Category: WW2 Era (1939-45)

Posted on by

DC-3’s Epic Milestone: 90 Glorious Years Soars Onto US Shelves!

Fonthill will soon release The Douglas DC-3: 90 Glorious Years, author Geoff Jones’ comprehensive history of the Douglas DC-3, exploring its military, commercial, and enduring global legacy.

In Douglas DC-3: 90 Glorious Years, Geoff Jones explores the rich history of the aircraft from its beginnings in Southern California in the 1930s, to its participation in military operations such as the D-Day Normandy Landings, through to its use as a commercial aircraft into the twenty-first century. The Airbus and Boeing operators of today have their DC-3 operations to thank for their current success, and numerous enthusiast organisations continue to keep DC-3s airworthy and fly them for their members. Ninety years on, the legacy of this extraordinary aircraft is as strong as ever.

The 176 page paperback is currently available for pre-order with release slated for January 15.

Product Page

Please Note: This post contains an Amazon affiliate link. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Posted on by

MiniArt Releases Renders for New Tool Focke-Wulf 190D-9 (Mimetall)

MiniArt has announced the development of a new tool Focke-Wulf 190D-9 (Mimetall) model kit in 1/48 scale.

The Focke-Wulf FW 190D-9 was developed as a high-performance fighter to improve high-altitude capability. Aircraft produced by Mimetall were delivered in late-war conditions and often featured simplified finishes. Machines of Jagdgeschwader 301 were among those flown during the final phase of WWII.

The upcoming release (48040) will include an accurate exterior with finely reproduced panel lines and rivets, detailed cockpit with instrument panel and seat, optional open or closed canopy and marking options for two aircraft of Jagdgeschwader 301.

As of this writing, the model is listed as “coming soon.” A specific release date has not yet been announced. Click below to check out additional renders and box art.

Continue reading MiniArt Releases Renders for New Tool Focke-Wulf 190D-9 (Mimetall)

Posted on by

Allison V-12 Engine For Sale: “Zero Time on Rebuild”

Please Note: This is an archived post. The information presented here may not be current and the associated listing may no longer be active.

An Allison V-12 V1710-35 engine has been spotted for sale. Details are limited, although the listing states that there is zero time on rebuild.

The engine is located in Wichita, Kansas and is currently available for US $49,500, although offers are also being accepted. Click here to check out the eBay listing, which includes additional photos.

Please Note: This post contains an eBay affiliate link. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Posted on by

Bloody Skies Incoming: XV Fighter Command’s Untold War

Coming soon from Osprey and author Thomas McKelvey Cleaver is the new book Bloody Skies: XV Fighter Command Against all Odds, which details the operations of the USAAF’s overlooked XV Fighter Command that protected bombers during the campaign against the Romanian oil fields in World War II.

Formed in the fall of 1943, the Fifteenth Air Force was popularly known as the “The Forgotten Fifteenth,” as its achievements were overshadowed by more glamorous exploits of the Eighth Air Force in the air war over Germany. Nevertheless, the Fifteenth’s contribution to Allied victory was crucial, and a vital part of that was the role played by the escorting fighter groups from the XV Fighter Command who protected the B-17s and B-24s from the Luftwaffe in the skies over Romania.

In this new history of the campaign, renowned aviation historian Tom Cleaver tells the story of the Fifteenth’s air war through first-person accounts of the fighter pilots of the Fifteenth Fighter Command, including such famous units as the Red Tails – the Tuskegee Airmen – the 82nd Fighter Group and the 325th’s “Checkertail Clan,” and with his ability to place wartime events in their greater context.

The 320 page book is currently available for pre-order in hardcover and Kindle editions. Release is scheduled for March 10.

Product Page

Please Note: This post contains an Amazon affiliate link. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Posted on by

Volunteer Aces: Examining the Part-Time Pilots Who Helped Win the Battle of Britain

In his new book Volunteer Aces of Churchill’s Few: The Part-Time Pilots and their Auxiliary Squadrons which Helped win the Battle of Britain author Martin Wade tells the story of those pilots, both Auxiliary and Volunteer Reserve, who flew with the squadrons of the AAF – a most remarkable band within “The Few.”

It has been many decades since the Battle of Britain raged over southern England, where part‑time pilots who had joined before the war played a vital role in victory. Formed in October 1924, the Auxiliary Air Force (AAF) contributed fourteen of the sixty‑two RAF fighter squadrons in the battle, and together with RAF Volunteer Reserve pilots, produced some of the highest‑scoring aces of the summer of 1940.

The book conveys the sense of adventure shown by these “weekend flyers,” exemplified by the 1933 first flight over Mount Everest by the CO of No. 602 (City of Glasgow) Squadron and by Flight Lieutenant Findlay Boy, who joined in 1935 while working as a mining engineer and went on to score the fastest victory of the battle by shooting down a Ju 87 Stuka less than a minute after take‑off. Their efforts led Air Vice Marshal Keith Park to declare that without the Auxiliaries the Luftwaffe would not have been defeated in 1940 and at the height of the battle Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding exclaimed, “Thank God for the RAFVR!”

The 248 page hardcover book is currently available for pre-order with release slated for January 30.

Product Page

Please Note: This post contains an Amazon affiliate link. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Posted on by

Coming Soon: Kotare’s New Spitfire Mk.Vb (Early) Finally Enters Production

After “excessive delay” related to obtaining the highest possible quality, Kotare has announced that their much anticipated 1/32 Spitfire Mk.Vb (Early) has finally entered production.

The new kit will reportedly feature 141 high-quality injection molded plastic parts, including 38 all new tooled parts such as wings, 20mm cannon barrels, alternate magazine fairings, control column, engine driven undercarriage controls, cockpit sidewalls, starboard engine cowlings, ailerons, and oil cooler fairings. Additional features include windscreen with de-icing, canopy hood with Martin-Baker jettison system, fireproof bulkhead, dual-height rudder pedals, instrument panel with rectangle & curved flying panels, composite pilot’s seat with and without Sutton Type K harness detail, IFF Mk.II, ice/snow guard, port wing fillets with electrical connection door, Supermarine and CBAF undercarriage doors and top engine cowlings, open & closed cockpit doors with optional crow-bar, de Havilland & Rotol propellers and wheels with weighted tyres featuring correct alignment. High quality Cartograf decals will also be provided offering marking options for RAF, Polish, and USAAF aircraft.

The company expects to receive stock and begin shipments in mid January. Click below to check out additional images.

Continue reading Coming Soon: Kotare’s New Spitfire Mk.Vb (Early) Finally Enters Production

Posted on by

San Diego Air & Space Museum Offering Ranger L-440 Engine For Sale

Please Note: This is an archived post. The information presented here may not be current and the associated listing may no longer be active.

The San Diego Air and Space Museum is currently offering an Early WWII Ranger L-440-1 engine for sale, complete with stand. The listing states (in part):

The Ranger L-440 series was widely used in WWII-era primary and advanced trainer aircraft, particularly in Fairchild PT-19, PT-23, and PT-26 trainers. These engines were known for their lightweight construction and reliable air-cooling design, making them well-suited for training aircraft. Includes custom made steel metal stand with wheels. This engine has been on display at the San Diego Air and Space Museum. It is in great visual condition. UNTESTED.

The engine is located in San Diego, California and is currently available for US $4,500. Click here to check out the eBay listing, which includes several additional photos.

Please Note: This post contains an eBay affiliate link. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Posted on by

Unveiling Okinawa 1945: Dive into the Royal Navy’s Epic Carrier Campaign

Soon to be released from Osprey Publishing and author Angus Konstam is Okinawa 1945: The Royal Navy’s biggest carrier campaign. The title is described as “a fully illustrated study explaining the British Pacific Fleet’s campaign against the Japanese in the Sakishima Islands, and its overlooked role in the battle for Okinawa.”

In this book, naval expert Angus Konstam offers a newly researched account of the Fleet Air Arm’s air campaign in the Sakashimas. By 1945, the carriers and their aircrews were well worked up, and ready to tackle challenging and important targets. He explains the capabilities of the late-war Fleet Air Arm at Okinawa, and analyses their effectiveness against Japan’s still-dangerous airpower. Famously, at Okinawa the Royal Navy’s armoured carriers proved much more resilient to kamikaze strikes than the wooden-topped carriers of the Americans. Packed with spectacular original artwork, photographs, diagrams and maps, this book is a superbly illustrated history of the Royal Navy’s most extensive carrier campaign.

The 96 page paperback book is currently available for pre-order with release slated for January 27.

Product Page

Please Note: This post contains an Amazon affiliate link. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Posted on by

Eduard Releases ProfiPACK Edition Spitfire Mk.Vb (Early) Model Kit

Adding to the list of new Eduard releases for December is this ProfiPACK edition Spitfire Mk. Vb (early) model kit in 1/72 scale. As previously reported, Eduard also released a 1/48 ProfiPACK edition Mk.Vb (mid) model kit this month.

The early Mk.Vb typically featured the original “B” type wing, which had one inner cannon bay and the outer machine guns. In contrast, the mid variant usually sported the “universal” wing design, which had two inner cannon bays (though one was often left empty), allowing for a more flexible armament configuration. The outer two .303 machine guns were moved closer together in the mid variant wing compared to the early one.

The early variant kit (70205) includes Eduard plastic parts and decals, pre-painted PE parts and a painting mask. Marking options are included for six aircraft.

Buy on eBay (eBay)

Please Note: This post contains an eBay affiliate link. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Posted on by

Now Available For Pre-Order: Part 2 of Series on Vickers Wellington

Part 2 of Gregorz Korcz’s series on the Vickers Wellington I & II is now available for pre-order. The series focuses on the aircraft that, along with the Handley Page Hampden and Armstrong Whitworth Whitley, carried the main weight of the RAF’s growing bombing offensive against the Third Reich. It was also being the backbone of all four Polish bomber squadrons as well as the OTU training establishments, where Polish crews gained their combat proficiency..

This volume in the Polish Wings series presents the history of the Vickers Wellington bombers in the Ic and II versions in Polish Air Force service in exile between 1940 and 1942. The first part covers Nos. 300 and 301 Squadrons and 18 OTU, while the second describes the combat operations of Nos. 304 and 305 Squadrons. The book includes: a detailed history of the Polish Wellington crews in action, numerous archival photographs, many previously unpublished, colour profiles by Andrzej M. Olejniczak, comprehensive listings of operational sorties.

The 68 page title is slated for release on March 15. Part 1 of the series is also available for pre-order with release set for January.

Product Page

Please Note: This post contains an Amazon affiliate link. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.