

5.) A6M Zero. Tora tora tora!

 

Mosquito yes. Made of basically wood and was very fast.

 

More for recce than fighting.

 

Once kena only will burn like h*ll but a class of it's own

 

Zeroes were the absolute terror at the beginning of the war. No allied fighter can match it then but later part of the conflict it was outclassed by Hellcats in terms of firepower and armor.

 

And of course the fortresses. B-17 Flying Fortress first. With the G model of an additional chin turret, it was the most heavily armed heavy bomber then but needed a tight formation and long range fighter escorts to ensure it's survivability. It was still fair game to the feared 88s which created quite a big havoc and shot down many allied planes (incidentally the 88 was also utilized as a anti-tank weapon in the later part of the war when the allied forces were advancing towards Germany. Even the famous Tiger/King Tiger tanks was mounted with a 88 gun!! that was pure German fine technology to have such a versatile

weapon)

 

Anyone still remember the movie "Memphis Belle"? It was the name of a real life bomber though the story was fiction.

 

The next famous fortress was the Superfortress, B-29 which came at the later part of the war. IIRC it was not used in the European theatre but only in the Pacific.

 

Like the B-17 it was first used as a strategic bomber to strike important targets over Japan but later unfortunately utilized in the indiscriminate bombing over many cities and killed thousands of innocent

civilians.

 

And of course we all knew the famous Enola Gay which dropped the very first atomic bomb onto Hiroshima and caused massive lost of human lives and hellish destruction. Many survivors later died of radiation

The second bomb which was dropped over Nagasaki was delivered by another B-29 named Bockscar.

Edited August 18, 2011 by Vulcann

[Vulcann]

Same here. Not much impression of WWI planes except those with gunner riding shotgun, looks pretty menancing but apparently useless.

 

B-17s with their colorful liveries and bristling with machine guns are totally cool but still apparently useless. But you got to love the men who flew and fought in them. I would not want to be in any of them over the Rhine.

 

The one thing outstanding about WWII planes were the freedom given to the squadrons to paint their planes. Some of the nose arts were totally classic.

 

Sadly, everything came to a sudden end with the jet engine. Shooting Stars and Sabres over Mig alley was another interesting scenario. The Russians seeems to get things right by keeping it simple. Even their tanks, AK-47 were simple. But ultimately, the Western's edge in electronic technology did the Russians in.

 

On the Harrier, the USMC AV-8Bs looks fiercer than the original Harrier but how can anyone replicate the legend of what the Sea-Harriers did to the Argie Air Force at Falkland? Flying off the top of container ships with ski jump.

 

Crews of B-17s & B-24s together with their Brit counterparts were really men with b*lls of steel. Their attrition rate was like, what, 25% with 1 in 4 not returning from any mission in the initial years. Unlike the Brits who only conducted night operations, the Yankees mounted daylight bombings which took a heavy toll on both crew & planes. All of German's anti-air forces: fighters & the lethal 88s plus other ACKs ACKs concentrated their firepower in good visibility conditions onto these heavies which had to fly in tight formations to defend against fighters but with practically no room for movement.

 

Imagine every plane shot down meant 10 more empty beds instantly back at the barracks...

 

The 25 mission each airman had to complete before rotating back to the world seems an impossible target to meet to many & they were quite right...

 

I am also impressed with the nose art done to their flying machines. Imagine cartoon characters & naked babes painted onto the fuselage which in today's politically-correct context seems incredible! But my deepest impression is still the shark-mouth pattern on the Kittyhawks of the AVG aka Flying Tigers under Chennault. Man they were fierce looking! Not sure if the opposing Japs had the same thought then though...Later the same pattern were found on Phantoms & Thunderbolts.

 

Harriers were versatile jets that help save lives in their close-air support role. Like you mentioned these jump jets could take off from any platform like a chopper. Though slow & lack endurance, they prove to be a valuable asset in any armed conflict when ground forces are committed like in Falklands War. Americans have seldom purchase arms from any other nation & Harrier was the rare exception. Named AV8B Harrier II, they are still a major component in the Marines & well loved by these leathernecks.

Edited August 19, 2011 by Vulcann

[Vulcann]

Probably one of the few chances an F-15 will get to fire it's cannon

 

May not even need to activate the Vulcan.

 

Just streak near any WWII relic in afterburner mode & they might even disintegrate in mid sky

 

So it boils down to whether the 20 mikes mikes are more costly or the jet fuel then

Edited August 19, 2011 by Vulcann

[The_Bear]

Do you remember these photos?

 

<- THE Prototype color. It was a bitch to paint for airfix.

 

<- I remember this photo in a Top Trumps. Looks like a X-Wing fighter.

 

<- Original Eagle prototype

 

<- Badass Eagle prototype

 

<- The one that never made it. Nice paint job though

 

<- The last of the painted prototypes.

Edited August 21, 2011 by Bavarian

[Vulcann]

Do you remember these photos?

 

<- THE Prototype color. It was a bitch to paint for airfix.

 

<- I remember this photo in a Top Trumps. Looks like a X-Wing fighter.

 

<- Original Eagle prototype

 

<- Badass Eagle prototype

 

<- The one that never made it. Nice paint job though

 

<- The last of the painted prototypes.

 

Nice early shots of these magnificent flying machines [thumbsup]

 

One which I like very much but never put into production is this experimental babe:

Simply sensational and sleek!

 

 

 

 

 

[Xers007]

Maybe you guys might be interested in this game www.worldoftanks.com, it is a free MMO game where you can take control of WWII tanks and fight side by side with real players... they are also planning for air and naval battles...

Edited August 22, 2011 by Xers007

[Vulcann]

Maybe you guys might be interested in this game www.worldoftanks.com, it is a free MMO game where you can take control of WWII tanks and fight side by side with real players... they are also planning for air and naval battles...

 

Haha MO might be interested...

 

 

[Sabian]

Do you remember these photos?

 

<- THE Prototype color. It was a bitch to paint for airfix.

 

<- I remember this photo in a Top Trumps. Looks like a X-Wing fighter.

 

I remember the first 2 from the card game you mentioned. Hated the F16. Stupid single engine always getting pwned by even dual engined cards.

 

I recall Boeing was the king of the deck, except for speed.

Edited August 23, 2011 by Sabian

[The_Bear]

I remember the first 2 from the card game you mentioned. Hated the F16. Stupid single engine always getting pwned by even dual engined cards.

 

I recall Boeing was the king of the deck, except for speed.

Haha. The 747 or smthg like that. Hell yeah! Wingspan longer also can win. The b52 eight jet engine also king. [laugh]