Wyoming Air National Guard C-130, The City of Riverton.

 

Fire Bombers, Summer 2024. Natrona County International Airport.

This has been a horrible year for fires. There's nothing good about that whatsoever.

It has made for some interesting plane spotting, however.

Indeed, the airport put in a fire tanker station/base just last year.  That turned out to be, unfortunately, a good thing.

Bombardier CL-215-6B11 (CL-415) water scooper belonging to Aero-Flite Inc.

A C-130 fire bomber.

British Aerospace BAE 146 belonging to Neptune Aviation Services.

Air Tractor.

 

Lex Anteinternet: Saturday, May 6, 1944. Normandy Reconnaisance and the A7M.

Lex Anteinternet: Saturday, May 6, 1944. Shelling Sevastapol.: 

Saturday, May 6, 1944. Shelling Sevastapol.

Reconnaissance photograph, Normandy.  Taken by a F5, the reconnaisnace version of the P-38.

The first flight of the Mitsubishi A7M, the intended replacement for the famous A6M "Zero", occured.  Only seven of the carrier planes would be built before the end of the war.

Lex Anteinternet: Thursday, February 24, 1944. Big Week Climax.

Lex Anteinternet: Thursday, February 24, 1944. Big Week Climax.:   

Thursday, February 24, 1944. Big Week Climax.

 

B-26 “Marauder” bomber roars over Luftwaffe airfield at Leeuwarden, Holland, February 24, 1944.

The Gothaer Waggonfabrik (Gotha) aircraft plant was hit as part of the Big Week.

The plant had been targeted for February 22, but bad weather had prevented the raid from occurring.  On this day, 239 B-24s raided the plant.

Typical for such things, the US Army Air Force regarded the raid as a huge success.  In reality, however, the lead bombardier, who controlled the run ins via the Norden Bomb site, suffered from anoxia due to a faulty oxygen mask and mistook Eisenach as the primary target. Forty-three bombers accordingly followed his error. Thirty-four B-24s were shot down, twenty-nine were damaged.  Three aircrewmen were killed, six wounded and 324 went missing.  169 bombers did get through, and the plant was heavily damaged.

The Messerschmidt plants at Regensburg and Augsburg were hit and heavily damaged as well.  Production was disrupted, but as Albert Speer noted, the damage was to the frame plant which was quickly put back into production.  Had the engine plant been hit, results would have been different.

It was the climax of The Big Week.

The U-761 was sunk by tow U.S. Navy PBY's assisted by two Royal Navy destroyers.

Blog Mirror: Has Amelia Earhart’s Long-Lost Plane Been Found in the Pacific?

 

Has Amelia Earhart’s Long-Lost Plane Been Found in the Pacific?

Lex Anteinternet: Saturday, November 13, 1943. XP-80 completed.

Lex Anteinternet: Saturday, November 13, 1943. Coconut Grove.:

Saturday, November 13, 1943. Coconut Grove.

The first XP-80 was completed.

Lulu Belle, the first XP-80.

The Kelly Johnson design would go into service in 1945, too late for the Second World War, but would see service in Korea, by which time it was already eclipsed by later designs.

Lex Anteinternet: Friday, June 25, 1943. Murder in Ukraine, tragedy in Nova Scotia, race riot in UK.

Lex Anteinternet: Friday, June 25, 1943. Murder in Ukraine, tragedy...: 

Friday, June 25, 1943. Murder in Ukraine, tragedy in Nova Scotia, race riot in UK.

The Germans completed the eradication of the Jewish population of Stanislav (Ivano-Frankivsk) in Ukraine.

The "Battle of Bamber Bridge" occurred in the UK when white Military Police intervened in a pub which had stretched out drinking hours for black US troops and then attempted to cite one for improper uniform.  Shots were ultimately fired and one of the soldiers was killed.

The Smith-Connoally Act was passed, which allowed the government to seize industries threated by strikes.  It went into law over President Roosevelt's veto.

 No. 21 Squadron RAF Ventura attacking IJmuiden, February 1943.

A Ventura AJ186 crashed in Summerville, Nova Scotia, killing P/O John C. Loucks, air gunner, Bracebridge, Ont., P/O George W. Cowie, pilot, Wellington, New Zealand., P/O Clifford A. Griffiths, navigator, Auckland, New Zealand., Sgt. Arthur Cornelius Mulcahy, wireless air gunner, Sydney, Australia.

The men were undergoing training.  A memorial service will be held for them today in Summerville.

Classified as a medium bomber, the Ventura is one of the numerous Allied warbirds that are now basically forgotten, in spite of having received widespread use.  It was an adaptation of a civilian airliner.

Sarah Sundin notes, on her blog:

Today in World War II History—June 25, 1943: 80 Years Ago—June 25, 1943: Bob Hope begins his first major USO tour; he will spend 11 weeks touring England, North Africa, and Sicily.

United States releases Chinese Balloon photograph taken from U2

 In this photo, you can see the U2's shadow.

Failed Balloon Run

It's now known that the U.S. Air Force did attempt to shoot down the Chinese balloon over Montana, using the F-22's cannons as the intended weapon, but the balloon exceeded the height at which the fighter could operate.

Wyoming Air National Guard C130s taking off at Natrona County International Airport

Wyoming Air National Guard C130Hs arriving at Natrona County International Airport (automatic focus, i.e, out of focus)

C130Hs at Natrona County International Airport (poorly focused).

 

C-130Hs of the 153d Airlift Wing, Wyoming Air National Guard. Natrona County International Air Port