While often seen as less exciting than their combat counterparts, transport and auxiliary aircraft provided vital services in moving cargo, and training new pilots. Light transports which could combine both duties were thus extremely desirable during the war as theaters stretched across continents and pilot attrition was high. Luckily for the Luftwaffe, the Siebel company…

Number built: Allegedly, up to four prototypes [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="422"] An artistic drawing of what this unusual aircraft might have looked like source: www.nevingtonwarmuseum.com[/caption] The German military industries during the Second World War are often seen as highly developed, and producing highly sophisticated, superior weaponry to that used by the Allies. The reality is…

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="1271"] The Me 209 aircraft. Source: www.luftwaffephotos.com[/caption] In the years prior to the Second World War, in Europe, there was significant interest in the development of aircraft intended to be used for breaking various world records. International competitions and exhibitions of new aircraft technology were quite common in this period. While at…

When the Nazis came to power in Germany during the early 1930’s they sought to modernize their armed forces with more modern military equipment. The founding of a new air force, the Luftwaffe as it was known in Germany, was one of the main priorities of the new regime. Massive resources were channeled into the…

Number operated: 31 [caption id="attachment_20997" align="aligncenter" width="828"] Romanian operated He 112s. (http://www.luftwaffephotos.com)[/caption] During the 1930’s the Aeronautica Regală Română ARR (Romanian Royal Aeronautics or Airforce) was in great need of more modern aircraft design. Their fighter force was poorly equipped with obsolete aircraft such as the PZL P.11 and P.24, being of dated Polish origin.…

Type: Fighter aircraft Number built: 1 prototype plus 12 production aircraft [caption id="attachment_20115" align="aligncenter" width="850"] The most modern Yugoslavian domestically developed fighter IK-3. (http://www.airwar.ru/image/idop/fww2/ik3/)[/caption] The Kingdom of Yugoslavia, despite its rather undeveloped industry and infrastructure, still possessed several aircraft manufacturing companies. During the 1930s, these produced a series of aircraft that would be adopted for…

Rocket-Powered Interceptor Fighter: Reached Prototyping Stage [caption id="attachment_19094" align="aligncenter" width="618"] A diagram of the improved rocket interceptor. (Nevingtonwarmuseum)[/caption] When the Me 163B entered service, it was a unique aircraft by virtue of its rocket engine. It was used as a short range interceptor for German air defense, and while it could achieve extremely high speeds,…

[caption id="attachment_17663" align="alignleft" width="400"] The American M22 Locust light airborne tank. (Source: Wikimedia)[/caption] The practice of dropping airborne troops behind enemy lines offers many tactical advantages, as they can attack weak points and enemy supply lines. This in turn would force the opposing side to redistribute its own forces away from the front to deal…

Ikarus was one of the first Yugoslavian domestic aircraft manufacturers. It was formed in October 1923 by a group of businessmen from the city of Novi Sad. The aircraft development department was led by Josip Mikl and Dimitrije Konjević. Josip Mikl had previously been involved in the development of hydroplanes for the Austro-Hungarian Empire during…

After the war, the once-proud Yugoslavian aviation industry was in ruin. Most of its firms had been either looted or destroyed, and many of the pre-war designers and engineers had been killed by the Germans during their retreat. The Allied bombing of Belgrade also inflicted further damage to the Yugoslavian industry’s infrastructure.  However, as the…