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Post by kb on Aug 14, 2011 18:34:28 GMT 12
If anyone has even a 'slight' interest in Kiwi and Aussie Mustangs then you wont believe your eyes when you see this book. Definative is an understatement. Totally agree. When I last went to the States I took three copies of the book with me to give to the friends who put me up. They all agreed it was the most outstanding ever Mustang book but because of the title they would never have thought of buying it themselves.
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Post by kb on Aug 13, 2011 11:44:47 GMT 12
To bring in an aviation slant. In the 1970's my then Brother in Law spent a lot of time flying around the South Island in his Cessna 185. One of the things he did was to supply the West Coast whitebaiters with supplies and fly out their catch. In the end he established a base there and one year he ofered the whitebaiters a fixed price for their carch at the beginning of the season and made a killing because he then controlled a good deal of the NZ catch.
I flew in with him on one occasion. We landed on the beach at Big Bay and unloaded the supplies which mainly consisted of beer. As we loaded the catch one of the whitebaiters remarked that he hoped Ron had good insurance because the weather was closing in. He was correct! We flew through the Southern Alps with the cloud cover so low I couldn't see the tops of the Alps on either side of the valley we flew though. I am not a panic artist but I did breath a sigh of relief when we burst through into sunshine with a view of Queenstown in the distance!
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Post by kb on Aug 13, 2011 10:05:49 GMT 12
I imagine if you took today's Business Class fares and doubled (or even tripled) them, you might be getting close. Only the filthy rich and government employees flew across the Pacific back then. Working very much from memory I think the fare to Vancouver was 105 pounds and again from memory my uncle was at that time paid about 5 pounds per week as a qualified diesel mechanic. Great memories. Reading the NZ Herald to check aircraft arrival times and then scanning the afternoon sky in wait for any that were scheduled to arrive after I got home from school! Thanks for the great crystal clear colour shot KTJ.
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Post by kb on Aug 10, 2011 10:57:49 GMT 12
The crew of Bock's Car was commanded by Captain Frederick C. Bock when they dropped the "Fat man" atomic weapon on Nagasaki. Not so Mit. Charles Sweeney who was effectively but not actually the second in command of the 509th Composite Group, was in command of Bock's Car when the bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. His own aircraft the Great Artiste carried special instrumentation for measuring the effects of the bomb. He flew this aircraft on the Hiroshima raid and when his crew was selected to drop the Nagasaki bomb he couldn't use his own aircraft because of it's specialisation. He therefore swapped aircraft with Bock.
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Post by kb on Aug 3, 2011 13:13:37 GMT 12
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Post by kb on Jul 24, 2011 12:54:57 GMT 12
The future scenario. Even the U.S. is having to watch it's dollars!
An interesting article.
Air Force, Navy team up for 21st Century fight
by Mitch Gettle Air Force Public Affairs Agency
ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) -- Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Phil Breedlove discussed the Air Force's enduring capabilities, the Air-Sea Battle concept and the Long Range Strike family of systems at a Mitchell Institute for Air Power Studies event here July 20.
Speaking to members of the Department of Defense, international community and industry leaders, General Breedlove said that in order to meet both budgetary and modernization goals, the Air Force must focus on the distinctive capabilities that the service brings to the fight.
"If we are to survive this period and come out of it with an Air Force that America's people will recognize in ten years, we're going to have to focus on those core, distinctive Air Force missions," General Breedlove said.
The general referenced Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz's 2011 CSAF Vector, outlining these distinctive capabilities as: establishing and exploiting control in air, space, and cyberspace; holding any target on the globe at risk; responsive, full-spectrum intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; rapid logistics; and superior command and control.
While the Air Force remains the world's preeminent air and space power, the U.S. military succeeds or fails as a joint team, General Breedlove said.
As such, the Departments of the Air Force and Navy are currently developing the Air-Sea Battle concept, he said. This operational concept describes a unified approach to address the evolving Anti-Access/Area Denial environment, in which adversaries seek asymmetric ways of opposing the movement of U.S. military forces into their region.
"Our nation's Air Force and our nation's Navy, with the Marines, have some very unique, global applications," General Breedlove said. "We will succeed or fail in the A2/AD environment as a joint team with our naval brethren."
One of the conclusions that emerged from the service's Air-Sea Battle discussions was the continuing need for long-range strike capability, the general said. To that end, the Air Force is working with the DOD to develop and refine its concept of a Long Range Strike family of systems.
These systems will include strike; intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; and electronic attack capabilities, among others, he said.
"Central to the family of systems is the acquisition of a long-range, penetrating bomber," General Breedlove said. "The bomber will not be an exquisite, lone-wolf platform capable of accomplishing all the missions by itself. Rather, it will be a part of that entire family of systems, relying on other capabilities, as well as its own, to accomplish its mission."
The Air Force estimates it will need 80 to 100 Long Range Strike bombers to meet future needs and affordability is a key parameter, according to General Breedlove.
"The Long Range Strike bomber will be designed and developed using proven technologies," he said. "We don't want to lean very far forward; we need to be able to afford this system."
Budgetary constraints will not only affect how the Air Force and DOD approach the bomber acquisition, but will have to be considered in all of the military activities, General Breedlove said.
"I believe that when we combine the Air Force's unique, asymmetric contributions to national defense, with the complementary capabilities of our Joint and coalition partners, we will succeed as we have in the past, but we will have to be more frugal as we move forward," he said.
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Post by kb on Jul 8, 2011 17:14:28 GMT 12
I would love to see a Mosquito fly, but that MkXIV was easily my favourite of any Spitfire I have seen fly in NZ. Looking forward very much to it's return. What a difficult choice. The Mosquito for me because of it's rarity. However the Mk.XIV Spitfire is a magnicent machine and was by far the Lufwaffe's fighter pilots most feared late war fighter.
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Post by kb on Jul 6, 2011 8:08:20 GMT 12
I suppose that one could at a long stretch regard the Beaufighter as a bomber but the P-61? Bomber destroyer is more like it.
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Post by kb on Jul 4, 2011 19:50:59 GMT 12
[quote author=dakman board=agricultural thread=12304 post=126996 time=1309562422 But then again it still looked the same in the 1990s Thanks Fury. I thought there must have been a fault in my negative when I posted the first picture but I see your earlier one also has white in the lower red tail band but it has gone in the later photo. Would that blemish be something to do with topdressing?
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Post by kb on Jul 4, 2011 19:41:43 GMT 12
Gosh there's some great stuff here and the sadness of being reminded that lots of very good people died.
My contribution is Bryan Young's Spitfire Vb JL188, PS-L of 81 Squadron "Miss New Zealand". She also has another name, anyone? An interesting aircraft in other ways as she appears to have the camouflage netting look to the undersurfaces or at least the undercowl.
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Post by kb on Jun 8, 2011 21:56:29 GMT 12
Correct Aone5. I was a bit slack there.
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Post by kb on Jun 8, 2011 21:27:28 GMT 12
This one was probably flown by civilian pilots [mostly United on secondment] and the outfit was called 'Consair' as it was owned by Consolidated Aircraft Co. Early on the crew wore military uniforms - POW situation - but as the war progressed dress became more casual. By wars end they had an incredible network across the Pacific using C-54s & C-87s. This one would be very early on with the heavy coat of camouflage. Good book about them...'Eagles of the Pacific: Consairways, memoirs of an air transport service during World War II'. As I understand it the Bu number was for the year of order - not manufacture? Eagles of the Pacific is indeed an excellent read but don't worry about the photos which look as if they have been reproduced from low quality newsprint. I don't think the C-54 is a part of Consairways as they only flew Consolidated aircraft. It may in fact be a USAAF aircraft or did the Pan Am crowd fly down to New Zealand. Yes, the Bu Numbers are assigned at order time.
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Post by kb on Jun 2, 2011 21:24:36 GMT 12
New Zealand Naval Officer takes command of a small anti piracy task force flying his flag in a U.S. Ship.
NZ Herald - A black pennant emblazoned with a white kiwi will be hoisted in the Gulf of Aden this month as a New Zealand naval officer takes control of a US-led task force fighting Middle East piracy.
Captain Jim Gilmour's appointment as head of Combined Task Force 151 marks the first time a New Zealand officer has led such an international force in decades, possibly since World War 2.
Capt Gilmour said he would take the black pennant when he left New Zealand for a familiarisation period, before taking control of the task force for three months.
Capt Gilmour, commanding officer on multi-role ship HMNZS Canterbury for exercises in the Pacific with the American navy last month, said he would not have command of a ship.
He would be on the flagship USS Anzio - an American guided missile cruiser - and in control of a task force of up to six ships, as well as aircraft.
The mission was to "disrupt and deter piracy in the Gulf of Aden and the Somali basin", he said.
"That's a little over 1.1 million square miles so it's a lot of ground to cover. It's a co-ordinated approach to deterring and disrupting piracy with two other task forces, so it's about being smart where you put assets and how you employ them."
Piracy was on the rise off the coast of Somalia because of the almost non-existent social structure and government in that country, he said.
"There are lots of these bandits who are attempting to make a living out of acts of piracy, seizing ships as they come through what is a very important sea lane in terms of commerce."
The gulf was known as "Pirate Alley" because of the high level of piracy in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.
Capt Gilmour said it was common knowledge that the pirates had rocket propelled grenades and AK47 assault rifles.
He would not talk about the intelligence they had on other weapons systems the pirates may have.
The task force would operate in the Gulf of Aden and off Somalia, with between four and six warships.
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Post by kb on Jun 2, 2011 12:17:45 GMT 12
I have in my possession a manuscript which I believe is unpublished and which I thought I had lost. It is an autobiographical account of one man's time in the Marine Section during WW2 and it is a darned good read. Almost 100 fully packed foolscap pages plus photos. Unfortunately I don't know the authors name because it was almost certainly only written for family and he understandingly refers to himself as "me" in photos. Because it is a copy of a copy the photos are poor but interesting.
I was talking to Larry about it at Cambridge and he had not heard of it so I started seriously looking and upgraded my search again in view of this thread.
Today I found it! I will give some information when I have had a chance to re reread it as my first read was long ago. In relation to David's article I don't think it mentions my author's favourite command, a 50 foot seine net fishing boat named "Zuyder Zee" or a 40 foot bridge deck cabin craft called "Teresa May".
I will also write to Colin Armiger to see if he can help identify the author.
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Post by kb on Jun 1, 2011 22:13:55 GMT 12
Dave, I don't have Larry's book immediately to hand but surely it has "The Strike Wings" listed.
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Post by kb on May 26, 2011 22:26:41 GMT 12
I recall that Charles said he'd decided to place his flying logbooks in the Auckland Museum, and a while after donating them he was contacted by, I think, Corgi, who wanted to make a diecast model of his Marauder but they wanted the actual serial number. He asked the museum to send back his wartime logbook for a few days so he could retrieve the most-flown aircraft, but they refused to hand it back to him. he was most put out. Now there is a new chief after the Sir Edmund Hillary fiasco he might have a bit more luck if he is so inclined.
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Post by kb on May 26, 2011 22:05:50 GMT 12
The Airfix kit is a later long wing model but I am sure a conversion is possible. It was a darn good kit in it's time. The Hasegawa are the best long wing kits but you need deep pockets.
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Post by kb on May 26, 2011 21:42:35 GMT 12
Phil Listemann's little book on the Martin Marauder Mk.I is a gem. Lots of photos and crew names allied to S/N's. 14 was the only RAF Sqdn to fly the Mk.1 and it had a lot of Australians and New Zealanders.
NZ names I have identified are Flight Sergeant Freeman, F/S Spedding FK128/B, F/O W R Gellatly FK126/P, later F/L on the Sqdn, R W Duke, P/O Eric W Barr NZ402240, FK366/S KIA 20/12/42, F/S Dudley T Ray NZ403029 KK375/D, KIA 3/01/43, F/O Bernard T Connell NZ402853 FK150 KIA , F/S Norman A McMillan NZ411426 FK377/Y KIA, F/S Richard G Miles NZ41925 FK363/G KIA 27/06/43, F/S Neville D Freeman NZ412675 FK134/P.
I am sure that Errol has all of these and will soon tell us if some are incorrect but while we are discussing the squadron the information is relevant. It is also useful for those of us who are interested in modelling aircraft flown or crewed by New Zealanders.
There are two kits available of the short wing Marauder in 1/72, an old snaptite kit by Monogram which while lacking in detail is still very nice and a modern one by Valom which in some ways isn't as good as the Monogram but much better detailed.
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Post by kb on May 26, 2011 17:27:29 GMT 12
Interesting story Dave. I was surprised that Charles found the aircraft so stable because if I remember correctly 14 Squadron flew the early short wing Marauders, theWidow Makers! The ones that flew without any visible means of support!
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Post by kb on May 25, 2011 12:36:36 GMT 12
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