WWII Archives

IAR 80

19th April 2022 Jacek Domański

IAR 80 replica (´112´ of the Royal Romanian Air Force), exhibited at Muzeul Naţional al Aviaţiei Române (National Romanian Aviation Museum) in Bucharest, March 2012. Shortly after the end of the Great War, many European […]

1 April 1954 – last operational sortie of the RAF Spitfire

31st March 2022 Jacek Domański

On the 1st April 1954, a Spitfire Mk. XIX of the No. 81 Squadron RAF performed the last operational sortie of that type of aircraft within the RAF. That final flight was a reconnaissance mission […]

15 October 1933 – the first run of Rolls-Royce Merlin engine

14th October 2021 Jacek Domański

On 15th October 1933, a liquid-cooled, V-12 piston engine designated as PV-12, had run for the very first time. It went into series production approximately three years later and became internationally famed as the Rolls-Royce […]

9 July 1944 – Ingvar Fredrik Håkansson

8th July 2021 Jacek Domański

Death of F/Sgt Ingvar Fredrik Håkansson, Swedish volunteer pilot in the Royal Air Force. Håkansson was born in the United Kingdom, in a mixed family of British mother and Swedish father (who was a navy […]

11 June 1937 – first flight of Kawanishi E11K

10th June 2021 Kacper Kolibowski

Kawanishi E11K, a Japanese experimental flying boat performed its first flight. The story of this aircraft began in 1936, when the Imperial Japanese Navy drew up a request for a new small flying boat, intended […]

4 June 1943 – Jaroslav Čermák

3rd June 2021 Jacek Domański

Flying Officer Jaroslav Čermák from No. 313 (Czech) Squadron RAF, crashes with his Spitfire Mk.V (AR512) near Taunton, after colliding with a train. Complicated wartime fortunes of Jaroslav Čermák may work as a perfect example […]

Grumman TBM-3E Avenger

1st June 2021 Jacek Domański

Grumman TBM-3E Avenger ´Charlie´s Heavy´ (HB-RDG, c/n 3381), taking-off for a flying display at Memorial Air Show, Roudnice nad Labem, June 2015. Distinctive silhouette and characteristic sound of TBM-3 Avenger, nicknamed ´Charlie´s Heavy´, is well […]