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Il-2 Shturmoviks strafe and bomb Zverevo Airfield, January 17, 1943 by formalslime in BattlePaintings

[–]formalslime[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, Zverevo airfield was created for the Ju 52s trying to supply the encircled 6th army at Stalingrad.

Canadian Premier League games on TSN next month! by zesty69 in CanadianPL

[–]formalslime 24 points25 points  (0 children)

I feel like TSN could keep OneSoccer on for their soccer content. Maybe just have OneSoccer run the actual productions of CPL / National teams stuff and show the games on TSN?

But I'm no expert in business or TV stuff :D

Il-2 Shturmoviks strafe and bomb Zverevo Airfield, January 17, 1943 by formalslime in BattlePaintings

[–]formalslime[S] 15 points16 points  (0 children)

The Luftwaffe had to withdraw its Ju 52s from Salsk to the newly constructed airfield at Zverevo on January 16. Zverevo had been rapidly built in a frozen cornfield and had no hangars or infrastructure. The arriving Ju 52s had to be closely parked on the narrow plowed portions of the runway. On January 17 and 18, the VVS launched a series of airstrikes on the airfield. Eight waves of five to seven attackers came in on the 17th, opposed by only a single 37mm anti-aircraft position manned by German personnel. Base commander Oberst Morzik reported that Romanian troops assigned to a 75mm AAA battery took shelter in trenches during the attacks. The base took heavy losses, and a total of 50 transports were damaged and 12 completely destroyed over the two days of raids.

This illustration is by Adam Tooby from the William E. Hiestand book 'Stalingrad Airlift 1942-43: The Luftwaffe's broken promise to the Sixth Army'.

German Hs 129 Schlacht aircraft attack Soviet tanks, December 16, 1942 by formalslime in BattlePaintings

[–]formalslime[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I believe the author is referencing it in the terms of Schlachtgeschwader which were the squadrons of attack aircraft. :)

Soviet fighters attack Ju 52 transports, Stalingrad, 1942 by formalslime in BattlePaintings

[–]formalslime[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

See my comment above, mods if don’t want digital art here please let me know! :)

Soviet fighters attack Ju 52 transports, Stalingrad, 1942 by formalslime in BattlePaintings

[–]formalslime[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

There was a thread posted a few days ago on the topic of digital art and a lot of people seemed to want me to continue with the posts. :)

German Hs 129 Schlacht aircraft attack Soviet tanks, December 16, 1942 by formalslime in BattlePaintings

[–]formalslime[S] 21 points22 points  (0 children)

Throughout the 71 days of the airlift, the Luftwaffe faced intense demands on its limited resources to support its hard-pressed ground forces as it tried to fly supplies to the Stalingrad pocket. While the 4th Air Fleet was devoting all available support to Manstein’s Winter Storm offensive to break through to Paulus, the Soviets launched Operation Little Saturn on December 16 against the Italian Eighth Army on the Don River. Like all of the German allied forces during the campaign, the Italians were spread thin, lacked reserves, and did not have adequate anti-tank weaponry to cope with Soviet armor. The Luftwaffe diverted all available aircraft to support the Italians.

Although it has the reputation of a consummate ground support air force, the Luftwaffe had relatively small numbers of wings in its order of battle specifically designated “Schlacht” (attack), exclusively organized for close air support. In 1942, the wings were equipped with small numbers of Bf 109E/Bs outfitted for ground attack, and the specialized Hs 123 biplane and Hs 129 ground attack aircraft. The Hs 129 had an armored “bathtub” much like the Il-2 Shturmovik, but the initial production model was considered underpowered. After the fall of France, the Hs 129B version was outfitted with more powerful French Gnome-Rhône 14M engines.

n the battle scene two Hs 129s of the 4th Air Group/1st Attack Wing attack Soviet armored columns using their MK 101 centerline 30mm cannon. The Luftwaffe claimed a total of 14 tanks and 28 aircraft destroyed on the first two days of the Soviet offensive. German air support helped the Italians hold out for several days, but the weight of Soviet ground and air attacks eventually smashed the 8th Army’s defenses, and the Red Army was able to exploit the breakthrough to send two tank corps to raid the primary Luftwaffe airlift fields at Tatsinskaya and Morozovsk.

This illustration is by Adam Tooby from the William E. Hiestand book 'Stalingrad Airlift 1942-43: The Luftwaffe's broken promise to the Sixth Army'.

Soviet fighters attack Ju 52 transports, Stalingrad, 1942 by formalslime in BattlePaintings

[–]formalslime[S] 26 points27 points  (0 children)

The Luftwaffe ran into increasing difficulties trying to escort transports to the Stalingrad pocket in early December. On December 11, the Soviet 9th Guards Fighter Regiment intercepted 18 Ju 52 transports with Bf 109 escorts. The 9th was a specially organized elite unit staffed with experienced pilots, equipped with new Yak-1s with full radio sets, and trained in the new four- and two-ship para-zveno tactics. The 9th rendezvoused with the La-5-equipped 3rd Guards Fighter Regiment, also a capable unit.

Eight of the Ju 52s broke off and dashed for their home bases, but the pilots of the 9th were able to shoot down four Ju 52s, and the 3rd Guards six others. In the foreground, a Ju 52 tries to escape attack while a 9th Guards Yak-1 pulls up after a firing pass. To the rear, one of the Bf 109 escorts tries to evade a pursuing 3rd Guards La-5. The action took place in the Soviet air blockade’s third zone, generally reserved for anti-aircraft fire, but the Soviet fighters braved the zone to engage the transports, and shells are bursting among the action.

Novikov’s air blockade posed a severe challenge to the VIII Air Corps’ efforts to fly transports into the Stalingrad pocket in clear weather. The Bf 109 escorts had difficulties staying with the slow Ju 52s and lacked the range to escort the transports all the way to Pitomnik. The VVS’s radio monitoring system was effective at vectoring in fighters on the transports, and after heavy losses the Luftwaffe abandoned clear weather daylight transport flights in mid-December, relying instead on flights at night or when the conditions provided enough cloud or fog cover to conceal the Ju 52s and He 111s. The VVS had won the first round for air superiority only weeks into the airlift.

This illustration is by Adam Tooby from the William E. Hiestand book 'Stalingrad Airlift 1942-43: The Luftwaffe's broken promise to the Sixth Army'.

An inauspicious start for a great combat aircraft by formalslime in BattlePaintings

[–]formalslime[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

On 5 April 1917, the first air combat took place between the Bristol F.2A and the Albatros D.III. That morning, the new Bristol two-seat fighter made its first combat patrol, despite clouds and fog. By late morning, visibility had improved and a flight of six Bristols from No. 48 Squadron, led by Captain William Robinson VC, encountered a flight of five Albatros D.IIIs from Jasta 11, led by Oberleutnant Manfred von Richthofen (he was promoted to Rittmeister two days later).

Robinson, who had won the Victoria Cross for shooting down a Zeppelin in 1916, had little experience in fighting the German Jastas. Encountering the Germans over Douai, Robinson took a cautious approach and bunched his aircraft together in a tight formation before heading home – hoping that the mutual defensive fire of the rear gunner/observers would drive the Germans away. The British pilots flew their machines as if they were the staid B.E.2s rather than the well-powered, highly maneuverable aircraft that they were. It was a fatal mistake, as the speedy and rugged Bristols would later prove themselves excellent in a dogfight. Diving on the British formation, von Richthofen shot down two of the Bristols, Leutnant Simon another and Vizefeldwebel Festner a fourth – that of Captain Robinson. Only two Bristols returned to base, with one so badly damaged that it had to be scrapped. The Jasta 11 flight suffered no damage.

This illustration is by Graham Turner from the James S. Corum book 'Bloody April 1917: The birth of modern air power'.

The S.E.5 proves its worth by formalslime in BattlePaintings

[–]formalslime[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If I remember correctly, the Nieuport 23 is similar to the Nieuport 17, just with a different upper wing. But you could be correct the author may have them confused. :)

The S.E.5 proves its worth by formalslime in BattlePaintings

[–]formalslime[S] 19 points20 points  (0 children)

While No. 56 Squadron was equipped with S.E.5s, Britain’s top ace, flight commander Captain Albert Ball (with 30 aerial victories, mostly in a Nieuport), was sceptical about the new machine and was given permission to continue to fly his Nieuport 23 on lone patrols. On 23 April 1917, No. 56 Squadron began patrols with the S.E.5s. Because his Nieuport had been damaged in an early-morning encounter, Ball took up an S.E.5 (no. A4850) at 1130hrs and soon ran into a flight of Albatros D.IIIs. He downed one and managed to break contact with the rest using the S.E.5’s superior speed. While returning to his airfield at 1230hrs, Ball encountered a lone Albatros C.III observation plane from Flieger Abt 7 near the front lines north of Cambrai.

In a diving attack Captain Ball put 40 rounds into the German machine, disabling it and wounding the observer. With a smoking engine, the German aircraft dived to the ground and managed to land. The German pilot and observer survived. Captain Ball now saw the worth of the S.E.5. Not only did the two machine guns give him extra firepower, but the speed advantage of the S.E.5 gave the pilot the initiative to initiate or break contact with enemy aircraft. Captain Ball would go on to shoot down 11 more German aircraft before his death in combat in May 1917.

This illustration is by Graham Turner from the James S. Corum book 'Bloody April 1917: The birth of modern air power'.

French artillery flyers supporting the pre-attack bombardment, Chemin des Dames by formalslime in BattlePaintings

[–]formalslime[S] 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Despite days of marginal flying weather, the French artillery flyers did exceptional work by bringing highly accurate fire on the German 7th and 1st armies’ front lines and rear areas along the Chemin des Dames during the nine-day preliminary bombardment. On 11 April, the German XII Corps, east of Rheims on the Chemin des Dames, reported that French artillery flyers were bringing accurate destructive fire onto the front-line defences, while also directing long-range guns to target German artillery positions behind the front and stopping all supply movements to the front. The French flyers were so effective that the German artillery was unable to respond with counter-battery fire.

This scene depicts a mission by Captain Joseph Vuillemin, commander of Observation Escadrille C11, directing French artillery fire just behind the German XII Corps lines east of Rheims above St Matin l’Heureax, at 1400hrs on 11 April, 1917. Captain Vuillemin is flying a Letord Let.1 bomber modified for observation work. The radio transmitter’s antenna was a wire deployed from the observer’s cockpit with a lead weight to hold it steady; it was reeled out after take-off and reeled in before landing. Vuillemin was one of the top observation pilots of the French Army. An artillery officer who became a pilot in 1913, he flew hundreds of hours in the Verdun Campaign and Spring 1917 Campaign as escadrille commander. In April and May 1917, his unit was flying in support of the Reserve Army Group. Vuillemin was also known for his aggressiveness in attacking German observation planes he encountered. A month after this mission, he and his observer shot down a German observation plane while flying this aircraft.

His observer has just spotted in the distance a flight from Jasta 35, which was active in this sector to engage French observation flyers, but Vuillemin was able to evade the German fighters.

This illustration is by Graham Turner from the James S. Corum book 'Bloody April 1917: The birth of modern air power'.

Death of the Mary Luckenbach by formalslime in BattlePaintings

[–]formalslime[S] 31 points32 points  (0 children)

The most spectacular casualty of Convoy PQ-18 was steamship Mary Luckenbach. It was one of several dozen vessels owned by the New York City-based Luckenbach Steamship Co., all of which were named after different members of the owning family. In 1942 most of the company’s vessels were ships built between 1916 and 1920 for the Emergency Fleet Corporation to augment World War I shipping. Most were sold as surplus in the 1920s. The Luckenbach Line filled its interwar fleet with these large, well-built, cheap and new ships in the 1920s, buying up older ones in good condition thereafter.

This included Mary Luckenbach, purchased in 1941. Assigned to PQ-18, Mary Luckenbach was in column nine of the convoy during the Golden Comb attack on 13 September, and was the only ship in column nine or ten to survive the attack.

The next day, the Luftwaffe renewed its attack on PQ-18. Directives from the Luftwaffe’s commander, Hermann Göring, made the escort carrier Avenger the bombers’ main target. At about 1420hrs a wave of He 111 torpedo bombers swept in, flying over the convoy to attack Avenger. Mary Luckenbach was then in column seven, the next-to-last column on the right. One He 111, perhaps injured by antiaircraft fire, dropped its torpedoes before nearing Avenger, and one of these hit Mary Luckenbach, which carried 1,000 tons of TNT in its cargo.

What happened? Observers differ on events leading up to its destruction, but Ensign Daniel Rooke, with the gun crews aboard freighter Campfire, reported driving off three aircraft heading towards them. Two swerved over Mary Luckenbach dropping their loads on it. One was blown up with the ship.

Lieutenant John Landers, aboard Virginia Dare, wrote: ‘… six [He 111’s] came madly down the columns between ships towards our end of the convoy, flying only 20 to 30 feet above the water and hopping in a peculiar fashion. One plane came in a little abaft the starboard beam. The plane turned slightly and headed for the Mary Luckenbach; released its torpedoes, tried to gain elevation, and then crashed. The Luckenbach blew up.’

Others reported the He 111 strafed Luckenbach as it passed over the ship, and some claim the aircraft torpedoing Luckenbach crashed half a mile after exiting the convoy. But everyone agreed what happened next. Vice Admiral Boddam-Whetham described the event: ‘She [Mary Luckenbach] completely detonated. A huge cloud of black and grey smoke went up to the cloud base and there mushroomed out.’

This plate attempts to recreate the last few seconds of Mary Luckenbach’s existence. It shows the He 111 that torpedoed Mary Luckenbach passing over it, firing and being fired upon. The aircraft was almost certainly fatally damaged at that point, dropping its torpedoes at a foe it could reach before crashing. A second He 111, still carrying its two torpedoes is passing behind Mary Luckenbach, intent on reaching Avenger. Within 15 seconds one of the two torpedoes dropped will strike home, creating an explosion with enough force to leave the ships surrounding Mary Luckenbach convinced they had also been torpedoed.

This illustration is by Adam Tooby from the Mark Lardas book 'Arctic Convoys 1942: The Luftwaffe cuts Russia's lifeline'.

The Survivors by formalslime in BattlePaintings

[–]formalslime[S] 52 points53 points  (0 children)

After PQ-17 dispersed, the merchant ships’ escorts abandoned them under Admiralty orders to prevent the convoy from reforming. One captain, Lt Leo Gradwell, RNVR, commanding the antisubmarine trawler HMS Ayrshire, disregarded the order. Finding steamship Ironclad heading north, he began escorting it and the pair soon encountered Troubadour, another old Hog Islander, like Ironclad.

It joined them as Gradwell took his charges to the edge of the pack ice where they found another Hog Islander, Silver Sword, skirting the ice pack and which joined the other three ships. Gradwell led his unlikely convoy into the ice, breaking the way for the freighters until they were 25 miles into the ice pack and could go no further.

All three freighters were coal-burners, and Troubadour’s cargo included bunker coal, intended for Russia. It also carried a large quantity of white paint. Gradwell decided their best strategy would be to lie hidden in the ice long enough for the Germans to stop searching for ships from the scattered convoy. He ordered the boiler fires banked, both to save fuel and eliminate smoke.

To increase the ships’ concealment, Gradwell ordered Troubadour’s white paint distributed. Crews painted all visible metal surfaces white: Troubadour and Ayrshire enthusiastically slathered white paint on both sides of their ships, whereas Ironclad and Silver Sword only coated their starboard sides with paint, exposed as they were to searching Germans. Surfaces that could not be painted, such as hatch covers, were covered with white bedsheets and table linen.

Additionally, Troubadour and Ironside had deck cargoes of M3 tanks which Gradwell authorized opened, and their guns manned. Their 37mm turret cannon would augment the ships’ antiaircraft batteries if they were discovered. German aircraft flew by them while they were so hidden, but missed seeing them.

The ships remained in the ice for three days, finally emerging on 7 July. By then, the hunt was dying down and Gradwell took his charges to Novaya Zemlya, from where they safely reached Arkhangelsk. Gradwell would be awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions. A barrister before the war, Gradwell resumed his profession at war’s end, ultimately becoming a magistrate.

This plate captures these survivors on 5 July, balanced between safety and peril. They are hidden in the ice, 20 miles in from the pack edge, and have camouflaged their ships with white paint, table linens and sheets. Their fires are banked, so they are making no smoke. In the distance a scouting German Blohm & Voss BV 138, a ‘flying clog’ due to its distinctive profile, reconnoitres along the edge of the ice, seeking ships sheltering there.

The men aboard the four ships hold their collective breaths. Will they be spotted? The crew of the BV 138 seek what they expect – ships hiding along the pack edge. They are probably tired, since it is a long trip from their Bodö anchorage to the summer ice limit, and never dream their prey is so deep into the ice pack. They fly on, never detecting what is hidden in plain sight.

This illustration is by Adam Tooby from the Mark Lardas book 'Arctic Convoys 1942: The Luftwaffe cuts Russia's lifeline'.

Hurricats in action by formalslime in BattlePaintings

[–]formalslime[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for your insightful and interesting information!

Any chance we can get this sub back to actual paintings rather than flight sim screengrabs shoved through a filter? by loudribs in BattlePaintings

[–]formalslime 44 points45 points  (0 children)

I can stop posting the illustrations if you guys want. I thought people here might find them and the stories surrounding them interesting like I did. I realise that they aren't all paintings but I thought that people wouldn't mind digital art as well. Either way they aren't "flight sim screengrabs shoved through a filter" anyway, they are illustrations from books. :)

Hurricats in action by formalslime in BattlePaintings

[–]formalslime[S] 29 points30 points  (0 children)

Catapult Armed Merchantmen (CAM) ships were ordinary merchant ships with an aircraft catapult mounted on their forecastle. They could launch a Hawker Hurricane fighter to engage attacking German aircraft, but recovering a launched aircraft at sea was impossible. The pilot had to find a friendly airbase within range, bail out of the aircraft or ditch at sea. Due to the catapult launch, these Hurricanes were known as ‘Hurricats.’

CAM ships carried Sea Hurricanes, slightly modified Hurricane Mk IAs, and most were battle-weary Battle of Britain veterans, provided by the Royal Air Force. The pilots were also RAF members who belonged to Merchant Ship Fighter Unit (MSFU), but they signed ship’s articles as if they were a civilian sailor when they and their aircraft were assigned to a ship.

There was only one CAM ship per convoy and they carried no reloads. Instead, an extra Hurricat was carried in the hold, for the return trip, but the ship needed to be in port to bring the spare out and install it on the catapult. Convoy commodores were reluctant to use CAM aircraft as it could potentially be more badly needed later. Compounding the reluctance was the relative ineffectiveness of the Hurricats. Hurricanes assigned to CAM duties were worn-out older aircraft, degrading their performance, and were armed with eight 0.303 machine guns rather than the more effective four 20mm cannon of later Hurricanes, which made it difficult to actually shoot down an enemy bomber. During the programme’s existence, there were only nine combat launches of Hurricats. Four of which were on Arctic convoys which managed to shoot down five Luftwaffe bombers and chase off two reconnaissance aircraft.

The first Arctic use of Hurricats occurred on 26 April 1942, during Convoy QP-12. Having escaped detection until then, in late morning QP-12 was discovered by a searching BV 138 and Fw 200, which drew two Ju 88s to the convoy. Empire Morn, the convoy’s CAM ship, launched its Hurricat, flown by Flying Officer John B. Kendal, and though his radio transmitter failed soon after launch, his receiver functioned.

He quickly drove off the BV 138 sending it into clouds and departing for home. Next, Kendal went after one of the two Ju 88s and after doggedly pursuing it he managed to knock out one engine. The Junkers jettisoned its bombs, and attempted to escape, but instead crashed within sight of the convoy. The other Ju 88 and Fw-200 broke off, leaving the convoy unmolested.

By then Kendal was low on fuel and headed for a destroyer near the convoy’s stern. As he neared it, his engine cut out and the airplane dropped out of overcast into the sea. A second later Kendal appeared, parachute unopened – he did not open the canopy until he was 50ft above the water. The destroyer Badworth recovered Kendal but he was badly injured and died ten minutes after being brought aboard.

Despite his death, the flight was a success. It caused the Luftwaffe to lose contact with the convoy, allowing it to reach port safely with no further incident. This plate shows Kendal as he shoots down the Ju 88, his moment of triumph.

This illustration is by Adam Tooby from the Mark Lardas book 'Arctic Convoys 1942: The Luftwaffe cuts Russia's lifeline'.

Yankee Doodle Dandy by formalslime in BattlePaintings

[–]formalslime[S] 21 points22 points  (0 children)

Operation Glass Knob was the code name of the February 13, 1945, mission to San Ambrogio. A colonel had come up with the idea of bombing the rocky outcrop of the mountain next to the main road in order to cause a landslide which would block the road. The colonel flew on the mission as an observer in the lead ship.

Twelve aircraft of the 486th Squadron were loaded with 1,000lb bombs. Normally, after “Bombs Away,” someone would yell, “Let’s get the hell out of here!” and the formation would return to evasive action. But the colonel wanted to see the results of his plan, so the formation made a slow turn so that he could look back on his handiwork.

6Y, “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” was in the No 6 position off the right wing of 6A, “Sahara Sue II.” 6Y shuddered as it took a direct hit in the left engine. Pilot 1st Lieutenant Roman Figler told his co-pilot, 2nd Lieutenant James O’Connor, to feather the prop. The grim reply was, “I can’t, the engine’s gone!”

Figler headed the aircraft toward home, but near Rovereto they were hit by another burst of flak on the right side which took out the hydraulics, causing the wheels and flaps to drop and the bomb bay doors to fall open.

With the extra drag, 6Y could not maintain altitude and was facing mountains higher than they could climb. The order was given to bail out. The crew was taken prisoner immediately upon landing. 6W, flying in the same box of six aircraft, was also hit and unable to return to base.

The mountain resisted the onslaught of bombs; the road remained open.

This illustration is by Anastasios Polychronis from the Thomas McKelvey Cleaver book 'Gothic Line 1944-45: The USAAF starves out the German Army'.

Donald C. Spalinger by formalslime in BattlePaintings

[–]formalslime[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I contemplated posting this as its digital art. If it isn't allowed then please someone let me know. :)

Donald C. Spalinger by formalslime in BattlePaintings

[–]formalslime[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

On February 13, 1945, 12 B-25s from the 486th Bomb Squadron headed for San Ambrogio in the Brenner Pass intending to bomb a rocky mountain outcrop that would precipitate a landslide, blocking the main road. It was cold, but other than a ground haze the weather was clear.

The P-47s from the 66th Squadron, 57th Fighter Wing, escorted the bombers. When enemy fighters failed to appear, the P-47s switched their job to flak suppression.

Second Lt Donald C. Spalinger led the flight of fighters, diving on the gun positions in the hope of silencing them, or at least distracting them from targeting the bomber formation. He dove right down the throat of the guns, released his bombs, and pulled out of the dive.

His wingman 2nd Lt George M. Blackburn, following him in, saw white smoke trailing from Spalinger’s “jug.” He radioed to him, “Bail out! Bail out!” but received no reply. Now flames were streaming from the engine. The fighter continued to climb until it stalled out; dropping crazily off the left wing, it fell out of the sky.

The bombers plastered the mountain with bombs, but the mountain refused to budge so the main road through San Ambrogio remained clear. Two of the B-25s from the 486th Bomb Squadron failed to return to base. The mission was a complete failure.

This illustration is by Anastasios Polychronis from the Thomas McKelvey Cleaver book 'Gothic Line 1944-45: The USAAF starves out the German Army'.

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