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31 August 2025
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HomeWorld War II

World War II

AVIATION HISTORY FRIDAY

12 May 1940 – the first operational sortie by Defiant interceptor

11 May 2023 Jacek Domański

On 12th May 1940, Boulton Paul Defiant fighter performed its first operational sortie. On that day, six aircraft of that type, together with six Spitfires, executed a combat patrol over the English Channel and coastal […]

AVIATION HISTORY

Link Trainer – the flight simulator that helped to win the World War II

10 April 2023 Jacek Domański

On 14th April 1929, Edwin Albert Link submitted his initial patent application for ´Combination training device for student aviators and entertainment apparatus´. It was approved in September of 1931 and led to creation of the […]

AVIATION HISTORY FRIDAY

24 February 1935 – first flight of Heinkel He 111

23 February 2023 Jacek Domański

On 24th February 1935, the first prototype of German heavy bomber Heinkel He 111 performed its maiden flight at Rostock-Marienehe. The Heinkel He 111 bomber and its development can serve as an example of German […]

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

North American P-51D-25NT Mustang

21 February 2023 Kacper Kolibowski

North American P-51D-25NT Mustang (c/n 124-48293, N151W ´Excalibur´) taxiing for take-off to perform flying display during Aerofestival 2015 at Poznań-Ławica airport, Poznań (June 2015). The example of the most iconic US fighter of World War […]

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Messerschmitt Me 163B Komet

14 February 2023 Jacek Domański

Messerschmitt Me 163B-1 Komet (c/n 191316?, formerly JG 400 of the Luftwaffe), exhibited in Deutsches Museum, Munich, October 2013. The Me 163 Komet is commonly associated with German anti-aircraft defence in the final years of […]

AVIATION HISTORY

3 February – birth (1859) and death (1935) of Hugo Junkers

2 February 2023 Jacek Domański

On 3rd February 1859, a well-known German aviation engineer and aircraft pioneer, Heinrich Hugo Junkers, was born in Rheydt, a borough of Mönchengladbach city. Hugo was the third of seven children of Heinrich and Louise […]

AVIATION HISTORY FRIDAY

27 January 1939 – first flight of Lockheed P-38 Lightning

26 January 2023 Jacek Domański

On 27th January 1939, prototype of twin piston-engine fighter aircraft XP-38 performed its maiden flight, by test pilot Benjamin S. Kelsey. The P-38 fighter was created in response to the United States Army Air Corps […]

AVIATION HISTORY FRIDAY

28 October 1936 – first flight of Dornier Do 19

27 October 2022 Jacek Domański

On 28th October 1936, Dornier Do 19, four-engine long-range heavy bomber, performed its maiden flight. Shortly following Hitler´s rise to power at the beginning of 1933 and then creation of the first Nazi-led cabinet, the […]

AVIATION HISTORY FRIDAY

9 September 1942 – Lookout Air Raid

9 September 2022 Jacek Domański

On 9th September 1942, Japanese floatplane Yokosuka E14E ´Glen´ dropped two incendiary bombs in the mountains of Oregon, the United States. It was the first time ever when enemy aircraft performed an air raid on […]

AVIATION HISTORY FRIDAY

19 August 1940 – first flight of North American B-25 Mitchell

19 August 2022 Jacek Domański

On 19th August 1940, prototype of a twin-engine medium bomber, later known as B-25 Mitchell, performed its maiden flight at Mines Field, Los Angeles. In the late 1930s, the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) […]

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