Kora KORA7267

Building the Supermarine Spitfire The iconic Supermarine Spitfire, the most strategically important British single-seat fighter of World War II. The Spitfire, renowned for winning victory laurels in the Battle of Britain along with the Hawker Hurricane, served in every theatre of the War and was produced in more variants than any other British aircraft. The Spitfire was designed by Reginald Mitchell of Supermarine Ltd., in response to a 1934 Air Ministry specification calling for a high-performance fighter with an armament of eight wing-mounted 0.303-inch machine guns. The airplane was a direct descendant of a series of floatplanes designed by Mitchell to compete for the coveted Schneider Trophy in the 1920s. One of these racers, the S.6, set a world speed record of 357 miles per hour in 1929. Designed around a 1,000-horsepower, 12-cylinder, liquid-cooled Rolls-Royce PV-12 engine (later dubbed the Merlin), the Spitfire first flew in March 1935. It had superb performance and flight characteristics, and deliveries to operational Royal Air Force (RAF) squadrons commenced in the summer of 1938. A more radical design than the Hurricane, the Spitfire had a stressed-skin aluminum structure and a graceful elliptical wing with a thin airfoil that, in combination with the Merlin's efficient two-stage supercharger, gave it exceptional performance at high altitudes. The version of the Spitfire that fought in the Battle of Britain was powered by a Merlin engine. Faster than its formidable German opponent the Bf-109 at altitudes above 15,000 feet and just as manoeuvrable, Spitfires were sent by preference to engage German fighters while the slower Hurricanes went for the bombers. More Hurricanes than Spitfires served in the Battle of Britain, and they were credited with more 'kills,' but it can be argued that the Spitfire's superior high-altitude performance provided the margin of victory. Meanwhile, Supermarine was developing more-capable versions of the Spitfire driven by progressively more-powerful Merlin's. The eight 0.303-inch machine guns gave way to four 0.8-inch automatic cannons, and by war's end the Spitfire had been produced in more than 20 fighter versions alone, powered by Merlin's of up to 1,760 horsepower. Though outperformed by the German Fw-190 on that aircraft's introduction in 1941, the Spitfire restored parity the following year and eventually regained the advantage. It remained a first-line air-to-air fighter throughout the war. Spitfires were used in the defence of Malta, in North Africa and Italy, and, fitted with tail hooks and strengthened tail sections, as Seafires from Royal Navy aircraft carriers from June 1942. Spitfires helped to provide air superiority over the Sicily, Italy, and Normandy beachheads and served in the Far East from the spring of 1943. Fighter-bomber versions could carry a 250 or 500lb bomb beneath the fuselage and a 250-pound bomb under each win One of the Spitfire's most important contributions to Allied victory was as a photo-reconnaissance aircraft from early 1941. Superior high-altitude performance rendered it all but immune from interception, and the fuel tanks that replaced wing-mounted machine guns and ammunition bays gave it sufficient range to probe western Germany from British bases. n late 1943 Spitfires powered by Rolls-Royce Griffon engines developing as much as 2,050 horsepower began entering service. Capable of top speeds of 440 miles per hour and ceilings of 40,000 feet, these were used to shoot down V-1 'buzz bombs.' During World War II, Spitfires were exported in small numbers to Portugal, Turkey, and the Soviet Union, and they were flown by the U.S. Army Air Forces in Europe. When production ceased in 1947, 20,334 Spitfires of all versions had been produced, 2,053 of them Griffon-powered versions. Fighter versions of the Spitfire were withdrawn from RAF service during the early 1950s, while photo-reconnaissance Spitfires continued in service until 1954. In Model Aircraft 'Extra Special' #6, the biggest book of this series some 22`Spitfire build projects will be included, in a 'how-to' format, and continue this fantastic series modelling guides from MA Publications, the new name in scale modelling.

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Hannover CL.lll/llla 1. Hannover CL.III. Unit/Location: Sonderkommando Vogel, France, March/April 1918. Code:16050/17, White S Pilot & Observer: unknown Background: "Sonderkommando Vogel" was a special purpose unit, operating with different planes in France in the spring of 1918. The time must have been end of March, at least beginning of 1918, because while the Hannover had their new. Balkenkreuz-insignias painted on, other planes still carried the Eisernes Kreuz. All planes carried a big white "S" on both sides of the fuselage, followed by a small "onderkomando" (written with only one "m"!). 2. Hannover CL.III. Unit/Location: FA(A) 286b, France, 28.05.1918. Code:16020/17, Yellow 1. Pilot: Heinrich Fichtbauer Observer: Joseph Herz. Fate: Fichtbauer survived, Herz was killed on 28.05.1918 in this plane. Background: FA (A) 286 was an artillery spotting unit and this plane carried an elaborate "ghost out of the bottle" emblem and still early and broader German Balkenkreuze. 3. Hannover CL.III. Unit/Location: Schlachtstaffel 9, Masny-Sud/France, September 1918. Code:16087/17, White 5 Pilot & Observer: unknown. Background:This plane had a rather long service life, especially when reconsidered to serve in a "Schlasta".Having their early Eiserne Kreuze firstly repainted in broader early Balkenkreuz style and then later even in the final and smaller variant. 4. Hannover CL.IIIa. Unit/Location: FA 46b, France, late summer/autumn 1918. Code:3870/18 Pilot & Observer: unknown. Background: Serving in a Bavarian (hence the suffix "b") Fliegerabteilung (FA), his unit was performed as a pure recon unit. The fuselage band might be centered in black or red. We tend to red, but provide both options as modelers choice. 5. Hannover CL.IIIa. Unit/Location: FA(A) 253, Autremencourt /France, Summer 1918. Code: 2714/18 Pilot: Peter Johannes Observer: Hanns-Gerd Raabe. Background: Artillery ranging FA 253 (hence the additional suffix "A" for artillery) carried individual emblems in black on white discs. Raabe as the observer and "chief of the plane" carried the "Wandervogel"- Emblem, because "Rabe" in German means raven and sounded very similar to Raabe and so a bird was chosen for the individual emblem. 6. Hannover CL.IIIa. Unit/Location: FA(A) 253, Autremencourt /France, Summer 1918. Code: 2???/18 Pilot: Unteroffizier Braunger Observer: Willy Hentschel. Background: Hentschel did chose a black hand as personal emblem as a "stay off me"! This might be a foreseeing measure, because together they scored an air victory on 01.08.1918 to save their lives. The code of the plane is sadly not known, but presumably it is from the 2000/18-batch and we leave it to the modelers to choose "their" number. 7. Hannover CL.IIIa. Unit/Location: FA(A) 295b, Montigny-le-Franc/France, August 1918. Code: 2622/18. Pilot: Johann "Hans" Baur Observer: Georg Hengl. Air victories: Baur: 6 victories (+3 unconfirmed, all together with Hengl), Hengl: 7 + 3 unconfirmed victories (all except one with Baur). Background: Presumably the best known and most successful CL.IIIa. Both crew members survived. Hengl was knighted after the war and had to be called Ritter Georg von Hengl. "Hans" Baur was getting famous in becoming the personal pilot of Adolf Hitler and attaining the rank of Generaloberst of the SS until the end of WW II. He flew many mighty politicians at that time and after WW II spent 10 years in Sibiria as PoW of the Soviets to lose a leg to gangrene. 8. Hannover CL.IIIa. Unit/Location: Schlachststaffel 20, Briey/France, September 1918. Code: 13369/17, White 6 Pilot: Paul Weisser Observer: Wilhelm Scharg. Background: Both were shot down in this plane on 06.09.1918, but survived to end up as POW. Planes of Schlasta 9 wore elaborate white arrows as unit insignias on both sides of the fuselage and numbers before them to show the individual rank in the Staffel. 9. Hannover CL.IIIa. Unit/Location: Schlachtstaffel 20, Thonne-le-Pres/France, 04.10.1918. Code:3892/18, White 4 Pilot: Rudolf Hager Observer: Otto Weber. Background: Another plane of Schlasta 20 that didn't make its way home. The crew was shot down on this very day. While Weber survived to become a POW, Hager died shortly thereafter of the wounds he received. The plane was shot down by American ground fire, but was credited wrongly to Eddie Rickenbacker. 10. Hannover CL.IIIa. Unit/Location: Schlachtstaffel 24b, Oudenaarde/Belgium, October 1918. Code:7005/18, Blue 6. Pilot & Observer: unknown. Background: Presumably as a Bavarian unit (hence the suffix "b"), Schlasta 24b carried its numbers in dark blue inside white diamonds.

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Mil Mi-24V Hind-E ''U.S. Coast Guard'' This Mi-24 was painted in U.S Coast Guard scheme to fulfill the role of an American Search and Rescue (SAR) helicopter in the Soviet film "Charged with Death" (Zarjazhennye smert'ju) , it appeared some time after filming during public days. In 1991, as the Soviet Union declined, relations with the United States improved. It is in this context that the film "Charged with Death" comes out in Russia. The scenario tells the story of traffickers hunted by the Soviet Navy, in collaboration with the US Coast Guard. If it happens that western aircrafts wear of the communist or middle-east block style schemes, such as the "Aggressors" of the Naval Fighter Weapons School (Top Gun) in the US Navy, or the US Air Force's "Aggressor Squadrons." It is much less common to see Soviet aircrafts in American colors, especially when it's a Mil Mi-24 (attack helicopter) which plays the role of a rescue helicopter. However, it should be noted that the decoration of the "U.S Coast Guard" type which has been applied to it respects the original scheme in the smallest detail, notably the faithful insignia of the U.S coast guards. The only breach would be the bands bordering the American star which are a little too long, this detail is obviously included in the decals.

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Hawker Hurricane Mk.IId (8) Hawker Hurricane Mk.IId, BP554, 'JV.-' of 6 Squadron, Royal Air Force, based at Shandur, Egypt, April, 1942. Hawker Hurricane Mk.IId, KX121, 'G' of 5 Squadron, Royal Air Force, based at Khargpur, India, July, 1943. Hawker Hurricane Mk.IId, HV663, 'U' of 6 Squadron, Royal Air Force, based in Western Desert, North Africa, 1942. Hawker Hurricane Mk.IId, KX413, 'FJ.M' of 164 Squadron, Royal Air Force, based at RAF Middle Wallop, UK, June, 1943. Hawker Hurricane Mk.IId, '21' of 246 IAP, Soviet Air Force, 1944. Hawker Hurricane Mk.IId, HW313, 'S' of 6 Squadron, Royal Air Force, based in Western Desert, North Africa, 1942. Hawker Hurricane Mk.IId, HW719 of 1st Specialist Low Attack Instructors School, Royal Air Force, based at RAF Milfield, UK, 1943. Hawker Hurricane Mk.IId, KX407, 'BR.A' of 184 Squadron, Royal Air Force, based at RAF, Colerne, UK, 1943.

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