320mm Type 98 (M1938) spigot mortar

Type 98 was first used in Singapore and the Philippines in the early Pacific War. After that, Type 98 was used on Okinawa and Iwo Jima.

Independent artillery mortar battalions (Dokunitsu Kyoho Daitai) in Burma were issued with a ponderous 320mm Type 98 (M1938) spigot mortar which could throw a 675 lb bomb over 1,000yd. This weapon was clearly akin to the 320mm spigot mortar designed specifically for demolition work. (Few of them were made and they were little used).

In both cases the spigot mortar itself comprised a steel spigot, a domed steel mounting plate — supported by a dome-shaped wooden block, and a steel baseplate; these were all bolted to a heavy wood block base. The spigot was a steel cylinder with a cavity at the upper end for the propellant. The wooden base consisted of three sections of rectangular baulks of timber, the top section, the middle and the bottom sections — alternate sections being laid at right angles to one another.

Provision was made for a limited amount of traverse and the spigot-seating bolts were so constructed as to permit setting up for line. Changes in range were obtained by varying the propellant charge.

Bombs were in three parts which screwed together; an HE warhead fitted with a nose-fuse, a cylindrical central portion with an internal cavity for a secondary filling, and a cylindrical finned tail unit. The primary and augmenting charges were contained in a brass case which fitted into the spigot cavity; ignition was by means of an electric ignitor through a flash channel in the side of the spigot and the bomb tail.

Type 98 32cm Spigot Mortar

Introduced Year : 1938

Caliber : 320 mm

Barrel Length : -

EL Angle of Fire : Fixed at 45 Degrees

AZ Angle of Fire : 16 Degrees

Shell Weight : 300 Kg

Muzzle Velocity : 110 m/sec

Weight : 1.215 ton

Range : 1,100 m

Production Qty : 2,000 (Shells)

B 24 Ferret aircraft

 

 

These are cutaway drawings of an ELINT B-24J, but the location of the SCR-717 is the same as on late Far East SB-24Ls and Ms.

Short History of the use of the R-45/ARR-7.

WWII
Early 1943
B-24 "Ferret" aircraft were developed and tested in the Pacific Theater with the following mission equipment:
SCR-587
SX-28 (to become the R-45/ARR-7)
S-36
Panoramic Indicators
Recording Receivers
Omni-Antennas
Motor driven rotatable Yagi

1945
US Navy Patrol Bomber Squadron VPB-106, flying PB4Y-2 Privateers from Tinian in the Mariana Islands.
The PB4Y-2 Privateer was a specially modified Navy Version of the B-24. Its fuselage was extended 7 feet and the twin tails were changed to a single tail.

Mission equipment included:
APR-1
APR-2
APR-5 Radar Intercept Receivers with Pulse Analyzers and DF Antennas

ARR-5
ARR-7 Communications Intercept Receivers

APT-1
APQ-2
APT-5 Jammers

1945
20th Air Force, 3rd Photo Reconnaissance Squadron
B-24 "Ferrets"
Mission Equipment included:
APR-4
APR-5A Radar Search Receivers
APA-10 Pan Adapter
APA-11 Pulse Analyzer
APA-17 Direction Finder
APA-13 Signal recorder
APA-24 Direction Finder
ARR-5
ARR-7 Communications Search Receivers
ANQ-1 Wire Recorder

During WWII there were many other similar aircraft developed but none specifically listed the R-45/ARR-7 .

B-17 and B-24 Ferrets were also used in Europe and North Africa. B-29's were also used in the Pacific.

RICH WA6KNW

Old Crows never die they just smell that way................

Macchi MC.202 Folgore

 

 

Mario Castoldi had been convinced from the earliest days of MC.200 flight testing that full potential of the design would be achieved only by the installation of an inline engine. This opinion was confirmed during August 1940 when the prototype Macchi MC.202 (MM 445) was tested with an imported Daimler-Benz DB 601A-1 engine. The prototype was first flown on 10 August 1940, and its initial trials were so impressive that it was ordered into production without delay.

Generally similar in overall configuration to the MC.200, the MC.202 Folgore (thunderbolt) introduced a new fuselage structure with an enclosed cockpit, similar wings, but retained the tail unit and landing gear of its predecessor. However, the single MC.202 prototype, which was basically a re-engined MC.200 airframe, was flown with a retractable tailwheel. Because of the degree of commonality there was little delay in starting production, the first deliveries being made in the spring of 1941. Built alongside the MC.200 by Macchi, Breda and SAI-Ambrosini, early series aircraft were powered by imported DB601A-1 engines until such time as Alfa Romeo had a licence-built version in production as the RA.1000 RC.41-1 Monsone (monsoon). However, it was limited manufacture of this engine which restricted the number of MC.202s to a total of about 1,500 when production ended in 1943, and. so the MC.200 continued to be manufactured simultaneously, instead of being supplanted completely by the Folgore. Like its predecessor, the MC.202 was built in generally similar MC.202AS and MC.202CB tropicalised and fighter-bomber variants respectively, plus a single MC.202D experimental aircraft which introduced a revised radiator for the engine cooling system.

Undoubtedly the best wartime fighter to serve in large numbers with the Regia Aeronautica, initial deliveries of production aircraft were made in November 1941 to units operating in Libya. The Folgore also took part in actions against Malta and Allied convoys in the Mediterranean and, in September 1942, was deployed in some numbers on the Eastern Front. They played a significant role in the defence of Sicily and southern Italy against bombing attacks launched by the USAF, but by the time of the Allied invasion of Sicily they were less effective as attrition had reduced the total number available.

Specification

Macchi MC.202

Type: single-seat interceptor fighter

Powerplant: one 1,175-hp (876-kW) Alfa Romeo RA.1000 RC.41-1 Monsone 12-cylinder inverted-Vee piston engine

Performance: maximum speed 370 mph (595 km/h) at 16,405 ft (5000 m); service ceiling 37,730 ft (11500 m); range 475 miles (765 km)

Weight: empty 5,181lb (2350 kg); maximum take-off 6,636 lb (3010 kg)

Dimensions: span 34 ft 8lh in (10.58 m); length 29 ft 0 ½ in (8.85 m); height 9 ft 11 ½ in (3.04 m); wing area 180.84 sq ft (16.80 m2)

Armament: initially two 12.7-mm (0.5-in) Breda-SAFAT machine-guns in upper engine cowling, but later series added two wing-mounted 7.7-mm (0.303-in) Breda-SAFAT guns; one production batch introduced a 20-mm cannon beneath each wing

Operators: Luftwaffe (small number ex-Italian), Italian Regia Aeronautica, Aeronautica Cobelligerante del Sud, and Aeronautica azionale Repubblicana

Variants and production

Like its predecessor C.200, the C.202 had relatively few modifications, with only 116 modifications during its career, most of them practically invisible externally. The total series production ordered was 1,454: 900 to Breda, 150 to SAI Ambrosini, 403 to Aermacchi. The amount produced was actually 1,106 and not 1,220 as previous stated. Breda built 649 (Series XVI deleted, Series XII and XV partially completed caused the difference); Aermacchi made 390 examples, SAI only 67.

One of the differences between prototype and series production was the lack of radio antenna and the retractable tailwheel (these differences caused the slightly advantage in speed); the difference in speed was not so great and so, the series version had the fixed tailwheel and the radio antenna. However, the support for the engine, originally made in steel, was replaced with a lighter aluminium structure.

C.202

    Starting with the Serie VII, the fighter had a new wing with a provision for two 7.7 mm (.303 in) Breda-SAFAT machine guns and an armoured windscreen (previously, only the armoured seat and the self-sealing tanks were provided). Serie IX's weight was 2,515/3,069 kg with the 7.7 machine guns seldom installed.[36]

C.202AS

    Dust filters for operations in North Africa (AS - Africa Settentrionale, North Africa); they little affected the speed and so, almost all Folgores had them and thus were in C.202AS standard; finally, starting with Serie XI there was a provision for two 50, 100 or 160 kgs bombs, small bombs clusters (10, 15, 20 kg) or 100 l tanks. These underwing pylons were rarely utilized, as Folgores were needed in the interceptor roles.

C.202CB

    Underwing hardpoints for bombs or drop tanks (CB - Caccia Bombardiere, Fighter-Bomber)

C.202EC

    probably meaning Esperimento Cannoni, it was another linking ring between Veltro and Folgore. One aircraft (Serie III, s/n MM 91974) was fitted with a pair of gondola-mounted 20 mm cannon with 200 rounds each (it flew on 12 May 1943); later it was turned into a C.205V. Another four examples were so equipped, but, despite the good results in the trials (aimed to boost the Folgore's firepower), there was no further production, because the cannons penalized the aircraft's performance. There was, in the Folgore, no room to mount them inside the wings or the nose, so it was developed the MC.205V/Ns.[38] Neverthless, the XII series could have introduced a new wing with MG 151 provisions. This is not well documented, as this series was produced by Breda after the Armistice, and was interrupted with the devastating USAAF bombings, together with many others aircraft; among them, also Macchi 205 production and the 206 prototype (30 April 1944; in five days, the USAAF managed to destroy both Fiat and Macchi facilities, eliminating all of Italy's fighter production).

C.202RF

    Equipped with cameras for photo-reconnaissance missions (R - Ricognizione, Reconnaissance), very few produced, later the recce role will be couvered by Veltros.

C.202D

    Prototype with a revised radiator, under the nose, similar to the P-40's one (s/n. MM 7768)

C.202 AR.4

    at least one was modified as 'drone director' (coupled with S.79s), and it was planned to use Folgores also as 'Mistel', with an AR.4 "radiobomba". (a sort of remote-control kamikaze bomber).

C.202 with DB 605 and other engines

    Macchi MC.202 with DB 605 were initially known as MC.202 bis; later as the C.205 Veltro. Macchi C.200, C.202 and C.205 shared many common components. The MC.200A/2 was a MC.200 with Folgore wings (MM.8238). After the Armistice, Aeronautica Sannita or the Co-Belligerant Italian AF began MC.205 modifying C.202s with DB 605s. These aircraft were known also as "Folgeltro". Around two dozen were made. Another Folgore was modified with DB 601E-1 (1,350 hp) in summer 1944, but this hybrid with Bf-109F technology crashed on 21 January 1946. The MC. 204 was a version with a L.121 Asso (1,000 hp); proposed early in the war (28 September 1940), but all the effort continued only with DB-601 engines. Early Folgores had original DB 601s, while from the Serie VII, RC.41s were available. Italian engines had 100 hp less than the German DB 601s.

After the war, 31 C.202 airframes were fitted with license-built Daimler-Benz DB 605 engines and sold to Egypt as C.205 Veltros, with another 11 'real' MC.205s (with MG151 cannons in the wings).

Tank Museum in £40,000 public appeal to save WWII Tiger Tank | Culture24

(Above) Tiger 131 is examined by troops hours after it was captured in Tunisia in 1943

The Tank Museum in Dorset has launched a £40,000 public appeal to keep a gun-toting 57-ton German tank which was considered one of the most formidable armoured vehicles in World War Two on the road.

The notorious Tiger Tank, 131, was captured by Allied troops in an explosive battle in Tunisia in 1943, having been struck by a six-pound shot after knocking out two British Churchill tanks.

Produced in 1942 to meet the German Wehrmacht's vision of a panzer towering enough to provide a psychological edge over Allied crews, the Tiger was one of only 1,354 units made, seeing action in Russia, Tunisia, Sicily and North-West Europe.

A photo of a tank parading around a stadium

The Tiger pulls the Crowds at Tankfest 2009

It boasted a lethal 88mm gun of deadly accuracy and sheet armour thick enough to deflect most Allied anti-tank weaponry at anything less than the closest range, but was hampered by its vast weight and girth during campaigns in bad conditions.
The engine had "a nasty habit of catching fire", according to its technical description, and the gearbox was liable to failure when subjected to stress.

The Museum's Tiger represented a major trophy for Western forces, who gained vital intelligence from inspecting the abandoned vehicle. King George VI and Winston Churchill both visited the tank in Tunis, and it was displayed on Horse Guards Parade in November 1944 before heading to its current Bovington home in a "somewhat sorry state".

via Tank Museum in £40,000 public appeal to save WWII Tiger Tank | Culture24.

THE Fl 282 'KOLIBRI'

 

The most important modification Flettner made to the design of the new aircraft was to re-locate the engine behind the pilot's seat, which gave him and the observer a much-enlarged field of view. The drive was taken off the front of the crankshaft through a reduction gearbox and transmitted up and back through a universally jointed drive shaft and a cross-shaft connecting the two rotor shafts, which were set at an inclusive angle of 24 degrees, and inclined forward by 6 degrees. The rotor blades were mounted so that they were parallel when they were at 45 degrees to the aircraft's centreline. The fin and rudder were much larger than in previous Flettner designs, steering being accomplished by a combination of rudder movement and differential collective pitch control.

The 'Kolibri' proved to be very satisfactory indeed, despite a pronounced vibration period as the engine was run-up, with a maximum speed in level flight of 150km/h (93mph), a vertical rate of climb of 91.5m/min (300ft/min), a hover ceiling of 300m (985ft), and a service ceiling of 3290m (10,800ft). Its range, with just the pilot and maximum fuel aboard, was 300km (185 miles). Some 50 pilots were trained to fly it, most of them by Flettner's test pilot, Hans Fuisting. It was extremely manoeuvrable and very stable and at forward speeds in excess of 60km/h (37mph) could be flown hands-off once the controls were balanced.

SEA TRIALS

From 1942, trials at sea aboard the cruiser Köln demonstrated that the aircraft was usable even in very poor weather conditions, and by the following year, 20 were in service with the Kriegsmarine in the Mediterranean and the Aegean. In 1944, an order for 1000 Fl 282s was placed with BMW, which began tooling up for production at its Munich and Eisenach plants, but before manufacture could begin, both they and the Flettner works at Johannisthal were very badly damaged by Allied bombing. Anton Flettner went on to design a 20-seat passenger helicopter, the Fl 339, but never got beyond the development stag

ANTON FLETTNER (*1885 -+1965): In 1905, Anton Flettner started his engineering career
designing control systems for use in Germany’s Zeppelins. Both during and after the
First World War, Flettner continued working on many innovative and successful projects.
In 1922, Flettner built a helicopter which however did not fly (in a tethered flight) until
1933. Flettner was one of the first helicopter designers to use intermeshing rotors. His
designs were superior to the Focke-Achgelis Fa 61 design and they also gave some of the
early efforts of Sikorsky’s a run for his money. Flettner emigrated to the U.S. in 1947,
worked for a while for the U.S. Navy and then started his own company, Flettner Aircraft
Corporation.

Flettner Fl 184: A gyroplane. The only single-rotor helicopter built by Flettner; all others had twin, intermeshing rotors. Single prototype destroyed in a fire; though the Kriegsmarine did have a strong interest in the capabilities of the aircraft.

Flettner Fl 185: Continuation effort of the Fl 184. Built more for design and testing purposes than anything else.

Flettner Fl 201: An enlarged Fl 185. Provisions for carrying 35 +/- passengers. Design only, none built.

Flettner Fl 265: Built for the German Kriegsmarine in 1938, but the program was stopped because the KM found the Fl 282 to be more optimally suited for its needs. Only six were built. In an interesting twist, the Fl 265 was “combat tested” against a Fw 190 and Me 109 in mock battles - both fighters were not able to score a kill against the agile Fl 265 (this was recorded on film).

Flettner Fl 282 (Kolibri): One of the best helicopters developed during the war by any belligerent power. The world’s first fully operational helicopter. Built primarily to satisfy German Kriegsmarine requirements. Tested extensively in the Baltic Sea with the cruiser Köln taking a leading role in those tests; also tested in the Mediterranean Sea aboard the German minelayer “Drache”. Though ordered for mass production, only 22 were actually delivered for ASW operations. They were allocated to the following in 1943:

Bordfliegerstaffel 196 (known codes: T3+**, 6W+** (until July of 1943), 6I+**):
Gruppenstab (established 12.1937)
1/196
2/196
3/196
5/196

Flettner Fl 285: A theoretical design intended to fill the needs of the German Kriegsmarine. None were built.

Flettner Fl 339: The Fl 339 was intended to serve the needs of the Wehrmacht as a communications, liaison and aerial observation platform. Two/four seaters were planned.  None were built as the project was canceled.

T28 Super Heavy Tank in Transport Mode

 

 

 

This vehicle was the largest AFV of American design in WWII. It was almost 15’ wide, 36’ long and weighed 190,000 lb. (95 tons). Because of its huge size and weight, it was equipped with 4 sets of tracks, two on each side of 19-1/2” width each. This most unusual arrangement was needed to lower the ground pressure to 11.7 lbs./sq.in. Each track assembly was made up of two complete horizontal volute suspension systems (HVSS). In order to reduce width and weight, the outermost tracks could be removed when the tank was being transported. To assist in this Herculean task, the tank carried two hydraulically assisted winches mounted at the rear of the tank. Each track assembly weighed almost 25 tons, and two could be linked together side by side to form a unit which could be towed behind a prime mover or the tank itself!  It took a crew almost 3hrs. to make this change. The running gear included a total of 64 20-1/2” wheels with rubber backed steel tracks 19-1/2” wide and rear drive with support rollers and front idler.

Jeff Ethell's Pireps - F-16 Falcon

 

When the F-16 was born in the early 1970s, much against the will of most U.S. Air Force planners who did not want an inexpensive, "incapable" aircraft, it was envisioned as a small, lightweight, supreme dogfighter. The Fighting Falcon has more than lived up to that design parameter in spite of being given extensive air-to-ground bombing and attack mission capability as well. The official name has never been popular with pilots, who prefer to call it the Viper, Electric Jet (the latter for its computer driven fly-by-wire control systems) or just plain Jet, but that has not stopped them from making the small fighter one of the most lethal in the world.

Climbing aboard the F-16 is like settling into the world's finest sports car...a greater than 1-to-1 thrust-to-weight ratio, incredible visibility out of the bubble canopy, a very comfortable seat reclined 30 degrees and side stick controls at left (throttle) and right (flight) with buttons on both for systems and weapons activation. With a turn rate of 19 degrees per second, an excellent Head Up Display (HUD), proven 20mm gun and Sidewinder heat seeking missiles, the Jet is deadly, particularly since its small size means it is very hard to see in air combat.

Once the aircraft is started, the canopy sill comes down to below shoulder level, leaving one sitting high inside the polycarbonate bubble. My first impression was that of sitting on top of the aircraft, suspended in space. I found the reclining seat left my head at just the right angle for comfort and pulling high G (1G is the force of gravity). After pretake-off checks and lining up on the runway, power is brought up to 80%...any more and the tires will slide. Brake release and into full afterburner...WHAM! The Jet leaps down the runway as if scalded and I am pressed back hard into the seat, but with far less discomfort than most modern fighters due to the couch. At 130 knots a little back pressure on the stick brings the Viper into a nose high attitude and at 145 it lifts off after 2,200 feet of runway.

The stick is connected to a digital complex of four computers which send electrical impulses to the flight controls...there are no cables or tubes. Though the stick grip looks normal, it moves only one tenth of an inch in any direction so gentle inputs only are necessary. A foldable wristrest enables the pilot to rest his hand on the stick and touch it with thumb and forefinger only when needed. At first this lack of motion is intimidating but after a few minutes it becomes so natural and relaxing, with all buttons handy due to HOTAS (Hands On Throttle And Stick) design, one wonders why we haven't done this before. Resting with my arm in a comfortable position is far better than reaching to the center of the cockpit for a conventional "pole." The lasting impression after some time at the controls is supreme precision with no friction or lag, freeing the pilot to fly the mission rather than manage the aircraft.

The radar and weapons systems are very versatile, enabling the pilot to track and fire at multiple targets without putting his head inside the cockpit (this is not always true for bombing or firing air-to-ground missiles like the Maverick). In one of my first mock dogfights I pulled the 9 Gs the Viper is capable of but it really took some getting used to. The machine can truly outperform the human, leading to some serious G-LOC (G induced Loss Of Consciousness) problems where the pilot blacks out. The F-16 community has pioneered this high-performance end of the envelope.

In a dogfight the F-16 is fantastic, able to turn and maneuver against anything in the sky, with the possible exception of the Harrier which can use nozzles to turn instantly. The computer immediately responds to commands but it will not allow a pilot to push the airframe into a stalled or out of control situation. With the exception of G-LOC, I was able to keep my adversary in sight at all times due to the clear bubble and the ability to swivel my head on the reclined couch.

Coming back into the landing pattern, the control system's sensitivity is reduced by 50% when the landing gear is lowered (or when the inflight refueling receptacle is opened). This immediately makes the Jet very easy to handle and landing is easier to perform than in a Cessna. Speed bleeds off nicely and a soft touchdown is made at 142 knots. In spite of the pressure in military circles to downplay the dogfight (something that has been done after every war since World War I), the F-16 Jet jockeys keep air combat maneuvering (ACM) in the forefront of their capability and no doubt they will have to use it in our world's ever changing military threat environment.

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