Ace ACE72298

Operation Enduring Freedom 'Coalition Air Power over Afghanistan Part 1 Boeing CH-47D Chinook, 147202/202 'The Magic Bus', CHF, Canadian Air Force at Kandahar 2009 Boeing CH-47D Chinook, 147203/203, CHF, Canadian Air Force at Kandahar 2009 Boeing CH-47D Chinook, 147201/201 'Miss Behavin', CHF, Canadian Air Force at Kandahar 2009 Panavia Tornado IDS, MM55007, 102 Gruppo/6 Stormo, Italian Air Force Mazar-e-Sharif 2009 McDonnell-Douglas AV-8B Harrier Plus, MM.7224/1-19, Giuseppe Garibaldi Italian Navy, North Arabian Sea 2002 McDonnell-Douglas AV-8B Plus, 165421 'WE/01', VM-214 'Blacksheep' USMC (MAG-40, 2nd MEB) Kandahar 2009. (Black tail and drop tanks) McDonnell-Douglas AV-8B Plus, 165572 'CF/01', VMA-211 'Wake Island Avengers', USMC (MAG-13, 3rd MAW) Camp Bastion 2012 Grumman F-14D Tomcat, 164348 'NH/100', VF-231 'Blacklions' USS Carl Vinson CVW-11, USN, North Arabian Sea 2001 (Coloured Lion on fin) Grumman F-14D Tomcat, 164603 'NH/101', VF-231 'Blacklions' USS Carl Vinson CVW-11 USN, North Arabian Sea 2001 Fairchild A-10C Thunderbolt II, 79-0154 'BD', 47th EFS/455th AEW, USAF Bagram 2012 Fairchild A-10C Thunderbolt II, 79-0145 'BD', 107th EFS/451st AEW, USAF Bagram 2011 McDonnell F-15E Strike Eagle, 89-0487 'SJ', 335th FS (Chiefs)/4th FW, 4th Operations Group, USAF Bagram 2011 Eurocopter Tigre HAP, ET-703, 1st Attack Helicopter Battalion, Spanish Army, Herat 2013 Westland Lynx AH.7, XZ645, 672 Squadron, AAC Operation Herrick Kandahar 2007

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Heer im Focus is a series of publications compiled by a team of renowned experts on the German Army. The aim of this series is to focus on those battles, vehicles, equipment and soldiers neglected by the literature until now. As with the Luftwaffe im Focus and U-Boot im Focus series, thorough research will take precedence over speed of publication. You will read accounts from us that are described in a completely different way elsewhere. Trust our articles, we get to the bottom of the issues. This is exactly what we are about, researching the history of the German Army in a way that you will not find elsewhere. It should also be noted that we will cover all the forces that saw action on land. This includes Luftwaffe units such as paratroopers, Luftwaffe field divisions and anti-aircraft units. For the illustrations, we will make use of unique original Agfa Colour slides from private collections as well as photographs which have never been shown before and which illustrate the events in a completely different light. But this publication is not intended just for historians and army enthusiasts. Modelers will get their money's worth too, as the series will be excellent reference source for the construction of accurate models (profile drawings and B/W + colour photos). Diorama makers will also find it a useful reference. The new series thus differs from other publications that also deal with this subject. The editions will vary in size depending on the articles they contain. This means that there will be no uniform price. Price will be based on the size of each issue. However, no issue will exceed the price of 28.80 euros. Heer im Focus will be published at irregular intervals. In each edition you will find about 60 to 80 unpublished photographs from private collections with detailed captions in German and English as well as articles on special Army topics. Each volume will contain articles drawn from the following list of topics: - Tanks in Focus - Holders of the Knight's Cross - Wehrmacht Vehicles - Photos with a Story - Documents - Unknown Emblems - Camouflage Schemes - Emblems - Sign Jungles - Fates - Background - Motorcycles - Camouflage - Scenery - Propaganda Companies - Parachute Troops - Weaponry - Combat Reports The illustrations will be printed in the highest quality on glossy paper. A publication for those interested in history and for modelers. 68 pages, 66 photos - thereof 11 in colour, 1 colourprofile, 1 coloured embleme, 11 coloured maps - Photos with a story: 12th SS-Panzer-Division "Hitlerjugend" Ardennes Offensive-Approach and Deployment Rare photographs from the winter of 1944/1945 - Captured vehicles: Captured Sd.Kfz. 251 in U.S. Service - Background: 1812-1941 Crossing of the Berezina at Studenka" River Crossing at a Historic Site The Site of the fateful Berezina Crossing of Napoleon's Grande Armee - Captured tanks: Captured KV-1 in Action at Velikiye Luki Rare Colour photo of a KV-1 in German Service - Photos with a story: 2./(Jagdpanzerkompanie) Sturm-Panzerjager-Abteilung 178 Employment of a "Hetzer" Company in the Spring of 1945 - Colour photos: The Hochgebirgsschule of the Waffen-SS - Camouflage: Perfect Aerial Camouflage at the Anzio"Nettuno Bridgehead How the Tigers of schwere Panzer-Abteilung 508 protected themselves from Low-lewel-Attacks - Tank commanders: Commander of II Battalion Panzer-Regiment 23 at "Kampfgruppe Bake"

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Willys Jeep MB/U.S. Ford GPW Red Army, Pt.2

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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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USN/USMC/USCG/USAAC Loening Amphibian By Steve Ginter All b&w including covers 64-pages, 241 photos, 13 patches, 4 drawings The Loening Amphibians were a unique adaptation of design for a "shoehorn" fuselage bi-plane equiped with retractable landing gear. It could virtually operate from anywhere. First ordered by the Army in 1924, it was quickly ordered by the Navy/Marines and finally by the Coast Guard. It was in fact the 1st aircraft purchased by the USCG. Its many variants were acquired in small numbers, but had a major impact in service. It became the major aircraft for use in air survey and exploration into the 1930s. It was used in the Arctic Survey by LCDR Byrd (later ADM) of 1926, the Cuban and Venezuela 1926 surveys, the 1st Alaskan Survey of 1926 by LT Ben Wyatt, the 1926-1927 Pan-American Goodwill Flight by the U.S. Army, the 1929 2nd Alaskan Survey conducted by LCDR Arthor Radford (later Chief of Naval Operations), the 1932 Alaskan Survey of the Aleutians, and 1933 Alaskan Survey of the Aleutians. Pro-resin, Esoteric kits

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Douglas C-74 Globemaster By Nicholas M. Williams, 104 pages (88 in b&w, 16 in color), 141 b&w photos, 35 color photos, 22 illustrations. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 brought U.S. Army Air Corps strategists to the realization that a new global transport was needed to carry large loads over great distances. The Douglas Aircraft Company in Santa Monica, California, also quickly saw this need and design studies were begun immediately on an expanded version of the company's DC-4. The "C-74 Project Group" adopted a design philosophy to produce a "no frills" transport able to accommodate at least two of the Army's T-9 tanks, two 105mm Howitzers, or two angle dozers. Douglas contacted the Air Corps early in 1942 to determine their interest and a letter of intent was issued in March 1942 for procurement of the Model 415A, now designated the C-74. A contract of over $50 million was signed in June 1942 for fifty airplanes. To speed its delivery to operational units, the C-74 was designed to be released without the benefits of an experimental or prototype model, all aircraft being designated as C-74s with design features following conventional "state-of-the-art" practice. Originally, powered by Wright R-3350 engines, a decision was made in March 1943 to switch to the new, mammoth Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major. The first C-74 was rolled out in July 1945 from the Douglas Long Beach factory. At rollout, the C-74 was the largest land-based transport in the world with a wingspan of 173 feet, length of 124 feet, and gross weight of 145,000 pounds. Able to carry 125 passengers, the C-74 was called the Globemaster as its 11,100-gallons of internal fuel gave it a maximum range of over 7,000 miles, enabling it to circumnavigate the world with only two refueling stops. In its final form, the C-74 was a remarkably efficient airplane, using a semi-laminar flow airfoil for its wings with a full-span flap arrangement. The pilots were enclosed by two teardrop-shaped, double-bubble canopies that provided them with a 360-degree view. Douglas had every intention of adapting the C-74 into a civil airliner once hostilities had ended. In 1944 Pan American World Airways ordered 26 examples of the civil version, the DC-7, for a route expansion program into Latin America. However, further development of this DC-7 design increased its gross weight to 162,000 pounds and the unit cost to $1.4 million and Pan American cancelled its order in October 1945, opting for smaller transports. The first C-74, 42-65402, made its maiden flight from Long Beach in September 1945, but with the end of World War II, most of the C-74 production order was cancelled and only 14 Globemasters were built. Unfortunately, during contractor demonstration flights the second Globemaster crashed. The fourth C-74 was subsequently diverted for static tests and its components tested to destruction at Wright Field, Ohio. Beginning in September 1946, the remaining twelve C-74s were flown for the next nine years by the Army Air Forces' Air Transport Command and the U.S. Air Force's Military Air Transport Service. Once in service, the C-74 Globemaster, based first in Memphis, Tennessee, then Morrison Field, West Palm Beach, Florida, finally at Brookley AFB, Mobile, Alabama, set many records for tonnage carried. In November 1949, a C-74 flew the Atlantic to England with a record 103 passengers aboard. One Globemaster set several records during the Berlin Airlift, averaging over 38,000 pounds of cargo and setting a new Airlift Task Force utilization record by flying 20 hours in a 24-hour period. Until one C-74 was converted to the prototype C-124A and the Globemaster II became available, the C-74 was the only Air Force transport capable of carrying outsized cargo. After the C-74's retirement from service in 1955, several were purchased surplus and began flying for a contract air carrier, Aeronaves de Panama, hauling prize cattle from Denmark to the Middle East, horses to Singapore, and ships' parts and vegetables throughout Europe. Unfortunately, after the tragic crash in 1963 of one C-74 in Marseilles, France, the airline suspended operations and its C-74s eventually were scrapped. Today, no examples of this record-setting transport exist. This monograph of the C-74 Globemaster is written by Nick Williams, an award-winning author of over two dozen articles published in the Journal of the American Aviation Historical Society and publications in the U.K. Nick has written two previous books in Steve Ginter's Naval Fighters series as well as his 1999 book published in the U.K., "Aircraft of The Military Air Transport Service 1948-1966". His new book on the C-74 is the result of nearly fifty years of research, containing comments from several of the C-74's engineers as well as former Douglas and Air Force pilots.

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Sikorsky H-34 1. CH-34A Choctaw (54465) US ARMY Medevac 1960. 2. US Coast Guard HUS-1G (later designation H-34G), serving in the New Orleans area, early 1960. 3. UH-34D BUNO.148771 HMM-362 'UGLY ANGELS', 1966 Vietnam. 4. HMM-363 UH-34D 148077 (c/n 58-1191) in Alaska to support VQ-1 and the Army Security Agency. (Photo courtesy of the author's collection). 5. Sikorsky UH-34D Seahorse, US Marines, BuAer 148062, HMM-364, MCAS Tustin CA, ca 1965. 6. UH-34D Seahorse (150219) YP20 HMM-163 Vietnam 1967. 7. Sikorsky HSS-1N Seabat, US Navy, BuAer 147990, HS-7, CVS-15 USS Randolph, ca 1962. 8. Sikorsky HSS-1 Seabat, US Navy, BuAer 143930, HS-4, CVS-37 USS Princeton, ca 1959.

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Cessna O-1 Bird Dog 1. L-19A of the 8th Army was used to transport President elect Dwight D. Eisenhower on an inspection trip of Korea in December of 1952. 2. TO-1D carries the high visibility Gloss White end Red scheme used for aircraft that operated over the Arctic or jungle areas. 3. Cessna O-1D " Little Annie Fanny", 199th Reconnaissance Airplane Company, the " Swamp Foxes" Vinh Long, RVN, understand was flown bu Rich Burns. Mid-60s. 4. This shark mouthed O-1D of the 19th TASS was one of the first Air Force Bird Dogs to deploy to Vietnam during July of 1963. 5. Marine Corps OE-2 (O-1C) of VMO-6 based at Chu Lai, South Vietnam during the early 1960s. 6. A number of Air Force O-1s carried three color camouflage schemes that varied from aircraft to aircraft. The Orang identification panels on the wing uppersurface helped attack aircraft spot the O-1. 7. Cessna O-1C, US Marines Corps, BuAer 140100, System Test Division, NAS Patuxent River MD, ca.1965. 8. Cessna O-1D Bird Dog, Cambodian Air Force, s/n 23529 (55-4689),Pochentong Air Base, ca 1972. 9. Cessna O-1E Bird Dog of tHe-112th Liaison Squadron, 23rd Tactical Wing, Bien Hoa during 1966. 10. MAJ Boung used this VNAF O-1A to South Vietnam with his wife and five children. MAJ Boung made the first landing bu an O-1 on an aircraft carrier, landing on USS MIDWAY on 30 April 1975.

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Douglas A-20 HAVOC IN ACTION Doyle. The Douglas A-20 Havoc was a light bomber, attack, and intruder aircraft of World War II. Used by the American Army Air Forces, nearly one-third of the aircraft served with the Soviet military, while many other A-20s fought with the RAF. Taking its first operational shape on the eve of the outbreak of the war in Europe, the 7B prototype actually crashed with a French observer aboard, kicking off a scandal in still-isolationist America where military aircraft were not to be exported. U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt pressed for a change in that restrictive rule and the French, impressed by the plane's rugged dependability and maneuverability, proceeded to place orders for 100 of the aircraft, albeit with modifications that resulted in the DB-7 version. Even before shipments began in November 1939, Paris had increased its order by another 170 aircraft. Many of those, however, found their way into the British RAF, which flew them under the nickname Boston, after the fall of France in June 1940. The U.S. Army Air Corps issued its first contracts for the aircraft they called the A-20 and A-20A, in May 1939, these were only delivered during the months from late 1940 through much of 1941. A dozen A-20As had recently arrived in Pearl Harbor when the Japanese surprise attack destroyed two of them on the ground. Modifications of the design continued and it was after the U.S. entry into the war when the A-20C version, produced by Douglas and Boeing, first were accepted. Of the first 515 A-20Cs, 108 were retained by the U.S. Army Air Forces, while 407 were shipped off to the Soviet Union. Numerous versions of the aircraft followed. About half of the A-20G were sent to the Soviet Union, as were many of the A-20H. In fact the Soviet air forces had more A-20s than the USAAF. Illustrated with 192 vintage photographs and detailed line drawings. 80 pages. (now out of print so be quick!)

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Douglas C-54/R5D Skymaster and DC-4 The Douglas C-54 Skymaster, a direct adaptation of the civilian DC-4 while still on the production line, became the outstanding long-range four-engined transport aircraft of the Second World War. With its origins as a civilian airliner, it served chiefly on the long-distance haul of Air Transport Command of the United States Army Air Forces on the Atlantic and Pacific routes, where it cut flight hours between the United States and the theatres of operation thousands of miles away. The reliability of its airframe and engines was put to good use also on the India-China 'Hump' route, which was described as the most arduous of all within the responsibility of Air Transport Command. Like its smaller Douglas stable mate the C-47, the C-54 boasted legendary reliability, and was the preferred long-range transport from among its contemporaries. A special VIP version was built for use by the President of the United States, Franklin D Roosevelt. The Royal Air Force also used it in small numbers during the Second World War, one of which was outfitted as a VIP aircraft for use by Prime Minister Winston Churchill. The U.S. Navy acquired it under the designation R5D. All production having been commandeered by the USAAF on the outbreak of war, no civilian DC-4s flew during the war. After 1945, however, hundreds became available for use by civilian airlines, which converted them into airliners with passenger seating and comfort, or used them as freighters. Douglas re-opened its production line for new builds in 1946, but the cheap price of the second-hand market kept back this production to only 79 examples. Also in 1946 Canadair ventured to build a Rolls-Royce Merlin-powered version, which it named North Star, used by both military and commercial operators. The DC-4 was a common sight in the immediate post-war period up to the 1950s flown by leading European and United States airline liveries, until it started to be replaced by Douglas's own DC-6 and DC-7. The aircraft came in handy during the 1948-49 Berlin Airlift, during which it hauled food supplies and even coal to the beleaguered German city, and again during the Korean War, airlifting the wounded to Japan and the United States. Dozens of variants of the C-54 were employed in a wide variety of non-combat roles such as air-sea rescue, scientific and military research and missile tracking and recovery. No fewer than 1,315 examples of Skymasters were built in the United States and Canada, flown by 35 air arms of other countries in a variety of versions and roles, and full information on serials, versions and other remarks are all included in very detailed tables in this book. The Aviation Traders Carvair cross-Channel car ferry is not forgotten in this account, and a chapter is dedicated to this unique aircraft converted in Britain from standard C-54s. This new 96 page Warpaint publication written by Charles Stafrace contains 200 colour and B&W photos plus eleven pages of colour artwork by Richard Caruana.

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North-American T-28B/T-28C Trojan (9) T-28B 137707 KE/113 801 Advanced Training Unit NAS Pensacola 1955; 137652 U.S. Navy Test Pilots School NAS Pax River 1970's; 138327 2W/305 VT-3 NAS Whiting Field 1970s; 138327 U.S. Army Edwards AFB; 138219/6 Drone Controller NAS Pensacola 1960's; 137668 BZ/02 FMFLant MCAS Quantico; T-28C 140069 Quantico/59 'hack' USMC 1970's; 140657 Quonset Point USN 1971.

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