Category: WW2 Era (1939-45)

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The Navigator’s Letter: WWII’s Hidden Bond Ignited by One Doomed Flight

Soon to get its U.S. release is the new book The Navigator’s Letter: The True Story of Two WWII Airmen, a Doomed Mission, and the Woman Who Bound Them Together from author Jan Cress Dondi. The book deals with the costliest US air raid of WW2, which occurred over Hitler’s oil fields at Ploesti, Romania on August 1, 1943. It brings to light one of the best untold and dangerous stories of the war, chronicling a moving and heroic story of patriotic duty, familial bonds, brotherhood, and love.

A true story, The Navigator’s Letter is a tale of uncanny coincidences: two friends from the same small Illinois town; both joined the Air Corps; both became navigators; both were assigned to B-24 Liberators; both flew missions over Europe; both of their planes were forced down over Ploesti; and both went missing-in-action.

Intertwined with events of WWII, the story follows the two B-24 navigators coursing through wartime, both with ties to the same woman. Their lives unfurl with the Air Force’s darkest day, Operation Tidal Wave. It was the first-ever zero-altitude air raid, which lead to Operation Reunion, the largest evacuation by air in history repatriating 1,162 POWs from Romania back to American air bases in Italy.

The 400 page, hardcover book is currently available for pre-order with release scheduled for February 10.

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First Look: DBMK’s 1/32 DH.103 Hornet Test Build

DBMK has released the first test build photos for their de Havilland DH.103 Hornet F.1/3 & PR.2 model in 1/32 scale. The company states:

The blitz build is done. We did this to test the construction of the kit. Got to love the Hornet – looks imposing in 1/32 it has to be said. No filler has been used and minimal clean up. The kit is low pressure/limited run so some clean up is required due to the technology. The canopy is high pressure though this was an early test shot prior to finalisation and polishing. Some issue have been identified in the order of construction so it should be easier next time (an example is the ram air intake closure flaps that should be fitted before the wings are joined together). We are sure that you will enjoy building this as much as we have!

As of this writing it appears that a final release date has not yet been announced. Click below to check out additional images.

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IBG’s Upcoming Spitfire Mk Vb Has Two Full Models, 18 Liveries, Tons More

IBG Models has announced the upcoming release of a Black Box Limited Edition Supermarine Spitfire Mk Vb (North West Europe 1941-44) model kit in 1/72 scale.

The offering (72591) will contain two full model kits with two comprehensive sets of 3D printed upgrade parts as well as 18 unique, thoroughly researched marking options. The box will also include four fuselages and four sets of wing upper halves allowing builders to represent any two options of the Mk Vb they choose from the box.

Full list of Supermarine Spitfire Mk Vb – North West Europe 1941-44 – Black Box Limited Edition contents:
2x Complete Spitfire Mk Vb plastic model kits (each of them including two different fuselage versions and two different wing upper halves variants)
1x Huge decal sheet with 18(!) marking options (containing 42 roundels and 20 fin flashes to cater for the huge variety included in the box!)
2x 3D-printed cockpit structure insert (with/without additional armour and headrest)
2x Sets of 3D-printed wheels
2x Sets of 3D-printed exhausts (each of them in 4 different variants!)
2x 3D-printed seamless carburetor air intakes
10x 3D-printed rear view mirrors (5 variants, each in 2 copies)
6x 3D-printed gunsights (3 variants, each in 2 copies)
2x Photo-etched frames with some of the smaller details
2x Sets of the most thoroughly researched stencils ever prepared for a Spitfire Mk Vb model in any scale (with separate subsets for Supermarine, CBAF and Westland-produced machines)
2x Sets of painting masks
1x Special bonus

The kit is currently slated for release sometime during the second half of January.

(via IBG Models)

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North American T-6G Project For Sale: “Complete, Crazy Low Price”

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

A 1951 T-6G project has been spotted for sale. According to the listing, the project (rebuilt from a late‑1940s airframe) is a complete but accident‑damaged aircraft. It is equipped with a 600 hp Pratt & Whitney R‑1340‑AN‑1 radial showing about 610 hours since a 2007 Covington overhaul. It features intact dual cockpits, instruments, controls, left wing, tailcone, and much external markings, but with the right wing torn off in a takeoff‑roll runway excursion, associated fire damage under the right side of the fuselage, bent prop blades, wrinkled forward fuselage skins, canopy glass damage, and some gear and control‑surface wrinkling. It has continuous logbooks from its U.S. airworthiness certification in 1984 through a just‑expired annual (12/12/2024, expired 12/31/2025), and Spanish service history with missing Spanish logs. It is offered as a low‑priced project suitable for rebuild to flying or display status, a static or cockpit display, or as a valuable R‑1340 engine and parts donor,

The machine is currently available for US $9,950, although offers are also being accepted. It is stored at Airlake Airport (KLVN) south of Minneapolis with limited free storage and on‑site loading assistance available. Click here to check out the complete eBay listing, which includes many additional photos and details.

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Coming Soon: The Full Story of the Luftwaffe’s WW2 Kamikaze Force

Coming soon from Fonthill Media and author Walter S. Zapotoczny is Sonderkommando Elbe: The Luftwaffe’s Kamikaze Force.

By September 1944 the Third Reich was under constant attack by Allied bombers and suffering an onslaught by the Red Army to the east. The Nazi high command struggled for ideas to reduce the effect of the ceaseless bombing and thereby create some breathing space to build and strengthen their new weapon: jet-propelled aircraft. They believed that this new invention could turn the tide of the war.

At the end of 1944 a proposal was offered by Oberst Hans-Joachim “Hajo” Herrmann. His plan called for 1,500 fighter aircraft to conduct a massive attack against an Allied bomber formation on April 7, 1945, inflicting such casualties that the Allies would think twice about continuing their bombing campaign. Attacking bombers was not a new idea, but the method of attack was new. The German pilots were to fly their planes into the bombers, causing enough damage to bring down the aircraft. Unlike the Japanese Kamikaze pilots who carried explosives on board and died in the attack, the German pilots were instructed to bail out and parachute to safety to fly another day.

The 224 page, hardcover book offers the full story of the unit and its pilots. The book is currently available for pre-order with release slated for March 30.

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Eduard Releases New ProfiPACK Fw 190A-8 With 5 Marking Options

Eduard has released a new ProfiPACK edition Fw 190A-8 model in 1/48 scale.

The Fw 190A-8 was a late-war, refined A-series variant that combined a powerful engine with heavy armament. It typically carried a Junkers Jumo 213-series engine with emergency boost, giving strong climb and acceleration at low to medium altitudes and top speeds in the mid-400 mph range, with a service ceiling of roughly 39,000 ft and useful range for interception and escort duties. Armament commonly included 2 x 13 mm MG 131 machine guns and 2 x 20 mm MG 151 cannons, with some configurations adapted for fighter-bomber roles carrying bombs or rockets under the wings or fuselage. Rugged construction, good cockpit visibility, and a wide-track undercarriage made it a stable gun platform and durable in combat, allowing it to serve as a versatile fighter and ground-attack aircraft despite growing late-war shortages and increasing Allied air superiority.

The new kit (82147) includes Eduard plastic parts and decals, pre-painted PE parts, a painting mask and marking options for five aircraft.

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IBG to Release New Jagdgeschwader 301 Fw 190D-9 Kit in 2026

With 2026 fast approaching, IBG Models has taken a moment to announce some of the releases planned for the new year. Among them is a Fw 190D-9 model kit (72543) in 1/72 scale.

At the moment details are limited, but the new offering is apparently based on the new tool Focke-Wulf Fw 190D-9 kit (72531 / eBay Product Link) released in 2022, but with markings representing Jagdgeschwader 301. It will reportedly be available at the very end of January.

(via IBG)

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British, Dominions and US Wings: Air War Over Greece 1940–1950 Out Soon

Soon to be released by Fonthill Media is Air War Over Greece 1940–1950: British, Dominions and United States Air Arms, author Victor Flintham’s examination of a neglected corner of military aviation history.

Following the Italian invasion of Greece in October 1940, the RAF reluctantly deployed three squadrons of Bristol Blenheim light bombers and one squadron of Gloster Gladiators, an obsolescent biplane fighter, to assist the Greek defenders. The fear among the Allies was that with Greece in Axis hands, enemy supply lines to North Africa would be significantly shortened, threatening the Allied position there and in the Middle East.

By the time Germany joined the invasion in April 1941, both the RAF and FAA had committed more squadrons and been joined by army units, but they were soon overwhelmed, retreating to Crete, from where they were evicted in May 1941 after a massive German paratroop operation. For the next three years the RAF and FAA attacked Axis forces on Crete, mainland Greece and in the Aegean with mixed success. In addition, Allied air arms, including USAAF units, dropped weapons and supplies to the Greek partisan groups. In late 1944, as the Germans were forced to withdraw from Greece, RAF units once again flew into Greek airfields, yet they were soon drawn into the bitter civil war, fighting alongside Greek government forces against Communist insurgents. After the final withdrawal of operational units in 1946, the RAF retained an air delegation in Athens until 1952, when Greece joined NATO.

The upcoming, 272 page hardcover release is currently available for pre-order with release slated for March 30.

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Arming the Luftwaffe: Machine Guns, Cannon and Aerial Artillery that Powered German Air Combat, 1939–1945

Soon to be released from Pen and Sword History and author Tim Heath is German Aircraft Weaponry: Machine Guns, Cannon and Aerial Artillery in Luftwaffe Service, 1939-1945. The book examines the use of the humble rifle calibre machine gun as an aircraft weapon along with the efforts to develop suitable cannon with greater destructive power for aircraft use, the advances made during the inter-war years and the various barrelled weaponry either used or proposed by the German Luftwaffe in the Second World War.

This work encompasses not only the technical and operational appraisals of the various weapons used by the German Luftwaffe aircrews, which include some of Germany’s leading surviving fighter aces of the Second World War, but also the armourers tasked with their day-to-day maintenance, the instructors and technicians on the ground, and those who found themselves at the receiving end of their firepower both in the air and on the ground. This unique work encompasses many new and previously unpublished testimonies as told by those who were there in their own words and for the first time.

The 256 page hardcover book is currently available for pre-order with release slated for March 30.

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Revell Releases Renderings For New Bf 109E

Revell has shared renderings for their new Bf 109E in 1/72 scale.

The Bf 109E, often called the Emil, was powered by a Daimler-Benz DB 601 inverted V-12 engine and introduced just before the Second World War. It formed the backbone of the Luftwaffe’s fighter force during the early war years, notably in the Battle of Britain, and typically carried a mix of machine guns and 20 mm cannon in the wings and nose.

As of this writing details are limited, although the design is nearing completion and the company states that they are open to hearing about any improvements that might be needed.

Click below to check out additional renderings.

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