ARTICLES
Unmasking the Myth: The Spitfire’s Struggles in the Pacific War
The homepage on my computer cycles various items of interest across the screen. These may be news or current events (fashion and celebrity gossip among them) but also include some historical subjects, even aviation history. Among the latter are...
Mitsubishi Zero 21 – A Question of Speed
This is an updated version of Zero 21: Unraveling the Performance Data - New and improved with additional data and new insights. A lot of widely disseminated but inaccurate data is debunked and – sorry, while it gets close to a definitive answer...
The Real Hero of August 1, 1943 – An Excerpt from SPAW
On the first of August 1943, PT-109 was rammed and cut in two by a Japanese destroyer. The story from the American perspective is well known because the skipper of PT-109 was future President of the U.S. John Fitzgerald Kennedy. The following...
The South Pacific – North Viet Nam Connection of the 44th and 67th Fighter Squadrons
Aficionados of the Pacific air war will appreciate the remarkable history of the 44th and 67th Fighter Squadrons, known for their significant contributions during World War II and their notable involvement in the early stages of the Vietnam War....
Murakami: September 11th, 1942 – The Rest of the Story and More
This article was previously posted on J-Aircraft.com forum in 2003. An addition has been made at the end to include correspondence and photos from Harumi Sakaguchi, who visited Kitava and interviewed locals and witnesses. Click here to scroll to...
The First Solomons Air Campaign
Numerous books and articles have been written about the air fighting that went on along with the ground combat and naval battles occasioned by the U.S. invasion of Guadalcanal and Tulagi beginning August 7, 1942. Little has been written about air...
The Type 100 Headquarters Reconnaissance Plane in Japan’s Southeast Area 1942-1944
The Type 100 Headquarters Reconnaissance Plane commonly referred to simply as headquarters reconnaissance airplane (Shin-Shitei) was given the codename Dinah by Allied forces in the Pacific. Arguably it was one of Japan’s most successful aircraft....
Ten Days to Kamikaze – Part VIII – Kamikaze Tactics Succeed with Profound Consequences
Ten Days to Kamikaze is a series that explores the decision-making process and implementation of Japan’s use of suicidal crash dives during World War II. It provides an in-depth review of the critical ten-day period and examines the background...
Ten Days to Kamikaze – Part VII – Mass Japanese Attacks
Ten Days to Kamikaze is a series that explores the decision-making process and implementation of Japan’s use of suicidal crash dives during World War II. It provides an in-depth review of the critical ten-day period and examines the background...
Ten Days to Kamikaze – Part VI – The First Official Kamikaze Mission
Ten Days to Kamikaze is a series that explores the decision-making process and implementation of Japan’s use of suicidal crash dives during World War II. It provides an in-depth review of the critical ten-day period and examines the background...