Category: Weapons and Technology
Airships of the Civil War— The Bizarre Story of the Union Army’s Experimental Balloon Corps
“The balloons of the Civil War were a brief but truly forward-looking glimpse of what the future would bring.” By Charles M. Evans IT HAS OFTEN been said that the American Civil War was one…
Seven New War Machines the U.S. Planned to Unleash On Japan in 1946
“The arsenal included larger tanks, more powerful artillery, faster fighter planes and new bombers.” AMERICA’S ANTICIPATED INVASION of Japan ultimately proved unnecessary – the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki made sure of that. Yet all throughout…
Mustang vs. Corsair – Inside the U.S. Navy’s 1944 Match-Up Between the Two Fighters
“In late January and early February 1944, the U.S. Navy conducted a comparison of both airplanes at the Naval Air Station, Patuxent River, Maryland.” By Marc Liebman U.S. ARMY AIR Force pilots who flew the…
Dogfighting — A Primer on Fighter Combat in World War Two
“Once the fight begins, the outcome is determined by a pilot’s experience in the air, his tactics and the airplane itself.” By Marc Liebman MOST comparisons of aircraft focus on a numerical evaluation, i.e. which…
The F4U Corsair – A Brief History of America’s Legendary Gull-Winged Fighter
“By 1944, the Corsair was being deployed in the Pacific in ever-increasing numbers. Japanese pilots quickly learned to fear it.” By Marc Liebman BETWEEN Grumman and Vought Aircraft, the United States produced two of the…
Floyd Smith – Meet the Maverick Inventor Behind the U.S. Military’s Parachutes of WW2
“By 1942, Smith’s company became the largest producer of nylon parachutes in the world, producing 300 parachutes each day for the U.S. military.” By Aaron Bennett MILITARY AVIATION buffs might not know the name Floyd…
