Browsing: Military

A Brief History On October 26, 1943, what could have been a fantastic advantage in the German air war against Allied bombers in World War II first took to the air, with the first flight of the Dornier Do 335 Pfeil (Arrow).   A two engine heavy fighter, the Pfeil was powered by propeller driving engines in the front and the back of the fuselage, a push-pull arrangement unlike any other World War II fighter plane.  Alas, for the German Air Force (Luftwaffe)  delays in obtaining sufficient engine production and clumsy German bureaucracy meant only 37 of the sleek and fast…

A Brief History On October 25, 1944, SS Chief Heinrich Himmler of the German Third Reich ordered a crackdown against the youth culture anti-Nazi government resistance group known as “Edelweisspiraten,” or “Edelweiss Pirates.”  This group of teenagers had dodged mandatory induction into the Hitler Youth organization and worked to help others hide from government authorities, whether those avoiding service in the Hitler Youth, draft dodgers, or army deserters.  A German produced film, Edelweiss Pirates, detailed the exploits of these resisters in 2004. Digging Deeper Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was an early associate of Adolf Hitler and was with Hitler for the…

A Brief History On October 24, 1957, the US Air Force combined the proposals of three companies to develop a rocket powered spaceplane that was to perform multiple military roles, including bombing, reconnaissance, and research.  Plans included a timeline of planning until 1963, first flights conducted as glide tests with powered test flights to follow in 1964.  The plan was for an unmanned glide missile to be fielded in 1968 and a fully operational manned system by 1974. Digging Deeper Intended to be sent into space atop a rocket and return to Earth on a glide and land like an…

A Brief History On October 22, 1943, 569 bombers of the Royal Air Force dropped firebombs on the German city of Kassel, population around 240,000, killing 10,000 and making another 150,000 homeless.  The firestorm that resulted from the bombing destroyed the city center and burned for 7 days.  Important military targets were virtually untouched.  American and British (Allied) bombing of cities, especially bombing raids with incendiary devices meant to cause massive “firestorms” have become a topic of contention as a military tactic, and is sometimes referred to as “terror bombing.”  So what is firebombing cities?  A legitimate military tactic or…

A Brief History On October 14, 1938, the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk made its first flight, leading to an eventual production run of 13,738 of the rugged fighters.  Although often referred to as “obsolete” at the beginning of World War II, and famously rejected by the British for combat in the Northern European theater, the plane flown by the Flying Tigers with its intimidating shark mouth paint job became one of the main Allied fighters of World War II.  (Previously, on November 6th we featured an article, The Hawker Hurricane: The Most Underrated Fighter Plane of World War II, and on…