Hitler's Third Reich and World War II in the News is a daily edited review of WWII news, providing thought- provoking collection of hand-picked WW2 information.

Category: Aircrafts of WWII  -- See latest WWII news here. See also 'WWII Aviation', 'Aces', 'Bomber pilots', 'Female Pilots', 'Spitfire', 'B-17'.

Fly the legendary Me262 fighter - Messerschmitt ME-262 Flight Program
You can now be a part of the Messerschmitt ME-262 Flight Program by The Collings Foundation. From the best vantage point, the cockpit, you will take to the skies in this legendary aircraft - recreated to standards from an original ME-262 trainer. It's an unique chance for pilots to experience the aircraft that made history as the first fighter jet. "ME-262 embodies all the characteristics expected of an aircraft that changed aerial combat forever. The mere sight of the ME-262 struck fear in the hearts of all Army Air Corps aircrew that saw it in the sky - it was just so far ahead of its time!"     [ collingsfoundation :: 2008-04-24 :: Warbirds: Vintage aircrafts ]

P-40 Warhawk replica gets makeover
A P-40 Warhawk replica that has been on display at Vandenberg Air Force Base for 7 years took a road trip to get fresh paint at Art Craft, an airplane paint shop in Santa Maria. The full-size WWII model display serves as a monument to the Flying Tigers (14th Air Force). Although the US hadn't yet entered the war, Roosevelt ordered 100 P-40 Warhawks (originally destined for the UK but rejected as being obsolete) which were sent to China and used by a secret unit known as the American Volunteer Group (100 pilots plus a maintenance crew of 200) led by General Claire Chennault.     [ lompocrecord :: 2008-03-24 :: Aircrafts of WWII ]

Wolfgang Czaia: Project 262 - The Test Pilot's Journal
Wolfgang Czaia, the test pilot for the Paine Field-based Me-262 Project, had the rare chance to fly the first authentic reproduction of the famed World War II German jet fighter. His book "Project 262, The Test Pilot's Journal" tells the story of those test flights, his off-the-runway crash and the experience of flying as an escort for a B-24 bomber, one of the Me-262's wartime targets. Illustrated with almost 150 photos by aviation photographer Jim Larsen, the 224-page, book includes a 45m DVD filled with movies of the test flights and production. Put into service late in World War II, the Me-262 missed its chance to alter the result of that conflict.     [ heraldbusinessjournal :: 2008-01-03 ]

Collector is building a Spitfire fighter with parts from around the globe
Martin Phillips has spent 7 years and £1m collecting thousands of parts at his workshop at Langford. He was motivated to start the WWII project after being given a small aircraft rivet. It began seriously when he found the fuselage of a 1944 Spitfire RR232. The aircraft is predicted to take another few years to complete. Phillips said he now has every part he needs to rebuild the fighter in a shed outside his country home. The final assembly and first flight of the reconstructed aircraft, to be called City of Exeter, will take place at Exeter Airport, itself a World War II fighter base. "We are making steady progress, but there are lots of engineering problems to overcome."     [ bbc :: 2008-01-02 :: Supermarine Spitfire ]

World War II transport plane C-47 moved from Charlotte County Airport
It was an disgraceful departure for a historic C-47 transport plane at the Charlotte County Airport. The airplane once played a role in the 1944 D-Day Invasion. The transport, with its wings off, was towed backward to its new home. Owner Gary Quigg said he was forced to move it because the parking fee doubled, without prior notice. Being a aviation anthropologist and a member of the Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery, he discovered this "Gooney Bird" was built in 1943 at Douglas Aircraft's plant in Longbeach, Calif. "At 2 a.m. on D-Day, my airplane dropped a plane-full of 82nd Airborne paratroopers... I believe my transport also flew troops in Operation Market Garden."     [ sun-herald :: 2007-12-23 ]

Replica of WWII ace's P-51D Mustang to nest at Grout Museum
A lifesize replica U.S. Army Air Force North American P-51D Mustang fighter plane is being put together for permanent display in the atrium of the Grout Museum. That entrance also will have a re-created bow of the USS Juneau, the U.S. Navy cruiser on which Waterloo's 5 Sullivan brothers fought and died during the World War II. The replica Mustang will be a re-creation of the fighter flown by WWII air ace Robert W. Abernathy. The plane was designed by Military Aircraft Restoration Corp., which also produced a replica version of the P-51 flown by the "Tuskegee Airmen" and on display at the Des Moines International Airport.     [ wcfcourier :: 2007-12-18 ]

The story of Fair Isle's German Heinkel 111 aircraft
The best-known of Fair Isle's world war 2 war stories concerns a German Heinkel 111 aircraft, which, on January 17th 1941, crash landed at Vaasetter, killing two of its crew. The plane had been on a weather reconnaissance mission when it was pursued and shot down. Miraculously 3 crew members survived the crash, and were met by a small group of islanders, led by George "Fieldy" Stout, who made a citizen's arrest. An RAF rescue launch, sent to take the German POWs back to Shetland, ran aground at the south end of Fair Isle. A second vessel was then despatched to collect both men and boat. It too ran aground.     [ newstatesman :: 2007-11-16 ]

Spitfire: Portrait of a Legend by Leo McKinstry
It was 1 August 1940. Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring gave the Luftwaffe its orders: smash the RAF, achieve air dominance within a fortnight. Across the Channel waited a shy, aloof man known as Stuffy, wondering if the defence system he had created would hold; an assorted band of pilots gathered from the corners of the free world; and a plane with a deathless name. The story of the Spitfire is embedded deep in the national consciousness. It has been told many times: by those who flew her, those who built her, by sober war historians and cranks and axe-grinders and revisionists. But I doubt if anyone has told it more thoroughly than Leo McKinstry.     [ telegraph :: 2007-11-16 :: Supermarine Spitfire ]

Over 100 Photos from the Gathering of Mustangs & Legends 2007
More than 100 color photographs from the Gathering of Mustangs & Legends 2007 at Rickenbacker Field, Columbus, Ohio. Good pictures of Vintage P-51 Mustangs, an American long-range single-seat World War II fighter aircraft.     [ pbase :: 2007-10-08 :: Aircrafts of WWII ]

Rare historical plane Fairchild PT-19 given to local museum
The 1943 silver-and-black Fairchild PT-19 returned to the place where it was built, and Ward Wilkins donated it to the Hagerstown Aviation Museum. The aircraft is one of an ever-decreasing number of flying PT-19s. The PT-19, one of more than 4,500 PT-19's of this model, was manufactured in Hagerstown by the Fairchild Co. starting in 1939, continuing through 1943. The surprise donation came about because of the news surrounding the return to Hagerstown of the last-flying C-82 to its home with the local aviation museum. "When I received the phone call offering the aircraft, I was thrilled. This was an incredible donation of a plane which made Hagerstown famous."     [ herald-mail :: 2007-08-25 :: Aircrafts of WWII ]

July 18, 1942: World's First Operational Jet Fighter Takes Wing
The third prototype of the Me 262 becomes the first true operational jet plane when it takes to the Bavarian skies during WW2. Engine problems and political bungling delayed its debut as a combat aircraft until 1944, but when it arrived, the 2-jet Messerschmitt 262 showed that it was more than a match for the Allied fighters, including Britain's jet, the Gloster Meteor. Me 262 should have been ready much earlier, but high costs and the belief of many Luftwaffe officers that conventional aircraft could win the war prevented Third Reich from making the Me 262 a priority. Like the Type XXI U-boat, the Me 262 appeared too late.     [ wired :: 2007-07-18 :: Aircrafts of WWII ]

Documentary: Hitler's War on America - America Bomber
In this German documentary - a must-see for all armchair war buffs - Adolf Hitler's desire to strike at the heart of America is detailed by interviews and an array of archival footage, much of it in colour. As far back as 1937 Hitler was shown a full-scale mock-up of an aircraft that could take the war to the US. Like many Messerschmitt designs, the ME 264 (America Bomber) was way ahead of its time. The dream was big, the logistics a nightmare but Hitler's determination was unbounded. When the bomber became hobbled with problems, he brought in a host of Plan Bs, like the use of seaplane bomber, a mid-air refuelling and the invasion of Iceland to use it as an air base.     [ theage :: 2007-07-13 :: Aircrafts of WWII ]

World War II plane arrives in Maine for renovation
A WWII plane believed to have been flown by Gen. George Patton arrived in Maine to undergo renovations after being damaged in an accident in Japan. Maurice Kirk, who has owned "Liberty Girl" since 1979 and was flying around the world, said the plane was flown by Patton following D-Day in 1944. Patton flew over France to survey the battlefields. During the war, hundreds of the drab-green planes were used for reconnaissance and transporting supplies. Film clips of the day often showed military leaders flying in the two-seaters. "This is an important part of American history. This here is a proper war bird."     [ boston :: 2007-05-02 :: Aircrafts of WWII ]

Lancaster bomber marks 50th anniversary
One of the world's last Lancaster bombers has taken to the skies to mark 50 years of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. The aircraft, taking part in a flypast at RAF Coningsby, is one of only two airworthy Lancasters - The only other flying Lancaster is in Canada. More than 7,000 Lancasters were built during the 1940s and played a major part during World War 2. The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight is an historic collection of aircraft that commemorate the RAF's involvement in all the campaigns of WW2. It includes the Lancaster, a Dakota, 5 Spitfires, 2 Hurricanes and 2 Chipmunks.     [ bbc :: 2007-04-28 :: Aircrafts of WWII ]

WWII Mosquito fighter-bomber rises from the mud
Milton Keynes: The remains of a crashed de Havilland Mosquito World War II fighter-bomber have been discovered. Among the wreckage was one of the plane's Rolls-Royce Merlin engines, guns and ammunition. The wooden fuselage had rotted away. The RAF team identified the aircraft as being from No 51 Operational Training Unit which had been based at RAF Cranfield in Bedfordshire. It took off on its ill-fated night flight on 14 January 1945. Pilot Warrant Officer Gavin Harvie and navigator Sergeant Martin Sydney Card discovered that some of the Mosquito's equipment was malfunctioning and radioed a distress call just minutes into the flight.     [ mod :: 2007-03-23 :: Aircrafts of WWII ]

Alex Henshaw, the Spitfire ace who never got to fly a mission
He flew more Spitfires than any other man - and was hailed as the greatest test pilot of World War II. He risked his life to iron out problems with the RAF's aircraft. And he was the only pilot ever to 'roll' the massive Lancaster bomber upside-down in mid air. The death of Alex Henshaw concludes a story of courage and skill. He survived crashes, and clashed with officials about his antics: like bringing Birmingham to a standstill by flying his Spitfire upside-down only feet above the rooftops. He test-flew some 3,000 Spitfires, more than 10% of all those ever built. In 2006 he took the controls of a Spitfire in a flight to mark the aircraft's 70th anniversary.     [ dailymail :: 2007-03-01 :: Aircrafts of WWII ]

Commemorative Air Force works to restore B-29 bomber
"Diamond Lil" was built for dropping bombs, but the World War II flying beauty was altered to military transport plane. The Commemorative Air Force plans to change that. While the CAF's "Fifi", which is the world's only flying B-29, has been grounded with engine problems, the B-29/B-24 Squadron is using the downtime to restore "Diamond Lil" to its original B-24A configuration. The CAF crew chief said that he began working on Oct. 31 to restore the plane from its modified configuration as a transport to resemble the original design of a WWII long-range bomber. "There's a big push in the warbird field to have authentic planes."     [ theeagle :: 2006-12-27 :: Aircrafts of WWII ]

The Zero - An aircraft replica taped together from photos
If ever there were an icon for the mysterious powerful Imperial Navy at the advent of World War II, the A6M2 "Zero" was it. Jiro Horikoshi's design broke all the rules of aircraft construction, being light, nimble, swift and far-reaching, a razor-edged sword in design philosophy while the other nations were mass-producing clunky machine guns. It was so feared that American aviators were given one instruction upon meeting a Zero: run. Katsushige Nakahashi is busy taping together the latest of his "Zero Projects," a life-size replica of the famous fighter plane.     [ starbulletin :: 2006-11-28 :: Aircrafts of WWII ]

Spitfire: The Biography - As the RAF took on the Luftwaffe
If the Spitfire had reached the RAF in 1937 instead of 1938, the Luftwaffe might have observed it, poached its design, maybe even acquired a couple. In 1938 Britain was selling Hawker Hurricanes to Yugoslavia. RJ Mitchell's fighter began to enter squadron service at the best time: not 1940, the year of the Battle of Britain, but 1939, thus giving the RAF a year to get the bugs out. The twin-blade wooden propeller was changed to a 3-blade, constant-speed prop. A new canopy improved the pilot's view. Armour plating protected his back. The focus of his 8 machine-guns was tightened from 400 yards to 250 yards.     [ guardian :: 2006-11-19 :: Aircrafts of WWII ]

A German World War II Focke Wulf 190 aircraft salvaged
A German World War II Focke Wulf 190 aircraft, production no. 0125425, was salvaged from its watery grave off the island of Sotra, near Bergen in Norway. The aircraft, stationed at 12th Jagdgeschwader 5 at Fliegerhorst Herdla outside Bergen during the second world war, made an emergency landing in the sea on December 15th 1943.     [ tiscali :: 2006-11-03 :: Aircrafts of WWII ]

Divers raise wreckage of German WWII Junkers-87 Stuka bomber
Greek military divers raised the wreckage of a German World War II Stuka bomber from the sea. The Junkers-87 dive-bomber was shot down in 1943 and will be displayed at the air force museum. Air force experts believe the plane was part of a Luftwaffe squadron operating from Rhodes that lost several Stukas to allied ships on Oct. 9, 1943. Fitted with a screaming siren for maximum shock effect, the gull-winged, single-engine Stuka was a feared symbol of Nazi military power. Out of some 6,000 aircraft produced 1936-1944, only two are intact in museums, while the wrecks of 3 more Stukas have been salvaged.     [ abcnews :: 2006-10-07 :: Aircrafts of WWII ]

Spitfire -- Still the world's most famous military aircraft
Immortalised in film and speeches for its role in winning the Battle of Britain, the Spitfire is still the world's most famous military aircraft. More than 20,000 were manufactured to take on the Messerschmitts of Nazi Germany's Luftwaffe and the Zeros of Japan, but today only a few dozen can still be flown. Remarkably, the town of Temora boasts two of them. The Temora Aviation Museum acquired its second vintage Spitfire: The Mark XVI, which saw service with the RAAF in the closing weeks of World War II. Nobody is revealing the price, but airworthy Spitfires don't come for less than $2 million.     [ smh :: 2006-09-19 :: Supermarine Spitfire ]

C-47 - aircraft that droped paratroopers into Normandy on D-Day
A C-47 aircraft that played a pivotal role in World War II landed at Lakefront Airport and will be moved to the World War II Museum. "Like the Higgins boat, the Sherman tank and the jeep, the C-47 was so important to the success of the war effort that the National World War II Museum would not be complete without it." This C-47, 096, carried Pathfinder paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne into Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944, dropped a Pathfinder paratrooper team of the 101st Airborne in Operation Market Garden; flew in a resupply mission to the 101st Airborne during the Battle of the Bulge; and took part in Operation Varsity - the Rhine Jump - in 1945.     [ cox :: 2006-09-01 :: Warbirds: Vintage aircrafts ]

P-51 Mustang's primary duty was to protect bombers
Article no longer available from the original source.
The P-51 Mustang's primary duty was to protect bombers as they flew over Europe. They helped to turn the tide in World War II. "We were losing so many of our big bombers and their crews, because we didn't have any fighter escort with long range capacity. And when North American built this airplane it would stay up for 7, almost 8 hours, and so they would escort bombers deep into action and back, and it made all the difference in the world." Armed with 6 fifty caliber machine guns, it could carry rockets, 1000 ton bombs and drop fuel tanks -- a formidable opponent for enemy fighters.     [ kpvi :: 2006-08-18 :: Aircrafts of WWII ]

Yakovlev YAK-3 -- Dog fighter aircraft of the Eastern Front
The history of this aircraft design is full of mystery. First, the attempt at the design failed in 1941 due to a shortage of materials and a reliable engine. The second attempt proved successful with test flights beginning in October 1943. The YAK-3 is an upgraded variant of the YAK-1; which first flew in 1939. More than 8,700 aircraft were built of all models. The YAK was a successful dog fighter and won the respect of Luftwaffe pilots on the Eastern Front. The YAK-3 has an empty weight of 4,641 pounds and a top speed of 355 knots. Armament included a single 20mm ShVAK cannon and a single 12.7mm Berczin cannon.     [ aero-news :: 2006-08-01 :: Aircrafts of WWII ]

Me262 Flies Over Germany Once Again
Aero-News has learned that Tango Tango -- the second flying reproduction of the groundbreaking Messerschmidt Me262 WWII jet fighter -- took to the skies over Germany earlier this week. The historic flight marked the first time that an Me262 has flown over Germany since 1945. Upon successful flight testing, the Me262 Project plans to fly and display Tango Tango at the Berlin ILA 2006 Airshow, May 16-21.     [ aero-news :: 2006-04-30 :: Aircrafts of WWII ]

Time to remember the Hurricane - Overshadowed by Spitfire
France had surrendered. Britain stood alone. Hitler's invasion barges were massing across the Channel. Once the German Luftwaffe had knocked out the RAF, the Nazi invasion could begin. Hurricanes equipped more squadrons, scored more "kills," and brought more wounded pilots safely home than any other RAF fighter. And yet then, as now, the Hurricane was overshadowed by the glamorous Supermarine Spitfire.     [ expressandstar :: 2006-03-31 :: Aircrafts of WWII ]

P-51 Mustang in WWII as a bomber escort
They called it a search and destroy mission, the perfect way for a P-51 fighter pilot to wrap up a day's work over Nazi Germany. "It was a plane that changed the whole course of the war," George Valentine said. Until the Mustang appeared, American bomber crews were on their own during missions over the Third Reich. But the Mustang was the fighter plane that could go all the way with them and fend off enemy fighter attacks. Until jet fighters made their appearance at the very end of WWII, the Mustang was the fastest, nastiest thing in the air.     [ centralohio :: 2006-03-07 :: Aircrafts of WWII ]

Man uses Navy past for book on WWII seaplanes
Chet Smith still fits into his World War II naval uniform as easily as he recalls piloting a new and extraordinary seaplane through the dangerous skies and equally treacherous waters of the central Pacific Ocean. From August 1942 to May 1945 aboard the PB2Y Coronado, crew delivered cargo and mail to isolated Allied bases. The young crew also ferried the Navy's top brass, such as Adms. Chester Nimitz and William "Bull" Halsey, on the massive four-engine seaplane from Hawaii to smaller islands in flights often lasting 25 hours.     [ - :: 2006-01-03 :: Aircrafts of WWII ]

Man who helped develop WWII fighter plane finally gets a ride
Article no longer available from the original source.
On Friday, Robert Bowman got the chance to fly for the first time in a Douglas A-26, a plane he helped develop more than 60 years ago. In July of 1940 he went to work for the Douglas Aircraft Company. His first task with Douglas was to help design and build a fighter plane to combat the Axis powers in World War II. The military wanted an airplane that was faster than the German Messerschmitt and Douglas delivered with the A-26. The A-26 was used in three wars: World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.     [ WacoTrib :: 2005-11-14 :: Aircrafts of WWII ]

See also

'WWII Aviation'

'Aces'

'Bomber pilots'

'Female Pilots'

'Spitfire'

'B-17'.

What's new - recent & interesting categories.

Although the articles linked from Adolf Hitler's Third Reich 1933-1945 and World War II in the News are reviewed and specially selected, they do not necessarily represent the views of the editor, who is not responsible for the content of any external sites. This service is © Joni Nuutinen 2005-2008. All rights reserved.