Author: trameditor

If you thought the seven-hour New York to London flight was bad, buckle up because two men decided to break the record for the world’s longest flight. Between December 4, 1958 and February 7, 1959 – 64 days, 22 hours, 19 minutes and five seconds – Robert Timm and John Cook flew a Cessna 172 continuously, without stopping, as a publicity stunt – and an impressive one, at that.

This crazy story involves a World War II bomber pilot-turned-slot machine repairman, a Las Vegas hotel and casino, a fake cancer research fundraiser, a Cessna and a gas truck – all the makings of a tale that’s almost hard to believe!

World War II bomber pilot-turned-slot machine repairman

Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo Credit: Carol M. Highsmith / Buyenlarge / Getty Images)

Robert Timm served as a bomber pilot during the Second World War. Following the conflict, he hoped to continue flying as an airline pilot. However, this wasn’t meant to be and he found himself working as a slot machine repairman at the Hacienda, a casino and hotel in Las Vegas.

There, Timm came up with a publicity stunt he could perform for the establishment. The Hacienda’s management loved the idea and gave him $100,000 (just over $1 million today) to get everything he needed to complete the storied flight, including a suitable aircraft. To disguise the stunt, he was told to claim it was part of a cancer research fundraiser.

Recruiting a Cessna 172 for the publicity stunt

Cessna 172 on display at Harry Reid International Airport, in Las Vegas. (Photo Credit: Daniel Piotrowski / Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0)

The aircraft Timm chose for the publicity stunt was a Cessna 172, which would serve as a flying billboard. At the time, it was relatively new. However, it would prove itself a safe and reliable aircraft, certainly proven by Timm over the upcoming 64-day period. A mattress, sink, autopilot system and large belly fuel tank were added to make the Cessna a little more comfortable.

Anything that was deemed unnecessary for flying was removed, helping reduce the aircraft’s weight. The final touch was the logo of the Hacienda Hotel, which was painted in bold black lettering on the side

The biggest logistical and technological issue was keeping the Cessna in the air. Sure, the aircraft could stay up as long as Timm wanted, but that hinged on whether it could be refueled. It also had to maintain a minimum speed of 55 MPH. The opportunity they were looking for presented it in the form of a truck, which could easily drive at the necessary speed – a little sketchy, but, still, an opportunity.

Staying in the air for 64 days

Robert Timm’s Cessna 172 being refueled, 1959. (Photo Credit: San Diego Air and Space Museum Archive / Wikimedia Commons / No Known Restrictions)

Timm set out to break this record and gain publicity for the Hacienda. However, the first three attempts failed when the aircraft had mechanical issues. On December 4, 1958, he took to the skies with aircraft mechanic John Wayne Cook as his co-pilot. This became the record-breaking flight.

Taking off from McCarran Airport (now Harry Reid International Airport), the two flew with no immediate plans to stop. The Cessna 172, flying 20 feet above the ground, was fueled as planned by a truck keeping pace with the aircraft. At the same time, food from the Hacienda’s kitchens was passed up, and, every other day, clean water was provided for the two to clean themselves. Any waste was put into plastic bags and thrown from the Cessna down into the Mojave desert.

During the flight, the pair experienced numerous issues with the autopilot, fuel pump, fuel gauge, cabin heater and landing lights. Despite this, the flight was a success. When they landed on February 7, 1959, having traveled 150,000 miles for 64 days, 22 hours, 19 minutes and five seconds, they’d completed the world’s longest continual, refueled flight.

The publicity stunt backfires

Famed Hacienda neon sign. (Photo Credit: Carol M. Highsmith / Buyenlarge / Getty Images)

Despite the flight’s success, the promotion for the Hacienda didn’t turn out as planned. Newspapers, smelling a publicity stunt, only began reporting on the flight after they’d been flying for 30 days. Even when they did, they declined to mention the name of the hotel.

While the stunt didn’t turn out as planned, a new record was made that no one has been able – nor wanted – to break.

The Northrop YB-49 was an American prototype jet-powered strategic bomber. The Northrop Corporation developed it following the Second World War for service with the US Air Force. The YB-49’s overall design was that of a large flying wing. While it never entered production, nor service, it was a stepping stone for the Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit, which entered service in the 1990s.

Northrop XB-35/YB-35

Northrop YB-35, 1947. (Photo Credit: U.S. Air Force / National Museum of the United States Air Force / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain)

Jack Northrop began work on what would become the innovative flying wing design in the 1930s. In December 1941, his company, along with Consolidated Vultee, were contracted to produce a bomber that could carry up to 10,000 pounds of ordnance on a round trip of 10,000 miles. The maximum speed was to be 450 MPH, with a cruise speed of 275 MPH.

The intention behind the bomber’s development was to launch an attack on German-occupied Europe if Britain fell, meaning it needed the ability to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. By 1944, however, the XB-35 program was behind schedule, and it was clear the era of piston-engine bomber aircraft would soon be over.

Given this, the US Army Air Forces (USAAF) canceled the contract for propeller-driven flying wing in May 1944. Still intrigued by the concept, however, the service ordered the development of a jet-powered flying wing in June 1945. The XB-35 made its first flight the following year, with its later variant, the YB-35, only seeing two prototypes developed before the concept was scrapped.

Northrop YB-49

Northrop YB-49 during refueling. (Photo Credit: U.S. Air Force / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain)

The overall design of the Northrop YB-49 was that it was a jet-powered flying wing, with everything from the engines and fuel tanks to the aircrew compartments being housed within.

The YB-49 was triangular in shape, with a length of just over 53 feet and a wingspan of 172 feet. It weighed 213,500 pounds, and was operated by a crew of six: a pilot, a copilot, a flight engineer, a radio operator, a bombardier and a gunner. The heavy bomber also had provisions for a relief crew and another two gunners planned for production models.

The greatest difference between the earlier YB-35 and YB-49 was the replacement of the former’s four Pratt & Whitney R-4360 radial engines with eight Allison J-35-A-5 axial flow turbojet engines. Each produced 4,000 pounds of thrust and allowed for an approximate cruising speed of 420 MPH and a top speed of 495 MPH. The YB-49 could operate at 42,000 feet, with a range of 4,000 miles.

The YB-49 could carry up to 16,000 pounds of ordnance. If the bomber went into production, it would also be armed with four 12.7 mm machine guns, located in a rotating “stinger” tail cone. Other modifications made to the YB-49 included the addition of four vertical stabilizers and four air dams, minimizing airflow down the wing and reducing lift.

Putting the Northrop YB-49 to the test

Northrop YB-49. (Photo Credit: Edwards Air Force Base, California / U.S. Air Force / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain)

Northrop’s new bombers were designated YB-49s, with the first taking to the skies in October 1947. Initial flight tests proved successful; for instance, the YB-49 set the unofficial record for endurance when it flew at 40,000 feet continuously for six and a half hours. That being said, issues were found, such as the aircraft’s instability during bombing runs. It was found to “hunt” in yaw, ultimately lessening its accuracy.

Pilots who flew the YB-49, such as Brig. Gen. Robert Cardenas, praised the aircraft’s performance, although he did note it required a very long bomb run and would rotate backwards in stall. Fly-by-wire systems developed in the 1950s solved this problem and led to computerized systems being designed from the 1970s-onwards.

Issues with the Northrop YB-49

Scrapped flying wing fuselages. (Photo Credit: Edwards Air Force Base, California / U.S. Air Force / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain)

One of the first issues with the Northrop YB-49 became evident in February 1949. During a flight from Muroc Air Force Base, California to Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland and back, four of the eight engines failed and had to be shut down. The cause was later determined to be oil starvation. A YB-49 also crashed on June 5, 1948, resulting in the deaths of all five crewmen onboard. The incident was caused when the wing sections became detached from the central fuselage, making any recovery impossible.

In 1949, the YB-35 program was canceled, and while the YB-49 continued to be developed, it wasn’t destined for service. During a high-speed taxi run on March 15, 1950, one of the bombers suffered a collapse of its nosewheel, resulting in a total loss due to fire. The program was canceled following the destruction of yet another YB-49 that same month.

Lending itself to the Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit

Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit. (Photo Credit: Staff Sgt. Bennie J. Davis III / US Air Force / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain)

The idea of the flying wing remained dormant for years, until Northrop Grumman began the development of the B-2 Spirit. It was found the YB-49 had a small radar cross-section, which ultimately made the design promising and ahead of its time.

Jack Northrop died in 1981. Shortly before his death, he was able to see the early development of his flying wing design, in the form of the B-2. The stealth bomber first flew in 1989, and entered service with the US Air Force in January 1997. A total of 21 have been produced, and they are a continued testament to the original design of the YB-49.

The legacy of the YB-49 continues, as Northrop Grumman has begun work on yet another new stealth bomber, the B-21 Raider.

The Convair XFY Pogo was an American experimental vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) tail-sitter aircraft. Following World War II, the Americans began developing VTOL combat aircraft, in the hopes of arming US Navy vessels with aircraft that could easily take off and land, protecting fleets without the necessity of an aircraft carrier.

Developed and tested in the mid-1950s, the XFY never entered service. It did, however, show the VTOL concept was possible.

Development of the Convair XFY Pogo

Convair XFY-1 Pogo, 1955. (Photo Credit: Bettmann / Getty Images)

Following the Second World War, the US Army and Navy began to look into VTOL aircraft. The US military hoped to develop an aircraft that could protect ships without necessitating the accompaniment of an aircraft carrier. Aboard various vessels would be tall conical hangers in which the fighters would be stored.

The perceived need for such an aircraft came about due to the limitations of helicopters, which were already stationed aboard the various ships. It was believed such an invention, with the ability to takeoff and land on any type of ship, could act as a first line of defense before other aircraft arrived to help.

In May 1951, the US Navy ordered two prototypes from Convair. They developed only one, the XFY-1 Pogo, also known as the “Model 5.” Three XFY prototypes wound up being produced overall under the contract. The first was built to conduct engine and static testing, while the second was the only prototype designated for flight.

A rather unique design

Convair XFY Pogo on its launching cart, 1954. (Photo Credit: US Navy / Naval Aviation News / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain)

The XFY Pogo was a single-seat fighter with a unique design. Unlike later aircraft – most famously the Harrier jump jet – it didn’t have an evolved propulsion system. Contrary to later types, it was a tail-sitter, which meant it sat like a NASA space shuttle with its tail to the ground and nose pointed upwards.

The overall design of the XFY looked something like a Mallard duck. An enlarged nosecone with six propellers sat at the end of a seemingly scrunched-up fuselage. Two large delta wings protruded out of each side, with wing roots taking up the whole length of the aircraft, from just behind the nosecone to the tail. Two vertical stabilizers were located at the tail, one at the top of the fuselage and the other on the bottom.

Toward the outer edge of each wing was a small catering wheel at the end of a strut, which was a few feet long. This was what the XFY rested on. Upon landing, it would compress in a similar way to a pogo stick, giving the aircraft its “Pogo” nickname.

Overall, the XFY wasn’t a large aircraft and was no larger than the fighter aircraft used by the US Navy during WWII. It was just over 32 feet long, with a wingspan of 27 feet, eight inches. Its large delta wings ultimately took up an area of 355 square feet. It was powered by a single Allison YT40-A-6 turboprop engine, with a six-bladed Curtis Electric constant-speed contra-rotating propeller. This allowed the XFY-1 to reach a maximum speed of 610 MPH, with a range of 500 miles.

The aircraft’s armament would have included four 20 mm cannons and forty-eight 2.75 inch Mk 4 Folding-Fin Aerial Rockets (FFARs). Ultimately, these weren’t tested on the XFY.

Testing the Convair XFY Pogo

Convair XFY-1 Pogo, 1954. (Photo Credit: US Navy / National Museum of Naval Aviation / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain)

In February 1954, testing was completed on the engine in San Diego. With no issues, it was then put into the fuselage for further tests to be done at Naval Air Station Moffett Field, California. These were all completed inside a hangar developed for the USS Macon (ZRS-5) dirigible in the 1930s.

Lt. Col. James “Skeets” Coleman, a US Marine Reservist and test pilot for Convair, completed the XFY Pogo’s first tethered flight on April 19, 1954. Safety lines were an integral part of this, since they ensured that, under flight test engineer Bob McGreary, the aircraft remained vertical. Multiple times over the more than 60 hours Coleman flew the aircraft, he had to call out to McGreary, “Catch me, catch me.”

In August 1954, these flights were moved outdoors. On August 1, Coleman flew his first outdoor flight, which saw him hover 20 feet above the ground, followed by a second attempt to 150 feet. Tests then moved to transitioning to horizontal flight from a vertical position. In November 1954, Coleman flew horizontally for 21 minutes.

The XFY did have some significant issues. For instance, there were no brakes and the wheels the aircraft rested on moved freely. It was important to takeoff and land in no or very light wind conditions. The US Navy could ultimately tolerate this on a prototype, but such a flaw couldn’t have been part of a production, frontline fighter. Another problem was the inclusion of the ejection seat. It was unreliable and disarmed, and the test pilot’s only option was to jump out in an emergency.

On May 19, 1955, John Knebel became the second test pilot to take control of the XFY – and the tethered flight almost ended in disaster. The following year, another two pilots began working with the aircraft and it became clear the XFY required an overhaul. This never happened, as the Navy turned its gaze toward jet fighters, and the program was officially shuttered in 1956.

On November 29, 1943, tail gunner Eugene Paul Moran survived what could have been a horrific crash aboard a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. While on a bombing run over Germany, his aircraft was shot at and broke in two. Normally, there’d be no survivors to speak of, certainly not the tail gunner. However, Moran survived the incident, against all odds. This is the truly unbelievable true story of how your average tail gunner survived being shot down by the enemy.

Eugene Moran enters the fight

Boeing B-17F Flying Fortresses radar bombing over Bremen, Germany, 1943. (Photo Credit: US Air Force / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain)

Eugene Moran was born on July 17, 1924 in Wisconsin, and was working on his family’s farm near Soldiers Grove at the outbreak of World War II. He enlisted in the US Army Air Forces (USAAF) following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, which acted as the impetus to serve his country, instead of shoveling horse manure.

Like so many others, Moran had just turned 18 upon his enlistment in October 1942. Following training, he was assigned to the 96th Bombardment Group, 339th Bombardment Squadron, Eighth Air Force.

Now in the fight, Moran became a tail gunner aboard a B-17 Flying Fortress, nicknamed “Rikki Tikki Tavi” after the mongoose in the Rudyard Kipling novel, The Jungle Book. He, along with nine other crewmen, were stationed at RAF Snetterton Heath, flying daytime bombing runs over Germany.

Moran and the rest of Rikki Tikki Tavi‘s crew had only completed four missions when disaster struck.

Disaster strikes the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Rikki Tikki Tavi

Boeing B-17G Flying Fortresses bombing Germany, 1944. (Photo Credit: US Air Force / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain)

On November 29, 1943, Rikki Tikki Tavi was joined by other B-17s of the Eighth Air Force, en route to Bremen, Germany. After successfully dropping their payload over the city, Rikki Tikki Tavi fell behind the other bombers and became the singular target for the German defenses.

The B-17 was hit from the air and ground. Eight crewmen were killed, leaving Eugene Moran and the bomber’s navigator as the only ones still alive. The latter, located in the forward section of the aircraft, successfully bailed out. Moran, on the other hand, was stuck in the tail.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, things were about to get even worse. Before he could do anything, German flak successfully hit Rikki Tikki Tavi, ripping it apart. The tail section, from just in front of the vertical and horizontal stabilizers, remained intact. Moran, in a desperate attempt to survive,  tried to open a hatch to bail out; however, it wouldn’t open.

Luckily, the tail section hadn’t been forced downward as violently as the rest of the B-17. Staying relatively upright, Rikki Tikki Tavi’s tail acted as a glider.

Eugene Moran fought until the very end

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress The Thomper under attack, 1944. (Photo Credit: US Army Air Forces / US Air Force / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain)

For most people, survival would have been their first priority. With that out of his hands, Eugene Moran continued to fight until he reached the ground. He fired his two M2 Browning machine guns at the Luftwaffe-flown Messerschmitt Bf-109s that continued to attack him. Seeing a seemingly unknown aircraft above, the German flack batteries also continued firing at Moran.

A few moments later, the tail section of Rikki Tikki Tavi glided down to earth, stopping abruptly when it flew into a tree. Moran was alive, but badly injured. He was bloodied and had a cracked skull from when his head was thrown against his machine guns upon impact. He’d also sustained broken ribs and forearms. Moran was attended to by two Serbian prisoners of war (POW), who were doctors. They’d seen the crash and rushed to help.

Luckily, the American tail gunner went on to make a full recovery. That being said, he wasn’t out of the woods. Over the course of 17-18 months, Moran was moved to different POW camps in Germany, Russia and Poland, and also survived a 600-mile march between February and April 1945.

On April 26, 1945, Moran, weighing only 128 pounds, was liberated by his fellow Americans in Bitterfeld, Germany. Upon his return to the United States, he was awarded two Purple Hearts, the Air Medal with Gold Leaf Cluster, the Good Conduct Medal and the European Theater Award.

We live in a world where CGI is commonplace in movies. It’s actually become a selling point to say that flight sequences, such as those in the 2022 film, Top Gun: Maverick, were all real. Before CGI, scenes that featured aircraft were almost entirely real. The Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress crash in 1949’s Twelve O’Clock High, for example, is among those that thrilled audiences in this way.

Twelve O’Clock High (1949)

Twelve O’Clock High, 1949. (Photo Credit: 20th Century-Fox / Getty Images)

Twelve O’Clock High is a 1949 Academy Award-nominated war film directed by Henry King, starring Gregory Peck. Set during World War II, it tells the gripping story of the fictional 918th Bombardment Group of the US Army Air Forces (USAAF).  The movie explores the psychological and physical toll of aerial warfare on the bomber crews and their leaders.

The narrative centers around Gen. Frank Savage, who’s given command of the struggling 918th Bomb Group, stationed in the United Kingdom. The group has been suffering heavy losses, and morale is low. Savage, a no-nonsense and disciplined officer, realizes the need for a drastic change in order to turn the unit around and make it an effective fighting force.

He faces the challenging task of instilling discipline, motivation and a sense of purpose among the bomber crews. He introduces strict training regimens, enforces military discipline and demands excellence from his men. While Savage’s methods are initially met with resistance and resentment, he gradually gains the respect and loyalty of the group as they witness the positive impact of his leadership.

Throughout Twelve O’Clock High, the toll of combat and the emotional strain on the crews are vividly depicted. The film delves into the personal struggles and sacrifices made by the men, portraying the fear and trauma they experience during their perilous missions.

Twelve O’Clock High is not just a war film – it explores themes of leadership, duty, sacrifice and the human cost of conflict. Peck delivers a powerful performance as Savage, portraying the complexities of a leader torn between his duty and the well-being of his men.

Crash-landing on the set of Twelve O’Clock High (1949)

Crashed Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress with the 379th Bombardment Group. (Photo Credit: US Army Air Forces / National Archives / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain)

In the opening of Twelve O’Clock High, a B-17G Flying Fortress crash-lands, representing the losses the 918th Bomb Group had been suffering. The footage shown in the film wasn’t a model being controlled by wires, nor was it archival footage from WWII. The B-17G was real, and it was purposely crashed during production. The only change made to the bomber before the stunt was the removal of its bottom turret, which was done to reduce the risk of structural damage.

Stunt pilot Paul Mantz was paid $4,500 (worth over $53,000 today) to fly and crash-land the aircraft on-film. This was, up until the 1970s, the largest sum paid to a stuntman to perform a single stunt.

The stunt and subsequent scene turned out perfectly. The B-17G came in low over the ground. When touching down, it skidded across the grass and through a couple of tents, before slowly coming to a stop. Mantz walked away without a scratch.

As the fighting continues to wage on in Ukraine as part of the Russo-Ukrainian War, several World War II-era relics have been unearthed. Not only were the skulls of German soldiers discovered following the Kakhovka Dam collapse in June 2023, eight Hawker Hurricanes have been found buried in Ukraine – in a dense forest, at that!

Plates from the Hawker Hurricanes unearthed near Kyiv, Ukraine, 2023. (Photo Credit: ERGEI SUPINSKY / AFP / Getty Images)

The discovery of the Hawker Hurricanes in Ukraine comes following reports of unexploded Second World War-era bombs in a forest near Kyiv. While examining the area, metal detectorists came across the rusty remains of the eight fighters, buried under the forest floor.

During the conflict, the United Kingdom sent over 3,000 of the aircraft to the Soviet Union, which then included Ukraine, as part of America’s Lend-Lease Act. The aim was to aid the USSR in its defense against the ongoing German invasion.

The Act stipulated that any donated aircraft that remained intact following the war must be paid for. Not wanting to be charged, several nations – including the Soviet Union – dismantled and hide their loaned fighters and bombers, to make it appear as though they’d gone missing or were destroyed in combat.Hawker Hurricane, 1942. (Photo Credit: Charles E. Brown / Royal Air Force Museum / Getty Images)

The Hawker Hurricane was a single-seat monoplane fighter that entered service with the British Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1937. While the aircraft saw action throughout WWII, including during the Battle of France and Operation Dynamo, it’s best known for taking out the most Luftwaffe aircraft during the Battle of Britain – a whopping 60 percent!

Outside of the Battle of Britain, the Hawker Hurricane also targeted enemy aircraft as a night fighter, alongside American Douglas A-20 Havocs. Upon being sent to the USSR, it played an important role in air defense, as well as convoy protection.

Today, only 14 have been restored to flying condition.Remains of a Hawker Hurricane’s fuselage, unearthed near Kyiv, Ukraine, 2023. (Photo Credit: Andriy Zhyhaylo / Obozrevatel / Global Images Ukraine / Getty Images)

It’s theorized the eight Hawker Hurricanes discovered in Ukraine were purposely broken down and buried in the Soviet Union’s attempt to not have to pay for them. They were allegedly stripped of their radios, instruments and machine guns, before tractors dragged them from a nearby airfield to a shallow ravine, where they were dropped. Bulldozers then covered them in dirt.

While their history was known for decades, it wasn’t until recently that their location was identified.

“This plane is a very rare find in Ukraine,” Oleks Shtan, a former civilian airline pilot involved in the excavation, said in a press release by Kyiv’s Oleg Antonov State Aviation Museum. “This is very important for the history of our and world aviation, because no Lend-Lease planes have been found here before.”Oleks Shtan, who is leading the excavation, with part of a Hawker Hurricane unearthed near Kyiv, Ukraine, 2023. (Photo Credit: SERGEI SUPINSKY / AFP / Getty Images)

The Oleg Antonov State Aviation Museum is currently excavating the forest site by hand, with the aim being to clean up the Hawker Hurricanes and put them on display.

The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a versatile and highly capable fighter used by the United States and other Allied countries in both the European and Pacific Theaters of the Second World War. Earning itself the nickname, “Fork-Tailed Devil,” the aircraft was easily recognizable, making it easier for divers Marcel Camilleri and Alain Costanza to identify the wreck of a P-38G off the coast of France on November 12, 1996.

The above image, captured on August 12, 2018, shows the P-38G wreck in question, with the aircraft downed during World War II and rediscovered off of France’s southern coast years later. It was found just shy of 40 meters deep, off the coast of the town of La Ciotat.

When shot down on January 27, 1944, the P-38G was piloted by Second Lt. Harry R. Greenup of the 49th Fighting Squadron, 14th Fighter Group, Fifteenth Air Force. Also part of his formation was 21-year-old wingman Second Lt. James G. Riley. The pair were listed as operating out of both “Triolo” and “Foggia” in Southern Italy, meaning they were likely stationed at Triolo Airfield, part of the Foggia Airfield Complex.

That January day, they, along with several other P-38s, were tasked with accompanying over 60 Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses on a mission over the German-occupied Salon-de-Provence Air Base. Unfortunately, they were met with enemy pushback when they reached La Ciotat. Riley was shot down by an unidentified German fighter and didn’t survive. Greenup, on the other hand, was hit with flak and able to land on the bay. His P-38G sunk only three nautical miles from where Riley’s settled.

Greenup was found swimming in the water by a German patrol boat. He was taken as a prisoner of war (POW) and held until the spring of 1945, when he returned to the US. He was awarded a Prisoner of War Medal for his time in captivity, as well as the Air Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster from earlier in the conflict.

The pilot may have survived the waves once, but they came for him in the end. Eleven years later, while driving in Colorado, he crashed his car into a major river and was killed.

The Fairey Swordfish was a biplane torpedo bomber, nicknamed “Stringbag,” that primarily served with the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the British Royal Navy during the Second World War. While outdated by 1939, the Swordfish went on to have an impressive wartime record, including sinking a larger tonnage of Axis shipping than any other Allied aircraft and famously playing a role in the sinking of the German battleship Bismarck.

Development of the Fairey Swordfish

Fairey Swordfish Mk I with 785 Naval Air Squadron, Fleet Air Arm, 1939-45. (Photo Credit: Lt. S.J. Beadell, Royal Navy Official Photographer / Imperial War Museums / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain)

In 1933, Fairey began developing a new aircraft for aerial reconnaissance and use as a torpedo bomber. The company designated it the Torpedo-Spotter-Reconnaissance I (T.S.R. I), and decided the overall design would be that of a biplane.

The development of the T.S.R. I was initially internally financed. That being said, Fairey’s design paralleled the requirements the British Air Ministry had for such an aircraft. For instance, in 1934, the government created advanced specifications for torpedo bombers, which were applied to the T.S.R. I’s design.

On March 21, 1933, the T.S.R. I prototype flew for the first time. Over the next two years, the aircraft and following prototypes were evaluated with flight tests, water-handling trials with a twin-float undercarriage, and catapult and recovery tests aboard the HMS Repulse (1916).

With these tests complete, the first 68 orders were made in early 1936. Blackburn Aircraft also manufactured the aircraft, to keep up production. The biplane was manufactured until August 1944,; during the run, Fairey built 692 of the aircraft, while Blackburn produced another 1,699.

Fairey Swordfish specs

Fairey Swordfish with 816 Naval Air Squadron, Fleet Air Arm, aboard the HMS Tracker (D24), 1939-45. (Photo Credit: Lt. D.C. Oulds, Royal Navy Official Photographer / Imperial War Museums / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain)

The Fairey Swordfish was a medium-sized biplane constructed from a metal airframe covered with fabric. The design included folding wings, which saved space when storing them aboard ships, and the biplane was operated by a three-man crew: a pilot, an observer and a radio operator/rear gunner. That being said, it was frequently operated by two crewmen, with the observer being replaced with an auxiliary fuel tank.

A single Bristol Pegasus IIIM.3 nine-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine powered the Swordfish. It used a three-bladed metal fixed-pitch propeller, producing 690 horsepower. The Swordfish had a maximum speed of 143 MPH at 5,000 feet while carrying a torpedo, with a range of 522 miles and an endurance of five hours and 30 minutes.

The aircraft carried various weapons, including one fixed, forward-firing .303-inch Vickers machine gun on the upper-right fuselage and one rear-firing Lewis or Vickers K machine gun in the rear cockpit. The Swordfish could also carry a single 1,670-pound torpedo or a 1,500-pound mine under the fuselage, along with up to 1,500 pounds of ordnance under the fuselage and wings or up to eight 60-pound RP-3 rocket projectiles.

Norwegian Campaign

Fairey Swordfish with 816 Naval Air Squadron, Fleet Air Arm, aboard the HMS Tracker (D24), 1939-45. (Photo Credit: Lt. D.C. Oulds, Royal Navy Official Photographer / Imperial War Museums / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain)

The Fairey Swordfish entered service with the Fleet Air Arm in July 1936. Initially part of the Royal Air Force (RAF), the FAA was later transferred to the Royal Navy. When the Second World War began, 26 squadrons began operating the Swordfish.

On April 11, 1940, the Swordfish got its first taste of combat during the Norwegian Campaign. Taking off from the HMS Furious (47), they were tasked with attacking German ships anchored at Trondheim. Upon arrival, they found two enemy destroyers, one of which became the victim of a British torpedo torpedo. This wasn’t just the first attack by a Swordfish, it was also the first by torpedo-carrying aircraft during the war.

On April 13, Swordfish from the HMS Warspite (03) took part in the Second Battle of Narvik. During this, the British suffered no losses, while eight German destroyers were either sunk or scuttled. The Swordfish also became the first FAA aircraft to destroy a U-boat when one dive-bombed and sank U-64.

Fairey Swordfish in the Mediterranean

Fairey Swordfish with 820 Naval Air Squadron, Fleet Air Arm flying over the HMS Ark Royal (91), 1939. (Photo Credit: United Kingdom Government / Naval History and Heritage Command / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain)

On June 14, 1940, after Italy entered the war, nine Fairey Swordfish took part in the first Allied bombing raid against the nation. They participated in a second raid against oil tanks at Augusta, Sicily approximately two weeks later.

On July 3, Swordfish took part in the Attack on Mers-el-Kébir, which saw the Royal Navy attack the French fleet at Oran, French Algeria to prevent the vessels falling into enemy hands. Taking off from the HMS Ark Royal (91), 12 Swordfish attacked, greatly damaging the battleship Dunkerque. This presented the first time the British had won a battle without the use of gunfire, and it displayed the vulnerability of ships in port and how effective the Swordfish could be against them.

Swordfish went on to support the British Army by destroying enemy ships off the coast of Libya. On August 22, with only three torpedoes, three biplanes took out a destroyer, support ship and two U-boats in the Gulf of Bomba. The aircraft also saw great success in the Battle of Taranto.

The leading Italian fleet was based at Taranto, in the south of Italy. After intelligence was gathered, the British launched their attack. A wave of Swordfish dropped flares to illuminate the harbor, followed by a second group armed with torpedoes and bombs. The biplanes evaded anti-aircraft fire and caused serious damage to three battleships, along with scoring hits on two cruisers and two destroyers.

Taking on the German battleship Bismarck

Fairey Swordfish aboard the HMS Victorious (R38), prior to the engagement with the German battleship Bismarck, 1941. (Photo Credit: Not Stated / Royal Navy / Imperial War Museums / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain)

Fairey Swordfish also attacked U-boats during the Battle of the Atlantic. That being said, the aircraft’s most famous engagement was the attack on the German battleship Bismarck. On May 24, 1941, during the Battle of the Denmark Strait, Bismarck sank the British battlecruiser HMS Hood (51). The British pursued the German battleship, hoping to exact retribution for their loss.

Swordfish were integral in finding Bismarck; beginning on May 24, aircraft from the HMS Victorious (R38) flew sorties to find the battleship. On the first day, one launched a torpedo, which inflicted little damage. The British caught up to Bismarck on May 26, due to the Germans’ evasive measures ultimately slowing them down.

On that day, the HMS Ark Royal came into range, launching two Swordfish strikes. The first couldn’t find the vessel; however, the second hit the battleship with two torpedoes. One of these scored a lucky blow to Bismarck’s rudder, jamming it at 12 degrees to port. She could no longer maneuver and was stuck sailing in a circle.

This allowed Royal Navy ships to come into range and fire upon Bismarck, which sank 13 hours later. This engagement made the Fairey Swordfish famous. The biplane, outdated when the war began, helped sink one of Britain’s greatest adversaries: Bismarck.

The Martin B-26 Marauder was an American twin-engine medium bomber that saw service during World War II. Taking part in action in all theaters of the conflict, it suffered a high accident rate with its early models that was rectified through retrained crews and much-needed modifications. This allowed the over 5,200 production B-26s to serve until the end of the war with American and Allied air forces.

Development of the Martin B-26 Marauder

Martin B-26 Marauder with the 596th Bombardment Squadron, 397th Bombardment Group, 98th Bombardment Wing, 9th Bombardment Command, Ninth Air Force, 1944. (Photo Credit: Charles E. Brown / USAAF / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain)

In March 1939, the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) published requirements for a twin-engined medium bomber. The aircraft needed to have a maximum speed of 350 MPH, a range of 3,000 miles and the ability to carry up to 2,000 pounds of ordnance.

On July 5, the Glenn L. Martin Company submitted its design, the Martin Model 179. It was decided the aircraft was the greatest submission, and Martin was given a contract for 201 units, to be referred to as B-26 Mauraders. It took approximately two years for the bomber to become operational. Despite this, another order for an additional 930 was placed in September 1940.

The first flight of the B-26 took place on November 25, 1940, and the USAAC received its first in February 1941. In March of that year, the service began testing the B-26 at Patterson Field, Ohio.

An accident-prone aircraft

Martin B-26 Marauder with the 497th Bombardment Squadron, 344th Bombardment Group, Ninth Air Force after it was struk by flak, 1945. (Photo Credit: USAAF / Library of Congress / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain)

Initially, the B-26 Marauder was an accident-prone aircraft. At MacDill Field, Florida, 15 crashed over the course of 30 days. This led to the saying, “One a day in Tampa Bay.” In addition to the crashes at MacDill, another 13 B-26s crashed in Tampa Bay over the course of 14 months. This led crews to give the bomber a number of rather unfortunate nicknames, including “Widowmaker,” “Martin Murderer,” “Flying Coffin” and “B-Dash-Crash.”

In 1942, then-Missouri Sen. Harry S. Truman was chairman of the Senate Special Committee to Investigate the National Defense Program – also known as the “Truman Committee.” During one hearing, he asked Martin representatives why so many B-26s had crashed or had issues. Their answer was that the wings were too short.

Truman replied that, if such negligence continued, the contract would be canceled. Ensuring it wasn’t, Martin added six feet to the wingspan, along with upgraded engines, more armor and heavier guns. Pilots were also retrained to understand the unique flying requirements of the B-26.

By February 1943, the bombers being produced were problem free.

Martin B-26 Marauder specs

Martin B-26 Marauder on a practice bombing run at Eglin Field, Florida, 1942. (Photo Credit: USAAF / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain)

The B-26 Marauder was a shoulder-winged monoplane with an all-metal construction. The aircraft featured two bomb bays at mid-fuselage, and while a full bomb load would see both filled, in practice the forward bay was used for ordnance while the aft held additional fuel tanks.

Overall, the B-26 was 58 feet, six inches long and had a wingspan of 71 feet. The bomber’s weight was 37,000 pounds, and later models were armed with eleven .50-cal. M2 Browning machine guns and up to 4,000 pounds of bombs. While 5,800 pounds of ordnance could be carried, this created a reduction in the aircraft’s range.

Two Pratt & Whitney R-2800-43 Double Wasp radial engines, producing between 2,000 and 2,200 horsepower each, powered the B-26. These allowed the bomber to maintain a cruising speed of 190 MPH and reach a maximum of 285 MPH. It had a range of 1,100 miles and a ceiling of 19,800 feet.

Sending the Martin B-26 Marauder to the Pacific

Martin B-26 Marauder with the 37th Bombardment Squadron, 17th Bombardment Group suffering heavy flak damage, 1943. (Photo Credit: USAAF / Library of Congress / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain)

The B-26 Marauder saw service in all theaters of war, although it was used primarily in Europe. Despite its early accident record, the aircraft went on to become one of the most successful American medium-range bombers. By the end of WWII, it’d been flown by the Americans, British, South Africans and Free French on more than 110,000 sorties.

The first B-26s arrived in the Pacific in February 1941, replacing the Douglas B-18 Bolo. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, more were sent to the South West Pacific.

During the Battle of Midway, two B-26s were stationed at Midway Island to attack the Japanese fleet. While the torpedoes they dropped didn’t hit any ships, they did kill two sailors aboard the aircraft carrier Akagi with their machine guns and shoot down a Mitsubishi A6M Zero.

In 1943, the B-26 began to be replaced in the Pacific by the North American B-25 Mitchell. This process took a while, with the final B-26 combat mission taking place on January 9, 1944.

Martin B-26 Marauder in the Mediterranean

Martin B-26 Marauders with the 555th Bombardment Squadron, 386th Bombardment Group, 1944. (Photo Credit: R.H. Denison / USAAF / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain)

While a lesser part of the B-26 Marauder’s history, the bomber’s service during Operation Torch and in the Mediterranean is still notable. During the Allied invasion, three bombardment groups were deployed, which lost 80 aircraft over 1,587 combat sorties. OutsideA of North Africa, the B-26 flew with the Twelfth Air Force during operations in Sicily, southern France and Italy, providing much-needed aid for the various Allied advances.

It was during these missions that the bomber received its biggest praise, with Air Marshal John Slessor, Deputy Commander-in-Chief Mediterranean Allied Air Forces, commenting on the B-26’s “astonishing accuracy.”

Service in the European Theater

Martin B-26C Marauder with the 450th Bombardment Squadron, 322nd Bombardment Group, Ninth Air Force, 1944. (Photo Credit: U.S. Air Force / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain)

In Europe, the first B-26 Marauders began fighting with the Eighth Air Force in early 1943. One of the first attacks made by the bombers was an unescorted attack against a power station in the Netherlands. The whole of the attacking force, 11 B-26s, fell victim to Luftwaffe-flown Focke Wulf Fw 190s and anti-aircraft fire.

B-26 missions were far more successful when Allied fighters accompanied them and they bombed targets at a medium altitude. In this improved situation, the aircraft proved to be very successful. Flying with the Ninth Air Force, the B-26 experienced the lowest loss rate in the European Theater of any aircraft, at less than 0.5 percent.

The B-26 was also used throughout the Second World War by the Royal Air Force, South African Air Force, the Balkan Air Force and the Free French Air Force. The French were the last to operate the bomber, with two remaining in service as a testbed until 1958.