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Captain Henry T. Elrod did it all. In the 16-day defense of Wake Island in December 1941, the 36-year-old Marine shot down at least one Japanese aircraft, sank an enemy warship, and conducted the ground defense on his part of the 1,400-acre sandspit when the invaders got ashore. A native Georgian, Elrod had enlisted in the Corps in 1927, received a commission, and won wings of gold in 1935. He was an experienced fighter pilot in Maj. Paul Putnam’s VMF-211 when Mitsubishi G3M Nells attacked on December 8, across the International Date Line from Pearl Harbor. Elrod was leading his […]
Medal of Honor Fighters – The highest award for extreme service
Captain Henry T. Elrod did it all. In the 16-day defense of Wake Island in December 1941, the 36-year-old Marine shot down at least one Japanese aircraft, sank an enemy warship, and conducted the ground defense on his part of the 1,400-acre sandspit when the invaders got ashore. A native Georgian, Elrod had enlisted in the Corps in 1927, received a commission, and won wings of gold in 1935. He was an experienced fighter pilot in Maj. Paul Putnam’s VMF-211 when Mitsubishi G3M Nells attacked on December 8, across the International Date Line from Pearl Harbor. Elrod was leading his […]
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It’s a simple question, really, and one I have asked hundreds of times over to the World War II veteran fighter pilots that I have interviewed. But the responses are far from straightforward; in fact, some are more complex than others. A number of the guys will answer, tongue in cheek, that it was the particular airplane they were flying in at the time. Others will graciously proclaim that it was, of course, the one that always brought them home safely, flak holes and all. Although a few flew only one type during their combat tour, there were those pilots, […]
Dare to Compare – Wartime pilots fly the icons
It’s a simple question, really, and one I have asked hundreds of times over to the World War II veteran fighter pilots that I have interviewed. But the responses are far from straightforward; in fact, some are more complex than others. A number of the guys will answer, tongue in cheek, that it was the particular airplane they were flying in at the time. Others will graciously proclaim that it was, of course, the one that always brought them home safely, flak holes and all. Although a few flew only one type during their combat tour, there were those pilots, […]
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Although under development since 1937 with a handful of preproduction and developmental examples, it wasn’t until the introduction of the “E” model of the P-38 in late 1941 that the Army Air Force finally had an advanced fighter ready for combat. Bringing Lockheed’s Model 222-62-09 to that level required over 2,000 engineering changes. Electrical and hydraulics were improved, nose armament was standardized with four, now staggered, .50-calibers and the Hispano 20mm centerline cannon. The nose gear retraction drag strut location was reversed, now to the rear and allowed more room for ammunition in the nose compartment. Leading edge wing to […]
When Lightning First Strikes
Although under development since 1937 with a handful of preproduction and developmental examples, it wasn’t until the introduction of the “E” model of the P-38 in late 1941 that the Army Air Force finally had an advanced fighter ready for combat. Bringing Lockheed’s Model 222-62-09 to that level required over 2,000 engineering changes. Electrical and hydraulics were improved, nose armament was standardized with four, now staggered, .50-calibers and the Hispano 20mm centerline cannon. The nose gear retraction drag strut location was reversed, now to the rear and allowed more room for ammunition in the nose compartment. Leading edge wing to […]
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Fighter planes are icons. Long after their guns were unloaded, the lethal elegance of Mustangs, Lightnings, and Corsairs continue drawing new generations of admirers. If you doubt it, check any airshow. The crowds are thickest around the airframes bearing “P” or “F” prefixes. No era has produced so rich a variety or as enduring a heritage of fighters as World War II. Only several hundred remain worldwide, but they generate a disproportionate amount of interest for their numbers. The following figures contain anomalies. For instance, the Hellcat, only fifth among numbers of U.S. fighters, produced by far the most aces, […]
Fighter Stats
Fighter planes are icons. Long after their guns were unloaded, the lethal elegance of Mustangs, Lightnings, and Corsairs continue drawing new generations of admirers. If you doubt it, check any airshow. The crowds are thickest around the airframes bearing “P” or “F” prefixes. No era has produced so rich a variety or as enduring a heritage of fighters as World War II. Only several hundred remain worldwide, but they generate a disproportionate amount of interest for their numbers. The following figures contain anomalies. For instance, the Hellcat, only fifth among numbers of U.S. fighters, produced by far the most aces, […]
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By the end of June 1944, six of the original Me 262 prototypes had been destroyed or badly damaged. In order to replace them, Messerschmitt decided to take six standard production machines and give them the now-defunct Versuchs numbers. These production machines were used to test a large and varied number of experiments and modifications. W.Nr. 170303 became the second V7 and made its first flight on September 22, 1944. It made a total number of 67 test flights, totalling 18 hours and 38 minutes by the end of February 1945. It was used to test brakes, new hydraulics, the […]
The Ever-Evolving Schwalbe
By the end of June 1944, six of the original Me 262 prototypes had been destroyed or badly damaged. In order to replace them, Messerschmitt decided to take six standard production machines and give them the now-defunct Versuchs numbers. These production machines were used to test a large and varied number of experiments and modifications. W.Nr. 170303 became the second V7 and made its first flight on September 22, 1944. It made a total number of 67 test flights, totalling 18 hours and 38 minutes by the end of February 1945. It was used to test brakes, new hydraulics, the […]
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Joe Peterburs enjoyed “every minute” of his combat experience during the late stages of World War II. Becoming a five-victory ace and shooting down an Me-262 flown by a famed German pilot was simply part of four intense months of combat, days as a POW, and fighting alongside a Russian tank unit. And that’s just one period of an Air Force career that lasted 36 years, including combat in the skies of Korea, ejecting from a jet during the Cold War, and an assignment to Vietnam that nearly cost him his life during the Tet Offensive. Eighty one years after […]
Confident Combatant Col. Joseph Peterburs downs a Luftwaffe top ace
Joe Peterburs enjoyed “every minute” of his combat experience during the late stages of World War II. Becoming a five-victory ace and shooting down an Me-262 flown by a famed German pilot was simply part of four intense months of combat, days as a POW, and fighting alongside a Russian tank unit. And that’s just one period of an Air Force career that lasted 36 years, including combat in the skies of Korea, ejecting from a jet during the Cold War, and an assignment to Vietnam that nearly cost him his life during the Tet Offensive. Eighty one years after […]
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I was only 5 feet 4 inches tall when I graduated from flight training in 1943, but my instructors saw something gigantic inside of me. I was one of 60 Second Lieutenants selected out of 400 to go into fighters—P-47 Thunderbolts to be exact. When I first saw the airplane I would fly in combat, my only thought was, “Why in the heck did I ever ask for this behemoth!” But after I flew the Jug for awhile, I really liked it and thought it was a piece of cake to fly—easy to handle, reliable and stable. There was nothing […]
Short Stuff – Size doesn’t matter to a fighter pilot
I was only 5 feet 4 inches tall when I graduated from flight training in 1943, but my instructors saw something gigantic inside of me. I was one of 60 Second Lieutenants selected out of 400 to go into fighters—P-47 Thunderbolts to be exact. When I first saw the airplane I would fly in combat, my only thought was, “Why in the heck did I ever ask for this behemoth!” But after I flew the Jug for awhile, I really liked it and thought it was a piece of cake to fly—easy to handle, reliable and stable. There was nothing […]
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“I could see the handwriting on the wall and I knew we were going to lose the war when I watched helplessly as over 1,200 American bombers and fighters flew over Hungary. What were we to do with only 40 of us in our tired old Me 109s? It was the beginning of the end for the Pumas during that dreadful summer of 1944.” —Michael Karatsonyi Learning the ropes in the Me 109 I remember growing up in Hungary and thinking we were stuck between a rock and a hard place when World War II broke out. My father had […]
Summer of hell – Life and death of the Pumas
“I could see the handwriting on the wall and I knew we were going to lose the war when I watched helplessly as over 1,200 American bombers and fighters flew over Hungary. What were we to do with only 40 of us in our tired old Me 109s? It was the beginning of the end for the Pumas during that dreadful summer of 1944.” —Michael Karatsonyi Learning the ropes in the Me 109 I remember growing up in Hungary and thinking we were stuck between a rock and a hard place when World War II broke out. My father had […]
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