Film of USS Enterprise SBDs launching prior to Battle of Midway
This video has some incredible footage of planes from USS Enterprise just prior to the Battle of Midway (my guess is May 1942 as the pre-war markings have been painted over for the BoM aircraft, and since some of these were lost on June 4th and are unarmed, we know it...
Doolittle Raiders color film footage
The National Archives has color film footage of the Doolittle Raiders launching from the USS Hornet. I was unaware of the existance of this until now, thanks to my friend Lynn Ritger. You can watch and download it here: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75692 ...
SBD-3 Ensign Frank O’Flaherty VS-6
SBD-3 BuNo 3224, Ensign Frank O’Flaherty and AMM 1/c Bruno P. Gaido, Scouting Six, USS Enterprise (CV6), June 4, 1942. Ensign Frank O'Flaherty participated in the first attack of the Battle of Midway, completing a dive bombing run on the Japanese carrier Kaga...
Warhawks
My next 'big' profile project is P-40E thru N models. I've dug out my collection of original Curtiss engineering drawings from my archive and am now sifting through over 3000 of them for the ones necessary to create my master scale drawings that the profiles will be...
P-47D-10-RE, Lt. Col. Leslie C. Smith, 61st F.S., 56th F.G.
P-47D-10-RE Serial Number 42-75121 61st F.S., 56th F.G. Assigned to Lt. Col. Leslie C. Smith (ace with seven victories.) Also flown by Lt. Frank Klibbe on nine missions between January 24th and February 8th 1944. Profile notes: Photos are not clear as to if this...
SBD-3 Stanley Swede Vejtasa VS-5
SBD-3 BuNo 4690, Lt. (j.g.) Stanley W. 'Swede' Vejtasa and Chief Radioman 3rd Class Frank B. Wood, Scouting Five, USS Yorktown (CV5), May 8, 1942. During the Battle of the Coral Sea on May 7, 1942, Swede and several other SBD pilots sank the Japanese aircraft carrier...
SBD-3 Lt. Richard H. ‘Dick’ Best VB-6
SBD-3 BuNo 4687, Lt. Richard H. 'Dick' Best and Chief Radioman James F. Murray, Bombing Six, USS Enterprise (CV6), June 4, 1942. Dick Best was the commanding officer of VB-6, USS Enterprise, during the Battle of Midway. Best flew B1 on two missions on June 4th, and...
Pearl Harbor attack 80th anniversary
Curtiss P-40B, 2nd Lt. George Welch, 47th PS, 15th PG, USAAC, Haleiwa Air Base, Hawaii. Lt. Welch was one of only a handful of USAAF pilots who managed to get their planes off the ground and engage the Japanese on the morning of December 7th, 1941 during the Japanese...
Pearl Harbor survivor audio – Philip Rasmussen
Tomorrow is the 80th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Rasmussen was one of only 14 U.S. pilots who managed to get airborne that morning.
SBD-3 Dauntless progress
Making slow progress on the SBD-3 profile. I'm still trying to locate dimension and detail information for the DF antenna inside the cockpit so that will likely be one of the last items added. So far markings research has been completed for the following pilots: Dusty...