In early 1944 the US Navy assembled an untrained and ill-prepared fighter squadron and shipped it for immediate action in the final stage of Operation Cartwheel. This is the story of the first Fighting Squadron 34.
The First Fighting Squadron VF-34
The Bottisham Blues
The Bottisham Four, 26th July, 1944; iconic images that spawned a hundred pages of discussion. Blue or not?
Alone, Above All
The Photo Recon pilot had no wingman, no flight, no formation. He flew alone in radio silence for hours at a time, navigating on dead reckoning all over mainland Europe; in his unarmed Spitfire he had only its altitude and speed, along with his wits and airmanship as protection.
Hunted.
"The art of war is simple enough. Find out where your enemy is. Get at him as soon as you can. Strike him as hard as you can, and keep moving on." - Ulysses S. Grant
“A Thousand Bombers, or One Battleship”
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
“Papagei” Staffel
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.
鍾馗 “Shoki”
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.
Running On Fumes
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.
Two Weeks in January, 1945
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.
Otto Shultz’s Jg 27 Bf 109F-4/Trop
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.
