Full disclosure before I begin this review. Christer Begstrom is a friend and contributor to this web page for over two decades. Our friendship began with a common interest in JG 54 and the air war over the Eastern Front. Christer’s been very generous and forthcoming with information about my particular fascination with the […]
Air Combat Diary Above the sector Rzhev – Zubtsov: 1st Soviet Rzhev – Sychevka Offensive 30 July – 30 September 1942 By Kirill Chekmarev and Michael Barrentine (8 July 2019) Introduction: I started off this project in search of one pilot from II./JG 54, Hans Beisswenger. While taking notes from different days the information accumulated […]
1550 – 1645 Hours Rain and fog on August 27th provided a welcome reprieve from flight operations to the exhausted airmen. The following day the skies cleared and both sides readied for the expected raids. Earlier in the day, Goring had dispatched two heavily escorted bomber attacks on the air bases at Eastchurch and Rochford […]
1840 – 1910 Hours On August 19th, the RAF and Luftwaffe commanders reflected on the air battles that had transpired since August 8th. They were shocked by the losses suffered from the ferocity of the fighting: Lufwaffe losses: 246 fighters and 298 bomber (Battle of Britain Combat Archive vol. 6) RAF losses: 211 fighters (The […]
THE HUND Sharp-eyed aficionados of this War Diary may have noticed the white, furry complexion of the virtual pilot, “The Hund” and surmised that the fictional character and computer-flown pilot is based on a dog. Well done if you noticed! The Hund is the virtual alter-ego of my very first dog, Julius. I’d always wanted […]
Claes Sundin’s latest profile collection is his first book exclusively focused on the fighter aircraft serving in the Pacific Theater of Operations from 1941 to 1945. There are 130 full color and highly detailed aircraft profiles in the book. The profiles are evenly split between Japanese (64) and Allied (66) aircraft. For the Allies, […]
