Aircraft

The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in April 1940 by a design team headed by James Kindelberger of North American Aviation (NAA) in response to a requirement of the British Purchasing Commission. The Purchasing Commission approached North American Aviation to build Curtiss P-40 fighters under license […]

The “Flying Fortress” Takes to the Skies: Origins of the B-17 The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, a name that resonated with both awe and fear during the Second World War, was a pivotal US heavy bomber that played a crucial role in the Allied strategic bombing campaign against Nazi Germany. Its very inception was a

The Junkers Ju 87 or Stuka (from Sturzkampfflugzeug, “dive bomber”) was a German dive bomber and ground-attack aircraft. Designed by Hermann Pohlmann, which first flew in 1935. The Ju 87 made its combat debut in 1937 with the Luftwaffe’s Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War and served the Axis forces during World War II. The aircraft is easily recognisable

After its defeat in World War I, Germany was banned from operating an air force by the Treaty of Versailles. Following Hitler’s ascent to power, German re-armament began in earnest in the early 1930s although this was initially kept secret because it clearly violated the treaty and the early development of military bombers was disguised

The Bristol Blenheim was originally intended as a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company which was used extensively in the first two years and in some cases throughout the Second World War. The aircraft was originally developed as Type 142 civil airliner, in response to a challenge from Lord Rothermere

The Messerschmitt Bf 109 transcends its designation as merely a “mainstay fighter”; it was the very sinew and muscle of the Luftwaffe‘s fighter arm during the tumultuous years of the Second World War. From its baptism of fire in the Spanish Civil War in 1937 to its final sorties in the twilight of the conflict

Made famous during the Battle of Britain as the work horse of that struggle, the Hawker Hurricane is a single-seat fighter aircraft designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd in the late 1930s for service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). Probably unfairly overshadowed in the public consciousness by the Supermarine Spitfire’s role during the

The Avro Lancaster was a British Second World War heavy bomber, designed and manufactured by the Avro aviation company, as a contemporary of the Handley Page Halifax. Both bombers were developed to the same specification, as well as the Short Stirling, all three aircraft being “four-engined” heavy bombers adopted by the Royal Air Force during the 1940s wartime era. The Lancaster has its origins in the

A Legend Takes Flight: Origins and the Prototype The Supermarine Spitfire emerged as a truly pivotal British single-seat fighter aircraft, becoming synonymous with the defence of Britain and playing a crucial role for the Royal Air Force (RAF) and numerous other Allied nations. Its service spanned the critical period before, during, and significantly after World