Aircraft | War History

The Hughes H-4 Hercules Was An Absolute Mammoth Of An Aircraft

Aerial view of a Hughes H-4 Hercules

Several experimental aircraft have been designed over the years, but few (if any) were as large and eye-catching as the Hughes H-4 Hercules. A flying…

The WWII-Era Disappearance of a Grumman J2F Duck Over Greenland

Grumman J2F Duck in flight

The Grumman J2F Duck was an amphibious aircraft that served the US military in various capacities during the Second World War. It could operate from…

Albert Hickman: The F3H Demon Pilot Who Refused to Eject and Saved the Lives of 700 Americans

McDonnell F3H Demon in flight

Disaster doesn’t just strike in the heat of battle; there are times when things go wrong during training, which put servicemen’s lives in danger. That’s…

Naval Aviators Graffiti Jet Fighter After Pilot Lands On the Wrong Aircraft Carrier

McDonnell F2H-2 Banshee with Fighter Squadron 62 (VF-62) parked on the flight deck of the USS Wasp (CV-18)

If you look at photographs captured during the mid-20th century, odds are you’ll come across some that feature US Navy aircraft covered in graffiti. The…

Dassault Rafale: The French ‘Burst of Fire’ That’s Seen Service Across the Middle East

Dassault Rafale C in flight

The Dassault Rafale is a French twin-engine multi-role fighter. Developed in the 1980s and ’90s, the fighter was the product of disagreements with allied nations…

A Gloster Meteor Once Deflected A V-1 Flying Bomb With Its Wing

Gloster Meteor in flight + V-1 flying bomb in flight

The V-1 flying bomb was an early cruise missile developed by Germany as part of its V-weapons (Vergeltungswaffen) program. Starting on June 13, 1944, V-1s…

Walter Holden Accidentally Took Off In a Fighter Jet – Despite Not Knowing How to Fly It

English Electric Lightning T5 taking off

Not everyone who serves with the Royal Air Force (RAF) is a pilot, as it’s equally important for crewmen to maintain the aircraft. This, however,…

Ryan FR-1 Fireball: The US Navy’s First Jet-Engine Fighter Was Also the Worst Aircraft of World War II

Ryan FR-1 Fireball in flight

The Ryan FR-1 Fireball was an American fighter designed by Ryan Aeronautical for the US Navy during the Second World War. It was a mixed-power…

Bell X-1: America’s Experimental Rocket-Powered Aircraft That First Broke the Sound Barrier

Bell X-1 in flight

The Bell X-1 was a rocket-powered aircraft designed by Bell for a supersonic joint research project between the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) and…

Henschel Hs 129 :The Luftwaffe’s Soaring Tank Buster Armed With a 75 mm Cannon

Sky at sunrise + Drawing of a Henschel Hs 129

As tank warfare evolved and became a key strategy during the interwar period, the German Wehrmacht envisioned a new kind of blitzkrieg – one that…

Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star: The Only US Jet Fighter to See Action In WWII – During Secret Operations In Italy

Lockheed P-80A-1-LO Shooting Star in flight

The Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star, also known as the F-80, was the first jet fighter used operationally by the US Army Air Forces (USAAF). While…

No. 1426 Flight RAF Flew German Aircraft Decked Out In Royal Air Force Insignia

Messerschmitt Bf 109E-3 in flight

In September 1942, Rachel and Eddie Jones were enjoying the warm weather at their home near Romsey, England. Rachel had formed a keen interest in…