Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Vultee Vengeance

The Vultee Vengeance was a dive bomber originally purchased by the French, and that entered production for the RAF, but that didn't reach service until the concept of the dedicated dive-bomber had been discredited
The Vultee Vengeance dive-bomber was produced in large numbers for the RAF, but was virtually obsolete by the time it entered service, and only served in the Far East
The Royal Australian Air Force was the second most important operator of the Vultee Vengeance dive-bomber, receiving a large number of aircraft both from British orders and directly from the United States, and using it in combat over New Guinea.
The Vultee A-31 Vengeance was the designation given to early Vengeance dive-bombers produced on lend-lease orders, which required all military equipment to have an official American designation.
The Vultee A-35 Vengeance was the designation given to the last 930 Vengeances, armed with the standard American 0.50in machine guns instead of the 0.30in guns used on the A-31 Vengeance.

Vultee Aircraft Corporation

The Vultee Aircraft Corporation was a short-lived company, originally formed as a subsidiary of the Cord Corporation in 1932. It became an independent company in 1939, but merged with Consolidated in January 1943 to form Consolidated-Vultee, or Convair.

Curtiss Hawk 75/ P-36 Warhawk/ Mohawk

The Hawk 75 was the first modern monoplane fighter to be designed by Curtiss, coming after a long series of successful Hawk biplanes. It entered American service as the P-36, the first modern monoplane fighter to be used in large numbers by the Army Air Corps, but it earned most fame with the French Armée de l'Air, where as the Hawk 75 it was the most successful fighter during the Battle of France
The Curtiss Hawk 75A-C1 was the designation given to around 266 Curtiss Model 75s that formed the most effective part of the French fighter forces during the German invasion of 1940.
The Curtiss Model H75A was the main export version of the P-36/ Hawk 75, and saw extensive service with the French Armée de l'Air in 1940, as well as serving with the RAF and SAAF as the Mohawk, and in China, Argentina, Norway, the Netherlands and Finland.
The Curtiss Model 75H was a simplified version of the Hawk 75 built with a fixed undercarriage and designed for export to smaller powers
The Curtiss Model 75J was the designation given to a single demonstrator aircraft when it was equipped with an external mechanical supercharger
The Curtiss Model 75K was a study for a version of the Hawk 75/ P-36 that was to have been powered by a 910hp Pratt & Whitney R-2180 Twin Hornet. None were built.
The Curtiss Model 75M was a version of the Hawk 75 with a fixed undercarriage, thirty of which were produced by Curtiss and another 82 in China.
Twelve Curtiss Model H75Ns were ordered by Siam (Thailand). These were similar to the Model 75Ms produced in China, with a non-retractable undercarriage and powered by an R-1830 Cyclone engine
The Curtiss Model H75O was a version of the Hawk 75 produced for Argentina
The Curtiss Model 75Q was the designation given to two demonstrator machines similar to the earlier Model 75H, with a fixed undercarriage and the same Wright R-1820 Cyclone engine
The Curtiss Model 75R was the third designation given to a Curtiss-owned Hawk that was used to test external superchargers
The Curtiss Mohawk I was the designation given to a small number of Hawk H75A-1s that escaped to Britain after the German victory in France
The Curtiss Mohawk II was the designation given to a small number of Hawk H75A-2s that escaped from France to Britain after the German victory in June 1940
The Curtiss Mohawk III was the designation given to twenty Hawk H75A-3s originally ordered by France but taken over by the RAF after the fall of France.
The Curtiss Mohawk IV was the most numerous version of the Hawk 75 to enter RAF service, and saw front line service with the RAF in India and with the South Africa Air Force in East Africa.
The Curtiss P-36A was the main US Army Air Corps version of the Curtiss Model 75
The designation Curtiss P-36B was temporarily given to a single P-36A that was used to test 8:1 supercharger gearing
The Curtiss P-36C was the second and final production version of the P-36C built for the US Army Air Corps
The Curtiss XP-36D was the designation given to P-36A 38-174 early in 1939 when it was armed with two 0.30in machine guns in each wing, in the same way as in the French H75A-2s
The Curtiss XP-36E was a single P-36A (38-147) that was given the heaviest armament carried by any American version of the aircraft
The Curtis XP-36F was a single P-36A (38-172) that had a 23mm Madsen cannon mounted under each wing
The Curtiss P-36G was the designation given to thirty Hawk H75A-8s ordered by Norway just before the German invasion of 1940
The Curtiss XP-42 was an experimental version of the P-36 that was developed in an attempt to reduce the drag caused by radial engines.

Friday, December 11, 2009

Private Beatson's War: Life, Death and Hope on the Western Front

Private Beatson's War: Life, Death and Hope on the Western Front, ed. Shaun Springer and Stuart Humphreys. One of the most humane and thoughtful diaries to emerge from the Western Front. Beatson emerges as a literate, compassionate man, able to see his German opponents as human, while also determined to beat them. A reminder of the remarkable generation lost in the trenches of the First World War. [read full review]

Review: Battles BC

Battle BC, History Channel DVD. Eight episodes of a CGI-based series looking at Hannibal, David, Joshua, Caesar, Moses, Alexander, Ramses and Marathon, with highly stylised visuals. Aimed at the viewer with a general interest in history, but no prior knowledge of the period in question. [read full review]

The Steel of the DLI: The 2nd Battalion of the Durham Light Infantry at War 1914-1918

The Steel of the DLI: The 2nd Battalion of the Durham Light Infantry at War 1914-1918, John Sheen, A very detailed attack by attack, and almost casualty by casualty, history of the 2nd Battalion of the Durham Light Infantry on the Western Front. Gives a close-up view of the changing nature of the fighting and a poignant picture of the human cost of the war. [read full review]

Review: Escape, Evasion and Revenge, Marc H. Stevens

Escape, Evasion and Revenge, Marc H. Stevens. The remarkable story of a young Jewish refugee from Germany, Georg Franz Hein, who in September 1939 took the identity of a dead class mate and joined the RAF, becoming a bomber pilot. As Peter Stevens he was shot down over Germany, and spent four years in POW camps, knowing that if the Germans discovered his true identity he would almost certainly be shot. Despite this he made several attempts to escape, succeeding twice for short periods. [read full review]

Review: The Great Edwardian Naval Feud: Beresford's Vendetta against 'Jackie' Fisher

The Great Edwardian Naval Feud: Beresford's Vendetta against 'Jackie' Fisher, Richard Freeman. Admiral 'Jackie' Fisher was one of the greatest naval reformers in British history, but his first term as First Sea Lord was effectively ended by his feud with Admiral Charles Beresford. This book traces the relationship between the two men, from its friendly beginnings in the Victorian navy to its dramatic end in the years before the First World War [read full review]

Review:Escape from the Third Reich: Folke Bernadotte and the White Buses

Escape from the Third Reich: Folke Bernadotte and the White Buses, Sune Persson. An account of the remarkable Swedish rescue effort that with Danish help rescued 17,000-20,000 people from Nazi concentration camps in the dying days of the Third Reich. A fascinating view of the chaotic last days of Nazi Germany, and of a very impressive humanitarian achievement. [read full review]

Henschel Aircraft and Missiles

The Henschel Hs 122 was a tactical reconnaissance aircraft developed to replace the Heinkel He 46, and which became the basis of the Henschel Hs 126
The Henschel Hs 126 was the Luftwaffe's main short range reconnaissance aircraft in the early years of the Second World War, taking part in the invasion of Poland, the campaign in the west in 1940 and the first year of the invasion of the Soviet Union.
The Henschel Hs 128 was a dedicated high-altitude and supercharger research aircraft that made its maiden flight just before the start of the Second World War.
The Henschel Hs 130 was a high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft developed from the experimental Hs 128
The Henschel Hs 123 was the second dive-bomber to be used by the Luftwaffe, replacing the Heinkel He 50, before being replaced by the famous Ju 87.
The Henschel Hs 129 was a dedicated ground attack aircraft, and a capable 'tank killer', but was never available in large enough numbers to have any significant impact
The Henschel P.76 was a design for a larger version of the Hs 129A that would have solved some of that aircraft's main problems
The Henschel Hs 117 'Schmetterling' (Butterfly) was a ground-to-air guided missile that almost entered service in the last days of the Third Reich.
The Henschel Hs 297 was the original designation given to a Henschel proposal for an air-to-ground missile made in 1941
The Henschel Hs 296 was a guided missile that used elements from three earlier Henschel missiles

More battles of the Second Samnite War

The siege of Saticula (316-315 BC) was a Roman success that marked the resumption of hostilities in the Second Samnite War after a short period of truce.
The two sieges of Plistica of 316-315 and 315 BC saw a Samnite army make two attempts to capture the city, which was allied with Rome, eventually taking it by assault.
The battle of Lautulae (315 BC) was the second major Samnite victory during the Second Samnite War, but one that didn't produce any long term advantage
The siege of Sora (315 and 315-314 BC) saw the Romans recapture the city after a pro-Samnite revolt (Second Samnite War)
The battle of Tarracina of 314 BC was a Roman victory that restored the situation after the Samnite victory at Lautulae in the previous year, and that eliminated a Samnite threat to Latium
The siege of Bovianum of 314-313 BC was a short-lived Roman attempt to take advantage of their victory at Tarracina in 314
The Etruscan War of 311/10-308 BC was a short conflict between Rome and some of the inland Etruscan cities that for a brief period saw Rome facing a war on two fronts, against the Etruscans to the north and the Samnites to the south.
The siege of Sutrium of 311/10-310/9 BC saw the first fighting in the brief Etruscan War of 311/10-308 BC, and saw the Etruscans fail in their attempt to capture this key border city
The battle of Perusia, 310/309 BC, was a Roman victory that forced several key Etruscan cities to make peace with Rome (Etruscan War, 311/308 BC)
The battle of Lake Vadimo (310 BC) was a major Roman victory that broke the power of the Etruscan cities involved in the short Etruscan War of 311/10-308
The battle of Mevania, 308 BC, was a final Roman victory in the Etruscan War, although it was fought against the Umbrians

Nos.94, 95, 100, 111 and 112 Squadrons, RAF

No.94 Squadron spent the Second World War serving as a fighter squadron based in and around the eastern Mediterranean.
No.95 Squadron was formed in 1941 to operate the Short Sunderland flying boat from bases in West Africa, where it remained until the end of the war.
No.100 Squadron went through two very different incarnations during the Second World War, first as a torpedo bomber equipped with the obsolete Vickers Vildebeest, and then as a Lancaster squadron with Bomber Command.
No.111 Squadron was the first RAF squadron to receive the Hawker Hurricane, and served as a fighter squadron throughout the Second World War, taking part in the campaign in France in 1940, the Battle of Britain, Operation Torch and the invasions of Italy and the south of France.
No.112 Squadron served as a fighter squadron during the Second World War, first as a Gladiator equipped squadron in North Africa and Greece, then as a Tomahawk and Kittyhawk squadron in North Africa, Sicily and Italy, and finally as a Mustang squadron.

Heinkel He 59, 60, 114 and 115

The Heinkel He 59 was a large twin-engined biplane floatplane that had been designed in 1930 to serve as either a bomber or reconnaissance aircraft, and that saw some limited service at the start of the Second World War.
The Heinkel He 60 was a sturdy single-engined twin-float biplane that was used as coastal and marine reconnaissance aircraft, as well as operating from German battleships and cruisers.
The Heinkel He 114 was a disappointing single engined biplane floatplane designed to replace the Heinkel He 60 as a shipboard reconnaissance aircraft.
The Heinkel He 115 was the most successful German floatplane of the Second World War, and served as a reconnaissance and attack aircraft.