History-Blog
Further information and stories, excerpts from the books
The final kill of the ace of aces, Erich Hartmann, the most successful fighter pilot of all time
Dangerous encounter in the airIn March 1945 a Russian bombing attack on Prague was reported. Hartmann took off with four Me 109s. A Russian formation…
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Sturmjäger – cuirassiers of the air
Air battle over Germany: the attack on hydrogenation plants and aircraft factoriesIn the early hours of the morning of 7th July 1944 756 B-17 Flying…
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That’s how historic air battles get botched by Hollywood
Time and again the ignorance and nonchalance with which even highly renowned directors simply ignore historic details is fascinating. They do this in spite of…
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The night fighter He 219 “eagle owl” – the misjudged genius
In the year 1943 Germany was under pressure on all fronts, even on the so-called home front. Air Chief Marshal Arthur Harris, Commander-in-Chief of the…
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Comparison of the Supermarine “Spitfire” Mk. IA with the Messerschmitt Bf 109 E
The Supermarine Spitfire was a very serious rival to the German Messerschmitt Bf 109, abbreviated Me 109, and it developed during the Battle of Britain in…
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Boeing B-17 – the thorny path of the »Flying Fortresses«
On 17th August 1942 Boeing B-17 Es penetrated enemy territory for the first time. Twelve four-engined bombers of 97th Bombardment Group (or Bomb Group, BG)…
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Air raids in 1945: Why Dresden of all places?
First of all, there was a very clear attitude in the British Bomber Command of the Royal Air Force, which was also shared by the…
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Messerschmitt Me 262 – Germany’s last trump card in her air space above ruins
On the morning of 18th July 1942 the first Me 262 jet fighter to fly purely with jet propulsion took off from the runway of…
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What happened on 14th February 1945 to the south of Dresden?
Did these attacks really take place or not? There has been a controversial discussion about this topic for many years. The English/American Wikipedia page –…
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How good was the Messerschmitt Bf 109?
In many publications, even in YouTube contributions, it is emphasised time and again that as of 1943 the Messerschmitt Bf 109 was technically inferior to…
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Why did the German Luftwaffe have no strategic bomber fleets at its disposal?
When the German Reich began to equip its bomber fleets, his planners in the year 1936 made a persuasive case to Hermann Göring of an…
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The American escort fighters P-38 “Lightning”, P-47 “Thunderbolt”, P-51 “Mustang” and their range
In May of the year 1942, as the G variant of the Messerschmitt Bf 109 went into production, the basic design of the fighter aircraft…
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The deadly wooden gnat
The idea of the in-house de Havilland team was to construct a fast bomber which would be able to get by without any defensive armament.…
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A comparison of the best Italian fighter planes in the Second World War
It would not do justice to Italian aircraft designers if their design achievements were to be measured by the success of their products. After all,…
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Focke-Wulf Ta 152 and Hawker Tempest Mk.V. Perhaps the best piston-engined fighter planes in Europe during the Second World War
In the autumn of 1941 when the first Focke-Wulf 190 A-1s appeared over the Channel coast they were superior in every respect to what was,…
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Science fiction war – wonder weapons in the Second World War
Before and during the Second World War, the engineers developed a whole series of remarkable weapons technology milestones. The order of the following examples (without…
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German bombers of the second half of the Second World War
In assessing the performance of the existing German medium-range bombers still being employed in the main against the considerably more modern US models—the Martin B-26…
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The attack by German fighter bombers on the British landing fleet on D-Day, 6 June 1944
A long day, indeed! At 17.19 hours (German time) four Focke-Wulf 190s took off for the first fighter bomber attack on the allied beachhead in…
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The – almost – victory of the German Luftwaffe over the US bombers of the 8th USAAF – the “Flying Fortresses”
After May 1943 American losses began to increase. There were now some 600 B-17 Fs in Britain, while the Luftwaffe had a combined total of…
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