Monographs
11 total works
The result of years of experimentation by the Imperial Japanese Navy, the Mitsubishi A6M Reisen is perhaps the best known Japanese World War II fighter type. The Zero, or "Zeke," in official Allied reporting, saw action in practically all battles waged by the Imperial Japanese Navy, from the attack on Pearl Harbor all the way through the defense of the Home Islands against the B-29s. During the first months of the war in the Pacific the Zero emerged as a world-class fighter, unrivaled in the air by anything the enemy could muster. However, with no worthy successor in sight, by 1943 the Zero was all but obsolete. Despite that, Japanese factories continued to build and deliver the type until the end of the war.
The result of years of experimentation by the Imperial Japanese Navy, the Mitsubishi A6M Reisen is perhaps the best known Japanese World War II fighter type. 132 archival photographs, 10 colour profiles
The result of years of experimentation by the Imperial Japanese Navy, the Mitsubishi A6M Reisen is perhaps the best known Japanese World War II fighter type. The Zero, or "Zeke," in official Allied reporting, saw action in practically all battles waged by the Imperial Japanese Navy, from the attack on Pearl Harbor all the way through the defense of the Home Islands against the B-29s. During the first months of the war in the Pacific the Zero emerged as a world-class fighter, unrivaled in the air by anything the enemy could muster. However, with no worthy successor in sight, by 1943 the Zero was all but obsolete. Despite that, Japanese factories continued to build and deliver the type until the end of the war.
Nakajima K-43 Hayabusa, code-named Oscar by the Allies, was the Imperial Japanese Army's equivalent of the Zero fighter in service with the Imperial Navy. In combat units the machine replaced the aging Ki-27. Manufactured in large numbers, the fighter remained in frontline service until the end of the war. By the time its final version entered production, the development of its successor - the Ki-84 - had already started. The Ki-43 was a very maneuverable machine, but in many areas it was inferior to its adversaries. Despite its fragile design, poor armament and almost no armored protection, the Ki-43 was well-liked by the Japanese pilots and it became a symbol of the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service. Hayabusa was the pinnacle of the Japanese fighter design development until the lessons learned in the Pacific laid the ground for new approaches to the construction of tactical aircraft.
La-5 - Soviet single-engine single-seat fighter from World War II. The plane was developed in the S.A. design office. Lavochkin as a development version and successor of the LaGG-3, a wooden low wing with an in-line engine. It was one of the best fighter planes of the Soviet aviation and the first to compete on an equal footing with the German Messerschmitt Bf 109.
The MiG-3 fighter plane, like the history of the creation of the Mikoyan and Gurevich (Микоян и Гуревич) design bureau, is relatively well known to anyone interested in the history of Soviet aviation. Many books and articles have been published about this machine, but information about the circumstances of the birth of the project and the conditions of its creation are very brief and concise. MiG-1 and MiG-3 were the most numerous new generation fighters in Soviet aviation at the time of the German invasion of the USSR. They played a very important role in the first period of the war. Until now, it has been assumed in the literature that this applies mainly to the use of these aircraft during the battle of Moscow, as well as capital's and Leningrad's air defence, but MiGs also took on a large weight of air combat at the front in 1941.
When war broke out in the Pacific, the Japanese naval air force had the world's most advanced Nakajima B5N2 torpedo-bomber aircraft, which was far superior to the American Douglas TBD-1 Devastator and a generation ahead of the British Fairey Swordfish biplanes. The Japanese aircraft were faster, more maneuverable, and could drop torpedoes from a higher altitude. After a successful debut over Pearl Harbor, these machines were involved in every major naval battle until 1944, making a permanent mark on aviation history. It was not until 1943/1944 that this superb aircraft began to be replaced by the modern Nakajima B6N Tenzan. The road to the creation of B5N was not easy and was fraught with many failures.
In the early stages of combat, the air war went extremely well for the Japanese, but that would soon change. As the improved versions of aircraft entered service and as the air tactics evolved, the A6M began to lose its edge over Allied fighters. The only way to turn the tides was to modernize the Zeke and then introduce its successor, capable of holding its own against new U.S. designs, as quickly as possible.
The I-200 fighter project was a compromise between design office’s capabilities, realities of the Soviet aviation industry, with its available technologies, and military requirements.
According to the brief description of the MiG-3 from 1941, it was, in terms of its purpose, an interceptor, but, interestingly, it could also be used as… an attack aircraft, or a light, fast dive bomber.
Both the I-200 prototypes and the later MiG-1 and MiG-3 were single-seat, single-engine, mixed-design low-wing aircraft. Front part of the fuselage, together with the centre wing, up to the rear wall of the pilot’s cockpit, was made of metal. Only the tail part of the fuselage and wing consoles were wooden. Vertical stabilizer, which was an integral part of the fuselage, was made of wood, too, but horizontal stabilizer was all-metal. Rudders and ailerons had a metal construction and canvas cover. Undercarriage was made of chromansil steel.
In front part of the fuselage there was a pilot’s cabin with a seat, instrument panel and controls, front fuel tank, main offensive armament, water cooler and other componentry. Centre wing was attached to the front part of the fuselage at seven points, the rear part at four points, while the engine mount was supported by two.
According to the brief description of the MiG-3 from 1941, it was, in terms of its purpose, an interceptor, but, interestingly, it could also be used as… an attack aircraft, or a light, fast dive bomber.
Both the I-200 prototypes and the later MiG-1 and MiG-3 were single-seat, single-engine, mixed-design low-wing aircraft. Front part of the fuselage, together with the centre wing, up to the rear wall of the pilot’s cockpit, was made of metal. Only the tail part of the fuselage and wing consoles were wooden. Vertical stabilizer, which was an integral part of the fuselage, was made of wood, too, but horizontal stabilizer was all-metal. Rudders and ailerons had a metal construction and canvas cover. Undercarriage was made of chromansil steel.
In front part of the fuselage there was a pilot’s cabin with a seat, instrument panel and controls, front fuel tank, main offensive armament, water cooler and other componentry. Centre wing was attached to the front part of the fuselage at seven points, the rear part at four points, while the engine mount was supported by two.
Nakajima K-43 Hayabusa, code-named Oscar by the Allies, was the Imperial Japanese Army’s equivalent of the Zero fighter in service with the Imperial Navy. In combat units the machine replaced the aging Ki-27. Manufactured in large numbers, the fighter remained in frontline service until the end of the war. By the time its final version entered production, the development of its successor – the Ki-84 – had already started. The Ki-43 was a very maneuverable machine, but in many areas it was inferior to its adversaries. Despite its fragile design, poor armament and almost no armored protection, the Ki-43 was well-liked by the Japanese pilots and it became a symbol of the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service. Hayabusa was the pinnacle of the Japanese fighter design development until the lessons learned in the Pacific laid the ground for new approaches to the construction of tactical aircraft.
La-5 - Soviet single-engine single-seat fighter from World War II. The plane was developed in the S.A. design office. Lavochkin as a development version and successor of the LaGG-3, a wooden low wing with an in-line engine. It was one of the best fighter planes of the Soviet aviation and the first to compete on an equal footing with the German Messerschmitt Bf 109.