Death to Iran

1943 Tehran Conference

Left-to-right:

• Soviet leader Joseph Stalin
• American president Franklin D. Roosevelt
• British prime minister Winston Churchill

From a story in the DailyWire by Hank Berrien:

[Treasury Secretary Scott] Bessent, channeling WWII, compared the Trump administration’s economic strategy to the 1943 Tehran Conference where Allied leaders plotted the downfall of Nazi tyranny. But this time around, the target is Tehran.

“For 47 years, the Islamic republic of Iran has been a malignant force in the world,” Bessent declared. “Within Iran, a corrupt regime has consigned what would be one of the world’s strongest economies to ruin and its enterprising people to repression. Beyond its borders, the Iranian regime maintains a network of proxies that perpetuate its terror.”

Bessent then turned to the nations that have covertly or overtly supported the despotic Iranian regime.

“The regime’s final refuge now lies in the self-deception of fearful nations that still believe accommodating aggression can secure a durable peace,” he wrote. “Iran’s enablers purchase and transport its petroleum. They facilitate the flow of its finances through exchange houses and free trade zones. They welcome Iran’s flights and maintain registries on its behalf. They turn a blind eye to seaborne fuel transfers and the illicit use of their banks, all while concealing the extent of their complicity.. In short, these countries calculate appeasement of the regime to be the safer course. But they would do well to consider the consequences of sustaining it.”

However, the world is full of shitheads who would sell their mother for mess of pottage, so excising the Iranian mullahs is no doubt going to take longer than anyone expects.

Holman Projector

They Laughed At His "Impossible" Tube — Then It Killed Every German Bomber Over The Convoys !
Darkest Docs and war docs

I don't know how much trouble German airplanes caused Allied cargo ships, the I suspect the main threat was from the German submarines. However, it would nice to have something if you had a German airplane bearing down on you. I wonder that pilots would even be able to see something as small as a gernade, but evidently the thing did least stave off a few attacks.

SS Tjitjalengka

SS Tjitjalengka at Amoy Harbor in China - Robert G. Lloyd

Australian War Memorial

The 16,700 ton British hospital ship Tjitjalengka. Built for the Java-China-Japan-Line in 1939 and owned by a Dutch shipping company, the Tjitjalengka was requisitioned for Admiralty service on 8 July 1942 and was converted in Liverpool, England to accommodate 504 patients. After service in the North Atlantic and Indian Oceans, she was transferred to the British Pacific Fleet. After the Japanese surrender, she carried Allied Prisoners of War (POWs) repatriated from Japan to Australia. On her final voyage, she carried invalids and Naval casualties from Colombo and Durban to Liverpool, England and was then returned to her owners.

Royal Navy Research Archive has a longer history of this ship.

The artist, Robert G. Lloyd has done numerous marine paintings.

Tjitjalengka, Indonesia

Amoy Harbor, China is directly across the strait from Taiwan.

Greyhound - Apple TV Movie

GREYHOUND - Official Trailer (HD) | Apple TV+
Sony Pictures Entertainment

Great show about U-boat hunting in the Atlantic during WW2. The film is based on the 1955 novel The Good Shepherd by C. S. Forester. I've read at least a couple of his books, one was The Gun.

6 Innovations That Made the Fletcher Destroyers Revolutionary
Military History Stories

We built 175 Fletcher class destroyers during WW2. Most operated in the Pacific, only a few operated in the Atlantic.

USS Cowell (DD-547) Fletcher-class destroyer: A Closer Look/Cinematic( War Thunder Naval Xbox One)
fear_Naught Gaming

The Decemberists

When The War Came
TheDecemberists

I'm reading a story about a new Russian play about The Decemberists. Okay, but who are the Decemberists? Google knows:

A Decembrist refers to one of the liberal Russian noblemen and military officers who led an unsuccessful uprising against Emperor Nicholas I in December 1825. Inspired by Enlightenment ideals and Western European reforms, these revolutionaries sought to abolish serfdom and establish a constitutional government in Russia.

The term has expanded over time into a metaphor for someone willing to sacrifice personal comfort, privilege, or status for a greater political or social cause.

The 1825 Uprising
Following the sudden death of Tsar Alexander I, there was a confusing succession crisis. Taking advantage of the chaos, a group of about 3,000 officers and soldiers gathered in Senate Square in St. Petersburg on December 26, 1825. They refused to swear allegiance to the new Tsar, Nicholas I, and instead called for the accession of his brother Constantine and the creation of a constitution.The rebellion was quickly suppressed by forces loyal to the Tsar. In the aftermath, the leaders were executed and hundreds of other conspirators were imprisoned or exiled to the harsh climates of Siberia.

Historical Impact
Despite its failure, the revolt became a foundational myth in Russian history. The martyred Decembrists became a powerful source of inspiration for succeeding generations of Russian dissidents and revolutionaries throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Cultural References
The name has since been adopted by modern entities, most notably the indie folk band The Decemberists. Frontman Colin Meloy chose the name to draw on both the historical drama of the 1825 uprising and the general melancholy associated with the month of December.

Did The Decemberists sing any songs about Russia? Yes, they did:

Yes, The Decemberists sing the song "When the War Came" (from their 2006 album The Crane Wife), which is explicitly set in Russia. The song tells the true story of the agricultural scientists and botanists at the Vavilov Institute in Leningrad during World War II. To protect a massive, priceless seed bank from being eaten by the starving, besieged population, the scientists made a pact to guard the seeds and tragically starved to death in the process.

 The Decemberists are famous (in my mind) for The Mariner's Revenge Song.

Nakajima Ki-87

Threatening Skies - Antonis Karidis
Nakajima Ki-87 high-altitude fighter attacking a B-29 Superfortress

Japan started working on the Nakajima Ki-87 well before the B-29 appeared, but they only managed to construct one prototype before the war ended, so it never saw combat.

Previous post about the Nakajima Aircraft Company.
Previous posts about the B-29.

Image is from the cover for a plastic model kit.

P-51 Mustang

Miss Helen - North American P-51D Mustang

From Warbird Aviation:

P-51D Mustang “Miss Helen” was delivered to the US Army Air Force (USAAF) in 1945 where she saw active service in World War II with 352 Fighter Group (FG) ‘The Blue Nosed Bastards of Bodney’, and has several confirmed kills to her name. ​She was flown by Capt. Raymond Littge as ‘Miss Helen’ and by later by Lt. Russell Ross as ‘Miss Nita’. Today wearing the same paint scheme as she did in 1945 and is the last original 352nd Fighter Group P-51 known to exist. 352 FG flew nearly 60,000 combat hours in just 19 months of WWII, claiming 519 enemy aircraft destroyed in the air, 287 on the ground and produced 26 aces for losses of 118 aircraft. Her full name is ‘P-51D-20NA 44-72216’ and when she was delivered to Capt. Littge he already had a kill tally of 10.5, including an Me 262.

It’s uncertain exactly how many missions Littge flew in Miss Helen but it’s known for sure that he flew her on a mission escorting B-17 bombers to the marshalling yards in Dresden on April 17th 1945, along with another 51 Mustangs. ​They came across an airfield at Platting with about 70 parked aircraft and Littge made an astonishing seven passes, destroying three Me 109s and 2 Me262s on the ground, despite having been hit in the initial attack on enemy flak positions which nearly emptied his oil tank.

​She’s passed through several hands since the War, including those of the Royal Swedish Air Force and Israeli Air Force, starred in the Hollywood film Memphis Belle, and is now owned by Robert Tyrrell and based at the Boultbee Flight Academy at Goodwood Aerodrome.

Several earlier posts about the P-51.

Focke-Wulf Fw190D-9 Mimetall

Focke-Wulf Fw190D-9 Mimetall
Image is from IGB model

Germany built over 20,000 of these fighter aircraft during WW2. Mimetall refers to the Mimetall GmbH factory in Erfurt, Germany, which manufactured the Focke-Wulf Fw 190D-9 fighter during the final stages of World War II.

Re-2000

Re-2000 fighters Royal Hungarian Air Force

Reggiane Re.2000 Falco I was a minor player in WW2. It was designed and initially built in Italy. Italy made almost 200 of these airplanes. Hungary made 200 more under license. Performance was good in 1940 - speed of 300 MPH and altitude of 30,000 feet, but it was soon outclassed.

Hungarian Air Force Reggiane Re.2000 Heja of 1/1 'Dongo' squadron
Zoran Petek

Reggiane Re.2000 Falco (Svenska Flygvapnet J 20)
silvan500

B-26 Marauder

South African Air Force B-26 Marauders over Italy - Darryl Legg

We built over 5,000 B-26 Marauders. They had the lowest loss rate of any U.S. Army Air Forces bomber.

Google:

During World War II, the South African Air Force (SAAF) operated five squadrons of Martin B-26 Marauder medium bombers in the Mediterranean Theater. Flying predominantly from temporary steel-plate airfields in Italy, the SAAF flew crucial missions targeting Axis infrastructure and supporting Allied campaigns.

A Brief History of "Flak-Bait"
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

USAAF B-26 Marauder pilot buzzed the flight deck of Akagi to save his crew
Aviation Wings

Double Header Marauder Operations
AP Archive

Bristol Beaufighter Mk VI

Bristol Beaufighter Mk VI
Image from Tamiya scale model kit

Bristol Beaufighter TFX

The prototype flew on 17 July 1939 and the first production Beaufighters were delivered to the Royal Air Force in the following April. The type was the first high performance night fighter equipped with airborne interception radar and successfully operated against the German night raids in the winter of 1940-1941. Later the Beaufighter was introduced into Coastal Command as a strike fighter. Its original formidable gun armament was retained but rockets and torpedoes were added giving it an even greater fire power.

Not only did the Beaufighter operate with distinction in North West Europe but also a considerable reputation was earned in the Middle and Far East.

5562 Beaufighters had been produced by the time the last one was delivered in September 1945 and fifty-two operational Royal Air Force squadrons had been equipped with the type.

Bristol Beaufighter

Beaufighter crews accounted for over half of the Luftwaffe bombers shot down during the Blitz.

 

Bristol Hercules Sleeve Valve Engine

The Beaufighter was powered by a pair of Bristol Hercules 14-cylinder, air-cooled, sleeve-valve, radial piston engines, 1,600 hp each. The Hercules was followed by the Centaurus, which also used sleeve valves.

How This Underrated British Aircraft Helped Win The Pacific War
IsonzoEnjoyer

Daring Solo Beaufighter Raid - Paris 1942
Mark Felton Productions

B-29 Superfortress & Iwo Jima

Iwo Jima: A Hard Won Haven by John Shaw

Iwo Jima as a crucial emergency landing site for crippled bombers returning from missions over Japan. It is estimated that these emergency landing strips saved the lives of nearly 25,000 American airmen during the war. - Google

A B29 Bombing Mission Is Interrupted by Japanese Fighters 💣 Air Warriors | Smithsonian Channel
Smithsonian Channel Aviation Nation

Top to Bottom: Kobe, Iwo Jima, Tinian

It is 1,500 miles from Tinian in the Mariana Islands to Kobe, Japan. Iwo Jima is right at the halfway point between them.

B-29 and P-51 : Forging Air Supremacy from Iwo Jima
After Action Report

Ilyushin Il-2

Ilyushin Il-2 - Romain Hugault
Romain Hugault is a comic book artist

Wikipedia - Production

In early 1941, the Il-2 was ordered into production at four factories, and was eventually produced in greater numbers than any other military aircraft in aviation history, but by the time Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941, only State Aviation Factory No. 18 at Voronezh and Factory No. 381 at Leningrad had commenced production, with 249 having been built by the time of the German attack.

Production early in the war was slow because after the German invasion the aircraft factories near Moscow and other major cities in western Russia had to be moved east of the Ural Mountains. Ilyushin and his engineers had time to reconsider production methods, and two months after the move Il-2s were again being produced. The tempo was not to Premier Stalin's liking, however, and he issued the following telegram to Shenkman and Tretyakov:

You have let down our country and our Red Army. You have the nerve not to manufacture IL-2s until now. Our Red Army now needs IL-2 aircraft like the air it breathes, like the bread it eats. Shenkman produces one IL-2 a day, and Tretyakov builds one or two MiG-3s daily. It is a mockery of our country and the Red Army. I ask you not to try the government's patience, and demand that you manufacture more ILs. This is my final warning. — Stalin

As a result, "the production of Shturmoviks rapidly gained speed. Stalin's notion of the Il-2 being 'like bread' to the Red Army took hold in Ilyushin's aircraft plants, and the army soon had their Shturmoviks available in quantity."

Il-2 Destroys Bridge - The PIlot
Johnny's War Stories

I think the above video is from the movie The Pilot. A Battle for Survival. It was made in  Russia in 1980, so before the collapse of the Soviet Union, so it's basically a Soviet movie. Sounds like a good story though.

Ilyushin IL-2 Sturmovik | The Flying Tank | Armored Plane of soviet russia in WW2 #sturmovik #il2
Info Cafe

I suspect the audio on this video is artificial, but the script is pretty good: coherent and plausible. Maybe a little excessive boasting about killing German tanks at Kursk, I dunno. I know that Kursk was a big battle, but I never heard much about aircraft there.

Previous Il-2 post.

Supermarine Spitfire

Supermarine Spitfire Grey Nurse

Grey Nurse was a member of No. 457 Squadron RAAF that was transferred to Australia in 1942. It's now in the Temora Air Museum in Australia:

This aircraft was the last Spitfire acquired by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) with the original Military serial number A58-758. It was built by Supermarine in England in 1944, test flown and then shipped to Australia. The Air Force took delivery of the aircraft in April 1945, and, with World War II drawing to a close, the aircraft was not required on active service and was instead placed into storage.

A few years ago the airplane was modified to add a second seat for a passenger and now is giving rides.

Royal Air Force:

The iconic Supermarine Spitfire was critical in defeating Luftwaffe air attacks during the Battle of Britain in 1940. More Spitfires were built than any other British combat aircraft before or since World War Two - 20,341 in total. There are five Spitfires on the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.

SPITFIRE Mk. IXb - Flown as it should be! | Flying Legends
PaddyPatrone

SPITFIRE (2018) | Official Trailer | Altitude Films
Altitude Films Links:

Wikipedia page
Duck Me 2
Catapult to Oblivion

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress

Chariots of Fire - Loren Blackburn

We built over 12,000 B-17s, but only 5,000 went to Europe. Thousands were used for training stateside. A few hundred were sent to the Pacific theater. Who knows how many ended up on the scrap pile.

B-17 gunners and fighter gun cam video
OkraJoe

The TERRIFYING Side of B-17 Flying Fortress Crews
Unbelievable true stories

Masters of the Air Clip - “Battle of Münster” (2024)
Action Society
The National Archives and Records Administration has the image at top.
The B-17 has been mentioned here before, once or twice.

Short Sunderland Mark V

Short Sunderland Mark V

Extract from Wikipedia:

The Short S.25 Sunderland is a British flying boat patrol bomber. The aircraft took its service name from the port of Sunderland in North East England.

The Sunderland was fitted with various offensive and defensive armaments, including machine gun turrets, bombs, aerial mines, and depth charges. The Sunderland was powered by four Bristol Pegasus XVIII radial engines and was fitted with various detection equipment to aid combat operations, including the Leigh searchlight, the ASV Mark II and ASV Mark III radar units, and an astrodome.

During WW2, the type was heavily involved in Allied efforts to counter the threat posed by German U-boats in the Battle of the Atlantic. On 17 July 1940, an RAAF Sunderland performed the type's first unassisted U-boat kill.

During the post-war era, use of the Sunderland throughout Europe rapidly declined, while greater numbers remained in service in the Far East, where large developed runways were less prevalent. Several squadrons of RAF Sunderlands saw combat action during the Korean War. Around a dozen aircraft also participated in the Berlin airlift.

Several examples have been preserved, including a single airworthy Sunderland which has been placed on display in Florida at Fantasy of Flight.

Cutaway drawing of Short Sunderland Mk. II
Captions might be in Russian

The WWII Flying Porcupine With 16 Guns
IsonzoEnjoyer

The Leigh Light, an unusual device used by British aircraft to combat German submarines U-boat WW2
JOHN WAKE

The image at top is artwork for a Special Hobby plastic model kit.

Fairey Swordfish

Avenging the Hood - Ron Cole

Wikipedia:

The Fairey Swordfish is a retired biplane torpedo bomber, designed by the Fairey Aviation Company. Originating in the early 1930s, the Swordfish, nicknamed "Stringbag", was principally operated by the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy. It was also used by the Royal Air Force (RAF), as well as several overseas operators, including the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and the Royal Netherlands Navy. It was initially operated primarily as a fleet attack aircraft. During its later years, the Swordfish was increasingly used for anti-submarine and training duties. The type was in frontline service throughout the Second World War.

Despite being obsolescent, the Swordfish achieved some spectacular successes during the war, including sinking one battleship and damaging two others belonging to the Regia Marina (the Italian navy) during the Battle of Taranto, and the famous attack on the German battleship Bismarck, which contributed to her eventually being sunk. Swordfish sank a greater tonnage of Axis shipping than any other Allied aircraft during the war. The Swordfish remained in front-line service until V-E Day, having outlasted some of the aircraft intended to replace it.

Fairey Swordfish LS326/L2 Start Up & Take Off
LeicesterPilot

Swordfish Attack Bismarck
Spiral Film Clips

Fairey Swordfish flight deck operations
Armoured Archivist
I posted this image before.
Swordfish Takeoff Duxford - short video
Swordfish | Battle of Britain Airshow - short video

Japanese Zero

Mitsubishi A6M Zero

Paraphrased from Wikipedia:

The Mitsubishi Zero is a long-range carrier-capable fighter aircraft. It was operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy from 1940 to 1945. The Zero got its name from 0 being the last digit of the imperial year 2600 (1940) when it entered service with the Navy.

In early combat operations, the Zero achieved an outstanding kill ratio of 12 to 1, but by mid-1942 a combination of new tactics and the introduction of better equipment enabled Allied pilots to engage the Zero on generally equal terms. By mid 1943 the deterioration of fighter pilot training in the IJNAS contributed to making the Zero less effective against newer Allied fighters.

By 1944, the A6M had fallen behind Allied fighters in speed and was regarded as outdated but still capable if operated by trained pilots. The Zero continued to serve in a front-line role until the end of the war in the Pacific. During the final phases, it was adapted for use in kamikaze operations. Japan produced nearly eleven thousand Zeros during the war.

Mitsubishi A6M5 Zero Model 52 Cockpit

The wreck of a Zero on the Japanese Airbase on Taroa, Maloelap Atoll

Pearl Harbor flight featuring the PoF Mitsubishi A6M5 Zero
Voodoo1650

Mitsubishi A6M Zero - Basic Facts
Johnny Johnson
Previous Zero post.

Vought F4U-4 Corsair

F4U-4 Corsair
Picture from RC Model

Wikipedia:

The Vought F4U Corsair is an American fighter aircraft that saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. Designed and initially manufactured by Chance Vought, the Corsair was soon in great demand; additional production contracts were given to Goodyear, whose Corsairs were designated FG, and Brewster, designated F3A.

The Corsair was designed and principally operated as a carrier-based aircraft, and entered service in large numbers with the U.S. Navy and Marines in World War II. It quickly became one of the most capable carrier-based fighter-bombers of the war. Some Japanese pilots regarded it as the most formidable American fighter, and U.S. naval aviators' claims suggested an 11:1 kill ratio. Early problems with carrier landings and logistics led to it being eclipsed as the dominant carrier-based fighter by the Grumman F6F Hellcat, powered by the same Double Wasp engine first flown on the Corsair's initial prototype in 1940. The Corsair's early deployment was to land-based squadrons of the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy.

The Corsair served almost exclusively as a fighter-bomber throughout the Korean War and during the French colonial wars in Indochina and Algeria. In addition to its use by the U.S. and British, the Corsair was also used by the Royal New Zealand Air Force, French Naval Aviation, and other air forces until the 1960s.

From the prototype delivery to the U.S. Navy in 1940, to final delivery in 1953 to the French, 12,571 F4U Corsairs were manufactured in 16 separate models. Its 1942–1953 production run was the longest of any U.S. piston-engined fighter.

Cutaway Display of a Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp Aircraft Engine

Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp 46L 18-cylinder engine

Vought F4U Corsair - In The Movies
Johnny Johnson

DEVOTION Clip - "North Korean + Chinese Border" (2023) War
JoBlo Movie Clips

Heinkel He111 H-6

Heinkel He111 H-6

Wikipedia:

The Heinkel He 111 is a German airliner and medium bomber designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter at Heinkel Flugzeugwerke in 1934. Through development, it was described as a wolf in sheep's clothing. Due to restrictions placed on Germany after the First World War prohibiting bombers, it was presented solely as a civil airliner, although from conception the design was intended to provide the nascent Luftwaffe with a heavy bomber.

 

Heinkel He 111 - In The Movies
Johnny Johnson

He 111 Heinkel Bomber Tour and Flight Demo
EFP Network