Trumpeter TU05907

Luftwaffe/German Crosses (Balkenkreuz) late type (size 600, 800, 900, 1000, 1200 mm), 2 sets

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Building the Messerchmitt Bf-109. The iconic Messerschmitt Bf-109 was the backbone of the Luftwaffe's fighter force during World War II. The aircraft first saw operational service in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War and was still in service at the dawn of the jet age at the end of the War in 1945. The Bf-109 is the most produced fighter aircraft in history, with a total of 33,984 airframes produced from 1936 up to April 1945. It was also one of the most advanced fighters of the era, including such features as all-metal monocoque construction, a closed canopy, and retractable landing gear, and was powered by a liquid-cooled, inverted-V12 engine. It was conceived as an interceptor, and later models were developed to fulfil multiple tasks, serving as bomber escort, fighter- bomber, day-night all-weather fighter, ground-attack aircraft, and as reconnaissance aircraft. It was supplied to and operated by several countries during World War II and served with a number of air arms for many years after the war. The Bf-109 was flown by the three top-scoring German fighter aces of World War II, who claimed 928 victories among them. The highest scoring fighter ace of all time, Erich Hartmann, flew the Bf-109 and was credited with 352 aerial victories. The aircraft was also flown by Hans-Joachim Marseille, the highest-scoring German ace in the North African Campaign, who achieved 158 aerial victories. It was also flown by several other aces from Germany's allies, notably the Finn Ilmari Juutilainen, the highest scoring non-German ace on the type. This second book in the MA Publications 'Model Aircraft Extra' series brings you a guide to building some of the variants of the Bf-109. In all some 14 build projects are included in a 'how-to' format using kits in popular scales from some of the best model makers around.

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Building the Republic P-47D Thunderbolt. The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt Big, powerful, and truly a juggernaut of an aircraft, resulting in its appropriate nickname 'Jug', the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt was one of the really great warplanes of its generation. Alongside the superlative North-American P-51 Mustang and the twin-engined Lockheed P-38 Lightning, it was one of the three principal fighter types which the US Army Air Forces (USAAF) successfully operated in the later stages of World War Two. The initial production version was the P-47B, and examples of this type started to reach the USAAF's 56th Fighter Group in June 1942. The first really combat-ready model was the refined and slightly longer P-47C, which entered service later in 1942. Like all front-line P-47 versions it packed a formidable punch of four 0.5in M2 Browning machine guns in each wing, although early models did not carry the wing pylons that became so important later in the Thunderbolt's combat career. The first P-47C examples to reach Britain for the US Eighth Army Air Force did so in December 1942, followed by what became the main combat model of the Thunderbolt, the P-47D, in April 1943. Weighing in at some 15,000lb (6,804kg) fully loaded and powered by the R-2800-59 Double Wasp of 2,000hp, the P-47D was a big, powerful beast. Water injection introduced for some versions of the R-2800 would see even greater power on demand when needed in aerial combat. All of these early Thunderbolts had the 'razorback' high line rear fuselage pioneered with the P-35 and P-43, with a rearwards-sliding heavily framed cockpit canopy. Although the USAAF at first saw the Thunderbolt as a high altitude interceptor, its main initial role very soon became that of daylight bomber escort with the England- based Eighth Air Force, which was in great need of escort fighters for its B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-24 Liberators that were increasingly facing stiff Luftwaffe fighter opposition. he Thunderbolt helped to turn the tide for the US daylight bombing offensive during 1943 and early 1944, with a number of P-47 pilots gaining impressive scores in air-to-air combat against Luftwaffe fighters. Eventually the appearance of the Merlin-engined P-51B Mustang and later versions of the superb Mustang long-range fighter resulted in the Eighth Air Force almost completely re-equipping its fighter groups with the P-51, but the Eighth's 56th Fighter Group continued to fly the Thunderbolt right up to the end of the war in Europe in May 1945. The Eighth Air Force also pioneered the P-47 for air-to-ground operations as a part of its policy of taking the fight to the Luftwaffe, and additional to this the Thunderbolt eventually equipped several fighter groups specifically for fighter-bomber operations within the tactical England-based US Ninth Air Force. The P-47 proved to be a formidable fighter-bomber due to its impressive eight-gun armament, bomb load and ability to survive enemy fire. The underwing pylons that proved so useful for long-range fuel tanks were equally at home carrying a 500lb (227kg) bomb (one under each wing), and the Ninth Air Force in particular used this capability to devastating effect against German tactical targets before and after D-Day. 'Razorback' Thunderbolts additionally equipped USAAF units in Italy, the Pacific (including exceptional use by the Fifth Air Force), and the China-Burma-India theatre (CBI). Continuing development of the P-47 design led to the adoption later in P-47D manufacture of a cut- down rear fuselage spine and all-round vision 'bubbletop' canopy. This resulted in a further series of later Thunderbolt versions with even greater range and capabilities, but many 'razorback' P-47s nevertheless continued in service right to the war's end " some pilots in fact preferring the 'razorback' to the later models particularly for their better directional stability. Other important users of the Thunderbolt in World War Two included the Soviet Union, the RAF and the Free French. This seventh book in the highly successful MA Extra Series contains fourteen showcase and step by step model builds and will be a must for any P-47 aficionado!

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Staff cars in Germany WWII volume 2 Format A4 paperback, 80 pages This latest photo-album in the ""Camera On"" series contains 150 more photographs of private cars adapted for military use by the German forces during WWII. The remainder of the Opel motor company major production types are covered - the car types that were not covered in volume 1 - such as the Opel P-4 that was also used as the basis of many of the pre-war mock-up training tanks used by the German army due to the lack of real tanks to train with. The "Opel Kadett" (cadet), the Opel Supper 6, the "Opel Kapitan" (Captain) and at the top of the range, the luxurious Opel Admiral. In this volume the author provides a detailed impression of these vehicles through original photographs, taken both during and before the war by the normal German soldiers who both used and served with these now classic automobiles.

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SCHWERER GEL�"NDEG�"RGIGER PERSONENKRAFTWAGEN AND SUCCESSORS Camera On series #27 Alan Ranger This latest photo-album in the "Camera On" series contains 140 photographs of a broad selection of Germany's heavy off-road passenger vehicles in operation with the Wehrmacht during World War II. It includes both the Schwerer Gelandegangiger Personenkraftwagen and its successors, the Horch 108 type 1 and its licensed-built Ford type EG equivalents as well as the heavy cars built on light truck chassis such as the Styer 1500 and Mercedes 1500A & S types. This book contains over 140 images of German heavy passenger cars photographed in operation in the conditions they had to work in. This volume illustrates these vehicles as the soldiers themselves viewed them in both their working environment and indeed in many cases the homes they had to live in, not the highly polished and sanitized views of the official photographers. The result is an invaluable reference for military historians and modellers * Camera On: a new series of books on the equipment and operations of the German Wehrmacht in WW2.

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Polikarpov I-16 / 1. I-16 tip 10, Major General Ivan Lakeyev. June 1941. 2. I-16 type 24. Defense of Leningrad, 1941. 3. I-16 type 29. 156 IAP winter 1941-1942. 4. I-16 Type 10 (or Type 18),1940-41. This plane was used army ruler Shchen Shih Tsai against Uighur Muslim separatist rebels. 5. And 16 type 10. Unidentified Air Force unit of the Kuomintang. Presumably the end of 1939. 6. I-16 type 24. One of the four aircraft I-16 first entered the war June 22, 1941. 7. I-16 type 6 from the Finnish Ilmavoimat. 8. I-16 Type 29 Air Force Romania, 1941. Captured early in the war. 9. I-16 type 10. 5th A.Sq. 1938. Coloring of the plane standard. Engine jacket - black. 10. I-16 type 5. 4th A.Sq. Pilots Morales and Sarausa flew the plane. 1938. Coloring - standard. Engine jacket of the plane - black. On wings from above and from below - red strips. 11. I-16 type 10 of 26-th group 1944-45. Coloring of the plane - completely green. Spinner of the propeller -red. Identification marks from above and from below of wings. 12. I-16 type 24 13th UAE Air Force of the Baltic Fleet, 1940. 13. I-16 type 24 Senior Sergeant Tsokolaeva 4 GvIAP of the Baltic Fleet, winter-spring 1942. 14. I-16 Type 24 'White' (c/n 24600135) of the 282 nd Fighter Regiment/1st Squadron which saw action on the South-Western Front in February 1942. Star insignia were applied in four places. Temporary washable white paint over the standard green AMT 4. 15. I-16 type 5 'White 11' 13 OIAE, 61 Aviation Brigade Finland Front pilot unknown early 1940. 16. I-16 type 28, captured by the Germans. District of Odessa, in June 1941. 17. I-16 type 29 Senior Lieutenant V. Golubev, 13th IAP KBF, 1942. 18. I-16 type 5, was delivered to repair shops 1936 (?) Onboard inscription - 'Do not touch' . Coloring of the plane standard. Engine jacket - black. 19. I-16 type 24. Defense of Leningrad, 1941.

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Convair (Consolidated Vultee) B-36 'Peacemaker' Conceived when the Americans thought that the stuttering British candle would be snuffed out by Germany, the Consolidated Vultee, Convair, B-36 was intended to take the air war to Europe from the Continental USA. Fortunately Britain hung on and caused the cancellation of the invasion due to the stalwart efforts of the RAF during the Battle of Britain. As global war developed the B-36 programme was put on the back burner as other needs were more pressing. Eventually the B-36 would resume this time as a high altitude long range nuclear delivery platform. Numerous versions entered service with USAF covering both the bombing and reconnaissance versions, both undertaking overseas deployments in support of their intended missions. Continued production of the B-36 caused a great rift with the U.S. Navy whose first super carrier was cancelled to pay for more B-36's that the Admirals regarded as redundant. It would be the emergence of the reliable turbojet engine that would spell the end of the B-36 as a front line aircraft as both the Boeing B-47 and B-52 bombers would quickly see the types demise. Outside the needs of Strategic Air Command there were other uses for the B-36 airframe, one would be used to transport a B-58 Hustler fuselage/ wing assembly for structural testing, another would become the NB-36 and carried a working nuclear reactor aboard whilst the final throw of the dice saw the type developed into the YB-60 eight engined bomber in competition with the B-52. The basic design threw up one more off shoot, the XC-99 transport that saw a new fuselage married to the original wings and fittings plus the original tail feathers, as a unique one off the XC-99 survives in preservation. This book is written by Kev Darling and is superbly illustrated by Richard J.Caruana.

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Hannover 'Hawa'! Volume 1. Ray Rimell and Harry Woodman present this fresh appraisal of the German Hannover Cl.II/Cl.III series with the first in a special double DATAFILE set. The full wartime history of the aircraft is outlined in this first volume with the aid of over 56 archive photos plus six pages of all-new 1:72/1:48 scale drawings of the Cl.II by Mick Davis. 'Hawa' wing geometry is discussed and there's the first part of the 1918 Aeronautical Engineering report on captured 13199/18 with its detailed notes and sketches. On top of all that are three pages of superb new colour profiles from Ronny Bar that grace the cover section. In the light of new information and with the benefit of new photos, these important types have never been covered in such depth before.

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