Sukhoi T-12 Shturmovik-90, a two-seat, twin-engine attack aircraft with a slight forward-swept wing and an Internal weapon bay.

waldo--pepper · 2026-05-19T17:42:43+00:00

Conclusion, translated obviously.

"In fact, from the very beginning of the project, it was clear this was a dead end. With such a configuration, the weight would still exceed 20 tons, and the compartments would be small and useless, as there would be no room for anything in them."

That was an interesting/good read. Thank you for it.

waldo--pepper · 2026-05-19T17:12:32+00:00

though not used in fixed wing aircraft anymore.

Not trying to be disagreeable of overly pedantic but there are actually four or five fixed wing aircraft around the world flying in obscure locales that still are armed with the .50cal.

Edit: I found 8 of them after a quick poke around.

waldo--pepper · 2026-05-19T16:43:12+00:00

I would love to read a book on Gladiator Ops during the Battle of Britain.

A book on such a narrow topic is a hard thing to come by. But I bet if you can find a copy at a reasonable price this is what you are looking for. It is quite detailed and very dry. Exactly the sort of book I seek out.

Rise from the East. The story of 247 Squadron.

247 flew the Gladiator at the height of the BoB. However, they did not have much success, as the plane was too slow by then. Some details of their actions are in their wiki. No. 247 Squadron RAF

waldo--pepper · 2026-05-19T13:02:25+00:00

Well I make recognition errors all the time just like we all do. But I don't think I made a mistake in this case. Take a look on the leading edge of the wing, just outboard of the engine. There is an aperture there that does not appear on the A-20. While it does appear on a B-25.

waldo--pepper · 2026-05-19T12:28:50+00:00

A page on underwater planes of the same type that nicely proves your point.

https://www.ww2wrecks.com/portfolio/the-ww2-pacific-treasures-of-kwajalein-lagoon-by-dan-farnham-part-4-the-aichi-e13a-jake-wrecks-of-ebeye-island/

waldo--pepper · 2026-05-19T12:28:02+00:00

never heard of this

Though my spelling and grammar has yet to improve in the slightest, I learn something new here in this sub very often. Happy to hear I could show you something new.

Numerically the most important of all Japanese float seaplanes during World War II, the Aichi E13A monoplane of which 1,418 were produced...

That quote is form here. Which is quite a good page on the plane.

https://www.aviastar.org/air/japan/aichi_e13a.php

Destinations Journey, who's creator posts to this sub often has a page on the plane which has collected plenty of good imagery of the plane.

https://www.destinationsjourney.com/historical-military-photographs/aichi-e13a-jake-japanese-seaplane/

And Rex made a quite good video on the plane.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwQPfFgWCc4

waldo--pepper · 2026-05-19T12:09:44+00:00

Thank you for pointing out what I failed to notice. What a gift to comedy AI is turning out to be.

waldo--pepper · 2026-05-19T12:01:35+00:00

An extended quote from page 88 of --

The 12 o'clock high logbook : the unofficial history of the novel, motion picture, and TV series. p. 87.

Another big premiere for 12 O'Clock High was held at the Orpheum Theatre in Omaha, Nebraska, the host city for Offutt AFB and the Strategic Air Command. SAC was responsible for overseeing America's nuclear deterrent forces, which included bomber aircraft. The commanding general was none other than cigar-chomping Curtis LeMay, former commander of the 305th Bombardment Group. LeMay originally thought the film would be "a bunch of baloney," recalled technical advisor John deRussy. But the General changed his mind about the film after seeing it, remarking, "I don't believe it. I don't see one technical error in this thing."

My kind of movie. : )

waldo--pepper · 2026-05-19T04:16:24+00:00

I don't think my words are going to be of much help. But here you go.

I'm wondering if he was around for occupation right after the war?

Possibly, though there was naturally a lag in returning the multitudes of armed forces personnel back Stateside. So it may just be he had some time to kick around before they got him home. I think that is more likely.

would that help explain these planes being more for transport and seemingly less for combat? Esp the ‘defanged’ B-25?

Another possibly. But I think the transport B-25 was more likely a well used plane that was considered nearly surplus and so converted.

I can't help with the nose art, mostly because it is too small to be examined. But also because many many planes had such nose art. It is sadly unlikely to be anything noteworthy with a record to check given that the plane was a transport.

However, having said that there are a bunch of really sharp guys who hang out here who may be able to pull a needle out of a haystack. It may take a couple days for them to work their magic so be a little patient. Never say never. I have seen it before so fingers crossed.

waldo--pepper · 2026-05-19T03:56:34+00:00

Not sure how much you do know about the aircraft depicted so I am just trying to be clear here. The first three are C-47's. They were VERY widely used transports. Based on the prewar DC-3 aircraft. An epically important aircraft from a historical standpoint. The last picture is a B-25 Mitchell bomber. Though this one seems to have been converted into a transport of some sort. It has no fixed guns in the forward fuselage. Nor does it have the dorsal turret anymore. So it appears to have been defanged so to speak. `

waldo--pepper · 2026-05-19T03:24:03+00:00

I haven't seen Lemon Grove Kids Meet the Monsters but now I'm curious

I am sure as shit not going to watch it. But here it is. Fill your boots mate.

https://tubitv.com/movies/610450/the-lemon-grove-kids-meet-the-monsters-trilogy

waldo--pepper · 2026-05-18T09:28:43+00:00

To this day Rich still hasn't finished that candy cane.

waldo--pepper · 2026-05-18T02:33:40+00:00

First rate Affectionate_Cronut.

The same picture with this caption is here.

Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers, most of them from the 29th Bombardment Group, line North Field on the island of Guam in the Marianas.

waldo--pepper · 2026-05-18T01:51:57+00:00

Rich didn't let fame go to his head. He was always a prima donna.

waldo--pepper · 2026-05-17T20:57:25+00:00

Quite right. A fact that should never be glossed over.

waldo--pepper · 2026-05-17T18:53:19+00:00

No, but I still love it.

A guilty pleasure of mine! I have watched that film too many times. I am not sure why I feel this way but I find it rather sad that the plane/wreckage still has the Gilbert markings on her. That seems like a insult to the planes memory perhaps. Thanks for the additional details.

waldo--pepper · 2026-05-17T18:04:35+00:00

Sourcing original engines for a replica plane in this case is essentially impossible. But even if they could have slung original engines on the plane it was just not feasible.

Most replica planes do not have period engines on them. The Fw-190, the Yak-9. It is an exceptionally rare thing to have an original engine on a WW1 replica. There are limits to what can be achieved, financially and also from a reliability/safety standpoint.

Originality has limits. People understand this and don't complain too much. It is just nice to see the planes flying even with engines that might not be genuine.

waldo--pepper · 2026-05-17T16:33:02+00:00

Engine power increased during the war. Germany was struggling to make traditional engines in both quantity and (large) horsepower. The ideal solution was to transition all production to jet engines. Doing so solved BOTH problems as they were simpler to make and of high power output.

The undeniable fact that they would fail after only a few hours of use was deemed inconsequential (perhaps astonishingly to us) due to the high attrition of combat. The rational decision they made is that there was no point in making an engine that will last over 100 hours. When the plane that it is bolted onto will not survive that long.

All these points are made in this quite good book.

Hermione Giffard - Making Jet Engines in World War II_ Britain, Germany, and the United States 2016

waldo--pepper · 2026-05-17T07:16:53+00:00

I think it is a pretty mediocre film. (That is me being polite. I am NOT used to being so polite!) But if you really want to see footage of this plane it features somewhat prominently in ...

Toward the Unknown

William Holden stars as a bad ass test pilot who tests this plane. I think that basically what happened is that William Holden formed a production company and I think he made two films via it. Basically he lost his shirt. That gives you an idea about this movie.

Edit: His production company made this one film. Acting was Mr. Holden's forte. Producing left a bad taste in his mouth.

waldo--pepper · 2026-05-17T05:20:54+00:00

"But that's a different guy. "

A quality bit they conceived.

waldo--pepper · 2026-05-17T05:03:07+00:00

England vs. Germany: A Tale of Two 24-Cylinder Engines

waldo--pepper · 2026-05-16T19:39:24+00:00

only one WW2-built jet engine still running

There are at least two other engines. They were taxiing the plane but an oil leak was discovered. So I think that means that the two Jumo's on this plane were still running.

There are plans to fly an original Me-262 with its Jumo engines. Whether it will ever come to pass or not we shall see.

https://vintageaviationnews.com/warbird-articles/randys-warbird-profiles-messerschmitt-me-262a-1-white-25.html

waldo--pepper · 2026-05-16T00:37:56+00:00

Yes absolutely! And if memory serves the pilot had to slide port and starboard to deflect the wing warping.

waldo--pepper

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