r/WWIIplanes

The Bell P-59 Airacomet is a single-seat, twin jet-engine fighter aircraft that was designed and built by Bell Aircraft During ww2. It was the first jet produced in the United States. the firs flight was 1 October 1942, there are 66 built of this guy but did they did no sent it to war, so why they did no slap a gun on him and sent him to war? Maybe the Germany is already defeated early.

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This colorized footage shows American paratroopers from the 101st Airborne Division preparing for the ultimate test: D-Day, June 1944. Before boarding their C-47 transport planes, many of these elite soldiers shaved their hair into Mohawks and applied war paint. This fierce look-inspired by Native American warriors-was popularized by the legendary "Filthy Thirteen" section of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment. It wasn't just about intimidation; it was a psychological shield, building unbreakable brotherhood before leaping into the unknown.

Hours before the beach landings even began, these men dropped behind enemy lines in Normandy.

Disorganized, scattered in the dark, and facing heavy anti-aircraft fire, they still managed to secure vital roads, bridges, and lock down the countryside.

They were ordinary citizens who chose to do extraordinary things.

Our latest documentary looks into an early Royal Air Force Bomber Command stalwart, the Handley Page Hampden.

A detailed look into the design, construction and operational history of an aircraft that was considered advanced upon entering service, yet one that aged very quickly. Nevertheless, there are many extraordinary stories of courage, skill, and innovation with the Hampden:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axBdYT6Bd8c

CANT Z.506 Airone (Heron) Italian three engine floatplane which initially served as a transport and postal aircraft with the Italian airline Ala Littoria. Later used as a reconnaissance aircraft, bomber and air-sea rescue aeroplane during the war with the Regia Aeronautica. First flew 18.8.1935

Hey all I know this will be like trying to find a needle in a haystack but is anyone in the subreddit aware of what WW2 era plane this may have come off? I got it in a bundle at a carboot sale (with some WW2 radio equipment) The fella mentioned it was off a spitfire but didn’t say what variation. I’ve looked at countless images of spitfires/cockpits and can’t seem to find anything.

Anything to try help me catalogue it would be appreciated ❤️ (these were the best images I could get on my shit phone camera lol)

L-R: Staffelkapitän 11./JG 5 Eismeer, Hauptmann Erich Schreiber, unknown Leutnant, future 1 victory and Gruppenkommandeur IV./JG 5 Hauptmann Hans Kriegel, Staffelkapitän 10./JG 5 Oberleutnant Hans Schneider and unknown, Copenhagen-Værløse airfield in the spring of 1943. Behind is Kriegel's Messerschmitt Bf 109G-2/R6 Dita 13. Note the double chevron (<<) staff insignia denoting a Gruppenkommandeur (Group Commander)

Shot with the 24-105 f/4 L

The “Miss Hap”, coming in for a landing in this shot, is the oldest surviving example of the B-25 “Mitchell”. It was built in 1940/41 at the North American Aviation plant in Inglewood, CA

Today is the 83rd anniversary of the infamous Schweinfurt Regensburg raid by the 8th. Flak, Fighters and horrific losses - forced a temporary stand down by the 8th.

More here.

Hundreds of Hurricanes.

The Enola Gay is a Boeing B-29 superfortress bomber, named after Enola Gay Tibbet, the mother of the pilot, Colonel Paul Tibbet. On 6 August 1945, during the final stages of ww2 it became the first plane to drop an atomic bomb in warfare.

Had the opportunity to visit the Eglin AFB Armament Museum. Nice museum, free to visit. While the last picture isn’t a warbird and is a mock up, it definitely was in the air for one flight and lead the end of the war.

This is a colorized screenshot from the 1944 movie "Thirty Seconds over Tokyo" that I did.

ORIGINAL CAPTION CREW #7 PHOTO: "Front Row (left-to-right): , Lt. Ted W. Lawson, pilot; Lt. Dean Davenport, copilot. Back Row (left-to-right): Lt. Charles L. McClure, navigator; Lt. Robert S. Clever, bombardier; Sgt. David J. Thatcher, flight engineer/gunner."

While the movie was being shot at Alameda, there was an oil fire in nearby Oakland, so the film crew sent up the camera plane and the B-25 to get some realistic footage for the movie and that is the background for this shot.

Lawson intended to land the real Ruptured Duck on a beach below on the island of Nantien and take off early the next with what he believed were 100 gallons of fuel left. The plane was going 110 knots when both engines quit a quarter mile from shore and the plane hit the water with the landing gear down. When the real plane crash landed, Lawson and Davenport were ejected still strapped into their seats through the cockpit windscreen. McClure, the navigator, was anchoring his shoulders against both cockpit seats with his head between the seats. McClure was not ejected but broke both shoulders and couldn't remember how he got out of the plane.

Clever, the bombardier, was crawling aft through the nose section and was ejected through the nose canopy when the plane hit the water. He suffered serious lacerations to his face and elsewhere, eventually passing out from the loss of blood. Thatcher, engineer/gunner, was thrown around a bit and only temporarily knocked knocked out with a bleeding bump on his forehead to show for it.

Lawson was much more badly wounded that portrayed in the movie. His face was pushed in from going through the windscreen of his plane. All of his front teeth were loosened and fell out into his hand when he tried to straighten them. His lower lip was laid open to the cleft in his chin. In addition to his leg being gashed open, his left bicep was severed in half. Thatcher was the only one of the crew who could initially walk, going back to plane twice at risk of capture to try to recover anything that could be useful to the crew's escape and recovery. He was eventually awarded the Silver Star for his actions in caring for his wounded fellow aircrew.