The last surviving Battle of Britain pilot John ‘Paddy’ Hemingway has died, aged 105. The Royal Air Force said he passed away peacefully on Monday. Paddy Hemingway – one of “The Few” and a revered figure in British aviation history – played a key role in defending the skies over the United Kingdom against…
Category: Military Aviation History
Know Your Real WW2 History: The War in the Pacific
Via: War Views Military History Blog Pacific War 1 – Preliminary Moves Road to the Pacific War Beginning of the war in the Pacific came unexpectedly, at least for some people. Attention was on Europe, where war had been raging for two years. Poland had been invaded by Germany and USSR in September…
Know Your WW2 History: Masters of the Air Twofer
DID YOU KNOW WHY THE GERMAN PLANES ATTACKED FROM THE FRONT IN MASTERS OF THE AIR? DID YOU KNOW ABOUT THE AERIAL ROCKETS SEEN IN MASTERS OF THE AIR? Highly recommend this mini-series along with the book upon which it is based: Masters of the Air: America’s Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War…
Last of the Cold War Gunfighters: Vought F-8 Crusader
Vought F-8 Crusader: Last of the Gunfighters The Vought F-8 Crusader was a single-engine, supersonic, carrier-based, high-performance jet fighter that first flew in 1955, a mere decade after the end of World War II. The Crusader was the first American fighter to break 1,000 miles per hour. The F-8 earned its testosterone-besotted moniker because…
In Memoriam: Robert “Bob” Pardo
Air Force legend Robert ‘Bob’ Pardo, famous for ‘Pardo’s Push’ maneuver, dead at 89 US Air Force legend Robert “Bob” Pardo, known for his selfless action known as “Pardo’s Push” during the Vietnam War, has died Dec. 5 in College Station, Texas. He was 89. On March 10, 1967, Pardo, then a US Air…
Know Your Military History: Jump Boots – the Airborne Trademark
Jump Boots – the Airborne Trademark {If you are a fan of WW2 Military History, Pacific Paratrooper is one of the BEST Blogs around! Subscribe Today!} Distinctive as Airborne itself, so are the dark, glistening jump boots of a paratrooper. Troopers glory in their significance and only they know the secret pride when they…
Texas News: Texas centenarian, WWII veteran John ‘Lucky’ Luckadoo gets a day named in his honor
This veteran turned 100 on March 16, 2022. At this time, after a web search, he is still alive, so he’s 101. The source is Spectrum News 1 in Dallas-Ft Worth. I finished reading his book titled Damn Lucky; however, I didn’t want to use that in the post’s title. As much as I’ve known […]…
Know Your Naval History: Dinosaurs of the Deep Blue Sea
Dinosaurs of the Deep Blue Sea Thought provoking essay on the current state of American Naval Technology, Strategy and Readiness. Though some might argue it is a bit dated compared to other WW3 novels, I still say Ghost Fleet is one of the most realistic novels at a plausible WW3 scenario.
World War II Documentaries Worth A Damn: Lancaster – Above and Beyond
Lancaster – Above and Beyond The Avro Lancaster was a British Heavy Bomber used extensively during WW2 to take the war into Germany. This documentary dives deep into both the history of the aircraft itself and the amazing crews that flew them into battle. The Dambuster Operation of 1943, aka Squadron X led by…
Know Your WW2 History: Axis vs AA Guns
AXIS VS. AA GUNS: HISTORY OF AMERICAN ANTI-AIRCRAFT WEAPONS Even from the first moments of America’s sudden involvement in World War II, U.S. anti-aircraft (AA) gunners were in the thick of the fight. John W. Finn, US Navy Chief Aviation Ordnanceman, won the Medal of Honor during the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor, December…