In the late 1930s, Italian aircraft manufacturer Reggiane was attempting to gain attention from the Reggia Aeronautica with its Re.2000. While this aircraft initially showed good flying performance, it was not adopted for service. For this reason, Reggiane’s chief engineer, Roberto Longhi, set out to develop a new aircraft that would fulfill the role of…

The first steps towards rebuilding the new Communist Yugoslav aviation industry were made during the war on 24th October 1944. Negotiations with representatives of many pre-war aircraft manufacturers about the possibility of reviving the devastated aircraft industry were held at Zemun near the capital city of Belgrade. Many pre-war aircraft industry designers and engineers would…

During the thirties, the Italian aircraft manufacturer Breda began working on developing several ground attack plane designs based on the theoretical principles set by World War One veteran fighter ace Colonel Amadeo Mecozzi. According to Colonel Mecozzi, the best use of aerial forces was the quick neutralization of military targets deep into enemy territory by…

Officine Meccaniche Reggiane SA (Reggio Emilia in Northern Italy) was a WWI-era aircraft manufacturer. After the war it was not involved in any significant aircraft production or design work. Large scale production only began during the thirties, when Reggiane became a subsidiary of the much larger aircraft manufacturer Caproni, which was led by the well…

On 20th January 1936, the Italian Air Force (Regia Aeronautica) made a request for the development of a new twin-engine multipurpose aircraft. This new aircraft design was meant to be capable of achieving a top speed of least 470 km/h (290 mph). Heavy armament was also required, which would have to consist of two to…

Illustrations by Ed Jackson [caption id="attachment_12344" align="alignnone" width="1200"] He 114C-1 1./SAGr.125 -Baltic Area 1941[/caption] [caption id="attachment_12345" align="alignnone" width="1200"] He 114A-2 1.-KuFlGr-506 Devenow 1938[/caption] [caption id="attachment_12346" align="alignnone" width="1200"] He 114A 1./SAGr.125 Baltic Area 1941[/caption] [caption id="attachment_12359" align="alignnone" width="1280"] He 114B in Romanian Service Circa 1943[/caption] Sources D. Nešić (2008), Naoružanje Drugog Svetskog Rata Nemačka Beograd M.…

During 1939, Hungarian Air Force (Magyar Királyi Honvéd Légierő) military officials were concerned with the need of acquiring more modern aircraft designs. As, during the 1930s, Hungary was a regular customer of Italian aviation equipment and planes (like the Fiat CR.32, for example), it was logical for the Hungarian Air Force military officials to turn…

Officine Meccaniche Reggiane SA (hailing from Reggio Emilia in Northern Italy) was a WWI era aircraft manufacturer. However, following the First World War, it was not involved in any large aircraft production or design work. Rather as a company, it focused primarily on the Rail and Agriculture sectors primarily building locomotives and agricultural equipment. Its…

The leading German scientist in jet engine development was Hans Joachim Pabst von Ohain. He began working on jet engine designs during the thirties, and by 1935 managed to patent his first jet engine while working at the University of Göttingen. The following year, the director of this University, seeing the potential of the Hans…

By 1943, the German Luftwaffe (air force) was stretched to limits in an attempt to stop the ever-increasing number of Allied air attacks. The Allied Bombing campaign particularly targeted German war industry. During this time, there were a number of proposals on how to effectively respond to this ever-increasing threat. Proposals like the use of…