Gloire: French cruiser (1935)

French cruiser Gloire.

Gloire was a French light cruiser of the La Galissonnière class.

General Information

Name: Gloire

Namesake: Glory

Builder: Forges et Chantiers de la Gironde

Laid down: 13 November 1933

Launched: 28 September 1935

Commissioned: 15 November 1937

Fate: Scrapped 1958

Design and Description

The La Galissonnière class was designed as an enlarged and improved version of the preceding Emile Bertin. The ships had an overall length of 179.5 meters (588 ft 11 in), a beam of 17.48 meters (57 ft 4 in), and a draft of 5.28 meters (17 ft 4 in). They displaced 7,722 metric tons (7,600 long tons) at standard load and 9,460 t (9,310 long tons) at deep load. Their crew consisted of 557 men in peacetime and 612 in wartime.

Specifications

Class and type: La Galissonnière-class cruiser

Displacement:      

7,600 tons (standard)

9120 tons (full load)

Length: 179 m (587 ft)

Beam: 17.5 m (57 ft)

Draught: 5.35 m (17.6 ft)

Propulsion:

2-shaft Parsons single reduction geared turbines

4 Indret boilers

84,000 shp (63,000 kW)

Speed: 31 knots (57 km/h; 36 mph)

Range: 7,000 nmi (13,000 km; 8,100 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)

Complement: 540

Armament: 

Initial

9 × 152 mm (6.0 in)/55 guns (3 × 3)

8 × 90 mm (3.5 in) AA (4 × 2)

8 × 37 mm (1.5 in) light AA (4 × 2)

12 × 13.2 mm (0.52 in) light AA (4 × 3)

4 × 550 mm (22 in) torpedo tubes (2 × 2)

Vichy refit (1941)

9 × 152 mm (6.0 in)/55 guns (3 × 3)

8 × 90 mm (3.5 in) AA (4 × 2)

9 × 37 mm (1.5 in) light AA (4 × 2, 1 × 1)

2 × 25 mm (0.98 in) light AA (1 × 2)

16 × 13.2 mm (0.52 in) light AA (4 × 3, 2 × 2)

4 × 550mm (21.7 inch) torpedo tubes (2 × 2)

Allies refit (1943)

9 × 152 mm (6.0 in)/55 guns (3 × 3)

8 × 90 mm (3.5 in) AA (4 × 2)

24 × 40 mm (1.6 in) AA (4 × 6)

16 × 20 mm (0.79 in) light AA (1 × 16)

4 × 550mm (21.7 inch) torpedo tubes (2 × 2)

Armor:       

Main belt: 105 mm (4 in)

End bulkheads: 30 mm (1.2 in)

Sides: 120 mm (4.7 in)

Deck: 38 mm (1.5 in)

Turrets: 100 mm (4 in)

Conning tower: 95 mm (3.7 in)

Aircraft carried:    

up to 4 GL-832, later 2 Loire 130 flying boats

1 catapult

Construction and Career

After completing trials, Gloire arrived in Brest on 18 November 1937, then left for French Indochina on 1 December, returning to Brest on 16 April 1938. Gloire joined the 4th Cruiser Division in January 1939, with which she visited Britain and the United States. She was refitted between October and December 1939. She then sailed for Canada with the battleship Dunkerque, carrying gold, and subsequently escorted a Canadian troop convoy on her return. Atlantic patrols as part of Vice Admiral Marcel-Bruno Gensoul's Force de Raid followed. At the time of the French surrender in June 1940, Gloire was at Algiers, but returned to Toulon on 4 July, where the 4th Cruiser Division formed part of the French Independent Naval Force.

Gloire initially stayed loyal to the Vichy French government. Free French Forces’ successes in Chad and Cameroon became politically embarrassing, and so the Axis Naval Commission permitted the dispatch of the cruisers Montcalm and Georges Leygues to Dakar as Force Y. After an unchallenged passage past Gibraltar, for which the local British commander was removed, they arrived on 14 September. On 18 September the 4th Cruiser Division sailed for Libreville, French Equatorial Africa. They were intercepted by British forces. Gloire suffered machinery problems and was unable to outrun the British flotilla, so she turned back and she was 'escorted' into Casablanca by the Allied cruisers HMAS Australia and HMS Cumberland and was therefore not present during the subsequent Allied attack on Dakar.

Between April and July, Gloire underwent a refit at Casablanca, and on 12 September 1942 took part in the rescue operations after the passenger liner Laconia had been sunk, arriving on the scene in the evening of 17 September.

After the Allied invasion of north Africa (Operation Torch) and the consequent abrogation by the Germans of the armistice (Case Anton) in November 1942, Gloire rejoined the Allies. Three surviving La Galissonnière-class cruisers, based at Dakar, were refitted in 1943. Unlike her sisters which were refitted at Philadelphia, instead she was refitted at New York. removing aircraft installations and adding light anti-aircraft weapons. Gloire then operated from Dakar together with other French and Italian cruisers, searching for Axis blockade runners in the central and south Atlantic until 16 January 1944, when she moved to the Mediterranean.

In February, she supported the Allied landings at Anzio, bombarding enemy positions in the Bay of Gaeta (firing 604 rounds) and transporting troops to Italy and Corsica. After a refit at Algiers between 27 April and 17 June, she participated in the landing in the south of France (Operation Dragoon) in August, firing nearly 2,000 rounds in shore support between 15 and 28 August. Gloire continued to support Allied forces along the French and Italian Rivieras until the end of the war, except for a special trip to the United States in December.

Postwar, Gloire made three deployments to Indo-China and she was finally placed in reserve on 1 February 1955, being condemned for disposal on 2 January 1958.

Bibliography

Jordan, John & Moulin, Jean (2013). French Cruisers 1922–1956. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing.

Whitley, M. J. (1995). Cruisers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia. London: Cassell.

 French light cruiser Gloire (1935-58) in dazzle camouflage, fires her six guns during exercises off the North African coast, late 1943 or early 1944. 

French light cruiser Gloire, New York, 1943. This was the US "Adaptor" scheme, which as far as we can tell at this point was a "local" favorite of the supervisor of the Brooklyn Navy Yard and one he kept pushing for. It's literally based on one of the official World War I dazzle schemes but wasn't issued by the camouflage division of the Navy's Bureau of Ships. They were lukewarm on it as the pattern was small enough that at distance a lot of the stripes lost definition and the apparent course deception effect wasn't as effective as it would suggest close up. Camouflage on ships like this was not intended to hide them, it was to make it more difficult to determine a ship's direction and speed and, therefore make it harder to target. 

French Galissonnière class light cruiser, Gloire, in dazzle camouflage. 

French cruiser Gloire in the North River, New York's World Fair, July 10, 1939. 

French light cruiser Gloire. 

Gloire at Anzio in 1944. 

Free French cruiser Gloire, in dazzle camouflage, with ship's company on deck saluting the British King George VI as he passed by in the anchorage at Naples, circa 1944. (Imperial War Museum photo A 24997) 

French light cruiser Gloire. 

Loading an English aircraft carrier and the French cruiser Gloire at Algiers. 

French cruiser Gloire. 

French light cruiser Gloire at New York City in July 1939. The Moran Company tug Richard L. Moran appears alongside in the foreground. (Naval History and Heritage Command photo NH 91634)

Air Power in World War II Album #1 (461 photos)

Devastating Strike: Mosquito Mk. VIs from 143 Squadron, part of the famous Banff Strike Wing, delivering a blistering strike on a pair of large enemy ships off the Norwegian coast in early 1945. Artist: Robert Taylor.

 

Publicity shot purporting to show the captain of a Boeing Fortress Mark II of Coastal Command holding a final conference with his crew before taking off. Original color photograph. The photograph was taken at Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides in front of a Fortress Mark II, FL462 'W' of No. 220 Squadron RAF. The 'crew' were, in fact, an ad hoc group drawn from No. 206 Squadron RAF, and the 'captain' (third from right, wearing SD Cap) was Flying Officer L W Taylor RAAF, an Air Ministry public relations officer.

 

Martin Baltimore IIIa, FA342 ‘P’, No. 223 Sqn RAF, taking off from Luqa, Malta, August 1943.

 

Local Arabs and their Camelus Dromedarius’ pass by Bristol Beaufighter Mark VIF, X8166 'E', raised by its tail while undergoing gun maintenance and harmonization, on their way to wherever they were going, at Castel Benito, Libya.

 

Test pilot George Bulman in the cockpit of the prototype Hawker Hurricane, K5083, circa 1935.

 

Hawker Hurricane K5083.

 

K5083, the prototype Hawker Hurricane, photographed prior to its first flight.

 

Prototype Hawker Hurricane, K5083.

 

Hawker Hurricane prototype K5083.

 

Prototype Hawker Hurricane, K5083.

 

Hawker Hurricane K5083 with landing gear extended.

 

Hawker Hurricane Mk.I L1547.

 

Hawker Hurricane K5083.

 

No. 111 Squadron was responsible for the introduction of the Hurricane to the RAF with the first aircraft arriving at Northolt in December 1937, in advance of the official acceptance date of 1 January 1938. The CO, S/Ldr John Gillan, flew L1555 in record time from Edinburgh to Northolt on 10 February 1938.

 

A cutaway of a Hawker Hurricane.

 

Hurricane over Windsor, September 4, 2012.

 

A Royal Air Force Hawker Hurricane IIC of No. 42 Squadron RAF based at Kangla, Manipur,India, piloted by Flying Officer "Chowringhee" Campbell, diving to attack a bridge near a small Burmese settlement on the Tiddim Road. The bombs of the previous aircraft can be seen exploding on the target. May 1944.

 

Mock-up of fuselage of Hawker Hurricane prototype - showing installation of Merlin Engine and synchronized Vickers machine gun (later deleted). 1935.

 

K5083, the prototype Hawker Hurricane at Brooklands prior to its maiden flight. Construction of the first prototype, K5083, began in August 1935 incorporating the PV-12 Merlin engine. The completed sections of the aircraft were taken to Brooklands, where Hawker had an assembly shed, and re-assembled on 23 October 1935. Ground testing and taxi trials took place over the following two weeks, and on 6 November 1935, the prototype took to the air for the first time, at the hands of Hawker's chief test pilot, Flight Lieutenant P.W.S. Bulman.

 

A Royal Air Force Hawker Hurricane Mark IIC (s/n BE500, 'LK-A', "United Provinces Cawnpore") being flown by Squadron Leader Dennis Smallwood, the Commanding Officer of No. 87 Squadron RAF based at RAF Charmy Down, Somerset, early 1942. No. 87 Squadron was one of the first RAF night fighter squadrons. Sqn Ldr Smallwood led the squadron in 1941-42, when most intercepts were made entirely without on-board radar. The aircraft is painted in an overall black scheme known in the RAF as "Special Night". BE500 subsequently served with No. 533 Squadron RAF and finally in the Far East. Original wartime color photo.

 

Ground crew of No. 274 Squadron RAF overhaul Hawker Hurricane Mark I (V7780 "Alma Baker Malaya") at LG 10/Gerawala, Libya, during the defense of Tobruk. 1941.

 

A mechanic attaches the cable of a trolley-accumulator to a Hawker Hurricane Mark IIB of No. 81 Squadron RAF on the waterlogged airfield at Vaenga, as a section of three Hurricanes flies overhead.

 

No. 488 Squadron Hurricane BM899 with ground crew. Singapore. January 1942.

 

Hurricane V7476 sent to Australia in May 1941, arriving in August, was the only Hurricane based in Australia during the Second World War. The tropicalized Vokes air filter, which was fitted to many types operating in the Pacific, is visible under the nose.

 

Six Fleet Air Arm Hawker Sea Hurricanes operating from Yeovilton, flying in formation.  9 December 1941.

 

A Royal Air Force Hawker Hurricane Mk IIC (BD867 'QO-Y') of No 3 Squadron RAF based at Hunsdon, Hertfordshire (UK), in flight.

 

A Hawker Hurricane Mark IID (BP188, JV-Z), of B Flight, No. 6 Squadron RAF, based at Shandur, Egypt, in flight. Two 40mm Vickers anti-tank cannon are fitted under each wing. These anti-tank aircraft were nicknamed "Flying Can Openers".

 

A Royal Air Force Hawker Hurricane Mark IV fighter-bomber in flight, August 1945. This aircraft is fitted with a deeper radiator and armed with rocket projectiles. The Hurricane Mark IVs utilized the 1460 hp Rolls Royce Merlin 20, 22 or 27 engine.

 

A Hawker Sea Hurricane Mk IA on the catapult of a CAM [Catapult Armed Merchant] Ship at Greenock.

 

A group of pilots of No 303 Polish Fighter Squadron RAF walking toward the camera from a Hawker Hurricane after, purportedly, returning from a fighter sortie. Left to right, in the front row are; Pilot Officer Mirosław Ferić, Flight Lieutenant John A Kent (Commander of 'A' Flight), Flying Officer Bogdan Grzeszczak, Pilot Officer Jerzy Radomski, Pilot Officer Witold Łokuciewski, Pilot Officer Bogusław Mierzwa (obscured by Łokuciewski), Flying Officer Zdzisław Henneberg, Sergeant Jan Rogowski and Sergeant Eugeniusz Szaposznikow. In the center, to the rear of this group, wearing helmet and goggles is Flying Officer Jan Zumbach.

 

Ground crew refueling a Hawker Hurricane Mk I of No. 32 Squadron from a refueling truck whilst the pilot waits in the cockpit, Biggin Hill, August 1940.

 

Pilot Officer A.V. 'Taffy' Clowes of No. 1 Squadron RAF, climbing into his Hawker Hurricane Mark I (P3395 'JX-B'), in a revetment at RAF Wittering, Huntingdonshire (UK). Note Clowes' personal 'wasp ' emblem under the engine exhausts, in October 1940. P3395 was passed on to No. 55 Operational Training Unit on 8 November 1940. Transferred to No. 5 Flying Training School, it was written off after a wheels-up landing at Ternhill on 24 March 1942.

 

Mechanics servicing the engine of a Hawker Hurricane Mark I of No. 501 Squadron RAF at No. 1 Repair Centre, Reims-Champagne.

 

Hawker Hurricane Mk I of the 46th Squadron RAF during the Norwegian campaign, May 1940. This aircraft was abandoned in Norway.

 

Sergeant G "Sammy" Allard of No. 85 Squadron RAF being congratulated on his return to Lille-Seclin in France on the evening of 10 May 1940, after shooting down the second of two Heinkel He 111s claimed by him that day. Behind him, ground crew are busy refueling and rearming his Hawker Hurricane Mark I, N2319 'VY-P'.

 

Group Captain “George” Bulman flying the final Hawker Hurricane, PZ865, "The Last of the Many!", a Mk.IIc.

 

P.W.S. Bulman with PZ865, "The Last of the Many!", July 1944.

 

The final Hawker Hurricane, a Mk.IIc, PZ865, “The Last of the Many!”

 

Hurricanes under construction.

 

Women workers sewing the fuselage of a Hurricane.

 

A Hurricane Mk II on the factory airfield. Note the barrage balloons over the factory. They are at the same height which makes them less effective.

 

Workers assembling a Hurricane.

 

Hurricane (MW336) at its final stage of assembly.

 

Inside main Hawker's assembly shed.

 

Langley Field. Hawker’s factory played an important role in World War II.

 

LAST OF THE MANY: this Langley-built Hurricane fighter still flies today'

 

Hawker Hurricanes at Brooklands.

 

Royal Yugoslav Army Air Force (Zrakoplovstvo vojske Kraljevine Jugoslavije = VVKJ) Hawker Hurricane Mk I, 6th Squadron, April 1939.

 

Royal Yugoslav Army Air Force (Zrakoplovstvo vojske Kraljevine Jugoslavije = VVKJ) Hawker Hurricane Mk. I.

 

Royal Yugoslav Army Air Force (Zrakoplovstvo vojske Kraljevine Jugoslavije = VVKJ) Hawker Hurricane Mk. I.

 

Hurricane I of the Royal Yugoslav Air Force (Vazduhoplovstvo Vojske Kraljevine Jugoslavije, VVKJ). Note the distinctive VVKJ roundels, which ceased to exist in 1941.

 

A Hawker Hurricane Mk IV of No. 351 Squadron RAF at the Museum of Aviation in Belgrade 

 

Loading rockets onto Hurricane Mk IV (RP) serving with No 351 (Yugoslav) Squadron.

 

Hurricane Mk IV (RP) serving with No 351 (Yugoslav) Squadron.

 

Hurricane Mk IV (RP)s serving with No 351 (Yugoslav) Squadron.

 

 

Yugoslavian pilot Tugomir Prebeg stands by his Hawker Hurricane damaged during a ground attack mission in 1944.

A Hurricane Mk IV of No. 351 Squadron, 1945.

 Yugoslav ground crew wheel a trolley of 3-inch rocket projectiles past re-armed Hawker Hurricane Mark IVs of No. 351 (Yugoslav) Squadron RAF in their dispersals at Prkos, Yugoslavia. 1945.

Yugoslavian Hurricane Mk. IV.

Ground staff play with a ball next to a No 85 Squadron Hurricane at Lille-Seclin, November 1939. Note the fabric-covered outer wings characteristic of early-production aircraft. These were initially chosen to ensure a faster rate of production, but were soon substituted for stressed-skin metal wings. Visible also is the Watts fixed-pitch wooden propeller and the gas detection patch painted below the cockpit.

Trainee airframe fitters are taught repair procedures on Hawker Hurricane instructional airframe, 1359M, in a hangar at No. 2 School of Technical Training, Cosford, Shropshire. The Hurricane (formerly L1995) flew with No. 111 Squadron RAF before crashing during a forced landing in January 1939. More instructional airframes, including Bristol Blenheim Mark Is and a Fairey Battle, can be seen in the background.

Hawker employees Winnie Bennett, Dolly Bennett, Florence Simpson and a colleague at work on the production of Hurricane fighter aircraft at a factory in Britain, in 1942.

Messerschmitt Bf 110 S9+CK being dismantled in Garnault Place, Finsbury, 1940.

Messerschmitt Bf 110 S9+CK in a hangar.

Heinkel He 115 floatplane in the air as a Scharnhorst-class battleship and destroyer escort head out to the Atlantic.

Captured Messerschmitt Me 410A-3 (WNr.10259) flying with the "Rafwaffe" No. 1426 Flight RAF in 1945.

P-40N Warhawk 'Little Joe II' at Kunming airfield in Yunnan, China, September 1, 1944.

Curtiss P-40N-40-CU Warhawk (44-47773), USAAF.

Maintenance on a P-40, China, 1943.

The Disney Bomb, a rocket-boosted bunker-buster. Developed by the British but only deployed by the USAAF. Post-war testing showed it could punch through 16 feet of concrete. In 2009 one was recovered from the roof of a German bunker in France, where it had embedded itself in 1945.

B-17 Flying Fortress “Fifty Packin Mama”.

B-17 Flying Fortresses from the 398th Bombardment Group flying a bombing mission to Neumünster, Germany, on 13 April 1945.

There are four 398th B-17 aircraft in this photo. Based on an analysis of aircraft numbers it is believed this photo was taken between the 398th's first mission on 6 May 1944 and 8 January 1945. 

Here are the bounds of the dates:

Aircraft No. 1's demise indicates it must be before 2 March 1945

In a blow-up of Aircraft No. 2, the N7-Q is very visible. If 42-102469 N7-Q, then the date is before 8 January 1945. If 43-39038, then the date was 4 March or after. But Aircraft No. 1, indicates it must be before 2 March. Therefore, this aircraft must be 42-102469 N7-Q and the date before 8 January 1945.

Aircraft No. 3 could be either 42-102568 N7-N or 44-6573 N7-N but because of the range of dates no further information can be discerned as to the date of the photo.

Aircraft No. 4 is was either 42-107138 N7-T or 43-38631 N7-T. Based on a review of the dates, an N7-T aircraft was available the entire period from April 1944 until May 1945 and thus provides no further information as to the date of the photo.

In summary, it is concluded that the date is somewhere between the 398th's first mission on 6 May 1944 and 8 January 1945. It is possible by studying formation charts carefully that the exact date can be determined.

From the viewer's left to right the aircraft are:

Aircraft No. 1
    Aircraft No: 42-97317
    Tail Letter: P
    Fuselage ID: N7-P
    Group/Squadron: 398th, 603rd
    Official Name of Aircraft: Little Max
    Date of Photograph:
    Photo Location:
    Crew at time of Photograph: Unknown
    Final Disposition of A/C: Assigned to the 398th on 28 April 1944. Repaired and transferred out of the 398th 2 March 1945.
    Interpretive Comments: Six bombs can be seen dropping from this aircraft. In 14 Feb chart, not in 15 Feb 1945 formtion chart.

The next 3 aircraft were identified by their tail and fuselage letter:

Aircraft No. 2
    Aircraft No: Two 603rd aircraft had this fuselage number N7-Q: 42-102469 N7-Q and 43-39038 N7-Q
    Tail Letter: Q
    Fuselage ID: N7-Q
    Group/Squadron: 398th, 603rd
    Official Name of Aircraft:
    Date of Photograph:
    Photo Location: Unknown
    Crew at time of Photograph: Unknown
    Final Disposition of A/C:
        42-102469 N7-Q was active with 398th 3 May 1944 and then transferred out 11 Jan 1945 after last mission 8 January 1945
        43-39038 was active with the 398th 4 March through 2 June 1945.
    Interpretive Comments: This aircraft is just to the right of Little Max. Cannot find an N7-Q on 15 Feb chart, but did find 8121-3O-Q on 14 Feb 1945, but not N7-Q on either.

Aircraft No. 3
    Aircraft No: Three 603rd aircraft had this fuselage number N7-N: 42-102568 N7-N, 44-6573 N7-N, and 43-39146 N7-N
    Tail Letter: N
    Fuselage ID: N7-N
    Group/Squadron: 398th, 603rd
    Official Name of Aircraft:
    Date of Photograph:
    Photo Location: Unknown
    Crew at time of Photograph: Unknown
    Final Disposition of A/C:
        42-102568 N7-N was assigned 28 April 1944; assigned out 29 October 1944 after crash landing.
        44-6573 N7-N was assigned 6 Nov 1944 out 13 Jan 1945 following 10 Jan 1945 mission
        43-39146 N7-N was assigned to the 398th 3 Feb 1945; assigned out 26 May 1945
    Interpretive Comments: This aircraft is the 2nd to the right of Little Max. In 14 Feb chart, not in 15 Feb 1945 formation chart.

Aircraft No. 4
    Aircraft No: 42-107138 N7-T or 43-38631 N7-T
    Tail Letter: T
    Fuselage ID: N7-T
    Group/Squadron: 398th, 603rd
    Official Name of Aircraft:
    Date of Photograph:
    Photo Location: Unknown
    Crew at time of Photograph: Unknown
    Final Disposition of A/C:
        42-107138 N7-T was assigned to the 398th 22 April 1944 and was MIA 21 November 1944.
        43-38631 N7-T was assigned to 398th 23 Nov 1944; assigned out 26 May 1945
    Interpretive Comments: This aircraft is the 3rd to the right of Little Max. 

 

B-17s of the 603rd BS, 398th BG, 8th Air Force navigate through a flak filled sky over Germany, c. 1944/45. B-17 nearest camera is serial number 42-97317, N7-P, "Little Max" 603rd BS, 398th BG, 8th Air Force. Assigned to the 398th on 28 April 1944. Repaired and transferred out of the 398th 2 March 1945. Note the rectangular "smudge" on the vertical tail of this B-17 - wartime censorship or ?

 

Bell P-39 Airacobras at the factory.

 

Northrop P-61 Black Widow, "Midnight Mickey", with the 6th Night Fighter Squadron, is readied for a mission at East Field, Saipan, Mariana Islands, September 1944. The SCR-720 radar’s parabolic dish antenna can be seen through the radome.

 

Northrop P-61 Black Widow (42-5536) "Husslin’ Hussy" of the 22nd Night Fighter Squadron, 9th AF.

 

Northrop P-61A Black Widow (42-5531), 1944.

 

Northrop P-61A Black Widow (42-5528) "Jap Batty" of the 6th Night Fighter Squadron, Saipan.

 

Northrop P-61A-1-NO Black Widow (42-5527) "Moonhappy" of the 6th NFS, Saipan, 1944.

 

P-61A Black Widow (42-5526) "Nightie Mission" of the 6th Night Fighter Squadron, Saipan.

 

Northrop P-61A Black Widow (42-5524) "Midnight Mickey" of the 6th Night Fighter Squadron, Saipan, June 1944.

 

P-61A-1-NO Black Widow (42-5508) of the 419th NFS flying near Noemfoor, Schouten Islands, 1944.

 

P-61A-1-NO Black Widow (42-5506) of the 419th NFS taxiing at Carney Airfield, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, shortly after the P-61's arrival in early 1944.

 

Northrop P-61A Black Widow (42-5505) of the 419th Night Fighter Squadron on Guadalcanal is refueled for another mission, June 1944.

 

Northrop P-61A-1-NO Black Widow (42-5502) "Skippy" of the 421st NFS, at Tacloban Airfield, Leyte.

 

P-61A serial number 42-5486 undergoing cold weather testing at Ladd Field, Alaska.

 

 YP-61 Black Widow (41-18882). The antenna of the radar set can be seen in the transparent nose. 1943.

 

Northrop P-61A-1-NO Black Widow (42-5507). Delivered to the United States Army Air Force. Assigned to 419th NFS, XIII Fighter Command, 13th AF. Shot down by AAA 1 1/14 mi se of Jolo Town, Jolo Island in Sulu Archipelago in Philippines, April 10, 1945. Both crew killed. 

 

Douglas XTB2D Skypirate.

 

Douglas XTB2D Skypirate.

 

Douglas XTB2D Skypirate.

 

Douglas XTB2D Skypirate.

 

Douglas XTB2D-1 Skypirate.

 

Douglas XTB2D-1 Skypirate. 1 February 1944.

 

Lockheed C-60 Lodestars towing Waco CG-4A gliders over Texas.

 

The XB-39 "Superfortress" (serial number 41-36954) in flight in 1944. (USAAF photo)

 

XB-39 "Spirit of Lincoln".

 

Northrup A-17 Shrikes in formation, 3rd Attack Group, above New York City, 21 September 1937.

 

Soviet Yak-9 fighters and American B-17 Flying Fortress bombers of the 99th Bomb Group based in Italy, along with Soviet and American crews, at Poltava, Ukraine as part of Operation Frantic, 21 June 1944.

 

F4F Wildcats on Guadalcanal.

 

A Grumman Goose in the cabbage patch. Batavia NY, September 1945.

 

Two Bell P-63 Kingcobras with Soviet fuselage roundels (red star with white outline - some think this is the old pre-war/early war US star with red center circle, however production of P-63s did not begin until September 1942, after the red circle was removed), flying over Niagara Falls on test flight from the Bell factory in Buffalo, New York.

 

French air force Dewoitine D.520, White 2, of Escadrille GCB I.8, Vendee, 1945.

 

Vichy Dewoitine D 520 White 33 of Escadrille GC III.6, Rayak, Lebanon, May 1941.

 

Caproni Ca.309 Ghibli, Palermo, Sicily, 1943.

 

Japanese G4M “Betty” at Mizutani Airfield, Hokkaido, Japan.

 

CANT Z.1007 Alcione (Kingfisher).

 

German Ju 88C  twin-engine fighter/ bomber of 2/NJG 2 based at the Berca airbase in Benghazi, Libya, 1942.

 

A close up view of the cockpit area of an A6M5c Zero Model 52-Hei. The modified gas discharge vent of the starboard nose 13mm machine gun is clearly visible, as well as the revised access panel beneath. Also visible is the 45mm armored glass plate installed on the internal side of the windshield. The pilot headrest's 55mm armored glass plate had been removed.

 

Captured Me 262 under construction in an underground factory, 1945.

 

Captured Me 262 in an underground factory, 1945.

 

Petlyakov Pe-2.

 

 

Junkers Ju 90 dropping supply canister by parachute.

Yakovlev Yak-3.

Lend-Lease Douglas A-20 Havoc of the 8th Soviet Air Regiment.

Regia Aeronautica C.205V, Serie I from 352ª Squadriglia, 51° Stormo, photographed at Capoterra, Sardinia, summer 1943.

Finnish MS.406 fighter preparing to take off from a snowy field, Viitana, Karelia, Russia, winter war.

A Heinkel He 177 tries to take off to avoid destruction as its airfield is under attack by Allied aircraft. Stuttgart area, April 1944.

One of the Heinkel He 280 prototypes. No engines, flown as a glider to test the airframe.

SNCASE SE.100. The SNCASE SE.100 was a French two-seat, twin-engined fighter which first flew in 1939. Mass production was planned to begin late in 1940 but the Fall of France prevented this. 

French SNCASE SE.100.

French SNCASE SE.100.

French SNCASE SE.100.

French SNCASE SE.100.

French SNCASE SE.100.

French SNCASE SE.100.

French SNCASE SE.100.

French SNCASE SE.100.

French SNCASE SE.100 cockpit.

Bloch MB.210.

Bloch MB.210 group in review, 1936.

Bloch MB.210, GB 1/31.

Bloch MB.210, 1940.

Bloch MB.210.

Bloch MB.210.

Bloch MB.210.

Bloch MB.210.

Bloch MB.210.

Bloch MB.210.

Bloch MB.210.

Bloch MB.210s, GB I/19.

Bloch MB.210, number 05.

Bloch MB.210, GB I/19, Tunisia, pre-war.

Bloch MB.210, GB I/19, La Rochelle, 4 November 1939.

Bloch MB.210.

Bloch MB.210, number 40 (129) of the 2nd Squadron of GB 1/21, French air force.

Bloch MB.210.

Bloch MB.210.

Bloch MB.210, Tours, 1939.

Bloch MB.210.

Bloch MB.210Bn.5.

Bloch MB.210 after emergency landing in Spain.

Bloch MB.210 after crash in Tours.

Another view of the same MB.210 crash in Tours.

Bloch MB.210 cockpit.

Bloch MB.210, blue 5, sits abandoned after the fall of France, June 1940.

Bloch MB.210 stands intact after the fall of France, June 1940.

Bloch MB.210 captured after the fall of France, June 1940.

Bloch MB.210 sits abandoned after the fall of France, June 1940.

Bloch MB.210 (N158) captured after the fall of France, June 1940.

Bloch MB.210 (N158) captured after the fall of France, June 1940.

French Bloch MB.210 destroyed on the ground, May-June 1940.

Bloch MB.210 destroyed by a Luftwaffe raid, France, May 1940.

Bloch MB.210 abandoned, Battle of France, May-June 1940.

Bloch MB.210 “White 1”.

Bloch MB.210 “White 6”.

Bloch MB.210 No 33 of the 2nd Escadrille of GB II/21 in 1939.

Bloch MB.210 No 33 of the 2nd Escadrille of GB II/21 in 1939.

Bloch MB.210.

German troops with captured MB.210.

Bloch MB.210 floatplane.

Bloch MB.210 floatplane.

Bloch MB.211 prototype.

Bloch MB.210 second prototype.

MB.211, number 1, "Verdun".

MB.211, number 1, "Verdun".

Bloch MB.211 at the Salon de l'aviation, circa 20 November 1934.

Bloch MB.211 at the Salon de l'aviation, circa 29 November 1934.

Undercarriage of Bloch MB.211 at the Salon de l'aviation, circa 29 November 1934.

Curtiss H-75A1 of the 3rd flight of Groupe de Chasse II/5, June 1940. (Martin Čížek)

Hawk 75A-1s, the first production batch for France, with four 7.5 mm (0.295 in) machine guns, R-1830-SC-G of 900 hp (670 kW); 100 built.

Curtiss H75-C1 No. 82.

Curtiss H75C-1 (Hawk 75A-3), Armée de l'Air de l'Armistice, North Africa, 1942.

Insignia of each group of the Armée de l'Air that was equipped with the Hawk H75.

French pilot entering a Hawk H75.

Hawk H75A s/n 113 “White 4” of GC I/4.

Destroyed Hawk 75A-1.

Hawk 75A-2 of GC I/4, flown by Sergent-Chef Joannes Cucumel, Reims airfield, 14 June 1940. On 10 May, Cucumel had shot down a Do 17, followed by a Me 109 and a He 111 the next day. He was later transferred to GC II/9 where he scored many other victories flying Bloch 152s. Credited with a total of nine victories, Cucumel was killed when he crashed in a mountain on 28 August 1942.

Hawk 75A-2, GC I/4, 2e escadrille, n°99 (X898), flown by Sergeant Georges Lemare, June 1940. Flying a Hawk 75, Lemare shot a Do 17 near Calais on 13 January 1940, a Ju 88 off the coast of Zeebruge on 20 May 1940 and later a British Swordfish off the coast of Dakar on 24 September. Having joined the FAFL, Lemare flew with Normandie-Niemen and was credited with a total of six personal victories, and six shared victories.

Hawk 75A-2 of the 2nd Escadrille of the GC II/5 La Fayette, May 1940. This aircraft was often used by Czech pilots: Cne Josef Duda, Sgt.Chef Frantisek Chabera, Sgt.Chef Otto Hanzlicek.

Hawk 75A-3 of the 2nd squadron (SPA 153) of the GC I/4 fighter group, based in Dakar in the summer of 1942. The group scored several victories against Free French and British aircraft during raids in September 1940, September 1941 and August 1942. This aircraft wears the colorful Vichy “neutrality bands” introduced in June 1941 and has an unusual paint scheme, the standard “Gris Bleu Foncé” grey having been replaced with “Chamois” sand-colored paint for better desert concealment.

B. Barbier in front of his Curtiss Hawk 75 with two godmothers of the SPA 153, 3 June 1940.

Curtiss Hawk in French air force colors at the Duxford Spring Airshow, 22 May 2011.

Curtiss H75s in close formation, GC I/4, 3 June 1940.

Assembly line in Bourges, Curtiss Hawk 75s, left, and Potez 631, right.

French Hawk 75.

German soldiers inspect a damaged French Hawk 75, 1940.

Curtiss Hawk H-75C1 (No. 14) of GC I/5.

Curtiss Hawk H-75C1 (No. 40) of GC ?.

Curtiss Hawk H-75C1 (No. 227) has its guns sighted.

Curtiss Hawk H-75C1.

Curtiss Hawk H-75C1.

Curtiss Hawk H-75C1.

Curtiss Hawk H-75C1 being repaired by ground crew after a wheels up landing.

Curtiss H75-C1, No. 1, intended for the French Air Force, but eventually sent to Britain as the Mohawk.

Curtiss H-75A1, No. 84, shot down 12 May 1940, near Antwerp, Groupe de Chasse 1/4.

Curtiss H75, No. 40, "11," circa 1940.

French Curtiss H75s.

Curtiss H75 cockpit.

Curtiss H75 cockpit.

Curtiss H75 cockpit.

Curtiss H75 cockpit.

Curtiss H75 cockpit.

Curtiss H75 cockpit.

Curtiss H75 cockpit.

Curtiss H75 cockpit.

Curtiss H75 cockpit.

Curtiss H75 cockpit.

Curtiss H75 cockpit.

The Vought V-156F is the French version of the Vindicator, a scout  bomber. The Vindicator made its maiden flight on 4 January 1936 and 170 were ordered by the US Navy, which used it during the first months of the war together with the Dauntless. The French ordered 39 machines that were delivered starting in July 1939. These machines made some landings on PA Béarn in May 1940 before succumbing to the Flak attacks during the Battle of France. 

Potez 63-11 No. 170.

Lioré et Olivier LéO 45 and a Potez 630.

Bréguet Br.691 of GBA II/54.

Latécoère 299A on 25 April 1944.

Rearming guns on a RAF Bell P-400 Airacobra "Skylark XIII" piloted by Sqn Ldr Edward John Gracie, commander of No. 601 Squadron, the only British squadron ever armed with the P-400, between August 1941 and March 1942.

Douglas Havoc I No.BB902 in RAF camouflage and markings, 7th Photographic Group, 8th United States Army Air Force based at Mount Farm, Oxfordshire.

Douglas Havoc I No.BB-902 in RAF camouflage and markings, 7th Photographic Group, 8th United States Army Air Force based at Mount Farm, Oxfordshire.

Original wartime caption: (Picture issued 1942) "On guard". An armored reconnaissance unit of the R.A.F. Regiment setting out on the dusk patrol. The Unit commander is signaling to the other armored fighting vehicles in his troop. All over the country similar mechanized units stand at readiness day and night to deal promptly and effectively with any attempt at airborne invasion. The aircraft are Douglas Havocs.

A reconnaissance unit of the RAF Regiment patrols round the perimeter track at Bradwell Bay, Essex. A Morris Light Reconnaissance Car bearing the officer in charge, is followed by four airmen in a jeep as they pass a Douglas Havoc in a sandbagged revetment.

Douglas A-20C-BO Havoc (635), at Langley Field, Virginia, July 1942.  This Havoc was license built under the Lend-Lease-Agreement for the Royal Air Force, although most of these aircraft were diverted to the USAAF.

Douglas A-20C-BO Havoc (635), at Langley Field, Virginia, July 1942.  This Havoc was license built under the Lend-Lease-Agreement for the Royal Air Force, although most of these aircraft were diverted to the USAAF.

Douglas Boston Mk. IV (BZ447), ex-USAF (43-21444), No. 88 Squadron, RAF, still in post D-Day invasion stripes, equipped with a Martin 250CE upper turret, 15 July 1944. Struck off Charge 21 Feb 46. Likely scrapped. In July, in response to complaints from reconnaissance units of compromised camouflage, the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) ordered the invasion stripes be removed from all upper surfaces. The stripes were completely removed in August 1944.

Douglas Boston Mark IIIs of No. 88 Squadron RAF based at Oulton, Norfolk (UK), flying at low level over the North Sea, in order to avoid detection by enemy radar, while on a daylight bombing sortie. Beyond the four Bostons in view, are three escorting North American Mustang Mark Is. Circa September 1942/March 1943.

Douglas Boston dorsal turret gunner.

Douglas DB-7B Boston Mk. III, No. 107 Squadron, RAF.

Douglas DB-7B Boston, RAF.

Douglas Boston Mk. I (AE458), at Boscombe Down, Wiltshire, in the UK, during an inspection of new American aircraft for the RAF by the Duke of Kent.  AE458 was one of sixteen aircraft diverted to Britain from an ex-Belgian contract, and served as a crew trainer with No. 18 and No. 88 Squadrons, RAF.

Douglas Boston and Lockheed Hudson aircraft of RAF Ferry Command en route to Britain, May 1943.

Douglas A-20C-BO Havoc, painted as an RAF Boston, circa 1942.

Royal Air Force Douglas Boston Mark IIIs of No. 88 Squadron RAF, lined up at RAF Attlebridge, Norfolk (UK). The airfield was used by No. 88 Squadron RAF from August 1941 to September 1942.

Douglas Boston Mk. III, (BZ264), ex-USAAF (42-33019), coded RH-B No. 88 Squadron, RAF. The Squadron had flown its first operation on 25 August 1943. She flew a total of 77 Ops with No. 88 Squadron, then moved to No. 342 Squadron, RAF, for 77 more and was SoC 15 June 1945.

Operation NEPTUNE: the air and naval assault phase of OVERLORD. An armorer checks the dorsal .303 machine guns of Douglas Boston Mark IIIA, BZ292 'RH-L', of No. 88 Squadron RAF at Hartford Bridge, Surrey, while two others replenish the smoke cylinders in the bomb-bay, in between low-level smoke-laying sorties along the Normandy coast. BZ292, a Lend-Lease Douglas A-20C, still bears its American serial number 42-33047 on the tail: the British serial number has been covered by the hastily-applied AEAF 'invasion' stripes.

Boston Mark IIIAs (BZ389, RH-E nearest) of No. 88 Squadron RAF, fitted with smoke-laying equipment in the bomb-bays, prepare to take off from Hartford Bridge, Hampshire, on a smoke-laying sortie during Operation STARKEY.

114 Squadron Douglas Bostons over North Africa.

Douglas Boston III (RH-F) bomber of No. 88 Squadron RAF in flight, circa 1942.

Operation JUBILEE, the Combined Forces raid on Dieppe, France. Aircrews of either No. 88 or No. 107 Squadrons RAF of No. 2 Group, being briefed by their flight commander at Ford, Sussex, before taking off to bomb German gun batteries in support of the raid. Parked in the background is a Douglas Havoc or Boston night intruder of No. 605 Squadron RAF.

Operation JUBILEE, the Combined Forces raid on Dieppe, France. Douglas Boston Mk. IIIs, No. 88 Squadron, RAF, on the flight line preparing for the raid on Dieppe, 19 August 1942.

Operation JUBILEE, the Combined Forces raid on Dieppe, France. A Douglas Boston Mark III of No. 2 Group runs in to bomb a gun battery near the town, passing over a smoke screen laid off the coast to provide cover for the landing operations.

Operation JUBILEE, the Combined Forces raid on Dieppe, France. Bombs being released from a Douglas Boston bomber over the target area.

Operation JUBILEE, the Combined Forces raid on Dieppe, France. RAF Boston Mk III from No. 88 Squadron RAF flying from Ford, Sussex, heads inland over France after the bombing the German gun batteries defending Dieppe (seen at upper left), taken by an aircrewman of an accompanying aircraft. 19 August 1942, Dieppe, France.

Douglas Boston Mark V, BZ581 (ex-USAAF 44-737), fitted with belly fuel tank, at Prestwick, Ayrshire, following its ferry flight over the Atlantic.

Douglas Boston Mark III, W8254, at Boscombe Down, Wiltshire, prior to conversion as a Turbinlite aircraft, It served with No. 1422 (Night Fighter) Flight. Note the heavy-handed attempt by the censor to obliterate something in the background just below and beyond the aircraft's tail.

Douglas Havoc II AH522, which was originally ordered in October 1939 as a DB-7 through the British and French Purchasing Commission's joint order, the aircraft was converted to a Havoc night intruder on arrival in the UK. Of note are its flame dampers, its solid nose with its gun ports covered in doped fabric and its radar aerials in the extreme nose and under the wing, which, oddly have escaped the attention of the censor and were normally blotted out. 

Douglas Havoc II AH522, which was originally ordered in October 1939 as a DB-7 through the British and French Purchasing Commission's joint order, the aircraft was converted to a Havoc night intruder on arrival in the UK. Of note are its flame dampers, its solid nose with its gun ports covered in doped fabric and its radar aerials in the extreme nose and under the wing, which, oddly have escaped the attention of the censor and were normally blotted out. 

Douglas Havoc II AH522, which was originally ordered in October 1939 as a DB-7 through the British and French Purchasing Commission's joint order, the aircraft was converted to a Havoc night intruder on arrival in the UK. Of note are its flame dampers, its solid nose with its gun ports covered in doped fabric and its radar aerials in the extreme nose and under the wing, which, oddly have escaped the attention of the censor and were normally blotted out.

Douglas Boston IIIa BZ330, an A-20C in US parlance, which was acquired under Lend-Lease, whereas the DB-7s were bought by the British and French. Can't say much else about it, but it appears to be a normal service example; it was not used in testing by the A&AEE.

Douglas Boston V BZ581, the second of the Lend-Lease requisition for A-30K model aircraft, fitted with the Martin gun turret. Note it is wearing its USAAF number on its tail, 44-737 and it's fitted with a long-range belly tank, which looks like it's on its way somewhere, possibly continental Europe by that time.

Douglas Dakota, BZ (Baker Zebra), 31 Squadron, RAF, Southeast Asia.

Douglas Dakota, M-Mike, RAF, Burma, taking off while being watched by a native foreman in charge of repair work.

A British Douglas Dakota in Gibraltar prepares for its flight to the United Kingdom as searchlights shine in the background (date unspecified).

Goose Mark I, MV993, of No. 24 Squadron RAF based at Hendon, Middlesex, in flight. This aircraft was formerly G-AFKJ, owned by Lord Beaverbrook.

Vultee Vengeance in RAF service being loaded for a mission.

Vultee Vengeance I, AF745, RAF.

Waco Hadrian Mark I, probably FR557, under tow at the Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment, Sherburn-in-Elmet, Yorkshire.

British troops loading a  jeep is loaded onto a Waco Hadrian glider for the assault on Sicily. July 1943.

As the men of one Waco Hadrian glider disembark and gather their gear, another is coming in for a landing. Southern France, Operation Dragoon. 15 August 1944.

Tupolev SB-2.

Tupolev SB-2.

Tupolev SB-2 is bombed up prior to a night raid.

Tupolev Tu-2.

Yakovlev Yak-1 (Ya-26, I-26).

Yakovlev Yak-1.

Yak-2 with KABB device.

Yakovlev Yak-3.

Yakovlev Yak-4, early in Barbarossa campaign.

Yakovlev Yak-7B.

PBN-1 Nomad “White 8” of the Russian Navy 1945.

PBN-1 Nomad of the Soviet Navy 1945.

PBN-1 Nomad “29” of the Russian Navy August 1945.

Soviet GST Black Sea VVS.

Soviet PBN-1 KM-2 cargo conversion 1948.

The second prototype I-153 with the production number 6005.

Prototype I-153, 1938.

Prototype I-153, 1938.

Prototype I-153, 1938.

Another view of the second prototype I-153.

Pre-production I-153 with M-25V engine.

Production I-153 with M-62 engine.

Another view of production I-153 with M-62 engine.

Production I-153 with M-62 engine.

Production I-153 with M-62 engine.

Production I-153 with M-62 engine.

Production I-153 with M-62 engine. Note that the star insignia on the fuselage has been cut out by a German soldier souvenir hunter.

Production I-153 with M-62 engine.

Production I-153 with M-62 engine, summer 1941.

Damaged production I-153 with M-62 engine being inspected by German soldiers.

Production I-153 with M-62 engine.

I-153.

Production I-153 with M-62 engine.

Production I-153 with M-62 engine.

Production I-153 with M-62 engine.

Production I-153 with M-62 engine, captured by the Finns on 25 June 1941 at Kerimäki, which became VH-19 in Finnish service.

Another view of the I-53 captured by the Finns at Kerimäki.

Destroyed production I-153 with M-62 engine.

I-153 with M-63 engine, 1940.

I-153, 71st IAP, August 1942. Plane 50 was flown by Capt. A. G. Baturin, that was later awarded with the Golden Star, having a score of nine victories. The plane has four rocket rails plus one bomb rack under each wing; plane 29 has three rockets only and one bomb rail.

I-153s, 71st IAP-KBF, Lavansaari Island, Gulf of Finland, August 1942. Plane 102 is powered by an M-63 engine and piloted by Major Biskup, while plane 24 is powered by an M-62 engine and piloted by squadron leader Captain K.V. Solovyak.

Another view of I-153, 102, with M-63 engine.

I-153 with M-62 engine, 71st IAP.

I-153 with M-62 engine.

I-153, ‘93,’ 71st IAP VVS KBF, August 1942.

Another view of I-153, ‘93,’ 71st IAP VVS KBF, August 1942.

Another view of I-153, ‘93,’ 71st IAP VVS KBF, August 1942.

I-153, 71st IAP, Baltic Fleet.

I-153.

I-153, 2 December 1941.

I-153 undercarriage.

I-153 on skis. The metal and fabric surfaces are easily discernible.

I-153 on skis with M-63 engine.

I-153 on skis with M-63 engine.

Detail of I-153 with retractable ski gear.

I-153.

I-153 with M-63 engine in unusual camouflage scheme, 7th IAP, Leningrad, 1941.

I-153 with M-63 engine.

I-153 with M-63 engine.

I-153 with M-63 engine.

I-153s with M-63 engine being utilized in the ground attack role.

I-153 with M-63 engine.

I-153 with M-63 engine being loaded by a ground crewman with a 25kg AO-25 bomb. The bomb on the ground is a 50kg FAB-50SV introduced in 1937.

I-153 with M-63 engine.

Captured I-153 with M-63 engine.

I-153 with M-63 engine, 72nd IAP VVS SF, Vaenga-1 airbase, summer 1941.

Wrecked I-153 with M-63 engine being examined by German soldiers. The soldier at left is holding a FAB-50 bomb.

I-153 with 50 liter drop tanks.

A Russian airfield during the early days of the German push to the east. I-153 biplanes and I-16 "Rata" single-seat fighter are destroyed on the ground by Luftwaffe fighters. June 1941.

Burned remains of I-153, Summer 1941.

I-153 captured by Finnish forces after a forced landing. Photo taken in June 1941.

I-153.

Borovkov-Florov I-207 (Istrebitel – fighter) was a fighter aircraft designed and built in the USSR from 1936.  Though performance was quite impressive for a biplane fighter, the type was not accepted for manufacture, and all testing came to a halt with the German invasion of 1941.

Borovkov-Florov I-207.

Borovkov-Florov I-207.

Borovkov-Florov I-207.

Borovkov-Florov I-207.

Borovkov-Florov I-207.

Borovkov-Florov I-207 during landing gear retraction tests.

Borovkov-Florov I-207.

Borovkov-Florov I-207.

Borovkov-Florov I-207.

IS-1. The Nikitin-Schyevchyenko IS series (Russian: Истребитель складной, romanized: Istrebitel skladnoi, meaning "folding fighter"), were single seat polymorphic fighters designed and produced in the USSR from 1938.

The IS-1 displays the mechanism that could turn it from biplane to monoplane—a unique but superfluous feature by 1941, when this photo was taken.

Even in monoplane form, the IS-1's top speed of 281 miles per hour was scarcely greater than that of the biplane I-153, but it was only meant to be a test bed for more advanced versions.

IS-2.

The IS-2 featured a more powerful engine and a longer, more streamlined fuselage than the IS-1, although the wings were virtually identical.

The Polikarpov ITP (Istrebitel Tyazholiy Pushechniy = Heavy Cannon Fighter) was a Soviet fighter prototype designed during World War II. Development was prolonged by the evacuation of the design bureau forced by the German advance on Moscow in the fall of 1941. By the time the second prototype was finished the Soviets had fighters with equivalent or better performance already in production and the program was cancelled.

The ITP (M-1) cannon-armed heavy fighter which commenced its flight test program in October 1942.

ITP (M-1).

ITP (M-1).

ITP (M-1).

ITP (M-1).

ITP (M-2).

Aeroflot Vultee PS-43. In 1936, the Soviet Union purchased four three-seat V-11-GB aircraft, together with a production license. The aircraft entered Soviet production in 1937 as the BSh-1 (Bronirovanny Shturmovik), but the armor fitted for the ground attack role unacceptably reduced performance and production was stopped after 31 aircraft. They were transferred to Aeroflot and redesignated PS-43 for use as high speed transports until the German invasion in 1941, when they were returned to the Air Force for liaison purposes.

Ilyushin Il-2 Shturmoviks with phosphorous bombs attack a German mechanized convoy on the Bryansk front in August 1941.

Tupolev SB-2. The Tupolev ANT-40, also known by its service name Tupolev SB high-speed bomber and development co-name TsAGI-40, was a high speed twin-engined three-seat monoplane bomber, first flown in 1934. The Tupolev design was advanced but lacked refinement, much to the dismay of crews, maintenance personnel, and Stalin, who pointed out that "there are no trivialities in aviation". Numerically the most important bomber in the world in the late 1930s, the SB was the first modern stressed skin aircraft produced in quantity in the Soviet Union and probably the most formidable bomber of the mid-1930s. It was produced in the Soviet Union and was also built under license in Czechoslovakia. Many versions saw extensive action in Spain, the Republic of China, Mongolia, Finland and at the beginning of World War II against Germany in 1941. It was also used in various duties in civil variants, as trainers and in many secondary roles. Successful in the Spanish Civil War because it outpaced most fighters present (composed mostly of biplanes), the aircraft was obsolete by 1941 as faster fighters (such as the Bf-109) had by then been introduced. By June 1941, 94 percent of bombers in the Red Army air force (Soviet Air Force (VVS) Red Army (RKKA) were SBs.

Tupolev PS-124 ANT-20bis (CCCP-L760) Aeroflot. The Tupolev PS-124, also known as a ANT-20bis, was used by Aeroflot on the Moscow - Mineralhye Vody route. In 1941-1942 served as the main heavy transport. this plane met its demise during a flyby with escorting biplane fighters on December 12, 1942. One young fighter pilot got so carried away with youthful pride and enthusiasm that he broke formation, and during an exuberant loop, ended up colliding with the wing of the plane. Both planes perished. This cocky pilots' last name was Blagin, and so "Blaginism" was the term used to describe a a cocky disregard for authority.

Tupolev MTB-2. Tupolev MTB-2 heavy naval bomber, aka the ANT-44, a Soviet flying boat first flown in 1937. While it had good performance, only two were built due to a focus on land-based bombers in the Soviet Navy.

Tupolev MTB-1. he Tupolev MTB-1 (known originally as the MDR-4 and internally to Tupolev as the ANT-27) was a patrol flying boat built in the Soviet Union in the mid-1930s. It was a refined version of the unsuccessful Chyetverikov MDR-3. The revised design retained the MDR-3's hull, but added a newly designed, full-cantilever wing, a new tail, and a new engine installation featuring two tractor and one pusher unit. Trials began in March 1934 but the prototype was destroyed during one takeoff. A second prototype was constructed the following year, and redesignated MTB-1 to reflect a new torpedo-carrying role. Despite its poor performance in trials, the aircraft was urgently needed to fill a niche in the Soviet Navy, and it was accepted for production before flight testing was complete. Despite some early structural failures, 15 of these machines were eventually produced and saw service in the Navy for several years, remaining in service until 1942.

Tupolev I-14. The Tupolev I-14 (also designated ANT-31) was a Soviet fighter aircraft of the 1930s. It was a single-engined, single-seat monoplane with retractable undercarriage, designed to carry heavy armament, and as such was one of the most advanced fighters of its time. It was ordered into production, but this was cancelled after only a small number had been built, the competing Polikarpov I-16 being preferred.

Tupolev DB-1. The Tupolev DB-1 (ANT-36) was a Soviet long-range bomber developed in the 1930s. It was developed from the Tupolev ANT-25 distance record-breaking aircraft. Development was prolonged and it was recognized as obsolete by the time it was in production. Only eighteen were built and all were withdrawn from service in 1937.

Tupolev ANT-25 (N025-1) after landing in a pasture at San Jacinto, Calif., after setting a new long-distance flight record of 6668 miles.

TB-3 bomber near Wjasma, July 1941, caught on the ground by Dornier bombers.

Tupolev TB-3.

TB-3 (ANT-6) with AM-34 engines.

Tupolev ANT-6A. Tupolev ANT-6A aircraft also known as ANT-6M-34R of the Polar Research Fleet in 1937. The letters 'ANT' stood for the name of the designer Andrei Nikolayevich Tupolev. His company is still designing and building aircraft today. These aircraft were painted in orange with blue highlights to make them easier to be spotted if they were forced to land. The skids could be removed and replaced by wheels which were carried slung under the fuselage. The legend on the nose reads as 'Aviaarktika' in English and was the name of the Independent Arctic Directorate of Aeroflot.

Tupolev ANT-6A Soviet air forces. Also known as ANT-6M-34R.

Soviet airman.

Soviet airman.

Soviet airman.

Soviet gunner.

Soviet female pilot.

Major General Mikhail V. Vodopyanov, commander of the 81st Air Division.

Major Endel K. Pusep led the last Soviet air raid on Berlin on 29 August 1942.

Shavrov Sh-7 (CCCP-359). Shavrov Sh-7 was built in 1940 (only one built), and was ready for series production, but the war cancelled construction of these planes.

Putilov Stal-11.

Polikarpov VIT-2, 1938.

Polikarpov I-16B.

Polikarpov I-15s and I-16s lay wrecked in the early days of Barbarossa.

Polikarpov I-15.

Polikarpov I-15.

Polikarpov I-15.

Polikarpov I-5.

A model of the Polikarpov VP(K) high-altitude interceptor which was abandoned before completion in 1944.

Petlyakov Pe-2 intermediate production version.

Petlyakov Pe-2.

Petlyakov Pe-2 in an interesting camouflage scheme.

Early Petlyakov Pe-2 at the factory.

Petlyakov Pe-2 bomber is loaded for a mission.

Petlyakov Pe-2s en route to a target over the Eastern Front.

Petlyakov Pe-2.

OKB-1 140, Soviet version of the German Ju 287.

MiG-3.

A considerable number of Russian warplanes were destroyed on the ground by German fighters, bombers, or as in the case of this disabled MiG-3 single-seat fighter, by artillery fire.

This MiG-3 had an armament of two 7.6 mm machine guns and one 12.7mm machine gun. Captured on the ground near Kiew, Ukraine, a Luftwaffe mechanic is inspecting the cockpit of the single-seat fighter.

MiG-3s.

MiG-3.

The Lisunov Li-2 was a license-built version of the Douglas DC-3 transport.

The Kharkiv KhAI-5, {sometimes Neman R-10) was a Soviet reconnaissance and light bomber aircraft, designed in the mid-1930s in the Kharkiv Aviation Institute (KhAI, - in Ukrainian: ХАІ), under the direction of Iosif Grigorevich Nyeman (sometimes written as Neman).

Curious German mechanics are dismantling a Il-10U "Shturmoviki." Note the underwing rocket projectile racks for RS 132 rockets.

Ilyushin DB-3F (Il-4). A characteristically used and abused Il-4 and its ball-like MV-3 dorsal turret. Thanks to its generous access opening, we can observe the gunner loading the ammo for the 12.7 mm UBT heavy machine gun. He wears the standard issue headgear, the well-known “rectangular” goggles and what seems to be the copy of the Luftwaffe LKp 100 introduced in 1941—not much space for individuality in the USSR.

Ilyushin Il-4.

Il-2 being examined by German soldiers.

Il-2, 7005, Production Plant No. 1 at the Statispytaniâh in TSAGI, Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute.

Ilyushin Il-2, 2263, being built at Production Plant No. 30 at Statispytaniâh in TSAGI at the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute.

Major George A. Osipov, Soviet Air Forces, in the cockpit of his Il-2, Belorussian Front, 1943, but in 1944 he was flying the A-20 Boston.

Il-2 ground attack aircraft in flight.

Ilyushin Il-2 Sturmovik.

Hurricane of Sqn Ldr Tony Rook near Murmansk, Russia in 1941. An RAF squadron was sent to Russia to aid the beleaguered country.

RAF Hurricane test fires its eight .303 machine guns near Murmansk, Russia, in 1942.

Jack Ross, instructor to Russian Hurricane pilots near Murmansk, puts on his parachute.

A shell shocked reindeer as Hurricanes drop bombs, Murmansk, Russia, 1941. Most likely a composite photo for propaganda purposes. The Hurricane first saw Soviet land when the RAF 151 Wing arrived to Murmansk in 1941. That expeditionary force was sent to guard the vital harbors, to provide operational training there, and—more important—to show the British commitment with their Soviet allies. When that wing withdrew its Hurricanes remained there for Soviet use; further deliveries of Hurricanes and other aircraft followed.

Hawker Hurricane IIB Trop (Z5252), “01,” which was presented to Major-General A A Kuznetzov, Soviet Commanding Officer, Naval Air Forces, Soviet Northern Fleet (VVS SF).

Bell P-63A (42-69721) in temporary Soviet markings for ferrying to Russia via Alaska.

US-made P-63 Kingcobra fighter aircraft, in service of the Soviet Air Force, in flight over the Kamchatka Peninsula in the far east of Russia.

Bell P-39D Airacobras, with Soviet national insignia, lined up in Alaska for flight to Russia under the Lend Lease agreement.

Antonov A-7 was the winner of a competition for a military assault glider in December 1940. Of all-wood construction, with a fabric-covered wing (aft of the main spar) and control surfaces, it was remarkably refined. From May 1941, 400 A-7s were produced, some saw action behind the German lines, towed by Tupolev SB-2s.

Soviet C-53 landed at Ladd Field on September 4, 1942, with the first Russian inspectors and pilots to take over Lend-Lease aircraft flights.

Chyetverikov MDR-6B-1.

Chyetverikov ARK-3.

Bolkhovitinov DB-A (N-209). This is the prototype Bolkhovitinov DB-A. 'DB-A' is the abbreviation of 'Dalnij Bombardirowschik - Academija' which means 'Long-range bomber by the Academy' in Russian. It first flew in May 1935. On August 12, 1937 it set off on an attempt to fly from Moscow to the US over the North Pole. The aircraft never arrived. The pilot Lyapidevskiy, the crew and the aircraft were all lost without trace. A production run of 16 aircraft was started, but stopped when the 12th was completed.

Bisnovat SK-2 Soviet Air Forces. A direct result of high-speed wing research conducted at the TsAGI (Central Aerodynamics and Hydrodynamics Institute) by a team headed by Matus Bisnovat, the SK-2 single-seat fighter was evolved from the SK-1. Flight test results were allegedly promising, but not sufficiently so to warrant displacing established fighter types in production.

Beriev MBR-7.

Beriev Be-2.

TB-3 bomber air dropping a T-38 amphibious tank into water.

TB-3 bomber carrying a T-27 tankette, 1935.

Polikarpov I-15s and I-16s lay wrecked in the early days of Barbarossa.

Ilyushin Il-4. In the very tactical Soviet Air Force of the Great Patriotic War bombers like this Ilyushin were at a very secondary level. The Il-4 was a medium bomber derived from the “very late 1930s” DB-3, so by the time it entered service it proved to be a honest, if somewhat lackluster performer. It had nevertheless its moments of dash and glory like when they took part in the very publicized raids against Berlin.

Curtiss Tomahawk II (AH965), 126 IAP, Soviet Air Force, flown by Lt. S.G. Ridnyi, Moscow area, December 1941.

Curtiss Tomahawk II, 126 IAP, Soviet Air Force, getting ready for another combat mission.

Three Soviet Air Force Curtiss Tomahawk IIs (including AH965 again) in temporary winter camouflage.

Curtiss Tomahawk, Soviet Air Force.

The Commissar (political officer) of the Soviet Air Force 20th GIAP greets A. Khlobystov after his successful return from a sortie during which he rammed two enemy aircraft. Note the wing damage. The picture is dated 8 April 1942, Murmashi airfield, Karelian Front.

Curtiss P-40E Warhawk, 29th IAP, Soviet Air Force, Karelian Front, 1943.

Curtiss P-40E Warhawk, 29th IAP, Soviet Air Force, Karelian Front, 1943.

B.F. Safonov, commander of the 2nd GSAP VVS SF (Guards Mixed Air Regiment of the Northern Fleet Air Forces), Soviet Air Force, in the cockpit of his Curtiss P-40E Warhawk. May 1942, Vayenga Airfield.

Curtiss P-40 Warhawk (U.S. serial 42-46279), Soviet Air Force.

Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, Soviet Air Force.

Curtiss P-40 Warhawk with pilots of the 154th IAP, Soviet Air Force, Leningrad Front.

Pilots of the 19th GvIAP, Soviet Air Force, in front of a Curtiss P-40 Warhawk.

Curtiss P-40 Warhawk flown by Leonid Sergeevich Kulakov, 13rd GvIAP, Soviet Air Force, being congratulated by Party Organizer Smirnov for shooting down two Heinkel He 111s.

A.A. Kovalenko, 2nd GSAP VVS SF, Soviet Air Force. He was awarded DFC on 19 March 1942 and HSU on 14 June 1942.

Curtiss P-40 Warhawks, 191st IAP, Soviet Air Force, 1944.

Kulakov having his pulse checked by the flight surgeon, 103rd GvIAP, Soviet Air Force, alongside his Curtiss P-40 Warhawk.

As the Curtiss P-40s were in great demand by the Soviet Air Force, maintaining them was difficult when spare parts, especially engines, were not available. Forty P-40s were re-engined with Soviet Klimov M-105P and M-105R engines, which were not as powerful as the original Allison engines and performance suffered accordingly.

The remains of a Soviet Air Force Curtiss P-40 that has crashed and burned.

Curtiss P-40 Warhawk in Soviet markings.

P-39 with belly ferry tank for flight to Russia from Alaska.

Soviet pilot in the cockpit of a P-39 prior to a ferry flight from Alaska to Russia, February 1944.

P-39 ready for take-off from Alaska for ferry flight to Russia.

Two Russian airmen play chess between missions on the Karelian Front. Behind them sits a Curtiss P-40 fighter.

Petlyakov Pe-2 being manhandled into the woods to hide it from enemy aircraft. Pilot M. Borisov, gunner M. Boldaev. Summer 1943, 162nd Guards.

An M-62-powered I-153 that had crash-landed at its base after combat during the opening phase of Operation Barbarossa and was subsequently found by German forces when the airfield was captured. Small caliber bullet holes can be seen immediately aft of the engine cowling and in the lower wing/fuselage fillet.