The Battle of the East China Sea.
“Nearly all [Beast] stories depend for their success on Jack killing the Giant, Beowulf or St. George slaying the Dragon… That is their inner grammar, and the whole shape of the story leads towards it.” – A.N. Wilson
In this unusual piece I make the argument for why I’ve painted my in-progress USN Helldiver in a somewhat unconventional scheme.
JV44’s “Papagei” Staffel only existed as an operational unit for a couple of weeks, but they live forever (whatever one may think of that…) in plastic. Here’s mine.
After the VLR P-51 I felt like doing something quick and easy. Here’s my Hasegawa Ki44-II as a straight up modelling piece.
Seven hours, covering 1300NM over open ocean, limited fuel, one engine, enemy fighters; there were few missions more relentlessly hazardous, nor with so many different hazards to face.
If you read to the end, a sense of fatigue wouldn’t be unexpected. It will pale though when compared to the fatigue these men must have endured. I don’t know how they did it.
This piece is an addendum to the article on S/Ldr E. M. “Imshi” Mason, DFC; Otto Shultz was Mason’s victor, along with three others.
The little told story of the USAAF’s 5th ASR and how they rescued war weary P-47’s and in turn, rescued almost a thousand downed airmen in the North Sea and English Channel.
How does a squadron of trainee pilots return to base in the event bad weather when they don’t have radios in their aircraft? The recall bird goes up; here’s mine.
Making-History 